Vivian's face was pale, sweat drenched her gold-tinged hair.
"How can it be so strong!" she murmured in terror.
{Moonlight} was traveling at full speed, causing waves of discomfort throughout her body and cold sweat to break out all over her.
"No need, he's grown up and knows what he should do."
"Fine, let's go then." Li Changzhou turned his head toward Margaret III, "Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask, please reappoint Caroline as the pilot of {Burning}."
The right of appointment was not transferred by verbal promises but was determined by the bloodline and allegiance.
For example, even if Margaret III transferred the appointment right to Di'en at this moment, the Cangqiong Fragment would not take such an order.
But once Margaret III died, no one could stop Di'en from obtaining the Cangqiong Fragment's right of appointment.
And if Margaret III remarried a man with the Cangqiong bloodline, upon her death, {Burning}, {Judgement}, {Moonlight}, {Red Lotus}, would be randomly allocated based on the blood concentration between Di'en and Margaret III's new husband.
The Cangqiong Fragments that had initially gathered were also dispersed around the world in this way.
Hearing Li Changzhou's words, Margaret III hadn't recovered yet, at the moment squeezed soft in the cockpit, she looked at him with a sneer.
"Little carrot."
"Ah?"
"Whatever powder you're using, make her give the order and appoint Wen Carol as the pilot of {Burning}."
"Oh."
"Even if you force me to appoint her now, I can just as easily cancel it any time!" Margaret III shouted angrily.
Li Changzhou didn't care, and continued to address little carrot, "Wait until she appoints her, then give her a sniff of the powder that will turn her into an idiot."
Margaret III's complexion changed.
"Ugh—" she quickly covered her mouth.
"Wait wait wait!" Li Changzhou hurriedly dodged towards Beia Triss's side.
Beia Triss's body was squeezed, her face slightly red.
Fully focused on Margaret III, Li Changzhou said to her, "Let's talk, don't throw up, how about this, do as I say, I'll return {Judgement} to the Empire, and also not turn you into an idiot, how's that?"
Margaret III, covering her mouth, fixed her eyes, which had overlooked the world for so long, tightly onto Li Changzhou.
After a while, she nodded her head.
The eyes of the {Burning} opposite them lit up again, and the Cangqiong Fragment began to emit a continuous and powerful energy.
""Ah, almost forgot." Li Changzhou threw away the Power Furnace of {Judgement}, his left hand once again penetrated the abdomen of {Burning}, snatching away the Cangqiong Fragment.
[Main quest "Revenge!" completed]
[Return countdown: 00:10:00]
"What are you doin....." The eyes of {Burning} dimmed again, and with the mecha damaged, not even the backup furnace could operate, Wen Carol's communication only came through in halves.
The three people in the cockpit looked at him with confusion as well.
"No worries," Li Changzhou said to Beia Triss, "After we go back, use {Burning} to build a new National Guardian Divine Machine, and Caroline will still have the right to pilot it."
"...That's not what I am concerned about." Beia Triss replied.
She suddenly realized: "Go back?"
"You want to stay and get married?"
"Of course not! I want to go back, I want to go home!"
"Good!"
Li Changzhou rescued Wen Carol, who was sealed away, and taking {Burning}, {Red Lotus}, and Margaret III as his three spoils of war, prepared to make the most of the last minutes to leave with the princesses.
"Wait a moment." Beia Triss suddenly spoke up, "Can you open the external communication and the cockpit? I have a few words I want to say in front of the whole world."
"Hm, but better make it quick."
Beia Triss stood on the right hand of {Knight}, facing the Imperial Capital turned into a sea of fire, facing the drone broadcasting live to the whole world.
She closed her eyes, hand over her heart, as if feeling her own heartbeat, as if reminiscing about the past, or perhaps mustering up courage.
"From the experiences of this past month, I've realized something."
Beia Triss opened her eyes.
"Never worship Cangqiong, never rely on Cangqiong, never submit to Cangqiong!"
Alicia, Margaret III, Wen Carol, and even the people of the whole world who heard her voice at this moment looked at her in disbelief.
Some were surprised, some were indifferent, many more were angry.
No one had ever dared to disrespect Cangqiong since the rise of the Cangqiong Royal Family!
"From now on, I, Beia Triss, will become my own Cangqiong, become the Cangqiong of the Lestein Duchy!"
"Come back, citizens of the Lestein Duchy, back to our homeland!"
"Let us continue to strive together."
"Let us continue the struggle together."
"I promise you, we will eventually triumph!"
"We will—take back our own nation!"
"I, Beia Triss, Queen of the Lestein Duchy, order the scattered citizens of the Lestein Duchy across the world—come back!"
◇
At the border of the Imperial Capital, perhaps by coincidence, as the return timer was about to expire, {Knight} happened to land at the place where they first met.
The pitch-black soil was now covered in fresh green wild grass, the vigorous life force of early summer nourishing every life.
"That's remarkable."
"It was you, Xia, Lan, and Yao, you taught me there is no wrong path, only people who take a wrong turn, worshiping Cangqiong is a path, but it's not for me, from now on, I will become my own Cangqiong."
"Hmm. Oh right, let me tell you a secret: not wiping out the Empire was a test left for you."
"Hm, I understand, and I'll also secretly tell you a secret, but don't tell the other three, actually, I don't really like Yao."
"Hahahaha, I don't like her that much either!"
"...Do you like Lan?"
"Here's a line of poetry I just thought of—perhaps the meaning of life is not to await spring, but to become spring. Goodbye, Beia Triss."
"Goodbye? Changzhou?"