Wasteland Echoer.

"These people... they've already started forming alliances for power so quickly? Interesting." Wright's lips curled slightly upward, a half-smile playing on his lips as he thought to himself:

"It seems I have indeed opened a Pandora's box."

“I don’t think it’s as simple as ‘Pandora’s Box.’ At least in the ancient myths of the Central Empire, the true creator left humanity a ‘sacred artifact’ called ‘Hope.’ But now, whether it’s Nabusk, other surrounding cities, or the cities in the west where the federal local organizations are still holding out, all are filled with ‘despair.’” Dark sighed deeply, patted Wright’s shoulder with his uninjured left arm, and said earnestly:
"Once the unified federation, based on interests, beliefs, and a shared sense of human identity, disintegrates, it means that the entire Crusad people will never be able to unite again. With the federation, which has a strong central organization uniting the various strongholds, no longer existing, the regions will become independent, attacking each other, and ultimately being defeated one by one by the 'heartless' and the lost, becoming fish on the chopping block of others."

"After the collapse of the empire, a federation can be established, but after the collapse of the federation, there is nothing left. What you have opened is not 'Pandora's box,' but 'Hades' box.'"

"So, Nabusk... are we still going?" Wright looked at Dark with a slightly guilty expression and a blank look on his face. After several seconds, he carefully analyzed the situation and said:
"If we have to take a detour, then we can only consider the City of Heavenly Punishment at the end of the Nabusk Plain, or Nasidegler, which is relatively isolated in the southeastern corner of the hilly area of ​​the Far Southeast. I remember that it was once the fiefdom of Nasidrian Rurik, the brother of Ivan XXII. Due to cultural limitations, they would probably find it difficult to accept outsiders."

“It’s not that we can’t get there at all. After all, Hoshino Shota is a staunch follower of Nebrius, or as the people of the Flame Empire would say, his ‘suicide squad.’ Moreover, he’s a core member of the ‘Dark Night Investigation Team,’ so providing us with some protection and assistance shouldn’t be a problem,” Dark analyzed relatively objectively.
"Besides, the Nabrius family has deep roots in Nebsk, and no one will dare to openly oppose the people he promotes for the time being. As for me, I am now nominally a young officer promoted by Nabrius. And you... there are already some rumors about you, do you want to hear them?"

Dak turned his head and continued eating the remaining half bowl of white porridge. Even though there was hardly any of the complicated and incomprehensible mixture left, he still used his spoon to scrape the bottom of the bowl as much as possible, making a crisp clinking sound.

His profile revealed a rather subtle and enigmatic smile.

“I would like to hear the details,” Wright said, nodding without any further expression.

“They all say that you were a superhuman forcibly kidnapped by Shaneva. That evil female ruler coveted your strong body and powerful tentacles, so she wanted you to become her lover. But you refused to submit, even killing her secret lover Mikhail, and evading the Federal Council's pursuit. Taking advantage of Shaneva being severely injured by the ‘Heavenly Punishment Fire,’ you personally stabbed her in the heart with a dagger to protect yourself.” Dark said, a smile he couldn’t hide.

No wonder Wright punched the dining table in anger, smashing it and creating several obvious cracks, even breaking one of the steel supports.

“Nonsense,” Wright said, exhaling through his nostrils.
"These people thrive on chaos and are willing to do anything to stir up trouble. What good does it do them to slander me and the former leader of the Federation?"

"Of course, we'll ruin her reputation. We'll use foul language to create an image of Shaneva as promiscuous, then use various propaganda about her personal life to portray her as extravagant, and finally use a mix of true and false stories to create the image of a fool who usurped power. In this way, we can provide some public opinion, and even legitimacy, for regional governors who want to secede from the Federation." Dark explained with a wicked grin:
"Wright, after all, Shaneva has had several private talks with you, and she even arranged for you to stay in a relatively luxurious secret room. Moreover, she has promised you the position of Deputy Administrator of the Federal Council, and she even intends for you to be her successor."

"There are only two reasons for this kind of treatment: either she is your elder, grooming a 'crown prince,' that is, the heir to the throne of the old empire; or she is your lover, preparing to share the entire Federation with you. Ambitious people always ignore the first, relatively normal speculation, and instead focus on promoting the second, more unrealistic fantasy."

"It seems we can't stay in Nabsk for too long. We still need to cross the Eventlay no-man's-land and head to the Flame Empire as soon as possible," Wright remarked.

"If we stay there, we might get drowned in these rumors."

“Drowning is unlikely. However, if Atlanka Nebrinov, the successor to Nebusk appointed by Nebrius before his death, has any ill feelings towards you, it will be difficult for you to leave Nebusk.” Dak tilted his head, casting a meaningful glance.

"What do you mean?" Wright had a bad feeling.

“The ‘Temporary Coordination Council’ is merely a temporary transitional body that Nebusk was forced to organize in order to unite the lost souls. Once the situation stabilizes and the Federation officially disintegrates, Nebusk will inevitably descend into internal strife. And you are a very good trump card,” Dark explained.

“Ace? Or ‘The Joker’?” Wright sneered, looking at Dark.

“That’s unclear. However, Atlanca is quite willing to take you in, an ability user with deep ties to Shaneva. He believes you’re not Shaneva’s lover, but rather her illegitimate son with Mikhail. With your title as the ‘illegitimate son of the former Federal Administrator,’ he’s confident he can unite half of the eastern strongholds.” Dark placed his left hand on Dark’s shoulder, comforting him.
“Don’t worry, Atlanca doesn’t have much say within the ‘Provisional Cooperative Council.’ Although he’s nominally the leader of Nebusk, the ‘Night Investigation Team’ and the ‘Dedication Group’ have already thoroughly infiltrated the city. Re-establish the Federation’s reputation? ‘Blood Wolf’ would be the first to object!” Lightton breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back in his freshly painted white chair, and asked casually:

"So, where are Hoshino Shota and Adaloni? I haven't seen them for several days. They weren't at the last town military council meeting, and they weren't there when we came out of 'God's Edge Mountain' this time either. Could it be that they both went to Nebusk to gather information?"

“That’s not the case,” Dark explained.

“Within Nebusk and the ‘Dark Night Investigation Group,’ Hoshino Shota is the main character. Now that all the forces are putting on a show in Nebusk, this grand finale player is indispensable. So… he asked Artyom and me for a gun and some food, and set off for Nebusk ahead of schedule.”

"Is he alone? The situation is on the verge of chaos. I'm afraid he might be intercepted by the 'Dedication Group' or Shaneva's supporters, or become a vessel for ordinal monsters or other strange creatures. I heard from Hefeng Eva that some of the lost souls from the west, who originally belonged to the 'Chaos Group' and the vampires, are wandering around the Nabusk Plains." Wright said with a worried expression.

"Moreover, Hoshino Shota has been lurking under Shaneva's nose for years, working as a worker in Novayask's 'Dawn Industrial Zone.' It's hard to guarantee that the 'Dark Night Investigation Team' won't be suspicious of him, especially Kazama Reiji and Atlanca. If we act collectively, the humans and lost ones in Nebusk might still have some reservations. Otherwise, even the Nebrius family might have designs on him."

“Don’t forget, Hoshino Shota is a [Singer], a variant of the [Explorer]. Compared to a regular [Explorer], Hoshino Shota can not only conceal himself better and use the 'Seeking' skill to find the right direction, but he can also use 'Seductive Music' to briefly stun enemies when danger approaches, allowing him to escape or counterattack.” Dark looked at Wright with a relaxed expression, finally finishing the mixture in his bowl, and then said:
"You probably don't know yet, but Hoshino Shota has a hidden ability called 'Sound Binding Mark,' which allows him to rapidly absorb the enemy's mental energy in battle by constantly chanting high-frequency music in conjunction with the harp in his hand, causing the enemy to fall into a vortex of mental collapse in an instant."

"Why haven't I heard him mention this ability before?" Wright asked curiously.

Dark chuckled a few times, then got up and put the bowls and chopsticks back on the kitchen counter. He then grabbed two dark black military overcoats, tossed them to Wright, and explained:

"Under normal circumstances, humans who carry out special missions do not easily reveal their most powerful skills. These killers lurking in the shadows must maintain a certain degree of mystery and have means to protect their lives in times of crisis."

"They will never reveal their most secret skills unless it is a life-or-death situation. Once these infiltrators reveal their ultimate skills, it can only mean one of two things."

"Which two?" Wright asked curiously.

“Death, or impending death.” Dark sighed softly and continued:

“Hoshino Shota knew he would encounter dangers along the way, but he had to go to Nebus. Only when the Dark Investigation Team obtained Nebus’s token could they have the ability to rally the citizens, and that token called ‘Ice Lotus’ was inside Hoshino Shota’s body.”

"He's aiming to give humanity dominance over Nebusk in the future. If the Lost Ones control this large city, other human strongholds will quickly find a target, unite, and be besieged, becoming the first separatist force to perish," Wright analyzed.

“That’s right.” Dark nodded slightly, indicating his agreement.

"However, that's not something we should be thinking about. Anyway, since the earthbound spirit of the 'Chosen One' has completed its mission and disappeared, and the 'Blessing Banner' has been successfully erected next to the 'Spirit-Suppressing Tree,' the 'Mountain of the Gods' has reopened to all the residents of the town. In just the last few days, Artyom has already set up many amusement facilities on the mountaintop and rebuilt the 'Torii Town School.' Now, the children of the town are all attending classes on the mountaintop."

“Oh, that’s a good thing. It means the town is starting to function normally again,” Wright said with a genuine smile.

Seeing that Wright was interested in the town's development, Darke seized the opportunity to suggest:
"Artyom means that during our few days of rest in Torii Town, he wants you to go up the mountain and teach the children about magical energy and the mystical knowledge of 'high-ranking professions.' Military science, medicine, and agriculture are certainly important, but you'll suffer if you leave town without any understanding of the mysterious and extraordinary." (End of Chapter)