Himeko: "Good, that suits me just fine."
Bronya bowed.
"Everyone, please be careful."
"Belobog will not sell its own future. The only ones worth us remembering forever are the friends who have repeatedly extended a helping hand in times of crisis—that is, all of you."
She still wanted to say something more when Gepard suddenly sent an urgent message.
After glancing at the content, her expression suddenly darkened.
"Is it Gepard?" Leon said casually.
"…Yes."
Even though the situation was urgent, Bronya still couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
He guessed it so accurately?
Right, he had a guide reporting to him.
That guy Sampo… although he repeatedly did some petty thieving and was constantly wanted by the Silvermane Guards.
His information network was extremely well-connected. In the current situation, he could still distinguish what was important and what wasn't.
Gepard discovered that Topaz, under Svarog's guidance, had gone deep into a certain area in the depths of Rivet Town.
After receiving the news, Leon couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like we don't need Sampo as a guide anymore."
He also believed that Belobog's future was just like right now.
Whenever they prepared the next response plan in advance, there would always be an unexpected turning point.
This planet was undoubtedly unfortunate, but fortunately, there was a group of people with tenacious wills who never yielded to fate and always fought on the front lines.
"No time to lose. Let's set off. Gepard is already waiting for us."
"GOGOGO!"
The Express crew's action speed was always top-tier.
After arriving in the lower district, Himeko and the other two quickly met up with Gepard and entered Rivet Town to search for Topaz.
…
At this moment, deep within Rivet Town, above the abandoned old weapons testing ground.
Svarog stopped in his tracks.
"This is the place."
Topaz looked around, the surprise in her voice unconcealed.
"Whoa, it's actually in this kind of place. I really didn't expect that, but—"
"I don't see any mechs or weapons here. All around are solid rock walls. Don't tell me…"
Svarog: "That's right. Those machine soldiers are hidden inside the towering rock walls."
"No wonder!" Topaz suddenly understood. "No wonder we couldn't find the so-called weapons factory no matter where we looked. Wait a second!"
She realized something, and a trace of disbelief flashed through her eyes.
"You just said those weapons have always been hidden here?"
"Yes."
"…In other words, when the people of Jarilo-VI were fighting the Antimatter Legion, they didn't use these weapons at all?"
Svarog: "These machine soldiers have never left this place since they were built."
"After the company withdrew from this planet over seven hundred years ago, no one knew how to activate this batch of weapons anymore."
"According to the design blueprints left by the company, the Architects built the first batch of replica machine soldiers."
"But in the resistance army led by the first Supreme Guardian, Alisa Rand, the main force was still flesh-and-blood humans."
"…Oh, so that's how it is…"
Topaz stood there in a daze, her gaze drifting as she thought about something.
"Heh, the legends about this world are getting more and more fascinating."
When she first arrived on this planet, according to the intelligence records, she believed that Jarilo-VI's survival was inseparable from the company's initial humanitarian aid.
Not only in terms of funding, but also in terms of technology.
Otherwise, how could this technologically backward world possibly resist the iron hooves of the Antimatter Legion's anti-matter soldiers?
And when she saw the automatic machine soldiers produced using the company's underlying systems, she became even more certain of this preconceived, self-assumed fact.
She never expected… never expected…
That they had resisted the Antimatter Legion with human bodies alone, stubbornly holding on for a long time.
Until the Stellaron erupted and brought the cold wave, entering the next era of calamity.
It had to be said—it was admirable.
But unfortunately, a world that had suffered two apocalyptic disasters, with its current level of technology, was destined to be unable to survive without the company's assistance.
During her contemplation, Svarog spoke up and asked a question.
"I would like to ask you a question, Topaz."
Topaz came back to her senses and smiled. "Don't act so reserved, big machine. Just ask."
Svarog: "Without the company's intervention, this world will head toward its end. Do you firmly believe in this conclusion?"
"..."
Topaz fell silent.
After a moment, she looked toward that stretch of rock wall.
"I believe it. Before coming here, I read through countless cases and came to a consistent conclusion—"
"Any world that has been disturbed by a Stellaron ultimately has no way to escape the fate of extinction."
"Even with the help of the Astral Express, even if things superficially look like they're improving, these are only temporary windows to catch their breath."
"Long-term crises usually lurk beneath the surface of prosperity. Ordinary people have no way of detecting them."
"Once Bronya signs the contract, the company will dispatch a professional team to come and formally begin surveying the hidden crises and saving this world."
"No matter what difficulties there are, I have the confidence to restore this world to vitality."
Svarog: "Understood."
"Understood? That's it? You're not going to share your own opinion?" Topaz was slightly surprised.
Svarog: "The emotional readings indicate that your answer is sincere and accurate. The only thing I wanted to confirm was this matter."
"Regarding this planet's future, I hold a different opinion from yours—"
"Humans who harbor courage and perseverance can often create many miracles and engrave those miracles beneath the starry sky."
"However, my opinion is not important, because I am a tool, not a decision-maker."
After hearing these words, Topaz looked at him with new respect.
"Interesting fellow. If only my colleagues all had as much self-awareness as you~"
"However, I hold reservations about this cognitive content of yours."
"Without matching capital, relying solely on something as illusory as courage and perseverance will make it difficult to accomplish anything."
Her smile remained unchanged. She temporarily didn't want to discuss these matters with Svarog and instead reached out to pat the head of her partner.
"Let's go, Numby. We'll go down and carefully evaluate things."
The players who reached this point in the story understood everything in their hearts.
Ah Xian voiced his own opinion.
"It's almost no different from the content Himeko investigated, and it also matches Leon's guess."
"Topaz doesn't believe Belobog can overcome the difficulties on its own, and she also doesn't know about the disasters this world will face in the future."
"But actually, I think Topaz is a pretty good person. Unlike other company people, she knows how to put herself in this world's shoes and think for it."
"It's a pity her experiences can't compare to Belobog's development history, and she hasn't truly participated in any struggles—whether struggling against enemies or struggling against fate."
"Insight grows with age. She's too young, so it's inevitable she's stubborn in her own views."
"But those who have seen it—for example, Svarog—even as a highly intelligent robot, has already realized the difference."
"The following plot can be predicted. We're just waiting for Leon and Bronya to arrive and carry out the final—"
"Negotiation."
…