Bronya ultimately followed Felicity.
She still didn't understand what was happening, merely following Felicity in a daze, only occasionally lifting her head when Felicity called to her.
But it was enough.
The decay of the Underworld wasn't just superficial - the entire underground area emitted unpleasant odors, with dilapidated buildings and installations visible everywhere.
Those in the Overworld could look up at the sky, dreaming of one day seeing scenery unobstructed by the snow, but for the people of the Underworld, even their right to look up at the sky had been taken away.
"This... this is the Underworld?"
Bronya stared blankly at the surroundings. She had no memory of ever visiting the Underworld, but looking at everything around her, her subconscious told her it shouldn't be like this.
This place... should be more beautiful, more vibrant.
Bronya didn't know why she had such thoughts, but she clearly realized that the Supreme Guardian's decisions might not be correct.
"As you can see, this is the Underworld today."
Felicity shrugged.
"As far as I know, under the current Supreme Guardian's orders, the Silvermane Guards withdrew from the Underworld and sealed off the passage between the over and under worlds. You see, this is what the Underworld has become."
"This..."
Bronya rarely doubted her mother, but the harsh reality was laid bare before her, forcing her to reflect deeply.
—Bronya, what you see is merely the truth others want you to see, yet you treasure it as if it were priceless!
Her mother's cold reprimand echoed once more in her mind, and Bronya fell into deep thought.
...Had everything her mother told her all along been the so-called truth?
Bronya was bewildered.
She found it hard to believe everything Felicity had described, as the terms Felicity mentioned were all too distant from Belobog.
Yet the abilities Felicity displayed were so exaggerated, repeatedly shattering Bronya's understanding.
Just as she was lost in thought, several rough voices abruptly sounded from ahead of them.
"Hey, look who's here?"
"So the Overworld folks still have the leisure to come down and take a look? It's been over a decade since we last saw any, I almost forgot what the Silvermane Guards' uniforms looked like."
"Hey, boss, you think this girl might have anything valuable on her?"
"Good point, heh heh, little girl."
The leading vagrant immediately showed a disgusting, lecherous grin upon hearing this, his tone dripping with undisguised arrogance and malice:
"I advise you not to resist. You wouldn't want to end up in Natasha's hospital tomorrow, would you?"
He raised his gun toward Felicity and Bronya,
"We're just borrowing a little money. Guards like you, living leisurely in the Overworld, shouldn't mind, right?"
"The Silvermane Guards are not living leisurely in the Overworld!"
Bronya instantly retorted indignantly. Even if the Underworld had fallen into such a state due to Cocolia's orders, that didn't mean all the blame should be placed on the Silvermane Guards.
They had genuinely been fighting monsters from the Fragmentum on the front lines, sacrificing countless lives and blood over the past decade.
"Still acting tough? Then don't blame me for being rude!"
The leading vagrant wasted no more words and immediately pulled the trigger, firing a bullet.
Bronya's expression changed abruptly. She instinctively stepped back, but her speed was clearly no match for the bullet's trajectory.
Felicity narrowed her eyes slightly and raised her hand, about to summon the Abundance Branch to block the bullet for Bronya.
Though she disliked unnecessary killing, that didn't mean she was an overly benevolent pushover.
Yet the next moment, the space before her suddenly fractured like a shattered mirror, covered in countless cracks. After a momentary pause, it shattered completely.
The speeding bullet instantly vanished into the void.
A flash of purple light shimmered and rose, and an elegant, butterfly-like figure drifted gracefully to land in front of Felicity and Bronya. She touched down lightly, her scythe spinning once before she swung it down fiercely, stirring up a cloud of dust.
"Daring to make a move on our turf... Care to exchange a few more blows?"
"Gah, it's Seele from Wildfire! Everyone, retreat!"
The vagrant raising his gun instantly recognized the girl's identity, his eyes immediately filling with panic. The previously aggressive vagrants scattered in an instant.
"...Cowardly scum who bully the weak but fear the strong!"
Seele cursed, then turned her gaze toward Bronya. Her eyes lingered only for a moment before shifting to Felicity standing nearby.
"Now, it's your turn to explain what's going on with this one."
Impatience was written all over Seele's face, as if she was deeply dissatisfied with Bronya's presence.
"She's my hostage. I kidnapped her from the Upper Zone."
Felicity answered with complete seriousness.
"Hostage?"
Seele gave Felicity a surprised look, never expecting someone like her to be capable of such a thing.
But this had nothing to do with her. She never liked Overworlders anyway—if Felicity ever kidnapped the Supreme Guardian herself, Seele would probably just applaud.
"It seems the Silvermane Guards have grown too comfortable in the surface, getting kidnapped right out of their own territory."
A mocking smile appeared on Seele's face as she stared at Bronya's well-maintained, delicate features.
For a Silvermane Guard to have such fine skin—Seele could hardly imagine what kind of privileged life she must be living up there.
She didn't want to think about it either.
"The Silvermane Guards aren't just lounging around in the Overworld! We protect all the people of Belobog, constantly fighting against the Fragmentum monsters!"
Bronya immediately retorted.
"Hah, your words sound sweeter than a song. What exactly have you protected?"
Seele crossed her arms, the mockery at the corner of her lips growing more pronounced.
There was a time when working in the Underworld was a noble endeavor. Everyone respected the miners who ventured into the Underworld—they were the ones sustaining Belobog's geomarrow heating system.
But now? All the Silvermane Guards have been withdrawn, the passage between the upper and lower levels sealed, leaving the entire Underworld to descend into its current state.
"The Guardian has her own considerations..."
Faced with the harsh reality, Bronya's tone couldn't help but weaken. Even she began to doubt herself.
Felicity stood to the side, unable to find the right moment to interject. She glanced at Seele, then at Bronya, and suddenly felt a strange illusion.
Even though she was the one who had brought Bronya down here, why did it feel like... she was the one who didn't belong?