Xingtie: Can’t you just let me focus on completing the commissions?

"It's over at the east gate."

The Silvermane Iron Guard who delivered the message quickly replied, and then continued,

"Accompanying the man who called himself the city builder were two women, one of whom called herself a sea patrol knight."

"Sea Ranger?"

The term was quite unfamiliar, and neither Jepard nor Pera had any corresponding memories of it. However, the person who arrived with the city builder at this moment must also be an extraterrestrial visitor.

"Let's go see him first."

He stood up, intending to gather his gear and head to the east gate, when the office door was suddenly pushed open, followed by a sound.

"Count me in."

The voice was extremely clear and melodious, even carrying a hint of childish innocence. Jepard looked up and saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her long, elegant gray-brown hair cascaded down her back, and her simple white military uniform tightly hugged her perfectly proportioned figure.

Her features were exquisitely delicate, a blend of childlike innocence and the radiant glow of a young woman just coming of age. Her light brown pupils held a gaze as unwavering as a veteran's. She looked at Jepard, and her clear yet gentle voice once again echoed within the house.

"The Builders, according to legend, are a righteous group that travels across many planets in pursuit of the Amber King's example. They are also one of the builders of Beloborg, and were once comrades-in-arms of Lady Alisa Rand... Some special documents also record that they built 'defensive weapons' for Beloborg, capable of resisting Rift monsters and the antimatter legion, as well as the legendary 'Creation Engine.'"

"Creation Engine!!"

Pera exclaimed in surprise, which made her fall silent. For hundreds of years, the scientific expedition team of Belloberg had searched for traces of giant machines on this land countless times. Lin Ke had also mentioned to her many times the remains of these legendary machines that were like mythical giants. In the archaeological team's records and Belloberg's past records, these mythical giants seemed to have been the "strong wall" on the front line of Belloberg's battlefield.

People once dreamed of restoring these legendary mythical giants and returning them to the battlefield against those rift creatures, but unfortunately, the efforts of several generations have only been a drop in the ocean. Firstly, Belloberg does not have much scientific foundation, and secondly, Belloberg does not have much resources to invest in the restoration of those creation engines.

"If that city builder possessed the blueprints for the creation engine..."

Lingbao will be so happy!

[But Lingbao hasn't seemed to come back lately... Has something happened?]

The first thought that popped into the young intelligence officer's mind was followed by her clapping her hands together on both cheeks.

[I can't think about Lingbao at a time like this!]

Work! Work!

After quickly calming down, she spoke to the girl with long gray-brown hair.

"Lady Bronya, if that city builder has the blueprints for the creation engine, is it possible for us to repair part of it?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a try."

The girl named Bronya responded in this way, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"If they really have the blueprints for the creation engine, the dozens of wrecked machines that exist outside of Belloborg might be able to be pieced together to create one or two working creation engines."

"At that time, with these giant mechanical soldiers, we will surely be able to launch a counterattack against the Rift creatures!"

"The cold wave is receding now. If we have a chance to hold out until it subsides, perhaps we won't be trapped in Belleburg anymore. Then..."

[Mother, you don't need to be so troubled.]

The girl harbored a very simple reason in her heart. As the adopted daughter of the current High Guardian, her apparent identity was that of the sole heir to the next High Guardian. Whether for public or private reasons, whether for the restoration of Beloborg or to relieve her mother of Beloborg's burden, she had to strive to reach that extremely slim possibility.

"If it really is the Builder, then the power of preservation might be able to descend upon Beloborg once again."

"Lady Alisa, please bless Beloborg so that he may regain his former glory."

[P.S.: Guys, please vote! The rating has been dragged down a lot. If you have any flowers, please vote for it too. I need your support during the new book's release period. I'll be applying for book release soon, and there will be a guaranteed ten chapters on the release day. Please support me!]

Chapter 034: It did not originate from us. (2/4)

"A city builder, a seafaring knight, a galactic baseball batter."

In the makeshift reception room, Bronya looked around at the three people present. Apart from Danheng, who seemed very composed, the other two did not inspire any trust in her.

"Two, two patrol officers!"

Like an eager elementary school student, Miss March 7th tried her best to argue.

"We are ocean rangers who have been active on many planets."

“If you can promise not to cause trouble in the city, I will send a Silvermane Iron Guard to accompany you and allow you to enter and leave Beloborg.”

"We, the Coast Guard, are a renowned organization of chivalrous heroes; why would we easily cause trouble?"

Miss March 7th continued to emphasize, but Bronya could tell that neither of them were easy to deal with, so she looked at Pera and said,

"Sergeevna, could you please accompany them and perhaps introduce them to some of Beloberg's deeds?"

"Ok."

The cute, round-faced intelligence officer with round-framed glasses nodded. Her azure eyes darted around, landing on March 7th and Ah Xing, before she spoke.

"Ladies, please follow me. I will help you arrange your itinerary and accommodation in Belleburg."

"...Ah Xing, what do you say?"

March 7th glanced at her friends, who in turn looked Pera up and down for a long time before nodding with great satisfaction.

"It's perfectly symmetrical, I'm extremely satisfied!"

"symmetry?"

The pink-haired girl turned her head and carefully examined Pella. After a moment, she cheered as if she had discovered a new universe.

"It's so symmetrical! Perfect for my OCD!"

Even after the pink-haired girl said that, the cold-faced little green dragon couldn't help but take a serious look at the intelligence officer. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and revealed a slightly satisfied smile.

Things that are balanced and symmetrical always bring joy to people.

Seeing the behavior of these three extraterrestrial visitors, even Jepard and Bronya, who were present, couldn't help but turn their gaze to the intelligence officer, whose expression had become somewhat ashamed and indignant.

"Cough cough cough."

Bronya coughed twice quickly, interrupting everyone's attention from Pella's symmetry. Jepard also quickly looked away, realizing his behavior had been somewhat impolite.

Although Pella was initially annoyed, her Silvermane Iron Guard intelligence officer skills quickly calmed her down. She looked at A-Xing and March 7 again, but this time, her gaze was not just gentle, but also contained a strictness similar to that of a teacher. Under this gaze, the two troublemakers immediately recalled the scene of being 'dominated' by Himeko on the train and quickly became much more obedient.

Thus, Pella smoothly took the two problem children away. The remaining three—Danheng, the imposter city builder, the Silvermane Iron Guard officer, and the next High Warden—exchanged glances. After a moment, Bronya broke the silence, looking directly at Danheng and speaking…

"Are you truly the city builder?"

"Do you need identification? If you can access the think tank of Interstellar Peace Corporation, you should be able to find my information."

Interstellar Peace Corporation...

It is another term that appears in ancient documents.

Bronya suppressed her excitement and continued to ask questions in a calm voice.

“We cannot connect to the Star Peace Corporation’s think tank here, but the Builders left behind a considerable legacy in Beloborg, including the ‘Lance of Alisa Rand,’ which has been passed down through generations of our High Guardians. If you are truly a Builder, you would surely be able to gain the lance’s approval.”

[Did the First Great Guardian's lance really exist? How did that person know about these things...? Could it be that these details were part of the Star Core Hunters' script?]

Dan Heng silently considered the possibilities of his plan. After the three of them left, Emiya sent him a lot of information via private message, including information about the current Great Guardian Cocolia and the Star Core, the actions of the Builders on this planet, and... a messy account of the Interstellar Peace Corporation.

These things will be his bargaining chips in the Upper City.

Originally, there were some things he needed to investigate by infiltrating the library in the upper city before he could openly appear before the Silver Mane Guards, but after Emiya directly gave him key information, he quickly adjusted his plans and thinking.

Next…

He must gain the trust of the Great Guardian and truly obtain information about the location of the Star Core.

If Emiya's intelligence is indeed accurate, his plan might be more feasible. However... there's still room for maneuver. According to Emiya, that lance has become useless in the hands of this generation's High Protector.

How could a pitiful woman who had already given up her protection and thrown herself into the illusory new world promised by the Star Core possibly gain the approval of that lance?

Therefore, the identity of the city builder can never be revealed, and even if it really comes to that, it doesn't matter...

He could also produce the identity of an employee of the Interstellar Peace Company. Dan Heng's temporary preparation to disguise himself as a city builder was not unfounded. To be precise, in the previous exploration trips, he had indeed dealt with city builders and people from the Interstellar Peace Company, and even gained the recognition of those city builders. He also had a token from the city builders that could prove that he was indeed related to the city builders.

"Then, take me to see the Great Guardian."

Danheng looked at Bronya, who nodded slightly, but after a moment's hesitation, she couldn't help but speak again.

"However, before that, I have a personal question I would like to get a reply from you."

"But it doesn't matter."

"Creation Engine".

Bronya directly addressed her biggest concern: at present, Beloberg's defensive forces have been visibly weakened. Veterans are seriously injured and retired, new recruits are not well-trained, and there is a lack of weapons, equipment, minerals, and other supplies. If things continue as they are, Beloberg may be forced to retreat to the era of cold weapons, leading new recruits to fight the Rift creatures with bayonets.

"Excuse me, do you know what a creation engine is?"

"I do know something about this thing."

Danheng nodded. The information Emiya had given him clearly stated that the Creation Engine was the greatest asset the Builders had brought to this planet. The Builders had provided information that assisted the Arilolians in creating these giant machines.

At its peak, Yalilo even possessed hundreds of these "creation engines," which resembled mythical giants. These creation engines were the culmination of the efforts of the local city builders and scientists, created at the call of the city builders. Originally, they were "engineering behemoths" used for planetary terraforming.

However, during the invasion of the antimatter legion seven hundred years ago, these engineering machines, originally intended for planetary terraforming, ultimately became weapons of war, standing at the forefront of the fight against the antimatter legion.

"So, do you have the blueprints for the 'Creation Engine'?"

Her voice trembled uncontrollably. Bronya clenched her fists, stared at Dan Heng, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

“We need it! Belloberg needs to restart those creation engines to fight off external threats…”

Gazing at the girl whose expression betrayed her undisguised expectation, Teacher Danheng remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"The 'Creation Engine' did not originate from us."

"what?"

"It belongs to you yourselves, not to anyone outside of Yalilo VI."

Chapter 035: I've prepared a surprise for you on Everwinter Ridge. (3/4)

"The Creation Engine is a technology brought by the alien city builders, a 'giant machine for planetary terraforming' created by thousands of scholars and experts native to Yalilo."

"Although its design references the technology of the city builders outside, both the underlying code algorithm and the operation logic are things designed by Yalilo itself."

"We have no solution on how to repair it or how to make it stand up again. Only you, the Yalilo, can do it. As for the feasibility of this, perhaps you should ask the current High Guardian directly."

Danheng's words still seemed to echo in her ears. Bronya sat listlessly on a chair in a roadside cafe, her mind racing as she pondered the truth of everything Danheng had said.

If the Creation Engine is truly something made in the homeland of Arillow...Belloberg, then why does that document record it as a gift brought by the city builders?

Perhaps there was a recording error.

But that's all it is, it's fine.

However, if the Creation Engine is a native technology, why hasn't Belloberg restarted it for seven hundred years? Is it possible that Belloberg's current industrial capacity is no longer sufficient to support the activation of the Creation Engine?

However, apart from the creation engine, many mechanical soldiers are still in use to this day, and even though they consume a lot of power, they should not be completely idle.

Anyone with eyes can see that even if there are thousands of small mechanical soldiers, even if they unite, their effect is far less than that of a single creation engine.

"Isn't this Bronya? Why is she sitting here all alone?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Bronya's eyes regained their focus, and she quickly looked up at the person who had spoken.

Reflected by a sliver of silver light, long, shimmering golden hair came into view, causing Bronya to unconsciously narrow her eyes. The blonde woman standing nearby spoke again with a cheerful smile.

"It's so unlike you to be sitting here alone, lost in thought."

As he spoke, the man sat down next to Bronya, a hint of affection appearing in his blue eyes, just like Jepard's.

"Did something happen?"

"...some."

Bronya nodded slightly to the newcomer, her expression still slightly dazed and confused, before whispering,

"Ms. Hiluva, do you know about the 'Builders'?"

"Of course I know. I swore an oath to the Builders back then. Don't forget that I was also a Silvermane Iron Guard for a period of time."

The blonde, mature woman named Hilva responded in this way, a hint of nostalgia showing on her very cool features.

“Cocolia and I joined the Silvermane Guard in the same batch. At first, I didn’t actually know that she was the adopted daughter of the High Guardian. We used to have a very good relationship and we once moved towards the same ideal.”

"How much do you know about 'City Builders'? Do you have an in-depth understanding of 'Creation Engine'?"