Chapter 20

"This spear is inscribed with our time, destruction or rebirth, Cocolia Rand, it's all up to you to decide!"

As Cocolia listened to Alisa Rand's response, her past life flashed through her mind. She was adopted by the previous Supreme Guardian, Rosaliya Landau, when she was a child. In her youth, she joined the Silvermane Guards with Serval. At that time, she and the other Guards who joined the same year were full of passion, pure idealists striving for the revival of Belobog.

However, after the abrupt death of the previous Supreme Guardian, she took over the position of Supreme Guardian at a young age. She began to be influenced by the Stellaron. She couldn't confide in anyone about this situation. Facing Belobog's seemingly stable but turbulent internal reality, she often felt powerless.

Gradually, she began to believe in the possibilities promised by the Stellaron. Perhaps it was around this time that Preservation could no longer be her strength.

The resource deficit of "Geodust" began to grow larger. She closed the passages between the Lower City and the Upper City, partly to reduce population pressure, and partly because the Geodust deficit could no longer be compensated for by the current rate of collection.

She was like a repairwoman, constantly patching up the rotten situation, but she also knew very well that the situation wouldn't last long. The future of this city, this civilization... she could already see its endpoint.

After that, she completely abandoned other possibilities and began to focus entirely on how to use the Stellaron's power to achieve the best results.

It's just that...

In her plan, she was always too concerned about her only daughter, too concerned about that child's opinion.

So, she delayed activating the plan.

Until now, until this moment, having lost the Stellaron, having lost everything she had planned.

"Destruction and rebirth?"

"The Stellaron is no more, then it's time... to 'face destruction' head-on."

[ps: Someone else gave a low rating again. The current FL rating system is really annoying. One or two people voting can significantly lower the score. Please cast your votes.]

Chapter 042: Making a Name for Ourselves, Today! (2/4)

"As expected of a newcomer favored by Mr. Aha, you certainly have some skills."

Watching Shirou, armed with an outdated weapon, seemingly rekindle Cocolia's fighting spirit, Sparkle couldn't help but laugh happily.

"However, mending a broken mirror isn't that simple, little master."

"It's true that she's regained her fighting spirit, but her loyal Belobog might not be so loyal anymore."

Belobog, At the Grand Goethe Hotel, March 7th and Asta, who had been staying here for two days, had gradually become familiar with the intelligence officer, Pela.

Asta and March 7th also observed the situation in the Upper City. The conditions here were vastly different from the Lower City.

The wealth gap, educational levels, food rationing standards...

Frankly speaking, they could almost be called two separate countries.

In the Upper City, there were still quite a few wealthy nobles who lived luxurious lives unimaginable to the people of the Lower City. They even met a young noble who, out of boredom, would constantly boast about wanting to make true friends. As soon as he learned about someone's situation, he would immediately change his tune, a truly remarkable skill.

One could only say, different people, different fates.

The wealth gap had drawn a clear dividing line across all of Belobog.

The rich disdained interacting with the poor, nobles looked down on the common people, and the impoverished had no inclination to care about others, merely struggling to survive. How could they have the energy to mingle with the rich and noble?

"The wine and meat of the wealthy go to rot, while frozen bones lie along the road."

The bones of Belobog were merely buried underground.

This extreme wealth gap left March 7th and Asta, who had entered the Lower City first, somewhat silent.

No matter how carefree someone is, they couldn't remain unmoved upon witnessing such a situation.

They had seen Seele shed tears over rice, seen vagrants fight over a few pieces of dried, smoked insect meat, seen children in Boulder Town cheer with joy upon finding rusty gears and exchange them for a few snacks, seen emaciated children holding small pickaxes and entering the mines with adults.

These scenes, one after another, fell upon their eyes. They were just young, just naive, just pure, not fools, idiots, simpletons, nor emotionless beasts.

"Asta, should... should we not have come here?"

In front of the large bay window of the Grand Goethe Hotel, March 7th could overlook the beautiful northern scenery. The elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies on the street were conversing and laughing gracefully. But in inconspicuous corners, the poor in simple coarse linen clothes were laboring numbly. These fragmented scenes made the young girl's heart clench.

"Do you want to go back? Shirou wouldn't say anything if we did."

"No."

March 7th shook her head. It wasn't out of pride or anything like that, but she understood that even if she returned to the Lower City, she wouldn't be able to help much.

"Speaking of which, Pela hasn't arrived today, has she? Did she have some urgent work?"

"She just sent a message saying a friend hasn't returned, and her sister has also gone missing recently."

"A missing persons case?!"

"It's probably more than that."

Asta shook her head and then said again, "This matter is likely not that simple. The two sisters who disappeared have special identities. I heard they are Gepard's biological sisters."

"Gepard, I remember his surname is Landau, right? Isn't he one of Belobog's prominent noble families?!"

"Yes."

"Wait, Asta, isn't this a great opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves?"

Miss March 7th suddenly became a little excited. Then, her eyes darted around the surroundings before she leaned closer to Asta again.

"See, if we go find these two missing sisters as Sea Rangers, everyone will completely recognize our identity as Sea Rangers, right?"

"Is there a possibility that we'll be treated as the culprits of a kidnapping case? We're outsiders, after all."

"That seems to be the case. How about we go find Pela and ask to work with her?"

"What are we waiting for then!"

"My sister's disappearance should be related to a banquet held two days ago."

In Serval's workshop, Gepard was recounting the information he had gathered so far to Pela. His expression was filled with barely concealed rage.

"It was a noble banquet hosted by the Goethe family. Although my sister doesn't like such social gatherings, as the eldest daughter of the Landau family, she sometimes has no choice but to attend."

"Because my sister has been living in the workshop for years, I didn't discover her disappearance immediately. Moreover, my sister herself is one of Belobog's top combat experts and mechanics. I never would have imagined that someone among those nobles would dare to lay a hand on her."

"...So, is it possible that Lynx was also targeted by these nobles?"

Pela pushed up her round-rimmed glasses. Although she was very anxious, in front of Gepard, a family member, she couldn't show any panic. She just tried to calm herself down and analyzed, "The Landau family is a core faction among the nobles. Ms. Serval's disappearance is clearly related to them. They don't seem afraid of repercussions from the Landau family?"

"...Yesterday, Madam Bronya secretly left Belobog."

Gepard's expression gradually turned serious. Despite his extreme anger, as a Warden of the Silvermane Guards, if he were completely consumed by rage at this moment, it could lead to the situation spiraling further out of control.

"Today, Madam Cocolia also seems to be absent from the meeting."

"Miss Pela, in Belobog today, only the noble faction led by the Minister of the Interior and the Silvermane Guards under my command remain."

"You mean?"

"Although I don't like to say it, we must be mentally prepared in advance. The incident with Spanja Marcuse is a cautionary tale; we cannot be too careful."

With the Supreme Guardian missing and the Minister of the Interior holding great power, judging from the current situation, the current Jackal Minister does indeed pose a potential threat.

"What do you want to do then?"

Pela's expression also became extremely serious. Belobog's situation was already unstable, and now this major event, suspected to be a coup, had suddenly occurred. She couldn't imagine how chaotic Belobog would become if the Minister of the Interior truly rebelled.

"Seize control of the Automaton forces. Besides the Silvermane Guards, the strongest armed forces are those Automatons. The key should be in Madam Bronya's hands, but now Madam Bronya is missing... we must be vigilant about this possibility."

"What do I need to do?"

"While I block the Technical Department to prevent the Automatons from being seized, you need to find the Supreme Guardian or Madam Bronya as soon as possible. Their disappearance should be closely related to the disappearance of my sister and Lynx. So... I hope you can find them before everything turns for the worse."

"Also, those three Visitors from Beyond might be worth trying to win over. They are all Pathstriders, and they should be able to help you in the upcoming investigation."

Chapter 043: We will support you as the new Supreme Guardian. (3/4)

"In summary, I hope you two can help me."

After discussing with Gepard in the workshop, Pela 'coincidentally' informed Asta and March 7th about some of the matters.

During their interactions over the past two days, Pela had grasped their personalities. Nicely put, they were simple; bluntly put, they were carefree.

Of course, this was not meant as a criticism, but rather that people like them seemed unable to hide their emotions, and their intentions were too obvious.

Because of this, After Gepard mentioned the matter, Pela proactively approached the two of them. After a friendly discussion, they almost reached an agreement immediately.

"The tower is about to collapse, internal strife is rampant, and then we'll bring back the Supreme Guardian in triumph... Listen, how wonderful that sounds!"

Miss March 7th seemed particularly excited, likely experiencing such a tense and thrilling scenario for the first time. On the other hand, Miss Stellaron Essence appeared slightly more reserved.

Overall, Miss Asta was not as completely optimistic as her companion.

Perhaps it was the residual genes from the Stellaron Hunters, but she wasn't entirely optimistic about the current situation. Moreover... don't forget, the Upper City was starting to descend into chaos, and in the Lower City, there was an 'ambitious individual' who was thinking of raising troops to seize power.

If Shirou were to lead the Lower City people in a rebellion amidst the chaos, she couldn't imagine the extent of the ensuing disorder.

"Star? What's wrong?"

Noticing Miss Asta's hesitant expression, March 7th asked. Upon hearing this, the latter smiled slightly and didn't say much. She didn't want to add more pressure to Pela at this moment.

As for what would happen later, they would deal with it as it came.

"You're making a bit too much of a fuss, sister."

In a secluded tavern in the Upper City of Belobog, Sampo watched the girl who was causing havoc in his territory with a headache.

"If you keep this up, Belobog will truly be finished."

"Why be so serious, Sampo? You know me. I don't find joy in destroying physical objects."

The girl giggled as she stirred the non-alcoholic drink in her glass and said softly, "I'm merely bringing everything that was lurking beneath the surface to the shore all at once."

"Whether it's the Nameless, the Minister of the Interior, the Builder's flawed stones, or some uninteresting ambitious individuals... they are all scheming against each other in this small city, calculating their gains and losses, unwilling to let go, yet also unwilling to let others live peacefully."

"I gave those hyenas a little help, and they couldn't wait to present that pair of sisters to me as a gift. However, that little dog's ferocity was quite intense. The moment Little Grey Hair left Belobog, it lured out the Supreme Guardian."

"No one cares about that Little Grey Hair more than that awkward mother. So, that awkward mother fell for the bait... It's like a domino effect. I just pushed over one piece, and the subsequent chain reaction is merely a long-brewing explosion."

"That jackal intended to lure the Supreme Guardian out and complete the coup during this time. The blockade of the Lower City caused the nobles to lose too much labor, so... the nobles need a new leader to reclaim the laborers of the Lower City, and then dispatch more laborers from the Upper City to the mines below to secure more resources for them."

Sampo sighed as he listened to Sparkle recount the series of events, "You really blew it all up too thoroughly, sister."

"Hee hee hee... Lord Sparkle doesn't like boring mystery dramas. Instead, works that pretend to be mysteries but are just constant explosions excite Lord Sparkle."

"Forget it. Old Sampo has to clean up this mess now. Sister, please don't give old Sampo any more trouble, alright?"

"This grand performance hasn't reached its climax yet. However, if you plan to join in, Lord Sparkle won't refuse, Sampo."

The sweet yet twisted laughter of a certain mad girl echoed in his ears. Sampo fell silent for a moment, then chuckled, "Then please, everyone in the tavern, come and enjoy my performance, old Sampo."

"I, old Sampo, have no intention of giving you this protagonist role, sister."

"Belobog is my stage, old Sampo's stage!"

The Technical Development Department of Belobog is located in a sealed building on the west side of Clipper Fort.

Besides its primary function of technical development, many military technologies are updated, repaired, maintained, and decommissioned here. Although nominally a technical department, it is, in reality, much like the Silvermane Guards, a multifunctional behemoth.

"Dr. Arlan, if possible, I do not wish to cross swords with you."

Before the iron bars of the Technical Department, a woman with long brown hair looked through the electrified barrier at a mature beauty with purple hair, whose expression was very indifferent, and slowly spoke, "I have always respected your knowledge. If you had been chosen by Lady Rosalind back then, Belobog would not have fallen to this point."