Chapter 561: Bidding farewell to Bronya

Finally.

At the height of the atmosphere, eighteen cannon salutes rang out, signifying Bronya, the eighteenth Supreme Guardian.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Amidst the cannon fire, Bronya's inauguration ceremony reached its climax. The cheers in the plaza grew increasingly intense, waves of sound feeling almost tangible, washing over the spirits of everyone present.

"Supreme Guardian Bronya, we love you!"

"Long live the Supreme Guardian! Long live the Supreme Guardian!"

Bronya stood before the Everwinter Monument, basking in the people's adoration, waving continuously at the crowd shouting below the stage.

Then, under the guidance of the Silvermane Guards, the crowd in the plaza formed queues and gradually dispersed.

The expression of excitement and joy scattered from the roaring bonfires like stars across the sky; throughout the city of Belobog, similar sounds were everywhere.

Of course, another quite important point was that, starting today, all of Belobog would enjoy a three-day holiday.

The "Architects" were even considering making this three-day holiday permanent, so that all people living on Jarilo-VI in the future would remember this day.

This day of the greatest change in seven hundred years;

This day of carrying on the past and opening up the future;

This day of stepping out from the shadow of the "Eternal Freeze," rebuilding homes, and welcoming a beautiful life;

And even more so, the day Belobog and the Foundation established a formal cooperative relationship.

As for what the last item is about, let us set it aside for now and discuss it later.

March 7th first continuously encapsulated "Space-Time," sealing segments of time into precious images.

After realizing that frequent use of this ability would excessively consume energy and stamina, the pink-haired girl picked up her camera again, searching for one memorable scene after another.

"It's so lively," she remarked with emotion, "I haven't seen such a lively scene in a long time."

"Stelle" glanced at the crowd not far away; most residents of the Administrative District had already taken off their thick winter clothes and put on slightly lighter garments.

Among them, a few people holding heavy winter gear and wearing tattered clothing stood out particularly.

She cleared her throat, then gently poked Bai Xuan's waist: "Doctor Natasha and the others are here too."

"Where? Where?" March 7th asked.

"Stelle" pointed not far away, and March 7th and Dan Heng saw an old man chatting happily with the Silvermane Guards.

They only knew the old man was named Oleg, had a background as a Silvermane Guard, and was a well-known figure in the Underworld.

Seeing him now, he still held considerable influence among the Silvermane Guards.

Along with Oleg was Doctor Natasha.

Further away stood Clara and a little blonde girl, the two of them curiously observing the Administrative District they had never seen before.

However, whether out of habit or for some other reason, Clara was still barefoot, stepping on the hard ground, drawing sympathetic gazes from the people of the Administrative District from time to time.

As for Seele, she was hiding behind the Everwinter Monument, presumably unable to stand the crowded place and seeking some peace and quiet.

Seemingly sensing someone looking at her, Natasha followed the gaze back, and after a brief moment of daze, she walked toward the group.

"Good morning, everyone, 'Trailblazers.' Thank you for everything you have done for Belobog."

"We don't feel like we did much, yet we became heroes who saved Belobog," March 7th said with a smile. "From now on, the divide between the Upper and Underworld can be eliminated, right?"

Natasha shook her head; although officially and on the surface the two had merged into one, prejudices in reality still existed, not to mention the physical distance.

Everything needed time to repair and mend.

As the true leader of "Wildfire," Doctor Natasha was also a strong woman; she would neither be blindly optimistic nor be crushed by despair.

She looked up at the sky, where the distant star was gradually rising, and drifting clouds moved through the blue sky. A motherly smile hung on her face:

"But, the suffering has finally ended, hasn't it?"

"Have you ever had similar feelings? Occasionally stopping your steps, recalling the things you once did... you would marvel that you had actually overcome so many difficulties along the way, marvel that you were once unbelievably strong..."

"And then fall into self-doubt. Doubting that you have already lost that energy from back then... doubting that if everything were to happen all over again, you would be unable to replicate that brave self."

"Stelle" shook her head, a bit confused:

"Sorry, I don't quite understand."

Natasha carefully examined this gray-haired, golden-eyed girl:

"Indeed, you are different from most people—you radiate confidence from head to toe, every single moment."

"In those dozen years of lockdown, my spirit was never for a second not in a state of tension. If I had the slightest slack, the foundation of 'Wildfire' could have been shaken, and the Underworld could have fallen into an irredeemable situation."

"The hardest part wasn't staying alert at all times, but not seeing the end of the perseverance... not knowing when I would finally be able to relax."

As she spoke, her tense body seemed to relax significantly, as if she had put down something heavy.

"Regardless of what others think—in my heart, your arrival is the reward for my long wait. Thank you, 'Trailblazers'."

Belobog, Qliphoth Fort.

"Bronya! We're back."

March 7th took the lead, greeting Bronya at her desk.

Bronya closed the planning proposal for the future of Belobog and Jarilo-VI, turning to look at the four spirited individuals: Bai Xuan, March 7th, Dan Heng, and "Stelle."

Ah, no.

It was the spirited March 7th, and the calm-faced Bai Xuan, Dan Heng, and "Stelle."

Clearly, the four had completely different levels of enthusiasm for the celebration.

Bai Xuan was purely because he had seen too many crowds in his past life and couldn't handle scenes with too many people.

"It's great that you could make it to the inauguration."

"Sorry, I know the schedule was set too tightly... but I didn't want to keep the citizens waiting too long. The more groundless suspicion there is, the easier it is for the situation to lose control."

"Has your body fully recovered?" "Stelle" asked with concern.

"Mm, I'm fine now, please don't worry."

Hearing the news that Bronya was fine, March 7th's smile grew even brighter, and she changed the subject:

"Bronya's speech was truly inspiring! If it were me, I'd definitely be so nervous I couldn't even stand steady."

"It was merely weaving lies using superficially beautiful rhetoric. I hope you never have to experience these things, March."

March 7th opened her mouth wide, looking at Bronya blankly, not understanding why the conversation had suddenly turned to such a heavy topic.

Only after feeling Bai Xuan's touch on her palm did she slightly recover.

"White lies are also necessary," Bai Xuan responded.

"Mm. I want to remain honest with the people forever... but I want to 'Preserve' their hope even more," Bronya sighed.

In such a position, any decision made would have an impact on the entirety of Belobog, an impact that might even persist for decades, or even after she stepped down.

She understood her mother a little bit now.

It was just that, she understood but did not agree, and even less did she accept it.

March 7th quickly recovered: "Then what about Dr. Bright? The Foundation must have sent representatives to observe the ceremony, right?"

The person observing the ceremony was already here... Bai Xuan silently added in his heart, while outwardly still wearing a faint smile, waiting for Bronya to continue.

"Dr. Bright drank too much yesterday; he stayed at Qliphoth Fort for a short while and then went back to the site to sleep," Bronya said expressionlessly.

Even Dan Heng couldn't hold it together, revealing a polite smile.

"Dr. Bright signed an agreement on behalf of the Foundation with the 'Supreme Guardian'," Bronya continued.

"Within Jarilo-VI and the star system where Jarilo-VI is located, the authority to dispose of all anomalies is handed over to the Foundation."

"In exchange, the Foundation will guarantee our sovereign integrity and protect us from natural disasters until Jarilo-VI returns to the interstellar stage, and will anchor an interstellar base here and station a fleet."

"In addition, the Foundation will provide initial technical assistance and material aid for the planet's reconstruction."

"Ah... this..." March 7th was shocked by the content of such an agreement, for a moment not knowing how to react.

After all, this meant the Foundation was granting Jarilo-VI the status of a protectorate and providing direct military protection, rather than just verbal aid.

"Dr. Bright said this was a supplement to the agreement from a thousand years ago, and that they would decide whether to renew it every hundred years... and then, he went back to sleep."

"... The Foundation is probably a philanthropist."

March 7th gave up on this topic, leaning her body against Bai Xuan's arm with no interest.

Dan Heng spoke up:

"The Astral Express crew will also help you as much as possible."

"Thank you for your aid; Belobog, and the future Jarilo-VI, will never forget it." **CHAPTER 563**