Chapter 115: Stelle: So My Wife is Dr. Natasha?
With a tide of monsters surging behind them, Bronya returned to the Fragmentum entrance and saw Gepard leading the Silvermane Guards, fighting some Fragmentum creatures on the edge of the shallow area.
"Lady Bronya!"
Since most of the Fragmentum creatures had gone after Raven and Bronya, there weren't many monsters left in the shallow area of the Fragmentum. As a captain, Gepard had always made it his duty to obey orders. Bronya had forbidden him from going deep, so even when he noticed the abnormal decrease in Fragmentum creatures, he did not proceed further.
"Go! All troops, withdraw from the Fragmentum!"
Bronya shouted before she got close. Raven had separated from Bronya as soon as she saw the crowd in the distance, drawing away some of the monsters. The swarm of monsters from before was still in hot pursuit. The two of them could kite these mobs, but that didn't mean the Silvermane Guards could. A head-on clash with the monster tide would result in heavy casualties for the Guards!
Hearing Bronya's command, Gepard and the numerous Guards immediately executed it, retreating with discipline and tactics. The reason they had come in was to provide support for Bronya in the first place.
Raven found the Guard uniform she had deliberately left behind earlier and followed Bronya's steps after the main force had withdrawn. Crossing the mechanical bridge back to the restricted zone, with the width of the chasm, even if there were still shadow soldiers, they would have to use flight gear to cross the cliffs. Targets in mid-air would be moving targets for the stationed Guards.
In the camp.
"The shadow soldiers are no longer appearing. Did you find the source, Lady Bronya?" Pela asked joyfully.
"I did find it." Bronya shook her head. "But I couldn't solve it."
"Then why did they disappear?" Gepard's heart sank upon hearing this, and he asked with confusion.
"I don't know either."
Bronya's guess was this: the Fragmentum creature wearing the mask had summoned the Shadowkhan. Initially, the number of shadow soldiers was small, but it attracted the Stellaron's attention. The Fragmentum itself came from the Stellaron, so it could naturally influence the creatures within it. The Fragmentum creature was drawn to the ancient battlefield by the Stellaron. After getting close to the Stellaron, the number of shadow soldiers increased, and finally stopped appearing. It was possible that the Stellaron had come into contact with the Tala mask... As for what happened after that, and whether her guess was correct, Bronya wasn't sure.
But, oh well!
Bronya had come to the front line mainly to consolidate and reorganize the front-line Guards, preparing to launch a glorious rebellion against her mother. The appearance of the Shadowkhan was indeed a bit of a surprise, but she couldn't let it delay her plans.
Dad said, the mask isn't important. Showing filial piety to Mother is what's important!
To prevent the Shadowkhan from suddenly appearing again and catching the Guards off guard, Bronya still explained the characteristics of the shadow soldiers to Gepard and Pela. As for where she knew this from? Don't ask. If you have to ask, it was from ancient texts left by the Architects that she had read!
After the impromptu combat meeting, Gepard took the characteristics summarized by Pela and left to explain them to the captains of the Guard units. Knowing more about the enemy's characteristics on the battlefield meant a better chance of survival.
Pela left the tent to count the number of front-line Guards and assess the troops' condition.
Bronya took out a pen and quickly wrote a letter, handing it to the personal guard standing in the tent. There was no verbal exchange between the two, which revealed the identity of this personal guard.
Leaving the restricted zone and returning to Belobog city, Raven took off her Guard uniform in an unoccupied shadow, twirling the sealed letter between two fair fingers.
"Time to get the nobles in the city moving. The Underworld side needs to cooperate a bit too."
A joyful curve appeared on her lips, and Raven vanished into the shadows.
Underworld.
Boulder Town was brightly lit and festooned with lanterns and colorful decorations. It was a lively scene. This was the first large-scale event—a victory banquet—held in the Underworld since the lockdown.
The days of boiling one mushroom for soup several times, eating cave algae, and being so hungry they ate certain reptiles were finally over. The mycelium had been scattered in the caves, catalyzed by Seele's White Flower power, and the first wave of mushrooms had quickly matured. The entire Underworld rejoiced!
People rushed to tell each other the news. Even some vagrants, who were considered madmen by ordinary people, fell to their knees and cried out to the heavens, tears streaming down their faces, upon learning that they would no longer be plagued by hunger and death. They didn't ask for much, only to survive. If they could survive, who would want to risk being beaten to steal things?
Parents prayed and gave thanks that their children would no longer have to go hungry.
"I think everyone's a bit too enthusiastic."
The person who had persuaded the great Svarog to lift the seal on the furnace core and had brought the alien mushrooms was undoubtedly the star of the banquet. However, instead of celebrating with everyone outside, he was hiding in Natasha's clinic.
"I don't think so."
Natasha covered her mouth and chuckled, turning slightly to look down at the residents on the street below through the old glass window, her smile gentle. "After all, to us, this is nothing short of a miracle." Let alone the Underworld, even the Overworld had never imagined a day when they wouldn't have to worry about food. "Naturally, some people will treat you as a god."
"This is far from a miracle."
Caelus looked out the window. March 7th and Stelle were playing with the great Hook and a group of children from the Moles. Everyone had a smile on their face that couldn't be wiped away. A slight curve appeared on Caelus's lips. This was also a form of Elation! Elation wasn't just about fun and games; positive joy, when it reached a certain level, was also Elation. This Path was too broad! Although compared to this kind of joy, Caelus still preferred to find fun in stirring up trouble, it was nice to experience this once in a while.
"And besides, true miracles, in many people's eyes, aren't necessarily good things."
Dan Heng and Seele were chatting, mainly asking about Black Abyss and White Flower. As a Vidyadhara, he had some PTSD regarding that power of creation. Dan Heng had only known that Seele had healing abilities, but he had never imagined they would be this powerful.
"A true miracle?" Natasha looked over, a hint of curiosity in her faint smile.
"The Aeon of Abundance. If she were to grant a miracle, she could make a planet's ice and snow melt in an instant, and all things would be revived. But after that... you might receive a spear of light as a gift from Brother Lan."
To be honest, it was a good thing Belobog believed in Preservation. If they had believed in Abundance, in Belobog's situation, the people's desire for salvation would have long ago attracted Yaoshi. After all, the definition of the Path of [Abundance] was selflessness, altruism, and healing, and Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, was that cosmic runner, running all over the universe listening to the calls of living beings.
What's this? A being in need of salvation?
#Grant_a_blessing_and_save_them.
In that case, the people of Belobog would be freed from the cold wave and hunger.
And then...
Lan: What's this? A planet cursed by the Plague of Immortality?
Fire an arrow!
And the people of Jarilo-VI would never feel pain again.
Speaking of which, the old man of Preservation wasn't doing nothing. Otherwise, Belobog would have been submerged by the Eternal Freeze long ago. The heat provided by the Geomarrow furnace probably only accounted for 15% to 25% of Belobog's temperature. The rest was supplemented by the Path of Preservation.
After hearing Caelus explain the consequences of a true miracle, Natasha felt a chill run down her spine, then breathed a sigh of relief.
The two of them stood on the roof of the clinic, watching the residents below laugh and celebrate, miners and vagrants with their arms around each other, eating mushrooms and drinking soup. The reason this mushroom was so popular throughout the galaxy was also due to its wide variety of flavors.
"Natasha, try this."
Caelus picked up a glass from the table and poured himself some red wine. Although he had been a teetotaler in his past life, since coming to this world and embarking on the Path of Elation, he had come to enjoy trying things he had never experienced before. The crimson liquid flowed from the bottle, falling into the glass like scattered blood, sparkling in the light.
"What is... this?"
Natasha took the glass Caelus handed her, staring at the blood-like liquid inside, her beautiful eyes unblinking. The hint of ditziness that occasionally appeared beneath her mature demeanor was an explosion of gap moe.
"Red wine?"
"That's right. But not just any red wine. It's some good stuff I got from Sampo."
Caelus clinked his glass with Natasha's. Natasha brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Her eyes immediately lit up.
"It's indeed very good!"
Wine was rare in the Underworld, let alone Sampo's wine... which was probably taken from a tavern.
One sip, two sips, three sips...
The two of them drank and chatted. Before long, Natasha's face was faintly flushed, and even her neck was tinged with pink. Her rose-red eyes were slightly moist.
Perhaps a little drunk, Natasha looked at the gray-haired young man before her. The words Caelus had said at the robot settlement about 'paying the rich woman back with his body' flashed through her mind. If he had really paid that kind of price for the Underworld...
"Caelus..." Pursing her moist red lips, Natasha seemed intoxicated, her eyes lowered, her cheeks flushed.
"Hmm?"
Caelus pulled his gaze away from Stelle and looked at Natasha. And then... a soft feeling touched his lips. It was a pair of glistening lips, reddened by the wine. A familiar scent mixed with the mellow aroma of red wine rushed over his lips and tongue.
Natasha's palm rested on Caelus's cheek, her fingertips gently caressing it.
Caelus blinked. This seemed to be the first time he had been kissed by someone other than 'himself.' This feeling... was a bit different from kissing himself. He didn't dodge or refuse. After all, Natasha was also a 'parallel self.'
"Mm!"
The familiar shared sensation shot through her. Stelle's gaze instantly sharpened. She immediately turned her head in Caelus's direction.
And then, her pupils constricted.
Dr. Natasha is my wife!?
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/Leanzin