Nero's words make Oleg laugh again. Seeing how full of energy these young people are, his confidence can't help but firm up as well.
Then Oleg looks over at Bronya and asks, "So what do you say, Silvermane girl? Among everyone here, you're the only one who doesn't absolutely have to butt heads with Svarog to the bitter end. I'd like to hear what you're planning."
Faced with this question, Bronya gives a firm and sincere answer, "The Underworld is also part of Belobog. If Svarog's existence threatens the residents here, then of course I'll stand on your side."
"Hahaha, very good! As expected of a girl who's going to take on the Guardian's burden, your resolve is impressive!" Oleg nods.
"Since we're on the same side now, there's no need to waste time. Let's go. I've arranged for a guide to take you to Svarog."
"You're not coming?" Stelle looks at Oleg and asks.
Oleg shakes his head. "Wildfire has always been on bad terms with Svarog. If I go with you, it might cause misunderstandings and do more harm than good. We'll stay on standby nearby. If the situation turns bad, Wildfire will rush over immediately."
After saying that, the old man looks at Seele again. "Seele, take our outsider friends another stretch of the way."
"Leave it to me, boss."
Seele accepts without hesitation.
Time is of the essence. Everyone sets off immediately, and then, at the entrance to the Great Mine, they see the guide Oleg arranged.
A tiny kid wearing a padded hat, with yellow twin ponytails, is standing there.
Everyone slows their steps. Seele looks at the little bean in front of her and says in surprise, "...Hook, is that you?"
March blinks. She really didn't expect this.
"So that's how it is, the Moles are part of Wildfire too..." Dan Heng mutters to himself as he organizes the information he's gathered so far.
"Is it possible we've got the wrong person?" Nero says.
"It... it's really me, Pitch-Dark Hook! Were you looking for me?" Hook stands there like a little grown-up. Facing so many people, she's a bit arrogant, but also a bit nervous.
"Uh, kid, this is probably a misundersta..." Sampo's voice comes over.
After hearing Sampo's voice, Nero nods. "Now this feels right."
Everyone turns their heads and looks at the approaching Sampo.
At the moment, Sampo doesn't look very energetic. The bags under his eyes are pretty heavy, and while talking, he even raises a hand to rub his eyes.
But he still has professional spirit. After seeing everyone, Sampo says, "It's me, friends... heh... yawn... Oleg sent me to guide you..."
"It really breaks my heart... you even thought of such a small child, but didn't think of me..."
March looks at Sampo and curls her lips. "You look really sleepy. Are you sure you're okay?"
Sampo waves his hand. "I'm fine, really, no problem at all. Sampo would never let customers suffer losses. My professional standards are guaran, yawn, guaranteed."
'You're yawning every time you talk. No matter how you look at it, you really don't seem fine at all.'
March feels a bit speechless, then glances at Nero and Stelle.
'Come to think of it, those two were also running around all night. So why are they still so energetic?'
'Maybe it's because Sampo is getting old and needs more rest...'
Seele rolls her eyes and says, "Alright, alright, why nitpick over this?" Then she looks at Sampo again.
"What I want to ask is this, everyone in Wildfire knows where Svarog's lair is. What do we need you as a guide for?"
"Hey, everyone has their specialty." Sampo spreads his hands. "Wildfire knows where Svarog's base is, but they've never... yawn... actually gone inside."
"You've been inside?" Seele squints at Sampo.
"...Uh... no." Sampo stiffens for a moment, but immediately starts to patch it up.
"But I've thoroughly explored the mechanical settlement inside and out. I've gathered a lot of clues, guaranteed to be a huge help to you!"
Hook stands to the side, tilting her head, looking left and right. Small head, big confusion.
Stelle says in some surprise, "Oleg actually trusts you?"
"Hey now, what kind of talk is that!" Sampo's voice rises several notches, as if he's suffered some great injustice.
"The reason you four could even get in touch with Wildfire, wasn't it thanks to Sampo's introduction?
"Heaven and earth can bear witness, Sampo is truly full of... yawn... full of enthusiasm..."
Unfortunately, Belobog is a place where it's always snowing, even snow falling in June can't prove innocence.
What's more, Sampo's current state, yawning with every sentence, is genuinely worrying. At this point, the fact that he can still walk without bumping into things is already impressive.
In any case, March cuts him off.
"Alright, alright! We believe you, okay? You're practically about to pass out, go home and sleep already!"
"No! Sampo's professional standards can't slip!" Sampo says righteously.
"Ah, okay, okay! Just hurry up and lead the way!"
March does her best to humor Sampo.
At this point, just looking at Sampo makes her afraid he'll fall asleep right there on the street mid-sentence.
'As long as the vibe is right, I'll just drop and sleep!'
"...Alright! Then keep up."
Everyone follows Sampo for a while, gradually leaving the town behind. They walk some more, and then even pass beyond the mining area.
Finally, they arrive at a place that already looks brighter than other parts of the underground.
This area is quite open. Pitch-black underground rock stretches upward, and through various artificial cutting and excavation, it has been shaped into peak-like formations, creating steep cliffs everywhere.
And the most crucial part, the main reason this place looks bright, is that the ground underfoot is actually covered in snowflakes.
There are even piled-up snowdrifts around scattered tents. This place looks like a gathering site for wanderers, many of them are talking to each other, some are bandaging their own wounds, and others are lying on the ground waiting for their injuries to heal naturally. This last group clearly has no medicine to use.
This might be because supplies inside the wanderer camp are scarce, or it might be Clara's decision.
When distributing medicine evenly, she and Nero had made an agreement about this.
"Sampo... are we there yet..." March has already started complaining.
"Little sis, do you really have to ask every minute? Just two more steps, two more steps forward and we're there."
After entering the snow-covered area and walking a short distance further, the group finally arrives at the wanderer camp.
With just a cursory look, everyone can already feel the difference in atmosphere.
The atmosphere in the wanderer camp is completely different from that in the town. These wanderers live lives that are different from those of the townspeople, yet also somewhat similar.
More importantly, most of the wanderers here seem to be in fairly good spirits. At the very least, they haven't reached the point of wearing viciousness on their faces.
Compared to the townspeople, they look quite different, and they're also noticeably different from the wanderers encountered earlier in the Great Mine, or those who were knocked unconscious by the train's mines.
Looking at the environment of the wanderer camp and feeling the atmosphere here, March sighs with emotion, "This is Svarog's lair? I thought it'd be a cold, lifeless place. It's actually this lively?"