As Jiang Mo drew closer, he slowed to a stop, his gaze locked on the figures ahead.
It was indeed Seele. She was surrounded by three or four people in crisp uniforms. They held weapons, wore cold helmets, and their voices carried the arrogance of the Overworld.
The Silvermane Guards. A symbol of order in the Underworld, though more symbolic than practical. Their presence meant trouble.
What are they doing here? And why are they surrounding Seele?
Jiang Mo hid behind a pile of trash and listened. A guard was holding a piece of paper in front of Seele. "It's these three brats. Do you know them?"
Peeking through a gap, Jiang Mo saw three crude drawings on the paper—the outlines were unmistakably Huzi and his gang.
Seele kept her head down, her voice small. "I know them… we've crossed paths."
"Heh, then did you know that all three of them are dead?" another guard asked.
"Dead?" Seele looked up, surprised. "I didn't know… People die all the time in the Underworld, it's normal…"
"Alright, cut the crap," the lead guard said impatiently. "Do you know who did it? Or did you see anyone suspicious?"
Jiang Mo wasn't worried. The guards had found the bodies, but it was clear they were just going through the motions. They hadn't even bothered to learn the victims' names. As expected, no one cared about a few dead vagrants.
"I don't know anything… I haven't seen them in days," Seele's voice trembled slightly, but she sounded composed.
The guard eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure? I heard you didn't get along with them. Didn't they rob and beat you up before?"
A jolt went through Jiang Mo. The Silvermane Guards knew about the feud between Seele and Huzi's gang?
Seele was silent for a few seconds. "Yes… they robbed me, and they beat me. But that was a long time ago. I really don't know anything about this."
Jiang Mo relaxed. Seele hadn't sold him out.
"Don't know anything? Fine… But whoever did this, they hit hard. It's definitely not something a little brat like you could do," the guard said, glancing at her thin frame with disdain.
"Forget it, we're wasting our time with her," the leader said, waving his hand dismissively. "Just a few vagrants. Dead is dead. We'll report it and have the cleaners take care of it."
Jiang Mo listened from the shadows, feeling nothing. This was the Underworld. Life was as cheap as weeds.
"Alright, let's move out. This place stinks."
Jiang Mo waited patiently as the sound of their boots faded away. Once the scrapyard was silent again, he stepped out. Seele was still standing there, her body stiff.
"Seele."
She spun around at the sound of his voice, the fear still lingering in her eyes. When she saw it was him, her shoulders slumped in relief. "Jiang Mo…"
He walked up to her, feeling a pang of guilt as he saw her pale face. He now realized how scared she must have been.
"You… you heard all that?" she asked in a low voice.
He nodded.
She looked down, kicking at a loose stone. "They asked me if I saw who it was… I didn't tell them." She wasn't asking for credit, just stating a fact.
"Thank you," Jiang Mo said sincerely.
Seele looked up at him, her expression complex, but said nothing. The air was thick with the smell of refuse. Jiang Mo remembered the food he was carrying. He pulled out the remaining Belobog sausages and meat skewer.
"Seele, here."
She stared, first at the hot, fragrant food in his hands, then back at him, her eyes wide with confusion. "Where did you get this? It's hot… and it's meat! Did you buy it?!"
In this godforsaken place, getting a hot, proper meal of meat was practically a miracle.
"Oh, I ran into that food stall owner. He felt sorry for me and gave it to me," he said casually.
Seele's suspicion deepened. She knew that owner. He was meaner than a rabid dog. Why would he be so kind? She stared at him, wanting to ask why the guards said all three were dead when one had only been unconscious. But the words died on her lips.
Jiang Mo sensed her doubt but didn't elaborate. He just pressed the food into her hands. "Don't worry about it. Just eat. You must be starving."
The warmth of the food spread through her hands. She didn't ask any more questions. She was indeed starving. She found a relatively clean spot to sit and began to eat, her eyes still flicking towards him occasionally.
"The Fragmentum monsters are getting worse in Rivet Town," she said between bites. "You can't go outside the town at all, and there's less scrap to find inside."
"Yeah," he replied.
"I don't think we can go on like this…" her voice trailed off. "Living like cockroaches every day, not knowing when we'll die."
He looked at her and felt a deep sense of empathy. He was just an ordinary office worker in his past life. In this one, he had nearly starved to death and then been forced to kill. He didn't want to live this trash life for another day. Before, he just wanted to fill his stomach. But now, with the system, he wanted more than just to survive. He wanted to climb out of this pit, to go to the Overworld, to see the wider world.
He finished his food and looked at her, his eyes filled with a new resolve. "Seele, I've decided. I'm going to the Overworld."
Seele froze, as if she had heard something unbelievable. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, the sausage in her hand forgotten. "What did you say? The Overworld?! Are you insane?! How could people like us ever go to a place like that?!"
The Overworld was another world. Clean streets, plentiful food, warm houses, and people in fine clothes who looked down on them. People from the Underworld could barely even get a glimpse of it, let alone cross over.
But Jiang Mo was unshaken. "There has to be a way… I don't want to rot here for the rest of my life. I'm going to make money and find a way to get there." He mentally reviewed his Traits. [Berserk] was too risky. [Trait Devourer] required killing, which was too dangerous for a six-year-old. That left [Silver-Tongued]. He would have to use it to earn some money and build resources in the Underworld first.
Seele looked at his serious face. It seemed impossible, but in his eyes, she saw something she had never seen before—a kind of hope she didn't dare to touch. She fell silent and went back to eating her sausage. She didn't know what had suddenly changed in him, or what kind of seed his words had just planted in her heart.
When she finished eating, Jiang Mo stood up. "I'm leaving."
Seele stood up too. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, just gave a small nod. "Okay."
He said no more and turned to walk back towards the town. Seele stood there, watching his back disappear between the buildings. She looked down at her empty hands, as if she could still feel the warmth of the food.
The Overworld? Is it really possible to go there? a voice in her heart asked.
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