Heading to the Lower City

Sampo's sudden move—throwing out a whole bunch of sleep-inducing smoke bombs—really caught everyone off guard, except Theresa and Dan Heng.

Dan Heng had sensed from the very beginning that something was off about Sampo. And with Theresa, an Envoy of Joy, around, Sampo's peculiar fun-seeker aura naturally drew his particular attention.

At that moment, Bronya and Gepard struggled against the heavy drowsiness clouding their minds as they glared at Sampo. The other Silvermane Guards were already sprawled across the ground, snoring away. March 7th and Stelle had fallen asleep as well. Only Sampo, Theresa, and Dan Heng remained unaffected.

"Let me make this clear first: Sampo did this on his own. We knew nothing about it."

Theresa looked at the drowsy Bronya and explained to Dan Heng. Dan Heng kept his guard up as he watched Sampo and nodded.

"Oh my, those words truly break my heart. It took quite a bit of effort for me to escape. By the time I got some little self-defense tools ready, I saw you all surrounded by the Silvermane Guards. How could Sampo, so anxious about his friends being in trouble, possibly stand by and do nothing?"

"So, bam! In the blink of an eye, I pulled out my smoke bombs and took down the Silvermane Guards! Who would've thought that Sampo would be disliked by his friends like this~"

Sampo deliberately put on a mournful face and cried out in sorrow.

"I can't believe you managed to escape even that. You..."

Gepard glared at Sampo, but before he could finish, he could no longer hold out and collapsed into a deep sleep. Bronya looked as if she wanted to say something too, but the overwhelming drowsiness overtook her, and she fell asleep as well.

"Alright, stop being so wary of me. I'm Sampo from the Lower City. In a sense, I'm a merchant."

Sampo cheerfully explained himself to Theresa and Dan Heng.

"A merchant? You call this being a merchant?"

Dan Heng pointed at the large group of snoring Silvermane Guards lying on the ground and complained.

"Well, 'merchant' and 'hurting people' sound alike in translation. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Theresa stepped forward with a smile, facing Sampo directly.

"Hehehe, what a cold joke."

"Forget it. You understand the current situation now, right? You're wanted by the Supreme Guardian—by that woman Cocolia. If you stay in the Upper City, endless waves of Silvermane Guards will come after you. And I can tell you can't bring yourselves to kill them, since Cocolia is the root of all this."

"So you only have one choice left: come with me to the Lower City and meet the leader of Underworld Fire. Underworld Fire in the Lower City fights against the Silvermane Guards and those Abyss Monsters."

"When that Supreme Guardian first took office, things were indeed pretty good. But later, she changed. She issued new laws and withdrew every single Silvermane Guard stationed in the Lower City back to the Upper City."

"That decision dealt a massive blow to the people of the Lower City. Without the Silvermane Guards protecting them, how were they supposed to deal with the Abyss Monsters wandering around there?"

"So everyone united and decided to fight the Abyss Monsters themselves. That was how Underworld Fire was founded."

"Forget it, there's no point in me saying all this. Oleg, the leader of Underworld Fire, will explain it to you. Right now, we only have one enemy: that Supreme Guardian."

Sampo explained as he looked at Theresa and Dan Heng, who were deep in thought.

"You think a mixture of truth and lies can move us?"

"Back on the Snowfield, you wanted to sell us out and escape alone. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have needed to tie you up with Judas's chains."

Theresa said as she looked at Sampo's somewhat awkward smile.

"But you handed me over to the Silvermane Guards and had me thrown into jail. Doesn't that make us even?"

Sampo looked bitterly at Theresa and Dan Heng. The first time he had stumbled in front of Theresa was also the first time he had been caught by the Silvermane Guards. If Gepard had not ordered someone to guard him, he feared the guards might have violated him.

"Seems like we don't have any other options now. There's only one road before us: heading to the Lower City."

Dan Heng considered it for a moment. In the end, he still felt that this was indeed the least troublesome option.

"Mm, but who knows how to drive? And isn't the road to the Lower City sealed off?"

Theresa put away Judas and looked at Sampo as she asked.

"I do! I can drive. This train runs on Geodough. I put some Geodough into the fuel chamber a while ago, so it should be able to make one trip down there. As for those chains, little Theresa, your weapon seems pretty powerful. Want to give it a try?"

"I'll drive, and you'll break the chains blocking the way?"

Sampo rubbed his hands together as he looked at Theresa with a flattering smile.

"Mm, that works. I plan to stand on top of the train. I'm so small that I won't have to worry about hitting my head."

Theresa said helplessly. After all, she really was short. Her current height was exactly the same as Theresa's—one meter forty-five, a perfectly legal loli.

"Then it's settled. Brother Dan Heng, shall we get on board first?"

Sampo smiled at Dan Heng, who had been watching him warily all along. Dan Heng nodded and entered the train first. Yet instead of immediately getting in to start driving, Sampo gathered up all the Silvermane Guards' weapons and loaded them into the train under Dan Heng and Theresa's astonished gazes.

"Hehe, well, since we're already here. And we're enemies of the Silvermane Guards now, so it's not too much for me to do this, right? Besides, I didn't strip off their uniforms, so they won't freeze."

Sampo laughed merrily. Dan Heng and Theresa could only helplessly watch as he stripped the Silvermane Guards of every weapon they had. He even took Bronya's gun, happily carrying it in his arms before setting it on the train floor.

"Mm, Sampo's right. Since we're already here, why don't we take a hostage to make Cocolia think twice?"

Theresa smiled wisely. Then, under Sampo and Dan Heng's stunned gazes, she picked up the sleeping Bronya and placed her on a train seat. She even thoughtfully bought a thin blanket from the Homu Shop and covered the girl with it to keep her from catching cold.

"You really are something, Theresa. I thought you wouldn't mess around anymore. I was overthinking it."

Dan Heng complained helplessly as he sat not far from Bronya. He had to keep an eye on the sleeping Bronya in case she suddenly woke up and caused trouble.

"Mm, then I'll leave her to you, Dan Heng. Now then, Teruriri, prepare to strike!"

Theresa leaped forcefully and jumped onto the train under Sampo's astonished gaze. She pulled out Judas, set it beside herself, and unfolded it.

"I'll leave those chains sealing the way to you, little Theresa. Lower City train, start up~"

Sampo excitedly started up the train, which had been idle for a long time. With a roar, it began to move. Sampo ran into the engine room and, sweating profusely, used a shovel to toss Geodough into the blazing furnace. This seemingly outdated technology supplied the train with power, and the various facilities inside began operating.

"Rumble..."

The train began moving. The chains blocking the way ahead snapped with a single sweep of Oath of Judah's Soul Steel spear, posing no threat at all.

Daily image post. With the night♂~