Cocolia immediately ordered the Silvermane Guards to assemble and head to the Underworld to forcibly take control of the mining area! Squads of Silvermane Guards, clad in standard-issue armor and led by officers, marched in neat formation towards the sealed passage leading to the Underworld. They were well-equipped and well-trained, their eyes filled with disdain for the disorganized rabble of the Underworld. They opened the sealed entrance to the passage and began to advance into the Underworld.
The passage was narrow, long, and dimly lit. The Silvermane Guards moved cautiously, but they never imagined that the danger was not in the mining area, but at the end of this very passage. The moment they were about to exit the passage and step onto the land of the Underworld—
[Bang!]
The long-ambushed Wildfire members launched their attack! The narrow passage exit was instantly covered by a barrage of gunfire! This was Orion's arrangement. He had set up this ambush in advance on the Silvermane Guards' inevitable path. The Wildfire members, relying on the terrain of the passage exit, occupied advantageous positions. Although their equipment was inferior to that of the Silvermane Guards, their morale was high, and their tactics were sound.
What caught the Silvermane Guards completely off guard was that Wildfire had even deployed some ancient mechanical soldiers. These war machines could not enter the narrow spaces, so the machines from the Overworld could not be brought into the Underworld. However, the old machines of the Underworld, in the hands of Wildfire, displayed astonishing power in this narrow terrain! Their heavy but sturdy bodies served as excellent cover. The weapons they carried inflicted effective damage on the Silvermane Guards.
The Silvermane Guards' understanding of the Underworld was still stuck at it being a disorganized mob without weapons and no strategy. They came with contempt, but they ran into Wildfire's elite, who had been secretly coached by Orion, rigorously trained by Oleg, and even armed with some ancient technology. They were well-trained! They dared to fight! They even employed Sneak Attack!
The battle unfolded near the passage exit between the Overworld and Underworld. The Silvermane Guards paid a heavy price. Their numerical and equipment advantages could not be fully utilized in the narrow terrain, and Wildfire's ambush and the surprise attack by the war machines caused them heavy losses. In less than a day of fighting, the Silvermane Guards showed signs of collapse. They gradually became unable to organize an effective counterattack and fell into disarray. Ultimately, the Silvermane Guards had no choice but to retreat in disarray, leaving behind many casualties and equipment. They lost. They lost to their arrogance, to their ignorance of the Underworld, and to Orion.
After this great victory, Wildfire's morale reached its peak! They had actually repelled that group of Silvermane Guards! The Wildfire members cheered but dared not be negligent, leaving a portion of their elite to continue the ambush at the exit.
In the Overworld, Supreme Guardian Cocolia's face turned ashen upon hearing the news of the defeat, looking extremely displeased. The Silvermane Guards suffered heavy losses, and their morale was low. Even more critically, without the supply of Geomarrow ore, the energy crisis in the Overworld worsened, and weapons and equipment could not be replenished quickly. The lives of the residents were severely affected, and discontent spread throughout the Overworld. Under internal and external pressure, Cocolia had no choice but to yield. She could only send out another envoy.
The person who came was still the same Silvermane Guard officer as last time. But this time, he had completely lost his previous arrogance. He had heard that his fellow Silvermane Guard comrades had been routed in the Underworld. As he stepped into the Underworld, he became extremely cautious, seeing enemies everywhere.
At the negotiation table, after he sat down, his tone became very soft. "Mr. Oleg, the Supreme Guardian is willing to listen to your demands," the envoy said, rubbing his hands, appearing somewhat nervous, "But those conditions... can they be reconsidered?"
"The conditions have been made very clear."
"Wildfire continues to govern the Underworld and ensures the supply of ore. The Overworld increases material supplies and opens channels for the partial movement of personnel."
Oleg looked at the Silvermane Guard envoy, whose attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn, and felt a strange sense of complexity in his heart. This arrogance was what he and the people of the Underworld had hated for many years. Now, this arrogance finally bowed its head in the face of reality.
"Uh, how about... we discuss it again?"
"There's nothing to discuss."
"The conditions we proposed are the bottom line for the survival of the Underworld."
"The Overworld's long-term exploitation and neglect of the Underworld have already caused irreparable harm."
Oleg paused, looking at the envoy with sharp eyes: "Moreover, given the unpleasant conflict last time, and the resulting additional losses and risks, we believe that the increase in material supply needs to be re-evaluated!"
The envoy's heart skipped a beat; he had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
"Our initial demand was double the materials."
Oleg's voice suddenly rose, "But after the last conflict, we believe this increase is insufficient to compensate for the price paid by the Underworld." He spoke word by word, each word like a stone, hitting the envoy's heart. "The new demand is... an increase of three times the material supply on top of the original."
"Three... three times?!" The envoy looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his body suddenly leaning back, his eyes wide. Three times the materials? That was almost four times the original supply! This was practically blackmail!
"This... this is impossible!" The envoy said, his face pale and stammering, "Mr. Oleg, this... this is beyond my authority! The Overworld... the Overworld simply cannot afford it!" His voice had a tearful quality, completely lacking his previous authority. "This... I must go back... go back and report to the Supreme Guardian! This..."
Oleg was not swayed by the envoy's reaction. "These are Wildfire's demands."
"Three days from now, if the corresponding materials are not received, then... you should know what will happen."
The envoy could no longer stay. He stumbled to his feet and hurried out of the conference room, as if some terrifying monster was chasing him.
In the Overworld, in Supreme Guardian Cocolia's office.
The envoy knelt on the ground, trembling as he reported the Underworld's latest demands to Cocolia.
"Three times the materials?!" Cocolia suddenly stood up, fury burning in her eyes. "These guys! They think because they repelled one wave of Guards, they can extort me?!" She trembled with rage, picked up an ornament from her desk, and smashed it to the ground, fragments scattering.
Cocolia paced back and forth, her chest heaving violently. However, after the anger, only cold reality remained. Mineral supply was still interrupted. The Overworld had already begun to experience severe energy shortages; factories were shut down and paralyzed, and residents' lives were in distress. Even worse, after the disastrous defeat of the Silvermane Guards, not only was the army's morale low, but they also lost a large number of personnel and equipment. They could not even organize another effective counterattack.
Go to the Underworld to forcibly take control of the mining area? The previous failure proved that this would require a greater price, and success was not guaranteed. Wildfire was no longer the loose militia organization they had imagined. They were organized, disciplined, and even had ancient machinery...
Cocolia felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. She, who had ruled Belobog from above, had her lifeline seized by a group of Underworld residents she had abandoned. She had to admit, she had no other choice. She closed her eyes in anger, took a deep breath, as if to swallow all the humiliation.
"...Agree to their conditions." Her voice was squeezed out through gritted teeth.
"Supreme Guardian?!" The envoy looked up in shock.
"I said, agree to their conditions!" Cocolia roared, "Go and inform them immediately! Restore the mineral supply!" Her hands were clenched tightly, her fingernails almost digging into her flesh.
Humiliation. This was a humiliation she had never experienced before.