Star Railway: The story of Kaffa being born with two babies at the start shocks her.

Bronya nodded slightly.

"Speaking of which, don't you sleep?"

"I couldn't sleep, and besides, I was waiting for you."

Stephen Chow smiled.

"wait for me..."

Bronya paused for a moment, then looked up at Stephen Chow and smiled.

"Thank you, Xing. Since you can't sleep, could you accompany me for a walk?"

"Okay."

The two walked along the quiet streets and unknowingly left Panyan Town.

Although it's called a town, it's actually not very big.

"Actually, I've doubted the correctness of Mother's orders more than once, but an order is an order, and soldiers shouldn't overanalyze them. If every soldier had their own ideas, the army would just be a disorganized mess, unable to protect Beloborg..."

Zhou Xingxing didn't say anything, but just walked with Bronya, listening to her talk about her troubles.

"Regarding my mother, Cocolia, you said before that there was a truth about her, what was it?"

As they walked to the outskirts of the city, Bronya suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"Bronya, do you understand the significance of the High Warden?"

Stephen Chow countered with a question.

"Yes, the meaning of the Great Guardian is to protect the people, protect this planet, and bring order and hope to everyone."

Bronya nodded and said.

"So, what would you think if I told you that what you call hope is actually despair in the eyes of the Great Guardian?"

In Zhou Xingxing's view, Belloberg's despair actually only weighed on the builders, and even mostly on the Great Guardian alone; the general public had always held onto hope.

So it's normal that Bronya didn't know before she became the High Guardian.

"Despair...how could this be..."

Bronya was stunned; this was the first time she had ever heard such a statement.

"Before the cold wave arrived, Yalilo-IV had contact and even cooperation with various forces in the universe. However, the star core later crashed onto the planet's surface, accompanied by the antimatter legion, which also represented destruction. Under such a doomsday theory, outsiders left the planet out of fear."

However, a small number of people chose to stay, and Alisa Rand was one of them.

“Alisa Rand...you mean...the original High Protectors weren't actually native to this planet?”

Bronya was utterly astonished; this was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing.

"That's right, because before the cold wave arrives, Yalilo-IV is a scenic and pleasant place to live, making it a popular tourist destination for many people."

"The scenery is beautiful... Was our world once this wonderful?"

Bronya looked on with longing, only regretting that she would never witness this scene.

"The antimatter legion is endless, and the power of Arillow-IV alone is simply not enough to resist it. But Alisa Rand is a follower of the god of preservation, Kripper. Even in such a desperate moment, she wanted to protect Beloborg, so she made her first wish to the star core."

"That is... a cold wave."

Bronya bit her lip. She knew all this herself, but no matter how many times she heard it, the despair faced by the first High Warden was still heartbreaking.

"The Star Core responds to the world's desire to advance civilization, but the way to achieve this desire is always through some kind of disaster. Although the antimatter legion was repelled, the cold wave did not stop, so Yalilo-IV ushered in an ice age with no end in sight."

"Yes, although Belloborg is unaffected by the cold wave due to its protective power, the cold climate means we need to consume a lot of resources for heating, which is our biggest problem."

Bronya nodded. The importance of the mineral marrow was immense, which was why the people of Earthfire were so grateful to Star.

“As I said before, the Star Core possesses consciousness. From the moment Alisa Rand made her wish, and from the moment each generation of High Guardians took office, the Star Core has been trying to bewitch them at all times.”

"So...was my mother also being bewitched by the star core?"

Bronya felt a pang of pain in her heart upon hearing this and instinctively clutched her chest.

"Beloberg has been built for nearly 700 years. Faced with the endless cold waves and the erosion of the rift, Beloberg's living space has been shrinking. No matter how hard the Great Guardians try, they cannot solve the hidden danger of the Star Core. Moreover, this result cannot be made public. They can only endure it themselves. Otherwise, before there is a solution, announcing the existence of the Star Core will only bring chaos. Therefore, the longer Beloberg exists, the more desperate the Guardians will become."

"You should know best what Cocolia used to be like."

Zhou Xingxing looked at Bronya and asked.

"Yes, my mother once gently taught me that the people are everything, and we should do everything in our power to protect the people of Beloborg."

Bronya nodded emphatically.

"Witnessing the gradual disappearance of the homeland she had sworn to protect, Cocolia wavered. Compared to the elusive protection, the new world promised by the Star Core seemed so perfect, so she abandoned the protection and chose the Star Core."

The Star Core promised Cocolia a new world, but the price was the erasure of all traces of the old world and an embrace of destruction.

Now that things had come to this, Bronya understood everything, and she finally understood why her mother had issued those absurd orders.

Chapter 30 Meeting Seele

"Actually, you can't completely blame Cocolia. She was probably in a state of despair at the time."

From the first High Warden's self-destructive wish, to all subsequent High Wardens enduring the corrupting influence of the Star Core while witnessing the decay of Beloberg, it took 700 years before anything went wrong. Their unwavering faith in preservation is truly remarkable.

Seeing Bronya remain silent, Zhou Xingxing offered words of comfort.

What Stephen Chow didn't say is that Cocolia is a good mother, and she actually made this decision for Bronya's sake.

According to Schwarzlo's calculations, the underground mineral deposits have been largely depleted, and even if the pioneering team discovers a new large vein, it can only last for a few decades at most.

Decades later, Arillow-IV will meet its true end.

As a mother, Cocolia could bear the fate of her people being swallowed by the rift and eroded by the cold wave, because she could deceive herself by saying that she had done her best, and everyone had done their best.

However, she is a mother, and she cannot accept that when her child succeeds her, he will face the most desperate moment in 700 years of Yalilo's history. The rift is expanding, and the cold wave is powerless to stop it. At that time, there will only be one path in front of Bronya.

Like Cocolia, they chose the so-called new world of the Star Core to fight for their last chance of survival in despair.

At this point, Bronya will inevitably become a sinner in the eyes of the people of Belloberg.

The people will not know the cause and effect; they will only know that the cold wave is coming and their survival is in jeopardy. At this time, all the blame will be directed at this incompetent and guilty guardian in their eyes.

Rather than saying that Cocolia was despairing and wavering because of the future under the dual attack of the Rift and the Cold Wave, it would be more accurate to say that she was despairing and wavering because of the tragic ending that Bronya would face after taking over. After all, the Great Guardian can be single-minded and devoted to the people, but a mother's only concern is always her daughter.

"I never imagined that my mother had carried so much on her own... but I knew nothing about it and could do nothing about it."

Bronya's eyes welled up with tears; at that moment, she seemed to feel her mother's helplessness and despair.

"It's alright, but now that we're here, believe me, the future of this planet will be bright."

Stephen Chow quietly comforted Bronya, never expecting that this seemingly strong girl also had such a soft side.

"Thank you... Xing..."

Bronya's tears slid down her cheeks, and she involuntarily leaned into Stephen Chow's arms.

Zhou Xingxing was taken aback. He raised his hands and hesitated for a moment before finally hugging her and gently patting Bronya's sobbing back.

After a while, Bronya finally left Stephen Chow's embrace.

Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Bronya regained her previous strong and aloof demeanor.

"This is the first and last time I've ever cried since I was born. You can't tell anyone!"

Bronya stared intently at Zhou Xingxing as she spoke.

"Okay, I swear, this is a secret between us."

Stephen Chow frowned and solemnly swore an oath to the heavens.

Seeing Stephen Chow so serious, Bronya couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Bronya felt completely relieved after finally understanding the long-suppressed secret in her heart.

"Let's explore a bit further, to the town that Sambo led us down the back path earlier, what do you say?"

Seeing Bronya suddenly relax, Zhou Xingxing nodded.

"Okay, I'll do whatever you want."

The two walked together toward Rivet Town. As soon as they entered the town, they saw the tallest building in the distance.

"Actually, ever since we came out of the side path, I've had a feeling that this place is familiar..."

Bronya leaned against the fence, looking at the orphanage in the distance and murmured to herself.

"What? You've been here before?"

Zhou Xingxing echoed, asking.

Although he knew that Bronya came from the Lower District orphanage, he naturally couldn't say it so bluntly.

"Maybe, I don't know why, but my memories of the past are very vague, and I can't remember anything from when I was a child."

Bronya touched her forehead, her brows furrowing slightly.

After thinking for a while, I still couldn't come up with a solution.

"Let's walk around a bit further, maybe we'll remember something."

"Ah."

As you continue forward, you'll encounter some Rift creatures wandering the path, along with their remains lying nearby.

"Huh? Someone was here recently."

Bronya was very familiar with the creatures of the Rift and could tell at a glance that a battle had taken place there.

"Although we don't know who it is... let's chase after them and see if they need our help."

Bronya drew her weapon and shot down a wandering Rift Insect with a single shot.

The two continued forward, and more and more corpses appeared.

Meanwhile, the sounds of battle could be heard from ahead.

"Huh, what's that...? What's Seele doing here?"

Bronya's eyes widened. Just moments ago, the two of them had said goodbye and went to sleep after talking with Oleg.

"It's extraterrestrial flame! Everyone, let's go help!"

Seeing Seele locked in battle with the outer cosmic flame, Stephen Chow also drew his baseball bat.