["Their presence here is proof."]
[Svarog looked at Seele's group who had fought their way through to finally stand before them.]
["Svarog! We still have unfinished business from last time!" Seele placed a hand on her hip, visibly impatient. "Call off your lackeys now, or don't blame me for being rude!"]
["Humans attempting to overturn calculated results pose a major threat to the survival strategy of the Underworld."]
[Svarog's red eyes swept over Stelle, March 7th, and the others. After a brief silence, he suddenly bowed and extended an arm toward Clara: "Let's go, Clara. External variables detected. Recalculating. The core hub requires guarding."]
——
"What an incredible robot... Its manufacturing technology seems even more advanced than that of Khaenri'ah over 500 years ago or the King Deshret's civilization in the desert."
At a café near the Akademiya, Faruzan sat with a few others, casually discussing the unbelievable technologies displayed on the Celestial Screen.
"If we're talking about autonomous defense robots, aside from Ruin Guards, I've also seen some in desert ruins... though their combat capability was quite mediocre—nothing like Belobog's exploding ones."
Kaveh held a cup of coffee, chattering away: "Speaking of which, could Sumeru produce such mechanical devices with 'artificial intelligence'?"
——
Faced with Kaveh's question, Alhaitham didn't even bother looking up: "You never seem to think before asking. If Sumeru possessed this technology, your... unique architectural aesthetics that leave investors speechless might just be replaced by machines."
Kaveh immediately flared up: "What's wrong with my aesthetics? With the pitiful architectural knowledge you Haravatat scholars have... heh, no wonder you can't appreciate—"
"I certainly can't appreciate a design that gets ordered to be revised twenty times in three days, only to revert back to the first draft."
Alhaitham deadpanned, spreading his hands: "So, oh great architect, has your latest magnificent design passed the investors' review this time?"
"...You!"
——
As if struck right in the heart, Kaveh turned pale with anger and snorted, turning his head away.
"Alright, alright, no fighting. Senior Faruzan invited us here to discuss the feasibility of replicating Belobog's robots in Sumeru." Tighnari felt that whenever these two were together, the tension never eased.
"If we're researching robots, we might as well get a few autonomous mechanisms from Fontaine." Alhaitham said calmly. "As for 'artificial intelligence'... I've read ancient texts about Inazuma. Their archon seems to have created puppets with wisdom and personality centuries ago."
——
"Inazuma's archon... That's something we probably don't even have the right to inquire about, right?" Tighnari smiled wryly. "Does Sumeru have anyone on good terms with Inazuma's archon?"
"I can think of one..."
"Me too..."
——
Meanwhile, in Natlan—
A certain blonde Traveler, who had just hooked the Grand Shaman of the Masters of the Night-Wind into a frenzy, suddenly sneezed. She looked up blankly, feeling as though a blue exclamation mark might pop up on the map of some distant nation.
[Svarog left with Clara while a giant bulky robot fought Stelle's group.]
[Though it took some effort, the oversized machine was no match for them and was soon scrapped.]
["That little girl in red..." Stelle looked in the direction Svarog had left. "Should we chase her?"]
["You mean Clara?" Seele shrugged. "Don't worry about her. That kid seems close to Svarog—always following him around. He won't hurt her. Our priority now is to find the boss."]
——
["—No need to look for me, Seele." Out of nowhere, a wild Oleg appeared, accompanied by a few members of Wildfire: "Good work, Seele. I thought we'd be stuck in a prolonged battle with these robots."]
[Seeing that the Wildfire members were unharmed, Seele finally relaxed a little.]
[Stelle placed a hand on her hip: "So you're the boss? Took you long enough to show up."]
[Oleg was taken aback by her bluntness upon their first meeting: "And you are...?"]
——
[Stelle briefly introduced the Express Crew's identities and explained what had happened in the Overworld, including their goal of finding the Stellaron.]
[Unfortunately, Oleg hadn't heard of any Stellaron either, but he recommended a key figure who might know—Svarog.]
["He's just a robot from the Underworld. Why would he know such an important secret?" Dan Heng questioned.]
["He's an ancient robot who survived [that war]... If you're looking for something old, aside from him, your only option is to ask the 'Supreme Guardian' herself."]
[At the mention of the Supreme Guardian, Oleg's tone suddenly grew agitated: "The current 'Supreme Guardian' is nothing but a fraud. She deceived the Underworld with sweet words, and—"]
[Before Oleg could finish, Bronya angrily cut him off: "Enough! I won't tolerate you insulting the Guardian in my presence!"]
——
"While I admit Lady Cocolia is a charming woman, her actions as a leader are truly excessive." Sein couldn't help but comment.
"Eh—? How rare. This is the first time I've seen you criticize a big sister from the Celestial Screen." Frieren leaned in with interest, smiling. "Is it because she's a bad woman?"
"What's wrong with bad women? Bad women have their charm too!"
——
Sein recalled when Kafka first appeared at the space station—that elegance laced with danger, danger that didn't diminish her allure... It was utterly intoxicating.
Especially the click of her high heels against the floor, each step resonating in his heart.
Of course, Miss Himeko later perfectly hit his preferences too, but Kafka's first impression remained unforgettable.
[The grievances of the Underworld couldn't be explained in just a few words. Oleg called for a truce, suggesting they focus on the task at hand first.]
[Before that, he arranged for the Express trio to rest at the finest place in town—the Goethe Hotel!]
[Such familiar developments... The moment "Goethe" was mentioned, March 7th's face stiffened, and unpleasant memories came flooding back.]
["Are we gonna wake up as wanted criminals again after staying here overnight?"]