Chapter 93: Damn! Fire!
For Seele, today was an ordinary day.
The situation in the Underworld was dire. Resources were scarce, and the erosion of the Fragmentum was unavoidable. When the Fragmentum arrived, most people could only grab small, nearby objects as they fled. Large machinery was left behind.
Most Fragmentum creatures only chased and killed living things. In the absence of people, they usually didn't cause too much damage to the environment, which allowed many supplies to be preserved.
To survive, or for various other reasons, there were plenty of people in the Underworld who would risk their lives to scavenge in the eroded settlements, looking for useful things.
As one of the few Pathstriders in the Underworld, the burden on Seele's slender shoulders was not light.
These past two days, a mining machine in the mining team had broken down. A core component was damaged, and the repairman couldn't make bricks without straw. If it wasn't fixed, it would affect mining efficiency. If they didn't have enough Geomarrow when exchanging supplies with the Overworld, the supplies they received would be further affected. Many people would probably go hungry because of it.
Seele had been searching everywhere for a usable core component these past two days. Today, she planned to check out Rivet Town. There were likely usable parts in the equipment that hadn't been moved in time.
Just as Seele was preparing to set off after a short rest in Boulder Town, the neighborhood residents greeted her as usual on the street. But many of the uncles and aunts suddenly became strange, telling her to go to Natasha's clinic, saying there was a surprise, all very mysterious.
Seele was a bit confused, but she came anyway.
She was a regular at Natasha's clinic. One reason was that she often got injured fighting Fragmentum monsters and came for treatment. But Seele's relationship with Natasha was extraordinary.
As a child, Seele had received a lot of help from Natasha, which allowed the orphan Seele to experience what it might feel like to have an older sister and a mother.
Outside the door, hearing the glib voice, Seele immediately frowned. That guy Sampo had caused no end of trouble for Wildfire. Usually, meeting this guy meant nothing good. Seele immediately had a bad feeling.
But soon, she heard that someone had tried to assassinate the Supreme Guardian, which was a big surprise indeed.
The suffering of the people in the Underworld, while saying 100% might be a bit subjective, saying that over 90% was the Supreme Guardian's fault might still be an understatement.
Seele rushed into the clinic at almost a run, wanting to see which heroes had done such a good deed. This was a meritorious deed worthy of being recorded in the annals of history!
But Seele hadn't expected an even bigger surprise waiting for her inside!
"Who... are you!?"
In disbelief and astonishment, the older Seele became very excited. That familiar face, she used to see it when she looked down at puddles while working. It was exactly the same!
The identical face, the obvious age gap, and her orphan background, the older Seele's mind naturally came to the conclusion that anyone would under normal logic.
Do I have relatives in this world? A... sister?
"Hello, I'm Seele Vollerei," Seele took back control of her body, placed a hand on her chest, and introduced herself softly.
At the same time, she reminded White Seele and Black Seele in her mind.
Back at the Herta Space Station, when Old Yang guessed that Seele came from a parallel world or a world bubble of Earth, Seele had admitted it to White Seele. The 'parallel world' in White Seele's address to her, 'the me from the parallel world', did not refer to the Star Rail world, but a parallel world of Earth.
[So, the one in front of us is this world's Seele, huh?]
In the Stigmata Space, receiving external information through her body's vision, Black Seele's expression became peculiar. As the undisputed number one Seele-con, she keenly sensed the difference between this older Seele and the other two Seeles. It was an intuition of compatibility.
Compared to the weak crybaby, this heroic and sharp older Seele, how did she look more like the 'her' from the parallel world?
"Seele... Vollerei?" The Seele without a surname's eyes were dazed as she muttered to herself.
Surnames were not something ordinary people in Belobog had. The vast majority of people in the Underworld had no surname, and in the Overworld, only the descendants of the city builders and the nobility had surnames.
"Mm, I'm the you from a parallel world."
The older Seele's fine eyebrows couldn't help but rise. She was stunned for a long time before asking in a daze, "What's a parallel world?"
Born in the Underworld, the older Seele hadn't even graduated from elementary school. Her level of education was probably lower than Ding Zhen's.
Seele had anticipated this, so using her body, she explained the basic common sense of the universe in a way that was as easy to understand as possible. Natasha was also here, so letting her understand the relevant knowledge would mean that when she used the Midnight Absinthe body later, there would be no need for explanations; Natasha would be able to guess on her own.
After hearing Caelus's explanation, both Natasha and the older Seele had a look of thoughtful realization.
"So that's how it is..."
The situation was far beyond what the older Seele had imagined.
At this moment, she no longer had the excitement from the beginning. She was a little downcast and lost. Her azure eyes met Seele's sea-like eyes, and her mouth opened.
"So, you're not my..."
She didn't finish the sentence.
As a core member of Wildfire, having grown up in the chaos and danger of the underground, in the eyes of everyone who knew her, the older Seele was undoubtedly a tough and brave child. But everyone has a vulnerable side, perhaps it lasts for a short time, perhaps only they themselves know.
Seele had imagined countless times what it would be like to have blood relatives. Although this thought became less frequent as she grew up, today was the closest this thought had ever come to becoming a reality, but in the end, it still didn't... her heart couldn't help but feel a little empty.
"Although we are both Seele, we are ultimately different individuals. If you're willing, you can think of me as your younger sister. After all, you're older than me."
Seele gave a sweet, strawberry-like smile.
"Sister~"
The older Seele, who had always been straightforward and frank, didn't know how to respond to these words. But after hearing Seele's sweet call of 'sister', she admitted that her heart had skipped a beat.
Putting herself in her shoes, if it were her, she probably wouldn't be willing to call another, older version of herself 'sister'. But as Seele said, this proved they were different individuals. This wonderful fate, in a way, was no less intimate than blood ties.
Moreover, the younger Seele's gentle, obedient, and pitifully quiet appearance really appealed to her. It was hard to imagine she had such a side. Although she felt a little disappointed that 'Seele' could be so weak, it was more of a strange and strong desire to protect her.
"Let's talk about the assassination of the Supreme Guardian first."
The fearless older Seele was rarely at a loss and forcefully changed the subject.
"Let me explain," Dan Heng volunteered.
If someone else explained, it would probably take until tomorrow, especially March 7th.
Next, Dan Heng concisely explained the Supreme Guardian's situation, including some information related to the Stellaron, and the relationship between Cocolia and the Stellaron.
"What!?"
"The Eternal Freeze and the Fragmentum are caused by that thing called a Stellaron?"
"The Supreme Guardian is deluded by the Stellaron!?"
One explosive piece of news after another came, creating a shocking wave in the hearts of Natasha and Seele.
Natasha was thoughtful, feeling that many things could now be explained. She knew a little about Cocolia before she inherited the title of Supreme Guardian. She was like a completely different person from the madwoman who later sealed off the Underworld and made trespassing the passage between the upper and lower districts a serious crime.
Although the logic was complete and the reasons were sufficient, this was, after all, their first meeting, and these people were from beyond the sky. Natasha couldn't immediately give them 100% trust.
"What are your plans next?"
"We plan to lie low in the Underworld for a while, is that okay?"
Dan Heng said this, then glanced at Caelus. He actually hadn't thought about the next step yet. Caelus had told him to wait for the right time. After several 'coincidences', Dan Heng felt that Caelus wouldn't act without reason. In other words, Caelus might have a backup plan up his sleeve. In that case, it was fine to wait for a while.
Natasha smiled gently. "No guards will pursue you here. After getting permission from Wildfire, you can live here temporarily, no problem."
Many people in the Underworld knew the public leader of Wildfire, the former Silvermane Guard officer, Oleg. Only the core members knew that the true leader behind Wildfire was right here in this small clinic.
"No matter what, you all tried to assassinate the Supreme Guardian. Even if you didn't succeed, it was a good job! Everyone will be grateful to you when they find out!"
The older Seele was quite magnanimous, which made March 7th, who was used to the younger Seele's obedient and soft demeanor, feel a little out of place.
Tiptoeing backward, Sampo took each step with extra caution. His hand gently rested on the clinic's doorknob, turning it slowly to avoid making a sound. Sampo slipped out sideways, the door closing softly behind him with his careful movement.
After confirming that he hadn't been discovered, Sampo gradually let out a sigh of relief.
Those two gray-haired people are too damn troublesome! If I don't leave now, when will I?
The sneaky figure turned, about to make a swift escape in the next second, but a cheerful, sunny boy's voice from behind made Sampo's body instantly stiffen.
"My dear family, where do you think you're going?"
Sampo's expression instantly turned a little ugly. Not only because he was caught trying to escape, but more importantly, he had even used the power of the Path of Elation to hide himself, yet Caelus still discovered his movements.
"Good buddy, who on earth are you?"
Only a Fool understands the methods of a Fool. Sampo now seriously suspected that this person was a true colleague.
"Who am I? I'm Caelus. Why is Master Sampo suddenly asking such a question?"
Caelus chuckled lightly and made a motion of pushing up glasses. A half-white, half-red fox mask appeared with his movement.
The moment he caught sight of the mask, Sampo's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Damn! Fire!"
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