Chapter 50: Mother's Love, Daughter's Filial Piety, and Chase's Joy

After some consideration, the train crew finally agreed to Chase's request to accompany them.

It was already late at night, and Oleg had arranged for everyone to stay in the best hotel in the lower district. Although the rooms seemed a bit simple and even of poor quality, it was indeed the best service the lower district could offer.

The night was deep, but Chase couldn't find sleep.

Bella lay on the bed, her body hidden under the blanket, with only her head peeking out.

She blinked her deep blue eyes, silently watching Chase's figure.

In the lower district, the moon was not visible, so there was no moonlight. The light from street lamps on the ground was dim and yellow, but it could seep through the windows, slowly illuminating the room.

Chase sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, assuming a meditative posture.

He was cultivating his heart.

Although the rewards for the first simulation were only a few talent attributes and a Bebe Dragon, the experience of the simulation had been completely engraved in his mind. This naturally included the [Void Sword Qi] he learned from Fu Hua.

Sitting at the end of the bed, Chase silently recited the [Sword Heart Technique] in his mind.

As a technique for practicing the [Heart Essence], the charm of the Sword Heart Technique lay in the recitation, silent meditation, and listening.

With the simulated experience, Chase had already memorized the Sword Heart Technique thoroughly.

"…Moo... Taratari... moo... Ruo Kulo..."

The words were powerful.

Although Chase didn't understand the reason, he could indeed feel the transformation of the 'heart.' With the resonance of words and the rhythm's undulation, the Sword Heart Technique seemed to merge into the qi and blood, traversing through the meridians.

Chase felt joy in his heart. It seemed that the Void Sword Qi was not exclusive to the simulation. As long as one knew the cultivation method and had talent, they could practice it.

"Moo, Mali." Chase continued to recite in his mind.

His body became lighter, and his mind was no longer agitated. The five senses converged into one, merging into a pool of heart lake. The lake water was clear and transparent, with a few remnants of worries floating like fallen leaves on the surface, unable to stir a ripple.

"Moo, Kabayisi Flow."

Calm, water still. Tranquility filled the existence named 'Chase.'

This was one of the four realms of the Sword Heart — 'Still Water.'

Chase didn't stop at 'Still Water.' In his opinion, reaching 'Still Water' was only natural for him, given that his mental state had almost not changed after the simulation, and his simulated self had reached 'Dustless.'

(Continue…)

Chase eliminated distracting thoughts, operated the Sword Heart, and climbed to the next realm—

The heart lake solidified into ice, brushing away the slightest thoughts without leaving a trace. The second realm — 'Dustless.'

This was also where Chase's simulated 'Sword Heart' was located after experiencing the simulator.

Above 'Dustless,' there was still 'Clear Mirror'...

(Once again...)

The ice suddenly shattered, the heart lake scattered, and the Sword Heart Technique withdrew from his mind.

Chase opened his eyes, feeling no disappointment about not successfully reaching 'Clear Mirror.' On the contrary, he was satisfied with his progress at the moment.

In reality, picking up the Sword Heart Technique for the first time and advancing in one go to 'Dustless' was undoubtedly the best-case scenario.

Chase exhaled and turned to see if Bella had uncovered herself. However, he found that the girl was not asleep either, staring at him with her blue eyes.

Seemingly aware that Chase was looking at her, Bella quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Chase smiled and walked over to pat Bella's head. "Go to sleep."

"Hmm." Bella opened her eyes, perhaps because she was caught pretending to sleep or for some other reason. Her face was slightly flushed, and she whispered softly before closing her eyes again.

Of course, Chase didn't see the blush on Bella's face because the light was not very bright. In fact, the room's lighting was barely sufficient. Chase deliberately turned off the lights to ensure that Bella could rest without disturbance from bright lights.

Chase lay down next to Bella, smiling as he gently stroked her hair.

Soon, rhythmic breathing came from Bella's side. Chase smiled, thinking that Bella was similar to Sirin. When he used to put Sirin to sleep, she would also be like this.

No, there was a difference. Sirin would ask Chase to tell her stories.

Chase smiled and didn't feel sleepy. The previous cultivation of his heart had refreshed his whole body, and his mental state was rather invigorated.

Glancing at the window, Chase decided to go out for a walk.

With his current strength, he was not worried about walking around the lower district or at least had the ability to defend himself. As long as the enemy couldn't kill him immediately, he could use the Grand Summoning Art to summon the Judgment-level Catastrophic Beast — Benares!

Chase quietly left the room, trying not to make any noise to wake up Bella. He left the hotel alone and found that he was not the only one unable to sleep.

[On the night of the twelfth day of October in the seven hundredth year of the City-building Era, undressing to sleep, moonlight enters the room, happily getting up. Thinking of someone who enjoys the moment, I go outside the hotel to find Bronya, who is also awake...]

Chase shook his head, dismissing the random thoughts in his mind. If he continued thinking, he might end up watching a ridiculous video commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Gintama...

It seemed that Bronya had sensed someone approaching. She turned to look at Chase, a bit surprised. "Oh, it's you. You should be grateful I didn't have a weapon in my hand."

After speaking, she paused, continuing, "Can't sleep either?"

Chase shook his head. "Can't sleep. I came out for a walk to clear my thoughts."

Bronya nodded, looking at Chase with some hesitation. She asked, "Where is your sister?"

"Asleep." Chase replied.

"Oh." Bronya nodded and continued, "Your sister is really cute."

"Thank you. I think so too." Chase responded.

Bronya: "..."

Chase: "..."

The two started to stare at each other with wide eyes.

"If you have something to say, just say it. I'll be a listener." Chase felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward and took the initiative to speak. "It's better to talk about things than keep them in your heart."

"Thank you." Bronya nodded and looked at Chase, hesitating before asking, "Are you adopting the role of a listener?"

Chase smiled and replied, "Of course, I'm all ears."

Bronya then began to talk about her doubts regarding Cocolia's decisions. After witnessing the terrible living conditions of the people in the lower district, she completely disagreed with Cocolia's decision to block the lower district.

Bronya disagreed with sacrificing a portion of the people to preserve the survival of another.

"Perhaps my mother's decision back then was wrong, but orders are orders. Soldiers shouldn't overthink orders..."

Bronya recalled Cocolia's previous orders: recalling the Iron Guards from the lower district, severing the connection between the upper and lower districts, sacrificing the well-being of the lower district to ensure the survival of the upper district...

Meaningless sacrifice... Bronya evaluated in her mind.

Chase silently listened to Bronya's words, his eyes fixed on her. He couldn't help but feel that she also possessed the demeanor of an empress.

This made him think of himself in the simulation.

Cocolia and Otto were both leaders of large organizations, and Bronya and he himself were both adopted...

Gosh, thinking about it in detail was terrifying!

So, Chase suddenly spoke:

"Perhaps you should become the 'Great Guardian' yourself."

This would lead to a splendid scene of a mother's love and daughter's filial piety, with a magnificent betrayal planned against Cocolia.

His golden spirit had already found a successor in the depths of fate.

Chase looked at Bronya with eyes full of appreciation.