Chapter 51 - On Everwinter Hill

Everwinter Hill, located to the north of Belobog, could truly be called an absolute forbidden zone for life.

Extreme cold, endless Fragmentum creations, and frozen Antimatter Legion foot soldiers.

"Is that… a hand? It's huge!"

After finally struggling halfway up the mountain, March 7th cried out in alarm as she looked at the enormous metal hand.

"This must be a mechanical creation left behind by the Architects of the past," Serval said, recalling the documents she had seen back when she was one of them, her heart trembling at the sight of the giant hand.

"The Architects… they were truly a respectable group of people," Stelle sighed in admiration.

"So… can you please stop jumping around?"

March 7th complained at Stelle, who was currently bouncing up and down on the steps. What on earth had happened? Why did she suddenly seem like a completely different person?

Watching the hyperactive Stelle, Wende patted his head with a headache.

What in the world are the players in the real world doing! Under their influence, a perfectly good Stelle is turning into a hyperactive child!

"Forget it, leave it to me."

With a sigh, Wende walked toward Stelle.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Stelle looked at Wende in confusion, but her body unconsciously reached out its sinful little hands toward him.

"Zzzzt!"

Stelle's once chaotic eyes became clear again. Held in Wende's arms, her eyes were now filled with clarity and reason.

"Wende? What happened to me…"

Feeling the warmth of the person in front of her, even the now-rational Stelle couldn't help but blush.

"It seems you were affected by the 'Stellaron.' Relax. We have a tough battle ahead of us."

Wende gently stroked Stelle's hair and spoke to her in a soft voice.

"Mhm… okay…" Stelle nodded shyly in agreement.

"Good."

Wende set Stelle down from his arms and retracted the three lightning needles from the top of her head.

"And that's… it?"

Serval watched this scene with astonishment.

So this is the medical art from other worlds? How magical!

"Err… even though it's not the first time I've seen it, I still feel it's a bit weird," March said with a helpless shrug to Dan Heng.

"I have a feeling we'll be encountering this sort of thing a lot in the future. We should prepare ourselves mentally," Dan Heng said with a shake of his head. He was also completely baffled, on multiple levels.

"Are the relationships on your Express always this complicated?" Seele asked March with curiosity.

"Err… it's okay, I guess?"

Rubbing her smooth chin, March actually began to think about it seriously.

"Himeko and Mr. Yang are reliable adults, the Conductor is a cute mascot, I'm just an ordinary passenger, Dan Heng is the guard of the archives, and Wende is in charge of logistics…"

"Looking at it like that, it's not that strange, is it?"

March was completely bewildered.

"Sigh, I don't get you guys."

Seele shook her head helplessly. Right now, she just wanted to rescue Bronya as quickly as possible, and while she was at it, beat up that old hag named "Cocolia"!

Looking at the temporarily rational Stelle, Wende sighed helplessly. He hoped the players in the real world would stop their antics. If they kept going crazy, wouldn't his "Protagonist Cultivation Plan" be ruined?

In truth, the moment Stelle first touched a trash can, his "Good Daughter Cultivation Plan" was already over. (Tragic)

The Stelle he had imagined—cool on the outside, but gentle and intelligent on the inside—was now an impossibility…

When he got back to the Express, he might even have to lock his bedroom door. He had figured it out. This rebellious child of his seemed to have some improper designs on his body!

Although her cool little hands felt nice, that was the Trailblazer, for crying out loud!

"Let's go. We should go see Cocolia. If we delay any longer, Bronya will be in danger."

Wende took the lead and walked to the front of the group, calling out to the others behind him.

The higher they climbed Everwinter Hill, the more the severe cold and the number of Fragmentum creatures multiplied, signaling that they were getting closer to the Stellaron's location.

The mountaintop was scattered with machinery and equipment once used by the Architects. They were covered in snow and battered by the cold wind, but the materials left behind by the Architects of old remained undamaged.

"Hah!"

With a flash, Seele cut down the last Fragmentum monster, which had been mimicking a Silvermane Guard.

"Watch out!"

"Swish!!"

A Fragmentum creature hidden in a snowdrift lunged at Seele in a sneak attack. Dan Heng instantly threw Cloud-Piercer at the creature.

The heavy spear cut through the cold air, the sharp tip emitting a faint sonic boom as it pierced straight through the ambushing creature.

"Phew… thanks. I owe you one," Seele said gratefully to Dan Heng, wiping the cold sweat that had unknowingly beaded on her forehead.

Dan Heng didn't reply, merely giving her a silent nod before retrieving Cloud-Piercer.

"Have these Fragmentum creatures gone mad!" Serval said with a grave expression, looking at another group of them swarming up the mountain from below.

"They are trying to stop us from getting close to the Stellaron."

Wende channeled the power of Abundance into Seele, helping her recover her wounds and stamina, and frowned at the crazed swarm of creatures.

"Ignore them! March, block them!" Dan Heng ordered decisively.

"Hah… leave it to me!"

March took a deep breath, then pulled her ice-forged longbow into a full moon!

"Swoosh!"

An arrow condensed from Six-Phased Ice shot directly into the stone steps carved from the mountain rock.

"K-k-ka-ka…"

An ice wall slowly rose on the mountaintop, completely blocking the path of the Fragmentum creatures.

"Phew… okay, let's go!"

Seeing the creatures hopelessly blocked, the group immediately ran toward the summit without looking back.

Before they even reached the top, they could see a vast platform in the distance.

"That should be the place where the Stellaron is contained!" Serval shouted.

"Let's hurry up there!"

"Bronya… Bronya… join us… join a better… a brighter world…"

An illusory voice echoed in Bronya's mind. Cocolia stood before her, expressionlessly watching the pained look on her face.

"Bronya, stop resisting. Join the collective will!"

"No… this! This isn't it! This isn't the world I want! Not what I want…"

Bronya clenched her silver teeth. The taste of blood and the sharp pain stimulated her nerves, allowing her to barely fight back against the bewitching voice in her head.

But this was not a long-term solution. Although her willpower was strong, the Stellaron was not just one person…

"Bronya… why do you still cling to pain and cold?"

Cocolia's empty eyes stared intently at Bronya.