Damn it, something's wrong with the gacha I got.

Clara realized something was wrong and spoke up to stop her.

She doesn't want to start a fight right away, nor does she want anyone to get hurt. So, before things get out of control, she still advocates resolving problems through communication.

“They’re not bad people, and they seem to be Seele’s friends. Stop it.”

Clara said again.

"Instruction received. Danger eliminated. Active defense mode deactivated."

Perkins deactivated the defense mode after receiving Clara's instructions, and the indicator lights gradually dimmed.

But it still stayed close to Clara, preventing any criminals from harming her.

Clara breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and continued to ask Chen Bai and the others, "Big brother, who are you? And are you also here for the mineral deposits?"

Chen Bai shook his head: "No, we are..."

She briefly explained her identity and purpose.

"Oh, so you're the ones who want Swaro. I can take you there later."

Clara suddenly realized.

"Thank you so much. We have many questions for Schwarzro."

Chen Bai nodded.

"Wow! What an adorable little girl! Let me hug her!"

It seemed that Xing's eyes were shining, staring at Clara like a lecherous wolf. Perkins, sensing the malice, went into defensive mode again.

However, the Star Supreme was once again suppressed by Emperor March 7 with one hand: "You better behave yourself!"

Perkins lifted the alarm this time.

Dan Heng glanced at the two of them, but he was already used to it.

Although the two troublemakers are a real headache, the expansion must continue.

Seele's figure gradually became clearer from the deep shadows of the mine tunnel.

She casually slung the massive sickle over her shoulder with one hand; the blade still seemed to retain a lingering chill. Her steps carried a hint of efficiency and impatience, as if she had just dealt with a problem.

“It’s all taken care of.” She approached and said briefly to Oleg, Chen Bai, and the others, her tone a mixture of exhaustion and her usual sharpness. “Those guys really know how to pick their moments to cause trouble.”

Her gaze immediately fell on the petite figure who had been groped by the fish, and her brows furrowed slightly.

“Clara…” Seele lightly slammed the sickle to the ground with a thud, her voice tinged with reproach and confusion. “Why did you come all the way to the mining area by yourself? Don’t you know how dangerous it is here?”

Clara looked up, her red eyes clear and bright.

She seemed to be holding a small package in her arms, and explained softly, "I went to town to get medicine for everyone... On my way back, I heard someone say that there was a conflict here, and Clara was a little worried, so I came to check."

She paused, her voice filled with trust, "And Mr. Schwarz said that if Clara is in danger, she only needs to call his name loudly, and he will come to protect her immediately."

Looking into the girl's completely trusting eyes, Seele's serious expression softened slightly, but her tone still carried a warning:

“I understand. But even so, try to come less often in the future. What if there’s an emergency where you don’t even have time to call for help? Swallow isn’t omnipotent; there will always be times when he can’t make it in time.”

Clara nodded seriously, her soft white hair swaying gently with her movements.

"Yes, Clara got it," she replied softly, clutching the package in her arms tighter.

"Xi'er, let's set off quickly," Chen Bai suddenly reminded him.

“That makes sense. It just so happens that Clara is here too. With her around, your chances of seeing Swallow will be much higher.”

Seele nodded.

"Then let Clara lead the way for everyone!"

Clara was prepared to help Chen Bai and the others, and they did not refuse.

With such a powerful figure looking after them, their journey will be much smoother from now on.

Chapter 28 Schwarzkopf: Leaving Clara

Led by Clara with practiced ease, the group traversed passageways and bridges made of discarded mechanical parts, finally arriving at the core area of ​​the mechanical settlement.

They met the owner of the place—Kvaro.

The massive mechanical body stood still where shadow and cold light intertwined, its sharply defined shell gleaming with a cold, hard metallic sheen, draped in a coat.

However, Chen Bai felt that this Schwarzlo had a kind of gangster boss vibe.

A robot gangster boss + a red-clad, white-haired, barefoot loli – what kind of strange character combination is this?

Has miHoYo, the company that makes StarCraft games, really become this twisted?

Well, whether he's a pervert or not is none of Chen Bai's business.

Now that they had met the legendary Boss Schwarz, they naturally had to ask him about the Star Core.

In Chen Bai's original plan, he would find out the location, rush over there and solve the problem, and then he could finish his work successfully and return to the Starry Sky Train to enjoy a hot shower, a hot meal, and a good night's sleep.

However, before they could speak, Swallow's massive mechanical head had already turned towards them, its eye sensors suddenly flashing a wary red light, and a deep, synthesized voice rang out with undeniable authority:

"Unknown life forms detected. Who are you? There is no matching information about you in Belloberg's database!"

As soon as the words were spoken, several previously stationary automated mechs snapped into alert mode with a "click," and energy began to gather faintly at their weapon ports, clearly preparing to drive away these uninvited guests.

"Wait! Mr. Schwarz, please wait a moment!"

Clara quickly stepped forward, her small figure blocking the train crew and the mechanized infantry.

She looked up at Swallow, her voice clear and urgent: "They're not bad people! It was...it was Clara who brought them."

Clara's words seemed to possess special authority.

The red light flashing in Schwarz's eyes paused slightly, then gradually dimmed like the tide.

The weapon ports of the surrounding mechs also lowered simultaneously, returning to standby mode.

Schwarz looked down at Clara, his synthesized voice still lacking inflection, but it seemed to have softened a little: "Based on Clara's guarantee, temporary visit permission is granted. Explain your purpose."

The tense atmosphere eased slightly.

"Hehe, Clara is so kind-hearted, I like you!"

Just then, a slightly swaying, silly smile suddenly appeared on Xing's face, which seemed out of place with the current scene. He stared intently at Clara, and his tone became unsteady.

The innocent Clara was oblivious to the "danger" behind that smile, taking it as genuine praise, and lowered her head somewhat shyly: "Sister Xing, you flatter me..."

"Huh? What did you just call me?" Xing's eyes seemed to brighten a little.

"Sister Star," Clara repeated obediently.

"Say it again." Xingbao pressed her advantage, her smile growing even brighter.

"Sister Xing?"

This call seemed to have triggered some kind of switch.

Xing suddenly seemed like a cat that had inhaled enough catnip, squinting its eyes and radiating an aura of extreme satisfaction and near-bliss. It even unconsciously took a half-step forward.

However, this obvious image of plants and flowers instantly triggered Schwarzlo's protection protocol.

The massive mechanical body moved instantly, like an insurmountable steel wall, completely blocking Clara behind it.

His eyes flashed red dangerously again, and a cold, synthesized voice delivered a clear warning:

“Abnormal emotional fluctuations and approaching behavior detected. Move away from Clara and maintain a safe distance immediately.”

"Wait! March, I'm entrusting Xing to you."

Seeing that things were not going well, Chen Bai hurriedly called out to March 7th.

"I understand!"

Upon receiving the order, Emperor March swiftly moved forward and skillfully hooked Galactic Batman's neck.

With his other hand, he covered her mouth before she could speak, and dragged her away from Swaro's vigilance, a woman clearly in a strange state.

At the same time, he didn't forget to give Swallow and Clara an apologetic, awkward but polite smile.

Dan Heng: "....."

At this moment, he could only express his feelings with the image of a cone of light: "Only silence."

"Ahem, Mr. Kvaro, the irrelevant personnel have been taken away from the scene, so let me get to the point now. I wonder if you know about the existence of a star core? Or do you know where the star core of the Arillow VI is?"

Schwarzko was silent for a moment, then recalled the deep, synthesized sound:

"Star Core... Access blocked while accessing database. Talking to unauthorized target. [Star Core]: Forbidden!"

“You are touching a secret sealed deep within the world, a secret that no human should know.”

“We are reassessing the target’s status. The threat level has risen. I demand that you tell us your true intentions!”

Upon hearing this, Dan Heng frowned slightly: "As expected, he knows about star cores, but this topic is risky."

Chen Bai didn't care; he didn't care about risks anymore.

"Swarovski, if you treat us as enemies, or even with an unfriendly attitude, I don't think I'll tell you our true intentions. Of course, you can fight us, but you will definitely lose!"

Upon hearing this, Schwarzlo seemed to be analyzing whether Chen Bai's words were credible, but the builder's orders were clearly the highest authority.

"Throughout recorded history, humanity has made countless contacts with the star core. Without exception, they were driven by greed, attempting to possess it. However, due to the orders of the city builders, any attempt to contact the star core will have severe consequences. Reassessment in progress... The target threat level has reached the highest level."

“Sigh~” Chen Bai sighed slightly. “A robot is a robot. If I told you that your current Great Guardian Cocolia has been bewitched by the Star Core and is going to destroy the entire Yalilo VI and take the entire Beloborg with her, how would you evaluate that?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kvarro seemed to pause for a moment, then his voice rang out again:

"The Guardian is controlled by the Star Core... Please provide evidence."

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. I'm too lazy to communicate with you. Since you won't tell us where the star core is, we have nothing to talk about. Anyway, the life and death of this planet and the people here are none of our business. When Yalilo VI explodes, the Star Train can still set sail and continue its exploration, although it will take a while."

With that, Chen Bai pulled the other three away.

He didn't have the patience to waste any more time with this lump of iron.

"Wait! Brother Chen Bai!"

Little Clara suddenly called out to Chen Bai and the others, then looked at Kvaro:

“Mr. Kvaro, they are not bad people. I believe they have no malicious intent to possess the Star Core. So please tell me the information about the Star Core, okay? If this is true, then not only Clara, but also Mr. Kvaro... and everyone else will disappear!”

—Author's Note—

I recently caught a cold, I don't know if it's H1N1, and I'm not feeling well, so I might not be updating as soon as possible. Please forgive me.

Skip Chapter 29 and just speedrun it.

Red light flowed in Schwarz's mechanical eyes as he stared at Clara for a long time, his gaze seemingly piercing through steel and circuits, reaching some distant core.

Before long, the gurgling sounds inside its body gradually subsided, emitting a sigh like that of a human.

"Clara's guarantee agreement is valid. Clara trusts you completely... The target threat level has been reduced to the minimum. Outsiders, if I reveal the location of the star core, can you refrain from using it for negative purposes?"

Chen Bai nodded upon hearing this: "Of course, we came here to solve the problem of the star core. Otherwise, we would be constantly affected by the star core and the train would not be able to set off."

Schwarzlo: "The agreement is in effect."

"Then tell me the whereabouts of the star core. Don't tell us about its history; we don't have the time or the interest."

Chen Bai had a feeling that the robot boss would come up and tell them the story of the Star Core's past first, but now was clearly not the time to learn about the story. The story of the Star Core would be told after they defeated the Star Core.

Now, let's speedrun it!

Schwarzkopf: "..."

It was silent for a moment before speaking: "The core... is in Everwinter Ridge."

After saying that, Schwarzrod fell silent.

Just then, a steady sound of footsteps came from the back passage.