"Ugh... a familiar ceiling."
Ten minutes later, Seele gradually regained consciousness.
Tasting a sweet flavor she had never experienced before, she blinked, wondering if she had arrived in heaven.
Just then, a strange grunting sound came from beside her. She followed the sound and immediately saw a golden pig.
Not only that, but this golden pig was also looking at her with exceptional concern.
To be cared for by a pig... why am I having such a strange dream?
The moment this question arose, the memories from before she fainted suddenly flooded her mind.
If she remembered correctly, she had fainted from hunger in front of enemies who were likely from the Overworld...
Realizing this, Seele did a carp flip to her feet, instinctively gripping her scythe, and stared warily at the familiar figures before her.
"Everyone, don't rush! One at a time! Everyone will get a free portion of food and water! No cutting in line, no crowding!"
Topaz, dressed in her high-class corporate uniform, was efficiently handing out food while announcing the rules with a megaphone.
Inside each bag she handed out was a month's worth of food for a normal person and a week's worth of clean water.
Without a doubt, she was distributing food to the crowd for free.
Seeing this, Seele blinked, a little bewildered.
Just then, Su Mo, who was standing to the side, glanced at her.
"You're awake?"
Hearing him, Seele shook her head and asked in disbelief, "Did... did you just save me?"
She had thought someone she knew would take her back to Wildfire!
"It was just basic humanitarian aid, nothing more."
Su Mo nodded slightly, not thinking much of it.
Seeing his attitude, Seele was a bit dumbfounded, her emotions complex.
She never thought she'd be saved by someone from the Overworld, especially after they had almost come to blows.
Her dissatisfaction with the Overworld and her personality of repaying kindness made Seele feel quite conflicted. After a moment of thought, she looked up and stared at Su Mo with determination.
"Thank you very much for your help, but I don't want to accept pity from an Overworlder. So, how much is the food you gave me worth? I will repay you double, along with the kindness of saving my life!"
The strong-willed girl was unwilling to accept charity, especially from "bad people."
She wasn't like those ungrateful Overworlders who completely disregarded the contributions of others.
In fact, if Su Mo had ignored her, she would have been fine. As a member of Wildfire, her comrades were always on patrol, and there were many trustworthy people among the miners she knew.
But since she was going to repay a kindness, she had to do it with all her might, with a clear conscience.
Hearing Seele's declaration, Topaz gave her a slightly strange look. Su Mo, on the other hand, calmly shook his head and said, "There's no need. It's nothing of value."
"No! Repaying kindness is my life's principle!"
Seele had her own principles.
Seeing the girl's stubbornness, Su Mo couldn't be bothered to argue further.
"What I just fed you was a fruit from the Tree of Life, which is easier to digest and slightly beneficial to the body."
"...Never heard of it. But, it's just one fruit?"
Seele shook her head, then breathed a sigh of relief, immediately reaching for her empty wallet.
"I will repay the kindness with all my might later. I'll pay you back for the food right now. How much is it?"
She knew she didn't have much money, and she knew such a delicious fruit must be valuable. But in her impoverished worldview, just five Winter City Shields were enough for a strong miner to have a good meal.
That being the case, no matter how expensive a single fruit was, it couldn't be more than five Winter City Shields, right?
Paying double would only be ten Winter City Shields.
Coincidentally, she had a habit of being overly frugal, preferring to go hungry to save money for emergencies, so she still had seven Winter City Shields on hand.
From this perspective, she just needed to empty her savings and borrow a little from the leader to pay off the food debt.
As for the kindness of helping her, that wasn't hard to repay. At worst, she would protect them personally for a month. When it came to life-or-death matters, she was much better at that than making money.
Just as Seele was confidently laying out her seven coins, she suddenly noticed Topaz's gaze was exceptionally strange.
"Miss Seele, I think you should just accept Lord Su Mo's kindness," Topaz said, choosing her words carefully. "Otherwise, it will be a huge burden for you."
There was no need to specifically inquire about the girl's name. When she fainted, several people had disregarded their own safety to help her. It seemed the name Seele carried some weight here. Topaz naturally sympathized with such a girl and didn't want her to fall into an abyss.
Unfortunately, Seele was born strong-willed.
"A burden? Don't—"
Don't look down on me, she had wanted to say. After all, she wasn't stupid. She knew the other party meant she couldn't afford it.
But Topaz's eyes were exceptionally sincere, and no matter her thoughts, she was indeed helping these poor people. This made it hard for Seele to be too firm with her.
So, after a pause, she continued, "How much? Don't worry, even if I have to sell everything I own and borrow from Hook, I will definitely pay you back!"
Seeing her persistence, Topaz sighed and shook her head.
"Alright then. I'll tell you something, but you must not be frightened."
"Don't worry, I'm a member of Wildfire. I'm not that fragile. I won't be easily scared."
Seele puffed out her slender chest, but her small hand couldn't help but clench secretly.
"The Fruit of the Tree of Life provided by Lord Su Mo, although I don't know its origin, if we judge its value by its effects and use our Interastral Peace Corporation's credits, it's probably worth about 500 million credits."
Topaz's words left Seele slightly dazed.
How much?
What kind of unit is a credit?
Seeing her confusion, Topaz explained, "If we convert it to your Winter City Shields, it's probably worth about five hundred—"
"Five hundred Winter City Shields?!"
Before Topaz could finish, Seele's eyes widened, her violet pupils instantly turning a bright red.
"What kind of fruit is so expensive? Even the leader doesn't have that much money, let alone Hook!"
In the resource-scarce Underworld, this was a huge sum. Even the probe of a high-precision instrument that could detect Geomarrow veins was generally only a few hundred Winter City Shields.
After the shock, she didn't suspect Topaz of overpricing. She wasn't completely ignorant of the extravagance of the Overworld.
Five hundred Winter City Shields, while sounding outrageous, wasn't unheard of for the Overworld.
So, after a slight sigh, she covered her forehead with her small hand.
"Alright, five hundred Winter City Shields. I'll work an extra job, save up for two more years, and I should barely be able to manage."
In the Underworld, where food expenses took up the bulk of one's income, saving money was exceptionally difficult.
Seeing the girl's troubled expression, Topaz's eyes filled with even more pity.
"Huh?"
Seele was stunned, completely unable to believe her ears.
"How much did you say?"
"Five million. Ten thousand times five hundred."
Topaz patiently repeated.
After confirming the amount Topaz stated several times, even she, who had never been to school, understood that this was a price she could absolutely never repay.
Five million Winter City Shields... if she saved frugally for twenty thousand years, she might be able to gather that much.
"How can it be so high? Is the peel made of gold, or is the flesh made of gold?"
Seele suspected she was being scammed.
Even the Overworld couldn't be this rich!
"Five million! Even if you sold me, I wouldn't be worth that much!"
Anyone who woke up to find themselves saddled with a sky-high debt couldn't possibly remain calm. Seele exploded, her expression becoming completely wary.
Seeing her like this, Topaz shrugged.
"That's why Lord Su Mo told you not to pay it back. You were the one who insisted."
"As for the value of the Fruit of the Tree of Life, you absolutely don't need to doubt it. Ordinary gold simply cannot compare."
"Feel it carefully. You should be able to find that the old injuries your body has accumulated, as well as the fatigue from hunger and lack of sleep, have now completely disappeared. Moreover, your vitality and strength should have been greatly enhanced. According to Lord Su Mo, the fruit of the Tree of Life can help humans approach the legendary gods. Its preciousness is self-evident. Having consumed the fruit, you no longer need to worry about ordinary Fragmentum monsters."
Hearing Topaz's introduction, Seele paused, only now realizing the changes in her own body.
Indeed, if her body had been exhausted before, purely relying on the energy of her Path, now she was full of vigor. Her strength and explosive power had increased severalfold. Opponents she previously needed to struggle with were now no match for her.
So, that sweet and refreshing fruit wasn't just delicious; it had so many magical effects.
If that was the case, then the sky-high price of five million was understandable.
Logically, having gained such a huge advantage, she should be secretly happy.
However…
"I just fainted! Why did you feed me such a precious fruit?! Even if you sold me, I'm not worth that much!"
Seele squatted on the ground, holding her head, looking incredibly shaken.
She still intended to repay the kindness, but this kindness seemed completely impossible to repay.
Hearing her question, Topaz also looked at Su Mo curiously, wondering why he would use such a precious fruit to save an ordinary girl.
Faced with their doubts, Su Mo spoke with an extremely calm expression, "This is already the worst fruit from my Tree of Life."
This was true. If it had been a slightly better fruit, Seele would have instantly transformed into an apostle and become Su Mo's angelic retainer.
The current situation was the result of considering Seele's well-being.
"..."
Hearing this, Seele and Topaz were speechless.
The worst fruit is 500 million credits... Damn you rich people!
Just as Seele was worrying about how to repay such a precious item...
Su Mo spoke.
"If you insist on repaying it, then pay with your body!"
"?"
The moment these words were spoken, both girls looked at Su Mo in shock.
Seele's face was flushed, full of shame and anger. As a girl with conservative values, if she didn't owe so much money, she would have already swung her scythe at him.
Just as I thought, a villain from the Overworld, with such disgusting thoughts!
Topaz, on the other hand, had a hint of hesitation mixed with her shame. If Su Mo really had a weakness for women, then perhaps she could really find an opening.
If so, should she do it or not?
Just as the two were gradually making up their minds, Su Mo added, "What are you standing there for? Topaz can't finish over there. Seele, hurry up and help."
Hearing this, the two girls finally reacted.
Seele blinked and confirmed, "You mean, you want me to help distribute food?"
"Correct." Su Mo nodded. "The body is the capital for labor. Exchanging labor for remuneration, you shouldn't mind, right?"
"Of course not!" Seele immediately nodded, then bowed to Su Mo with great embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."
Coming back to her senses, she finally realized that Su Mo didn't seem to be a bad person.
Even though she owed an unpayable debt, his attitude had always been that she didn't need to repay it. So this was entirely her own fault and had nothing to do with this good person, Su Mo.
"It's nothing." Su Mo naturally didn't mind. "Compared to this small matter, there seems to be another misunderstanding between us that hasn't been resolved..."
"Actually, we are not from the Overworld."