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Although they were curious about how people who had never tasted coffee could tell whether the coffee was good or not, the train crew kindly ignored this point.
"As long as you like. I hope that once the blockade of the star core is over and the materials are abundant, you can import some goods from the interstellar channel to fill the gap."
"The channel?... I've only heard about it from the Great Guardian and read about the history of the outside world in the classics, but I know nothing about its current situation."
Bronya is not a qualified guardian agent.
From her occasional words admitting her own ignorance and her lack of decisiveness, you can tell that she is not showing weakness, but that she has always been like this.
If her agreement to contact me was a good decision, then the fact that she chose to bring people to the hotel booked by her mother for a dinner, and wanted Kong to choose the food, was enough to explain a lot of problems.
"If you need intelligence sharing, I can apply for a documentary for you, but it is recorded from the company's perspective and may not be fair."
As for whether Bronya in this world is suitable to be a leader, Kong has reservations for the time being, but he needs her to immediately make clear the purpose of her intention to contact him, otherwise things might change.
That's right, it wasn't that Sora really intended to drag Bronya into asking her questions. She was the one who needed help from the train crew. Sora just made Bronya's conversation with them more reasonable through his invitation.
Right now, there is no one openly monitoring them near the Goethe Hotel. After all, the fleet's deterrent power is there. But as time goes on, not only may Bronya be recalled, but Cocolia's real purpose of delaying may also come to light.
Sora couldn't guess what was in Cocolia's mind. In essence, all of the seemingly relaxing and leisurely activities at the moment were just to wait for the other party to make a move - they even planned to take a walk after dinner to meet the celebrity who was familiar with Eula and the others.
"Thank you. We all need documentaries from any perspective. At least it is a way for us to understand the starry sky. But... Mr. Lei never asked me any questions, nor did he ask anything of me..." Bronya returned to her hesitant posture.
"I think you need my help more, Commander Bronya. We all heard your argument with the Grand Guardian in the hall."
"That can't be called a quarrel... it's just... I hope the Great Guardian can hold off on his counterattack."
Bronya's voice became increasingly weaker, but she soon forced herself to raise her willpower. This time, Sora finally saw the moving determination in her eyes.
It's not that she can't make a decision, but every decision comes with a huge price, which makes her afraid... This is a common thing at this age. Not to mention her, many people over 50 may not even know what decision means.
But this time, she seemed to have determined that some of the differences between her and Cocolia had reached the point where she had to make a decision.
"Your arrival may have helped me resolve this worry... I want to know what price you have offered and when will you take action?"
"Price? Commander Bronya, the Great Guardian hasn't had time to inform you yet. We will leave after sealing and recovering the star core, and we are not very interested in what you can give in return."
Sora thought that this was a reasonable reason, but it still seemed insufficient:
"We will take action at noon the day after tomorrow at the latest. Her Excellency Cocolia is dispatching the Iron Guards and convincing your elders to cooperate with us in sealing the star core. Didn't she tell you all this?"
Sora pointed at Bronya's badge-like communication tool and said bluntly, "I noticed you've been tinkering with it for a while. How's it going?"
"...After you finished your negotiations, the Iron Guards' active offensive orders against the Rift Realm were not suspended, but even intensified."
Bronya was not embarrassed by being exposed, and immediately pointed out the key point: "At this time, we should withdraw our forces to focus on defending the expansion of the Rift and protecting Castle Ke, but mother did not do so."
Then she tightened her grip on the cup. "Even as we're talking, my herald sent back news that a new round of attacks is already in preparation, and thousands of Iron Guards will be killed or wounded in the attack... I don't know, there's obviously no need to make such a huge sacrifice... Sorry, Mr. Lei, I spoke out of turn."
The girl had a somewhat annoyed look on her face. It was unclear whether she was annoyed that her mother didn't listen to her advice or that she was too weak and didn't even dare to disobey her mother's orders.
The aroma of coffee could not dispel her fatigue, so she closed her eyes and pressed her right temple.
"Perhaps she has her own considerations... She wants to show the bravery of the Belobergs in front of outsiders so as to gain more say in the cooperation?"
Kong tentatively analyzed Cocolia's purpose, and then shook his head: "But this is really unnecessary. No matter how deep you counterattack, the Rift Creations will continue to pour out. It is better to wait until the star core is completely cleaned up before clearing them out step by step."
"I thought so too. All the garrison officers who got the news had the same idea. The three red meteors were too conspicuous, so Garrison Officer Jeppard didn't have time to block the news. Not only was it spreading inside Fort K, but the people and the garrisons nearby were also discussing it - even the front line was not immune. Mother didn't explain the reason. On the contrary, after she summoned the ministers, she issued an order to strengthen the counterattack."
She pointed to a dark alley outside the vertical window:
"You see the blocked alley next to the Goethe Hotel? The garrison officers in charge of the city have been ordered to counterattack and capture the alley tonight... There are reinforcement teams on the way, but I don't know if they will disturb your rest."
Bronya's eyes were tired but clear.
"Commander Bronya, aren't you afraid that your mother will punish you for revealing this information to me?"
"…Mr. Lei asked me these questions. You have the highest right to question me. Even I have no right to remain silent."
Bronya's tone suddenly became erratic.
"...a clever child."
Sora complimented.
But when he says such things with that face, it always gives people the illusion that he is pretending to be mature.
Although he lacks decisiveness, he still has some wisdom.
"You want us to stop Kokolia from issuing orders to expand the scale of the counterattack on your behalf?"
"...I...Yes, Mr. Lei...please help me...I don't know the meaning of my mother's strength at this moment, but I understand that this is not the 'way to protect'."
Bronya turned her head away—not because she was tsundere, but because she didn't dare to look into Sora's eyes.
She felt shy if she looked into Sora's eyes for too long, especially when he was "admiring" her.
"In the past, I probably wouldn't care how many people died in Beloberg."
The above words may sound cold-blooded, but as long as a certain premise is taken into account, it is enough to make the train crew smile knowingly.
"…But in consideration of your request, Bronya, I can change my approach."
187. Your mom is crazy
This might sound a bit abrupt to others, as one officer who had just met another officer might have some ulterior motive when showing kindness to another officer. However, the reason why Sora emphasized helping Bronya instead of rescuing the Belobergs was simply because that was Bronya. There was no other reason. It had nothing to do with pretending to be cool and maintaining a persona or gaining benefits, and it was not because she was beautiful or had a good figure. It was like a primary school student borrowing an eraser from a classmate. He would lend it if he was asked to, and would help if he could, without hesitation.
It was a happy thing to see old faces in a new world, even if they were different people - no one on the train could empathize with Kong except Lao Yang, but fortunately, no one questioned Kong's motives.
For the train crew, saving lives also does not require a reason.
"The liaison officer of the Great Guardian is downstairs. We can call him up to question him and ask her to stop this useless work."
"Thank you, Mr. Lei... If we collide with the fleet... I hope that I will be the only one to bear the responsibility..."
"It's just a small favor, you don't have to take it too seriously. Not all help in this world comes at a price."
If Chunmei still exists, Kong might be able to gain something from his remarks.
But the one who is paying attention to Sora at this moment is another person.
She didn't know if it was an illusion, but Bronya felt that the temperature of the fireplace beside her was a little higher, and there was a circle of light floating behind Sora, but it disappeared in a flash.
"Beffa, please help me."
"Yes, Commander."
At this time, Befa became an empty microphone to the outside world. The reason was simple: Befa was the comrade who was most accustomed to the military rhetoric and troop sentence making. The headquarters issued tons of official documents every day, most of which had to be reviewed by her.
But when Befa went downstairs, she found that the liaison officer who had been waiting in the hall was gone.
This is a very dangerous signal.
She immediately tensed up and warned Sora with her psychic power.
The moment Kong received the news, he turned his head and looked out the window - Bronya in front of him did not show any hostility, and the guards on the street did not immediately surround the Goethe Hotel, but continued to head into the alley.
He didn't believe that the liaison officer would desert his post, and the entire Beloberg showed no hostility toward this "temporary base."
Could it be that they were transferred away just to prevent us from obstructing the Iron Guard's large-scale counterattack plan?
Cocolia must have known that Bronya was coming to meet the train crew - she probably even thought of what her girl would ask of them, and her response was just as simple and crude.
"…Your mother did not wish for the counterattack to be thwarted, Bronya."
Sora straightened his eyes and said helplessly, "The connection has been cut off. The situation on your end is probably the same now."
"how come?"
Bronya immediately grabbed her badge, but after pausing for a moment, she immediately revealed an expression of disbelief.
"...Although I don't know her purpose for doing this, it is likely that officers who have the same idea as you have also been monitored or dealt with. She should be waiting for things to settle down. It seems that we can't have this meal. Although the hope is slim...but...let's go back to Kburg first."
Sora stood up, his expression becoming more serious. "Haiya, I'll give you control of Belfa's reconnaissance plane. Do a good job of reconnaissance. I'll have Eula stay put. If anything unexpected happens, split into two teams to take care of each other. I'll take you back to the train in two batches. Don't worry about Belfa. She has the ability to detach herself at any time... It looks like tonight is destined to be a sleepless night."
"Eh? Are we going back now?" March was completely confused about the situation.
"Beloberg hasn't shown his fangs to us yet, March, but by the time Cocolia is ready it will be too late. It's always a good idea to prepare for the worst."
"...I can help you all enter Castle K'K smoothly - Mother..."
Bronya also stood up and quickly ran to the lobby. She apologized to the hotel owner and paid the penalty as usual. Then she picked up her flag and rifle, which symbolized the guardian's proxy power, from the pillar and prepared to call up her own guards.
The people who came to the door were not attracted by the iron guards who were leaving. Instead, they all looked up at the sky.
At some unknown time, the snow-fog-covered sky had been forcibly stretched open by some twisted force, revealing a beautiful horizon.
The polar day phenomenon made the clean sky seem even deeper and deeper, but without hesitating for even a second at the magnificent scene, Sora immediately contacted Himeko who was observing from the synchronous orbit of Yalilo VI:
"Jizi, we should be able to see the entire Beloberg from the track now - I need your cover, hide the train as quickly as possible in a blind spot on the surface, and just leave the railgun behind!"
"Got it, Kong. Walter and I saw it. The clouds above Beloberg were torn apart in an instant. You should have seen what a terrible sight it was." Ji Zi on the public channel also spoke in a serious tone.
"If this was done by Cocolia, it should not be just to confirm whether the fleet really exists... and it is obvious that she herself does not have such powerful power."
Kong could observe the amount of energy flowing in Cocolia's body. She was at best a relatively strong destiny walker, but that twisted power of unknown origin had torn a hole in the blessing of "preservation".
According to Bronya, although the snow fog on the top of the fortress often clears up and dissipates, allowing citizens to see the blue sky, this is the first time the effect is so transparent.
Not only was the power of preservation protecting Beloberg from being discovered by low-Earth orbit observation, that power was also cooperating with the Amber King's protection - until the train arrived.
As if a healing wound, the ring-shaped cloud layer retracted its "defense line". From the perspective of the train, it looked like a huge eye slowly closing, which was creepy.
"…The interference of the star core has been interrupted?"
Walter, who had been looking at the readings the whole time, suddenly said in surprise.
The power of the Amber King began to repair the damage caused by the instantaneous expansion of power, but there was no doubt that that glance briefly allowed the signals from the surface to be sent to the universe, and also allowed certain people and certain beings on the ground to see a lot of key information.
"It's back to normal again. Someone is trying to capture the train's trajectory. I don't know if I was able to hide the train's shadow just now."
"It doesn't matter. I have other ways to deal with the possible accountability - provided that she intends to hold her accountable instead of taking direct action."
Sora's tone was solemn.
Originally, he thought that Cocolia's madness as described by Sambo was just a manifestation of obsession, but now, judging from the sudden distorted power... I'm afraid it's not.
She made a deal with something.
In the uncomfortable silence of the real world, Bronya soon realized that the guards who had followed her to the door had also been transferred away, which made her face turn even worse.
"You've actually made it this far... The car— huh, it's fine."
The Earth Marrow Power Vehicle is still in place. I don't know if this vehicle can be regarded as the last bit of "loyalty" of the guards who follow her to her as the commander when orders from higher levels come down.
"It might be a bit crowded, everyone... I have to go back to Kburg right away to confirm some things. It would be a bit too much to make additional requests at this point... But, if the situation gets out of control... can the fleet provide me with political asylum?"