Svarog Appears

"Hey, you there—wait, what's going on?"

The Vagrant who had just been standing in front of the iron gate, shouting at Clara, turned around with a string of curses and saw the many Mechanical Vanguards beside Jing Yan. He froze.

He could barely get the words out.

"N-no, that can't be right! Didn't a lot of those Mechanical Vanguards just... lose control?"

The Vagrant looked a little panicked.

"Maybe," Jing Yan said with a smile, then added casually, "But unfortunately for you, I just fixed them."

The Vagrant was speechless. He studied Jing Yan, then furrowed his brow as if he'd remembered something. "You... I think I know you. Aren't you that doctor from Natasha's Clinic? Since when did you learn to—"

"I learned it just now!" Jing Yan cut him off.

"Is that not allowed?"

As he spoke, Jing Yan waved his hand. Beside him, the Automaton: Direwolf's enormous chainsaw, which was attached to its arm, whirred to life with a buzzing sound.

The Vagrant swallowed at the sight.

Of all the Automatons, the one he feared most was the Automaton: Direwolf. It was more agile than the Automaton: Grizzly, and if that chainsaw ever got its teeth into you, the resulting lacerations could leave you bedridden for ages!

One of the Vagrants' companions in their relic excavations had been an ancient machine just like this one.

But most of the Mechanical Vanguards here had malfunctioned, leaving them unable to work properly.

The Vagrants thought Mr. Svarog was behind it, so they had come to demand an explanation.

Of course, if Mr. Svarog couldn't control the rampaging machines, that would make things a little more interesting.

It seemed the Vagrants no longer had to fear Mr. Svarog.

He was an ancient machine too, but he was also the leader of the Robot Settlement. He didn't deserve to be called "Mr."!

He should be thrown out of that enormous mansion behind the iron gate!

After all, he'd lost his greatest allies: the other ancient machines.

But things weren't going as the Vagrant had expected.

The out-of-control Mechanical Vanguards could move again?

And they seemed to be obeying orders?

But why were they listening to this young doctor?

Jing Yan offered no explanation.

He looked toward the white-haired, red-eyed little girl in red standing ahead of him: Clara.

"Clara, do you remember me?" Jing Yan asked.

Clara had once been a wandering little girl herself, until Mr. Svarog, an ancient Automaton, found and adopted her.

Mr. Svarog controlled and repaired the Mechanical Vanguards the Vagrants dug up, trading them for the supplies people needed. Clara, being human, had also been to places like Boulder Town and the Great Mine.

Jing Yan had seen her there before.

But he hadn't brought her back to Natasha's Clinic.

Clara was more emotional, and could influence the decisions of Mr. Svarog, who was exceptionally logical.

The latter was a true machine and believed that calculations couldn't be wrong.

"You... look familiar."

"Why are there so many Automatons behind you?" Clara asked, puzzled.

Jing Yan didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Where's Mr. Svarog? With all these Vagrants at the door, isn't he going to open it?"

"Or is it..."

Jing Yan fell into thought.

"N-no, that's not it. Mr. Svarog..."

Clara's words trailed off. She lowered her gaze and rubbed her interlaced fingers together, as if there were something she couldn't bring herself to say.

Jing Yan found her reaction strange.

"What's wrong? Is there something you can't talk about?"

"Mr. Svarog..."

Clara continued.

"He went to the mining area to take care of something."

The moment Clara said this, Jing Yan understood.

The Vagrants at the Vagrant Camp had a closer relationship with Mr. Svarog of the Robot Settlement.

But after the commotion caused by the machines, the Vagrants were furious and had come to demand an explanation from him.

Mr. Svarog just happened to be away. That might not have seemed like a big deal to him, but trouble in the Great Mine would be far more serious.

If something happened in the mines and people could no longer mine and transport Geomarrow Ore, then the people of Belobog—from the Underworld all the way up to the Upper District—would all die, even before the Fragmentum invaded in full or a blizzard brought the Frost Wave!

"Hmm..."

Jing Yan rubbed his chin, thinking.

As he remembered it, Mr. Svarog's calculations suggested that humanity here was doomed to perish.

After all, he didn't know about a certain Aeon named Jing Yan or the outsiders aboard the Astral Express.

He hadn't accounted for those variables.

So why had he gone to the mining area?

"Ah, so Mr. Svarog isn't here after all!" a Vagrant nearby said dismissively.

Jing Yan shot him a glare.

The other man immediately gave an awkward laugh, scratched his head, and called to his companions to head back. As they left, he said, "Well, never mind, it's fine."

He said nothing more about his earlier plan to force his way in.

Jing Yan couldn't be bothered with him.

March 7th and Stelle watched the Vagrants change their tune with the wind and found it rather amusing. They turned to Jing Yan with a smile. "Looks like people with connections and strength really do have it better!"

"But Jing Yan, what Path are you actually on? At first glance, you seem a bit like the legendary Path of Enigmata, but now you seem a little like Erudition."

"Otherwise, how did you control so many Mechanical Vanguards? You're not actually some amazing hacker, are you? Is there really technology like that in the Underworld? Wait..."

March 7th thought for a moment, then continued, "Jing Yan, you're not a robot, are you?"

Jing Yan was completely speechless at her words.

Just then, a flash of red light appeared in the distance.

A humanoid machine with a red sensor for an eye walked toward them.

It wore a long coat that looked like human clothing.

The newcomer was none other than Mr. Svarog, leader of the Robot Settlement.

"Mr. Svarog!" Clara called out the moment she saw him.

"Foreign entities detected. Calculations indicate that the target threat level is high. Clara, step aside!"

As Svarog appeared, the iron gate ahead swung open.

Beyond it lay an open area like a broad plaza, with numerous mechanical constructs standing across it.

At Svarog's arrival, the constructs began to move. The clatter of their mechanical parts grew louder, yellow lights lit up on their bodies, and they came toward the entrance.

At the same time, as Svarog extended one hand, two enormous mechanical claws floated into place on either side of him.

A bright blue glow shone from their palms.

They were clearly weapons similar to cannons.

They aimed at Jing Yan, poised to fire.