After a battle that could hardly be called strenuous, the trio coincidentally spotted the mastermind at the entrance.
Sampo just so happened to appear right at the front door,
and thus began a not-so-thrilling chase.
"Damn it!" Caelus gritted his teeth. "Once we catch him this time, we're gonna drag that opportunistic smuggler—no, we'll just ask him straight to his face what's going on!"
March 7th looked puzzled. "You're… weirdly nice, huh?"
Finally, the three cornered Sampo in an alleyway.
"Uh, hey there!" Sampo gave an awkward smile upon seeing them. "Thought I was getting mugged, so I couldn't help but walk faster. Had I known it was you guys, I'd have opened my arms wide!"
"Cut the crap! You were obviously guilty!" March 7th glared at him, slightly annoyed.
"Me? Guilty? Hah, Sampo's conscience is clear as day!" Suddenly, he clutched his chest in exaggerated pain. "Oh no, don't tell me I accidentally did something to offend my dear friends?"
"You tricked Dan Heng into fighting in the ring." As he spoke, Caelus cracked his knuckles.
Sampo put on a wounded expression. "Tricked? How could you say that? I just saw you all were new here, broke with no underground currency, and thought I'd hook you up with some work!
Once Sampo calls someone a friend, he goes all out—not just saving your hides, but also planning for your future, making sure everything's taken care of. That's what friendship is!"
Tears even welled up in his eyes as he spoke.
"Bringing you down here was a last resort. Staying aboveground was too dangerous—we're all wanted by the Silvermane Guards. The underground might not be perfect, but at least the Guards won't chase us here. It's safe!"
Under Dan Heng's intimidation, Sampo spilled everything he knew about "Wildfire" in excruciating detail and even offered to introduce them.
After weighing the pros and cons, Caelus nodded. He believed Wildfire might hold clues about the Stellaron.
"Lead the way. And don't screw me over this time."
Sampo flashed a radiant smile. "A hundred thousand percent guaranteed! Like I always say—Sampo never lets his buddies down."
[Damn, I almost cried listening to that. If I didn't know Sampo's shady, I'd think he's a saint!]
[Playing the trio like fiddles. How convenient that he shows up right after the fight ends?]
[Remember back in the snowfield? Dude was untouchable, leaving no footprints, yet these three corner him in an alley?]
[Exactly. Not saying the trio's weak, but Sampo's escape skills are top-tier. Getting caught? There's definitely a hidden reason.]
["A hundred thousand percent guaranteed!" Why does that make me trust him even less?]
——
As Sampo led the trio in search of Wildfire, he also gave them a rundown of the tensions between the upper and lower city.
Though, at one point, he referred to them as "people of this world"—
a phrase the subtitles highlighted in bright red,
just to remind everyone: Sampo is not simple. Really not simple!
Finally, under Sampo's guidance, they spotted a familiar figure.
"Look, who's that?" March 7th pointed at a girl with three spiral hair ornaments surrounded by vagrants.
Caelus squinted. "That's Bronya!"
March 7th: "Seems like she's in trouble."
The camera cut to Sampo, who put on an urgent act. "Friends, pals, don't just stand there! This could get real messy!"
"Honestly? Kinda wanna see you suffer now."
Dan Heng interjected, "We shouldn't draw attention, but we can't just leave her either."
Caelus looked at Bronya. "Dan Heng's right. We can't just abandon her."
Sampo sighed. "Yeah, yeah… Brother Dan Heng, ever the righteous one!"
Meanwhile—
"Think you're tough? Don't blame me for what happens next!"
A vagrant raised his rifle and pulled the trigger.
Bronya reacted instantly, dodging backward—
but not fast enough to outrun bullets.
However.
A purple figure flashed in, slicing the bullet mid-air.
She appeared out of nowhere, her afterimage lingering as countless butterflies scattered around her before vanishing.
"Daring to attack on our turf?"
She stood up slowly, twirling her massive scythe before pointing its blade at the vagrant.
"Care for another round?"
"Crap, run!" The vagrants immediately fled in panic.
Seele spat in disgust. "Bullies who only pick on the weak."
Then, the camera did a full 360° around Seele—because Su Chen's sole purpose was to show off her thighs. Again and again and again.
[Dammit! Why isn't she wearing stockings?!]
[Dammit! How is she this gorgeous without stockings?!]
[Dammit! Mom, I think I'm in love again!]
[Dammit! She must be cold without stockings—bring her to my place, I've got floor heating.]
[Dammit! Your ulterior motives are blatant!]
[Dammit! I'm genuinely smitten this time!]
[Dammit! New waifu acquired!]
[This entrance effect is the coolest so far, even more stylish than Gepard's.]
[How stylish?]
[Like, three or four floors high!]
[Gah! Where does miHoYo find these actresses? So handsome and pretty! Such a contradiction, yet it works!]
[Rumor has it Seele's actress is Bronya's real-life bodyguard!]
[Seriously? LOL, so she's protecting her on and off-screen? No wonder the rescue was so timely!]
——
"Miss Seele, whew, thank goodness you showed up! I'm eternally grateful!" Sampo rubbed his hands nervously as he approached her.
But Seele's temper flared instantly. "Shut it." One phrase, and Sampo was muted.
Then, she and Bronya started bickering.
To the audience, it looked like a small-scale rehearsal for the upper-lower city conflict.
[Now I get why Lü Buqi said he loved watching women fight.]
[Women arguing is just as entertaining!]
[Why does this look like a married couple bickering?]
Sampo seized the chance to steer the conversation back on track, and Seele finally noticed the trio.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Caelus!"
"A name tells me nothing."
Sampo, still rubbing his hands, explained their request to meet Oleg.
But then March 7th suddenly blurted out, "We're here looking for something called the Stellaron. It's the root of all disasters. Once we find it, we can—"
The sheer shock made Sampo, Dan Heng, and Caelus' pupils dilate instantly.
Sampo sighed. "Little miss, you can't just go around telling everyone that. Miss Seele wouldn't understand."
Luckily, Seele was straightforward and didn't dwell on it.
"If you really wanna see the boss, meet me at the mining zone entrance!"
"Let's go!"