Chapter 53: The Little Yaoshi and the Little Physician

"Holy shit!"

The CG animation concluded with a shot of Everwinter Hill, now teeming with vibrant life. Little Bear, watching the scene unfold, blurted out an expletive.

The live stream's comment section fell silent for a moment before erupting with a flood of messages:

[Wait a minute, wasn't Jarilo-VI's icy core supposed to contain a massive amount of Antimatter Legion? What happens when they all thaw out?]

[Lumina casually revitalized an entire planet. Surely she can handle this little monster without breaking a sweat, right?]

[Exactly! That's just Lumina for you—unrivaled plot armor, invincible strength, god-tier treatment, and impeccable waifu appeal...]

"Is this the full extent of Lumina's power?"

"This is insane!"

Having recovered from his initial shock, Little Bear couldn't help but marvel.

"Hey, look at Cocolia's expression!"

His attention then shifted to Cocolia in the animation. Supported by Bronya, she watched the Stellaron's power fade away. Staring at Everwinter Hill—now lush with greenery instead of endless snow—her face was a mask of utter bewilderment and disbelief.

With the Stellaron's influence gone, Cocolia's consciousness returned to normal. Recalling her past actions, her body went limp, and she slid off Bronya's support, collapsing onto the ground.

"Ah, Cocolia's had a tough life," Little Bear sighed, having witnessed her ordeal.

Though she had brought this upon herself, from Cocolia's perspective, there seemed to be no other choice...

"Speaking of which, I'm a little curious. What would have happened if we hadn't chosen to save her?" Little Bear pondered the two options, wondering about the alternative outcome.

[Don't even bother wondering. It would have followed the original plot from the third closed beta.]

[If you hadn't saved her, Lumina's miracle wouldn't have descended. Cocolia would have died, and Jarilo-VI would still be stuck in that frozen state.]

"Oh, right," Little Bear nodded in agreement, reading the comments in the live stream.

In the room, Lumina observed the audience's reaction to the live stream and nodded in satisfaction.

"Looks like the reception is quite good~"

"Ahem, next up, it's time for the second round of showing off!♪" Lumina cleared her throat, preparing for the next act.

"Hmm... Let me think of my lines first..."

"Is this... a miracle?" Cocolia murmured, collapsing to the ground before Bronya helped her back to her feet. She stared in awe at the scene of nature's revival around them.

"Mother... perhaps it is," Bronya replied, supporting Cocolia as she surveyed the revitalized landscape, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Regaining her composure, Bronya led Cocolia to Stelle. A moment of silence stretched between them as Bronya struggled to find the words to express her gratitude.

"Um... actually, it wasn't really my doing," Stelle interrupted before Bronya could speak, pointing to the ring still glowing green in the air. "You should thank her."

March 7th: ...

As the natural scents of blooming flowers and lush greenery filled her nostrils, March 7th also snapped out of her reverie from the recent miracle. She glanced at the floating ring, a subtle shift in her expression going unnoticed by the others.

"This is... a ring?" Bronya stared at the jade-green ring before her, momentarily dazed.

The ice and snow that had eternally isolated Belobog were effortlessly dispelled by a single ring, leaving Bronya deeply suspicious.

Am I still dreaming...?

Cocolia gradually snapped out of her daze, her gaze fixed on the ring before her, her eyes swirling with complex emotions.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, her face paled with anxiety, and she hastily opened her mouth to ask a question.

"If you're worried about the Antimatter Legion, you needn't be~♪"

"Because I casually took care of them on the way~"

Before Cocolia could speak, a soothing female voice, capable of healing the soul, emanated from the ring.

"Casually..."

Cocolia froze, muttering the word in disbelief.

Though she hadn't witnessed the battle firsthand, historical records painted a vivid picture of its brutality. Jarilo-VI, once a thriving interstellar trade hub, had been unable to withstand this enemy. Yet this mysterious voice dismissed it as merely something she "took care of on the way."

Just how powerful was she?

Is she a god?

"Hmm... I'm not a god," the voice from the ring said, as if reading Cocolia's thoughts. "My name is Lumina. You could say I'm a little Physician with a bit of a reputation."

Hearing Lumina's words, Cocolia didn't doubt their truth. She fell silent.

A little Physician with a bit of a reputation can revive a planet on the verge of collapse...

It seems the cosmos beyond our world is far beyond anything I ever imagined.

Lumina noticed Cocolia's expression but offered no further explanation.

After all, I have the Abundance Aeon, Yaoshi, watching over me. As an Emanator of Abundance, calling myself a "little Yaoshi" wouldn't be wrong, right?

But calling myself a "little Yaoshi" might attract the Xianzhou Alliance's attention... So I tweaked it slightly to "little Physician" instead♪

So, is there anything wrong with publicly referring to myself as a "little Physician"?

Not at all♪

"Sister Lumina! Long time no see!" March 7th bounded toward the ring, her face radiant as Lumina finished her conversation with Cocolia.

"It's only been a few days since we last saw each other, right?" Lumina said, a hint of amusement in her voice as she observed March 7th through the ring. Despite having just emerged from a fierce battle, March 7th was brimming with energy, a quality Lumina deeply admired.

"What was that saying again?" March 7th scratched her head, pondering for a moment. "Uh... something about a day apart feeling like... three... seasons, right?"

"It's 'A day apart feels like three autumns have passed,'" Lumina corrected indulgently, her gaze softening at March 7th's endearing confusion.

"Ah, right! That's it!" March 7th nodded in sudden understanding. "So, Sister Lumina and I haven't seen each other in ages!"

"Alright~♪" Lumina responded cheerfully.

Sensing the overall condition of Jarilo-VI, Lumina turned to Cocolia and offered a final reminder: "I've resolved the major crises, but this planet still has plenty of smaller issues left. I'll leave those for you to handle."

Lumina adhered to a medical principle: when saving people, she would see it through to the end, but saving an entire planet was a different story.

On the brink of collapse, this planet was plagued by countless problems. Lumina only addressed the most critical issues, those threatening its very foundation, leaving the minor troubles unattended.

After all, there were simply too many... If she tried to solve every problem on every planet, the Saintess would exhaust herself to death. >.<

"Yes!" Bronya and Cocolia responded, their voices tinged with tension and solemnity upon hearing Lumina's command.

Lumina offered no further explanation, merely smiling knowingly.

Sensing that the ring's energy was about to run out, she turned to Stelle and spoke her final words:

"Stelle, once the energy is depleted, the ring will be useless. I'll give you another one when we reach Penacony."

"Me too! Me too! Me too!" March 7th eagerly raised her hand, chiming in.

But before Lumina could respond, the ring's light vanished completely, and it clattered to the ground with a crisp, final sound.