"A new era?"
In the VIP room, a low, gravelly voice suddenly pierced the brief silence.
From the shadowed corner, the griffin-masked man, who had remained silent since his initial attempt to purchase Cseper, slowly rose to his feet.
He stared directly at the Doctor, speaking with conviction. "Doctor, you seem to have overlooked a critical issue."
Leaning on his cane, the mechanical prosthetic of his left leg clacked rhythmically against the floor as he walked heavily toward the central holographic projection.
When he stopped before Cseper's three-dimensional image, he abruptly thrust his hand through the projection.
"That issue is whether this so-called perfect creation of yours is truly controllable."
"After all, I don't believe a powerful Starborne would willingly become a tool for someone else's dreams, do you?"
The griffin-masked man's hand clenched forcefully.
In an instant, Cseper's holographic image shattered like a mirage before the audience,
as if the Doctor's talk of a perfect creation and a new era
was nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy.
After all, the griffin-masked man himself was a powerful Starborne,
and he understood all too well what Starborne thought.
Especially someone like Cseper, a peerless genius with boundless potential.
Geniuses were always proud.
They could be used, restrained, but never caged for others to gawk at or command.
Facing the griffin-masked man's skepticism, the Doctor seemed to have anticipated it, his expression toward the man laced with deeper meaning.
"Dear guest, you seem to have misunderstood something."
"Oh?"
The griffin-masked man looked at the Doctor curiously, unsure what he had gotten wrong.
"From the very beginning, I said Cseper is our chosen leader."
"Control?" The Doctor shook his head.
"We've never intended to control Cseper. He just needs to be himself."
"Even if that choice might bring us ruin, we believe that, should such a situation arise, he will lead the reborn Embers to new heights and fulfill our old dreams in an entirely new way."
The Doctor's response caught the griffin-masked man off guard.
He studied the Doctor for a long moment before letting out a sigh.
"I see. It seems you've thought everything through and are willing to bear the worst possible consequences."
"In that case, I have no further questions."
The griffin-masked man returned to his seat, waiting for the Doctor to continue detailing the specifics of the Starfall Project.
After all, they had come to Embers today, risking pursuit by the "Starborne Association," because they saw immense value in the Starfall Project.
While Cseper, the Starfall Child, was undeniably powerful,
it was hard to say whether his strength stemmed from the Starfall Project or his own innate qualities.
Thus, they were more curious about how the other Starfall Children performed.
They didn't need to match Cseper's level—
even a tenth of his prowess would make the project undeniably successful and highly worthy of investment.
The Doctor clearly understood this. He pressed the control panel before him, pulling up the profile of another Starfall Child.
On the screen, a brown-haired, crimson-eyed girl was locked in combat with three Star Beasts.
The blood-red long sword in her hands moved as if alive, greedily drinking her enemies' blood.
Though her fighting style wasn't as visually pleasing as Cseper's,
the fact that an eleven-year-old could take on three Star Beasts at once was undeniably remarkable.
"Starfall Child Sequence 002, Chen Xing, Nature Type: Bloodflame Beast, Star Core compatibility 99%."
"And, like Cseper, she has yet to acquire any Star Source."
Unlike the lengthy introduction given for Cseper,
the Doctor merely gave the audience a brief glimpse of Chen Xing's information before moving on to other Starfall Children.
"Starfall Child Sequence 003, Jing Liuli, Trait Type: Mirrorflower Butterfly, Star Core compatibility 92%."
"Starfall Child Sequence 004, Caroline, Mechanical Type: Celestial Mechanism Cat, Star Core compatibility 90%."
"Starfall Child Sequence 005…"
…
"Starfall Child Sequence 036, Chen Kong, Trait Type: Black Star, Star Core compatibility unknown."
For each Starfall Child introduced, the Doctor included a clip of their combat performance.
However, when it came to Chen Kong, the audience noticed not only a lack of combat footage
but also an extremely sparse profile.
Looking at Chen Kong's meager data, the canary-masked noblewoman asked curiously, "Doctor, why is the last Starfall Child's profile so brief, with his Star Core compatibility listed as unknown?"
The Doctor pondered for a moment before giving an ambiguous answer.
"That's because we're unable to confirm whether he truly completed the Star Core surgery."
"What?"
The canary-masked noblewoman looked at the Doctor in surprise. Based on the information she'd received from Embers,
the Star Core surgery was described as a near-death experience.
If Chen Kong was still alive, it should mean his surgery was successful.
How could there be an "unconfirmed" Starfall Child?
Or perhaps this child was special, and the Doctor had deliberately withheld his full profile?
Everyone in the room was sharp.
Though the Doctor provided little information about Chen Kong,
they committed his name to memory,
eager to see how he would perform.
After all, the final assessment was about to begin.
Whether Chen Kong was truly an anomaly whose surgery status was uncertain, as the Doctor claimed,
or a secret weapon Embers had deliberately concealed, it would all come to light in the final assessment.
Reports could lie, but the battlefield wouldn't.
Chen Kong's true nature would be proven in action.
"Alright, everyone, the venue for the final assessment has been prepared. Please follow me."
At the Doctor's words, the audience rose, following him toward a certain part of the base.
…
Meanwhile, in the training ground, a cold, mechanical female voice echoed through the speakers.
"The final assessment is about to begin. All trainees, please proceed to the central examination area."
As the announcement ended, a metal gate leading underground slowly opened.
Staring at the deep, seemingly all-consuming underground passage,
Chen Kong's heart clenched, his entire body shivering involuntarily.
He was clearly terrified of this so-called final assessment.
"Nervous?"
At that moment, a warm hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
Chen Kong turned to find Cseper standing beside him, unnoticed until now.
"Remember, when you feel like you've hit a dead end, ask yourself why you've survived this long."
With that, Cseper turned and shouted to Caroline, who was not far away. "Let's go, Caroline."
"Mm."
Cseper took the lead, striding past the others with Caroline in tow, the first to enter the dark underground passage.
Seeing this, Chen Xing gave a cold huff and followed suit.
The others, taking their cue, fell in step behind them.
Chen Kong watched Cseper's receding figure, his mind replaying Cseper's words.
"Why… have I survived this long?"
He didn't yet know the answer to that question.
But he had a feeling that this final assessment might just provide it.
With that thought, Chen Kong hesitated no longer and joined the crowd entering the underground passage…