CHIH Chapters 51-60(Fixed) (Patreon)

Chapter 51: When the Pigeon Author Opens the livestream Room

Another live demonstration was presented, which seemed more like CG animation than actual footage.

However, compared to previous CG depictions of the shattered war, this one appeared somewhat rougher.

It was precisely because of this that the words "real gameplay demonstration" carried a greater sense of authenticity.

With the promotional video released, the task of promotion was now entirely entrusted to Schicksal.

After all, they possessed a wider reach and could rapidly propagate the game to an unprecedented extent. From small bus stations to the massive screens atop Times Square, Schicksal's promised channels of promotion seemed effective.

But Bronie couldn't help but wonder, wasn't Schicksal worried about financial losses?

Bronie's question lingered, yet if Otto were aware, he would merely dismiss it with a smile.

Otto believed Bronie deserved such promotion. Whether it was the heartfelt storylines of Undertale, the existential ponderings prompted by the Spiritfarer, the insights into contemporary civilization led by the game Civilization, or the emotional rollercoaster designed to accompany the players' in Getting Over it With Haxxor Bunny, all aspects showcased Bronie's genius in game production.

However, limited by technical constraints, if Bronie had the magical engine provided by Schicksal, creating a masterpiece would undoubtedly be effortless.

Indeed, Otto's assessment was correct, and Amber's concerns were unfounded.

Amber would occasionally check on the game's progress, only to be greeted with a variety of fantastical monsters.

Initially skeptical of Bronie's endeavors, Amber found reassurance in the astonishing efficiency of production.

Nonetheless, Otto couldn't escape Amber's occasional lectures. Otto's lifestyle as the Overseer had become increasingly casual, perhaps stemming from contemplations prompted by Spiritfarer.

Had Otto contemplated matters of life and death, or had he stumbled upon something else entirely?

"Lord Otto, the Elden Ring has entered the pre-order phase, and both promotional videos have been released, sparking widespread discussions online. Bronie intends to capitalize on the children of Shenzhou having Lunar New Year money."

"So fast-paced in development?" Otto expressed surprise. Bronie had emailed, pledging to create a game requiring at least a hundred hours of gameplay. Yet, such a production typically took upwards of a year, a timeframe sufficient for significant events within Otto's lifespan, but substantial for the world of the Honkai, given the increased frequency of subsequent Honkai outbreaks.

In a year, there might be enough Herrscher born for future contingencies, a testament to the information preserved by the previous civilization.

"Yes, and the gameplay demonstration showcased a wealth of content, igniting a Western fantasy frenzy in the internet."

"I'm familiar with the Western fantasy genre, with swords, magic, and dragons. It seems Bronie aims to create a standard game akin to Homu's Dragon Quest. However, Homu's Dragon Quest is a pixel RPG. I wonder to what extent our game engine can achieve."

"I won't delve into the game's CG; it's clearly depicting the world's background. The design of the blue puppet is intriguing, especially its gestures and the symbolism behind its four hands."

Otto clicked on the Gameplay demonstration. Beneath the canopy of a golden tree, the protagonist slowly awakened in the corrupted land. Subsequently, the promotional video unveiled various scenes, from swampy wetlands to dilapidated battlefields and aerial ruins. Otto found himself surprised by the apparent realism of the demonstration, yet he watched attentively.

Soon, the protagonist whistled, summoning a horse, and embarked on his journey.

The camera followed him through the borderlands, encountering brief skirmishes with other mounted adversaries.

Dungeons, grotesque monsters, towering castles, and ominous demons guarding castle gates were among the scenes showcased.

Following the scene display, battles ensued, featuring swordplay, parrying, acrobatic counterattacks, weapon skills, and magic, all accompanied by flashy effects and Radagon's exhilarating battle music.

It was as if the protagonist embodied oneself, wielding learned combat techniques and magic to save the world and conquer the battlefield!

Later, it was time for the boss showcase. Dragons, werewolves, Malenia from the previous storyline CG, and the twisted Godrick were all elements showcased in the video made from the gameplay demonstration.

"Amber."

"Do you have any orders, Lord Otto?"

"Is this really the gameplay demonstration?"

"Yes, Miss Bunny said this is indeed the real gameplay demonstration, a promotional video edited from in-game footage."

"Is this still our magical engine?"

Otto watched the fleeting segments, and the high-quality visuals were flawless in terms of lighting, shadowing, and foliage details. But because the visuals were too good, with too many details, and each boss's effects were so abundant, Otto couldn't help but have doubts.

"Indeed, after thorough examination by Schicksal Entertainment, the game engine is indeed our magical engine."

"Sigh, maybe Kallen Fantasy mainly accumulated so much material over time, making it so exquisite, but I didn't expect that just a game engine could immediately bridge this gap for Bronie. It's interesting. I'm starting to look forward to this game."

Otto also had fantasies of wielding swords and magic to save the world. Although such fantasies were long gone, watching this promotional video made Otto feel somewhat exhilarated. How could Bronie, a girl, understand games and the elements boys love so well?

"Lord Otto, let me remind you, playing games should be moderate. The matter of the real Kiana Kaslana, Lady Bianka should not be delayed because of this!"

"I know, and also, she is now called Bianka, no longer Kiana."

"Understood..."

Otto knew that after careful recuperation, the child was almost recovered and was now studying basic knowledge in the sanatorium.

With the important bloodlines of Schariac and Kaslana, her future would certainly not be ordinary. So Otto would nurture her well, using Schicksal's best resources and education to train her into a hero to resist the Honkai.

"I still know how to distinguish between important and trivial matters when it comes to games."

Compared to the concrete information Otto had, most people online actually didn't believe in such Gameplay demonstrations.

How should they put it?

The highest quality graphics are unprecedented in the gaming industry.

Even if such graphics exist, how many computers can handle them?

Most people had such thoughts.

Therefore, most people didn't quite believe in the visuals of Gameplay demonstrations.

There's even a saying circulating on the internet:

"If there's any authenticity in the Gameplay demonstration, then Bronie wouldn't have fallen from grace. It's difficult to believe now!"

Of course, there were still many believers, but in the atmosphere of people echoing each other's opinions online, rational voices were instantly drowned out by discussions about Bronie's fall from grace, and there was hardly any ripple.

But the key was Bronie herself.

There was hardly any activity on the game producer's social media accounts. Apart from occasionally posting unclear scenic pictures that resembled CG, there was hardly any activity.

The automatic replies were still the same irresponsible 'In progress!', giving the impression that Bronie was very adept at procrastination.

However, amidst the intense discussions, the day of the game's release gradually arrived.

Of course, there were many pre-orders, and pre-order players could play this game three days in advance, which could be said to be the only meaningful benefit of pre-ordering.

There were also many players who chose to believe in Bronie, Walter being one of them.

Being a teacher actually had its perks. When students were on vacation, Walter could take paid leave.

And during the winter and summer vacations, it was Walter's time to binge-play Homu's Great Adventure.

But drawing was still tiring, and when the game came out, Walter had more reasons to slack off.

Pre-ordering the game, waiting for its release, and seeing that the download content was nearly 50GB, Walter knew that Bronie's advertising was indeed not false.

How many games on Sbeam could have such a large capacity?

Currently, the largest single-player games on the market were at most around 10GB, and 20GB was already pushing it. Even Kallen Fantasy, with its meager 30GB, had very little content.

Walter started downloading the game. But as he was downloading the game, he received an invitation from the game creator's account.

Clicking on it, it was from Schicksal Entertainment!

Strictly speaking, it was the video website Pilibili, which was under Schicksal Entertainment, about to launch a livestream event.

As the author of Homu's Great Adventure, Walter would undoubtedly receive countless attention.

All he had to do was play the game during the livestream.

And it was Elden Ring.

What's more, the livestream came with earnings. Nowadays, the earnings from online livestreams were constantly increasing, and some powerful anchors were even making millions a month.

Walter thought, is there such a good thing?

Now he could get more money to subsidize Anti Entropy, and it was from Schicksal.

So after a little thought, Walter decided to really open the livestream to play this game. As soon as he opened the livestream, countless viewers flooded in, coupled with Schicksal Entertainment's promotion, directly pushing Walter's livestream room to the top of the entire site.

Walter, who was livestreaming for the first time, was a little shy. He didn't even turn on his own camera in the livestream room, and the video screen was still showing the status of downloading the game.

50GB, it would definitely take some time to download, so during this time, Walter had ample time to familiarize himself with the live streaming.

Talking about the progress of the painting of Homu's Adventure, Walter's responses were mostly 'in progress.'

"Oh, it's done. The game is downloaded. With such a large game, I think there should be no problem with the Gameplay demonstration in the promotional video, so let's start playing!"

[Yay!]

[I knew it! How could the promotional video deceive us? I don't know which crazy people are shouting every day. What Bunny's talent is exhausted? I think this game will be great!!!]

[Exactly, those crazy people have had enough!]

Public opinion often changes suddenly.

Void Scouting also came out, and those who previously criticized Bronie were now being bombarded.

But the key was that no one mentioned these things in Walter's livestream room.

"Okay, let's put unpleasant things behind us and start the game. Huh? What's this?"

When Walter opened the game, he saw a progress bar with the symbol of a Bunny.

"Bunny Anti-cheat. Can this game still be played online? It seems that Bunny doesn't want to settle for the simple online mode like Civilization this time. Even the Elden Ring can be played online. I'm starting to look forward to it. The collision of swords and magic in the player versus player battles must be very interesting."

Because the Homu IP was quite extensive, there was even a very famous game called Homu's Dragon Quest on it. So this thing called Homu was somewhat related to Western fantasy RPG games.

[What about balance? What should be done about balance?]

[If there's really PvP, the differences in professions should be significant, right?]

[We'll only know that after entering the game, but... there are profession selections.]

There weren't many professions to choose from in Elden Ring.

"Each profession still follows the warrior, mage, priest, and archer system, but Bunny has made some differentiation. For example, the Wanderer is a typical knight, but the differences in attributes for Swordsmen and Heroes might be more significant in terms of specialization."

Walter was the kind of person who liked to study settings in detail.

Otherwise, when he and Bronya worked together to make the Arahato game, there wouldn't be such a large collection of lore settings that made people's heads spin.

"Sure enough, there are differences in attributes, and even differences in levels. It seems that Bronie has incorporated the game's simple and difficult options into the game. Otherwise, it would be strange to see such strange professions in the options. But the 'Deprived' attributes are too balanced, aren't they?"

All attributes were ten points, but the basic level was only 1, with no equipment at all, yet the attributes weren't too specialized.

This setting was quite interesting.

[Choose Assassin, choose Assassin!]

[No, no, no, it definitely looks like a Mage when you look at Observer, that profession is obviously a mage!]

"Generally speaking, according to the logic of game production, choosing a knight is the most balanced and the most suitable for beginners. As for other genres, we'll study them slowly when we have time in the future, but this time, let's start with a knight!"

Then came the Character Customization process, which stumped Walter.

How should he put it?

Although there was a Character Customization system, such things were still rare in the gaming world.

"Our knights all wear helmets, so let's use random templates, but let's name him Homu Knight!"

[Lazy as always, so many days without updates for Homu's Adventure, is this laziness or what!]

[The Character Customization is in progress!]

[You're just lazy, I know!]

"Okay! This saves a lot of time, but I didn't expect that we still need to receive initial items at the beginning. But it seems that these initial items should be relatively easy to obtain, yet not useless during the journey. So let's get this! Stonesword key, this kind of ticket-like thing looks very promising!"

The game officially began.

Then the game entered the CG segment. This was the complete version of the CG video released in the promotional video.

"The fallen leaves tell a story..."

Chapter 52: Facing Strong Enemies

"Tsk tsk tsk, this oil painting style opening, you can tell that Haxxor Bunny is really serious about this game, and this style is obviously more realistic than fantasy. Another important point is that this game is categorized as 12+, so children should watch the livestream with parental guidance."

Walter reminded the audience while watching the opening CG, indicating the game contains bloody content that may make young players uncomfortable.

This point was mentioned at the beginning, but the reminder was quite subtle.

[Okay okay, I've called my parents!]

[The epic feeling of this opening, truly worthy of Haxxor Bunny, perfectly grasping the players' emotions.]

[Skip! Skip!]

Ignoring some of the comments, Walter felt the same epic sensation.

Because of that oil painting style, the details were abundant, and the music, symphonically played, created a grand feeling, quickly immersing people into the game.

"It seems that those people introduced earlier are likely the enemies we will face in the future. Okay, our game has started. Actually, I've had many collaborations in the gaming industry. I participated in the Homu series and the Arahato series. And this beginning, making us go on a mission to become the Elden Lord, this heavy mission becomes the players' initial and most important motivation, It's very good."

The character is on a church.

In a corner of the church, a corpse lies on the ground, with a message and an item left behind.

"Furlcalling Finger Remedy? Used to write messages and spread them to other worlds... So this is the online aspect of the game?"

[What does it mean? Other players can see messages written on the ground?]

"Pre-ordered players are here, this finger is used like this, to write messages on the ground, but they can't be too detailed. However, other players can like the messages, and the likes received can restore a bit of health and mana to the player."

[Wow, is this an online mode? So amazing!?]

"So this is a novel way of online play, leaving messages and then helping each other. In this unknown world, countless players help each other and then clear the game. It's really worthy of Haxxor Bunny to come up with such gameplay."

Saying that, Walter pushed open the doors of the church and saw a vast expanse in the distance.

"The Chapel of Anticipation? It seems we are anticipating it after all. From the beginning, we have been given a great mission, and in the future, we will be the kings of this land! Look at that distant golden tree, that is probably our goal."

A haze covered the distance, but soon new messages appeared on the ground.

"Hidden obstacles ahead, Jump."

"I didn't expect us to encounter messages left by other players so soon. This ID... Haxxor Bunny? How come someone else took the creator's name? But there are hidden obstacles ahead, did someone know so quickly? Maybe it's really the game creator."

[Jump! Jump quickly!]

"Will there really be hidden obstacles? Yeah, this is indeed a bit suspicious... Wait, there seems to be more bloodstains around!"

Just as Walter was hesitating whether to jump or not, bloodstains began to appear around him.

Upon closer inspection, he found that the bloodstains could be interacted with.

When he pressed confirm, Walter saw a red phantom appear at the cliff's edge, hesitating for a long time before finally leaping!

The phantom disappeared.

"Is this a message left by other players after they died? And this one?"

Similarly, another player, after leaping, spun back as if there was something tangible below, but soon he fell off the cliff.

[Hahaha!]

[I didn't expect there would be death messages too. Once you lose face, it will definitely be seen by others, right?]

[Poor player, the ground is covered in blood, why are the likes for the message so high?

There are thousands of likes!]

"High likes might be due to that kind of mentality, like after experiencing this game together with Haxxor Bunny, players would want to recommend this game to others, watching others suffer like themselves."

[That's true, can't stand to see only oneself jumping down, right?]

[But what if?]

[Yeah! What if there really are hidden obstacles?]

When this "what if" was spoken by the audience, the situation took on a different flavor.

"Yeah, what if there really are hidden obstacles? Then wouldn't it be a loss?

...as if! Indeed, the person who left this message must be a very, very bad person. They accurately grasped the players' indifferent attitude towards character death, completed their prank, and to spread such a mentality. I won't fall for it!"

After adjusting his glasses, Walter started controlling his character to walk up the stairs.

But then he turned back to check his surroundings. He circled around the church and found a locked door.

So he could only turn back near the cliff.

"Could there really be hidden elements there?" Walter's brow furrowed as he looked around, realizing this place wasn't just a simple starting point or a newbie village. They would return here in the future, meaning, according to the game developer's logic, there might indeed be hidden elements here!

[Perhaps we need to progress further in the plot to come back? Anyway, I haven't found the way back yet.]

[If we look at it logically, there might indeed be hidden elements here?]

The wind shifted.

And Walter shifted his focus to the edge of the cliff. "The only possible hidden spot is that small platform below, but I don't know what will happen if I jump down."

[Jump!]

[Jump quickly!]

Amidst the crowd urging him on, Walter indeed jumped straight down. Then the screen went black, and his character returned to the Chapel.

[Hahaha!]

[It's over, went crazy right from the start.]

[Since we can still refund now, should we?]

"No, my mindset isn't shattered. I just didn't expect Haxxor Bunny, the producer, to teach me another lesson. Originally, I thought the messages were for mutual help in finding paths and clearing the game. I thought it would greatly shorten the game process, but I didn't expect it to be like this. I overestimated human nature, and Haxxor Bunny understands human nature too well."

Turning back, he immediately liked the message.

The meaning was left for other players to experience it themselves.

Then Walter looked at other death messages, finally understanding the mindset of the players who jumped back then.

It was interesting, truly very interesting.

Despite being a simple yet rough player interactions, it was like the white space in a landscape painting, seemingly crude but actually quite exquisite, sparking endless imagination within.

"Alright, now that we understand this interactive mechanism, we need to be more careful in the future. Let's move forward."

Descending the stairs, he arrived at an open area.

A massive statue stood there, but soon, there was another scene transition.

"Oh! What's this! Grafted Scion? Is this the first boss we encounter? It's a monster with many hands!"

Walter began rolling and attempting to counterattack with his shield.

But the Grafted Scion's desire to attack was strong, and its frequency was fast. The clumsy protagonist was completely overwhelmed from an attribute perspective and winning on the first encounter was almost impossible.

"Blocking with the shield consumes stamina, and rolling attacks also consume it. It seems this stamina bar determines what we can do and how much. No, it hurts!"

Walter cried out in pain, feeling immense agony without any healing potions.

But at a critical moment, Walter raised his shield as the Grafted Scion attacked, producing the sound of metal collision.

"Is this... Oh, it seems to be parrying and counterattacking?

If successful, it can give the opponent a significant stagger time, but if this is meant to be a tutorial, it's too difficult..."

Walter hurriedly began attacking, but the Grafted Scion quickly recovered and resumed its frenzied attacks.

Under the intense assault like a storm, the screen went black.

"It was a scripted death. But considering that we'll come back in the future, we'll definitely get revenge. So, revenge will have to wait until later. Just wait, I'll take him down! But that monster, its design is quite interesting, with its body composed entirely of arms, yet adorned with a luxurious cape and golden weapon, representing its noble status. Are all the nobles in this world so eccentric?"

[So, this world needs a protagonist to save it!]

[To place such a monster at the entrance of the Waiting King's church, and a noble at that, what does it imply?]

[I see, it's actually a struggle for the throne!]

"Is it really a struggle for the throne? It seems there's a bit of meaning behind it. Alright, we've obtained blood vials and mana potions. It seems each item has a lot of descriptive text, but we won't look into it now. Let's officially start the game!"

However, soon another specter began coaxing Walter to jump into a pit.

Fortunately, this time he could see how deep the pit was, and he also avoided the messages left by other players on the side.

As a result, he jumped in, and true game guidance and newbie tutorials began.

The overall process was very simple, and finally, they fought a fully armored soldier.

Seeing the comments left by a group of people at the exit of the newbie dungeon, "It's actually a soldier," Walter smiled knowingly.

"The map design is quite interesting. Although it seems to twist and turn over such a long distance, it turns out to come back. It seems the dungeon part will be the focus in the game."

[Are you a great prophet?]

[Don't be silly, the broadcaster is also a seasoned veteran player. How could they not understand this?]

[The stone sword key is used to unlock the dungeon. Looking forward to the first dungeon.]

"Is the stone sword key really used for this? Well, it doesn't matter. Let's move on. The game officially starts now. I've had enough of this gloomy underground."

Having learned how to execute and how to use skills to create staggers, Walter felt confident that he could at least have a fifty-fifty chance against the Grafted Scion next time.

After resting at a blessing point and obtaining an item for multiplayer use, he rode an elevator and opened a door.

Then everything became clear.

[Limgrave]

"Wow, it seems the trailers are all true. The mountains, the grass, these details, and this time there's a beam of light as guidance. It seems our tasks ahead are very simple, just follow the light all the way."

The livestream room exploded.

After all, this game truly had no false advertising, which means those who pre-ordered the game and downloaded it would get to experience the fantasy world of swords and magic earlier!

What about those guys setting the hate rhythm earlier?

They're no longer important now. What more is there to say at this point? Is Haxxor Bunny out of ideas?

No, Haxxor Bunny's time is just beginning. In less than a year, they've produced such a game.

What's next?

"Alright, I've stopped listening to that masked man babble on for half a day. Now I understand the background of this game. If I want to know the full story, I'll have to search for it myself. Let's follow the Light of the Grace to reach the next target!"

Walter grew a bit impatient with the white-masked man's excessive settings.

He ridiculed Walter right from the start, saying he couldn't possibly become the Elden Lord.

But who is he?

The protagonist of the game. If the protagonist of Elden Ring can't become the Lord, who can?

To avoid breaking the storyline, Walter ultimately didn't attempt to attack the man in front of him but chose to move away from the area and follow the guidance to the next location.

The map was large, and wandering aimlessly wouldn't be a problem.

But as the CG said, there are horses, so if they relied only on their legs, who knows how long it would take?

But if they got a horse, then they could go wherever they wanted, regardless of the guidance!

However, in the direction indicated by the grace, there was a huge golden knight wandering around.

Walter hesitated.

"Um, is it normal to have such a guy on our path?"

[Such a big knight!]

[Now that you're a seasoned veteran, why don't you prove yourself by defeating this knight!]

[The boss at the entrance of the newbie village shouldn't be too difficult, right?]

Indeed, Walter also estimated that the boss's difficulty wouldn't be too high, considering they were still in the earliest stage of the game.

"Then let's give it a try. This knight's design is quite interesting, with a body covered in golden armor and equipment. He looks like a holy knight."

[Tree Sentinel]

The Tree Sentinel spotted Walter and then charged at him on horseback, wielding a spear the size of a pillar.

"I'll dodge!"

Walter, as a Herrscher, couldn't possibly fail to dodge such an obvious charge, right?

But after dodging, Walter suddenly realized an embarrassing fact that he couldn't catch up to the knight. There was no chance for a counterattack.

[You died]

After finally catching up and landing a couple of hits, who knew the knight would disregard fairness, raise his shield with both hands, and slam it down hard on the ground, with an incredibly wide range of attack!

Then Walter returned to the Site of Grace with a baffled expression, and then looked into the distance at the cliff.

The golden knight seemed to look like as if nothing had happened, It was still wandering there. And at this moment, there were other players' messages on the ground.

[Tough enemy ahead, take long way around.]

Chapter 53: Margit the Fell Omen and Discouraging Tree Sentinel

【Give up.】

【It's a formidable foe! It's a formidable foe!】

【I did it!】

As time passed, Walter found himself reading numerous messages.

Some urged other players to give up.

Yet others celebrated their own success!

And they appeared to be doing so without wearing any equipment.

This left Walter feeling somewhat speechless.

Were all players this dedicated nowadays? The difficulty of controlling game characters was quite high, and it was only thanks to his quick reflexes that he managed to hold his own against the Tree Sentinel for a few rounds.

But how were other players able to defeat their opponents without wearing any equipment?

To be honest, Walter wasn't entirely sure.

Seeing that he dropped all his Runes upon death, Walter finally understood the death penalty in this game.

Fortunately, he could still retrieve the Runes, although he might encounter the affection of the Tree Sentinel again.

However, upon reflection, Walter considered that he could bypass the Tree Sentinel. Perhaps this opponent wasn't one he could face at his current level?

With this thought in mind, Walter circled around his opponent, using the map to determine the direction of the next Blessed Guiding.

"Che, boring!"

Kiana was also watching the livestream and had even called Bronie over to watch with her.

After all, this was a game made by Bronie!

During the time Bronie had been making the game, Kiana had relied on Homu's Adventure and Homu's Dragon Quest to pass the time.

It must be said that Walter's plot creation was indeed very popular with children. It was full of passion and friendship, and the overall atmosphere of the plot was positive, without any frivolous elements.

Except for the somewhat childish art style, everything else was acceptable.

Of course, another reason Bronie was tempted to watch the livestream was that Bronie knew Walter was the author of Homu's Adventure, and had even broadcasted the livestream in the Elysian Realm.

Elisha was also watching, but unfortunately, it was difficult to interact. After all, there were so many viewers and so many message.

And Walter directly avoiding a battle, dodging the Tree Sentinel.

Kiana also understood the style of the game now, like the very difficult game "Getting Over It With Haxxor Bunny".

"Don't worry, the Tree Sentinel is just an elite monster that looks a bit tougher. It can't be considered a boss. The real challenges lie ahead, and some of them can't be avoided. But how do you feel about this game?"

"Awesome~"

Although she didn't see any cute girls that Kiana liked, the overall feeling was cool.

The vast open world, exquisite art style, fantasy setting of swords and magic, and those huge enemies.

Kiana knew that if she could defeat such enemies, it would be such an achievement.

"Exactly! It's so cool!"

Bronie was very pleased with Kiana's praise, and Kiana knew that, so she praised him a few more times when there was nothing else to do.

The two got along very well.

As for Siegfried?

Siegfried was already playing Elden Ring.

He was currently locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Tree Sentinel, but looking at him scratching his head, who knows how many times he had died.

"In fact, you can deflect some moves by parrying with the shield, and you can also dodge shockwaves by jumping. The Tree Sentinel's resilience is relatively low. Execute him a few more times, and you can kill him."

"I know that! But what's wrong with the design of this Tree Sentinel? Why are some of his moves slower than others?"

At this moment, Siegfried was both pained and happy.

Under the tutelage of the Tree Sentinel, he had already missed the refund time, but during this time of struggling with the Tree Sentinel, Siegfried could see his own growth.

Every time, he was just a little bit short of damage before the will Tree Sentinel die!

Yes, just a little bit short.

He was halfway to the end of the boss' health bar.

"This opponent is a knight, not the kind of mindless monster. If it were a mindless monster, every move would be brainless. The opponent knows you can deflect, it knows you can dodge, so why would it recklessly charge at you?

"If this monster is made too intelligent, is it really okay?"

"It's not too intelligent, it's just that the base logic code is more complex. But after dying a few more times, you'll get used to it. Don't you feel like you're constantly getting stronger?"

"Yeah, I do feel that way."

Siegfried once again attempted to charge at the Tree Sentinel.

After finally grinding him down to half health, he found that the Tree Sentinel's attack pattern had changed again!

"Ah ah ah ah ah! If I don't defeat you, I'll be unworthy of the Kaslana family name! Now I challenge you to a knight's duel! Even if I die, I won't give up!"

After the Tree Sentinel changed its attack pattern, it sent Siegfried back to the Site of Grace again.

And every time, he could still see the mocking face of the white mask.

Very annoying.

Really annoying.

But seeing the blood stains surrounding the Tree Sentinel, Siegfried felt slightly relieved.

At least there were other players challenging the Tree Sentinel just like him, right?

There were even mounted figures on those bloodstains.

But Walter's side was indeed much easier.

Without struggling against the Tree Sentinel, Walter quickly arrived at the Ella Church. After spending some time there receiving blessings, he met the wandering merchant, bought some items, and set off again.

Soon, he reached the foot of the Storm Ruins, where Walter adeptly used his shield to block and counterattack the soldiers stationed there..

Indeed, if one carefully read the beginner's tutorial, these techniques were taught. Siegfried was the type who didn't bother with the tutorial and struggled against the Tree Sentinel, making it quite uncomfortable to look at

Collecting the map, obtaining the horse named Torrent, and acquiring the ability to turn Runes into character attributes, along with adjusting equipment attributes, Walter explored the game methodically.

At least much better than most players.

After getting ready, Walter headed towards the Tunnel towards Stormveil Castle entrance..

After all, the path was right there, and the blessings were guiding him in that direction. It wouldn't deviate from the main storyline.

The tunnel entrance was guarded by many soldiers, but Torrent could easily charge past them.

"It seems there shouldn't be any problem following the main storyline. Although there may be some difficult monsters along the way, it's not always necessary to engage in combat. Now that we've arrived at the castle gates, there's a Grace here. Probably, we'll face the boss guarding the castle gate next."

Walter didn't play particularly fast, but he had followed the main storyline all the way here without exploring other parts of the world.

Mainly for the viewers' experience.

If one randomly explored without purpose, it would be boring for the audience.

Unless he could find a dungeon.

But through the battles with the minions, Walter honestly felt that the monsters elsewhere would definitely not be easy. So, it was important to first improve character attributes by following the main storyline.

【There's a strong enemy ahead, it's Margit the Fell Omen.】

【Now that the character attributes are a bit low, should we really fight the boss?】

Some comments by viewers began to worry.

But Walter didn't think much of it.

"How tough can the first boss be for beginners? It's just that the damage might be a bit high. It shouldn't be too difficult. Anyway, let's give it a try. Let's use up the Runes first and increase some health."

After getting ready, Walter entered the city gate.

What he saw next was a huge body, agile movements, the unpredictable cane's speed, the giant tail, and the delayed landing of the jumping chop!

What? There's a second form too?!

Walter didn't even reach the second form. Despite blocking with his shield and consuming energy, he couldn't withstand the Fell Omen's attacks, which were like a raging storm.

After dying several times, he found that he could counterattack twice, but even one extra strike would result in instant death.

Then Walter couldn't help but question life.

"Could it be that I'm too early?"

【It's not impossible to win, but if you really can't win, just call for help. Although the boss's attributes will also increase.】

【I've figured out this game. As long as one have skills, anyone can win. The increase in attributes is too little. Who has time to level up in the early game every day?】

【Why not defeat the Tree Sentinel? The Runes it gives should be able to level up several times.】

Viewers began to offer suggestions.

But was Walter the type to listen obediently?

"It's just a few times. I don't know how to fight yet. After I'm familiar with its attack patterns, I should be able to defeat it. However, the design of this boss is really good. Both its fighting movements and the sense of oppression it brings."

After a slight sigh, Walter began to attempt shield counters, and then used combat skills to stun, and then execute.

Then Walter experienced what it meant to read instructions.

He found that when he drank a HP Flask, the Fell Omen would likely charge at the player or even use flying knives during his drinking animation!

As a result, the HP he healed would just go down instantly.

"This boss is really powerful. Can he really be defeated?"

Watching Walter lively and jumping around in the livestream, Kiana was actually a little discouraged.

"Of course, as long as you master the skills and prepare adequately, you will definitely win. But he's a bit too impatient. So facing the Fell Omen in the weakest state will naturally be a bit difficult. But this boss isn't really that hard, just a beginner's teacher."

"A b-beginner's teacher? Then what about the Tree Sentinel here?"

"It's considered an elite minion."

"W-what? Are there more Tree Sentinels to come!?"

"Yeah~ What? Are you scared? Want to reconcile with it?"

"N-no no! How could I reconcile with it! I, a Kaslana, always keep my word, and i never go back on my word. This is the honor battle of a knight!"

Kiana felt slightly relieved that she didn't make such a promise earlier.

Otherwise, she might have suffered too, right?

Siegfried had been struggling with the Tree Sentinel for an hour, and Walter had been struggling with the Fell Omen for nearly an hour as well.

"Whoa, just a bit more. Why does he suddenly charge at me every time I drink to restore my hp? Is that programmed? But sometimes he lets me drink fine!"

Walter's mentality was a bit explosive, inexplicably feeling like he was playing Brownie's Getting Over It With Haxxor Bunny.

That game messed with one's mentality too.

But here, even though he felt like he could win and the opponent had many openings, just when he made a slight greed.

Just a little.

The result was instant death.

With little HP flask left and low attributes, but precisely because of this, Walter felt it was meaningful to defeat opponents in this dire circumstances.

The huge size difference between the protagonist and the boss, coupled with the soaring music, gave a sense of defeating the strong with the weak.

In the past, most game developers wanted the protagonist to become very powerful, with cool moves, powerful magic, and then use numerically stacked enemies as the ultimate opponents.

But when weak players faced strong bosses, the glaring disparity made defeating them all the more satisfying.

This was the reason why most Souls-like game players could persist until the end.

Perhaps the abilities gained from numerical increases were limited, and perhaps bosses could still easily eliminate the protagonist.

But after numerous deaths, the skills you honed would never deceive you.

Cool parries, agile dodges like dancing on the edge of a blade, and even seizing the enemy's fatal flaws and executing them, the feeling of the once towering boss kneeling at your feet.

Elden Ring brought all these elements together, providing a gaming experience that could only be described with one word.

It was painful yet joyful process.

"One last strike, just one last strike! Stay calm, wait, wait, there seems to be a throwing knife in my inventory, take this!"

Unexpectedly, the damage was still a bit short, but so was he.

Truly a man who had faced real battles.

At the critical moment, Walter did everything he could, then took out a throwing knife from his backpack.

"Alright!!! Finally—"

At this moment, the bullet screen erupted in cheers. When the Margit fell, Walter looked at the numbers jumping in the Runes column

Walter felt it was all worth it.

Looking at the messages of death all over the ground, Walter also felt deeply moved.

"Fun, this game is really fun, and just looking at the map, you can tell there will definitely be a lot more content in this game later on. But based on just this Fell Omen segment, I can guarantee that Elden Ring will sweep this year's awards."

This was just the gatekeeper boss at the city gate. Walter didn't even dare to imagine what kind of bosses he would face next.

"What? Go to more dungeons? There aren't many Runes on weak monsters, and although the attribute increases seem minimal, they are indeed useful, and some equipment also requires attribute requirements?"

Then Walter saw the comment screen recommending entering dungeons for level ups.

Before reaching the Site of Grace, after leveling up, Walter also opened the map for quick teleportation.

"Coincidentally, there's a dungeon near the beginner's tutorial area. I didn't expect it to require two Stone Sword Keys. There must be a lot of good things inside. So, let's temporarily put aside the exploration of Stormveil Castle, and our next target is the dungeon! Let me see how much improvement the dungeon can bring."

Chapter 54: Endless Chain of Traps

Just as Walter vanquished the Margit the Fell Omen and boosted his attributes using blessings, he would promptly return to the Ella Church.

After all, it was the place where he could utilize blessings to purchase Stone Sword Keys. With two Stone Sword Keys in hand, he could thoroughly explore the dungeon in the tutorial area!

However, just as Walter settled on the blessing, restoring his condition and adjusting the ratio of his blood vials and mana potions, he encountered Miss Renna and even acquired a Spirit Ash and a Spirit Calling Bell.

Looking at the description of the Spirit Calling Bell, Walter regretted not encountering this item earlier. If he had a meat shield to attract aggro, wouldn't it have been easier to defeat the Margit the Fell Omen?

"It seems that the developers support players exploring dungeons more before tackling the main storyline. Otherwise, we wouldn't have encountered this witch, Renna. Well, our next target is the dungeon. It feels like there's something bad inside, and everyone is eagerly anticipating my exploration."

【Yes, there are many good things in dungeons, and the essence of this game lies here.】

【Have you seen the talisman pouch? Don't you want to fill it up!】

"So, talismans are all found in dungeons? I have to explore dungeons now!"

With that, he immediately used the blessing to teleport and carried the jellyfish bone ash given by the little girl he met on the way.

Then, Walter inserted the second Stone Sword Key.

The mist dispersed, but what he saw inside was a filthy swamp.

Decaying flesh, shattered bones, and occasionally bubbles popping up."Uh... is this place okay?"

【Jumping ahead, but needs rolling.】

Seeing such a message, because many phrases in the game are fixed, it's convenient for people from different countries to communicate without barriers.

But sometimes there are grammatical errors or mistakes.

"So, it's okay to step on ahead?"

Without waiting for the barrage to answer, Walter just jumped down directly.

Anyway, the Runes were almost gone, and if he died, he wouldn't feel sorry for the Runes.

Then he saw a debuff suddenly appear above his health bar.

"Oh no! Poisoned, this pool is toxic! Run fast!"

Then, Walter quickly rolled, trying to use rolling to speed up his progress.

But after rolling around, the poisoned buff became even more severe!

【Hahaha! Rolled indeed! Did you taste the pool while rolling! You were poisoned even faster!】

"Oh no, does rolling actually make the poison worse? Then run!"

It's hard to run in the swamp, but it's much better than walking slowly.

However, running might consume energy. After rolling just now, a lot of energy was consumed, so Walter didn't run far before he needed to move forward slowly.

Then the character entered a poisoned state, and his health bar dropped rapidly.

"Fortunately, I filled up my health at the site of grace earlier..."

Walter took a sip of the HP Flask and finally reached the shore.

Fortunately, there were no ambush enemies on the way, nor did he encounter any traps.

There was only this slightly frightening poisonous pool.

But the poisoned buff was not easy to dispel, and now Walter understood what the immunity attribute really meant.

Is there anything else to say now?

Just move forward.

Then, Walter saw a message on the ground.

【Deliciousness behind, need to roll.】

Seeing this, Walter's blood pressure rose.

Rolling, huh!

Deliciousness, huh!

He didn't realize that his character was eating poison until now!

"Never mind, don't think about these things. I understand now what this dungeon is all about. It seems that everything inside here is the developer's twisted humor."

Continuing forward, there was a huge slope ahead, and there were faint sounds of rumbling figures inside, as if some huge mechanism was moving!

Then as he walked down, the noise grew louder.

【Run fast】

Walter saw such a message.

He immediately had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, a huge war chariot came rushing from afar!

Of course, Walter didn't just stand blindly and get crushed by the war chariot. Instead, he quickly ran to the pit by the roadside.

Yes, this kind of mechanism is very simple. Generally, there will be pits left by the devs along the walls as a hiding place. Such mechanisms are also quite common in the game.

So Walter immediately noticed the way to crack the mechanism.

But why were there so many bloodstains on the road?

And it's still in that same pit he was at. There's a message on the ground; take a look.

"Huh? Damn it!"

Walter rolled hastily but still got ambushed!

With the blood draining from poisoning, Walter was just a hair's breadth away from death.

He rolled frantically, then seized the chance to drink an HP Flask.

The monster who suddenly appeared in front clearly had no intention of letting Walter go, but in his weakened state, Walter inevitably felt nervous.

So he anxiously watched the blood go down, hurriedly rolled again.

But at this moment, the war chariot behind him was not so easy to deal with.

A dark shadow flashed by, accompanied by other monsters suddenly appearing around, Walter's character entered the death state directly.

The excitement came so suddenly.

So suddenly that Walter is still a little dazed now. "Oh my god, what kind of trap is this! Why is it so cunning! First, use poison to lower the health, then hide the small monsters for ambush, and there's even such a big war chariot on the road!"

Walter's mentality is exploding.

This unexpected ambush caught him off guard.

He thought the dungeon's cunning intention ended here, but he didn't expect every corner of the dungeon to be filled with the developer's malice.

He seemed to see the mocking bunny laughing at him.

"Cough cough, didn't expect us to be played by the game developers. It won't be so easy to trick me next time!"

Walter continued forward.

When passing through the poison pool, Walter found that as long as he kept running, he could leave the poison pool just before getting poisoned.

As long as the poison buff didn't accumulate too much, he wouldn't suffer too much damage.

Next is the slope. As long as he attacks the moment he enters the pit, the monsters inside are easily dealt with.

Unexpectedly, there were monsters in other pits too, but they were killed by the passing war chariot, leaving Walter to pick up a bunch of runes for nothing.

"It seems that this path is quite long, and it seems that the war chariot only runs back and forth on the road I'm on? The next path is even longer, not sure if I can handle it."

The fact that the war chariot is chasing him only on his path is because Walter noticed that the war chariot that should have gone down at the corner suddenly came back for a trip. Considering the malicious intentions of the rabbits, he also left a trick.

But then he couldn't hold on anymore.

The dungeon is very dark, with limited visibility, but vaguely, he can see the end of the road ahead.

But he can't judge whether running down there will really reach the destination.

Forget it, whatever, if he can't reach it, he'll start over from the beginning.

With this thought in mind, he rushed down, not knowing that the latter half of the road was actually a single-plank bridge!

And at this time, Walter also heard a rumbling sound, indicating that the war chariot was approaching.

"Ah!" With a brush, his character was crushed by the war chariot again, and this time he couldn't even think about hiding.

Because there were pitfalls all around, jumping down would definitely result in death.

"So this is the function of the single-plank bridge, not planning to let me in from the beginning? But there's a turn ahead, it seems like I can still go deeper..."

Walter is at a loss.

"Is there a hidden path at the cliff?"

"Is it possible that there's also a hidden path in the pit? Remember, in this game's dungeons, hidden walls require attacks to destroy."

"Probably, there are hidden paths... I didn't expect this dungeon to also include puzzle-solving elements, but when the game becomes three-dimensional, there are more things to consider. No wonder it takes two Stone Sword Keys to unlock it, just to prevent novice players from entering. You barrage viewers are really causing trouble!"

Kiana was quite happy watching the livestream in the room.

Watching Walter being crushed by the war chariot again, then suddenly ambushed by monsters in the process of searching for hidden paths.

To be honest, Kiana hasn't been so happy since Siegfried played Getting Over It With Haxxor Bunny last time. "Bronie sister, did you design this dungeon too?"

"Yes, and there are many dungeons that are like mazes. Isn't it interesting to see them wandering around in confusion because of my traps?"

"Yeah! I want to make games with my sister in the future!"

"Do you like making games, Kiana?"

"Yes!"

Then a smirk flashed across Bronie's face, accurately caught by Kiana.

Suddenly, Kiana began to feel a little nervous.

Could it be that game development is very difficult?

It seems so, because she often sees Bronie leaving the town to work. Even in Eden's class, Bronie is always serious, as if doing homework.

"If you want to make games, you have to start with mathematics, then programming languages, microcontroller architecture, architecture, and psychology."

Suddenly, Kiana's eyes began to blur.

So many courses, I don't know how long it will take to finish.

And there's math!

QAQ Kiana's tears were about to flow out unbidden.

"But you can also choose music, art, but ultimately you can't escape math, so math is the foundation of games. If you really want to make games, not studying math well will fundamentally cut off this path."

"I, I will work hard!"

"I'm looking forward to it!"

Bronie just thought Kiana was joking casually.

But actually, Kiana isn't too dumb, just a little spoiled.

At least in the story, especially after she moved into the St. Freya Academy after the third Great Collapse.

Finally, she lived a good life, and the pressure usually eased, so she forgot how to use her brain when she relaxed.

But the Kaslana family doesn't like using their brains, Bronie knows that well.

Details please refer to Kevin, Siegfried, and Durandal

These people are not fond of using their brains too much, but when they do, they're quite smart.

It's just that Bronie can't imagine Kiana coding.

Really.

Unconsciously, Walter has been live streaming for more than three hours in the room, except for spending a lot of time on the Margit the Fell Omen earlier, the rest is all exploring this dungeon.

After each death, symbolic messages left by other players will appear on the ground.

And the War Chariot in this dungeon can be destroyed, so as long as the player who destroyed the War Chariot thinks of a solution, they will leave some information after pondering it.

And relying on this information, Walter finally found the hidden path under the single-plank bridge.

Obviously, he could have reached it by jumping off the right side of the bridge, but because of the pressure brought by the War Chariot, Walter never saw the message on the ground.

Fortunately, the message was really useful, and Walter managed to find the next path at the cost of a life.

But who knew there were two Stone Imps hidden below?

After dealing with the Stone Imps, there was even a flame trap above the passage, which would instantly devour anyone who entered the passage.

And with Walter's low health, he was instantly killed, but fortunately, the second time he came here,

Walter remembered these puzzles, so he charged forward skillfully.

Flames? There's a fork in the road ahead, this is just a small trap.

Is there a maze underground? That's okay, just look around, after all, this is a mechanical dungeon, not a completely maze-like one, so finding the way is a breeze.

But in the next room, a long single-plank bridge confused Walter again.

"Viewers, we've probably arrived at a place where important treasures are stored, but I won't believe there's nothing on this single-plank bridge. Either there will be traps like swinging hammers, or traps like the war chariot just now."

This time, Walter got smart and didn't rush recklessly.

"Check the messages."

"Check the bloodstains."

"Yes, check the bloodstains and messages. These are all paths paved by predecessors with their lives. When we see too many bloodstains on the ground, we should pay attention. Just now, I didn't pay attention to the bloodstains in the flaming corridor, after all, it was too dark there."

Then Walter looked at the single-plank bridge. He found that both messages and bloodstains take time to load.

If you come here for the first time, you can only see messages with relatively more likes, and bloodstains are the most recent ones left behind.

Now that the game has just started, there aren't many players actually, to avoid affecting the players' experience, the messages and bloodstains that appear at once are not too many, but are randomly selected from the server.

However, if you stand in the same place for a while, you can see many other messages.

At this time, Walter saw a white shadow rushing over, and then encountered something at the end of the bridge, starting to roll frantically.

"There's no trap after all! It's a monster encounter, isn't it? Since it's a monster, there's no problem! Can't I handle mere small monsters after defeating the Margit the Fell Omen?"

Then Walter walked onto the single-plank bridge, and immediately heard two steady landing sounds.

One before and one after, both are Grafted Scions!

The familiar, bulky yet agile figure immediately raised Walter's blood pressure.

Watching this scene, Walter adjusted his glasses and said, "I, who always believe in human kindness, have finally seen what true human malice is today. I believe in the kindness of most humans, but in this game, I don't believe in the kindness of the game developer."

Chapter 55: Death Once, Overtime Ten Minutes

Two Grafted Scions materialized.

Only after encountering these monsters did Walter realize that this creature was actually considered a minor threat!

No lengthy health bars, just relentless attacks.

After frantic rolling, Walter picked up the only hidden item on the altar and promptly perished.

There's no other reason; his health was simply too low to withstand two strikes.

Fortunately, the items provided on the altar were decent, increasing maximum health and energy by a percentage, and even boosting carrying capacity.

What does this signify?

It means that if skill points lean more towards health and energy, the benefits of this Talisman are quite significant.

Combined with the increased carrying capacity limit, if the ratio between personal load and limit decreases, perhaps it could surpass the line between light and medium loads.

Rolling speed increases, making the character more agile.

With such a Talisman, Walter felt slightly relieved.

"So, our next goal is to continue exploring. We saw messages under the bridge earlier; it seems that is the next path. The dungeon hasn't been fully explored yet; this reward is just the tip of the iceberg. We should be able to find better things ahead."

Walter's judgment wasn't off the mark.

Without good rewards, high-difficulty dungeons wouldn't attract many players.

Games rely on positive feedback; generally speaking, positive feedback must be sufficient, and soul-type games just prolong the process of obtaining positive feedback a bit longer.

"Are there many good things inside?"

Kiana also inquired.

"Yes, there's a very powerful Spirit Ash inside. With Spirit Ashes, you can summon a potent companion to help you through a relatively difficult beginner period."

"Wow~"

"But there's also a formidable enemy waiting for you at the deepest part of the dungeon. After all, there's always a boss at the end of the maze, right?"

"Ah~"

Kiana wasn't too eager to face those bosses.

After all, the monsters inside were ugly and very powerful, making her feel like she couldn't defeat them.

Sure enough, Brownie had created another very challenging game.

But with such exquisite craftsmanship and such a vast world, it brought much more shock to young Kiana than just a bit.

Others' childhoods may have consisted of adventures like Homu Adventure or Arahato.

But Kiana's childhood, under Brownie's influence, turned into adventures and Brownie's games.

It can be said to be much richer than most peers' childhoods.

Guided by stream comments and messages, Walter successfully destroying the War Chariot, and he ventured into the deepest part of the dungeon.

In the deepest part, there was a fogwall.

This was a sign of facing a boss.

"I knew it; this Haxxor Bunny definitely isn't so kind-hearted. There's a boss waiting for us at the end! What's next? It can't possibly be another Margit the Fell Omen, right?"

If it weren't for this little statue allowing him to resurrect here after death, Walter's mentality would have really collapsed.

But upon careful consideration, he knew the route into this dungeon; going through it again wouldn't be that difficult.

It's just that the traps are a bit denser.

Then Walter controlled his character and pushed open the door to the final boss room.

And in a dim, cramped room, Walter saw a huge creature that resembled a slug and a lizard.

【Ulcerated Tree Spirit】

No, rather than saying the room was small, it's more accurate to say that the boss's body was too huge, filling the entire space, making the whole room look small.

It's like humorously sending a huge boss from the later stages into this room.

With its bloated figure, coupled with agile movements, it's like a blender's blade.

And he's just a piece of meat to be chopped.

Not surprisingly, after the first encounter, he would definitely die here.

But to be honest, Walter had become numb to death. He only now truly understood the essence of coffin backstepping.

Dying over and over again, then challenging once more.

【Use Spirit Ash】

【That's right, this is when you use the Spirit Calling Bell!】

【Miss Jellyfish is highly poisonous, and the Ulcerated Tree Spirit's movements aren't that fast, it's just that the space is a bit narrow.】

Viewers also began to offer suggestions.

And Walter only now realized that he could use the Spirit Calling Bell!

Earlier when he was exploring the dungeon, he had tried using the Spirit Calling Bell, but nothing happened.

Later, Walter concluded that this needed to be used in specific environments.

Now it seems that it can be used whenever defeating a boss.

This lifted Walter's spirits.

Having a teammate meant he was no longer alone, making the battles much easier, he presumed.

"Yay! He's really amazing!" Kiana cheered as Walter cleared the boss after his third death.

"Yeah, having a partner makes facing difficulties not so bad, right? Sometimes having a trusted companion can help you through many hardships. So, don't try to bear everything alone; sometimes, you can try to ask for help from your partner," Walter added.

"Mm!" Walter also received new loot at this point.

There were Golden Seeds and the Spirit Ashes of the Banished Knight Oleg.

"Golden Seeds, huh? They can actually increase the maximum number of HP Flasks! As for the Spirit Ashes: Banished Knight Oleg, I don't know its effect, but Miss Jellyfish is really tough, making it easy for me to reach the second phase," Walter mused.

After receiving these items, Walter wasn't sure how powerful they were. Nevertheless, he knew he had to find a place to try them out.

But this Talisman was indeed useful.

After increasing his maximum health, he almost had to restart when fighting the Ulcerated Tree Spirit.

Of course, Runes was also generous. Returning to the Site of Grace Walter, he even leveled up several times.

But this was also because Walter's level wasn't very high.

Now, with positive feedback at its peak, the previous frustration was swept away.

"I'll never come back to this dungeon again, never again, get out of my memory!" Walter declared, looking at the familiar entrance, jumping down into another pool of poison, he developed a psychological shadow of this Fringefolks' Heroes Grave.

This place was more tormenting than fighting Margit the Fell Omen.

Inside, you constantly tasted the malice from the game creator, and your heart was constantly teased by the game creator.

The key was still the final compensation, and the rewards were also very good.

At this point, there was laughter and cheers in the live broadcast room.

But Walter opened the game menu.

"Okay, everyone, let's stop here for today. Overall, Elden Ring is a milestone game. The cooperation between Schicksal Entertainment and Haxxor Bunny presents us with a new type of game that has never been seen before, whether it's the graphics, the sense of combat, or the gameplay, it's all very good. The only downside is that the difficulty might be a bit high, but with the Spirit Ash and able to summon a companion, the difficulty of fighting bosses will be easier."

Looking at the fact that he had broadcasted for such a long time for the first time, Walter was quite surprised.

He glanced at the earnings again.

Damn, this is much faster than making money by drawing comics!

Perhaps after sending part of this money back to Anti Entropy, he could still leave some for himself to enjoy.

As for what to do with the remaining money?

Of course, to buy Haxxor Bunny's games!

What else could he do?

Walter felt that he had no desires, so he would just find some interesting works to pass the time.

Managing Anti Entropy?

He wasn't familiar with that at all, it was better to draw comics.

After closing the live broadcast room, Walter lay back on the recliner and glanced at the clock next to him.

Then he looked at the knight sitting in front of the Site of Grace and the Lands Between.

How about... playing a little longer?

...

In Bishop Otto's room.

Miss Amber was staring intently at Otto's computer.

Inside the computer was the character Otto was controlling.

"Bishop, sir."

"Hmm?"

"I won't mention the thirty minutes you spent on character creation earlier. After all, we agreed that after ten lives, you have to work for ten minutes for each death, but running around exploring the world like this, not dying even once, is this game still fun?"

Otto was quite narcissistic.

So he spent thirty minutes sculpting his own face.

And fortunately, the character creation system of this game was indeed very detailed, so he really succeeded in sculpting his face.

But after entering the game, he encountered love from the Grafted Scion, followed by education from the Tree Sentinel at the front door.

As soon as Otto got the horse, he didn't rush to Stormveil Castle.

Instead, he chose to ride the horse and run around the world.

Strange?

Can't two-legged creatures run faster than four-legged ones?

Are there monsters on the opposite side that can ride horses too?

It's one thing to catch up, but it's another thing to kill yourself.

Otto said he wanted to see how big the map of this game could be, so he kept walking eastward.

By the way, there would be markers for unlocking areas that were not unlocked on the map, so Otto unlocked quite a few maps along the way.

"Is this game not fun enough? The corrupt land, the brutal battlefield, the scavenging bird monsters, and the dying dragons, these scenes quietly depict the past stories of this land for me. The designs of these monsters are also quite interesting. I'm really enjoying myself!"

Okay, Amber now was a bit depressed.

"Alright, Bishop, if you really don't want to handle the work, you can tell me directly. The piled-up work is not a big problem."

Originally, Amber just had a temporary impulse to make a bet with Otto, requiring him to work properly for every death during the game.

Of course, there would be rest time, but piled-up work and handling it early were two different things.

But watching everyone die tragically in the live broadcast while Otto discovered a different way to play was unexpected.

The world in the game is really vast.

Just looking at the scenery can bring him joy that belongs to him alone.

"Hehe, don't think too much, Amber. Would I neglect work? But the answer sheets submitted by Haxxor Bunny to us are really good. It's just a pity that she rejected Schicksal's invitation."

"Do you want to send another invitation?"

"No, no need. If we forcibly bring her over, can she still make games? Let her have enough soil to grow. I look forward to the day when she creates a new game. And this Elden Ring is enough for me to play for a long time. The content in it can't be explored in just a short time."

Plus the learning cost of soul-type games, it's perfectly fine to play Elden Ring for over two hundred hours.

From dungeons to main quests.

And then to side quests.

The content of this game was so extensive that Otto couldn't predict what kind of game Browney would make next.

Could it be that if he gave Haxxor Bunny the virtual space technology of Destiny, could she still create a completely new world?

But this kind of thing was just a thought. If he gave equipment to Haxxor Bunny, it would definitely spread technology worldwide.

Spreading technology worldwide would excite Honkai.

Today, Schicksal is still recovering from the losses of the second eruption. Another Honkai Eruption is something Otto can't accept.

"Bishop Otto, please take care of yourself. Playing games and working for a long time are not good for your health."

"Mm, I know, but can you understand my mood? Haxxor Bunny created a vast world of swords and magic, filled with suffering. Maybe I can find a trace of inspiration from it, like inspiration to fight against the Honkai. After all, you see, there is an ultimate will behind this world. Is our world's collapse also manipulated by such a similar will?"

Amber's face stiffened.

She shook her head helplessly.

"Well, then I wish Bishop Otto a happy time playing the game."

Amber left the office, clearly fed up with Otto's basement dwelling excuses.

And Otto just put on his headphones, clicked on the map, and teleported back to Church of Ella.

Starting from here, he would officially start the main quest.

...

"Cioara, I've bought the last New Year goods, and now it's time for me to show off my skills! Why do you have that expression?"

After bidding farewell to Kiana, Browney bought some other fresh vegetables in the town market.

Yes, these vegetables were all used to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

And he also invited Siegfried and Kiana to come over on New Year's Eve.

But when Browney returned home, he saw Cioara looking at him with a complex expression.

"You've made a good game."

"Uh... thanks?"

Browney tilted his head.

"Are you really showing your true colors after making a big name for yourself? Who taught you to make the game so difficult? Why do monsters have healing detection, and why does the Margit the Fell Omen have a fast-slow blade combo attacks?"

It seems like this game has tortured Cioara quite a bit, otherwise why would she look so resentful?

"Isn't this a very cool design? This gives a real psychological duel feeling of swordplay, shouldn't melee weapons be like this?"

"You've hit the nail on the head, but this game is really great. It's the best game I've ever encountered. You did a great job."

"Thank you!"

Although Cioara's praise was a bit simpler, it was still quite useful to Browney.

To be honest, it's quite good like this. All the overtime work over the years has paid off!

Chapter 56: Do We Always Need to Draw Blood Between Us?

In other games, it might take a week or even a month, with continuous investment in marketing, to make a game dominate most of the online discussions.

But Elden Ring is different.

From the very beginning, with its depiction of a realistic world of swords and magic, to the countless discussions about high-difficulty bosses, and the vast open world, Elden Ring has made its mark.

Even before its release, there were signs on the internet when the trailer came out.

Within just one day of its official launch, every corner of the internet was filled with discussions about Elden Ring.

With its unique online mode, as well as the invasion mode, coupled with the intriguing interaction provided by comments and bloodstains, and the challenging, impressive bosses, Elden Ring unsurprisingly became a sensation.

It even contributed to the global economic recovery, accelerating Otto's original recovery plan and advancing the development of the world.

The pain caused by the Second Eruption to the civilization was akin to a nuclear bomb, leaving everyone battered and bruised, with the lingering effects of nuclear radiation continuing to afflict this civilization.

Repairing such damage would require a considerable amount of time.

Nine years might not seem like much, but children have yet to grow up, and economic recovery is slow. Nevertheless, life goes on.

Bronie purchased festive goods, and the inside of the bar was bustling with activity.

Outside, crooked couplets and bright red lanterns adorned the entrance, while inside, the atmosphere was lively.

Kiana, resembling a joyful elf, played happily in the room. Cioara, feeling resigned, followed behind, tidying up after Kiana, either picking up knocked-over toys or clearing away paper scraps left from cutting.

Siegfried was in the kitchen, assisting Bronie.

Though he couldn't cook, he was adept at chopping and preparing vegetables, having been taught how.

Among the two adults and two children, only Bronie knew how to cook, so the task of cooking fell to her.

Who knows, perhaps in the future, Bronie will become a culinary expert, honing her skills through daily practice.

"Hahaha! The final dish is ready! Come and feast, everyone!"

At Bronie's call, everyone gathered around the large square table.

"Today, in my hometown, it's an important annual festival where families come together to welcome the new year. I may not know many people, but each one is significant, whether it's Kiana, Mr. Siegfried, or, of course, the most important, Cioara. Eden and the others couldn't make it due to some special circumstances, so this New Year's Eve dinner will be just the four of us."

As Siegfried looked at the array of delicious dishes on the table, memories surfaced of the days when he and his wife, Cecilia, celebrated the Spring Festival with their children and Theresa.

When she first learned about this festival, she wanted to experience it and join in the festivities.

Little did she know, it would be their last Spring Festival together.

And little did anyone know that afterward, he would encounter such a festival again in this cold, foreign land.

"Honestly, you seem like a local, but I didn't expect the festival to be like this," Cioara remarked, expressing her surprise.

Kiana, who had never experienced it before, naturally looked around with curious eyes.

"You may have local roots, but not the living environment. Life is tough every year, and only during the Spring Festival does the atmosphere improve slightly. So, I'm used to it. But now, after leaving that place behind, I still occasionally reminisce about that life when I'm alone."

Well, first of all, let's rule out Anti Entropy and Schicksal.

After all, although both sides are fighting against the Honkai, it's not bad for their subordinates.

Why are the Valkyries so loyal?

The truth? Hatred?

Brainwashing?

Anyway, all of these are present, but the treatment won't be too bad. Not to mention Anti Entropy, there are only a few who can go to the front lines, and the rest are controlling mechs behind the scenes. Although life is a bit stricter, the treatment is equally good.

"To be honest, did the person who adopted you often mistreat you?"

Cioara's question naturally referred to the self who grew up in another world and spent day and night with Bronie.

"She only praised me three times in my life. Once was when I was adopted and wore a maid's uniform, the second time was when I almost blew up the city before I left, and the third time was also the last time, when I said goodbye to her."

"She's really strict..."

Siegfried could probably understand.

"Mm-hmm, that's why I didn't give her a good looj either. After all, I'm a genius. Later, I ran away from home, and then I started playing games here. But it's not a memorial service for New Year's, let's eat first. Let's not talk about this for now!"

New Year's is supposed to be full of joy, so why suddenly reminisce about the past? Oh well, blame it on Siegfried. He asked herself why she celebrated the Spring Festival in the first place. It's not like she should suddenly be affected by the atmosphere of nostalgia.

"The good days are just beginning now. I'm going to make heaps and heaps of games to bring joy to everyone. A new year, a new start, let's toast!"

"Cheers!"

In a sense, Bronie simplified many of the things to do for New Year's.

Because the environment outside was very cold, they didn't dare to set off fireworks at night, and it didn't make much sense to do so at noon either.

In the end, they just made a symbolic effort, throwing a few that sounded loud.

But for Kiana, it was a very happy day.

Because Siegfried allowed her to go out and even accompanied her to play at Bronie's sister's house. Bronie also gave her new clothes.

Although she could ask Siegfried for whatever she wanted, and he would never refuse, receiving new clothes from Bronie gave her a strange feeling.

She hoped for better days ahead. Kiana made this New Year's wish.

But compared to the joyful New Year's on Bronie's side, in the world of the internet, within the Elysian Realm, it was a different scene, but still like New Year's.

"Hahaha! Aponia! I've come to find you!"

In the game, after becoming familiar with the operation of Elden Ring, Kalpas began invading Aponia's world.

"Eden, Eden, look, I found Ranni! Isn't she cute?"

"A magical puppet princess? It's quite rare in this world, but Ranni... you can explore her story more."

Eden, having participated in Bronie's game production, naturally knew a lot about the background stories of the characters.

She also saw the feelings of the players from Bronie's perspective when playing these games. It was indeed a proud feeling.

But everyone in the Lands Between was quite miserable. The little ones were miserable, and so were the big ones.

The Greater Will was like a huge hand, invisibly manipulating everyone's fate, operating this world according to its own will.

And Ranni was the rebel.

"Since Eden said so, I will continue to explore! But the traps in this dungeon are endless. Bronie is really naughty!"

"It's easier for boys to handle. This game is indeed very suitable for boys. The plot is too fragmented. If you want to understand it carefully, you need to complete it. This is actually very difficult. But inspired by Bronie, Vill-V said that the next time she sees Bronie, she will let her experience the dungeons she made herself."

Inside the Elysian Realm, Elden Ring received great praise.

But playing it was also a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Although everyone's reactions were quick and they were all seasoned warriors, the performance of the characters in the game was there.

Even if you reacted quickly, the characters inside might not.

Accidentally dying and losing all your runes was a common occurrence. Almost all players played this game in a state of pain and joy.

Even Flame Chasers were the same.

And Kalpas was even more of a tough guy.

When he heard that Aponia was also playing this game, he crazily started invading. And Aponia?

She was using Agheel's Flame to directly block Kalpas.

After all, why did Kalpas insist on fighting with her in such a narrow space?

"It seems that the relationship between Bronie and Vill-V is getting better!"

Elysia was very happy. And Eden shook her head slightly and said, "The next time Bronie is trapped by Vill-V, please also help out a bit."

"Of course, but Ranni, hehehe, Ranni seems to be planning something big, so how can I help her?"

"You need to explore more for that. Maybe the underground world has what you're looking for?" "The underground world?"

"Mm-hmm, Bronie seems to have mentioned it to me, but I don't remember it very clearly. This map is so huge that it takes a lot of time to explore, so take your time. I'll accompany you, Elysia."

"It's a pity that this game is a single-player world, saving the world by yourself feels a bit lonely."

"In fact, you can summon other players to fight bosses together. Although the boss's health and attack power will increase, and isn't Bronie just connecting to the Elysian Realm? You can totally team up with people from the current civilization."

"Eden, you know about me. After playing online games, you never know if the person on the other side is a beautiful girl or a boy. It's much less fun to play together like that!"

Elysia's request for playing games online with others was quite special.

A beautiful girl was enough.

But this game didn't show that. And most of the time, wearing a helmet directly covered the face, it didn't feel romantic at all.

It was hard to finally create a perfect self, but if you didn't wear a helmet, your attributes would drop significantly.

Faced with such a choice, Elysia ultimately chose strength. It was inevitable.

After all, this game was so difficult.

"For the main plot of this game, according to what Bronie said, there should be several variations. Every decision you make will change the course of the world."

"Saving the world? Although the game is very interesting, if it were placed in reality, it would give people a very heavy feeling."

Elysia sighed like this, still caring about Kevin's thoughts. Kevin, whom Elysia was thinking about, was now by her side.

Among all the people, Su cleared the game the fastest. No one knew how he did it, but Klein discovered that someone had made a region within the Elysian Realm and accelerated time.

"Hmm?" Meanwhile, Kevin was exploring the dungeon.

"There's a hidden passage to the left up ahead."

"Got it." Kevin didn't say much either, directly controlling his character to go to the hidden place Su mentioned.

With a fierce slash, the wall in front disappeared, revealing a treasure chest.

Not bad. Generally, the hidden room's treasure chests should have a lot of good stuff.

Then Kevin opened the chest.

But the chest suddenly turned into a monster with sharp teeth, biting Kevin's character's head fiercely.

"You schemed against me, you bastard!"

Yes, there were no mimic chests in Elden Ring, but Bronie liked this kind of setting.

So in some dungeons, Bronie added a few mimic chests, but the rewards inside were still there. It was just to give people a little surprise. Of course, the concept of mimic chests had appeared early in Dungeons & Dragons, and later on, Homu's Dragon Quest also used a similar setting.

But a mimic chest in a 3D game was the first time.

The mimic chest bit Kevin's head and sent him back to the Site of Grace, rendering all the exploration of the dungeon before useless.

Most importantly. This dungeon was actually a maze-type dungeon, and so far Kevin was still lost. He didn't know how he got there before.

And now.

Almost everything was in vain.

Kevin's blood pressure rose rapidly.

And Su laughed.

"When Bronie made the game, it was to bring smiles to everyone, but recently, she has started to show her true colors. While this game brings smiles to others, it also has the potential to transfer those smiles elsewhere. This is my retaliation for you recommending me the game 'Getting Over It With Haxxor Bunny'!"

"Tsk, don't sleep too hard at night."

Kevin's warning just made Su smile.

"Hehe, can you tell exactly when I'm sleeping? I'm a MANTIS with spiritual perception, I can foresee before you do anything bad."

Is this how you use your foresight?

But Kevin also had a clever idea. "Before you foresee it, I'll freeze the entire space you're in."

"Do we have to fight each other to the death?" Kevin also pointed his thumb at a nearby portal.

"Let's have Kalpas make some room for us. It's been a long time since we sparred. The loser will have to complete 'Getting Over It With Haxxor Bunny' three times!"

"Then, don't cry too ugly when that time comes!"

Chapter 57: Bar Chat

The game Elden Ring isn't something you can finish in just a day or two.

But soon enough, some netizens began asking when the DLC for Elden Ring would be released.

There was no way around it; Bronie could only reply that it's in progress.

After all, Civilization DLC is on its way, so as not to be cursed by that irritable lobster head behind her backs all day long.

Bronie wasn't clear about the bloody scenes in the Elysian Realm, but Elysia's response was that everyone was playing very happily, and Kevin even held a ramen party for it.

As for why it was a ramen party, Bronie didn't know.

Just as Elysia said so, Bronie couldn't wait to go to the Elysian Realm to participate.

Then Elysia reminded Bronie that Vill-V had prepared a maze dungeon similar to Elden Ring for herself.

To be honest, Bronie was quite looking forward to it.

After all, you wouldn't die in the Elysian Realm, right? Experiencing a real dungeon must be very interesting.

But Bronie was still celebrating the New Year with Kiana, and with the snowstorm outside, it wasn't suitable for going out.

"Another collapse has occurred near the town recently."

As Bronie tidied up the shop and cleaned every corner of the bar, Cioara returned from outside. She shook off the snow on her body and took off her scarf before saying to Bronie, "Is it serious?"

"Not really. Grey Serpent told me that Schicksal didn't even react at all, but that guy Jackal has started to suspect me. After all, I've been in this middle of nowhere for nearly half a year."

"Jackal? That guy who performed unauthorized MANTIS surgery on you?"

"How did you know... forget it, it should be Mobius or Eden who told you, right? There are not many Agents within the World Serpent who have such good relationships with all the Flame Chasers like you do. Are you really that special? Even Elysia's attitude towards you is..."

The legendary vice leader of the Flame Chasers, the woman who founded the Thirteen Flame Chasers, the second strongest MANTIS under Kevin.

Such a title represented too much. It was like the identity of the son of God in the Trinity of God in Christianity.

Such an identity was like a god to the World Serpent. But that didn't intimidate Bronie at all.

"Hmm, I know I'm special. Maybe the answer will be revealed in the future. By then, you should come and take a look too!"

"Oh?"

"Vill-V has figured something out, Mobius doesn't have the conditions to study temporarily, and Elysia told me about this layer of identity. The Elysian Realm will be lively in the future. I hope your World Serpent Agents won't do anything too excessive."

"We don't have your hacking abilities, and you really aren't a Herrscher?"

"I'm more like a Powerful Herrscher. Can a Herrscher modify information on the level of reality like I can? I'm much stronger than a Herrscher."

"But Herrschers can create black holes with their bare hands."

Cioara knows this too?

"The World Serpent's sources of intelligence are really diverse. But I really am not a Herrscher, nor can I be one, but the source of my abilities is indeed somewhat special, so special that even Flame Chasers like you are curious about it."

"Hmm, how could you casually act in the Sea of Quanta if you weren't? But another collapse has occurred recently. Do you think it's related to Kiana?"

Once this town has an Honkai Outbreak, Cioara unconsciously associates it with Kiana. This is inevitable; even Siegfried would think so. After all, he is a Herrscher.

"Your judgments based on experience often carry many biases and subjective wishes. As far as I observed, the collapses near Kiana didn't have much to do with her. This is the result I detected with instruments."

"Huh?" Cioara felt a bit incredulous.

Could it really be such a result?

Although there are indeed genes of the Honkai beasts in Cioara's body, she is quite sensitive to Honkai, but this sensitivity is just like when a person touches electricity. Only when there is a lot of it will there be a feeling, and it is destined to be inferior to machines.

But Bronie has a drone on her, which means Bronie used a drone for detection, and indeed, nothing was detected.

"I remember Padophilia saying something before."

"What?"

"No matter what era it is, people are accustomed to attributing the consequences they have created to Honkai. Sometimes I wonder if this Honkai Outbreak might be caused by something else."

This time it was Cioara's turn to fall silent.

Bronie's words needed careful consideration. Although there were many subjective wishes in this statement, sometimes it was necessary to make connections.

"I will ask the World Serpent's internal department to send over the monitoring logs of collapses of all sizes worldwide, including both Schicksal and Anti Entropy, and then we can make a proper judgment on this issue."

"Maybe, I'll also establish a monitoring system near the town. By the way, Cioara, do you think it's easier for members of Schicksal to remain undetected nearby using Quantum stealth drones or nanobots?"

"I remember the technology of Schicksal. Valkyrie armor can even use Quantun teleportation equipment. Your Quantum stealth would likely be easier to detect."

"So should I use nanobots then?"

"Seeing your troubled expression, could it be that this thing has some side effects?"

"No, no, no, I just need to study it well again~"

Nanotechnology, that was the technology of the soulium nanobots given by Vill-V. It had many advantages, but the drawback was that one needed to spend time to understand the technology.

With Bronie busy celebrating the New Year and cooperating with the company to produce DLCs for Civilization, there hadn't been time to digest Vill-V's technology, so Bronie hadn't touched it for the time being.

"At your age, shouldn't you be studying?"

"At my age, should I be studying Quantum physics and advanced mathematics?"

Now Cioara had nothing to say.

"After all, you are a genius."

"Yeah, if I weren't a genius, I wouldn't have met you. Are you still talking about finding your brother within the World Serpent?"

"How else would I settle here undisturbed?"

"Maybe."

Bronie shook her head, knowing that this peaceful life wouldn't last long. But she still had the ability to prevent crises from coming.

The World Serpent wouldn't just sit back and develop quietly.

At least from the information coming from Grey Serpent, there was a lot of activity in the World Serpent recently, and it seemed that Arc City was also under the control of the World Serpent.

Jackal had established a hospital over there, called Heliopolis Life Sciences.

However, establishing such a big company must have involved bloody means. After all, starting a pharmaceutical company would inevitably disturb some people's cakes.

However, Jackal didn't approach Cioara to do it but instead entrusted it to others.

Bronie didn't know whether the World Serpent had detected something or simply didn't want to bring trouble to Cioara.

After all, those who stubbornly sought their lost brother were obviously not mentally healthy. If they were in contact too much, who knew if they would be the target of their anger.

Finding a table, Bronie and Cioara sat down. Bronie mixed a cocktail with Cioara's favorite absinthe and placed it in front of her.

"The company is getting bigger, and there are more people, but if we don't make games, everyone will be on the payroll. So it's about time to decide on the theme of the next game."

"I haven't played many games. All the games I've played were made by you. Undertale sounds good, but after I understand the plot, I won't play it again. Spiritfarer is the same. As for Getting Over It, let's forget it. Elden Ring is still being explored."

"I always feel like I can't get much advice from you."

"If you ask me how to deal with collapse beasts, I do have some suggestions, but as for game themes? Forget it, I'm just a mercenary who doesn't know anything."

"Damn, my drink turned white."

"The taste is good!"

Cioara raised her glass to Bronie.

"But"

"Hmm?"

"You might consider choosing an assassination-type game. After all, isn't that a theme you're familiar with?"

Cioara still gave a good suggestion. Assassination, stealth, that could indeed be considered a theme. The first thing Bronie thought of was the Metal Gear series and the Hitman series. These two masterpieces were good in terms of gameplay and details, but as for the plot, Metal Gear was okay, but Hitman gave people a mediocre feeling. Of course, she was familiar with that kind of content.

"If you accidentally put too many details into it, will it be scrutinized by people?"

"Huh? Too many details? Scrutiny?"

"Isn't there such a saying? A spy writes spy novels, but because they are too realistic, they are caught by the police, and it turns out they were indeed a spy."

Cioara was speechless and rubbed her forehead.

"Then how about mechs? Like those in Arahato. It should be quite popular, and I think you might like it?"

"Mechs and FPS? Sounds pretty good. After Schicksal Entertainment opened the Magic Engine, many games have purchased the rights to use it, and new games are being developed vigorously. FPS is also a big category. If you take advantage of the popularity, you can definitely get a lot of attention."

"Just the reputation of the games you've made is enough to make everyone pay attention. What more do you need?"

"What I need is to have a reasonable contact with Otto, the Archbishop of Schicksal. It's not much to ask for, just to meet him."

"Are you starting to plan against Archbishop Otto now..."

Cioara couldn't help but marvel at Bronie's boldness.

After all, that guy Otto had lived for five hundred years. The Schicksal he managed could almost be said to be the highest entity in the current civilization.

Trying to meet him through a game?

That was a bit difficult. But it didn't seem that difficult either.

After all, although Otto was low-key, he occasionally attended some banquets and the annual internal conference of Schicksal. Perhaps when there was deep cooperation, they could really meet each other?

"So, after meeting him, then what?"

"Of course, it's to hack into his Void Archives and quietly turn it into a beautiful girl!"

Cioara's face showed a shocked expression. But Bronie just smiled.

"I'm kidding. I'll probably just find an opportunity to sell it off later, just like... it's Kiana's child support, how about that?"

"I'd rather believe that you want to turn the Void Archives into a beautiful girl. What have you learned from following Elysia..."

"Of course, it's about dressing up and picking up girls, but first, the other party must be a girl, so what's wrong with a little modification? After all, in terms of general rationality, artificial intelligence should not have gender differences, it's just that the Void Archives has been with Otto for many years, so its appearance and personality are more like Otto's shape."

"As for the First Divine Key, I suggest you temporarily put it aside. If what you said is true, that the Honkai Outbreak is not an accidental occurrence, I will definitely tear the culprit apart piece by piece."

Cioara's killing intent gradually rose, showing that she still harbored hatred towards the Honkai.

Fortunately, such hatred was not too blind.

"In fact, I think the most likely culprit is not Schicksal but Anti Entropy. After all, Anti Entropy is in chaos right now, with many miscellaneous characters joining in. Like her." Bronie pointed at an image in her phone.

"Cocolia? The rising Russian female warlord?"

"That guy is a potential terrorist. Having experienced the Second Eruption, her mind is probably a bit messed up. For the sake of researching Honkai, she might do anything, like conducting human experiments to combat Honkai."

In the past, Cioara didn't feel much about hearing such information. After all, fighting Honkai often involved some sacrifices.

But could she say such things now?

"And, do you know how the Second Herrscher was born?"

"How?"

"Human experiments."

"That guy is really a lunatic."

Cioara also agreed with Bronie's statement. When people crossed that bottom line, they often created something they couldn't understand. Jackal was the same, Mobius was the same, and Otto was even more so.

Finally, everything was hastily concluded with the Honkai. Now there was another, Cocolia.

"Do you want me to eliminate her?"

Cioara volunteered.

"Eliminate her, and then take over the orphanage, right? Actually, that's not bad."

But the World Serpent would definitely not let Cioara do this.

After all, Cocolia had cooperated with the World Serpent, and she didn't have the ability to conduct human experiments herself.

The technology and means were all obtained from Grey Serpent.

So if you wanted to have an orphanage, it meant facing more future possibilities, and perhaps you still had to take responsibility for what you did.

Could you do it?

Could you turn a blind eye to such things? Forget it, let's try it!

"Elimination is not necessary, at most, just break her legs. If you can't do it, I'll do it. It's just that the woman is not too far from us. If we follow the Ural Mountains, the biggest warlord is probably her."

Taking over the orphanage on the side wouldn't be bad.

"Hehehe, I've never missed a shot. It just so happens that I recently maintained my equipment. If I don't move my body, I'll get rusty!"

Chapter 58 Voting

[Haxxor initiated a vote—— Recently, Haxxor didn't know what theme to use for a game, so he initiated a vote. Also, the Civilization DLC is really in development, and the Elden Ring DLC is also in development! Vote One, Game Categories (up to two options).

1. Action.

2. Role-playing.

3. Strategy.

4. Adventure.

5. Simulation.

6. Sports and Racing.

Vote Two, Player Support Categories.

1. Single-player.

2. Co-op.

3. Multiplayer versus.

4. Local and Party.

Vote Three, Game Core.

1. Plot.

2. Gameplay.

3. I want them all!]

"So in the end, my suggestions were useless?"

Cioara noticed that Bronie had initiated a vote, which was now causing a lot of discussion on the internet.

Driving for a long time can also make people feel tired, so now Cioara was sitting face-to-face with Bronie in a restaurant, taking a break before setting off again.

While waiting for the food, Cioara noticed that Bronie had started a vote online.

How should she put it? It felt like the suggestions she made a few days ago at the bar about what game themes to do weren't accepted by Bronie.

"Why would they be useless? At least in the voting, your suggestions accounted for a certain percentage, huh, ten percent of the votes. For the Assassin-themed game, it's mainly role-playing and action. Don't you see how important you are?"

Bronie said, showing Cioara the voting interface, which also had a follow-up note.

[Because family members proposed an Assassin-themed game, ten percent of the votes are added to Action and Role-playing categories.]

"How about it? Now there are at least one hundred thousand people participating in the vote, which means, Natasha, you are more important to me than ten thousand people, and soon it will be one hundred thousand, one million, ten million, all of which are absolutely no problem!"

Bronie was very confident in her vote.

The hype around Elden Ring had not yet subsided, so initiating a vote in some way was also driving traffic to Elden Ring.

As for the level of discussion, as long as the level of discussion goes up, passersby will inadvertently come into contact with news about Elden Ring.

As long as you are interested in games, you absolutely can't resist a high-quality masterpiece like Elden Ring.

"Why do I feel like you're speaking like a Harem King? Bronie, you've learned bad things."

"I only said this to you, so why a Harem King? But everyone online is very enthusiastic, look, that big author also came!"

Walter had a very high reputation, so any comment he left below would directly become a popular comment and be forced to be at the top.

[Mr. Yang participated in the vote. One, Strategy, Simulation. Two, Multiplayer versus. Three, I want them all.]

[Mr. Yang: Civilization has made me feel a lot of emotions. I actually want to see what the universe and the future will be like in Teacher Haxxor's eyes, so what I'm looking forward to more is probably a game set in the universe, right? Of course, Teacher Haxxor's plot is impressive, even the stories behind every character in Elden Ring have made countless people sigh. A game with both story and gameplay, Teacher Haxxor has already done it once, so the second time should be no problem, right?]

"Hmm, that guy's demands are quite high. Does he want to use his influence to influence my decision?"

She have to say, what Walter said weighed heavily on Bronie's mind.

But... Are you teaching me how to make games?

[Haxxor replied to Mr. Yang: Everything is based on the vote. The plot of a space-themed game requires a lot of text, which is not an area I'm good at, but I do have an idea. One, survival is the first need of civilization. Two, civilizations continue to grow and expand, but the total mass in the universe remains constant. Three, there is a chain of suspicion between civilizations, and both sides cannot judge whether the other will actively attack. Four, the progress of civilizations is uneven, and even weaker civilizations may experience technological explosions. Based on these ideas, perhaps the cosmology composed of these ideas will have an important reference for our future exploration of the universe and encounters with other civilizations, right?]

At the other end of the internet, Walter fell into silence upon seeing Haxxor's thoughts.

In the field of psychology, Walter also recognized Bronie's talent from the game.

However, he hadn't expected such thoughts to arise while contemplating the universe.

Bronie depicted a universe akin to a dark forest.

In this scenario, every civilization, lacking knowledge about the true state of other civilizations, primarily opts for concealment. But with the emergence of the fourth idea, there arises a sense of necessity to eliminate other weak civilizations that expose their positions.

Some might find this notion absurd.

Yet Walter is someone who has truly encountered aliens.

There was a time when an alien civilization sent scout stars and reconnaissance troops with ill intentions to probe Earth's situation.

If not for his own cunning mind, they might have been discovered by those so-called Sky People and their planet exposed to this vulnerable civilization.

This incident actually occurred four years ago, in 2005.

Reflecting on it now, it's quite thrilling.

And what about Haxxor, this talented game developer?

Launching into such a strong topic from the outset, Walter began to suspect if Haxxor was a researcher from some institute or organization.

However, Haxxor had modeled her own face, and Walter admitted he had never seen such a girl.

[Mr. Yang replied to Haxxor: Impressive! What you've mentioned is indeed objectively true, but few people have summarized this point. Truth often appears inconspicuous, yet articulating it proves incredibly challenging. However, I believe these issues will one day be resolved, and future civilizations will inevitably merge into one large family, exploring the vast universe even more extensively.]

With just a few thoughts, Bronie demonstrated her ability to handle cosmic themes effectively.

However, Walter's attitude towards the universe tends to be more optimistic.

As for Bronie, traveling in the sea of quantum, many inhabitants of the bubbles may be unaware of these issues. Yet this doesn't negate their existence. Consequently, Bronie tends to approach unfamiliar worlds with great caution.

Like a startled little bunny.

[Haxxor replied to Mr. Yang: Sometimes I feel teaching children that only good things exist in the world is wrong. Therefore, I usually prefer to teach them to find beauty amidst adversity and fear.]

Though Undertale suggest otherwise, subsequent events affirm this perspective.

Be it the Spiritfarer or the Elden Ring.

In the end, Walter shook his head and placed his hands on the keyboard.

[Mr. Yang replied to Haxxor: A very good idea, but I'll also adhere to my own style and not change easily. Having experienced more beauty, when faced with adversity, it's easier for people to recall beauty and strive for it.]

Mutual understanding brings each other closer.

Though Walter had never met Haxxor in person, he recognized more aspects of her.

Creators have numerous ideas, but they all share a common goal.

To provoke thought and bring joy to readers.

And Walter also sensed Haxxor's mindset.

Similar to his own.

He somewhat wanted to meet her.

But unfortunately, he's currently at St. Freya Academy, and to maintain secrecy, communicating with Haxxor online is already a very public action.

Walter still understands the importance of priorities, so communicating online for a while is sufficient.

The conversation ends there, seeing Bronie remaining silent, and the netizens participating in the vote drifting off-topic. Walter then shifts his focus back to Elden Ring.

Elden Ring has multiple endings, and exploring the dungeons is also a lengthy process.

Let's just outline tomorrow's comic...

...

"Even among mercenaries, there are rules akin to those of the dark forest. However, I sense you're quite pessimistic about the universe, aren't you?"

"Because being a bad person is much easier than being a good one. So it's hard not to worry about being treated maliciously while traversing the universe. But now is not the time for such discussions. Is your intelligence network still operational? Could Cocolia really be just waiting there for us to arrive? That guy's methods are quite old-fashioned, and she dislikes using electronic technology for important matters."

In fact, this is what Bronie saw when she hacked into Cocolia's vicinity cameras.

Wireless radios are used for communication, paper records for important documents, and there isn't a single onboard system in the car.

How did Bronie manage to hack into it?

How to gather intelligence?

So, regarding intelligence, they can only resort to some old mercenary methods, and Cioara is more familiar with this stuff.

"Not because she doesn't want to, but because she truly doesn't have much money. In a recent arms deal, the target isn't relevant; it's just to prepare for upcoming territorial disputes and orders. In this icy place, warlords can only do so much."

The waiter brought the food, and Cioara took out a key from the bottom of the tray.

Bronie looked puzzled.

"That was..."

"Yes, a member of the World Serpent. I've acquired my intelligence. Next is to go to the train station in this small town. Although this is a traditional method, using a bit of tradition to deal with tradition isn't a bad idea, right?"

Seeing Bronie's expression, Cioara felt quite pleased.

"You World Serpent really is everywhere. But, well, this is part of the plan. Let's go!"

"No."

"What?"

Cioara showed no intention of getting up.

"Let's finish our meal before we leave. Wasting food isn't a good habit."

Okay, Bronie thought Cioara had come here just to gather intelligence.

But she didn't expect her to actually come for a meal.

After enjoying a delicious meal, Bronie took out her phone again to check the progress of the vote.

"I didn't expect the action category to have quite a high number of votes, and most of them chose the option of multiplayer versus. Cioara, what do you think?"

"Perhaps the audience for this type of game is broader, and they want a game that is more lively and has stronger social attributes. This doesn't come as a surprise to me."

Cioara felt that her suggestions had been brushed aside, but she didn't see any problem with it.

Games are not a necessity, and Cioara doesn't have high expectations.

Though Bronie's game production skills are impressive, Cioara still prefers money a little more.

You know, she still has loans to pay off, and she's still building a villa on the island.

"Online games make a lot of money, but money isn't very useful to me, except for making the company a little bigger and buying more things during normal times. It's really not useful. Am I supposed to make game consoles?"

"Why not invest some money in my island construction?"

"I'll consider it."

If by 2016, Cioara's island is still there, then she can consider investing in it.

But now, though Bronie has a lot of money, she can't just watch the money go to waste, right?

So she'll wait and see. After changing the plot herself, she'll consider buying the island.

Actually, Bronie is quite looking forward to Otto thinking his plan is foolproof, starting to instill the Honaki power in Kiana, and then expecting Kiana to return to the awakening of Sirin, only to find Kiana just used the power of the Herrscher of the Void to beat him up.

Then the island would be saved, Otto's plan would be achieved in a way he didn't anticipate, isn't that a happy ending for everyone?

It really is a happy ending, and it's also Vill-V's style.

Vill-V likes to help others achieve their goals in unexpected ways, and Bronie, well, she's learned the essence, hasn't she?

There are rented lockers at the train station, and the key Cioara got is for one of those lockers.

Generally, no one will come to check the rented lockers, and the World Serpent chose a locker in a blind spot of surveillance.

Opening the locker and taking out the contents, Bronie discovered that they were all paper documents.

It feels like being a spy.

"How's the intelligence?"

"The intelligence is very detailed. The Honkai really harms people. Cocolia used to be just a poor, weak, and helpless girl, but the Honkai changed everything about her. According to the intelligence, that guy does indeed conduct transactions in the nearby mountains recently. So? Are you sure you want to take action against her? Even though she's just preparing funds to build a lab."

"Of course, prevention is better than cure! So I'll break her legs first, then take over her orphanage!"

Chapter 59: Serendipity and Pranks

The waiting time for the vote was quite long, but Bronie set a deadline, which happened to be about the time to break Cocolia's legs and then head home.

The weather outside is clear now, but the temperature remains very low. However, since there weren't many people in the forest, Bronie and Cioara, who didn't mind the cold, didn't bother dressing up.

Cioara still wore a black cloak, resembling a super cool assassin.

As for Bronie...

Bronie was afraid of the cold, so she projected herself in a snow sniper outfit.

"Should I get another mask, at least to look like a tough bandit?" "Come on, is that necessary? She's just a small warlord. Do you really need to hide your identity like this? Besides, didn't you leave a backdoor in the Schicksal OS comprehensive monitoring system? All unfavorable information related to you will be blocked, right?"

Cioara didn't quite understand Bronie's idea of wanting to hide her identity.

Bronie just felt that knocking someone out and concealing her face a bit was just common sense, right?

But now, it doesn't matter.

Yes, it doesn't matter.

Now Cocolia is just a small fry, even if she causes a commotion, she can't make any scenes anywhere.

Even if she really wants to take action, the World Serpent is watching her. Once there is any action, Bronie will immediately notice.

By then, Bronie will just confront her directly and empty Cocolia's family background, leaving her with nothing to run her orphanage and using the children from the orphanage for experiments.

"Five watchtowers, three hidden sentries, not many electronic devices, even the weapons are relatively traditional mechanical kinetic weapons, with no signs of intelligence. The metal detector didn't detect any mines. The guard force here is weaker than I imagined. Is this reasonable?"

"Being poor is like this, what else can you expect? But mechanical kinetic weapons are just old-fashioned rifles, which aren't enough to deal with Honaki Beasts except for ordinary people."

With that, Cioara took out the binoculars handed to her by Bronie and carefully observed the warehouse.

Yes, on the surface, this is a warehouse under a factory, but in fact, it stores not only a pile of weapons but also a whole box of gold!

This is the intelligence Cioara obtained from the World Serpent. However, this kind of intelligence is inferred indirectly. Recently, a large amount of gold has been purchased on the market, and most of the buyers have some connection with Cocolia.

So this was the result obtained by the World Serpent's intelligence personnel.

"Anything else you discovered?" Bronie looked at Cioara.

"I've spotted the target, Cocolia, right? This woman's body is quite healthy. Even though it's sunny now, doesn't she feel cold showing her chest?"

Cioara's focus was a bit strange.

Due to this, Bronie also projected a pair of binoculars and began to observe the pair as well. "Tsk tsk tsk, even if she does livestreaming, she can make a lot of money, right?

Why bother with weapons... wait, a car is coming, it looks like Cocolia's guests are here!"

If it weren't for a meeting, how could Cioara possibly find out that Cocolia was here? So, to ensure that Cocolia can be found steadily next, Bronie quietly waited for Cocolia to finish her business first.

The armored convoy slowly approached, and at Cocolia's command, several soldiers opened the iron gate.

The atmosphere at the scene became serious.

After the convoy stopped, many soldiers tightly gripped their guns and watched the armored vehicles vigilantly.

Then, a group of soldiers dressed in black combat uniforms, looking like elite warriors, walked out of the front and rear of the vehicles, surrounding the vehicle in the middle.

The door of the middle car opened, and figures in red and blue walked out.

"Oh, this is quite interesting."

"What, what's wrong?"

Hearing Bronie's sudden reaction, Cioara immediately felt something was wrong. "Famed Einstein and Tesla, can you believe it? The ones meeting Cocolia are actually the executors of Anti Entropy. It seems that Cocolia has found a way to contact the organization against the Collapse. She plans to join Anti Entropy and use its resources to achieve her evil plan."

"No wonder she brought so much gold. Was it for co-operation?"

Cioara was also shocked. She had never expected that joining Anti Entropy would require so much money. This amount of gold is not a small sum. If used for normal person's living expenses, it would last for generations.

"There are also populations, soldiers, and connections; all of these are Cocolia's advantages. Anti Entropy needs soldiers to control mechs, so there must be certain channels, and Cocolia probably proposed conditions in this regard..."

Thinking of Einstein being here, Bronie mobilized her drones to be vigilant. "What are you doing?"

"If it's Einstein and Tesla, then we have to be careful of any high-tech gadgets they have. There must be drones and Titan mechs, so I'm trying to avoid being detected directly."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Cioara opened the stealth function of her armor, which was obviously much more convenient than Bronie's drones.

Then something seemed to fly by in the air.

But it didn't linger above their heads. "I didn't expect you to be quite familiar with them?"

"I'm just being cautious. It's you who's a bit slow. Is it because your brain is still on vacation?"

"Hmph, it's because you're too relaxed. If it were just me, even if it were just Cocolia, I would still activate the stealth mode." Cioara didn't want to admit she was abit slow, so she just came up with an excuse.

"Forget about that. It seems that Einstein and Tesla haven't found our traces, and they're officially starting the deal."

"Gold..." Cioara's gaze was fixed on the huge suitcase next to Cocolia.

Without a doubt, this heavy box definitely contained a lot of gold.

If this gold were converted into money, how much of the loan for buying an island could she pay off?

At least she could skip struggling for two or three years!

"I know you're tempted. After they come out, we'll just rob them. But we can't let Cocolia, that vixen, off. Don't forget our original plan."

"Deal with the guards, disrupt Cocolia's lackeys, warn them, and then take over the orphanage."

"Now there's an additional side mission, which is robbing the money. Let's go, let's make a big move! That's the real challenge!" Bronie jumped down from the tree, shaking off the snow on her body, while Cioara continued to move silently through the trees.

In the distance, it seemed that Cocolia and Einstein were not having a pleasant conversation, but in the end, they shook hands and reached some sort of agreement.

At the same time, a huge Titan robot appeared next to Einstein, gently lifting the box containing the gold and then opening it for inspection.

After confirming the gift for Anti Entropy, Tesla seemed to want to say something else, but was pulled back into the car by Einstein.

Finally, Einstein handed Cocolia the suitcase she had brought herself, handed it to Cocolia, and got into her own car.

Cocolia ordered her men to make way, and the convoy set off again, leaving this remote warehouse.

Anti-Entropy also left this time. But as they retraced their steps, there was a huge tree blocking the road ahead.

The roots of the tree seemed to have been violently broken by something, blocking the road and preventing the convoy from advancing. At this moment, the soldiers of Anti Entropy were immediately on alert, with everyone raising their guns, wary of potential enemies around.

They had only been here for a short time, so why did a roadblock suddenly appear? "Hey, what's going on?"

In the car, Tesla also noticed the situation outside. Subconsciously, she turned to ask Einstein, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Do you remember the intelligence we received earlier, someone deliberately investigating Cocolia's information?"

"Can investigating Cocolia lead them to us?" "It should be related to that gold."

"Huh? Are they looking down on us? Do they think we're easy to rob, so they're targeting us?"

"Probably, because they couldn't find out our identities, they judged that we weren't too strong. Or maybe they knew our identities, so they attacked. My AI assistant didn't detect any lurking enemies around before..."

Einstein suddenly felt something was wrong.

Could it be that Cocolia, that old fox, wanted to play dirty and stab them in the back? "Regardless of who they are, just make all the Titans turn them into scrap! Where are the enemies?"

"They haven't shown up yet, so I won't make the Titans visible for now. ...Hmm?"

Suddenly, Einstein noticed that the onboard computer in the car seemed to stutter for a moment, but then returned to normal.

"Attack! We're under attack! Ah!"

The attack came suddenly, soldiers fell one after another, but there was no sound of gunfire.

Finally, an arrow suddenly pierced through the car window, almost messing up Einstein's hair. "What the hell! Arrows?! Is it Schicksal Valkyries?"

"Even if it's the Valkyries of Schicksal, it's impossible to use arrows to penetrate bulletproof glass. This enemy is not ordinary! And they've found us!"

Saying that, Einstein summoned the control panel, and a huge robot descended beside the car, blocking the arrows that were coming next.

Several black feathered arrows were embedded in the Titan's armor, emitting a sizzling heat. Just as Tesla wondered if the arrows had any special effects, suddenly the car began to shake like a giant pendulum in an amusement park.

"What's going on? Mophead, if you can't control the Titan, let me do it!"

"No, it's a hacker! The other party has directly hacked into the operating system, taken control, and even launched an attack on our car!" Einstein now understood that the other party was really targeting them!

Was this reasonable?

So many Titans lost control, and then one was directly controlled to overturn the armored vehicle.

Fortunately, the car was sturdy enough, but at this moment, Einstein felt like a fish on the chopping block, completely powerless.

A huge despair enveloped Einstein's heart. Was her life going to end here?

"Ding~ Bunny Anti-Scam Reminder: When choosing a partner, it's best not to choose a cunning partner than yourself~"

The Titan's fist smashed the car window, Tesla let out an indescribable scream, but Einstein heard a voice coming from the onboard computer.

"Who are you?"

Einstein tried to keep calm and had already sent out a distress signal. It wouldn't be long before Anti Entropy's entire army came to protect them.

At least before the rescue team arrived, they had to delay as much as possible.

"Now is not the time to discuss these things. I hereby unilaterally announce that your cooperation with Cocolia ends here. You surely wouldn't want to cooperate with someone who experiments with children using Honkai, right? So this is just a little warning. Next time, you won't be so lucky to see Cocolia in person."

The Titan raised its index finger, pointed at Tesla, shook it, then picked up the large box next to Tesla and checked it. After confirming that it was indeed Cocolia's gold, it left directly.

It was as if the whole thing had been a false alarm.

The black feathered arrows had disappeared without a trace, leaving only a hole in the car window, letting in a chilling breeze.

"Damn it! **, **, *****! She actually used our mech to despise us! Who does she think she is?! **! If we hadn't relaxed our guard, would you still dare to be so arrogant, **! If you have the guts, don't run away! Let me, the army of Anti Entropy, turn your whole family into ashes..."

Boom!

The car was heavily hit by the Titan, and Tesla was too scared to speak.

"Tesla, our control system itself has a firewall, and it can even bypass the AI firewall set up by my Eins. This is not an ordinary enemy."

"Yeah, we're unlucky. It seems that they're really targeting the vixen?"

"But she also knows our true identities, and would Cocolia, who experiments on children with Honkai, do such a thing... What kind of reasoning is this?"

Of course, Einstein didn't know about Cocolia's behavior, because when she sought partners, she only wanted to find enough soldiers to join Anti Entropy and enough connections to develop Anti Entropy.

She just didn't expect that before she cooperated with herself, Cocolia seemed to have had contact with another organization fighting against Honkai, and was discovered for the dirty deeds she had done in the dark?

Was justice really that outspoken nowadays?

"If what they said is true, then that vixen deserves to die! Forget it, we're unlucky. Let's wait for the rescue team to come. I'll go check the damage outside."

Tesla struggled to get out of the car, only to see that all the mechs had turned into scrap metal, while the soldiers were sleeping peacefully.

Looking at the mess in front of her, Tesla couldn't help but swear.

She wanted to curse the attacker's entire family.

The other party had strong power, knew a lot of intelligence, and didn't have much hostility.

When these judgments appeared in Tesla's mind, she felt like she had been played.

Who were the attackers who assaulted her home? At least one thing was certain, they weren't from Schicksal.

Chapter Sixty: Interrupting Cocolia's Plans

Perhaps it was because they were well-prepared, or maybe it was because of the advanced technology embedded in Bronie's attire?

Regardless, the skirmish at the mountain's base remained so discreet that even Cocolia failed to take notice.

Bronie orchestrated the entire operation while Cioara merely fired a couple of arrows from a distance as a symbolic gesture, thereafter witnessing Bronie skillfully maneuvering drones to transport the gold.

Gold, as you know, is exceptionally heavy, yet the diminutive drones effortlessly levitated it without impediment, delivering it directly before them.

Frankly, Cioara wished she had such a handy drone at her disposal.

With the gold secured and the two scientists discreetly making their escape, the next logical step was to locate Cocolia.

Serendipitously, they stumbled upon the very spot where Cocolia was to join Anti Entropy.

Though radicals might still lurk within Anti Entropy, Cocolia's absence would undoubtedly disrupt its operations.

Cocolia must bear partial responsibility for the tragedy she caused in the future and in the past.

While this turn of events would alter numerous futures, Bronie didn't believe those children should shoulder such burdens.

Any challenges that arose could be managed.

"How's it going? Is the target still in sight?"

"Absolutely. We executed our plan swiftly. Did you notice how Tesla wanted to curse me but hesitated?"

"But she still managed to curse you."

Cioara was taken aback by the fiery temperament of a scientist, especially such extreme cursing, reaching as far as to insult the other party's ancestors.

However, observing Bronie's unperturbed demeanor, Cioara saw no point in antagonizing the Anti Entropy members.

"Just an outburst to show incompetence. But she likely has some lifesaving tricks up her sleeve. She was attempting to use it to buy time, hence the vehement cursing, and she's likely pondering if she's provoked me too much."

"Are scientists' minds always this quick and mobile? I thought they were all bookish types."

"They have been involved in the Second Herrscher's Battle, nearly encountering the death many times, can they not be a bit spirited for every encounter?"

"True. It seems Cocolia's side is even more sluggish with their movements."

Naturally, the transaction wouldn't occur at Cocolia's headquarters, so after bidding farewell to Einstein's group, Cocolia promptly ordered her men to depart.

Moreover, Cocolia was quite cunning. After traversing an alternate downhill path, she dispersed all the convoys, seemingly intending to utilize them to obscure her trail.

Additionally, the windows of each vehicle were tinted one-way, preventing any onlookers from discerning the occupants within.

At this moment, Cocolia was still fantasizing about her subordinates joining Anti Entropy, and then obtaining technology from Anti Entropy to research means to counter Honkai!

After all, Cocolia's determination to fight Honkai was genuine, and this sincere attitude was also the key to impressing both Tesla and Einstein.

However, neither Tesla nor Einstein had anticipated the extent of Cocolia's obsession with combating Honkai, reaching the extreme of even considering using children for human experiments.

Clearly, Mobius had perished in the previous civilization and so laws and regulations were likely nonexistent.

But Cocolia?

On one hand, she professed love for the children she adopted, and on the other, she sent them one by one to the operating table.

The ultimate outcome remained unknown.

But Bronie had a feeling that Cocolia had likely disposed of many children before adopting Bronya, only they hadn't been discovered yet.

Taking care of Cocolia sooner rather than later might save more children!

Seated in her car, Cocolia crossed her arms and quietly observed the scenery outside the window.

To her, this operation went incredibly smoothly, but the smoothness made her feel a bit uneasy.

Indeed, after selling mercenary intelligence, Cocolia could also hear some rumors if someone bought information related to her.

So, the unusually smooth operation made Cocolia somewhat uneasy.

Especially when Einstein began investigating the surroundings, Cocolia realized that someone might have purchased intelligence and even alarmed the folks at Anti Entropy.

For safety reasons, Cocolia's next destination was naturally a safe house of her own, where she could lay ambushes for potential enemies and ensure her safety!

Cocolia chose a legacy left by the former Soviet Union, a shelter capable of withstanding even nuclear blasts, with enough supplies inside to sustain a person for several years.

"You're smart, aren't you?"

Cocolia's cleverness wasn't lost on Bronie. When she noticed Cocolia heading to such a shelter, with only one exit, Bronie sensed that this fox had sensed something.

"Bronie, we're the visitors here, and it seems she's quite perceptive. Where there's existence, there's inevitably a trace left behind. It seems Cocolia has heard about World Serpent gathering intelligence."

"Hmm, I didn't expect World Serpent's intelligence agents to gather information through conventional channels. Direct trading on the mercenary intelligence network? But no rush, let's play along with her for now."

"You can hack into the mechanical lock of the main gate?"

"Is it very difficult?"

Seeing Cocolia's convoy enter the shelter's compound, Cioara knew Bronie was planning to stage a surprise attack.

However...

"There are too many soldiers. I can't guarantee they'll all survive, so this hassle is on you."

Lazing around, huh!

Cioara felt like she had mastered the art of slacking off at work. Since arriving at the scene, all Cioara had done besides pulling a few arrows was nothing.

"I've breached fortresses tighter than this, and without anyone noticing. Plus, people make mistakes, and the body is susceptible to drugs, making it easy to manipulate. So, it's quite easy to handle."

"So...?"

...

"Ding dong, your takeout is here!"

Bronie appeared directly in front of the military camp's gate, holding an empty cardboard box. The guards immediately tensed up at the sight of Bronie.

"Don't move! This is private property, and unauthorized individuals cannot approach!"

"Soldiers, shoot quickly!"

"But, Captain! She's just a kid..."

"Shoot! The nearest town is two kilometers away! No child would play in this godforsaken place, let alone talk about takeout!"

The young soldier immediately raised his gun. When he looked back at Bronie, he found her smiling.

"Done!"

Suddenly, the young soldier felt a pain in his neck, and he collapsed to the ground.

He didn't even understand what had happened.

But then, the alarm in the camp went off, and countless soldiers aimed their guns from all directions, ready to eliminate the invaders.

Cocolia also peered out, wanting to see who dared to storm the military camp directly.

But all she saw was a child strolling leisurely towards her.

A dark shadow covered the sky, making her gaze stray from Bronie to the sky.

"What the hell..."

The array of drones in the sky almost blocked out the sunlight. It was like a tidal wave of malice for her. She instantly closed the window and hurriedly ran off.

Then, the drones opened fire, raining tranquilizer bullets covering every inch of the camp.

Bunkers?

Bunkers were utterly useless against vertical attacks; unless there was a roof above, which would also be targeted by Bronie's sniper drones.

With just a glance, all Cocolia's soldiers seemed to collapse

Cocolia hid in the corner and called for backup.

"Requesting backup! Shelter C-0-7 under attack! Immediate reinforcements needed!"

"Hmm, got it."

At the other end of the satellite phone, a girl's voice came through, and Cocolia immediately realized that her satellite phone had also been intercepted.

From a distance, a silver-haired girl with twin drills walked directly towards her, and Cocolia knew instantly that the girl's target was her.

Why hadn't she died?

Wasn't it because she was currently half-hidden inside the shelter, ready to close the door at any moment?

"Who are you? What's your purpose? How much is the offer? I can pay double."

She pleaded as if begging for mercy, but Cocolia's body was very calm, showing no signs of waiting to be slaughtered.

She closed the heavy metal door of the shelter, and then, with the sound of mechanical gears, locked the entire gate, just like a safe.

"Who am I? I'm the messenger of justice. Remember this: You are the demon who dared to use orphanage children for human experiments!"

"I did it for their own good!"

After the gate was firmly locked, external signals were difficult to transmit inside. However, Cocolia still heard Bronie's reply.

Cocolia hadn't expected the other party to answer so calmly.

Upon hearing Bronie describe her like that, Cocolia immediately retorted.

But it only made Bronie laugh.

"How many have died?"

"...How do you know? But they all volunteered, and their sacrifice was not in vain."

Cocolia felt extremely guilty inside because Bronie's tone made it seem like she knew everything.

Most of her words were just self-convincing tricks Cocolia had always used to deceive herself to feel justified in continuing her experiments.

Fortunately, every experiment had made progress.

"How many more do you want to kill? How many will satisfy you?"

That question was like a bombshell.

Because Cocolia couldn't see the end of the experiments.

She only knew that sacrifices would only increase. As for when she would be satisfied?

Perhaps when the technology matured, and more children acquired the ability to survive in the Honkai filled future, would she stop?

"Will you really stop? What if your done with the Stigmata research, the ICHOR research, the Quantum experiments. Is immortality next? Then creating your own army of MANTIS soldiers to unify the world, and then, your goal shifts to conquering the sea of stars?"

The eternal desire drives human progress.

But for Cocolia, it was the motivation for her continuous wrongdoing.

Cocolia realized that no matter what she said, it was a feeble and powerless defense.

Because Bronie seemed to truly understand her thoughts.

Stigmata, that was what Cocolia currently wanted to research. It was said to be the only hope against Honkai, the most likely way to survive when the end of the world arrives.

As for the ICHOR, it seemed to be used to merge the genes of Honkai beasts with human genes to obtain powerful strength and resistance to Honkai. This information came from a mysterious person.

As for the Quantum research, she didn't understand that one.

Of course, many things Bronie mentioned, Cocolia didn't quite understand, but she realized that in the eyes of the other party, she was a greedy individual.

"I just want my children to have a safer home and a better future!"

"But everything you do is pushing those children into the abyss! And you're enjoying the fruits of it, trying to lead more children into such a dark future!"

Suddenly, Cocolia felt the metal door become extremely hot, and even the air around it began to burn.

She quickly searched for her pistol in the surroundings, hoping to strike back when the door opened.

"They volunteered..."

"Heh, if it weren't for you wanting them to participate in the experiments, how could they have known about such things? They wanted to participate in the experiments, and you couldn't refuse? In the end, they don't matter in your eyes. They're just expendable materials that can be consumed at will. You say you love them and it's for their own good, but what about your actions? You can't deceive others without deceiving yourself~"

Regardless, the sacrifice of the children was an established fact, something that couldn't be changed from the beginning.

The door grew hot, emitting a dazzling light.

Then, the metal door gradually melted away, and a small figure emerged from the light, causing Cocolia to lose her composure.

Raising her gun, she emptied the magazine at Bronie.

But all the bullets hit an invisible shield, creating no ripple.

"I speak with facts. All your actions harm those children. So, I won't let these things happen again. From now on, I'll take over your orphanage."

Passing through the molten metal door, Bronie's assault rifle aimed at Cocolia's head.

Although it had a pink bunny motif, the cold barrel, coupled with the familiar smell of gunpowder, made Cocolia realize that the gun was real.

"No, it's impossible. I will never hand over the children to you!"

Cocolia attempted to rise and attack Bronie.

But within seven steps, the gun was accurate and fast. Bronie shot Cocolia in the knee, causing her to collapse in pain.

"Well, sorry. Since you can't control your hands, I'll let you retire completely from your mercenary career. But don't worry, you probably won't die. I hope you have enough pension to get you through the rest of your life, and reflect on your sins."