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

"Beneath this starry sky, at the very top are the 'Star Gods,' and all travelers embarking on their destiny's journey will ultimately face them at their final destination."

"Son of Heaven, those with the strongest army and the most powerful horses should be chosen. The Star Gods are the group of individuals with the biggest fists. Whether you consider them as superpowers or the leaders of local gangs, in short, in this universe, if you don't pay homage to a powerful faction, you're just a nobody. If you're wiped out, no one will care. But if you pay homage to a powerful faction, at least you'll have some room to struggle. If your background is strong enough, like having some powerful envoy or a big shot, even those madmen like the Great Lord of Annihilation will have to think twice before giving you a slap."

"Black Tower, the 83rd seat of the Genius Club, has saved her homeland nineteen times. In the earliest Star Core incident, she personally completed the capture and sealing of the Star Core. She has met the Star God twice. Even the Great Lord of Annihilation, Iron Tomb, only dared to send her small gifts and annoy her in the territory she protected. If your homeland could also produce a glorious envoy, and casually crush the Star Core and throw it out, the Antimatter Legion would immediately declare that they have unconditionally abandoned your place."

If the Star God is the top leader, then the leading envoy is undoubtedly the Red Stick, similar to Marshal Hua, the Supreme Dragon God, Burning Wind, Shuhu, and Rahu. The next level of envoy is the White Paper Fan, similar to other envoys of slightly lower rank, such as the Immortal Boat General, Illusionary Owl, and Silent Lord.

As for Belloborg, let alone these messengers, even the top line below the messengers, such as Mirror Stream, Moon Drinker, and Thunder Caller, if any one of them appeared and had malice towards this planet, the homeland would have absolutely no chance of resisting.

Star God, Messenger, City Builder, Immortal Ship, Antimatter Legion, Star Core...

As Emiya recounted a multitude of terms, Bronya finally understood what it meant to be a frog in a well. Although she had received a relatively high level of education at the top of Beloberg, when she truly looked at the entire universe, her previous existence was truly as laughable as a frog in a well.

The path to Arillow's revival lies not in Belloborg, not in the Great Guardians, and certainly not in one or two Creation Engines.

At this very moment, a strong impulse began to sprout in the heart of this young lady who had been brought to the Upper City since childhood to be trained as the next generation of Great Guardians.

Leaving Arilho,

Leave Belloberg!

Instead of merely confining ourselves to this snowy plain in search of possibilities, we should take the initiative to venture into the vast and expansive world to acquire more knowledge, gain more power, and build more connections, so that we will be able to promote the revival of Yalilo.

She closed her eyes, and what came to mind were her adoptive mother's earnest teachings and her exhaustion during her leisure time, the nobles' outward elegance and their hidden arrogance, and the numbness and calmness of ordinary people struggling to support their families while being exploited by noble merchants.

Previously, Bellenberg was not qualified to come into contact with extraterrestrial visitors.

Now that we have it, there is absolutely no reason to give up this possibility.

"...Once the problem with the star core is resolved, I will be the first to take charge!"

Chapter 038: Explain what a surprise is? (2/4)

"You mean, some unknown person approached you posing as someone you know, and then told you that you had to come to this Everwinter Ridge?"

Inside the cave in the snowfield, Bronya recounted her situation to Emiya. Compared to the unidentified person, the nameless guest who had just explained so much to her seemed more trustworthy.

"Yes, she said she had prepared a surprise for me in this snowfield."

As for the button that resembled a bomb, she didn't mention it directly; some things don't need to be explained in detail.

"I think I know who it is."

Emiya stroked his chin and suddenly laughed.

"I had a sudden urge to feel something dirty sneaking in, and it turned out to be a little female devil who had infiltrated and was causing me trouble."

"You know her?"

"I'm about 30-40% sure. After all, it's not surprising that those street thugs who roam the universe looking for fun would show up here."

"Then what is her purpose?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

Seeing Bronya's somewhat puzzled expression, Emiya smiled and said,

"It's just for fun. Most masked fools are like that. They don't seek fun for any special reason; it's just out of interest."

After saying that, the smile on his face faded slightly, and he continued,

"Whether it is doing good or evil, there is no clear dividing line for them. A few people have a little bit of moral bottom line and do not act so crazy, but some people will not hesitate to promote war in order to create fun. When they see hundreds of thousands of people lying in pools of blood, they will laugh loudly and appear in front of the final victor to give them a ridiculous ending."

"Manipulating people's hearts and minds, wantonly inciting emotions... Pleasure, which is the most human destiny, is also the easiest way to produce groups that highlight the evil in human nature."

"What appears before you is of paramount importance, but... I don't actually know much about her actual situation, and it's not appropriate to mention her name directly."

Because that little devil has gone very far down the path of pleasure, casually mentioning her name could easily be sensed, since she is now also on this planet.

"Since she has prepared a surprise for you, go and get it."

The people at the Masked Tavern are no pushovers. Sambo was defeated by him only because of a lack of intelligence. But Hanabi is different. Even within the Masked Tavern, she is one of the most formidable individuals, and she even seems to be a potential messenger.

For such a guy to intrude into a tiny asteroid like Arillow VI, Emiya didn't even need to think twice—he was definitely after him…

I reckon he probably got some information from Aha and then came to him to have some fun.

Most of the people in the tavern are the kind of rascals who can bluntly declare, "I'm fucking immoral," while Hanabi is someone who can clearly regard laws and moral standards as a joke, see the rules and order set by others as the greatest amusement, and take pleasure in mocking these things.

However, on the other hand, there is no need to think too badly of this little devil. Her methods of obtaining pleasure are not limited to harming others. She does not find pleasure in persecuting others. As for the core of her pursuit of pleasure, Emiya cannot know what it is, but at least he can be sure that the woman is not the kind of person who would stir up such boring plots of bloodshed.

"It's just that there's one more player on the chessboard."

Ultimately, he's just a troublemaker who wants to get involved in this game out of interest. Now that everyone's out in the open, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious.

After finishing their conversation, Emiya followed Bronya deeper into the Everwinter Ridge. He naturally wanted to see the big surprise that Hanabi had mentioned inside the Everwinter Ridge.

If it's just a star core, it doesn't seem like it deserves to be called a big surprise.

The snow-capped mountains were not actually very large. After trying several mountain paths, they finally arrived at an open-air spiral staircase. As they continued to ascend the staircase, they could see an ever-growing number of ice sculptures of the antimatter legion. When they reached the top of the spiral staircase, on an ancient open-air platform, they were greeted by a horrifying sight: Bronya's pupils suddenly contracted.

It was a huge ice sculpture.

Or rather, a giant ice ball.

Inside the ice hockey puck, two familiar figures were being enveloped.

"Ms. Hiluva! And...Linco?!"

Moreover, and most importantly, inside the ice hockey puck, Linco's actions clearly indicated that she intended to smash Hiluva's forehead with the ice-breaking axe she usually used...

Why are they here?

Why did Lingke attack her sister?

Bronya's mind began to go blank. She couldn't understand why this scene had come to be. The three siblings of the Langdo family had always been close and harmonious, especially the youngest sister, Linco. Both her brother Jepard and her sister Sylva doted on her.

Lingke herself has a very quiet personality and is always kind to others. It's hard to imagine that she would attack her own sister with a climbing axe, let alone that she would throw a punch at someone.

Don't be fooled by appearances.

Standing beside Bronya, Emiya whispered a word of advice.

"The little girl's movements were stiff, as if she was being influenced by something to make them."

"The other woman's expression showed pain, but she had no injuries and did not make any defensive gestures."

"These days, there are many ways to bewitch people and manipulate their bodies. What they're doing could easily be called a staged photoshoot. Your priority right now should be..."

Before he could finish speaking, suddenly, hurried footsteps came from the lower level of the spiral staircase. Emiya frowned, sensing that something was wrong, and pulled Bronya directly behind a large ice sculpture to hide her.

As the hurried footsteps ceased, a mature blonde woman, dressed in a style remarkably similar to Bronya, quickly arrived at the open-air platform. Her gaze swept rapidly across the entire platform, seemingly searching for someone. But the next moment, her eyes narrowed, locking onto the interior of the giant ice sphere, and her expression instantly turned to utter astonishment.

"Hiluva?! Why! Why are you here?!"

"And Ling Ke...why did you attack Shiluwa?!"

Compared to the shock Bronya experienced, the shock seemed even more intense for this mature blonde woman, because one of the people in that hockey puck held extraordinary significance for her.

"Wait, Bronya... Bronya too! Bronya wouldn't be too..."

In her panic, the blonde woman suddenly thought of her adopted daughter, and her expression became even more flustered. She began to scan her surroundings, hoping that she would not be able to spot her adopted daughter there.

If Bronya weren't here, then what happened here and the secrets here wouldn't concern the child. More importantly, the child wouldn't be harmed if she hadn't come here.

but……

The next moment, filled with such hope and as he began searching for his adopted daughter,

A voice,

It rang out suddenly.

Completely shattered her illusions.

“…Mother.”

Chapter 039: We need to use a word even more offensive than "immoral." (3/4)

Scattered snowflakes were falling from the leaden sky.

The howling north wind swept across the cold platform.

As you pass through the gaps in the ice sculpture, the entire platform emits strange sounds, like weeping or the sound of something shattering.

The identical military uniforms fluttered and rustled in the chaotic wind and snow.

Bronya gazed at her adoptive mother, Cocolia.

This is the current Grand Protector of Belloberg.

Similarly, Cocolia was also watching her adopted daughter.

She placed high hopes on him; he was one of the few close people she could entrust her emotions to.

But unfortunately,

Both Bronya and Cocolia understood that everything they, mother and daughter, had gone through shattered the moment they met.

They could no longer fully trust each other.

Why? Cocolia followed her after she secretly entered Everwinter Ridge.

Why? Bronya would secretly proceed with the Winter Ridge without informing her.

And, most importantly,

Standing at the scene where Silva was attacked by Rinko, the two of them momentarily questioned each other, wondering if the events unfolding before them were related to the other.

"That little brat really did something big."

Bronya emerged from her hiding place, while Emiya remained concealed behind the ice sculpture. He glanced at the mother and daughter on the platform and suddenly gained a preliminary understanding of the plans for the fireworks.

The events arranged were designed to completely shatter the trust between Bronya and Cocolia. Once they arrived at Everwinter Ridge, the place that held Cocolia's greatest secret, Bronya had no way to turn back.

Cocolia didn't know if Bronya had come into contact with the Star Core, but as long as that possibility existed, Bronya could no longer return to Beloborg, because this child... would become an obstacle for her.

The same applies to Bronya. Cocolia's eagerness to arrive here, and his unwillingness to let her know anything here, will only deepen Bronya's anger.

"That brat probably won't give up such a good piece as Bronya."

"...And, most importantly, the star core here is gone."

Emiya slowly narrowed his eyes. He truly lived up to his reputation as one of the most troublesome people in the Masked Tavern. With this series of moves, Cocolia would inevitably lose everyone's trust.

Without the Star Core, without the future it promised, then... all the evil deeds she committed to welcome the new world would be completely wasted.

The tens of thousands of Beloborgs she indirectly murdered will all lose their reason for dying.

"Cutting off the fuel supply from under the cauldron—that's a brilliant move, but also quite ruthless."

All the explanations for Cocolia's previous misdeeds simply vanished, and the original sin was directly slapped on her forehead. Although her past crimes were not countless, they were certainly not something that could be solved with one or two edicts of self-reproach.

Of course, if the person doesn't feel any guilt, that's a different story.

"Hehehe... Did you enjoy Hanabi-sama's performance?"

[Joyful mood from fireworks +35]

Faint laughter drifted from an unknown direction. Emiya raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled, and spoke softly.

"It's not appropriate to act like this on Old Sambo's turf, Director Hanabi."

"Hmph... Lady Hanabi got Sangbo's permission first!"

"When did you two start hanging out together?"

"Guess what?"

Emiya shook his head. It would be too easy for these two to get together. He just hadn't expected Hanabi to suddenly appear on Belloberg's set.

"Sisters killing each other, mother and daughter turning against each other, Director Hua, your script is a bit too unethical."

"Pfft, as long as Lady Hanabi has no morals, that's all that matters!"

"Besides, they were just helping them realize their own feelings in advance. One daughter had always felt that her mother was hiding something and was always eavesdropping, while the other mother knew that her daughter had doubts about her but still held onto hope. Such an awkward mother-daughter relationship, just watching them being so hesitant, actually made Hanabi-sama eat several bowls of rice."

The voice paused briefly before continuing,

"It's a pity that Lady Hanabi doesn't have that much time. Eating too much staple food is not easy to digest. I really have to serve the main course to be satisfied."