"We've arrived at the Underworld." After walking through the long tunnel, Yun Fan's view suddenly opened up.
Dilapidated houses were scattered haphazardly across this vast underground world like disorganized mahjong tiles on a table. The air, essential for human survival, was thick with a nauseating blend of mold, fishy odors, and decay. Even a slight inhale made March 7th and Stelle, who were visiting for the first time, feel queasy.
"Ugh— Oh my god, is this really still Belobog?" March 7th dry-heaved for a while before finally recovering slightly. She looked around in confusion, her voice filled with unconcealed shock.
"Mhm." Stelle nodded in agreement, pinching her nose with one hand, her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows nearly furrowing onto her forehead.
"Haha, by common reasoning, this is indeed the Underworld of Belobog. So, is it a bit different from what you imagined? Like falling straight from heaven into hell?" Yun Fan added with a chuckle.
"Well, the conditions in the Underworld are far worse compared to the Overworld. If the residents of the Overworld think about 'how to enjoy their day,' then the residents of the Underworld..." Dan Heng frowned slightly.
"Are probably thinking 'how to survive this day,'" Yun Fan declared mercilessly.
"This..." March 7th found it hard to accept. Kind-hearted as she was, she couldn't help but feel sympathy.
"Alright, enough of that. Since it's our first time in the Underworld, we should brace ourselves for their 'welcome.' Look, here it comes!"
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Above the snowfields on the outskirts of the city, the previously calm sky suddenly rippled. No—it was more accurate to say the very fabric of space itself was pulsating at a peculiar frequency.
The next moment, the undulating space shattered, and a spherical interstellar spacecraft emerged from the dark rift, gently hovering above the snow.
Hiss—!
With the sound of releasing air pressure, the spacecraft's hatch slowly opened, and a person accompanied by a warp trotter stepped out.
"Woo-hoo! Finally landed. So this is Jarilo-VI? Brr, it really is freezing." The moment Topaz set foot on the snowfield, she felt a biting chill surge through her, prompting her to quickly circulate her Path's energy. However, even with the protection of her Path's power, the stinging gusts of wind still prickled her skin—an unavoidable consequence of her current outfit.
"Tch, should've worn something thicker. Numby, come here." Topaz hugged Numby, savoring the warmth radiating from the little warp trotter, and finally relaxed with a contented expression.
A short while later...
"Oink... oink..." Numby's ears twitched as they picked up faint rustling sounds. The warp trotter immediately nudged Topaz a few times in her arms while emitting soft oinks, alerting its owner that someone was approaching.
"Hmm? Someone's coming? A native of Jarilo-VI?" After a brief moment of thought, Topaz tapped a few commands on the wristband she wore. With a whoosh, the small spacecraft she had piloted transformed into a streak of light, shooting out of the atmosphere and entering standby mode in Belobog's gravitational orbit.
Meanwhile, she herself hid behind a tall snow-laden pine tree, discreetly observing the situation on the snowfield from the side.
Before long, a suspicious figure with blue-purple hair and a strange tailcoat appeared where Topaz had just been standing.
The man looked around furtively, even going so far as to crouch down and sniff the ground like some kind of animal tracking a scent.
"That person is..." Once she got a clear look at the blue-purple-haired man, Topaz was slightly startled. Wasn't this guy Sampo Koski, a notorious name on the galaxy's most-wanted list? What was he doing on Jarilo-VI? Generally, devotees of "Elation" like him spent most of their time in the "Tavern," didn't they?
Wait a minute!
Topaz suddenly realized something. Could he be the one who stole my badge?
Thinking about it, the Masked Fools were known for their bizarre and unpredictable methods. Sneaking into her residence and taking the badge was entirely possible. As for the motive... Heh, these guys were always looking for amusement. It seemed she had become his latest source of entertainment. Or perhaps, the Masked Fools were planning to stir up some major chaos on Jarilo-VI!
At this realization, Topaz's eyes grew increasingly dangerous. Her phoenix-like gaze bore into Sampo's sneaky figure as if flames were about to shoot out.
"Numby, go!"
Meanwhile, Sampo...
"Strange, I could've sworn I sensed something valuable here earlier. Why is there nothing? Did someone beat me to it?" After a fruitless search, Sampo stood in the snowfield, staring at the large and small footprints on the ground, deep in thought.
But just then—
Whoosh—!
A golden-purple whirlwind tore through the air, sweeping up snow as it barreled toward Sampo's back with unstoppable force.
"Wha—?! What the—?!" Sensing the incoming attack, Sampo instinctively dodged to the side. In the blink of an eye, the whirlwind brushed past him.
"Haha, good thing Sampo's quick-witted and bra— AHH!" Just as Sampo was about to boast, a golden coin suddenly shot out from behind the snow-laden pine tree, striking him squarely in the back—or more accurately, right in the kidney.
"You—you young people have no martial virtue! Sneak-attacking ol' Sampo like this—" Before he could finish, the whirlwind that had missed him earlier looped back around and charged at him again. This time, however, with his kidney freshly assaulted, Sampo wasn't so lucky.
With a bloodcurdling scream, Sampo was sent flying by the whirlwind's force and knocked unconscious, collapsing limply onto the snow.
"Oink... oink... oink..." Only after Sampo was out cold did the golden-purple whirlwind gradually dissipate, revealing its true form—Topaz's little warp trotter, Numby.
"Good job, Numby!" Topaz emerged from behind the pine tree and gave the unconscious Sampo a light kick with her foot before holstering her coin gun.
"Heh, what a pleasant surprise. The galaxy's most wanted scammer, Sampo Koski..."