ALL NOVEL Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Calm before the storm
As we chatted about the next step of our plan, a little truth revealed itself.
-Huh? Natasha is the real boss of Wildfire? So, Oleg?
-Oleg is my commanding officer, March. He helps me with all kinds of problems in the Underworld. Nadie didn't report them to you?
Stelle, March 7 and Dan Heng all glared at me.
-Teeehee~ I forgot to let you know~.
Luckily, the three of them merely let out a deep sigh upon hearing my excuse.
Seeing that the jokes were over, Natasha continued to explain.
-Even though Svarog is no longer blocking the Forge Core, the Lower Worlders can't go en masse to the surface. That cold, calculating Supreme Guardian used lies and tricks to isolate the Underworld. If she found out about the changes that took place here, I don't know how she would react....
-That's why we're going to make a large-scale surprise attack.
I interrupted.
-The children and the elderly will stay behind, all those adults who are fit to fight and want to protect Belobog will come up with us. This large-scale attack, the Overworld will never expect it.
The element of surprise is our greatest weapon.
-We'll split up the Crinargenta Guards by detonating harmless explosives all over the city, Sampo must be loaded with those weapons.
-W-wait a minute! My good friend Nadie, do you understand how expensive my explosives are? Spending them like this in large quantities is...
I ignored Sampo's complaints and continued explaining.
-With chaos and confusion on our side, we will take the Crinargenta Guards by surprise and take them down without the need to cause casualties both allied and enemy.
-I see you had it all figured out, Nadie.
-It's just a simple strategy, Natasha, sometimes the simplest is also the most effective.
-All right, I'll take care of organizing the Wildfire members, and I'll ask Oleg to communicate with the drifters who want to participate in this Coup d'Etat.
-Sampo and I will be in charge of placing the explosives.
-Me too?!
Natasha and I turned to look in the direction of Svarog being repaired by Clara.
-You will participate, won't you? The fate of the entire Belobog is at stake.
-Affirmative. If Supreme Guardian Cocolia is truly being controlled by the Stellaron, there is no choice but to overthrow her if the survival of the Underworld is desired.
-That decides everything.
Svarog joins our side.
-The coup will be in 3 days. Until then, everyone prepare your weapons, eat well and sleep well. Because the fate of Belobog will be decided by this attack.
...
..
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On the way back to Villarroca, I was thinking and remembered something... they faced Svarog equipping Artifacts and basic Light Cones...
Thanks to Herta, everything I need was given to me with a few simple words; but for Stelle it's different...
-Stelle, have you made contact with the Calyx yet?
-Yes... I've had enough of them...
-Oh.
It seems that Stelle was farming while I was away.
Unlike the game, there's no such thing as Auto Mode here; it means Stelle had to fight in person and bring companions if she doesn't want to face the waves of enemies alone.
-Who was the one who came up with this twisted dropping system... From the Artifacts they drop, I never get the attributes I need! And when I finally get a set of acceptable attributes, they always dunk the ones I don't need...! Who's the monster who created this evil system...?!
Oh shit, Stelle's twisted look shows that she could go crazy at any time.... I can only say that I sympathize a bit because of past experiences....
-Why didn't you ask me for help, Stelle?
-In all fights, Nadie always stays behind.... I thought you don't like to fight, so I didn't want to bother you...
-How thoughtful. Although that's not my reason for staying behind, at least I can give you moral support. If you're satisfied with that, I wouldn't mind accompanying you~
I said jokingly to tease her but the sincerity Stelle showed in responding took me by surprise.
-Un. For me, being with Nadie is enough.
-...
Damn, that smile is cheating....
Unlike in the game, there's no such thing as a Gachapon's Jumps here. It means that the effects of the Eidolons are already unlocked by default. There is no leveling system either, that means that from the beginning all enemies and allies will be at level 80 by default as well; likewise, the Traces are also complete at maximum level.
However, Artifacts and the Light Cone are another story.
While Artifacts are easier to get, the problem lies in finding the desired combination of attributes; an incredibly tedious and lengthy job.
Of course, unlike in the game, here we can buy Artifacts from the IPC, thus skipping the whole process of farming; but this option is only available to billionaires or those who don't mind losing a kidney...
As for the Light Cones, their acquisition is a very delicate and complex issue.
The Light Cone is technology belonging to the Garden of Memories. Created from refined memory fragments, they can contain not only memories but also experiences and skills. Because of this, Light Cones are under heavy restrictions by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
I don't want to get too deep into this subject but, in a "jade exchange" I did, I had to act like a spoiled, loving child for a whole month to get Jade to agree to give me a Light Cone compatible with me.
Wait a minute. If I think about it again, Jade already had that Light Cone ready beforehand... doesn't that mean she was just looking for an excuse for me to act all cuddly and loving towards her...? Shit, she tricked me...
Oh holy Aeon, now that I come to think of it too, the Artifacts I wanted, Obsidian offered to give it to me if I accompanied her in her baths.... Normally a bath with a beautiful girl sounds beautiful but the story changes when you don't bathe in water but in blood....
-Ugh. I feel like puking just remembering the smell....
-Nadie, are you okay?
-Yes, just let me rest a bit...
Sitting down on a wooden bench in the middle of Villarroca, Stelle rubbed my back.
-Thank you...
-Don't worry. March, Dan Heng, you guys can go ahead and buy dinner. I will accompany Nadie until she feels better.
March 7 and Dan Heng leave first to buy dinner, allowing me to take a break from past traumas.
Herta has a great collection of rare items but there are still things I can only get from the IPC. The deals I made... for some reason, now I feel desecrated....
To sum it up, it is very difficult to find Light Cones that are compatible with you.
In the game it is obviously the player who selects which Artifacts and Light Cone to put on each character. However, this is reality, not a game; that's why we can only give recommendations waiting for the other to follow the advice.
After buying some food for dinner, we then look for a high place to enjoy a good meal with a panoramic view of all Villarroca.
-Again it's Belobog's sausage....
-Don't complain, March. The food of the Underworld is scarce. Besides, it doesn't taste bad.
Dan Heng reproached as he bit into his sausage again in silence....
-But they're too salty....
How picky this girl is.
-I know, Stelle, buy me some of your drink~.
-DON'T TOUCH MY FOOD!
-Kyaah! That scared me! Don't yell so suddenly! Waaah...! Okay, okay! I understand, it's my fault so please stop biting my hand!
When I'm eating, I tend to keep quiet, I only speak when necessary; that's why I generally never utter a word while eating... I accept it, for me eating is a very important ritual; even if this body doesn't need to eat, I still do it because I love to eat. I hate it when others interrupt me while I'm enjoying my food, it gets cold....
When we finished eating, we set about cleaning up the mess we made.
-Ahhh~ I'm satisfied~
-Auch. What a bad girl you were Stelle, there were even teeth marks left....
These girls never bore me.
-At least, now that we got that Underworld thing sorted out, we can finally go find the Stellaron.
March commented out of the blue, bringing up a serious topic.
-But, thinking about it, I feel a little sorry for Clara.... We promised her that we would talk peacefully with Svarog.
-He began.
I justified myself immediately, but for some reason, I felt the blank stares of March and Stelle.
-Nadie, you did everything you could to persuade him. It's my fault, I should have prepared better.
As expected of Dan Heng, a brother never betrays.
-I didn't mean to blame anyone!
March clarified immediately.
-Looking on the bright side, the result wasn't so bad, was it? Now everyone knows that the Estelaron is the origin of all the disasters and they want to help us. The mission is going perfectly!
Although most of the doubts had been solved, Dan Heng was clear that new doubts appeared.
-But there are many things that are still unclear. For example...
-...Who exactly is Sampo?!
-... Stelle's jokes aside, where exactly is Cocolia hiding the Estelaron? If the Architects were researching how to destroy the Stellaron for centuries, that means that the location of the Stellaron was always under the control of the Supreme Guardians.
Dan Heng's questioning of the air caused a long pause. In the end, Nadie came to no solution.
-For now, let's get a good night's rest. Tomorrow we will discuss the matter with Wildfire. Besides, we only have 3 days left before we start the Coup plan.
Under Dan Heng's proposal, we all decided to separate to rest, each in his own room of course.
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