The Supreme Guardian, who was high above, finally could no longer ignore the situation in the Underworld and had to send someone. In fact, the Overworld was not unaware of everything happening in the Underworld. They were naturally aware of the rise of the Wildfire, but as long as it did not affect the stability of the Overworld, they preferred to let the Underworld fend for itself. However, this time, the Wildfire's actions touched upon the core interest of the Overworld—energy.
Soon, an envoy carrying the will of the Supreme Guardian was sent to the Underworld. It was a high-ranking officer of the Silvermane Guards, who stepped into the Underworld with the arrogance and disdain characteristic of the Overworld.
The envoy met Oleg in the conference room of the Wildfire headquarters in Boulder Town. The room was simple, a stark contrast to the opulence of the Overworld. Oleg sat at the head of the table; his white hair looked somewhat aged in the dim light, but his eyes were incredibly sharp.
The envoy spoke directly, his tone condescending: "Oleg, immediately resume mineral supply. The Supreme Guardian is very displeased with your foolish actions. Your demands will be considered by the Overworld, but on the premise of restoring normal order in the mining area."
Oleg was not intimidated by the envoy's demeanor; he looked directly into the other's eyes and said calmly: "Order? When you withdrew the Guards and abandoned the Underworld, order ceased to exist. Now, order is established by us, the Wildfire."
"As for those Geode Ores…" Oleg paused, then continued: "They were dug out by the sweat and blood of the people of the Underworld. We have the right to decide their destination."
Subsequently, he presented his conditions. The Wildfire would continue to govern the Underworld, and the Overworld would not need to send Guards down. The Overworld would need to increase the supply of materials to the Underworld by double compared to before. The most important condition: allowing a small number of Underworld personnel to conditionally go to the Overworld.
Upon hearing these conditions, the envoy looked as if he had heard the biggest joke. "Increase materials? Allow commoners into the Overworld? Are you crazy?" He suddenly stood up, "Oleg, your demands are utterly absurd! The Supreme Guardian will not agree to such unreasonable demands! If you don't know what's good for you, the Overworld has many ways to make you submit!" He said no more, turned, and hurried out of the conference room.
Seeing the person leave, Oleg's face remained expressionless. Natasha seemed to have anticipated the envoy's reaction and only let Oleg remain calm.
The envoy returned to the Overworld and reported the negotiation results to the Supreme Guardian. Cocolia was furious; she could not tolerate the Underworld daring to propose such conditions! She decided to take stronger measures!
Subsequently, she sent out the same envoy again. The second negotiation was still in the conference room of the Wildfire headquarters. As soon as the envoy entered, he brought with him a sense of oppression. He did not sit down, standing in front of the conference table, looking down at Oleg.
"Oleg!" The envoy's attitude was even more overbearing than last time, "The Supreme Guardian said! Not a single word of your demands will be agreed to!" He slammed his hand on the table with a "bang," making the teacups on the table jump. "You have three days! Immediately resume mineral transportation!"
"If the mine shaft is not back in operation after three days, the Silvermane Guards will re-enter the Underworld and forcibly control the mining area!"
"This visit is the final ultimatum! Don't think that just because your Wildfire has some influence, you can oppose the Overworld! You cannot bear the consequences!" He did not give Oleg a chance to respond, turned, and strode out after speaking, coming quickly and leaving even faster.
After the envoy left, the calm on Oleg's face instantly crumbled. He had never thought that the Overworld would be so tough, even threatening to use the Silvermane Guards! Although the Wildfire had grown strong, there was still a huge gap compared to the well-equipped and well-trained Silvermane Guards.
Oleg immediately stood up and quickly walked to Natasha's clinic. "Natasha!" Oleg pushed open the clinic door, "Something's wrong! Completely wrong!"
Natasha was bandaging a patient's wound; hearing Oleg's voice, she looked up. "What's wrong? Did the envoy come again?" Having just finished bandaging, she let the patient leave first before walking to Oleg to let him explain.
"He came! And his attitude was even tougher than last time!"
"That guy said that if we don't resume ore transportation within three days, the Silvermane Guards will come down and forcibly control the mining area!"
Natasha listened to Oleg's words, her brows tightly furrowed. Although she had anticipated it, hearing that the Silvermane Guards were coming down still filled her with a sense of unease. That was Belobog's most powerful armed force. However, she quickly remembered Orion—that child had anticipated it and had already given a countermeasure.
She took a deep breath, trying to appear as calm as possible. "Oleg, don't panic."
"This is all within expectation."
Oleg was stunned; he looked at Natasha, his eyes full of questions. "What are you going to do?"
Natasha hesitated for a moment, then finally said: "Ignore them."
"If they dare to come, the Wildfire will not be soft-hearted."
When Oleg heard this, he was completely stunned at first, unmoving. A moment later, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Not soft-hearted? Towards the Silvermane Guards?" He laughed so hard that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. "It seems I'm getting old!"
Oleg walked beside Natasha and patted her shoulder hard. "You young people really have guts! Daring to deal with the Silvermane Guards! Very good!"
Natasha, however, had a bitter story to tell… She didn't have that kind of guts.
"I understand your opinion," Oleg reined in his laughter, "I agree."
"Three days later, if they really dare to come, let them know the might of the Wildfire!"
"Of course, though the chances are slim, I hope… it's better not to reach that point."
Natasha looked at Oleg's resolute profile, a complex emotion welling up in her heart. She knew how risky this decision was, and she herself had no confidence. That child… What exactly did he want to do? Did he really have the confidence to contend with the Silvermane Guards? This feeling of being pushed to the edge of a cliff pained her, but Oleg's trust, the expectations of the Wildfire members, and the obsession in her heart to find her brother compelled her to continue.
Afterward, the Wildfire began to act. Oleg gathered all Wildfire members and delivered an impassioned speech at the headquarters. He did not hide the Overworld's ultimatum, nor did he shy away from the impending danger. He spoke of the original intention of establishing the Wildfire, the suffering of the people of the Underworld, and the Overworld's indifference and oppression.
"Now, they not only want to deprive us of the fruits of our labor but also want to crush our dignity with force!"
"We are the Wildfire! We are rooted here, we protect our homes and loved ones! Can we retreat?!"
"No!" The Wildfire members roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
"Good!" Oleg's eyes gleamed, "Since they want to come, we will let them know that the people of the Underworld are not sheep to be slaughtered! We, the Wildfire, are not to be trifled with!"
His speech ignited the fighting spirit of everyone. Although they knew it would be a tough battle, no one flinched. They began to prepare, maintaining machinery, inventorying weapons, and rehearsing tactics. This impending conflict was kept strictly confidential by the Wildfire's high command and was not disclosed to the ordinary residents of the Underworld. This was a war between the Wildfire and the Silvermane Guards; they did not want innocent residents to fall into panic.
Three days passed. The Underworld still had not resumed mineral transportation.
In the Overworld, the Supreme Guardian Cocolia's patience had run out.