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

"Director Hua condescended to come to this tiny asteroid, could it really be for a newbie like me?"

"Oh dear, please don't be like that. Master Aha has given us special instructions to take good care of his good brother."

"He hasn't forgotten about this yet."

Emiya slapped his forehead, feeling speechless. That funny guy had actually told everyone about it as a joke.

"It was only because Master Aha specifically instructed that they came all this way to greet you, young master. I wonder how you would rate this greeting gift?"

"Negative marks!! You've had your fill, but you haven't even gotten your share of Emiya's benefits yet. And... where did you put the Star Core?"

"They've sealed it away, but the seal won't last long. Until then, please find it, young master, hehehe..."

Good grief, they even gave me some work to do?

However, to be fair, if this star core were actually thrown directly into Belloborg and started causing trouble, the remaining hundreds of thousands of people would probably be severely damaged again, and Belloborg would probably have to start all over again.

She probably told him about this in order to get her away from Bronya so she could make her next move.

"...Do you think there's any possibility that I can get them back together?"

Being suddenly arranged like this by a stranger made Mr. Emiya quite uncomfortable. He thought, "I've already transmigrated and have cheat codes, why should I have to suffer in front of a little brat like you?"

"Oh? What does the young master intend to do?"

"Just watch and see."

With the star core removed, it's now a hidden bomb. Abandoning the mother and daughter in front of us will inevitably lead to extreme chaos in the entire Beloborg. Mr. Emiya can basically conclude that the top noble families of Beloborg are already preparing to launch a rebellion.

Who knows, people in the lower city might also rise up in rebellion, leading to a bloodbath between the upper and lower cities, the death of the High Warden, the rise of the old nobles, and all the train crew members being deported as undesirable persons. And then...

With the arrival of the antimatter army, Ariello's script was effectively finished.

"I'm still too principled."

He actually had a plan, but he wasn't that crazy. At most, he would have incited the Earthfire Organization to march on Luoyang and seize the position of the Great Guardian.

This kid is something else; his script is practically screaming "troublemaker."

"...Can't you just let me do a few quests in peace?"

After letting out a slight sigh, Emiya looked at the mother and daughter not far away and spoke softly.

"It's time to clean up the mess again."

"And Hanabi... you little brat, don't fall into my hands, or... don't cry and say no."

"Hehehe...Young master, can you do it?"

Chapter 040: Let the great guardians of each generation tell you the answer. (4/4)

"Bronya, tell me, why did you come to Everwinter Ridge without informing me?"

In the biting cold wind, Cocolia's gaze was as cold and sharp as an ice blade, no longer as gentle and refined as before. Her voice was even colder than the sweeping wind, making Bronya feel as if her body and mind were immersed in ice water.

"I also want to ask you this question, Mother. Why did you chase after me the moment I arrived at Yongdong Ridge? What is it about here that you don't want me to know?"

"Do we still need to play dumb, Bronya?"

Cocolia raised her lance, pointing it at her adopted daughter, her eyes devoid of any warmth.

"The star core was originally sealed here, but now it has vanished without a trace."

"...A star core?!"

Bronya's expression suddenly froze, and all the clues began to connect in her mind.

"So that's what that person's goal was? To create an inexplicable rift between Mother and me."

She had her answer. From the moment the other party sent her to Everwinter Ridge, regardless of whether Emiya would appear or not, the conflict between her and her mother had already become public.

The mother who hid the Star Core here must have some secret related to it. Knowing about the Star Core's existence, I have already lost her trust. Especially now that the Star Core has disappeared, she has naturally become the object of suspicion.

Add to that the experiences of Ms. Shiluwa and Linco…

Mother's judgment may not be as calm as usual.

She understood perfectly well that Hilva and herself were the two most important people in the entire Beloborg for Cocolia.

Now, one's fate is unknown, and the other's stance is unclear.

"Mother, if I say I didn't take the star core, would you believe me?"

She tentatively asked Cocolia a question, and the latter remained silent for a moment before responding softly.

“If it were you, I could believe you, but… Bronya, things have come to this point, and it’s not something that can be resolved simply by clearing up a misunderstanding.”

“The core was Belloberg’s future, and now its disappearance symbolizes that all my past efforts have been in vain.”

“Bronya, if we cannot retrieve the Star Core in time and complete the planned operation… everything in Beloberg will be annihilated under the iron hooves of the antimatter legion.”

“You have no choice, and so do I. Come on, child... take out your weapons. From now on, only one of us can leave this Everwinter Ridge alive.”

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Hiluva and Lingke, and she murmured again,

"Back then, because of the Star Core, I completely severed ties with Hilva. I never imagined that now, because of the Star Core, we would be facing each other with swords drawn. I can no longer turn back, nor can I explain right from wrong."

"...Mother."

Bronya's lips trembled uncontrollably. She couldn't grip the weapon she usually regarded as her second life. No matter how skilled she was at pulling the trigger, she was completely unable to exert her usual proficiency when facing the woman in front of her.

Why must I raise a weapon against my own mother?

Why did things suddenly turn out this way?

"I...I can't..."

She released the rifle from her grasp, letting it fall to the snow. She raised her eyes, her gaze defiant as she looked at her mother.

“I don’t believe this is the only solution between us, Mother.”

"Indeed, there are more."

Cocolia nodded, but her gaze was as still as a stagnant pool.

“But I will not agree, Bronya, because I know that would be the wrong choice for your life.”

“I’d rather you die by my gun than see you become my accomplice just to curry favor with me.”

"Your hands have not yet been stained with the blood of tens of thousands of lives lost in Belleburg. My expectation for you is that you can greet the new world cleanly."

“Bronya, if the Star Core hadn’t disappeared, I would soon unleash an even more terrifying cold wave to completely cleanse this surface world. As long as you lead everyone in Beloberg underground and rebuild a new Beloberg, in this new world, I will be with you and Beloberg as the ‘Star Core.’”

Bronya listened to Cocolia's narration, her expression momentarily blank and bewildered, but only for a brief moment before the young girl responded to her mother in a firm tone.

“That is not the future I want to accept, Mother. I have made up my mind that I will not accept the position of Grand Guardian of Beloborg. Becoming a Grand Guardian means that I can only live in a corner and will not be able to truly realize the revival of Ariello.”

"I originally thought we might still have a chance to have a good talk, but now... perhaps we no longer have the leisure to sit down and discuss life."

She took a deep breath, suddenly opened her arms, her expression filled with determination.

“I cannot pull the trigger on you; it may be a cowardly act. But I am willing to entrust the choice to you: shoot me here, or... become my ally, take the lead, and I will find a way to retrieve the star core and a way to defeat the antimatter legion.”

"That plan simply doesn't exist! Bronya, stop dreaming!"

Cocolia let out a roar like that of an enraged female leopard. In the midst of this extremely dangerous roar, unstable imaginary energy began to gather at the muzzle of her gun.

"The Star Core is our only way out!"

"Mother, why should we believe everything said by the butcher who once raised his knife against us?!"

"Because there was no other choice!"

In the biting cold wind, a mother and daughter, who actually understood each other but could not get along, faced each other in a stalemate. Cocolia watched the girl stubbornly approaching her, remained silent, and finally... with a bitter smile, placed her finger on the trigger.

She could no longer give Bronya the future she wanted.

That being the case...

Let her take full responsibility for everything.

"I'm getting tired of watching your melodramatic performance."

Suddenly, a voice forcefully intervened between the two. Cocolia's expression immediately became very vigilant. Just as she looked in the direction of the voice, a tremendous force suddenly came from the lance in her hand. Before she could react, the lance, which symbolized the Great Guardian, was snatched away by someone of unknown origin.

"Let your great guardians throughout the ages provide the answers you seek."

"what?"

Before Cocolia could think further, the stranger who had snatched Alisa's lance suddenly raised it high and spoke.

"Spiritual communication!"

Chapter 041: Our Time Is Engraved on Our Rifles. (1/4)

Alisa's lance contains the "spirit" of past Great Guardians.

Previously, Emiya had only made a guess, but when he actually saw the weapon, he was certain of it.

"Spirit" differs from mere "memory" in that it carries inherent individual characteristics, much like an identity code.

The ability to communicate with spirits is like a machine; it can recognize identity codes and temporarily invoke them.

"Ten? It seems some are still missing."

Emiya sensed the remaining "spirit" within the lance, then waved to the wary Cocolia and Bronya nearby.

"If you can't get the answer, I'll give you the thought process!"

"Possession manifested."

Simultaneously revealing the remaining spirituality within the lance, and using the Ether Editor to adjust the forms of these spirits to be directly observable, in the next instant, ten figures—some tall, some petite, some cold, and some gentle—appeared before Cocolia and Bronya.

Cocolia's pupils suddenly widened as she stared at the person closest to her, muttering in disbelief,

"Mother?!"

Cocolia.

The seventeenth generation High Guardian slowly approached her adopted daughter. She stretched out her palm, as if she wanted to touch her daughter, but unfortunately, spirits cannot directly contact things in the material world. They are already individuals in another phase, and what appears here is only a projection-like form.

"I'm so sorry, Cocolia, for putting all this on your shoulders so suddenly."

The Great Guardian was probably only in her early thirties, and looked quite young. Although her features were somewhat indistinct, she was a beauty who was in no way inferior to her own daughter, adhering to the strict selection criteria of the Great Guardians.

“Since my death, residing on Lady Alisa’s lance, I have witnessed every step you took as you gradually broke free from protection. I wanted to warn you, but… I was powerless at that time.”

“I left too soon, and there are still many things I haven’t had time to tell you. The continuation of Belloberg has always been closely related to the will to preserve it…”

"Alright, Rosalia, none of us here are qualified to judge her. She is not an ordinary Grand Guardian. She is a Grand Guardian who has made great contributions and even dares to use the Star Core. What right do we old-generation remnants, who only dare to keep the Star Core outside, have to judge her?"

Interrupting the seventeenth generation High Guardian's words, it must have been an earlier generation High Guardian who forcefully intervened in the conversation. Her gaze, sharp as a sword, was fixed on Cocolia.

“Cocolia Rand, you have made your choice. Based on your position and experience, I should not have any reason to blame you.”

"All the Great Guardians throughout history have been tempted by the Star Core. Your original intention was to continue the Beloberg legacy. As a Great Guardian, you are not unqualified; at most, you are simply incompetent."

"Speaking of which, compared to Hilly, you might even be considered mediocre."

Her words were laced with sarcasm and irony, yet Cocolia remained silent in the face of her mockery, merely gazing at the woman standing at the deepest part behind the two Great Guardians.

Unlike the other Great Guardians who still retained some youthful beauty, that woman appeared completely aged with a full head of white hair. Yet, she was the woman who ranked at the very top among all the Great Guardians throughout history.

“Lord Alyssa?”

Cocolia tried to greet her, and the old woman with a full head of white hair smiled slightly upon hearing Cocolia's greeting. She nodded and then responded.

“Lilia’s words were a bit sharp, but you don’t need to take them too seriously. When I was alive, I sent thousands of soldiers to the battlefield more than once. During that cold wave that came because of me, the number of casualties on Yalilo VI was more than the current population of Beloborg.”

"Although it is cruel, as the Great Guardians, our stance has always been for the continuation of Beloborg. So, even if you made the wrong choice and chose a path that goes against us, your original intention... as Lilia said, you have not failed in your duty."

"The hands of every Great Guardian are soaked with the blood and tears of this city: the Earth Pioneer Teams that ventured deep underground, the scientific expeditions that explored the outside world, the Silver Mane Iron Guards who defended the front lines of the Rift, and the people who could only wait for death at home due to resource scarcity..."

"I'm not saying this to tell you we're innocent, but to tell you... since we've borne these sacrifices and losses, we must reap corresponding rewards, rewards many times over, hundreds of times over!"

"For Belloberg, life is not a precious thing. For the continuation of the lineage and the revival of future generations, any loss is worth sacrificing, even if it means sacrificing himself, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of lives, as long as there is a sufficient reward."

“My unconscious wish to the star core led to the end of this world. In the later years of my life, I have regretted and blamed myself countless times, and I have wanted to end my own life more than once. But I did not do so, not because I was afraid of death, but because I had to make up for everything I had done as much as possible and complete everything that my generation could do.”

"Over the past thousand years, the preservation has witnessed everything we have experienced, from prosperity to destruction, from survival to our current predicament. I also know everything that Belloberg is facing now, so... at this moment, I still believe in your final choice."