I've died 47 times in this game, so I've decided to sell it.

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 offer mercy from their high position, but tomorrow they can wipe out this city with a wave of their hand.

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 nascent 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's got 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 that star core's location right away..."

Chapter 43 The Old Man Is Gone

Cocolia's change of attitude was so sudden that no one in the entire conference room had time to react.

Bronya stood in the doorway, her eyes wide open!

She looked at her adoptive mother, the one who had ruled Belloberg for decades.

A ruthless guardian who never bows his head before anyone.

She was holding a strange man's hands and shaking him vigorously, while repeatedly calling him "Master".

Jepard stood on the other side of the long table, equally bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened.

Qiye, with the face of March 7th, opened her mouth into a perfect O shape.

He turned to look at Xing, who was also looking at him. The two of them exchanged the following words with their eyes.

"what's the situation?"

"do not know."

"Did Uncle Yang scare that thing away?"

"seems like it."

"So now we're a team of masters?"

"probably."

March 7th, with Qiye's body on his body, seemed to have been put on pause.

She tried to understand

What kind of development is this?

"How could she suddenly believe that?"

What exactly did Uncle Yang do?

Am I still dreaming?

Dan Heng nodded thoughtfully.

If you encounter someone unkind, you can simply act like a ghost or a spirit and get what you want.

He made a note of it!

"Ruzi can be taught."

Walter released Cocolia's hand, took half a step back, and nodded in satisfaction.

"You're a pretty good guy."

She's much better than the Cocolia I know.

That Cocolia...

He pushed up his glasses, his tone carrying a hint of reminiscence.

"When I found out what she had done back then, I wanted to kill her!"

"...What happened to Cocolia afterward?"

Qi Ye couldn't help but ask.

"And then?" Walter spread his hands. "Then she killed herself."

"..."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Cocolia coughed lightly:

“Um, Master… let’s get back to the Star Core.”

She turned and walked quickly to the wall, taking down the huge city map of Belleburg.

He spread it out on the long table and pointed his finger at a certain spot in the ice field.

"The exact location of the star's core is deep within the Yongdong Ridge."

The core area of ​​the rift is surrounded by a large number of monsters.

Walter stared at the spot on the map marked by Cocolia, remained silent for two seconds, and then straightened up.

"Alright, I know the place."

Cocolia looked up at Welt, regaining some of the composure of a Great Guardian.

But the devout light from before still lingered in his eyes.

"When does the master plan to depart? How many people will he need?"

"The Iron Guard can send an elite squadron to escort them; the supplies will be ready tonight."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Walter laughed loudly, the arrogant curve of his lips making it seem as if he were about to go to a duel with no suspense.

"Who am I? I am Yang Chaoyue."

A mere star core, a broken rock buried underground for hundreds of years, dares to equip me for battle?

Tomorrow? Not needed. Squadron? Not needed. Supplies? Not needed at all.

"I am enough on my own."

He turned and strode toward the window, the hem of his trench coat swirling in the air in a clean arc.

He took two steps and suddenly stopped, turned his head, and left everyone with a perfect profile silhouette.