Stelle gradually picked up on the noise, turning her head with a puzzled expression.
"Clara? Why do I hear what sounds like robots moving?"
Leon: "Rivet Town's dangerous. She's got robots protecting her the whole way."
What's that kid doing alone in Rivet Town?
Could it be…
Considering a certain possibility, Leon's gaze shifted to the pile of supplies in front of them.
Hook's eyes lit up, and she scampered toward the stairs.
"It's her! Clara's here too!"
"Warning, warning! Threat detected—protect Clara, initiating active defense—"
"Stop, Perkins, Hook's not a bad guy!"
A mechanical voice followed by an anxious, tender childish voice rang out.
Two small figures, one tall, one short, approached, surrounded by a few robots.
"The white-gray-haired big brother and the gray-haired sister…"
Seeing Leon and Stelle, Clara's face showed surprise.
But soon, her eyes fell on the boxes piled beside them, with medical supplies visible on top.
Leon's attention stayed on Clara, noting her expression and thinking, as expected.
This kid was kind and pure.
Thousands of years ago, she'd likely have walked the Path of Tianmin.
"Clara, you need these medicines, right?" Leon gestured to the supplies beside him.
"Huh?" Clara froze, clearly not expecting Leon to hit the mark.
After a few seconds, she thought of something and bit her lip.
"You're right… The mining district conflict was huge. There are only more injured miners, not fewer… If only everyone could live in peace…"
Mentioning the mining district conflict, Hook, only eight or nine years old, visibly wilted.
Because of this conflict, Natasha had been so busy she hadn't had time to rest.
As the leader of the Moles, Hook had wanted to ask how she could help.
But she overheard Natasha muttering worriedly about the medicine shortage.
When she set out for Rivet Town to find drugs and ran into Leon and Stelle, she didn't think twice about protecting them and going together.
Now that they'd found some medicine, before she could discuss splitting it with Leon, she learned Clara needed it too…
No kid in the underground had it easy. Though young, Hook wasn't clueless about why Clara was scavenging for medicine.
The wanderers living in Svarog's settlement, many from Rivet Town, had some who joined the mining district conflict, and injuries were inevitable.
Sensing the mood was off, Stelle spoke up to shift the topic and clear her own doubts.
"Clara, what's Svarog to you, exactly?"
"Mr. Svarog… he's Clara's family."
Clara didn't hide anything, speaking honestly.
"I met Mr. Svarog when I was very young. He took me in, raised me, and made me part of his family."
So that's how it is.
Stelle then recalled what Leon had told her earlier, pressing while the iron was hot.
"Is Svarog stopping people in the underground from leaving through the Furnace Core passage, especially Wildfire?"
Clara froze, lowering her gaze and nodding silently.
Stelle: "Why?"
Clara: "Mr. Svarog only trusts his own calculations… He always says negotiating with people is very inefficient…"
"According to his calculations, the surface is no longer safe. Staying in the underground is better for everyone."
Stelle frowned. "The underground's in this state—it's hardly safe either."
Add in that crazy woman Cocolia, and it's a different story.
She feels more dangerous than Fragmentum monsters.
Clara: "Mr. Svarog says his duty is to preserve the underground's humans. He doesn't want to see them step onto a path of accelerated destruction."
Leon: "Clara, I want to ask you something."
"Go ahead, big brother."
"If this world is about to end, would you rather see everyone fight with all they've got to save themselves, or quietly stay underground waiting to die?"
This…
Clara froze.
After a long moment, she clenched her fists.
"Clara will do everything to convince Mr. Svarog. One day, he'll listen to me…"
Leon crouched down to meet Clara's eyes, his tone gentle.
"But you don't know when that day will come, do you?"
"The edges of Boulder Town and the mining district are already seeing Fragmentum monsters."
"It won't be long before they spread to the town's center. When that happens, the entire underground will have no space left for humans."
"In other words, maybe the people underground are willing to wait for you, but this world can't wait any longer."
"At that point, not only will everyone die, but you and your family won't be spared either."
"I believe most people want to live with hope for tomorrow, not with a mindset of waiting for death."
Clara nervously clutched her sleeves.
She knew not a single word was false.
Leon pointed to himself and Stelle.
"We're not from this world. We could wait for it to fall apart, then find and control the disaster's source."
"That would still complete our mission, but humans aren't plants—how could we be heartless?"
"The Nameless don't want to watch a world spiral to its end because of infighting."
"Svarog refuses to communicate with locals—so what about us, as outsiders?"
"We have the ability to stop the Fragmentum's spread, but the condition is finding the root cause of the Fragmentum."
"That root is hidden by someone with an agenda, and Svarog's blocking people from saving themselves. If this drags on, even an Aeon's Emanator couldn't save you."
Clara thought for a long time without speaking, her mood sinking lower.
Stelle, seeing this, sighed inwardly.
Svarog couldn't understand human emotions, stubbornly clinging to the data and calculations he believed in.
Poor Clara, so young, stuck in the middle, caught between both sides.
"Clara…" Hook couldn't help but step forward, grabbing Clara's hand.
Leon wouldn't force a teenage girl to make a choice on the spot.
"Take the medicines you need back for now—the injured come first."
"I'm sorry, big brother. Clara can't promise she'll convince Mr. Svarog, but…"
At this, Clara's eyes gradually grew resolute.
"But Clara will relay what you said. If Mr. Svarog agrees to meet you, I'll come to Boulder Town to find you both right away."
"Thanks for helping, Clara." Stelle patted her head.
Clara shook her head gently, unwilling to take the medicines here.
"These drugs were hard for you to find. Clara can't take them…"
Hook: "We've scoured all the supplies around here—the drugs are all in this pile."
"If you go looking elsewhere in Rivet Town, you'll waste time and might not find anything."
"Right, Leo… Leo-bo brother, Stelle sister?"
"Exactly."
Leon nodded, not bothering to correct Hook's misnaming at this moment.
He'd already figured out Hook came to Rivet Town to gather medicine for Natasha too.
With their goals aligned, there was no issue with splitting the supplies.
Clara hesitated for a moment, letting out a soft sigh.
"Alright then, I'll take some for now… but I'll find an equal amount to pay you back later."
Even now, Clara refused to take anything for free.
Just then, Leon's attention shifted behind him, his expression odd.
No way those two are here for medicine too, are they?