Boulder Town.
Seele stared dumbfounded at the Silvermane Guard intelligence officer in front of her.
"What? The lockdown order has been lifted? Just like that, so suddenly? You're not joking, right?!"
They had gone through so much trouble to get Svarog to open the lockdown on the furnace core, planning to go up from there. And now, the lockdown order was lifted just like that?
Wouldn't all their efforts have been in vain!
Pela pursed her lips and explained to Seele, as well as to some Wildfire members who had hurriedly arrived behind her:
"Sorry, although the lockdown order is hereby lifted, the passenger cable car connecting the Upper and Lower districts isn't fully prepared yet."
Seele frowned, staring at Pela warily: "What do you mean? The cable car isn't restored, so how did you come down?"
Seeing Seele's attitude, the several Silvermane Guards behind Pela immediately gripped their weapons tighter, similarly wary of the Wildfire crowd.
Pela had no choice but to explain:
"Ah, all the resources in the Overworld right now are being used to withstand the pressure on the front lines. There's simply no time to send people specifically to handle the cable car! After we came down this time, the cable car has also stopped operating. If the battle situation escalates further, the supply transport line between the Upper and Lower districts might stop too."
Seele's eyes widened as she finally reacted:
"Good grief, they're going to stop the transport line too? Is this a threat? The Underworld is short on food—you're targeting that, right! We just opened the furnace core lockdown, and you show up! That Great Guardian sure calculates well!"
"Seele, calm down a bit."
Oleg hurried over, quickly pulling Seele behind him and smiling at Pela:
"I'm Oleg, leader of Wildfire. Miss officer, whatever you have to say, say it to me!"
Pela sighed. She looked at these people from the Underworld, every one of them keeping a great distance from her.
No wonder the Guardian had told her to prepare herself mentally before coming down.
She said seriously:
"Mr. Oleg, we really have no ill intentions. This time we came down only to inform everyone in the Underworld that the lockdown order has been lifted... and about the current situation in the Overworld."
Oleg stroked his stubble and couldn't help asking:
"Just now I seemed to hear that the cable car can't operate again? The people up there hurriedly sent you down via cable car, and now you can only go back through the furnace core, right?"
Pela nodded.
"That's correct."
"Then, how did you know the furnace core was unsealed today? No—did you even know that the furnace core was previously locked by Svarog?" Oleg still retained some vigilance as he questioned Pela.
Could it be that the Guardian has means to monitor the Underworld?
That would be too unbelievable.
"This... actually, I didn't know beforehand either."
Pela smiled awkwardly and told the truth.
"However, the Executor and the Guardian seem to have a unique way of communicating. As for the rest, I'm not clear—I was just responsible for the operation."
Oleg was slightly stunned. "Executor?"
He stroked his stubble, his mind constantly searching for the term "Executor." It felt like he'd heard it somewhere.
Wait!
That Silvermane girl seemed to always call Mr. Zeig the Executor, right?
He quickly asked Seele beside him:
"Seele, didn't Mr. Zeig say he was working as a spy in the Overworld?!"
Pela: "..."
Seele added: "Boss, last time Bronya told me that he's now a double agent."
"What a mess..."
"Anyway, that's the gist of it."
Oleg smiled at Pela:
"It seems Mr. Zeig has really put a lot of thought into saving Belobog."
Pela nodded and asked:
"So, where are Zeig and Bronya right now? They need to go up together—the front lines need them. Of course, if there are other combatants from the Underworld willing to join the fight, they can come too..."
The news of Pela coming to the Underworld quickly spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, becoming known to everyone.
Bronya heard about Pela's arrival and hurriedly came over as well.
"Pela, how did you come down? The Overworld now..."
Pela was very happy to see Bronya safe and sound, but then her expression turned worried:
"Bronya... right now, countless Fragmentum creatures have started madly assaulting the defensive lines. The pressure on the front is growing greater and greater."
She sighed:
"After you came to the Underworld, the Guardian ordered the defensive lines to be pulled back, adopting a conservative strategy of waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy. I don't know what's gotten into these monsters now."
"I see..." Bronya's gaze was distant.
"Bronya, the Great Guardian also asked me to bring you a message..."
"What message?"
"She said... no matter what was done before, please believe in her now, and..."
"And what?"
"And, she asked if the Executor is dead—why hasn't he made a move yet."
"..."
"Her exact words were... If he's not dead, hurry up and come up. Otherwise, the position of that thing is going to start shifting again."
Upon hearing this, Bronya immediately understood what Cocolia was referring to.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she sensed something ominous.
"What Mother mentioned should be the Stellaron. The Stellaron... is constantly shifting positions?"
When they went to Rivet Town the second time, the Fragmentum creatures there had also become more violent, with their numbers greatly increased.
If they hadn't gone to find Clara back then, the latter's fate wouldn't have been much better.
"Pela, I understand... I'll go find him right away." Bronya said solemnly.
The development of the situation was becoming increasingly complicated.
Bronya led the Wildfire members, along with Pela and the other Silvermane Guards, to where Zeig was currently located.
The cold wind howled.
Flakes of falling snow piled up on everyone's bodies.
Mechanical Settlement.
Svarog was talking with the Express crew about something.
After hearing footsteps.
Zeig, who was applying nail polish to Svarog, suddenly turned his head.
Seeing the arrivals, he said curiously:
"Huh, are you done saying goodbyes? Didn't we say we'd set out tomorrow?"
When he saw Pela beside them, Zeig was stunned.
"Huh, how did she come down too?"
Pela exchanged a glance with Bronya, then explained the cause and effect to Zeig.
Zeig suddenly understood.
"Oh! I get it—the boss is getting anxious, huh? The Stellaron has completely given up on her now!"
Seele said urgently:
"Alright, alright, let's hurry and set out! It won't do us any good if the Overworld falls. I heard that Great Guardian hasn't slept for three days and nights, staying on the front lines the whole time. The battle situation probably isn't optimistic!"
Pela nodded and echoed:
"Yes, the Guardian even asked if you were dead."
Zeig: "..."
Svarog listened to everyone's voices and said solemnly: "Such a large group of Wildfire members and Silvermane Guards... are you all planning to go to the Overworld through the furnace core? That would probably require transporting in batches, since the furnace core has limited capacity."
Clara looked up at Svarog and said softly: "Mr. Svarog, we... should we go help too?"
The surrounding vagrants also listened quietly, whispering among themselves. Soon, the news spread.
A large group of vagrants surged over. The leader shouted loudly:
"What's that? The Overworld is about to fall, right?! Then won't there be no one to send supplies to the Underworld via the transport lines anymore?! If that's the case, what's the point of lifting the lockdown order? No way—the Overworld can't fall! We want to go up and fight those monsters too!"
The Wildfire members behind looked at each other.
Actually, they were going to the Overworld for support for the same reason.
The Underworld had limited food. If the supplies from the Overworld stopped, it would pretty much be over.
"Everyone, calm down!"
Zeig raised his hands slightly, very composed.
…