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And the situation where the destined successor launches a rebellion and demands the current Grand Guardian to step down early... You may not see it even if you live long enough, which means that the situation is so rotten that even her daughter can't stand it.
Compared to Cocolia's reputation for brutality and irrationality, Bronya has a very good reputation in the army, and she knows more about logistics and infrastructure than her mother, and will not always engage in war.
After learning about the growing opposition, many residents turned to support Bronya - in fact, they did not join her armed forces, but simply bought some cheap goods from the stores in her "jurisdiction" and provided a little financial support.
Ah, this coffee, this vodka, even if you give me a seat as a god, I won't change it! If I can drink it every day, I don't care whether Cocolia is in power or her daughter is in power——
Finally, after half a year of "staying at home", under the pressure of the people's overly intense dissatisfaction, the controlled Cocolia had to numbly leave Castle K under the order of the Star Core and give a public speech in the square area, intending to make the people realize that the dumping behavior of the Interstellar Peace Company would cause long-term damage to the local economy.
Her argument was correct, and her evidence collection was also correct. Even if she was affected by the star core, she was still one of the few talents in Beloberg who had received the highest-end education. But the problem was that the public was concerned about, in addition to the short-term cost of living, the long-accumulated dissatisfaction with the rift disposal strategy.
Many of those who hope to reduce the cost of living are family members of the Iron Guards whose young and middle-aged members have died on the battlefield against the Rift.
If there had not been one sad thing between these two, they would not have hated Cocolia so much.
Her public speeches now not only fail to convince the public, but also provide a dangerous outlet for those who are accumulating discontent.
"My child died in your Rift Realm counterattack order! His pension is not enough for my husband and I to live on!! Now you are forcing us to sell expensive things!!"
Regardless of whether the old lady in the crowd who threw an orange at Cocolia on the stage was hired by the store to disgust Cocolia or she did it on her own initiative, she was already in such a difficult situation, so how could she bear to embarrass herself with an orange - but the orange itself was an imported product, and the mental damage of being slapped in the face was multiplied by two.
The conflict broke out.
Cocolia, who was thrown with a mess of things, was surrounded by an ice shield. Her luxurious and somewhat subtly sexy clothes were never stained with any dirt. She seemed to be in a different phase from those "mortals" who were scolding her, resisting the citizens, and protecting her, and who were covered in dust, on the other side of the mirror.
Her expression changed from dull to aggrieved, and then she became painful amid the noise - a ruler who was not young and was used to seeing the people making unreasonable demands would actually show such an expression, as if she was struggling with something.
But this brief struggle was once again forcibly erased by the influence of the star core.
She raised her head with a cold expression, her purple eyes flashing a captivating blue light. In an instant, the feet of the few guards who were protecting her in the front row and the noisy crowd were frozen. Spikes emerged from under their bodies, tearing their clothes and making them unable to move forward even though they screamed in pain.
Cocolia was angry at the people she had promised to protect.
The noise turned into silence. Except for the sound of clothes rubbing against each other in the square, all the curses and doubts disappeared.
Beloberg admires the strong and the politics of strongmen - although Kokolia does not do anything, her influence is still there...
After she revealed her furious side, she reminded the family that intended to bypass the Earth Fire and Banya troops and directly put pressure on Cocolia that she still possessed the most important power in this land of ice and snow.
If you want to bring her down, it is not enough to rely on weak public opinion and politics, you have to destroy her by force.
Cocolia's glare made the speculators feel fearful, but it also forced some people who fantasized about resolving the problem peacefully to think about the rationality of Bronya's behavior and agree that she used the most brutal and primitive means to reverse the madness of the Great Guardian.
This unpleasant speech turned those without faith into spectators, and also caused some audience members with faith to throw themselves into Bronya's arms immediately after leaving the scene.
"That power does not come from preservation."
After returning from the scene, Topa, who had observed Cocolia from afar, said solemnly to Kong and Banya:
"The Amber King may have already abandoned her. Although it is exerted in a form similar to the crew member March Seven's ice shield, its essence is still closer to disorder and has a breath of destruction, but it is not Nanook's work. Now it is the star core that is simulating the power of protection."
If someone else came to this conclusion, Bronya would still think about it, but the ten people of Stoneheart have all been cared for by the guardian, and no one knows more about guardianship than them...
"...It's exactly the same as the ice spear that the Rift Creature shot out when it attacked me." Kong frowned as he looked at the ice spear that Topal had filmed on the spot.
"It turns out that she did it herself at that time."
Banya lowered his eyelids when he heard this.
What else is there to fantasize about? Klipper has already abandoned his mother... No, that's just flattering the people of Bay City. Maybe He no longer cared about Beloberg many generations ago.
Even Bronya's own destiny power did not come from preservation, that was the path that Shipei took.
“…Is the time ripe?”
"I think so."
Kong nodded solemnly: "Both public opinion and the Iron Guards' fighting spirit will reach their peak in the near future."
279. The ancient Indian god of love
Although Cocolia did not actually suppress the protesting crowd, she rudely rejected the people's wishes with silent chill.
The blockade of imported goods will continue, even if most of the Iron Guards loyal to her are slacking off and only select some less critical supply points for raids. This strategy of placing personal will overriding the will of most people in Bay City will still be implemented. It's just a matter of how many executors take action, and there is no possibility of compromise.
Topa and Kong's goal has been achieved. The company successfully forced Cocolia to make another decision that went against the interests of the majority of people, and this statement became the fuse of public resentment.
The Minister of Transportation, who had always opposed Cocolia's unlimited accumulation of logistical pressure, sought political asylum from an "outsider", and the Wallace family's property in the administrative district was searched and confiscated, which became a topic that major newspapers in Bay City competed to report - even though many of their reports were taken down as soon as they left the printing room.
The sudden increase in the cost of living in the core area, the relocation of disaster-stricken residents, and the old city on the edge that is gradually out of the control of Kburg are all benefits to the local fire and banya departments.
Many young and middle-aged men wandered around the marginal cities, asking around, inquiring about the bases of the opposition Iron Guard, looking for the non-existent recruitment office, or looking for opportunities to join Bronya's troops through acquaintances or through merchants who still sold imported goods and fought guerrilla warfare with Kburg.
Another long day has gone and a long night has arrived - but in this long night, there is no lack of the light of firewood.
After completely clearing out the rift in the outer city, Bronya saw that the time was ripe and decided to move into the more stable old city in the west.
With the support of Topa, Shiluwa even built a heating station, directly challenging the official heating department. It attracted a large number of refugees from the upper areas with cheaper fuel prices and more stable supply.
As the west gate of Beloberg opened, the well-trained Earth Fire Warriors lined up and walked into the streets that were almost like a restricted area amid the gazes and cheers of the victims and refugees.
Then came the First Garrison, whose leader, Jeppard, was immediately recognizable - as a frequent guest on Beloberg's brochures and posters, his presence undoubtedly emphasized the "orthodoxy" and "justice" of Bronya's opposition.
The opposition officially moved into Beloberg - although it was not an administrative district, the opening of this base was basically equivalent to jumping into Cocolia's face. If it was before when Kburg's cohesion was still there, such provocative behavior would quickly lead to an attack by the Guards.
However, faced with the hostile behavior of occupying the west gate and dividing up almost one-third of the city area, Cocolia did not seem to have any plans to take the initiative to attack and wipe out the rebels, except for ordering the guards to put up barbed wire outside the administrative district, prohibiting anyone from fleeing westward, and increasing the number of guards at the entrances of the alleys.
It seemed that the tough attitude towards trade invasion could not be immediately synchronized with military action. I don’t know whether she wanted to give her daughter a chance to reform, or she was not ready to formally confront the opposition, which consumed a lot of the tough and terrifying image she had established in the square in the past few days.
The silent confrontation began again. This time, the two sides were almost face to face, with no room for maneuver or buffer. As long as Bronya gave the order to march, the garrison regiment could reach the square in front of Castle K after marching five kilometers.
Standing on the top of the tallest node building in the old city, Bronya could see the statue in the square representing the will of the city builders. She couldn't remember how many days and nights she had patrolled passing by the pale blue landmark, but now she just felt it was strange.
"Silver Wolf, has the control code of the robot been modified?"
Fortunately, this feeling of strangeness and emptiness did not last long. Kong's voice woke her up from her wandering. Then the electronic sound of the holographic screen tapping, mixed with the shouts of the small market, made the ethereal senses become real.
"Kburg's system is like a clogged sewer pipe... It's old and outdated and can't be cleared. Oh my god, this pile of shit code... Give me some more time, I have to optimize them first..."
"Ah? You want to optimize the control code for the mechas for Kburg?"
Kong can't be fooled, how can this be a charitable act?
"If the structure is changed, it will be discovered and arouse vigilance, right?"
"Of course, but we need to replace the system with a modern one to find a way to trap them... I am already very grateful to the city builders for not having to completely rebuild it. The things that were discontinued by the company 700 years ago can still run smoothly here. They are so well preserved. It's simply a miracle. They are worthy of being the work of the believers who preserved them."
Silver Wolf's mumbling and increasingly violent hammering made the commander burst out laughing - this hacker had no respect for the city builders, but considering her experience of the complexities of mecha deployment in actual combat, Bronya had to admit that her complaints were justified.
In addition to Silver Wolf and Kong, Topa and March were also hanging on the roof in a rather dangerous posture. One of them was tossing coins, planning how to make more money from the blocked administrative area and attract more retail investors to sell goods secretly, while the other was constantly looking for the right angle to naturally include everyone on the roof in the frame at the same time.
...I don't know if it's because of her habit of going to high places to observe the terrain and predict the battlefield situation, that everyone likes the feeling of climbing to the roof to enjoy the fresh air. This node building is almost becoming a joint command and combat headquarters for the train group and the company... Everyone climbed up with her.
Bronya felt a strange sense of happiness and peace of mind.
Of course, some faces that shouldn't have been here also came to join in the fun, making the overall atmosphere not harmonious enough to make her feel completely at ease, and indirectly reminding her that internal conflicts still existed, but they were not the main conflicts -
"Natasha clearly said before that you went to Yongdong Ridge to lead a reconnaissance team..."
"I had a fight with her and didn't go. I left it to Luca. Anyway, he will definitely complete the task."
Xier's resentment was as real as it could be, and she didn't bother to cover up the quarrel between herself and Nata.
"…Is it because of Sora?"
"Because Nata first talked to me on her own and encouraged me to like someone, then she changed her mind and was ready to do it herself, which made me very unhappy."
Xier held her chin up, her hair standing on end with anger.
"What do you mean by 'you are still young' and 'I don't want to sacrifice your happiness' - if that's the case, why don't you think of marrying me off in the first place? If I walk into the room one day and see her lying on an empty bed... Oh."
The commander-in-chief didn't know how to comfort Seele - they were friends and rivals in love at the same time. But after even Nata was conquered by Sora, Bronya felt that it didn't matter whether they were rivals in love or not. Instead, they should help each other...
Recently, work has been so busy that no one has time to take care of their own emotional issues. Even though Sora appears at the front line every day, they can't find any reason or opportunity to increase Sora's favorability, so they are more and more envious of the three maids and Noshiro who catch Sora and act coquettishly.
"Doesn't she want you and Sora to have a free love relationship?"
"That was before... Anyway, it was confirmed that she would not let go."
Xier also sat with her legs crossed in a dangerous position where she could fall down the stairs at any time. She bit her lower lip hard and occasionally stole glances at Kong who was playing with Silver Wolf, looking for a reason to intervene with him.
Like Banya, Xier and Kong discussed work matters more frequently, but there was no progress on their personal front.
"I heard that there's a new guy coming today, and he's another difficult one... The time that guy has for the women around him is getting less and less."
"Newbie?"
"Huh? You didn't know that?"
Xier tilted her head - she thought Banya reserved a "landing point" for Kong because he knew that Kong had an old lover who was going to join the game.
"It is said that she is a very dangerous woman." Xier pointed to the long-abandoned shield of the Preservation Parish in the distance and said, "Look at the fortifications over there. He and Holhaiya were busy all night last night, setting up some kind of trap."
"What? Are those fortifications used to defend against our own people?"
"I heard him say that it can prevent the leakage of divinity and magic power, and it can also trap the 'gods'... although I don't know what the difference is between the gods he mentioned and the star gods."
Kong, who was just chatting and laughing with Silver Wolf, overheard the discussion of the Blue Sea Group. His expression immediately turned anxious. He quickly raised his hand to look at the back of his hand and sighed:
"…Although I have already informed Himeko…but I am sure that I won't be able to hold a welcome party. I just hope that Kama won't demolish the old town—"
"Is he so cruel?" Silver Wolf flicked the screen and was very interested in why Kong would look as if he was facing a great enemy because of a female companion.
"Why else would I work overtime to prepare?"
Sora rolled his eyes.
"If it's so dangerous, why don't you choose a less populated place to receive her?"
"Her divinity is very special. Once it gets out of control, I must use the overflowing magic power of the nearby population to reinforce the formation... It doesn't matter whether she is active in the parish or not. The key is to have a large number of 'popularity' nearby."
"Oh, the other party is similar to Ying?"
"No, she represents the abstract concept of human spirit and is the god in charge of 'love'."
Kong wanted to explain to Silver Wolf in detail the origin and myths of Kama, as well as the complicated relationship between himself and its "carrier", but something strange happened suddenly.
The time estimated by the system is just an estimate after all. The servants on the other side are already impatient and cannot even wait for their injuries to heal completely. They want to forcibly visit the world where Sora is.
The Command Spell became hotter, attracting the attention of everyone on the roof, emitting an ominous light like a warning light.
"Kama, why are you so careless--"
The pain on the back of his hand made it impossible for him to suppress the surging magic power. Eula, who had just brought two pots of hot water from downstairs, raised her eyebrows when she saw Kong, and hurried over to check on him.
But after she ran two steps, a short figure suddenly appeared in the open space between her and the sky, causing her body to pause, and her two elastic balls pressed against the other person's head and lifted up.