Their commission was suspicious.

However, no one can definitively prove that Chen Luo is indeed a sage, because Cocolia met with Chen Luo alone at the time.

Moreover, Chen Luo's power of knowledge is not just for show; as long as Chen Luo is unwilling, his identity will not be exposed.

Meanwhile, while Cocolia and Chen Luo were discussing how to cross the Iron Guard Forbidden Zone, find the Star Core, and seal it, Bronya returned to Krypton Castle and entered Cocolia's office, where she met Cocolia.

"Mother, I'm back." Bronya pushed open the office door and walked towards Cocolia.

To Bronya's surprise, Cocolia was not working at her desk. Instead, a man dressed in a black robe with his face covered by a mask was working.

Cocolia was standing by the window, looking at the scenery outside.

“Bronya, you’re finally back! I thought I was going to lose you. Are you hurt? I’ll get the butler right away…” Upon hearing Bronya’s voice, Cocolia turned around, very excited and gentle, just like a mother.

“No need, I don’t really want to see Sebastian right now, I’m sorry, Mother. Mother, the person next to you is… I have something I want to say to you, Mother, so…” Bronya looked at the black-robed figure sitting in the seat that belonged to Cocolia.

So could you please ask this person to leave temporarily?

Moreover, Bronya felt that the person wearing the strange mask and black robe looked far too much like a villain.

This reminded Bronya of the rumors she had heard from people on the road on her way back to Kripper Castle...

Bronya preferred to believe that this person was just her mother's assistant, or the one who had bewitched her mother, rather than believe that Cocolia and the man in black had any other special relationship.

And who knows... he might be the mastermind behind the drastic change in his mother's personality.

The matter of the Star Core might also have something to do with his mother, and this man in black might be the mastermind behind it all?

Although Bronya had made up her mind, when she actually faced the situation, there was still a suspicion of self-deception.

“Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. Bronya, this is your Chen… this is your Uncle Sage. He’s a very reliable person, so feel free to speak your mind to him.” Cocolia introduced them to Bronya.

"???" Bronya tilted her head, utterly shocked.

Sage... Uncle?

Mom, you didn't actually find me a dad, did you?

Chapter 1682 Bronya: Mom, you actually yelled at me for a man?!

"The matter concerning the Iron Guard Forbidden Zone is quite simple to resolve, because after a long period of observation... don't ask me how I observed it, I just saw a gap. That sage is indeed a military genius, but his defenses only protect against the monsters from the outside, neglecting to prevent those inside from slipping out," Chen Luo said inside the mechanical house.

"I knew Chen Luo, you really do have a way. Where is that gap?"

"Was it that easy to break through the Iron Guard's restricted area?" Hiluva asked, somewhat surprised.

Hilva had originally planned to use her influence on the front lines to see if she could sneak out.

"Of course it's not that easy, but I did a lot of preparation beforehand. Do you remember the one of the ten commissions you did on March 10th, the one about delivering letters back and forth between a logistics officer and his daughter?"

"I remember, but what's the use?"

“A single commission isn’t very useful, but if you combine it with the fourth and fifth of the ten commissions I gave you, plus Hiluva’s Face Fruit, it’ll be fine. And once we get inside the restricted area, I have an excellent way to blend in!” Chen Luo said confidently.

"Confronting them head-on is so outdated. You guys don't actually think there's no other reason why I sent you 10 requests for help, do you?"

"Uh, I really thought you were just using us as laborers." Xing scratched his head.

"How could I be that kind of person?" Chen Luo waved his hand sheepishly.

“Alright, now that we have a plan, let’s not delay. Let’s set off once we’re ready,” said Hiluva.

Just as everyone was ready to leave the machine house, a commotion arose outside the door.

This made everyone a little wary, because the talismans Chen Luo gave to March 7 and the others had expired. Although the wanted posters for them were extremely abstract, what if they were recognized?

"Oh no, oh no, I forgot! My brother said he'd be coming today. You guys find somewhere to hide, I'll handle him." Hiluva said慌张地.

Cocolia's younger brother, Jepard, is a high-ranking officer in the Silvermane Iron Guards and is also in charge of the Iron Guards' penalty area front line.

This wave is going to be wiped out in one fell swoop.

March 7th and Xi'er both hid, but Chen Luo did not.

After being looked at by Shiluwa, Chen Luo became even more self-righteous.

"It's one thing for those wanted criminals to hide, but why should I, an ordinary citizen, hide? Besides, I know Jepard."

“Oh, I remember now, your name sounded familiar. You're the helpful citizen who reported Sambo and got him arrested, right? I've heard Pera mention you.” Silva recalled.

However, Pera did not tell Hilva about Chen Luo's acquaintance with the train crew and the fact that Bronya and the entire train crew were taken away by Sambo, and then Chen Luo was also taken to see Cocolia, because Hilva might not be interested in it.

“So, having me assist you will make it much easier for you to support Jepard. You'll be in charge of lying, and I'll be in charge of supporting you. Just appear as an apprentice from the mechanical shop, don’t forget. Um, I’ll go get the props first,” Chen Luo said.

“Okay then.” Hiluva thought Chen Luo’s words made a lot of sense.

After confirming that March 7th and Chen Luo were both in hiding and ready, Hilva opened the door to the mechanical house and welcomed Jepard inside.

Although Hiluva runs a mechanical shop, she doesn't open it often because the mechanical shop is just a hobby for her, while rock and roll is her main business and true passion.

Besides earning money, Hiluva can do almost any kind of work.

But besides making money.

“Jepard, you’re here! I thought the front lines were so tense that you wouldn’t have time to come, haha…” Shilvaya still seemed a little nervous, because Shilvaya wasn’t good at lying.

“Fortunately, the monsters’ offensive has eased somewhat lately. It’s strange, but we rarely see monsters on the front lines now, and thanks to the Sage’s defenses, the front lines are even more impregnable. I’ll go back to the city to take care of some things and return to the front lines later. Didn’t I tell you about this before?” Jepard said.

The reason why monsters are rarely seen on the front lines is probably because the monsters that appear in the Rift have been almost wiped out by the adventurers of Paradise.

Not only the front lines in Belleburg, but even the monsters deep in the icy, uninhabited areas were thoroughly wiped out.

Moreover, although Chen Luo hasn't planted the Breath Soil yet since he obtained it, he has reminded the adventurers in the Paradise to collect the monster corpses after killing them to use as fertilizer for the trees.

"Ah, oh right, that's true."

"Sis, you don't look well. Did something happen?" Jepard asked with concern.

"No, no, that's not true. Where did you get that idea?" Hiluva felt that her tone wasn't harsh at all.

“You don’t usually call me by my full name,” Jepard said.

“Hey, haven’t you always been annoyed by me calling you ‘brother’ in public? I think you’re right, it’s better to call you by your name normally, right, brother?” Hiluva said.

"..." Do you think I believe it or not?

"Hey, isn't this Jepard?" Chen Luo walked out from the side, holding a clock in his hand.

“You are… Chen Luo, what are you doing here?” Jepard’s attention was drawn to him.

“He is my apprentice at the machine shop,” Hiluva introduced.

"I'm an apprentice at Cocolia's mechanic shop, just trying to make a living. You might not believe it, but I'm actually a mechanic." Chen Luo said, deftly disassembling the antique clock in his hands into pieces, then finding replacement parts in the toolbox to repair it.

"It's just that my sister doesn't seem to treat me very well," Chen Luo muttered.

"Benefits? What benefits? Sis, you're not paying him less than the minimum wage, are you?" Jepard looked at Silva.

"No, no, it meets the minimum wage standard... No, I mean it's actually quite high, okay?" Hiluva felt that Chen Luo's reasoning was much better than hers, and Chen Luo's mechanical repair skills also seemed to have exceeded Hiluva's expectations.

Distracted by Chen Luo's appearance, Jepard didn't pay attention to that and continued talking to Shiluva.

“Call me whatever you want, sister. I’m here on official business today. The barrier device is malfunctioning, and the engineers in the army don’t know where to start. I’ll have to ask you to take a look,” Jepard said.

Hiluva was a very famous mechanic who designed many devices while on the front lines, and these devices are still in use there today.

“Those people are all inflexible in their thinking, of course they can’t understand my design. Hey, I thought it was something serious. Just leave it, I’ll fix it,” Hiluva said.

At the same time, Hiluva looked at Chen Luo with great surprise.

Hiluva remembered that Chen Luo had mentioned the word "repairing things" when he told her to use her "face" to her advantage.

Is it a coincidence, or...?

While repairing the clock, Chen Luo also picked up the limited edition Goethe Hotel kettle that Jepard wanted later. Since the plot here was too boring, Chen Luo turned his attention back to Cocolia.

“Bronya, don’t misunderstand. Your Uncle Sage is a very reliable person. I have no relationship with him other than a cooperative one.”

Clearly, Cocolia, who could utter such a statement, had heard some of the rumors circulating outside.

However, Cocolia didn't mind. After all, the new world would arrive soon, and these rumors would be meaningless then.

"...I'm not that old yet, Cocolia." Under the shroud of the black robe, Chen Luo's voice also changed slightly.

"That's not important."

“No, this is important. And Cocolia, instead of worrying about your Bronya’s sudden return, you should worry about what your daughter wants to tell you now. For example… about the Star Core. Your good daughter should have learned quite a bit in the Lower District.” Chen Luo said while handling official business.

That damn Cocolia, why did you give me all the official duties?

However, because of the commission, Chen Luo really had to help Cocolia finish these tasks, otherwise he wouldn't get any raw stones.

hateful!

"..." Upon hearing Chen Luo's words, both Cocolia and Bronya's expressions changed.

"Then report back to me what you've seen, Commander Bronya." When it came to the Star Core, Cocolia's tone instantly became more villainous than Chen Luo's.

Serious and cold.

But this is actually a different kind of protection.

In Cocolia's view, Bronya was still a child, and it was too early for her to come into contact with the Star Core.

“After the pursuit through the Edge Passage failed, I and the wanted outsider were somehow brought to the Lower Zone. We formed a temporary alliance under pressure from the environment and witnessed the rapid development of the Lower Zone with the help of a mysterious force. But most importantly, we later learned some truths from an ancient machine called Schwarz, the truth about the Star Core.” Bronya paused, waiting for her mother’s reaction.

“I’m listening…go on,” Cocolia said calmly.

“Lady Cocolia, I vouch for you with my integrity. Those extraterrestrial visitors are not the villains we previously imagined. I saw them draw their guns for justice, and I can confirm that they are indeed here for the Star Core, to avert the disaster it has brought to Beloberg.”

“Mother, you’ve always known the truth about the Star Core, haven’t you? I will one day come into contact with that knowledge, and one of the prices I have to pay to become a Guardian is to forever bear these secrets. So please forgive my offense, but I think ordering the extermination of outsiders was the wrong choice. The Builders have been waiting for hundreds of years to solve the problems caused by the Star Core, and those few might be…” Bronya’s tone became more and more agitated.

"Enough!" Cocolia suddenly spoke up, interrupting Bronya.

"!!!"

“Arrogance, ignorance… You disappoint me, Bronya. You’ve only glimpsed a corner of the snow mountain and think you’ve seen the truth. You’ve only gotten splashed with mud on the lower levels, yet you dare to question my orders?” Cocolia’s voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Don't yell at Bronya! She's still a child!" Chen Luo slammed his hand on the desk, sat down in his office chair, and looked up at Cocolia, who was standing diagonally above him.

“Why can’t we sit down and talk about this? Especially regarding the Star Core, Bronya should also have the right to know.” Chen Luo’s tone softened afterward.

"Shut up! Don't yell at Lady Cocolia! It must be you, right! Spreading rumors and causing trouble for the country! You didn't appear before the outsiders arrived, and you only appeared after the outsiders were wanted! You must have bewitched Lady Cocolia." Bronya pointed the finger directly at Chen Luo.

Because this person was dressed very much like a villain, a mastermind who didn't even dare to show his true face.

Especially that strange mask the other person was wearing...

"Bronya, don't yell at your Sage Uncle. And what about those rumors that spread misinformation and bring disaster to the country? Do you really know anything about the Sage? How dare you make such pronouncements?" Cocolia said coldly.

Cocolia acknowledged that Chen Luo was indeed a dangerous person.

However, the things Chen Luo helped him handle and the articles he issued in the past few days have played a significant role in improving the environment in Belleburg.

The arrival of the new world cannot be stopped, nor should it be stopped, but it is also the duty of Cocolia, the Great Guardian, to make life better for the people of Beloborg before the new world arrives.

"Lady Cocolia, you actually yelled at me for his sake?" Bronya looked at Cocolia in disbelief.

"Knock knock knock!" A knocking sound rang out at the door.

After waiting for three seconds, Tie Wei pushed the door open and entered.

"Lady Cocolia, the carriage ordered by the Sage is ready," the Iron Guard said.

After saying that, the guard left tactfully, closing the door behind him.

After watching the Iron Guard leave, Cocolia looked at Chen Luo.

“I have no idea where I’m going next,” Cocolia asked.

“Bronya is ready to confront the truth, and there’s no point in hiding it from her anymore. The child is grown up now,” Chen Luo explained.

"Hmph, don't give orders to the Iron Guards without my permission next time. I'll let it slide this time. Come with me, Bronya," Cocolia said after glaring at Chen Luo.

"Take care, and don't bother seeing me off." Chen Luo waved his hand.

“You come too.” Cocolia grabbed Chen Luo’s collar.

"Huh? What are you doing? Let me tell you, I have a lot of official business to attend to," Chen Luo said, tugging at the corner of his desk.

Chen Luo's commission is not yet complete. He wants to finish the commission before watching the show.

Otherwise, it would be really painful to watch a play while handling official business.

“These things don’t matter. Let’s go, Bronya. This dying world needs you to hear her voice.” Cocolia dragged Chen Luo by the collar as they passed Bronya.

Bronya watched Chen Luo and Cocolia leave, both dressed in black robes, with a complex expression.