The group was standing in front of the Mechanical Settlement's main gate.
"This is Svarog's lair? I thought it'd be a cold, gloomy place. I can't believe it's so lively," March 7th said, looking at the scene before her in surprise. "A lot of vagrants are staying here for now. Fragmentum Monsters took over their homes," Seele explained.
"Aren't they worried it's dangerous to camp right under Svarog's nose?" March 7th asked, puzzled. "Svarog might be overbearing, but he never attacks humans without reason. For people with nowhere else to go, this place is actually safe." Seele added, "Heh... if I hadn't moved away early, I might be one of them now."
Sampo led the group to the gate. "What a heavy gate... all right, watch this. Open~ sesame~!" March 7th shouted at the gate, while Dan Heng shook his head behind her.
Dan Heng grumbled from behind her. "Help us pry the gate open," Caelus said to Sampo beside him. "Hey, hey, you want me to pry it open in front of all these people? You think the vagrants and robots are blind?" Sampo said, at a loss for words.
"Let me tell you, I've already figured out how this gate works. Boss Svarog doesn't just let any Tom, Dick, or Harry come and go from his turf. Anyone who wants to see him has to get verified," Sampo explained.
"Verified?" Seele asked, puzzled. "That's right. Only 'prospectors' who have qualified for verification can come and go. Svarog's prospectors collect mechanical scrap all over the underground and bring it to Svarog for repairs.
"Honestly, it's pure profit with no investment. If I'd thought of that earlier... heh heh, then it'd be Boss Koski..." After explaining, Sampo slipped into a fantasy of his own, but Seele snapped him out of it. "Cut the chatter. Where do we get this 'verification'?"
"Easy. See the robots next to the vagrants? They're all Svarog's eyes and ears. They're here to maintain order under his orders.
"Besides keeping an eye on the troublemakers, they have another job: providing 'trials.' Anyone who wants to become a 'prospector' has to pass these iron crabs' tests." Sampo explained to the group.
"What's the test?" Caelus asked from the side. "How should I know? I wasn't planning to go in and take on Boss Svarog. You're the ones who want in, so find a robot and ask it yourselves," Sampo said irritably.
The group walked up to a robot. "Protocol... activated. Beginning... scan... verification. Verification failed... individual lacks access authorization. Beginning 'trial,'" the robot suddenly said, looking at them.
"Huh? Wait, it's starting already?!" March 7th was still a little confused by what was happening. "First step of the 'trial' commencing. Please listen to the question: Who was the overall champion of the Internal Combustion Engine Rap Tournament?" the robot asked its first question.
"Internal what... rap what? How are we supposed to know that?!" March 7th complained. "Sampo, do you know the answer?" Dan Heng looked over at Sampo.
"I, Sampo, of course... don't know!" Sampo answered. "Can we count on you or not?" March 7th asked skeptically. "Hey, I'm not all-knowing and all-powerful. I get my information by asking around.
"Mangfeng! Huh, where'd that guy go?" Caelus looked around, but there was no sign of Hanxing.
Meanwhile, Hanxing was in Rivet Town.
"There are so many Fragmentum Monsters here. This is a great place to hone my strength." With that, the scabbard around his embroidered spring saber gradually faded from sight, and the saber reflected a deep, dark light.
During his fight with Blade, Hanxing had discovered that his strength was a serious weakness. As a swordsman, if the saber's power dissipated one day, his combat ability would be reduced to almost nothing.
Before long, Hanxing had dealt with several flying Fragmentum Monsters. After that, a gigantic monster stood before him.
"Blaze Out of Space? Interesting." Hanxing deflected an incoming fireball with his saber. His eyes turned blue, and he vanished from where he stood in an instant.
He slashed at the monster, but it dodged and sent another fireball flying at him. These eyes should have some other abilities. Hanxing deflected the fireball again, closed in, and severed the monster's arm with a slash.
The Blaze Out of Space roared and struck with its palm. Hanxing leaped back, squeezing his eyes shut. "So there's this too?" He opened his eyes. "Fire Karma Clone!" Several clones suddenly appeared where he stood, and they charged forward alongside the original.
All the clones suddenly vanished. When they reappeared, they were above the Blaze Out of Space. Using gravity, each of them swept past with a slash, and with every slash, a limb fell away.
Thud- The monster's head rolled to the ground in an instant. Hanxing sheathed his saber. I wonder if things are going smoothly for Caelus and the others? He was about to turn and leave when he spotted a damaged robot.
"Self-repair module initializing... initialization failed... Clara... under threat... must protect. Enemies in the workshop... must eliminate."
A mechanical voice rang out. Hanxing watched the robot before him. "Clara? How did she end up here?" Hanxing wondered. But on second thought, wasn't this also leverage he could use to threaten Svarog?
Leaving the damaged robot behind, Hanxing opened a spatial portal with two slashes. He stepped through and appeared in the workshop. Before him were a Blaze Out of Space and Clara!
Hanxing created a clone. The clone drew its sword half an inch and chopped the Blaze Out of Space to pieces with one slash.
"If you're looking for Clara, wait for me where you are." At the moment the clone chopped the Blaze Out of Space apart, Hanxing finished composing the message and sent it to Caelus.
"Are you all right?" Hanxing looked at Clara. "I'm all right. Thank you, big brother. It's just a scratch," Clara answered. "Why are you here?" Hanxing asked, looking at her.
"You... know Clara?" Clara stared at Hanxing. "Looks like you're fine." Hanxing's voice was much lighter. "Don't worry about who I am. Just know that I'm with Wildfire."
"The power supply unit for the foundation broke down. If it isn't fixed quickly, everyone in the settlement will suffer. I knew there was a workshop in this town, so I came to look. I found all the components I needed, but I accidentally ran into a monster... luckily, you came to my rescue. Clara will tell Mr. Svarog about this," Clara answered honestly.
"Speaking of Svarog, we're on our way to see him," Hanxing told Clara, his words carrying an unquestionable resolve. "...Huh? Do you have something urgent you need to see Mr. Svarog about? Clara can pass a message along..."
"No, we need to talk things through with him face-to-face this time. Can you take us to him?" "But... Mr. Svarog has never liked communicating with other people, especially people from Wildfire..." Clara stared at the masked Hanxing, a look of suspicion on her face.
"I'm informing you, not asking you." Hanxing's gaze turned fierce, though it soon softened again. "But I'm still willing to discuss it with you."
Clara froze for a moment as she looked at Hanxing's fierce gaze, but still spoke up, trembling. "Everyone is working hard for the people of the Underworld, but Mr. Svarog doesn't believe in human feelings. He only believes in the results of his calculations."
"So I can't take you to see him... if you come into conflict, someone will definitely get hurt. Innocent people might get caught up in it too."
"I know Mr. Svarog. He won't be moved by people's wishes. He only follows rational judgment. Something very frightening is happening to this world... as he sees it, the surface is nearing its end."
"Then is it possible that my arrival could be a 'variable'?" Hanxing gazed at Clara.