[Name: Cocolia Rand] [Race: Fragmentum Creation (Human)] [Status: In Conversion (Stellaron Erosion: 78%)] [Energy Level: A-] [Information: Stellaron Connection…]
Using the excuse of wishing her a good night, Bronya successfully met with Cocolia, completing the scan without raising suspicion.
For Bronya, the only part that hadn’t gone smoothly was the result itself.
Leaving Qlipoth Fort and walking down the stone stairs, Bronya stared at the assessment, feeling as though she had been plunged into a pit of ice.
*Mother…
she really has…*
*What should I…
what am I supposed to do…?*
Bronya’s mind was a complete blur.
She harbored no doubts about the scanner’s accuracy.
Before checking Cocolia, she had tested it on several acquaintances she knew inside and out.
The results had matched everything she knew about them perfectly, even providing greater detail.
And that proven accuracy only proved that Cocolia’s recent orders held no hidden, noble depths…
Sending soldiers to reclaim lost territory, launching assaults into Fragmentum-infested lands, blockading and dividing the Overworld from the Underworld…
Every single decision had no grander design behind it.
There was only a Cocolia bewitched by the Stellaron, bent on destroying Belobog.
Devastated, Bronya thought of all the soldiers who had laid down their lives, and she couldn’t even muster the will to make excuses for Cocolia anymore.
Drowning in helpless confusion, Bronya trudged toward the agreed rendezvous point at the cable car station like a lost soul.
Leaving Qlipoth Fort inevitably meant passing a certain location.
At the Neverwinter Workshop, Serval had just locked up the storefront and was preparing to head home.
“Huh?
Is that…
Bronya?!”
Spotting that unmistakable attire in her field of view, Serval couldn’t help but take notice.
It was late at night, Bronya was entirely alone, and she appeared to be in a daze…
Worried, Serval hurried after Bronya, following her all the way to the cable car station.
Before she could step out from the corner, she saw two figures materialize out of thin air in the empty corridor.
Serval froze, immediately setting her foot down.
She slowed and softened her breathing to avoid making a sound, concealing herself tightly against the wall.
“Judging by your face, our guess was right on the mark.”
Seeing the grim expression on Bronya’s face, Oleg already knew the answer, his own heart heavy with complicated emotions.
“Is there any way to save someone who’s been eroded by a Stellaron?” Bronya looked at the silent Dan Heng.
Cocolia was her mother after all; even knowing she had committed unforgivable crimes, Bronya still had to ask.
Around the corner, Serval’s expression shifted drastically.
That familiar word unlocked long-buried memories, causing fragments of the past to flash through her mind.
As an architect who had once researched the Stellaron, Serval knew full well what it was: the root cause of Belobog’s catastrophe.
It was also the target that generations of Belobog’s knowledgeable figures had sought to destroy.
And yet…
She had been stopped by Cocolia, stripped of clearance to approach the Stellaron, and even had her research privileges revoked.
Now, hearing that the Stellaron could erode a person, a sudden realization struck her.
“Not as far as I know…”
Dan Heng’s answer made Bronya’s heart sink halfway into despair, but his next words reignited a spark of hope.
“However…
my knowledge is limited.
You might want to ask Su Yan.
He might have a way.”
Remembering that Su Yan could produce all kinds of bizarre items, Dan Heng suggested Bronya give it a shot.
What if he possessed a tool that could solve the problem?
“Thank you.” Regardless of whether it worked, offering a potential path forward was worth her gratitude.
“No need.” Dan Heng deflected the thanks, as he hadn’t really done anything.
“Now that you’ve gathered yourself, tell us what you found.”
“I scanned everyone on duty tonight.
Not a single one of them showed signs of Stellaron erosion.
The only one affected…” Bronya took a deep breath before speaking.
“…is Cocolia Rand.”
She had stopped referring to her as the Supreme Guardian.
After all, calling the current Cocolia a Guardian felt entirely wrong.
“Just one person…” Dan Heng nodded in understanding.
“Now that we know the situation, let’s head back to Boulder Town to discuss sealing the Stellaron.”
From what they could tell, there was no need to worry about the Belobog military standing in their way.
They could proceed to Everwinter Hill to seal the Stellaron without interference.
“Understood!” Bronya didn’t object.
She wanted to see Su Yan as soon as possible to ask if there was any way to save her mother.
“Excuse me, everyone.
Please wait a moment.”
Just as the three pulled out their Bamboo Copters and prepared to put them on, an unfamiliar voice echoed down the corridor.
*Shhhk!* Dan Heng summoned Cloud-Piercer, turning with sharp vigilance toward the station entrance.
Oleg gripped his gun tightly, focusing his full attention on the entryway as well.
“That voice… This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
sounds familiar…”
Bronya looked toward the entrance in thought, and then…
She saw the very person she had suspected: Serval.
“Serval?
Why are you here?”
“Ah…” Serval brushed a hand through her hair and offered an explanation.
“Total coincidence!
I was caught up composing a song and didn’t realize how late it had gotten.
I happened to spot you when I closed up shop, and since you looked troubled, I followed you out of concern…”
Hearing that, Dan Heng and Oleg turned their gazes toward Bronya one after another.
Though neither said a word, their meaning was crystal clear:
*So you led an ‘enemy’ straight to us!*
Bronya stood there in silence.
*My luck…
really is terrible!*
Flustered, Bronya quickly changed the subject.
“Serval, what did you stop us for?
How we handle this depends on your answer.”
The thinly veiled warning once again drew speechless glances from Dan Heng and Oleg.
*Don’t make us sound like villains!
At most, we’d just detain her in Boulder Town for a while so she doesn’t ruin the plan.*
“I used to research the Stellaron,” Serval said, lacking full confidence and trying to sound as useful as possible.
“If you’re going to seal it, I should be able to offer some help.”
Whether it was Cocolia or the Stellaron, both weighed heavily on her mind like a thorn in her heart.
Given the chance to learn the truth, she simply couldn’t bring herself to walk away.
Dan Heng and Oleg turned questioning looks toward Bronya.
“Serval was indeed a researcher in the past, but as for what she studied specifically, I don’t know the details…”
“Bronya, did you scan her?” Dan Heng didn’t press further, shifting to a more practical question instead.
Bronya produced the scanner and scanned Serval, answering with action rather than words.
“She’s clear.” She handed the scanner to Dan Heng.
Serval leaned over, eyeing the light screen with curiosity.
Having confirmed Serval posed no threat, Dan Heng agreed.
“All right.
You’re in.”
With that, the group set off back toward the Underworld…