Chapter 33: The Truth of Jarilo-VI, and the Awakening of a Giant Robot!
"Svarog... Please don't push yourself anymore. Can you share what you know with everyone?"
"You once said, Mr. Svarog, that you would fulfill all my wishes, right? Clara's greatest wish now is for everyone to unite, like...like a family."
"In recent times, Clara has learned something—the outcomes from [Calculations] may not necessarily bring happiness to everyone."
"Even if they know the world outside the cage isn't perfect,...people still yearn to peek beyond its confines."
Standing beside Svarog, Clara earnestly pleaded from the depths of her heart.
Himeko found herself genuinely curious about Clara and Svarog's unique partnership. It wasn't a master-servant relationship or even an employer-employee one; it felt more akin to family! She wondered how they first met and how they became such a close-knit unit. It must have been an extraordinary journey.
"Assessment system rebooting... Reboot successful. Converting variables..."
"Variable 1: Clara's request... Variable 2: Outsider's motivation."
"...Updated assessment result: Transfer decision-making authority to the outsider and allow access to information related to the Stellaron."
The burning history unfolded before them through a series of slides.
From the second-generation Great Guardian onwards, the voice of the Stellaron had been ever-present. Researchers had uncovered the truth—Alicia Rand, the first Great Guardian, activated the Stellaron, leading to this world being enveloped by perpetual cold.
Yet, none of the subsequent Guardians chose to make this public. To maintain the city's stability, they concealed all this information and secretly sought ways to destroy the Stellaron.
However, every clandestine research effort ended in failure.
At this point, it perfectly aligned with Dan Heng's journal entries, which briefly mentioned their agreement with Svarog to learn about the Stellaron. However, the actual events were filled with peril and unexpected twists.
"These few slides may not contain much detail, but they clearly depict Jarilo-VI's history and the lineage of Great Guardians," Old Yang remarked.
"Both the Stellaron and the Antimatter Legion brought such harsh calamities upon this planet," Old Yang sighed. "But on this small world, there still persists willpower and hope."
"Yes, flowers blossoming amidst adversity tend to be the most resilient and beautiful," Himeko added. "With time, perhaps the young generation could become truly exceptional individuals."
Suddenly, the computer next to Himeko beeped urgently, drawing their attention to the images displayed on the screen.
"It's a high-energy reaction detected from Jarilo-VI," Himeko announced.
They had been so engrossed in the game that they forgot to monitor the ground situation! They felt slightly embarrassed.
On the satellite imagery, they saw something astonishing—a colossal robot as massive as a mountain! Its immense mechanical body and claws emerged from beneath the snowdrifts, with light flickering across its face.
"A giant robot?" Old Yang's eyes lit up as he swiftly adjusted his glasses, regaining his composed demeanor. "It must be one of The Architects' machines. This model seems beyond our control capabilities; I'll immediately contact Little March and the others."
Himeko attempted to communicate but only received unstable, garbled signals. "The Stellaron's influence is too strong; it appears we can't reach them at the moment."
Old Yang promptly stood up and said, "Let me handle this. If the situation escalates beyond control, I will intervene. I also wish to personally observe that enormous machine... ahem, the relic left by The Architects."
"Alright, thank you for your help," Himeko replied.
Of course, Himeko wasn't going to sit idle either. She immediately activated the satellite and fired a railgun towards the coordinates, aiming to momentarily subdue the gigantic robot and buy some time for her Astral Express comrades.
While The Architects' machinery was formidable, the true danger in this battle lay with Cocolia herself. At that moment, she began undergoing a peculiar transformation, seemingly assimilating with the overflowing rift energy. Her body gradually lost its human characteristics.
Due to interference from the Stellaron, the satellite feed's quality deteriorated significantly. Just as Himeko tried to observe more closely, most of the screen became obscured by swirling wind and snow.
She sighed helplessly. With Welt on the scene, she no longer worried about the safety of her crewmates aboard the Astral Express. Regrettably, witnessing the entire battle would now have to wait until Dan Heng uploaded his Trailblazer logs.
"Hmm..." Himeko mused. "I do have Honkai: Star Rail at my disposal, don't I?"
"The current progress already aligns with the day March and the others reached Jarilo-VI..."
"If I continue playing, perhaps I can witness this battle within the game...!"
Himeko's gaze reflected mixed emotions. If true, it would confirm that the game not only mirrors reality but also predicts future events.
After taking a sip of coffee, Himeko decided to earnestly advance through the game's storyline. She wanted to see how accurately this game would portray the upcoming battle and how exactly it would unfold.