Dan Heng, They're Picking on You Because You're an Intellectual

"So, how do we get to the Underworld now?" March 7th looked around. "Is there a dedicated lift or a car to take us there?"

Dan Heng shook his head. "We can ask the guards. They should know the usual route."

But Stelle's gaze passed over the two of them and landed on a silver-gray trash can nearby. Her expression grew focused.

"Wait, I have a plan."

"Oh? You have a plan too?"

Bai Luoming followed her gaze and immediately understood what Stelle had in mind. "Put your little plan away. The trash can isn't going to tell you how to get to the Underworld."

"You never know." Stelle still wanted to make her case.

Dan Heng's face darkened as he listened to their conversation.

Just as Dan Heng was about to lecture both of them, an excessively enthusiastic voice suddenly rang out from a narrow alley.

"Well, well, did I just hear someone say they wanted to go to the Underworld?"

Sampo emerged from the shadows of the alley, wearing what he considered his friendliest smile.

The moment Bai Luoming saw him, he blurted out, "Whoa, Sampo, you dare show your face here? Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"A man has to make a living. It doesn't matter which road you take, as long as you don't lose your direction in life." Sampo gave an awkward laugh, smoothly brushing it off.

Bai Luoming couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush. "How much are you charging this time?"

Sampo's eyes lit up. He held up a finger and waved it in the air. "Now here's a friend who understands me! Ten or twenty thousand isn't too little, and eighty or a hundred thousand isn't too much! What do you say, bosses?"

March 7th rolled her eyes. "You're completely obsessed with money."

"Hey, that's no way to put it. I'm just trying to make a living," Sampo promptly corrected her.

Dan Heng spoke coldly. "We can ask the Silvermane Guards to arrange passage."

At that, Sampo's smile nearly slipped. He hurried closer and lowered his voice. "Hey, that's different! Do those blockhead guards know the Underworld as well as I do? All sorts of people mingle down there. Without someone you know, you won't get anywhere. I earn every bit of my money through hard work."

"I get that," March 7th said, "but your fee is way too high."

Bai Luoming and Stelle exchanged a glance, and Stelle immediately understood.

Sampo tried to stand firm. "I can't lower the price any more. This is—"

Bai Luoming ignored him and merely tilted his chin toward Stelle beside him.

Stelle hesitated no longer. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and shouted directly toward Kliperburg, "Sam—"

She had barely shouted the first syllable when Sampo's expression changed. He lunged over and covered her mouth. "Honorable heroes, I can lower the price!"

March 7th stared at them, completely baffled.

Sampo put on an ingratiating smile and lowered himself as much as he could. "Everyone, whatever you say goes."

"Now that's the kind of service attitude a top-class guide should have." Bai Luoming nodded in satisfaction.

After they settled on a price, Sampo didn't lead the way immediately. He furtively pulled a pile of things from inside his clothes. In front of everyone, he first flattened his hair and put on a thick old hat, then covered most of his face with a dingy gray scarf. Finally, he stuck on a fake beard that looked ready to fall off at any moment.

"Why don't you just wear a mask? It'd suit your identity anyway," Bai Luoming said.

"Spoken like an amateur!" Sampo proudly adjusted his fake beard. "The first step to a truly masterful disguise is making people believe you aren't wearing one."

He also asked everyone else to change their outfits a little so they wouldn't stand out too much.

March 7th shook her head repeatedly at Sampo's assortment of props. Even Stelle refused his suggestion.

Bai Luoming looked at his own clothes and thought they were already discreet enough.

Seeing that none of them were willing to change, Sampo had no choice but to finish dressing up and lead them to the passage.

Under Sampo's guidance, they arrived at a passage that had only recently been opened through. Signs of temporary reinforcement remained, and tools and rubble that hadn't yet been cleared away were piled along the edges.

The guards on duty glanced at their travel permit, then let them proceed to the elevator in the passage.

The elevator descended steadily, and mottled marks and traces of mineral excavation appeared one after another on the walls.

Watching the elevator continue downward, Sampo said, "Everyone, it's best to keep a low profile down there. People in the Underworld aren't as good-natured as those in the Overworld."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sampo stopped. He appeared to be casually adjusting his disguise, but he was actually using the movement to alert the others.

Dan Heng quickly swept his gaze around. In several corners near the entrance, a few men who looked like vagrants were staring at them.

The men didn't approach immediately. They merely studied their clothes and weapons, as if assessing the value of their prey.

"These guys usually only dare pick up scraps," Sampo said quietly. "Today they might have taken us for 'big spenders.'"

"So," Bai Luoming asked, "they see us as fat sheep now?"

Stelle nodded vigorously. "Looks like it."

Several vagrants finally came over and blocked their path. One of them kept eyeing March 7th's camera and Bai Luoming's clothes, his tone turning from probing to hostile.

"Hand over your valuables."

Dan Heng stepped forward and tried to explain. "We have a permit issued by the acting Supreme Guardian..."

"The Overworld's rules don't apply here!" the man interrupted with a sneer. "That thing's nothing but a piece of scrap paper down here!"

Bai Luoming raised a hand and stepped in front of Dan Heng.

"Dan Heng, they're picking on you because you're an intellectual," he said calmly. "Why waste your breath on them? Just beat them up."

"Don't resort to violence to solve every problem," Dan Heng reminded him.

"I know." Bai Luoming looked at the vagrants gradually surrounding them and said to Dan Heng, "Look at them. Even if you want to reason with them, they don't want to listen."

"What, did you really expect these great vagrants to have noble souls?"

With that, Bai Luoming stepped forward, raised his fists, and spoke sternly.

"Anyone who takes another step goes down first."

The vagrants were intimidated by his imposing manner, but with numbers on their side, they refused to back down. Some drew worn short knives from their waists, while others picked up rusty iron bars from the corner.

Seeing that the vagrants were sure they had them at their mercy, Dan Heng hesitated no longer. He raised a hand and summoned Cloud-Piercer, ready to fight.

Sampo, meanwhile, had been quietly retreating, hiding himself in the shadows along the wall.

Bai Luoming caught Sampo's little move out of the corner of his eye and said without looking back, "Sampo, if you run now, you won't get a single cent."

Sampo stopped awkwardly and forced an explanation. "I'm making room for you all, so no innocent bystanders get hurt."

The vagrants' leader was shaken by Bai Luoming's presence for a moment, but greed quickly overcame his hesitation. He gritted his teeth and charged forward, swinging an iron bar.

"Brothers, get them! You can tell at a glance these people are loaded!"

Just then, a cold, sharp woman's voice came from the shadows by the entrance.

"Who gave you permission to rob people here?"

Seele stepped out of the darkness. Her gaze swept over the weapons in the vagrants' hands before settling on Bai Luoming.

The vagrants' expressions changed drastically when they saw Seele, though their leader still tried to talk tough. "We just wanted to... get a little money to live on."

"If you need money to live on, go ask someone who can give you work." There wasn't a ripple of emotion in Seele's voice. "Surrounding people with knives is called robbery."

The vagrant still tried to argue, but Seele's tone grew harsher. "Get lost already. Are you waiting for me to collect your corpse?"

The men exchanged glances. In the end, they put away their weapons, shot Bai Luoming resentful looks, and turned to leave.

Bai Luoming watched them go and sighed. "What a shame. I was hoping to show off my stats."

"It's her!" March 7th recognized Seele and whispered a reminder. "She's the one who argued with Bronya outside Kliperburg yesterday!"

Only after seeing the vagrants leave did Seele turn to the group. "What are you doing here?"

Bai Luoming shrugged. "What else? Bronya insisted on coordinating our forces or something, so we came to speedrun the Underworld."

March 7th elbowed Bai Luoming when she heard that. "What are you talking about? Do you think this is a game?"

Only then did March 7th look at Seele and say apologetically, "Sorry, this companion of ours doesn't always think straight. The acting Supreme Guardian sent us to seek the Underworld's cooperation."

After hearing her out, Seele gave a cold snort.

"She should have done this a long time ago." Suppressed anger colored her voice. "I've gone to her more than once, but Bronya is always weighing her options, always waiting. What is she waiting for? Is she going to wait until Belobog is completely destroyed before she acts?"

"She's also being affected by the Stellaron now..." March 7th tried to explain.

"I know she has her own difficulties," Seele interrupted. "But that's no excuse to let the Stellaron run unchecked!"

With that, Seele's tone softened a little. "All right, there's not much point in saying this to you. I'll take you to see Natasha first. This isn't something I can decide on my own."