บท 31: Chapter 31: Catfishing, Except its a Tuna being fished

Whenever a major Honkai eruption occurred, there would always be a powerful Honkai beast or some kind of Honkai entity acting as a leader behind the scenes.

During the Second Honkai Eruption, behind it all was Sirin. Under Sirin's command served the Judgement-class Honkai beast Benares, and even further down the hierarchy were Assaka and even Parvati.

In short, even in the case of a minor Honkai eruption, there would still be a powerful Honkai Entities involved.

So Cioara would never underestimate this Honkai eruption. After all, it involved the Core of the Herrscher, and there might be a new major Honkai eruption if they weren't careful.

Cioara used Honkai energy to create a Seraph-Class Honkai beast with a flick of her hand. The small Archangel began following Cioara's guidance, heading towards the area with higher Honkai concentration.

"It seems like something's wrong."

Cioara got off the vehicle and stopped, then grabbed the small Honkai beast that was still flying nearby.

"What's wrong?"

"I sent it to locate the superior Honkai beast's position, but why is it instinctively heading towards the nearby village?"

"It looks like we can't keep this Honkai beast."

Bronie took out her gun preparing to kill it. Cioara was also surprised, but she extended her claws and completely annihilated the Honkai beast.

There was no other choice; just one kilometer ahead was a village. According to the map, if the Honkai beast were to head in that direction, it would surely bring huge danger to the entire village.

"What should we do now?"

Bronie looked at Cioara.

"Obviously, you brought me here. How come you're asking me what to do?"

"After all, you're the Honkai expert. Maybe our target is behind the village?"

"Behind the village? Are you kidding me? If the Honkai really spreads to that area, wouldn't it affect the big city there? If the Honkai really reaches that place, the village is definitely in trouble!"

Cioara made this judgment, and Bronie couldn't say much. According to Cioara's statement, without much ado, Siegfried and Kitten must be nearby.

But if she were to say it outright, Raveb probably wouldn't hesitate to attack them for her little island. And the hope for the future would vanish.

This would undoubtly be the biggest joke in Bronie's carreer, so of course she had to do something.

"Then let's go check out the village and observe the impact of the Honkai on the village while we're at it."

So Bronie suggested this.

The villages of Siberia were usually quite large. After all, the living environment here was harsh. Without huddling together for warmth and helping each other, survival would be difficult.

When the external temperature dropped to minus fifty degrees Celsius in winter, if one didn't blink quickly enough, the surface of their eyes would freeze, and they might suddenly go blind.

In such a harsh environment, it was still impressive that so many people could live here. Bronie admired their resilience.

"We're going to the village?"

Cioara looked at her own clothes. They were combat suits provided by World Serpent. They are very distinctive, and somewhat similar to Valkyrie outfits.

Would she be welcomed in this village if she wore these clothes? Bronie's clothes were still okay. She was wrapped tightly in a down jacket, and her cute double helix silver hair gave her the feeling of being a neighbor's little sister. Moreover, wearing ski goggles on her head added a touch of handsomeness.

In terms of dressing, Bronie seemed quite adept.

Perhaps sensing Cioara's thoughts, Bronie reached out to Cioara.

"Let me create some normal clothes for you temporarily. Remember not to wear the hood when you enter the village."

Bronie projected a brand new set of clothes for Cioara.

At least there were down jackets and long johns, all of which were put on, wrapping Cioara up tightly.

But even so, that impressive figure was still hard to conceal.

"Are you really not a Herrscher or something?"

A warm feeling spread throughout her body, and Cioara still felt quite amazed by Bronie's special ability.

Every time she saw Bronie projecting something, she felt as if he was a Herrscher.

Although she haven't personally seen the Herrscher, She had watched videos from the Gray Serpent. A single individual can assemble a large number of mechas in minutes for battle. If an opponent like that were to become enemies of humanity, given them time to grow, they could surely destroy the entire human civilization!

"Do you smell any Honkai energy on me?"

"No, I don't."

"Well, there you have it! How could I possibly be a Herrscher? But I am quite interested in the Herrscher, though."

Finally, they entered the village. However, to avoid attracting too much attention, Bronie materialize a car directly and even mimicked the style of a local license plate. But this time, Cioara had to be the one driving.

After all, she looked so young, and she might not even be able to reach the gas pedal while in the driver's seat.

"How does it feel?" After finding a place to park and getting out of the car, Bronie asked.

"There's a bit of Honkai energy, but very little. It doesn't affect daily life or health."

"It seems that the truth won't be revealed for a while, huh?"

"But the Honkai energy outside the village is relatively concentrated. Honkai beasts could appear at any time, and the village will be in trouble then."

It seemed that Cioara intended to temporarily stay in the inn and leave Siberia only after finding out the cause and solving the problem at its root. They booked a double room, and Cioara entered the warm room, then looked at Bronie.

"I really wonder why you brought me here and if you're really so interested in solving the Honkai."

"Solving the Honkai here is just a side task. Anyway, it's not a good idea to say it directly now. You'll see later!"

So Bronie actually knew the source of the Honkai beasts spawning nearby?

Oh, this Bronie...

Just watching the Honkai about to happen, Cioara couldn't just sit idly by. But for some reason, she felt like Bronie had her tightly in her grip. Then Cioara saw Bronie projecting some art supplies and then placing a canvas in the corner.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't this about disguising our identity? Besides artists and their little friends, who else would come to this middle of nowhere? This town seems to have quite a few people, but this inn looks like it hasn't been visited much."

Outsiders always easily attract attention. And Bronie looked young, so he wouldn't attract Siegfried's attention, of course. But Cioara was different.

"So is Siegfried here? Or are the Schicksal ones here?"

"Of course it's Siegfried. Have you heard any rumors about Siegfried in the Schicksal?"

"What?"

"Siegfried has touched the buttocks of all the Valkyries in Schicksal, so the more prominent the buttocks, the more attention it attracts. If he suspect you're a Valkyrie, he'll definitely beat you up."

"That's...really..." Hearing this, Cioara knew Bronie was joking. But Siegfried actually had such a reputation, so it wasn't groundless. When encountering him, she really should be cautious.

After packing up their belongings, Cioara and Bronie started wandering around the town to find out the truth about the extremely high Honkai energy around while the town remained unaffected. And to find the source of the Honkai eruption.

"Because of the Second Honkai Eruption, Siberia was contaminated, so it's hard to say whether the source of the Honkai beasts is due to pollution or the existence of some leader. But you're different. As a MANTIS, you can control Honkai beasts to some extent so it's easier for you to find the opponent."

The Schicksal judge Honkai density through satellites and patrols. Some large Honkai beasts are buried in the soil, hiding themselves, so they might not be found easily. But Cioara was different.

"Yeah, but now I can't find them either. It's really annoying. With so many humans around here, how can that thing endure it?"

"Who knows?"

Bronie shrugged and saw a few children playing on the roadside. The town was very peaceful, and the children were growing up strong. The villagers on the roadside were chatting and laughing, seemingly without any worries in life.

"Hello, grandma, we're here for a recent trip. Are there any good places to visit around here?"

At a small shop, there was an elderly woman inside running the store. With her harmless appearance, Bronie walked in and started asking for information around.

"I see, no wonder I haven't seen a girl like you before! As for good places around here, they're probably up in the mountains. From there, you can see the whole town's scenery. My husband and I often go for a walk there at noon!"

"I see. Thank you, grandma. But I've noticed there are still many missing persons notices lately. Is it a bit unsettled around here recently?"

They also bought some fruits along the way, and the old woman's face lit up even more. As for Bronie's worries? It was normal for a weak and innocent girl to ask about the security situation around.

"It's not that bad people are doing bad things. Most of them are said to have been attacked by wild beasts. I don't know what's going on. It seems like the beasts this year are a bit aggressive, but the police are still on duty, so try to avoid going to places like the forest; it's dangerous."

Wild beasts? They were probably referring to Honkai beasts. The Schicksal had an eye in the sky, yet they concealed the existence of the Honkai. But because the Second Honkai Eruption had caused significant harm to humanity, the government knew about the Honkai. For the sake of societal stability, news of the Second Honkai Eruption hadn't spread yet, and the police were working hard to mitigate its impact on daily life.

However, with the help of Valkyries from the Schicksal, most people couldn't come into contact with Honkai beasts and Zombies.

"Thank you, grandma!"

"Oh, wait!" Suddenly, the old woman called out to Bronie.

"There's a strange old man living up in the mountains. Although he's usually a cold person, he shouldn't be a bad person. He moved in last week, and it startled me! If it weren't for him bringing his daughter, I would have thought he was up to no good."

"Is that so?" Bronie glanced back at Cioara. Cioara, too, was somewhat shocked. Why weren't there any people from Schicksal nearby? Why hadn't Siegfried been discovered? For a moment, Cioara's mind was in turmoil, feeling like she had been caught up in something really extraordinary.

"What are Schicksal and Anti-Entropy up to?" Leaving the fruit shop, Cioara followed Bronie to climb the mountain. A cement staircase extended up the mountain, but it wasn't very high. From the foot of the mountain, they could vaguely see the wooden house on the mountaintop. It seemed like a very old house. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you find it strange? We've found that guy, so shouldn't both the Schicksal and Anti-Entropy be able to find him?"

"Is there a possibility that I'm just too good? And after the Second Honkai Eruption, the frequency of Honkai incidents increased globally; it's just relatively concentrated here." "Do you think I believe that?"

When Cioara said this, Bronie knew she definitely didn't believe it. "Okay, okay, it's all in Otto's palms. But our appearance is definitely not something he could predict. In other words, as a hacker, I've implanted something like a Trojan horse in his plan. And now, well, everything is still in Otto's control."

"I feel like I've gotten involved in something extraordinary, and it's really not rewarding."

"Who said it's not rewarding? You'll understand one day." So Bronie said, and Cioara just remained cautious.

"Wow, the view is good, and the scenery is nice. Even in such harsh conditions, the Russians have developed their own unique civilization. It's a great thing."

Finding an open space, Bronie looked back at the town not far away. The snow was exceptionally bright under the sunlight. To be honest, it would be quite troublesome to paint such a scene. A world of pure white snow.

"Have you figured out how to make the game?"

"Hmm, civilization isn't just about players controlling a country. It's about having multiple choices. Russia's specialty is built on permafrost, with its unique resources."

"Oh?"

"Productivity determines the foundation for building things and producing units, while food determines the speed of population growth. But in permafrost, both productivity and food are scarce."

"So what do they produce?" Cioara could still keep up with Bronie's thoughts. That's what made Cioara feel a bit different.

"Through faith."

"Huh, are you criticizing Russia or praising it?"

"Of course, I'm praising it! More faith is produced in permafrost areas, and the holy sites built around the mountains have more faith resources. Then, by enhancing the production of the evangelism special ability, faith can be given the same level of productivity. This way, it creates a magnificent scene of developing a great civilization on permafrost."

Then Bronie looked around and opened the suitcase he had brought out of the hotel. The suitcase changed slightly and turned into a barbecue grill! And inside the suitcase was a bag containing all the ingredients. "Eating barbecue and enjoying the snow scene, isn't it great?"

"But, how did you suddenly come out to barbecue? Weren't we here for sightseeing?"

The barbecue grill even had a lid to ensure that the heat wouldn't dissipate randomly, and Bronie even brought charcoal. "It's not just sightseeing, there's also a fishing element involved. It's part of the plan, Cioara~"