Collapse, survive

……

Before noon, Jepard arrived on time and invited Fang Jie to Cripple Castle.

"Guest, Lady Cocolia is already waiting for you."

"It's time to go. Please forgive me if I've done anything wrong."

Fang Jie nodded. Jepard might never understand why he apologized; he would just consider it something that happened before.

She still shouldn't bring the bell. She's not suited to meet any characters like soldiers or high-ranking human officials. It's best to kill them all before she sees them, the more miserable the better, the more satisfying the better.

Yae Sakura can't protect everyone forever; she'll wake up sooner or later.

There are shuttle buses available in front of the gate; they are powered by the local soil and are very welcoming.

Indeed, everything requires effort, especially respect.

Soon, under swift and efficient escort, Fang Jie passed through the crowd and arrived at the heart of Belloberg.

"Guardian, our guests have arrived."

Seated in the center of the room was a familiar figure. Although Fang Jie had never actually seen Cocolia before, this Cocolia Rand had a sharp and authoritative expression, and possessed the strength of a leader.

A tremendous energy could be felt within her, making her appear far stronger than the elusive Star Train trio.

“Well done, Jepard. Now you can step down and get some rest.”

Cocolia's expression was gentle, and she had given these instructions to countless people today, as if she had had a very good talk with the outsider yesterday.

Jepard bowed and withdrew without a word. Cocolia appeared quite polite: "Sit down, outsider. I am Cocolia Rand, the guardian of Beloborg. I have come to understand the purpose of another group of outsiders. We can talk about why you have come."

A penetrating gaze swept over the room, but the two sides didn't engage in a back-and-forth of "What are you looking at?" or "What's it to you?" The gaze immediately receded.

Cocolia's expression changed slightly, and she invited again, "Please sit down."

This interrupted Fang Jie's pursuit. The clear, blue light in his eyes faded, and he sat down gracefully, facing Cocolia who was listening attentively.

What is there to talk about? It's not your fault that you don't have the ability to save the world, but it is an unforgivable sin to give the world hope and then shatter it.

"Don't make promises lightly," Fang Jie said seriously, assessing his own abilities. "Then let's talk about Belloberg's future."

"The future?" Cocolia raised an eyebrow. Her expression wasn't authoritative enough, but she didn't care. She had already smiled a lot more today, so what was missing?

Crossing her arms and resting her chin on her hand in front of the table is not very polite for Cocolia.

"Outsider, what is your vision for Belloberg's future?"

"There is still a glimmer of hope even in the most desperate situations."

“A desperate situation, but a glimmer of hope.” Cocolia said without hesitation: “Yesterday, I spoke with the nameless guests from outer space. They requested that we seal away something called ‘Star Core’ because it was blocking their way and spreading calamity.”

"They are straightforward, powerful, and confident, especially Miss March 7th. I appreciate her frankness. So, as outsiders, we don't need to beat around the bush. Are you also here for the Star Core?"

Fang Jie had nothing to hide: "I'm interested in star cores, but that's not something I can access right now. What I'm after is Belloberg himself, or more precisely, the people here."

"Oh." The unexpected answer caused Cocolia's smile to fade. "Please speak."

"I want to become an anonymous explorer and embark on the path of exploration." Fang Jie first stated his own desire: "As I am stepping into the world of exploration, I must remember that if I lose the bond with my family, partners and friends, the exploration of the universe is no longer exploration, but just invasion. I must never forget such a dangerous thing."

"Therefore, the primary attitude for contacting a planet should be to seek consent and to explore the principle of voluntariness."

"But please note that, unlike the nameless passengers who have already boarded the train, they are more noble. Even if the cost is greater than the reward, they will move forward with determination. As for me, I haven't boarded the train yet. Beloberg is the last pioneering opportunity where I can give more than I give."

It's a flexible bottom line, which Cocolia doesn't dislike. In fact, she's more comfortable with this kind of conversation—talking about contributions and rewards, not about common interests or sealing the star core together.

Unfortunately, you arrived too late.

Unfortunately, there are only two of you, one of whom is still in a coma and has bluntly stated that you have not yet boarded that star train.

“It is a pleasure to meet such a noble person as you.” Cocolia seemed much warmer: “I fully understand your attitude. I would like to ask about the part you are asking about, which is ‘one of our people’.”

To be honest, Cocolia didn't understand what kind of reward this was, so she had to ask.

"For similar people, for similar things."

Fang Jie stared at Cocolia, but his gaze wasn't just fixed on her: "There are countless worlds in the universe that are similar yet different, and in these worlds, there are countless people who are similar yet different. The fates of these people often follow familiar paths, overlapping each other."

“You are not the person I haven’t met yet. Your hometown is not as fortunate as hers, but I think that even just for this one point of ‘similarity,’ Belloberg has a reason to pay attention to me. So I came, I saw, I am here.”

Cocolia squinted and admitted that she didn't quite understand what she was hearing. The universe was a blind spot in her knowledge, and the reasoning behind the solution was even harder to grasp than 'common interest,' leaning more towards 'personal factors.'

But it's quite believable. He gave such an absurd reason, so why not believe it?

"I'm curious, if there really is someone similar to me, what happened to her that is similar to what happened to me?" She was genuinely curious.

Then she saw Fang Jie looking at her with a strange expression: "She just triggered a cataclysm that destroyed my city, killed millions of Far Easterners, and I almost suffered from the resulting fission bombs... a powerful weapon."

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Cocolia really wanted to ask, 'You're not here to settle scores with me, are you?' Personal grudges are almost unsolvable, making it hard to believe he had good intentions.

Fang Jie seemed very magnanimous: "Don't worry, you're not the Cocolia I know, I won't hold a grudge."

"That would be perfect."

Cocolia kept smiling.

"Back to the previous topic, the 'person' you're seeking is... me?"

This kind of topic is also awkward to talk about. What do you want me to do?

“Not only that, to be honest, I have requests even from people that Belloberg doesn’t know.” Fang Jie tried not to show any favoritism: “In the galaxy, theoretically everyone has the potential to become a powerful being, the possibilities are endless.”

The Antimatter Legion has something to say: regardless of whether you are human or not, the Void Soldiers welcome you.

The swarm also had something to say: Give birth to them.

The wealthy people will decide based on the situation. If you're not hungry, they'll trick you into asking the medicine master for a blessing; if you are hungry, they'll give you a meal.

Yes, people are a resource.

Cocolia didn't find it offensive; what hurt her most was that Belloberg couldn't even support these resources.

What kind of civilization is it if there isn't enough people? To trigger miracles, you also need a sufficient base, since the infinite potential of each person is only theoretical.

"The 'Builders' must remember history to strengthen their resolve; I know that in the distant past, before the cold wave arrived and before the 'Legion' invaded, this world was once incredibly prosperous..."

"The Star God connected our planet to other worlds, and we learned of the countless possibilities in the vast galaxy. The development of the Earth's resources attracted city builders, and through them, we heard of the 'Amber King'—under His watchful gaze, we began to build walls, laying the foundation for the preservation of Beloberg as it is today."

"If what you're asking for is something similar, based on the sale of human resources, I can reply to you, I'd be happy to."

Cocolia readily agreed, and with a demure smile, she shamelessly 'sold herself'.

"So what can you give us in return? A glimmer of hope?"

She was surprisingly straightforward, even sounding somewhat inhuman and devoid of any dignity.

He is a truly qualified leader.

To be honest, Fang Jie didn't confuse this Landor with that Anti-Entropy. He could still distinguish right from wrong and grudges, but he knew very well that both Cocolia were... insane.

He solemnly said, "It may be a glimmer of hope, or it may be another crisis."

“Are all outsiders so confident and frank? I’m envious.” Cocolia didn’t mind hearing what the crisis was and gestured for them to continue.

"First, we need to be honest about the desperate situation Bellberg is facing." Fang Jie didn't intend to talk about the Honkai, nor was he in a hurry to talk about [nothingness], but instead discussed Bellberg.

"The rift phenomenon caused by the star core, and the cold wave," Cocolia replied rather casually.

“Cocolia, I’m communicating with you sincerely. You shouldn’t hide the current situation. Those are all superficial things. It’s true that the Star Core is in crisis, but I’m not concerned about that. Beloberg is fully capable of handling it himself, no matter how he handles it.”

Fang Jie didn't want to discuss the star core. It seemed dangerous, but it was actually not safe at all. However, there were ways to deal with it.

"What I'm talking about is the Legion, the Antimatter Legion, and the Corporation. Along with the Star Core, these three mountains weigh on the Beloborg, and there are countless smaller troubles within the Beloborg itself, such as the long-suppressed humanity. Perhaps a riot, an uprising, or something that destroys the order and then tries to rebuild it is brewing, but that should be decided by the people of Beloborg themselves."

Fang Jie had originally planned to join, but when he woke up today, Belloberg's amiable demeanor as he joined in the fun woke him up.

First, calm down the mother-in-law; give the child some time to develop.

And Sambo, I must repay you for the red sausage buried in the snow, with a grand dramatic conflict.

This world, still asleep, is unaware that it has been used as a stake in a high-stakes gamble and placed on the cosmic gambling table.

"Legion, company?"

Cocolia pondered these two words, feeling somewhat lost.

With a cold wave looming and the Star Core on the verge of being lost, the only solution she could think of was to emulate the first Great Guardian and make a wish upon the Star Core to create the new world it had promised, or...

This will trigger a new cold wave, bringing an end to it all personally, rather than to an ugly demise in the future.

Compared to that, the Legion was too far away. Even though the Legion once destroyed the Yalilo-VI, it was eventually swallowed up by the indiscriminate cold wave.

As for the company...

"Company, what is the company?"

"Of course, it's to collect debts."

She then recalled some unimportant things from the old civilization.

That is, on the eve of the encounter between Yalilo-VI and the Legion, when the various forces withdrew from Yalilo-VI, the company's representative lent Yalilo-VI a loan to defend against the Legion's attack and rebuild their homes, with a loan term of 290 years.

After that, Arillow-VI lost contact with interstellar space.

Even so, 700 years later, the Winter City Shield still maintains a 1:50 exchange rate with credits in Belloborg. If a new world is built and the interstellar universe is reconnected...

Can the principal, the interest over 700 years, and the penalty for breach of contract not be repaid?

That's the company, not the lower-level area.

Just as she could abandon the lower districts and sell off the resources of the Belloberg people, the company's astronomical sum must also be realized.

"As expected, it's a desperate situation."

Cocolia laughed.

As she laughed, like Agnes, her eyes suddenly sharpened. She was never one to lack decisiveness; she was ruthless and decisive.

Fang Jie, who had been on guard against her going crazy, reminded her, "You're not thinking of taking me down, taking us down, and continuing to keep Belloberg's closed-off company hidden, are you? Even if you could, there's still the Antimatter Legion, isn't there?"

"..."

Cocolia stopped laughing.

Fang Jie understands how to block both ends.

She looked at him with a pitiful expression, waiting for him to offer a glimmer of hope, to stop talking about the dead end. She was numb; she had long since become numb over the years.

Fang Jie readily agreed: "You have already gone far enough down the path of abandoning protection and supporting the weak. The idea of ​​the strong helping the weak and actions over thoughts has been shaken and slipped into cutting off the weak and eliminating the weak to keep the strong."

Bronya, on the other hand, inherited her youthful ideals and hadn't been defeated by the harsh reality. Sending her to the lower city might offer her another chance for recovery.

Of course, Bronya can't know the Guardians' secret beforehand, and she needs to have the Star Train as an ally, or at least meet Seele, otherwise...

Sticking to a certain belief without wavering requires perseverance, which is difficult for most people.

Fang Jie said firmly, “You can’t believe in protection, believe that miracles can happen, or believe that there are kind people willing to protect Belloberg from the Legion and the Company’s ravages. We don’t need to worry about that. I am not someone the Amber King has glanced at, and I haven’t even boarded the Star Train yet.”

Cocolia did not refute: "Then what is your philosophy? The pursuit of [expansion]? As far as I know, the Star God of [expansion] is dead."

Even in the countryside, Cocolia knew about Akivili's death, which shows the influence of the Star Goddess and her own pragmatism.

Fang Jie waved his hand: "Let's not talk about the Star God. Neither you nor I need to think about possibly facing an existence at the level of the Star God. There's really no need."

Generally speaking, having a command relationship is enough to protect a planet, and more than one.

To put it more bluntly, on this grand stage of the galaxy, without a commanding figure behind you, you are nothing.

Cocolia agreed with this statement. It was precisely because the Legion of Yalilo-VI was backed by the Annihilation Lord that outsiders were pessimistic and withdrew one after another. Only the company chose to issue loans after assessing the risks.

Those Ariello-VI pairs may be incredibly expensive, but what does that mean to the company?

Even bad debts are worth betting on for a probability, a miracle of 'deposit protection'. Miracles always happen in the Galaxy. As long as you sow a little hope, you may reap a miracle. So why would the company be stingy with its investment?

Unfortunately, no miracle occurred on Yalilo-VI. The first Great Guardian chose to make a wish to the Star Core for the sake of preservation, leaving a fatal blow to the faith of those who followed.

The more the people of Beloborg believed in the Amber King, the less the succeeding Great Guardians and the higher-ups who knew the truth could speak out. They could only conclude that Beloborg's survival was all due to the Amber King's protection.

This is too disjointed.

Returning to the present, facing Cocolia's incredulous and inevitably skeptical gaze, Fang Jie stated firmly, "Yes, there is someone behind me who is at least an Envoy."

There might be more than one; you'll see one if you continue down this path of nihilism.

There's no need to use this to scare Cocolia; it might make her less confident. Bellober really doesn't need to use his connections with several envoys.

Cocolia had no reason not to believe it; reality was already hopeless enough. Even if the Star Core's glimmer of hope succeeded, it would only be a matter of prolonging its existence, just like the past seven hundred years.