Truth often didn't matter to ordinary people.
What mattered was what they saw.
And to other nations, what did they see?
They saw a war-born empire reaching out its claws again.
An army doesn't mobilize that fast without preparation.
And yes—Ursus had prepared.
But they hadn't done anything yet.
Lungmen dumped the whole mess on their heads.
So what could Ursus do?
No—what could they even say?
Normally, even a gentle king would retaliate against such a smear.
But not this time.
Because Lungmen had a god.
Not some invisible faith—an actual god who froze an army into statues.
Those statues, staring skyward, were the miracle and the warning.
Pressure was on Ursus.
They had no choice but to accept the blame.
Two-nation disputes aren't settled by talk.
"Show proof you didn't invade."
No proof? Then you did it.
Proof? Then you definitely did it.
Yan would send envoys, talk to Wei Yenwu, then to Ursus.
Lungmen's priorities now were repair, aiding the wounded, and dealing with being stalled on foreign soil.
Medical care: Rhodes Island.
City repair: Reunion.
So what was the protagonist team doing?
"Don't go! Please don't go! I can't live without you!" the Doctor clung to Ember's hand, eyes pleading.
Ember tried to pull free, disgusted. "Come on, Doctor. Everything's done. Don't be like this."
"Yeah yeah. We groupmates have lives too—just like you!" Xing gave a thumbs-up.
The Doctor freaked harder, spamming chat.
College Student: "Something's off—really off! I've felt eyes on me for days. Once my Kamaitachi clearly sensed something, then it vanished!"
College Student: "It's Priestess, I swear. She might regret it and turn on me!"
College Student: "If you leave, she might lock me up or worse!"
Ember glanced at Priestess approaching from afar.
She was walking… with a maid-cat?
Priestess asked the old cat softly, "Kal'tsit, isn't that the name you like? I'm respecting your preference, so why do you look unhappy?"
Kal'tsit glared at her maid outfit.
Terra was saved from its creator's doom; she should be happy.
Yet here she was, treated like a pet, forced into costume after costume.
Old friends were giving her the weirdest looks.
"Kal'tsit, why aren't you answering? If my memory's right, you have embedded language modules. Or is your hearing module broken?"
Kal'tsit gritted her teeth.
"…Fine."
Ember patted the Doctor's shoulder earnestly.
"Doctor. Think harder. Now let go."
"No! Without you guys I'll—"
"Let go already!"
"What will it take for you to stay?!"
The Doctor looked desperate.
"If I can do it, I'll do anything!"
Ember sighed and looked back.
"Just how determined are you to say that?"
"Anything?"
"If you were a cute girl, maybe I'd consider it. But you're a guy—get lost."
"Hey! How can you tell my gender?"
"…Wait." Ember froze.
Kevin and Xing stopped too.
"Yeah… how are we sure?" Ember rubbed his chin like he'd discovered a cosmic riddle.
"Doctor's always under that hood. Besides his eyes, we can't see much," Xing said.
"And his voice is totally neutral. How did we decide he was male?" Kevin frowned.
The mood changed.
The Doctor sensed danger—too late.
Ember, whose hand he'd been gripping, gripped back.
Ember smiled radiantly.
"Kevin! Xing! I've got him! Today we remove the hood and see his true face!"
Xing: "I'm in!"
Kevin: "Ahem. Doctor, I believe in honesty between comrades."
Doctor: "Don't come closer!"
As they moved—
A long-silent group chat finally chimed.
Ding!
[World Mission: Save Nagazora City.]
[Mission Description: A city too ordinary to be noticed… until one day disaster arrives. Hundreds of thousands die. Save it—under the eyes of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent.]
[Reward: 1500 points.]
[Time Limit: 72 hours.]
[Temporary Buff: Participants gain Honkai resistance.]
Ding!
New groupmate detected!
Welcome [Traveler] to the Dimensional Chat Group!
....
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