Starry Sky Railway: Twin Origins

Chapter 51 Winning Over

I was quite busy yesterday and didn't have time to write, so I missed a day of updates. I'm very sorry!

-----------------

“She just identified herself as Landau. If I remember correctly, the garrison officer we met earlier—Jepard—also had that surname.”

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Lin Qiong began to explain his reasons for doing so.

"If that's the case, she's very likely a relative or member of Jepard's clan."

Lin Qiong then recited the excuse he had already prepared in his mind.

Because he knew that if he wanted to go into the Echoing Corridor, he would definitely encounter Jepard.

Hiluva's help is essential to getting past Jepard.

That's why Lin Qiong chose to tell Hilva his purpose in following Cocolia, in order to recruit her into his group.

Immediately afterward, as if to confirm what Lin Qiong had said, when Shiluwa heard Lin Qiong mention the name Jepard, her eyes lit up.

"Huh? I never expected you guys to know my stubborn little brother." Hiluva's face was full of surprise, her tone tinged with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"What, bro?!"

Seeing Shiluwa's reaction, everyone was also surprised. They hadn't expected that Jepard would be the woman's brother.

Seeing that everyone looked somewhat surprised, Hiluva smiled and nodded as if she suddenly understood something.

"Oh~ I see. I can tell from your expressions that you must have been given a hard time by Xiao Jie, right?"

"...Little Jie Jie?"

March 7 was stunned when he heard Hiluva call Jepard "Little Jepard".

The thought of Jepard's icy demeanor and his muscular physique, strong enough to kill a bull with a single punch, made March 7 uneasy.

She simply couldn't reconcile the stern-faced Jepard with the nickname "Little Jepard".

"Oh no, I forgot to promise my brother that you shouldn't mention this name when there are outsiders around."

Hiluva slapped her forehead, a look of annoyance on her face, clearly realizing that she had let something slip.

"You absolutely mustn't tell anyone, or he'll start lecturing me for ages again..."

Hiluva quickly waved her hand, her eyes filled with pleading.

Just then, Dan Heng suddenly spoke up, interrupting the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere and drawing everyone's attention back to the previous question.

"Alright, let's get down to business!"

After speaking, Dan Heng suddenly turned his gaze to Lin Qiong and said, "Qiong, tell everyone your thoughts."

Wow, as expected of Dan Heng, his insight is so sharp. Lin Qiong thought to himself.

It seems that after the Schwarzschild incident, Dan Heng realized that Lin Qiong would not do anything meaningless.

Since Lin Qiong chose to tell Xiluwa about their purpose, there must be some special reason behind it.

As Dan Heng finished speaking, everyone else turned their attention to Lin Qiong, eager to know what he was planning to do.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong felt the gazes directed at him and nodded slightly. Then, he turned to look at Shiluva and slowly said, "Miss Shiluva, we need your help."

"Huh? Me?"

After hearing Lin Qiong's words, Xiluwa pointed to herself, her beautiful sky-blue eyes filled with doubt.

"If it's about helping you get to the other side of the bridge, that's no problem..."

“No.” Before Hilva could finish speaking, Lin Qiong gently shook his head. “I want you to help fight against Cocolia!”

"...What?"

Lin Qiong's words caused Xiluwa's pupils to shrink sharply, her face filled with shock. At this moment, she felt somewhat incredulous.

This is Beloberg, and as the "Great Guardian," Cocolia's authority and influence are unmatched.

All the Silvermane Iron Guards in the entire Beloborg are under the command of Cocolia and are at her disposal.

Unexpectedly, Lin Qiong and his group actually wanted to rebel against Cocolia, which made Hilva feel very incredulous.

Thinking of this, Hilva frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you going to ask Cocolia about the whereabouts of that star's core?"

"How did it suddenly turn into a fight against Cocolia?"

“Because she was bewitched by the Star Core,” Xing suddenly stepped forward to answer for Lin Qiong. “She saw the future that the Star Core was showing her.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong nodded slightly, agreeing with what Xing said.

"That's right. In her attempt to reach that so-called future, she's taken too many detours, and now there's no turning back."

"Don't you think Cocolia has been acting increasingly strangely lately?"

Lin Qiong's words startled Xiluwa. She involuntarily frowned and instinctively touched her chin with her hand, as if she had remembered something.

"No wonder... I was wondering why she hasn't been coming to the outdoor concerts lately."

Hiluva murmured softly, her eyes widening as memories surged, connecting all the unusual details about Cocolia.

“Even my younger brother said that his request for help has been slow to get a response.”

Seeing that the time was right, Lin Qiong recounted to Hilva what had happened when he and his companions first met Cocolia and their experiences in the lower district.

March 7th and Hoshiya also cooperated by striking an angry pose on the side, expressing their great dissatisfaction with Cocolia's actions.

As someone from the lower district, Seele was even more unable to forgive Cocolia.

"I see... "

After listening to Lin Qiong's story, Xiluwa slowly raised her head, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.

At that moment, Hilva suddenly realized that she might need to face Cocolia herself and hear how her former friend would explain everything.

Thinking of this, Hiluva's gaze suddenly hardened, as if she had made up her mind.

"I can help you, but..."

As she spoke, Hiluva's eyes involuntarily glanced at Hiel, who was holding a scythe to her neck.

Although she knew Seele wouldn't actually slash at her, the chill emanating from the scythe made her feel somewhat uneasy.

Noticing the gaze directed at Hilva, Seele seemed to realize something, quickly retracting the scythe that was held to Hilva's neck, spinning it once in her hand, and then casually hoisting it onto her shoulder.

At that moment, she felt it would be impolite to continue holding the sickle to the neck of someone who was about to become her comrade.

After feeling the chill on her neck disappear, Hiluva gently touched her neck and continued, "Come with me, I'll take you across the bridge."

"Let me see for myself what this so-called 'star core' is all about."