Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

Bronya, who also felt bitter about the future, followed him slowly like a lost child, neither speaking nor willing to leave.

This made the atmosphere between the two of them seem particularly depressing.

It can be seen that Bronya struggled several times, but ultimately she couldn't make up her mind.

Wendy paused for a moment at that expression of being abandoned, and Bronya, distracted, bumped into his emerald green robe and stumbled forward.

The young man supported the swan girl who had lost her former confidence and pride, and looked into her dimmed eyes. The emptiness in them needed someone to fill.

Finally, he sighed and said.

"——I feel a bit bored on the road. Would you like to listen to my story? I think the way of thinking in it is quite good and may be able to provide you with some help."

"I'm sorry, I'm too indecisive."

Knowing that she had done something wrong, Bronya subconsciously apologized, and then spoke again.

"Please tell me. If it's a story that Wendy tells, I'll definitely listen to it."

"Thank you so much for your support. This time, it's a serious story that makes people think. But before that, I think we need to establish a consensus first."

"……consensus?"

Perhaps realizing that the next topic would determine the fate of the city, Bronya did not break free from Wendy's hand, but looked at him with serious eyes.

"Our goal, or rather, our original intention, is to ensure the survival of everyone in Beloberg, rather than simply continue to fight among ourselves in the face of a 'formidable enemy' until a tragic end, right?"

Wendy changed her previous nonchalant attitude and seemed to be extremely serious.

It is often only at this time that Bronya can especially feel the depth of Wendy's obsession, and that he is not always as calm as he appears on the surface.

More importantly, he gave himself the choice to not have to follow the rules and to witness hope.

She was well aware of the consequences of this choice, and knew the difficult life it would lead to. But this responsibility belonged to her, and Wendy couldn't always help her. It would be shameful to continue to avoid it.

To this, Bronya nodded firmly.

"I agree with you on this point."

"That's good. As long as this consensus remains, I don't think we'll end up in a worst-case scenario."

Wendy's originally tense expression suddenly relaxed, and she showed a gentle smile.

"Then please listen to this story for the time being—"

Chapter 35 Thunder and Rain

"The story begins with a woman and a man making a bet."

"Bet..." Bronya frowned slightly, but Wendy ignored her and continued.

"The man said to the woman: If you can guess the top card in the deck, you win. If you guess wrong, I win, and I will take all your property.

To this the woman replied: "I understand. But if I win, you have to return all the money you cheated from my lover."

The man had no objection to this. After he had set up the deck, he asked the woman to tell him the name of the card on top of the deck. She guessed: Ace of Hearts.

Wendy looked at Bronya, who seemed a little confused by the story, and continued to tell the story without rushing to explain.

“Perhaps by luck, or perhaps by fate, the top card was the Ace of Hearts. So, as agreed, the woman recovered all of her lover’s debts.

Her lover asked her: "It's fine if you win, but what if you lose? Why did you agree to such an unfavorable bet?"

In his opinion, the possibility of guessing the correct card among all the cards is too low, and it is not worth it for a woman to bet all her wealth on it.

And the woman would answer like this: "Unfavorable? How is it unfavorable? Isn't winning or losing just a matter of winning or losing, one of the two?"

Facing Bronya, who already had a thoughtful look on her face, Wendy also explained this.

“The difference in this little story is that the man is talking about probability and the woman is talking about fate.

But, in my opinion, the most remarkable thing about this story is that

When you are faced with a truly crucial choice that is life-changing, there is no such thing as moderation.

It's either one or two, you have to make a decision. It's impossible to satisfy everyone, and your mother may have chosen the future she wanted in this way."

These words brought back some memories for Bronya. She took out the medal of honor that was awarded to her by the city builders and then worn by her mother. The stone in the middle that emitted a light blue glow was taken from the purest earth marrow crystal.

It is both a valuable asset like gold and proof of her past honors.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't carry such an item that could easily reveal her identity when she comes to the lower area, but it has a very important meaning to Bronya.

It reminds her of her mother's teachings in the past -

The one who taught her to be tolerant and to cherish the kindness in people's hearts since she was a child...the gentle person who tried to illuminate others even if he was just a ray of light.

Once upon a time, the mother who burned like a bonfire and brought warmth and light to others was the person she admired most.

But she neglected one thing. Under that overly heavy longing, she actually never really understood her mother.

Just like Shirley, who believed until the very end that Minister Stepan had not deceived her even when the situation was collapsing.

She also so unilaterally trusted her mother, viewing the advice and suffering of others as a challenge to her loyalty to the Great Guardian, and firmly believed that as long as she followed the path drawn by her mother and herself, she would be able to reach a happy future for her people.

When she stopped to think now, she realized that she had long lost sight of her mother's back.

She didn't even know when it started, but her mother always liked to look up into the depths of the wind and snow, as if everything below the city had nothing to do with her.

Her people could not make her happy, angry, sad or afraid. There was only endless emptiness in her eyes.

...Thinking in this way, Bronya finally understood something.

Perhaps, the fire of mother's faith had long been extinguished in this long, bone-chilling despair.

Because she knew better than anyone the desperate situation that Beloberg was facing, but she could do nothing to change it.

She became anxious and irritable, no longer listening to others' advice. She kept trying to fight against the injustice of fate through human means.

Even if this action is no longer wise, it is as crazy as a trapped beast fighting to the end.

This unprecedented clarity of mind made her feel a little regretful and hate her own slowness.

The only thing to be thankful for is that it’s not too late to wake up now——

She closed her eyes and let out a soft breath. Sadness and relief surged through her heart, a complex mix of emotions, but there was absolutely no hesitation.

That's right, she will not deny the wrong things her mother has done, but she will also take responsibility for them and make amends.

When people come out of the wind and snow, she is willing to step into the outside world and end her life like the first generation of great guardians in the past, declaring that Beloberg will not be strangled by personal will.

But before that - she cannot stop, she must, must strive for a brighter future for her people.

Now, the time for change has come for Beloberg, and the haze and snow that have shrouded the city for more than 700 years are about to be blown away.

She will witness this historic moment with her own eyes and make the decision for it!

Just as Bronya was about to tell Wendy her answer, he put his finger to his lips and winked playfully.

"Leave this answer over there along with the previous question and tell me later."

Yes, Wendy had asked her before, what kind of happiness did the people of Beloberg pursue...

Is this what they mean, where you get the question, there you get the answer?

Just like a child, this behavior of pursuing a sense of ritual.

In response, Bronya just nodded. She didn't mind ending her trip there.

...But just when the two of them were halfway there.

A light purple figure rushed over, and her identity could be recognized at a glance because of the sickle she was holding.

"Xi'er? Why are you here?"

Bronya asked subconsciously.

Being called by her name so intimately gave Xier goose bumps all over her body. She rubbed her arms quickly and said with some disgust: "Hey, what's wrong with you? How come you become like this after just a while?"

She opened her mouth, but because of her low level of education she didn't know what words to use to describe it.

The kind poet added in a low voice: "Sentimental."

"Uh...what do you mean by love? I haven't learned this word before, it's a little hard to pronounce."

After accidentally revealing her education level, Seele glanced at Bronya with a little shame, and after realizing that she had no intention of making fun of her, she turned and said.

"Anyway, I came looking for you because I heard from Goldie that you went to the Mechanical Settlement to inquire about the sisters living in the Rift Realm. I figured you two were just too bored to bother asking about it."

"It's a casserole..." Bronya reminded in a low voice, but Seele pouted.

"Stop talking nonsense. In the lower levels, they're just talking about sandbags! And the problem isn't that, it's the two of you: a powerless singing street performer and a young lady who has no idea how to fight.

If they do find out something and something happens in the Rift, I'll have to clean up your mess in the end, so I just thought I'd come over and take a look, but I didn't expect to run into you two idiots."

Perhaps understanding her tsundere behavior, Bronya's originally puzzled look softened.

"I see. Thank you for your concern, Xier."

This made Xier feel even more creepy. What was wrong with this woman? It had only been a short time since she left, but she seemed to have become her "sister" mentally.

Being looked down upon like this by others and yet still showing such an expression, could it be that he is a guy with that kind of fetish?

This made Xier quickly hide beside Wendy, as if she could only find some sense of security by being with him who had not changed at all.

"Perhaps this is some kind of fate? At least the three of us can continue to move forward together and not be too lonely."

Wendy was happy to witness the progress of their friendship.

"Let me think about what kind of music I should use to liven up this journey—"

It’s just a pity that the two listeners were not very obedient.

Seele still had a look of disgust on her face, and Bronya wanted to do something, but she was dodging him and there was nothing she could do.

In the end, Wendy had to take back Feilin in disappointment and talked to Xier about the sisters.

"So, has anyone really lived there?"

Xier frowned, not knowing what she was thinking.

“They must have had a very hard time…”

Bronya felt a little depressed.

"That's because——"

When Xier was about to retort and mock the great guardian of the upper area, Wendy gently pulled her hand, signaling her not to provoke the other party anymore.

This was the first time Wendy had such an intimate interaction with her in private. The overly innocent girl suddenly lost her temper, and her ears turned red as if they had been scalded in a pot.

My heart was pounding, drowning out all other sounds. "Ah..." It took me a while to calm down.

Bronya, who noticed Seele's shyness, felt some ripples in her heart, but the unspoken meaning in her words also made her feel a little guilty.

But this guilt soon turned into a kind of determination.

She has decided to make amends to the people in the lower class and will never stand idly by like she did before.

As for self-seeking...these are just irrelevant things.

During the conversation, the three of them returned to the quiet Rivet Town again.

Chapter 36 I Really Want to Punch Wendy

Rivet Town.

This is also a place Wendy has been visiting frequently recently, but this is not a stage suitable for performances, but a deserted town full of monsters wandering around.

According to Bronya, she heard the girl's voice on her way back, and the source of the voice was in a small house that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

The three of them arrived there following the route they took before. Just as mentioned before, the humble little house was just an inconspicuous corner of the background in the hazy night.

Even when Xier went closer to check, she found no signs of recent human life.

However, Bronya had an idea. She mentioned that she wanted to go to the street where the large mechanical garbage factory was that she had heard about before.

This is a somewhat dangerous proposal. The fundamental reason why that place has become the home of scrapped automatic robots is that monsters from the Rift are wandering there.

Judging from the current paper strength of these people, it seems a bit unacceptable.