Heading to the Upper District

Oleg was not swayed by the envoy's reaction.

"This is Wildfire's demand."

"In three days, if the corresponding supplies have not been delivered... you should know what will happen."

The envoy could not stay any longer.

He staggered to his feet and hurried out of the meeting room, as though some terrifying monster were chasing him from behind.

Upper District, in Supreme Guardian Cocolia's office.

The envoy knelt on one knee, trembling as he reported the Lower District's latest demands to Cocolia.

"Triple the supplies?!"

Cocolia shot to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes.

"Those people! Do they think that just because they repelled one unit of Guards, they can make such outrageous demands of me?!"

She trembled with rage, grabbed an ornament from the desk, and smashed it viciously against the floor. Shards flew everywhere.

Cocolia paced back and forth, her chest heaving violently.

Yet after the anger came nothing but cold, harsh reality.

The mineral supply was still cut off.

The Upper District had already begun suffering severe energy shortages. Factories had shut down and ground to a halt, while the residents' lives had fallen into hardship.

Worse still, after the Silvermane Guards' crushing defeat, not only had military morale plummeted, but they had also lost a great deal of personnel and equipment.

They could not even organize another effective counterattack.

Forcefully seize control of the mines in the Lower District?

The previous defeat had proven that it would require an even greater price, and might not succeed anyway.

Wildfire was no longer the loose militia organization she had imagined.

They were organized, disciplined, and even possessed ancient machinery...

Cocolia felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

She ruled Belobog from on high, yet her lifeline had been seized by a group of Lower District residents she had abandoned.

She had to admit that she had no other choice.

She closed her eyes angrily and took a deep breath, as though swallowing down all her humiliation.

"...Agree to their terms."

Her voice squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"Supreme Guardian?!" The envoy looked up in shock.

"I said, agree to their terms!" Cocolia roared. "Notify them immediately! Resume the mineral supply!"

Her fists clenched tightly, her nails nearly digging into her flesh.

Humiliation.

This was humiliation unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Heading to the Upper District

The news quickly reached the Lower District.

In his shelter, Jiang Mo received the briefing Natasha had sent him.

The Supreme Guardian had agreed to the terms: increased supplies and a limited lifting of the blockade, allowing designated personnel to travel between the Upper and Lower Districts.

A smile appeared on Jiang Mo's face.

Everything was proceeding according to his plan.

By exploiting the information gap, the Upper District's arrogance and contempt for the Lower District, and the armaments Wildfire had prepared a year ago, he had successfully forced the Upper District to open the passage.

Triple the supplies would be enough to greatly improve living standards in the Lower District and solidify Wildfire's foundation of rule.

Opening travel between the districts had also opened a path to the Upper District for him.

He stood and walked to the window, gazing at the faint outline of the Upper District in the distance.

That was his true target.

Not long afterward.

After years of separation, the passage between the Upper and Lower Districts finally opened conditionally to a portion of the population.

Just as Jiang Mo had expected, every rule set by Cocolia's government was extremely strict, yet they all left gaps he could exploit.

An official notice was posted on the bulletin board. The handwriting was neat, but its contents struck some Lower District residents as absurd.

It read: "In order to improve the living environment of destitute children in the Lower District and promote harmony between the two districts, Upper District families may apply to adopt Lower District orphans under the age of fourteen. For those with exceptional qualifications, the limit may be extended to sixteen. They shall be provided with education and training to replenish Belobog's future pillars."

Jiang Mo looked at the words "future pillars" and could only sneer inwardly.

It was merely a new pretext for seeking cheap future labor.

Another rule concerned the consumption privileges of the wealthy.

"To promote economic prosperity, Lower District residents who can prove they possess sufficient assets, with the exact amount determined by the Administrative District Finance Department, may apply for temporary entry into designated commercial areas of the Upper District for consumption."

For the generally impoverished Lower District, this regulation was virtually meaningless.

Finally, there was one more rule concerning Wildfire.

"High-ranking representatives of the Wildfire organization may apply for temporary passes to enter designated areas of the Upper District for official business. However, they may not remain in the Upper District for more than forty-eight hours and are prohibited from carrying contraband."

Jiang Mo did not care much about these restrictive rules.

All he needed was an identity that would allow him to enter the Upper District legally.

Afterward, he submitted an adoption application to Wildfire under the name of the orphan "Jiang Mo."

At thirteen years old, he met the application requirements perfectly.

In the "special skills" section of the form, he casually wrote only one word: "None."

He did not expect any kindhearted Upper District resident to suddenly decide to adopt a half-grown street kid, nor did he need that kind of pity.

What he needed was a springboard.

That night, Jiang Mo went to Natasha's clinic.

The clinic was brightly lit, and Natasha was sorting through a newly delivered batch of medicine.

She looked somewhat tired, but there was even more relief and calm in her expression.

Wildfire's victory had also secured a more stable supply of materials for her clinic.

"Natasha, I need your help." Jiang Mo's voice came from the doorway.

"Jiang Mo? What brings you here so late?" Natasha was surprised to see him.

Jiang Mo did not beat around the bush and said directly:

"I want your parents in the Upper District to adopt me."

Natasha abruptly looked up. The vials in her hands scattered across the floor, and her face was filled with astonishment.

"What?"

"My parents... adopt you? Why?"

She did not understand.

Given Jiang Mo's hidden standing within Wildfire, he could do whatever he wanted. Why use this method?

He could easily enter the Upper District through Wildfire as a high-ranking member. Though there would be time restrictions, it would still be enough for him to handle many things.

Jiang Mo looked at her calmly. "I need a legal identity to go to the Upper District. That is all."

"Don't worry. I will not disturb their lives. I only need a guardian in name."

Natasha fell silent, waves surging through her heart.

"Jiang Mo, you have done so much for Wildfire, and you helped me too..."

"But my brother Vahk..."

"Once I get permission to enter the Upper District," Jiang Mo said without the slightest change in expression, "I will keep my promise and let you see him."

"Really?"

Tears instantly blurred Natasha's vision, and a tangle of complicated emotions crossed her face.

In all these years, this was the first time she had heard such a definite answer from Jiang Mo.

She nodded forcefully. "All right, I'll write to my parents."

"They... they will agree."

For her brother's sake, she was willing to gamble once more and place her hopes on this child.

The reply from the Upper District came faster than expected.

After receiving their daughter's earnestly worded letter, Natasha's parents were full of doubt and confusion regarding this adopted son they had never met.

But because of their deep love for their daughter, as well as certain vague hints in the letter—

About Jiang Mo's importance to the Lower District and Wildfire, along with the request: "Help him, and perhaps we can find Brother Vahk. Just do as he says"... they ultimately called in some favors.

The adoption procedures were completed quickly.

A silver-gray card bearing the words "Upper District Entry Permit," along with an official document titled "Proof of Adoption," was delivered into Jiang Mo's hands.

On the night he received the permit, Jiang Mo prepared to leave.

Today, Seele had led a team to a more distant Fragmentum zone to conduct a supply search. According to the plan, she would be gone for the entire day and would not return until tomorrow afternoon.

Jiang Mo stood in the middle of the room, which was already far better than it had been in his earliest memories, and looked around.

This was the first true "home" he had had since coming to this world.

After thinking for a moment, he took a bulging cloth bag from beneath the bed.

It contained the Winter City Coins he had accumulated through various "reasonable" means during this period, enough to cover a normal Lower District family's expenses for a year.

He gently placed the bag at the head of Seele's bed and set a note beside it.

The note contained only a few words:

"I'm going to the Upper District. I'll bring you up there later. Keep the money and take care of yourself. —Jiang Mo."

It was not that he did not want to say goodbye in person. He merely felt there was no need to add to the sadness.

Between him and Seele, there had long been no need for too many words.

Besides, this was not a final farewell.

It was not as though he would never return to the Lower District.

Early the next morning.

With a small pack on his back, Jiang Mo walked toward the passage leading to the Upper District.

When he emerged from the passage, the dazzling sunlight made him squint.

Natasha's parents, a kindly dressed middle-aged couple, were waiting for him at the entrance.

They were typical Upper District middle-class residents, running a moderately sized shop.

"You must be Jiang Mo," Natasha's mother said as she looked him over, her tone gentle. "Natasha told us everything. From now on... live well in the Upper District."

Jiang Mo nodded politely. "Thank you."

They brought Jiang Mo back to an apartment building at the edge of the Administrative District.

The room was not large, but it was clean, tidy, and warmly furnished—far beyond anything in the Lower District.

After symbolically arranging a small room for him, Natasha's father spoke.

"We know you have your own plans. Natasha also told us, so we will not interfere too much. Here are your identity documents and some spending money. Take care of yourself from now on."