Seele's Compliance, the Stellaron Crisis

Lin Hai drove the luxury SUV slowly into the enormous elevator connecting the Upper District and the Underworld.

Machinery roared, chains and gears creaked, and the elevator descended smoothly.

It gradually shut out the snowstorms and polished surfaces of the Upper District, replacing them with the Underworld's rugged rock ceilings and the faint scent of metal and dust in the air.

When the elevator gate opened fully in the Underworld, the steel creation, so out of place in its surroundings, immediately drew everyone's attention.

It was too new, too shiny, a stark contrast to the rusted metal, exposed pipes, and weathered walls common in the Underworld.

Lin Hai drove slowly through the streets of Boulder Town.

Residents on both sides of the road stopped to stare, their eyes full of surprise and curiosity.

They had seen all kinds of machines and devices, but never in their lives had they seen a steel creation so refined and finely crafted.

Soon, a member of Wildfire suspected that it might be a steel creation controlled by Lin Hai and quickly reported the situation.

Before long, a swift and familiar figure appeared directly in front of the vehicle.

It was Seele, who had hurried over after hearing the news.

Her distinctive purple hair stood out even in the dim light. Her gaze was as sharp as ever, though it held a little more curiosity.

Lin Hai brought the car to a stop, opened the door, and invited Seele in.

"Hop in. I'll show you something different."

Without the slightest hesitation, Seele walked over to Lin Hai and gladly climbed into the back seat.

Inside the car, the other passenger was the first to break the silence.

Wearing her characteristic smile, Sparkle introduced herself. "Hi there~ I'm Sparkle. You could say I'm... a friend who came to help Belobog solve its problems and have a little fun while I'm at it."

She sat casually with her bare feet resting naturally, a particularly striking sight in the often chilly Underworld.

Seele briefly gave her own name, her gaze sweeping over the car's finely crafted interior and the mysterious barefoot girl in the front passenger seat.

She set aside the many questions in her mind and asked Lin Hai with concern, "How are things in the Upper District... going smoothly?"

"Things are going pretty smoothly."

Lin Hai's answer was brief, but reassuring.

Hearing this, Seele let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

With his hand on the steering wheel, Lin Hai casually asked, "What do you think of this car?"

Seele's fingertips brushed gently over the finely textured seat fabric, and she exclaimed from the heart:

"It's wonderful... You rarely see anything this beautiful, this... different in the Underworld."

Lin Hai smiled. "Next time I come over, I'll fill this car with supplies."

The car left the crowded street behind, and the noise outside the windows gradually faded as the road grew open and quiet.

A breeze came in through the half-open window, but it didn't feel very cool.

Lin Hai turned his head, looked at Seele, and said softly:

"Take your shoes off and relax."

Seele paused, seemingly unsure what he meant.

But only a moment later, a knowing smile flickered in her eyes.

She understood that his desire lay behind the seemingly casual suggestion.

Seele didn't hesitate, however. She bent down, untied her laces, gently slipped off her boots, and then offered one smooth, bare foot to Lin Hai.

Lin Hai remained seated, one hand on the steering wheel, and took her foot quite naturally with the other.

The corners of his mouth rose involuntarily; he was clearly enjoying the interaction.

Feeling the warmth of Lin Hai's palm, Seele's cheeks grew a little hot, but she still asked softly, "Where are we driving to?"

"Nowhere in particular..." Lin Hai answered with a leisurely smile. "I just wanted you to experience... what it feels like to drive around freely."

He paused, then added, "I only bought this car recently, and the novelty hasn't worn off yet."

His words made Seele laugh, and the atmosphere inside the car grew even more relaxed.

"Some time from now, the next time I come over, I'll give the Underworld a vehicle."

Seele's eyes lit up at once. "Will it be this big too?"

"No." Lin Hai shook his head. "Bigger and more practical than this one. A construction vehicle that can help you improve your surroundings and build your home."

A bright smile spread across Seele's face when she heard that.

She couldn't help asking, "Are there a lot of construction vehicles where you come from?"

"A great many." Lin Hai nodded, his fingertips gently caressing without his noticing.

"Then... just how many are there?"

Seele couldn't resist pressing him for an answer.

Lin Hai thought for a moment and gave her a conservative figure. "Just counting the ones in stock, there are at least hundreds of thousands, maybe even over a million."

The figure exploded in Seele's mind. Her eyes widened slightly, and she was too stunned to speak.

Hundreds of thousands, even a million?

That was completely beyond what Belobog's industrial capacity could comprehend.

Yes.

It was beyond comprehension!

The gap wasn't between one and a hundred.

It was an unimaginable gulf!

In the Underworld, every piece of heavy machinery was a precious asset.

Seeing her reaction, Lin Hai smiled and explained further, "The world I come from has extremely powerful productive capacity, especially its industrial production system. These vehicles are produced too quickly and in too great a quantity. For our world, there are even so many that it's hard to absorb them all."

In a sense, Lin Hai was also solving a problem by bringing those construction vehicles here.

If those vehicles remained unsold in storage for too long, they could instead cause factories to go bankrupt and workers to lose their jobs, triggering a series of economic and social problems.

What Lin Hai was doing both eased the pressure of oversupply and helped Belobog rebuild.

It benefited both worlds!

Just then, Sparkle quietly made her move beside him.

With a sly smile, she gently extended her foot toward Lin Hai's hand.

Sensing the invitation, Lin Hai instinctively released Seele's foot and gently took the one Sparkle had offered.

The subtle change snapped Seele back to her senses.

She watched Lin Hai's hand leave her foot and move over to Sparkle's, and an indescribable sense of urgency and disappointment welled up inside her.

Seele pressed her lips together and stared fixedly at Lin Hai's hand, hoping it would return to where it had been.

Having successfully cut in, Sparkle put on an unconcerned, carefree expression, as though it had all happened by accident.

But deep in her eyes flickered the happiness and satisfaction of a scheme that had succeeded.

The subtle, intimate competition broke the atmosphere in the car, making it delicate and lively.

Cocolia stood alone beside the great elevator, the cold metal structure and howling wind seemingly an outward reflection of the turmoil in her heart.

Over the past few days, reports from the Underworld had arrived on her desk one after another.

Every line revealed a fact that made her heart tremble:

The Underworld was now entirely under Wildfire's control, and the organization was rapidly drawing closer to Lin Hai.

What troubled Cocolia even more was that not only were the people of the Underworld inclined toward this mysterious outsider, but voices had also begun to spread through the Upper District, hailing Lin Hai as the great hero who would save Belobog.

The sudden shift in prestige and control left Cocolia feeling more powerless than ever before.

She knew far too little about Lin Hai.

That uncertainty spread like a shadow, breeding doubt and fear.

The Stellaron sensed her wavering and vulnerability, and its seductive whispers once again sounded in her ear.

This time, they grew more specific and more pervasive.

Whisper after whisper stressed the dangers and uncertainties Lin Hai might bring.

They sought to turn Cocolia's unease into outright hostility.

Under the Stellaron's relentless erosion and the immense pressure in her heart, Cocolia's will came to the brink of collapse in an instant, and she nearly lost control.

But in the end, relying on the sliver of clarity she had left, she narrowly managed to suppress the wave of chaos that had almost swallowed her.

"Lin Hai, it looks like I need to see you again!"