Page 144

Page 144

"Eh!"

Clara was startled, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"You're telling an adult you just met that you want to become family, Clara. Don't trust others so easily in the future. You don't know what my true nature is. Will it have a bad influence on you and Swarovski?"

Although he had some thoughts about Clara, Sora just thought that Clara had great qualities and admired her talent, while Swarovski was also a prototype of mechanical life, and both of them needed guidance - let's say it was half and half, so that if he stayed in this world for a long time, he might come back to teach them.

"Clara is very good at judging people - those who are willing to stay in the settlement are all good people - I believe it's the same for big brother!"

"It's not reliable to rely solely on intuition, but you...may have some psychic talent."

The ability to sense malevolence and good intentions is one of the gifts of those with psionic potential.

The little girl tilted her head, not really understanding the weight of Sora's words.

"Didn't Swarovski try to teach you how to use your mental power?"

This is nonsense - if the tin can does not have time to awaken its psychic power before being packed, it will just be a tin can. What's more, Svaro is the original one, and he probably doesn't know the power of the Son of Psychic and his motivation for awakening.

Sora just wanted to find out indirectly whether there was anyone on this planet who noticed Clara's talent.

"...Uncle Sambo once praised me for my potential...Does this count?"

"Uh... I'll get you some teaching materials later." Sora chose to avoid the subject of the blue-haired man.

It's Sambo again.

He is like an indelible shadow lingering among the upper and lower classes, and is omnipresent. If he were just an ordinary Masked Fool, would he have such an exaggerated network of relationships and management capabilities?

"Ah, Mr. Swarlow asked us to go back."

Before Kong could finish figuring out how many years the guy who trembled under his "tyrannical power" had actually been cooking up Beloberg, the locator on Clara's body started beeping.

"He wants his brothers and sisters to come along, as he has important information ready to be released."

"Important information?"

"It's about the 'star core' - this is the information that the nameless guests really need, right?"

Hearing that it was information about the star core, Kong called Dan Heng, who was keeping watch on the other side, over. The matter was of great importance, and he needed an "old man" from the train crew to help him record and testify.

After confirming the cooperation ceremony of the upper and lower level leaders, the variables that Swarovski put into the calculation changed greatly, which made him willing to open up the star core intelligence that Kong had always talked about, and did not restrict local plan participants from watching.

"Welcome back. The issues regarding the recruitment of Iron Guards and the opening of the wounded recovery area in the lower areas have been completed. After careful consideration, I believe that publishing the star core-related information locked in the database will play a positive role in promoting the preservation plan. Please watch carefully."

Swarovski's tone was a little lower than before, and his eyes flashed a blue light that was different from the normal one, looking towards the warm corner of the room -

"Request to access the database, number 13175, encryption level - highest."

The fixed camera used for the recording seems to be Swarovski's first-person perspective, and the city builder badge that flashed in the hologram was very eye-catching, exactly the same as the ones worn by Cocolia and Bronya.

[The evidence is conclusive. The so-called "star core" is the source of all disasters.]

[Sir, this is a research report written by the most outstanding scholars in Beloberg. You must believe in its authority——]

[I believe you... Since the moment I took this position, their voices have been lingering in my mind...]

[But unless you can find a way to completely destroy the core of the star, I cannot make these research results public...]

The terrible truth hurt Bronya.

Her body shrank for a moment, becoming helpless, and she had to cover her forehead to prevent the dizziness that hit her like a wave from taking control of her body.

It turns out that it wasn't just the mother - all the great guardians of the past knew that their ancestors begged for a miracle from the source of the disaster, and only then froze those antimatter legions in the form of a disaster.

As for the voice that whispered in the ears of successive guardians... Could it be that... Mother made a deal with them - "they" refers to the Star Core! ?

Although she had long been aware of overthrowing her mother's rule, Bronya was more shocked by the possibility that her mother would be blinded by hatred and become cruel, and succumb to the temptation of the source of disaster.

Even though I was mentally prepared, I was still much more disillusioned than thinking that "my mother is a pure tyrant."

“…Stand still.”

Kong and Xier supported her from both sides to help her stabilize her body, but it took her a while to refocus her dilated pupils.

Shiwaro searched for relevant entries, and there were some memory recordings about how he reached the lower level and helped the scientific research personnel, but that didn't matter anymore...

After the truth was revealed, all the onlookers in the room fell silent.

Everyone needed time to digest this confirmed speculation - Cocolia Rand had succumbed to the disaster and actively embraced it, sending her people into destruction continuously for various reasons.

"Don't be discouraged, Bronya. Although most of Cocolia's motives are clear, there is still one thing that may help turn things around."

Sora did not comfort Bronya with empty words, but instead gave her new doubts to think about, and forced her to recover quickly by forcing her to think.

"She couldn't have been unaware that you, who left with the 'fleet', were a big threat. It would be difficult to further weaken Beloberg's armed forces by gathering troops and engaging in internal strife. So I don't think her decision to let you go was manipulated by the Star Core, at least not in this arrangement."

"..." Bronya looked at Sora with a pale face.

"I have analyzed many possibilities for her letting you go... The situation is not as bad as it could be. Although her crime cannot be cleared, there is still a chance that her humanity can be saved."

"…I'm sorry, I don't know what to say…I don't know what to do next…"

Bronya, who was "beaten back to her original form", wanted to side with Sora, but the instinct formed by her etiquette education as a City Builder made her resist such a undignified act.

"Just keep doing whatever you were going to do before you look at the record."

Kong knew that the girl needed some time to digest the news, so he took the initiative to stop the meeting.

"You should take a rest. You haven't slept for two days and two nights. Even a strong man can't stand it."

"Please allow me to stay outside for a while."

"Don't you want to warm up by the fire?" Clara wondered why Bronya took the initiative to embrace the difficult conditions.

"No need for that. What I need most right now is 'calmness'." Not sure if this could be considered Bronya's style of humor, she forced a weak smile at Clara.

"Do you need me to accompany you?"

Although it was not the nameless guest she liked the most who wanted to sigh with her, Bronya still turned sideways to look at Seele's face, which was much more sincere.

"...Then I'll trouble you. Should I let Sir Jeppard know about this?"

"So you city builders have all made similar decisions to conceal the truth... Tsk, it doesn't matter. I'm not blaming you for anything..."

Seele winked at Sora and Nata, then pulled Bronya out of the room.

"This way, Sister Bronya—"

Once the voices of the three younger girls faded away, Sora paid attention to Natasha's reaction.

She seemed to have guessed a lot and was unusually calm. For her, overthrowing Cocolia was another legitimate reason, which would be beneficial to Dihuo. She didn't express any opinion just now out of consideration for Bronya's feelings.

"We will also discuss on the train how to solve Cocolia's... uh, mental problems. There is an expert in star core research on the train. Heeding her advice may help reduce casualties in the confrontation."

"Good night, Mr. Kong, Mr. Danheng, I wish you a good sleep. I have to rush back to the mining area to ensure order. I expect to be back in the afternoon."

"If there is nothing in the agreement that needs to be changed, you don't have to come here in person. We can continue the discussion via the psychic network."

"Don't worry. As a doctor, I know my limits. I think I can help the Mechanical Settlement now—"

After Nata left, there were only three men standing in front of the table. Kong rubbed his temples, looking like he had a headache. "I didn't expect... this kind of brain erosion is not a problem that one or two generations of great guardians need to overcome... Didn't they prepare their heirs in advance when they passed on their legacy?"

"It seems not." Dan Heng had no desire to comment on this inheritance system. After all, the things stuffed in his head were comparable to the "Whispers of the Ancient Gods".

"Please stay, nameless guest. I have something to ask of you." When Kong and Danheng were about to leave, Shiwaro raised his hand slightly to keep them.

In order not to be considered as an act of hostility, he deliberately pointed the laser concentrator in the center of his palm toward the ground.

"Oh? Are you planning to assign us to work individually?" Sora intended to listen to the request of the mechanical brain.

"It would be better if the Iron Guards were to carry out the mission, but before the benefits are confirmed, they should not deploy large forces but highly mobile units. The train does not want to have too many conflicts with the local forces in Beloberg, so it is just right for them to carry out this mission that is not related to the main battlefield."

Swarovski's one eye was less aggressive and more expectant. Of course, it could also be an illusion caused by Sora being asked to do something for him.

"Initiate a reconnaissance mission request - confirm whether the mechanical workshop in Rivet Town still has intact machine tools and parts processing facilities, whether there is a storage area for mecha parts, and medical supplies that are beneficial to the recovery of the wounded, to supplement the needs of Natasha's clinic."

"Oh……"

After hearing what he said, Kong scratched his ears - in order to complete the weekly tasks, he reduced the number of members of Swarovski's mechanical army by nearly half, and also destroyed the fifteen most valuable large machines that could not be assembled automatically. Of course, there was the factor of counterattack, but Swarovski and Clara did not get angry with him because of the heavy losses, and even treated him well, which deserved the evaluation of considering the overall situation.

I have to help with this.

Kong shrugged at Dan Heng beside him: "I am partly responsible for the loss of Shivalo... Dan Heng, you don't have to explain it in detail to Xiao Sanyue and the others. I will investigate alone. Otherwise... This is also an opportunity to have a good chat with Sangbo. We can't let him have an easy life."

"You want him to lead the way? I still don't think he can be trusted."

Dan Heng also has a similar wary attitude towards Sangbo as Kong, and does not think it is a good idea to rely too much on his guidance:

"We are a team, Kong, and we should advance and retreat together. This has nothing to do with ability."

"I know that. I don't want to abandon you. It's just that if you waste your enthusiasm for adventure on trivial matters, you may not get enough rest when an emergency really happens... If it doesn't work, I will bring another guide in."

"…Let's talk about it at the internal meeting tomorrow."

"It's already 'tomorrow'..."

Kong Jian Danheng wanted to say something, but he quickly gave Shiwaro a reassurance pill to interrupt his spellcasting: "No problem, I will take care of the investigation, but after you find the supplies, you will have to ask others to transport them."

"Thank you for your assistance."

Shiwaro nodded:

"As scheduled, the meeting will be held again at 2 pm today. Please send representatives to participate on time."

……

After bidding farewell to the more humane Swarovski, Kong persuaded Danheng upstairs to go back to the sofa on the first floor to rest until the morning, and he would finish this last shift.

But when he finally got his private space and reached the gate, he saw that Seele and Bronya had not entered the tent. Instead, they were sitting on the steps of the Hearthheart Mansion, staring at the gray mine in a daze.

"...If you two don't rest now, it will be dawn soon."

Looking at the backs of the two people standing side by side, Kong couldn't help but show his nosy side.

Yes, very similar!

Although he repeatedly told himself not to tie Seele and Bronya to his Valkyrie, the two of them even sat together chatting and daydreaming in the same way as he remembered. It was too much for him.

"What does it matter if it's day or not, where you can't see the sky?"

She had heard Sora's footsteps a long time ago, but Bronya no longer had the energy to care about Sora seeing her distraught look.

These philosophical words made Kong unable to tell for a moment whether the child was stunned by the truth or just wanted to attract him to accompany her... or maybe it was both.

"She looked like she might faint in the snow at any moment... and she refused to sleep, wasting the bed Clara made for her..."

Xier sighed.