Serval raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, and she suddenly smiled. That smile held a somewhat unusual and frenzied air, but it lasted only for a single instant before vanishing just as abruptly, leaving Bronya with the lingering sensation that she had just hallucinated. She rubbed her eyes slightly, and when she opened them once again, what greeted her vision was Serval offering a bitter smile.
"What is it that you know?"
"Are you referring to..."
"The restart plan for the Creation Engine has actually been underway all this time, and... in fact, there have already been successful cases."
"Mother never mentioned it!"
"Of course she wouldn't."
The woman shook her head helplessly, then let out a sigh.
"Although the repairs were successful, it cannot be put into direct operation. The driving key for the Creation Engine requires the power of the Preservation, yet Cocolia only drove the Creation Engine once before she fell into a deep slumber lasting several days."
"The power of the Preservation..."
As the heir to the Supreme Guardian, Bronya possessed a certain understanding of the Paths, but limited by the descriptions in the texts, she merely knew that at the peak of every Path stood a "deity" known as an Aeon. At the peak of the Preservation stood an Aeon revered as the Amber King, whose name was Klippert, a divinity genuinely recognized and believed in by the City Builders.
Yet whether it was Klippert or the City Builders, both felt far too distant and entirely lacking in real substance to her, rendering her incapable of truly grasping what the power of the Preservation actually meant.
Even her own stepping onto a Path had occurred under unconscious circumstances, stumbling onto the path of the Harmony; even in the wake of her reset, she remained completely unaware of how to replicate the method by which she had walked onto a Path.
"Could it be that truly, there is no other way?"
Dropping her head in discouragement, Bronya failed to notice the fleeting expression of amused delight that flashed across the mature woman's face close at hand. The woman spoke once more, but her voice no longer carried the dashing, mature composure of an older sister; instead, it instantly turned illusory and grew vastly more deranged.
"A way... is not entirely absent, but... Little Grey Hair, do you have the psychological preparedness to bear the cost?"
"The cost? What cost?!"
She abruptly raised her head, yet in that very instant, the blonde mature woman standing within arm's reach vanished without the slightest warning or trace.
"Lady Serval... No, she isn't..."
Realizing belatedly what had just befallen her, she sprang violently to her feet, sweeping her gaze continuously around the surroundings in a desperate attempt to capture the tracks of the person who had vanished.
Yet, she gained nothing.
"Everything that person said just now... was it true?"
"And who on earth is she? The City Builders, the Sea Rangers, the Visitors from Beyond—are there others still? What are her intentions?"
Confusion swirled within Bronya's mind. When her body settled back down onto the chair, her gaze suddenly caught sight of an object that had materialized on the table. She picked it up, and right into her ears came once more the crisp, sickly and frantic sound of laughter.
"Want to know the answer, Little Grey Hair? Then go take a look up on Everwinter Peak! I have prepared a huge surprise for you, oh!"
"Just who on earth are you?!"
Her gaze swept across all directions, but among the surrounding pedestrians, not a single soul matched the source of such a voice. Bronya clenched her fists and demanded in a loud voice,
"What is your ultimate objective?!"
"Hehehe... Why be so tense, Little Grey Hair? Go take a look at the big surprise I've prepared for you first. Otherwise... that button in your hand just might replace the surprise on Everwinter Peak. With just a gentle press, bang, the entirety of Belobog will fly up into the sky together and turn into a super-sized celebratory firework, you know."
"So, promise me, Little Grey Hair... Do absolutely nothing to disappoint the extra-large surprise I've prepared for you, alright?"
ps: This is going on shelves very soon, so I'd appreciate it if you brothers could drop a subscription—even a first-chapter subscription to show some support would give me a chance to secure another recommendation slot. If the slot placement is decent, I'll add ten more chapters. Thanks in advance for the subscriptions, brothers.
Chapter 36: Even a Man Sent from the Heavens Has His Limits. (4/4)
Is there something filthy about?
Though it was merely a sudden impulse, for those who walked upon the Paths, such an impulse usually arose due to the influence of Imaginary energy, bearing a certain degree of real-world effect.
The minions of the Destruction? It doesn't quite feel like it.
Could it be that Blade sneaked in secretly to look for trouble with Dan Heng?
Shirou touched his chin slightly, though with Kafka's presence around, Blade should be locked down tightly by the Word of Power.
Still, this faint sensation shouldn't amount to any major problem.
The surface area of the planet Jarilo-VI was actually not small at all, yet thanks to the impact of the Great Cold, human footprints had been restricted to the vicinity of Belobog for hundreds of years. The era of furthest expansion had reached no further than Alisa Rand's late term in power, during which a single astounding counteroffensive battle had been completed.
As for the outcome of that counteroffensive, it was roughly equivalent to the Jingkang Incident when a mighty warrior suddenly descended from the heavens upon Bianjing, beating the Jin army back all the way to the vicinity of Taiyuan by sheer force.
Unfortunately...
The strength of the Antimatter Legion was terrifying in the extreme, and coupled with the Rift erosion brought by the Stellaron, the environment and living creatures alike were steadily encroached upon. Numerous elemental lifeforms, flora and fauna of the natural world, and even mechanical intelligences had been corrupted by the Rift, turning into members of the enemy ranks.
Under such a general environment, Jarilo-VI could practically be considered to be making a last-ditch stand. Alisa Rand, this first Supreme Guardian, might not have been a Li Erfeng in the history of Jarilo-VI, but she was at least a Li Longji who had reached his twilight years. It was simply a pity that the enemy's strength and reinforcement capabilities exceeded the upper limits of her capacity—or rather, an enemy that the entire planet was powerless to match had been laid out right before her eyes.
Following that great battle, although the entirety of Belobog had secured victory, it possessed no capacity to expand upon its gains. The army retreated in a huddle back inside the fortress, and thereafter... the impact of the Great Cold had already rendered it impossible for the army to leave Belobog for large-scale operations. The history of Jarilo-VI thus welcomed an end, leaving behind only the people lingering in the final stronghold in a desperate struggle for survival.
And subsequently, after experiencing the governance of the second and third generation Supreme Guardians, the people gradually even ceased to remember the name Jarilo-VI.
"The numbers of the Antimatter Legion are indeed not small."
Walking all the way, leaving Belobog behind accounted for no less than several thousand kilometers. Translated to Earth's terms, that was crossing at least an entire province; converted to a smaller country, one would presumably be considered to have gone abroad.
Within this range of several thousand kilometers, the total number of the "Antimatter Legion" he was able to capture amounted to roughly one hundred thousand, ranging from small particle monsters to various Void Trotters.
"The number of abyss rifts has also increased by quite a bit."
"Even without relying on Cocolia, that Stellaron will sooner or later completely devour this planet."
"In the end, it is bargaining with a tiger."
"Come to think of it, it is also rather pitiful; Cocolia is actually somewhat similar to Emperor Chongzhen."
It was not for a lack of diligent governance, but regrettably, the will to slay the thieves was there while the strength to turn the tide was lacking. However, the Cocolia on this side at least died cleanly, not nearly as repulsive as the Cocolia of the Honkai Impact 3rd universe.
Having inspected the condition of these Antimatter Legions, Shirou made an internal estimate of the military force required to deal with these critters. Given Belobog's current military strength, once the Great Cold thawed, it was to be feared they wouldn't last even two days. Though footprints were rare here, Belobog's scouting squads should have already tallied the numbers of the nearby Antimatter Legion.
"It's no wonder they felt despair; coupled with the Stellaron's bewitchment, ordinary people indeed find it difficult to bear this pressure."
However, understanding was one thing, and the mistakes committed would not be washed away. Nor did he possess the qualification to act on behalf of those victims to forgive anyone.
Having finished tallying the Antimatter Legion, he began walking back. Just around the point where the silhouette of Belobog was almost coming into view, a snow ridge blocked his path. He had no intention of making a detour, so he directly created a flying craft to ascend to the peak of the mountain. Looking down from above, the scale of this snow ridge was actually not large, but it was densely and unevenly scattered with a numerous quantity of abyss rifts.
Could this be Everwinter Peak?
Shirou couldn't help but mutter doubts in his heart. He leaped directly downward from the sky; if this truly was Everwinter Peak, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take the Stellaron along the way.
As soon as he hit the ground, several rift monsters directly surrounded him. Before he could even move to deal with these monsters, a figure abruptly drilled out from beneath a snowdrift, rapidly pulling a trigger and firing at the numerous rift monsters.
Only dozens of gunshots were heard, and the dozens of rift monsters that had just surrounded them turned into dust in an instant. Having been eroded by the rift, these creatures had long since lost their original flesh; their lingering forms were actually nothing more than "memory" akin to memory metal, having essentially transformed into mere particles entirely.
"Come over quickly!"
The young girl who had drilled out of the snowdrift shouted toward Shirou. Shirou stood his ground and sized her up for a moment, his expression turning somewhat peculiar.
Why was she here?
To him, the girl's facial features could hardly be called unfamiliar. Previously, he had squatted in a room with Silver Wolf every day playing video games, and that face and this face were practically stamped out from the same mold.
Yet Miss Silver Wolf certainly wouldn't appear in Belobog at present, so there was only a single outcome...
The native duck miss of Belobog, Bronya Rand.
However, this young lady shouldn't be appearing out in the wilderness. Upholding her duties, acting as Cocolia's good daughter, and serving as a spiritual idol inside the city—that was her proper sphere of responsibility.
And now, she had abruptly refreshed out in the middle of nowhere.
Mr. Emiya couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slowly. The appearance of such an abnormal situation meant that some unexpected developments had occurred in the original script.
The Iron Tomb that had popped out of nowhere at the Herta Space Station was a case in point.
Now, Bronya's abnormal behavior was perhaps heralding a change about to take place.
However...
If every journey consisted only of foreknown events, it would instead prove rather uninteresting.
The corners of Shirou's mouth unconsciously revealed a trace of a smile. He began to feel that matters were getting interesting. Yet standing in opposition to him, the young girl named Bronya saw Shirou standing on the spot and foolishly smiling, which caused her to frown slightly. She swept her gaze around the surroundings once more, then put away the semi-automatic rifle in her hands, walked quickly close to Shirou, sized him up from head to toe for a brief moment, and then spoke with certainty.
"You're also a visitor from beyond, aren't you?"
"Previously, there were individuals visiting Belobog who claimed to be City Builders and Sea Rangers. What faction do you hail from?"
"Nameless."
Dan Heng, March 7th, and the others needed to disguise their identities, but Mr. Emiya had little need for that. He directly opened his mouth to introduce himself.
"I come from the Astral Express, a passenger aboard the train of the Aeon of Preservation, Aevium. In the universe, we are also referred to as Trailblazers."
Yet another new faction...
Why would so many visitors from beyond appear all of a sudden?
Could it be that the Great Cold was truly on the verge of receding, and that was why all these outsiders had sensed this condition?
Although her mind was shrouded in utter confusion regarding the current situation, Bronya quickly suppressed her excess distractions. After casting a vigilant glance all around, she abruptly seized Shirou's wrist and spoke rapidly.
"I am Bronya Rand, the Silvermane Guard Commander of Belobog. This is not the place to talk; follow me."
"I have many questions regarding you visitors from beyond that I wish to obtain answers to."
Chapter 37: The Significance Represented by the Aeons and Their Factions. (1/4)
"According to historical records, Belobog has not seen the appearance of any new visitors from beyond for at least four or five hundred years."
Inside a cave on the snow ridge, Bronya and Shirou sat cross-legged facing one another. The current leader of the Silvermane Guards had far too many questions regarding the changes in the present situation and needed someone to provide her with answers.
"And so?"
Leaning against the rock wall, Mr. Emiya's expression appeared exceedingly calm.
"You want to get the reason for my visit?"
"Yes. Previously, there was also one person who claimed to be a City Builder and two who claimed to be Sea Rangers visiting Belobog. I don't understand why you outsiders would flock here almost simultaneously."
"Peak tourist season?"
Shirou smiled, then pointed at the frozen wasteland outside and spoke.
"A completely snow-covered planet like yours is actually quite rare; it's quite suitable for tourism and check-ins."
"What do I need to pay in order to get answers from you?"
Shirou's attitude made her understand something, and she spoke directly.
"Belobog cannot produce anything of valuable reward right now, but as long as it is within our capabilities, I will do my utmost to help you achieve it."
"Not bad. Then write out an official commission form and sign it."
"Very well."
Bronya produced a notebook from somewhere, and after rapidly handwriting a row of text, Mr. Emiya also received the commission task with certainty. He thus nodded as well, and began to explain to Bronya.
"A millennium ago, the Aeon of Trailblaze, Aevium, once visited Jarilo-VI, connecting Jarilo-VI to the galactic astral rail. From then on, Jarilo-VI officially stepped into the ranks of true cosmic civilization."
"However, accompanying the abrupt disappearance of Aevium, a celestial disaster phenomenon known as a 'Stellaron' also appeared in various regions of the universe. The Rift energy they release erodes spatial stability coefficients, causing space to drop and collapse toward other layered spatial regions, and it is precisely because of this that the astral rail lost its connectivity performance."
"Several years ago, the current Navigator of the Astral Express, Himeko, obtained Aevium's legacy in a remote star system and restarted the long-suspended Astral Express. We are currently retracing our path along past astral rail routes, and we are also carrying out the repairs of the astral rail."
"Speaking up to this point, you should already understand the reason for my appearance on this planet of yours, shouldn't you?"
...Stellaron.
Some complete clues and veins were finally sorted out within Bronya's mind. Previously, she truly couldn't understand why Belobog, a poor place that had already retreated into a tiny stronghold, had any qualifications to make other visitors from beyond come here in succession.
Now...
She faintly sensed some things.
Belobog might not be important, and even Jarilo itself might not count as important; what mattered was that the Astral Express's astral rail would be reconnected here.
Occupying a high position within Belobog, she naturally understood the geographical advantages of major transportation hubs. Even something as minuscule as Belobog was like this, and if magnified to the entire cosmic starry sky, as a station along the restarted cosmic trade route, the profits obtainable and the risks to be borne in the future were self-evident.
The good news was that if this gentleman who claimed to be a Nameless could truly resolve the Stellaron problem, then as one of the stations on the future cosmic trade route, Belobog's path of revival would go much more smoothly.
Yet the bad news was naturally the same. Now that a considerable number of visitors from beyond were appearing, the people who would covet Belobog's 'geographical location' in the future were likely not few either, and how to deal with those wolves and tigers when the time came was also a major proposition.
"City Builders, Sea Rangers, Nameless... I wish to know, within this universe, what meanings do all these names represent?"
"Hmm, to put it plainly, it's equivalent to civil servants inside various super-powerful nations?"
If the dozens of Aeons in the universe today were compared to various superpower nations, the organizational factions backed by these superpowers were naturally civil servants with official appointments. As for groups like the Xianzhou and the Sea Rangers, they could basically be regarded as a separation of executive and judicial powers.
Before you continue