Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

"Anyway, could you please lower your guard first?" Bronya said.

"Who knows if you'll ambush me when I lower my guard? Kiana, do you really intend to rebel and use her to accomplish some nefarious purpose?!"

"Hey! Bronya, just relax. I won't do anything to betray Belloberg. She's a friend from my hometown, and it's just a coincidence that she looks like you."

"First you said you were an alien, and now someone who looks just like me has suddenly appeared. And you're currently wanted by the police. To be honest, Kiana, my emotions really want me to trust you, but the current situation makes it really hard for me to trust you rationally."

"I know this is hard for you to believe, and I don't have any decent evidence to prove her identity right now..."

Bronya finally couldn't stand Kiana's clumsy behavior any longer and stepped forward to explain herself.

“My name is Bronya Zaychek, and I was adopted by a person named Cocolia.”

“Where we live, there is a disaster called Honkai. I lost my family in that disaster and became an orphan. I served as a child soldier. It was during that time that I met Cocolia. She didn’t care about my assassination attempt on her. Instead, she took me into her orphanage.”

"Life there wasn't wealthy, but it was happy. And it was there that I met my sister, Seele, whom I'm willing to protect for the rest of my life."

"Unfortunately, due to an accident, Seele and I were forced to separate, and she went to a very dangerous place. In order to save her, I began a journey to find her. It was during this time that I met Kiana and another important companion. We traveled together, and I eventually succeeded in rescuing her. Afterwards, I also successfully saved the world. Finally, at Kiana's request, I came here to help, so I am here."

"Orphanage..."

Bronya Rand murmured, then asked.

"But what's the point of telling me all this?"

"It's not very useful, but I think since we're both Bronya, we might as well try to tell each other our experiences honestly. Maybe that way we can understand each other. And there's also Seele in this world. Maybe after this, she'll become your best friend."

"It's strange, this feeling is like..."

Bronya Rand touched her chest, feeling the inexplicable emotions within her.

“When you talk about orphanages, I always feel like I’ve forgotten something. Some unfamiliar images start to appear in my mind, and those images seem to be of an orphanage.”

"I think I also came from an orphanage, but I have no recollection of it at all!"

Bronya Rand's mood began to brighten visibly.

"Perhaps it's true? After all, you said that the High Warden would adopt one of Beloberg's children to become a candidate for the next High Warden."

"But in my memory, there are no orphanages left in the upper district. If I really came from an orphanage, would I still be able to find that place?"

“We’ll find it eventually!” Bronya comforted her. “As long as there’s any trace of it, we’ll always find it.”

"Moreover, now is not the time to think about these things. Now that you have witnessed the current state of the Lower District firsthand, you should be thinking about how to save Belloberg and regain the Lower District's trust."

Bronya Rand took a deep breath and composed herself before speaking.

“You’re right! Now is not the time to dwell on these trivial matters. No matter how we try to cover it up, the current state of the lower districts is due to the Great Guardian’s dereliction of duty. The most urgent task is to repair the relationship between the upper and lower districts and resolve the issue of the rift. Let’s go! We’ll go find the leader of the Earthfire Organization!”

"And Bronya... Miss, although I don't know if I can completely trust you, I still appreciate your reminder, which has made me a little clearer about what I should do."

"It's a good habit to stay alert. If you're not used to being called by your name, just call me Zaychek."

"It seems your problem is temporarily resolved. Let's hurry over to the large mining area and meet up with them," Kiana said.

By the time Kiana and her companions finally found their way to the large mining area, the matter was already over.

During this time, they also learned the cause of the incident from Natasha, who came to help rescue the wounded.

It turns out that a miner discovered a new mineral vein, but the wanderer noticed and wanted to monopolize it.

Thus, a conflict broke out between the miners and the wanderers. Later, Schwarz, having somehow obtained information, sent mechs to occupy the mine, which then clashed with the arriving Earthfire. Fortunately, Seele and the members of the pioneering team temporarily repelled the mechs led by Schwarz, and the mine was successfully returned to the miners' hands.

Guided by Natasha, Kiana and the others arrived at the location of the mine.

“...Cocolia is nothing but a fraud. She deceived the lower districts with sweet words and doesn’t care about our survival at all.”

As soon as she arrived, Bronya Rand overheard an elderly man with a white beard speaking ill of Cocolia.

"Stop talking! I won't allow you to insult the Guardian in front of me!"

"Oh? And who is this...?"

"Boss, she's the one from the upper district that Sambo brought here."

Since Seele calls him "boss," then he must be Oleg, the leader of the Earthfire Organization, or at least the organization in name only, Bronya thought to herself.

"She's from the upper district, so who's the person behind her...?"

"The situation is a bit complicated. I haven't figured out what's going on yet. Boss, you'll have to be careful about this yourself."

"Alright, girl from the upper district, what I'm saying may sound harsh, but it's all true. You can ask the people in the mining town and see how they've managed to survive all these years."

"... "

Bronya Rand wanted to refute it, but it was indeed Cocolia's fault for being negligent first, and it was understandable that she would be accused of lying by the people in the lower districts.

"The resentment the lower-level districts hold towards you can't be explained in just a few words, Iron Guard girl. But I respect your request, so I won't say any more."

"Let's get back to the main topic. The 'person' I was thinking of earlier is Schwarzlo."

"Eh... Eh? That Schwarz, isn't he your Earthfire's mortal enemy?"

March 7th asked in surprise, and Danheng, who was standing beside him, also raised his own question.

"He's just a robot underground, how could he know such an important secret?"

“A mortal enemy? I don’t think so,” Oleg explained. “In my opinion, he’s like what the guy said, a cold, impersonal machine that only believes in the dead truths it has calculated.”

“Swaro isn’t fighting the Earthfire… or rather, that guy doesn’t even consider us a threat. He’s an ancient robot who lived through that war… if you’re looking for something that’s been around for a while… there’s no better source than him.”

"Is it that old? It looks pretty new." Xing said, resting her chin on one hand.

"You can't judge a book by its cover. I'm actually several hundred years old, but you can't tell, can you?"

“I know more than twenty kinds of immortal races, but none of them look like you,” Dan Heng said, arms crossed.

"Damn it, can't you at least show some support?!"

"Robots don't forget. If even Schwarz doesn't know what a star core is, then I really can't help you."

Oleg added.

“So we need to find a way to get Swaro to be willing to communicate with us,” Danheng said.

“Or we could make him hand over his memory bank and let us find it ourselves,” March 7th added.

"What should I do..." Dan Heng pondered.

“We’ve been trying to negotiate with that guy, but we’ve been turned away every time. He sees the Earthfire as a threat. But if it’s just the few of you… well, that’s hard to say.”

Oleg then changed the subject.

"We can discuss the specifics tomorrow. It's getting late, and you must all be exhausted. Go back to town and rest; I'll take care of everything."

"Another day off? I'm terrified of the idea of ​​taking a break in this world..."

March 7th, with one hand on her forehead, said wearily, as if she was recalling her previous experience in the upper district.

"As for you... Iron Guard girl, do you have time? I'd like to talk to you alone."

The brief meeting ended there, and everyone tacitly gave Bronya Rand and Oleg some private space.

No one knows exactly what they talked about, but they can guess a little.

However, this is a matter between the upper and lower districts, and as outsiders, we have no reason to interfere in their conflict.

After returning to town, the group arrived at a hotel under Seele's guidance.

The hotel is also called Goethe, and after the front desk staff explained, everyone understood its relationship with the Goethe Grand Hotel in the upper area.

After a simple room assignment, everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Before resting, Kiana led the captain and Bronya to Danheng's room to exchange information.

"You mean you encountered phantoms in the Rift that were based on your memories?" Dan Heng asked.

"Yes."

"That's strange. Normally, when a rift faces outsiders like us, it wouldn't generate illusions related to us."

(This is my own interpretation; please don't worry about the details.)

"So, there were external factors that caused the situation we encountered?" the captain asked.

"Perhaps the situation is much more serious than we imagine. Aside from the possibility of some powerful outsider causing trouble behind the scenes, it can only mean that something unexpected has happened to the star core."

"A star core can be like this?"

"I don't know. There are too many unknown mysteries surrounding the star core. No one knows if it will undergo any strange changes, or even develop its own consciousness. In short, anything is possible."

"What are your plans next? Do you need me to step in and resolve this matter directly?" Kiana asked.

“Since Himeko asked you to avoid intervening in this incident before she left, let’s continue at the current pace,” Dan Heng said.

"Let's call it a day then, Danheng. You've all had a long day, get some rest. We'll discuss this further tomorrow," the captain said.

With the captain's words, the brief meeting came to an end.

Nothing happened that night, and then Kiana saw Hoshino and Bronya Rand looking ethereal at the door.