"Show the spirit of a first-love girlfriend!"
"You were here first, after all!"
Silver Wolf kept giving herself positive psychological suggestions. Except for the "first-love girlfriend" part, which was self-proclaimed by Silver Wolf, the rest of what the girl said was not wrong. Compared to the girls on the Astral Express and the planet Jarilo-VI, Silver Wolf was first. Compared to Himeko, Kafka was first.
How could the Stellaron Hunters possibly lose!
Unless...
Silver Wolf suddenly thought of a bad possibility. Her projection also quickly disappeared from the Astral Express.
Meanwhile, even on his own, Zao Wu had become a qualified trailblazer. He had reached the deeper and more distant underground of Belobog. He had become acquainted with Bronya of the Silvermane Guards, Seele from Wildfire, and the mysterious black-haired, pink-eyed girl with twin-tails, Huohua. The four of them traveled together, experienced a fighting competition, and even gave the unscrupulous Fight Club owner, Scott, a good lesson. He would probably behave himself for a while. This was an action that was in line with the true meaning of "Trailblaze." To meet companions with different pasts and different destinations, and to share the same journey.
Zao Wu looked up at the sky. Even though his vision was blocked by the thick rock wall, he seemed to be able to see the sky, the birds. Even piercing through the atmosphere, reaching the Astral Express parked in near-orbit, and seeing the smiling face of Mom Himeko as she looked back. Was it a patchwork of memories, or a resonance caused by longing? Zao Wu didn't know. He only knew.
"I won't let you down, Mom Himeko," the boy whispered.
But Huohua noticed, and the girl shook her twin-tails and came to his side.
"Zao Wu, what are you muttering to yourself?"
The boy's cheeks turned red. He shook his head and said it was nothing. Then, Zao Wu turned to ask Seele.
"Miss Seele, is the 'Great Mine' you mentioned just ahead?"
"That's right. The Great Mine is where the miners make their living. Ever since the upper and lower districts were sealed off, this place has become our underground lifeline."
"We must ensure the supply of geomarrow to get the supplies allocated from the surface through the transport line."
"It sounds like there's no problem."
"But it's not them who are trapped underground!"
"Are our children in the Underworld born to be slaves and miners for the Architects in the Overworld!"
"It doesn't matter what happens to us, but at least please give our children, children like Hook, a choice for their future..." Seele's voice went from gritting her teeth to fragile.
Hearing this, Bronya went from frowning to gradually becoming dazed. She was clearly moved by Seele's words, falling into deep confusion and thought. With her in-depth understanding of the Underworld and its situation, Bronya's trust in her mother, Cocolia, and her faith in the identity of the Supreme Guardian, had also clearly begun to waver.
Zao Wu looked sincerely into Seele's eyes. The latter's eyes dodged, seeming to be very unaccustomed to the boy's fervent and pure gaze, afraid that he would discover the impurities at the bottom of her eyes.
"Believe me, Miss Seele. As long as we can find the 'Stellaron' and contain it,"
"all the disasters will disappear. The Eternal Freeze will no longer descend, and the Fragmentum will no longer spread."
"Our children will live under a beautiful blue sky, playing freely, and have the right to reach their own futures with their own will."
"!?"
Although Seele quickly realized that Zao Wu was just following her train of thought and had accidentally mixed up his words, the phrase "our children" still fiercely戳中 (poked) the most sensitive soft spot in Seele's heart, making her indulge in indescribable fantasies.
"I don't understand what you mean by 'Stellaron'..."
"But if it's really as you say, Zao Wu, that all the disasters are caused by it,"
"even if I have to risk my life, I will definitely destroy it!"
"For the Underworld, for Belobog, and also for... our children." Seele's lips trembled, and the words she spoke were as soft as a mosquito's buzz. She was clearly the most heroic and valiant girl in Wildfire, but at this moment, she was as shy as a girl in love.
Zao Wu smiled and nodded. Then, he shifted his gaze to Bronya's face. Bronya, sensing the boy's gaze, looked up with a somewhat sad expression, and their eyes met. And for her, Zao Wu only had one simple sentence.
"Miss Bronya, I believe in you."
Bronya's eyes gradually widened, and an indescribable emotion was received from them.
"...Thank you, Zao Wu."
He was truly the most perceptive and intelligent boy Bronya had ever met. To Seele, who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside and occasionally wanted comfort, Zao Wu gave her a shoulder to lean on and said, "Believe me." And to Bronya, who was wavering and lost, Zao Wu gave her the confidence she lacked most and said, "I believe in you."
The boy, with his gentleness, equally healed every girl who was lost.
Seeing this, Huohua also eagerly cried out, not wanting to be left behind.
"I want some too!"
"I... ugh, twisted my ankle when I was kicking Scott just now!"
Huohua was one to create conditions even when there were none. Who made her a girl with no past, no memory? She even had to make up a sob story... she was already losing at the starting line. Of course, if Bronya and Seele had a choice, they probably wouldn't want that tragic starting line either!
"Really?"
"Let me see!"
Zao Wu's tone was concerned, without a single thought that Huohua might be lying to him. This time, Huohua's guilt level went up +1, +1, +1... But it would be stupid not to take the advantage that was offered.
"It's-it's not that serious."
"It'll be better if Zao Wu just rubs it for me..." Huohua said coquettishly, her cheeks flushed. At the same time, the girl took off her stuffy snow boots, liberating her delicate feet that hadn't breathed for too long. Fortunately, she wasn't wearing stockings. Otherwise, after being stuffy for a while and sweating a little, the smell would probably be... tsk tsk, extremely sour and refreshing.
But speaking of which, Huohua suddenly remembered something and quickly shifted her gaze to Bronya's lower body. Under the Silvermane Guard uniform were thick, warm black tights, and knee-high military leather boots that covered her entire calves. Plus the fragrant sweat from a hearty ring match, soaking into the stockings, constantly fermenting in the hot and stuffy space...
Hiss! This one is on another level! The most orthodox one! Who in all of Belobog can resist this?
"...What are you looking at!" Bronya clearly noticed that Huohua was thinking something rude. She showed an annoyed expression, blushing to the roots of her ears, and quietly took a step back with her slender legs, as if afraid of being smelled by Zao Wu... But this wasn't Bronya's fault! It was the fault of the Silvermane Guard Captain uniform! As a firsthand witness, how could Bronya not know how terrible her current state was... You know, when she was training in the Silvermane Guards in the past, she would take a full three baths every day! But even so, it was still difficult to change the natural shortcomings brought by the environment.
Compared to herself, whether it was Seele's short boots or the snow boots Huohua was wearing, the smell they gave off could be called "fresh." She was just used to using an elegant and dignified posture to cover up her own shortcomings. This was a compulsory course for nobles.
Huohua shook her head and played dumb.
"Huohua doesn't know."
Zao Wu, who had crouched down, didn't notice the secret rivalry between the girls, but just gently rubbed Huohua's ankle. What? You ask about the smell? Huohua smelled of faint cherry blossoms. Seele smelled of幽幽 (faint and distant) butterfly orchids. Bronya smelled of the richest magnolia. Zao Wu, whose five senses were superhuman, had actually noticed everything, but he just didn't say it.
It's not as good as Mom Himeko's coffee...
But although most of the members of the Express crew could hardly stand the coffee Himeko made, Zao Wu was surprisingly able to accept it, and even taste a unique mellow flavor from the bitterness. Based on this point, it was no wonder that Himeko doted on him so much.
Zao Wu rubbed Huohua's ankle for a while, and seeing the girl's delicate foot gradually "bloom" like a cat's paw, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
Is it that... comfortable?
"Is it better now, Huohua?"
The girl shyly nodded.
"Yes, it's-it's fine now."
"Then let's continue forward." Zao Wu's proposal was unanimously approved by the three girls.
Although Seele had mentioned that the situation in the Great Mine was not optimistic now, the reason was a newly discovered geomarrow vein. The scavengers and miners had had a large-scale conflict and dispute over the ownership of the geomarrow vein. Even Oleg, the leader of Wildfire, was alarmed and led Wildfire to mediate.
But Zao Wu and the others' journey was quite smooth. Even when they encountered a group of scavengers blocking their way, they were easily let through because they were wary of Seele's martial arts, plus the female scavengers' fondness and partiality for Zao Wu.
What a "face pass!"
When they reached the area near the center of the mine vein, they saw a white-bearded uncle leading his men in a difficult battle with a huge robot. Seeing this, Seele immediately exclaimed.
"Leader Oleg!"
Zao Wu's eyes lit up. So that was the leader of Wildfire. Seele was impetuous. She immediately rushed up with her scythe, swinging it, and joined the battle. Bronya also took out her rifle to provide long-range fire support. And Huohua frowned, retreated behind Zao Wu, and nervously tugged at the boy's sleeve. Who made her just a ball of innocent little cotton? Although Huohua had the special ability to imitate and transform into a robot, she lacked the motivation and reason to fight. So the girl still preferred to cling to Zao Wu's side, seeking his shelter and protection.
Zao Wu was in no hurry to participate in this battle, because he found that there were several other huge, grizzly-bear-like robots near the mine vein. They had come here under someone's orders and were indiscriminately driving away the scavengers and miners who were about to break out in conflict! The scavengers and miners were instantly dumbfounded. So they had been fighting for so long for nothing, just to make a wedding dress for someone else! Of course they wouldn't stand for it, which was what led to the current chaotic scene.
"Zao Wu, look over there!" Huohua had sharp eyes and saw at a glance, at the discovery point of the mine vein in the distance, in front of a golden geomarrow mountain, a large, black-and-green robot that was different from the other automatons, and was obviously taller, more powerful, and more human-like, and a timid, white-haired little girl in red hiding behind it.
If he wasn't mistaken, the chaos caused by the robots was the work of these two.
"Svarog..." Zao Wu murmured. He had a rough understanding of the power distribution underground, so he guessed that the robot was the legendary Svarog who occupied the Geomarrow Furnace. But it was a little embarrassing to say. The first thing Zao Wu thought when he saw it was not whether it was too powerful to be defeated, but—if Mr. Welt were here, he would be happy. He seems to like robots, so he should be interested in Svarog.
At this time, Svarog suddenly felt the gaze of a strong person on it. It instantly turned around warily, and the signal light on its head emitted a crimson light, ready to enter amplification mode at any time. At the same time, it subconsciously used its huge body to block Clara.
But the so-called "strong person" it saw through its lens was actually just...
"A human boy?"
He looked to be about the same height as Clara!
Svarog tried to perform a remote scan, and then it felt the limit of its computing power for the first time.
"Unable to observe, unable to analyze, unable to calculate—"
What is going on?
....
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