Ironclad, died and resurrected, I've decided to go to the mic!

Cocolia sat in the main seat.

She looked at the man in front of her wearing gold-rimmed glasses and tapped the table with his index finger, saying that she didn't seem like a good person.

His facial expression shifted back and forth between the Great Guardian's majesty and utter bewilderment.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady:

"Mr. Yang Chaoyue, what do you mean by that?"

Was there something I did that wasn't appropriate?

Or is it Belloberg's hospitality that you're dissatisfied with?

"No."

Walter shook his head, leaned forward, and wore an extremely arrogant smile.

"It's because you look a lot like one of my old friends."

That guy was a complete villain; he betrayed his subordinates and ruined the entire city.

In the end, she had to rely on others to clean up her mess.

And you not only look like her, you even have the same name as her.

He pushed up his glasses

"I've met a woman named Cocolia once, and it's hard not to suspect a second one."

This isn't directed at you personally; it's based on experience.

Cocolia remained silent for a long while.

She looked at Walter's face, which seemed to say, "I am right."

Then she looked at Bronya, who was standing to the side with a blank expression but was clearly holding something back.

Then look at Jepard, who is giving her a look that screams, "These guys are tough, don't mess with them."

She weighed the option of "kicking these people out" over and over in her mind several times.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and suppressed it.

Jepard said that this man crushed the entire battlefield's rift monsters with a single palm strike.

Even if she brought all of Belloberg's elite guards, it would probably only be enough for him to clap once more.

"So, you mean you're judging me as untrustworthy based solely on my appearance and name?"

Cocolia's voice carried a hint of anger.

"almost."

Walter nodded readily.

Cocolia closed her eyes and tapped her fingers lightly twice on the table.

He seemed to be using all his willpower to maintain the demeanor of a great guardian.

Just as she was about to say something more, Qiye, who was standing behind Walter, suddenly took a step forward.

She had that pink-haired girl's face, but she showed an expression that was completely unlike what March 7th would show.

"Great Guardian, although Uncle Yang speaks bluntly, he is telling the truth."

"Itsuki said in the same voice as March 7th," said Kiyo.

"We have indeed come to save your planet."

The Star Train specializes in treating stellar cores; it has handled more stellar cores than you have ever seen the sun.

And we have no reason to lie to you.

Even if all the Iron Guards and all the armed forces in the city joined forces, they still couldn't defeat Uncle Yang alone.

"If we really wanted to harm Belloberg, we wouldn't be the ones standing here talking to you."

Walter tilted his head and glanced at March 7.

On March 7th, one doesn't usually speak so logically; the tone is both soft and firm.

When did she become so smart?

But he only paused for a moment, and then the arrogant smile on his lips deepened.

"Well said, that really hits the nail on the head."

He turned back to Cocolia, one hand in his pocket.

With his other hand, he pushed up his glasses, raised his chin, and exuded an aura like an arrogant god.

"I'm not here to discuss this with you, I'm here to give you a chance."

If you cooperate, we'll take the star core, and you can continue living your lives.

If you don't cooperate, I'll find someone myself.

The result will be the same; the only difference is that you'll need to rebuild your city!

Cocolia tapped her fingers lightly on the table, staring intently at Walter.

"Can I interpret this as a threat against Belloberg?"

"casual."

Walter leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

"If you see it as a threat, then it is a threat; if you see it as salvation, then it is salvation."

I don't care what you think, I only care where the star core is.

Cocolia remained silent for a long while.

My heart felt like it was engaged in some kind of intense tug-of-war.

She looked at the arrogant man in front of her, who was almost delusional, and then she remembered the report that Jepard had sent back from the front.

If he really wanted to harm Belloberg, he wouldn't need to waste his breath talking to her here.

If what he said is true, if the Star Train really can take away the Star Core.

So perhaps this planet, which has been frozen in ice and snow for hundreds of years, really can be saved.

But what if he's lying, or...?

She was about to speak

A seductive voice echoed deep within her mind.

She knew that tone and that frequency all too well.

It was a voice that had been coiling around her like a venomous snake ever since she became the Great Guardian.

Do you really believe it, Cocolia?

[Do you believe these strangers of dubious origin, and their nonchalant talk of salvation?]

Have you forgotten? Everyone is against you, and no one understands you.

Your stubbornness, your burdens, all your ruthless schemes—it was all for Belloberg, for survival.

Once you hand over the star core, all your life's persistence will become a joke.

Your elaborate plan, built on all your resources, can be completely overturned by a single sentence from these strangers.

Today they can look down on this city with mercy, but tomorrow they can wipe it out.

The goodwill of the strong is always the cheapest and most fleeting.

Don't be silly.

Don't surrender hope; don't give up everything you've fought so hard to protect.

Keep them calm and stall for time.

Only by trusting me can you control the fate of Beloborg; you are the only guardian who can save the permafrost.

The seductive echoes lingered in my mind, layer upon layer, refusing to fade away.

Cocolia's pupils contracted, and the budding relaxation in her eyes began to dissipate.

Star, standing behind Walter, suddenly frowned.

She tilted her head and stared straight at the void above Cocolia's head.

It was as if it sensed something that shouldn't be there.

She was about to speak

"Shut up!"

Walter slammed his hand on the table and stood up, causing the chair to slide back half a meter.

He put one hand in his pocket, pushed up his glasses with the other, and stared up at the ceiling above the conference table.

Xing stared at the void he had just been staring at, then opened his arms and laughed loudly.

The laughter erupted throughout the conference room.

"Outrageous! Outrageous! Of course, outrageous!"

His voice pierced the ceiling and penetrated the stone walls of Cripper Castle.

It was as if they were declaring war on some unseen entity.

"What kind of trash dares to be so insolent in front of me!"

Do you think no one will hear you if you lower your voice?

Do you think you can rest easy just by hiding underground?

Back when I clashed with the Herrscher, you weren't even an embryo yet!

"A mere broken stone dares to bewitch people right in front of me? Do you think I'm incapable?!"

The chandelier in the conference room swayed violently.

Cocolia shuddered, as if something had been forcibly ripped from her mind.

The voice that had haunted her for countless days and nights, the voice that had always whispered in her ear, had vanished.

They looked like they were terrified.

Walter withdrew his gaze from the sky, lowered his head to straighten his cuffs, and let out a disappointed sigh.

"You're really fast. I haven't even started warming up yet, and you've already thrown out a fake coordinate to try and fool me."

He turned to Kiyo (March 7th) and said.

"This guy has some brains; he knows how to use clones to trick the tracking system."

However, I've seen plenty of this kind of deception back in the day at Anti-Entropy.

"I'll have a good look for it later; it can't hide for long."

Cocolia sat blankly in the main seat.

Her hands were still trembling as they rested flat on the table, but the oppressive gloom on her face had mostly dissipated.

She looked at Walter, the man who had just scared away the Star Core with a shout.

She immediately stood up, walked around the conference table, and went to Walter.

She grasped his hands and shook them vigorously, her expression a mixture of piety and gratitude.

He looked like a patient who had just been cured of a long-standing ailment by a legendary healer.

"Master! Master!"

"I was blind to your greatness just now and offended you greatly. Please forgive me, you are a magnanimous person."

She took a deep breath, her eyes slightly red.

"That voice isn't chattering in my head anymore."

I feel refreshed, my head is no longer dizzy, my back doesn't ache anymore, and even the snow outside the window looks whiter.

Thank you so much for your help, Master!

"I'll have someone get the map of the star core's location right away..."