"...The Antimatter Legion and the Eternal Freeze—this crisis might be more troublesome than the Archon War."
On the Jade Chamber, Ningguang couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. In her eyes, this crisis was far more troublesome than an escaped vortex god.
No matter how powerful an ancient god was, one Jade Chamber dropped on them would make them behave... Besides, they had the adepti's help back then. Though challenging, it wasn't hopeless.
During the Archon War, legends say Liyue was plagued with disasters and overrun by monsters—likely no different from Belobog's current state.
But Liyue had the adepti and Rex Lapis, while Belobog had to withstand the blizzards and monsters with flesh and blood for centuries...
——
["Bronya, are you okay?" March 7th supported the unsteady Bronya, concerned.]
["...I'm fine. I just... feel a little dizzy." Bronya still refused to accept reality, her voice choked. "Mother... why... No, maybe she didn't know. Maybe she—"]
["Stop lying to yourself... Bronya." Seele interrupted her, but her tone was uncharacteristically gentle. "It's time for you to make up your mind."]
[The conflict in the Underworld had finally settled, and the truth behind the Eternal Freeze was revealed. Everyone was willing to lend Stelle and the others a hand.]
[But the situation remained tense: many issues still needed resolution. Why had Cocolia's stance shifted? The exact location and coordinates of the Stellaron were still unclear.]
[Back at the hotel, Stelle suddenly recalled her recurring dreams of Cocolia and shared the whispers she heard with Dan Heng and March 7th.]
[Dan Heng and March 7th speculated that this might be due to the Stellaron inside her.]
[Meanwhile, Seele and Bronya returned to the orphanage in Rivet Town. Standing side by side at the railing, they let the evening breeze play with their hair.]
["Look over there. See it? That used to be the roughest neighborhood in all of Rivet Town—where I grew up."]
[Seele pointed to an empty street below the hill. "I used to run with the older kids, always thinking about where to get my next meal until Oleg took me in and sent me to the orphanage."]
["Then I learned to read and write from Natasha. At ten, I started following Oleg on patrols through the mining zones, sometimes even facing off against local thugs..."]
[Listening to Seele reminisce, Bronya felt an unexpected surge of envy. "That sounds... nice."]
["Nice?" Seele raised an eyebrow. "Are you mocking me?"]
[Bronya realized her mistake and quickly waved her hands. "No, no—life in the Underworld was hard. I shouldn't have said it so lightly. What I meant was... Seele, I envy you a little."]
[Seele stood on a railing one step higher than Bronya, leaning down slightly to take in Bronya's shy, envious, and nervous expression. She smirked, as if teasing something. "What's there to envy?"]
["Since I can remember, my life has been a cycle of studying, etiquette, and training. Every day, someone would remind me: 'Remember your status, Bronya,' 'This goes against the Architects' teachings, Bronya,' 'A lady shouldn't speak such vulgar words, Bronya'..."]
[Bronya's eyes darkened as she spoke of the past, recalling years of such experiences. It felt like a lump of iron was stuck in her throat, unmovable.]
[Like a caged canary—safe, glamorous, but utterly devoid of freedom...]
["I really can't imagine that. But what I'm more curious about is... what exactly did you say that was so 'vulgar'?" Seele looked at her with amusement.]
["Uh..." A faint blush spread across Bronya's cheeks, as if she were embarrassed. Her gaze darted around... Finally, she closed her eyes as if steeling herself, then opened them with newfound resolve.]
["I hereby represent the will of the Architects—and will shove this gun up your nose!"]
——
"Pfft... That's what you call vulgar?"
At St. Freya Academy, Bronya nearly choked on her drink. This "vulgar language"... whether it was vulgar or not aside, it had her laughing first.
"You still need to work on your verbal skills... Even your swearing is weak. How are you going to debate a room full of scholars when you become the Supreme Guardian?"
Then she turned to Seele beside her and smiled. "Seele, do you know how to swear?"
"...Me?" Seele immediately looked troubled, slowly lowering her head. "Swearing is..."
Well, of course. Seele was usually as docile as a cupcake around her, never having the chance to train independently. Though she was skilled at slicing Honkai beasts apart with her scythe, her experience in verbal battles was still lacking.
Swearing, simply put, was using one's mother as the center point, relatives and organs as the radius, and drawing a circle to unleash hell.
With that in mind, Bronya decided to give Seele a demonstration.
"Seele, if someone annoying ever provokes you and you can't fight back physically, this is what you say..."
Bronya flashed a confident look. "I ******* came! You ******* are just a bunch of *******! I ******* your *******! Remember this! I'm at St. Freya Academy, and I'm ******* you!"
"Ahhhh! Bronya-oneechan, stop saying those things!" Seele frantically tried to cover Bronya's mouth.
Meanwhile, in Teyvat, Paimon couldn't help but burst out laughing after hearing Bronya's "vulgar language."
"Ahaha, Bronya still needs to practice her swearing"
Seeing Paimon puff out her chest with overconfidence, Mavuika couldn't help but feel amused. She grinned at Paimon. "Oh? I didn't expect little Paimon to be an expert in profanity?"
"Uh... not really. I just give people really mean nicknames when they make me angry."
Paimon popped a sweet sunsettia into her mouth, smiling contentedly. As she ate, she recalled her verbal sparring matches with a certain "Sleeping Dragon" in The Chasm.
"Hmm, now that I think about it... like 'that boar-headed guy'!"
"Pfft—HAHAHA! Little white flying ant! That's what you call a mean nickname?!"
K'uhul Ajaw roared with laughter, darting over to Paimon in a flash. "If you weren't my servant's annoying little friend, the great Dragon Lord K'uhul Ajaw wouldn't even bother teaching a tiny flying ant like you how to swear."
"Hah. And you think you're qualified to teach others?"
Kinich lifted his head expressionlessly and warned, "Paimon, don't let Ajaw distract you. He's probably just trying to sneak the sunsettias off your plate while you're not looking."
"Kinich—! You ruined my plan! You stone-faced dullard! Miserly green-spotted lizard! Petty little reptile! Cheapskate! If I hadn't eaten too fast, who'd even want those rotten, moldy fruits on your plate?!"
"Oh, then I'll eat them myself." With that, Kinich popped the last two sunsettias from his plate into his mouth right in front of Ajaw.
In the next second, the still-cursing Ajaw visibly reddened with rage.
"GAHHH! KINICH! YOU JERK! Gluttonous wild boar! Filthy belly-crawler! Go take a swan dive into an eternal cesspool!"