At this moment, the air in the Robot Settlement was thick and heavy, like congealed oil pressing down on every inch of space.
Mixed in were the harsh fumes of cheap fuel and the musty scent of rusted metal.
Now, with the crowds gathering, a heavy stench of sweat filled the air as well.
Luka, the metal-armed boy, wove through the crowd, trying to persuade everyone to leave, but unfortunately, no one listened.
"Dammit, why won't anyone listen to me?"
Luka was so anxious that he spun in circles, having no choice but to retreat and ask his mentor for help.
As soon as he reached the back of the crowd, he saw that his mentor was busy as well.
"Hey! Kid, get back! You shouldn't be here!"
Oleg grabbed a boy by the collar and shouted harshly.
"Uncle Oleg, I wanna help!"
Being grabbed by the collar, the boy, who looked around thirteen years old, stared wide-eyed and spoke loudly.
"Our new Supreme Guardian saved us and showed us the sky again. He's my benefactor! He wanna use Geomarrow to build a new home, but those tin heads stole the Geomarrow! I wanna help Supreme Guardian get the Geomarrow back!"
"Foolish!" Oleg jabbed a finger at the boy's nose and scolded him. "Did you see Svarog and his robots stealing the ore?!"
"I didn't!" The boy shot back, unwilling to back down. "But if he didn't steal it, how do you explain all that Geomarrow piled up at the gate?!"
Just as he said, there were dozens of pounds of Geomarrow stacked near the iron gate.
It should be noted that the miners dug up plenty of ore every day, and the robots did help move it, so if the robots wanted to steal ore, it would be easy for them.
However, Oleg refused to believe Svarog was the thief.
It was simply because everything Svarog did was always out in the open.
If Svarog really wanted that much ore, he would just come up and say "I need it," then list a bunch of calculations no one could understand, and finally walk off with the ore openly—no one could stop him.
Stealing?
Impossible.
Of course, that was just Oleg's reasoning based on how well he knew Svarog.
Most others rarely interacted with Svarog, so they didn't understand how he did things.
As a result, when enough people said Svarog stole the ore, and someone planted evidence, it was easy for many who lacked their own judgment to go along with it.
In the end, Oleg tossed the boy aside with a sigh.
He had a strong feeling this was someone's crude attempt to frame Svarog.
In the Overworld, no one would have bought it, but here in the backward Underworld, it actually worked.
"Some people probably don't misunderstand—they just go along with it when it benefits them..."
As Oleg muttered this, Natasha appeared behind him.
"Back when Svarog sealed off the exits and used force to keep people in line, he made a lot of enemies."
Natasha spoke sternly, explaining the most likely reason for this commotion.
"Plenty of people disliked him but had to put up with him just to survive."
"Now, Mr. Lucian has freed the Underworld and solved the survival crisis, and he's put people in charge instead of robots. Some people probably think it's finally time to settle old scores."
"I see..." Oleg's face showed sudden realization. "Looks like I was being narrow-minded..."
"Yeah, it's normal."
Chiming in from out of nowhere, a dark-blue-haired man suddenly appeared behind them with a carefree smile.
"I mean, people always try to hide their own malice behind some big excuse."
*Cluck!*
Suddenly, a cannon barrel swung right up in the man's face.
Natasha held up her cannon, her usual elusive smile back on her lips.
"Sampo, you've got the nerve to show up in front of me? I was just looking for you. Was it you who taught Hook to find me a husband?"
At this question—or rather, interrogation—Sampo surrendered immediately, hands in the air.
"My bad, my bad. Let's just talk it out, alright? I was only messing around with a kid, that's all! Plus, it's not like she really found you a husband or anything, right? Just playing house, really, hahaha..."
As soon as Natasha heard the word 'husband,' Lucian's smile flashed through her mind.
In truth, she was looking for one herself, but still hadn't found one yet.
"Don't let it happen again."
Natasha put away her cannon, speaking coldly.
She knew what Sampo was like—never someone you could turn your back on.
Regardless, after giving Hook a proper scolding earlier, she felt a bit better now.
"Now, let's keep trying to get some of these ignorant folks to leave." Natasha said seriously. "As for those with other motives, let's wait for that man to show up."
"That man?"
Luka, who stood nearby and was silently listening to their conversation, suddenly had his eyes light up.
"Is it… is it Lord Lucian, the one who freed the Underworld?" Luka asked, excitement all over his face. "He's really coming here? Am I actually gonna see him?"
Hearing Luka's barrage of questions, Natasha felt a little overwhelmed, so she could only smile and say, "Luka, I know you look up to him, but stay calm and let's handle the trouble in front of us first, alright?"
Luka nodded vigorously.
He still remembered that day when Lucian had come to the Underworld and conquered everyone with his sheer power.
From that moment, Lucian had won his respect.
Oleg had been his mentor, his old number one idol, but now, Lucian was number one.
If Lucian was really coming here, just thinking about it made Luka excited.
"My brothers, are you seeing this?! These tin cans ain't got a heart or lungs! They don't even have to breathe this nasty air like us!"
"They're stealing the Geomarrow! They're trying to block our way to a new age!"
"Only one way to beat a tough enemy—fight without fear! Do it for Belobog's new era!"
Suddenly, some people in the crowd raised their fists and shouted, riling up the vagrants and miners.
Soon, torches were lit—one, two, ten... then hundreds!
At this moment, the flickering, hungry flames from the torches reflected the madness in countless bloodshot eyes.
Rusty iron bars, heavy wrenches, sharpened rebar—anything they could grab became a weapon.
Evidently, the crowd was no longer a scattered mob but had turned into a single, boiling, sweaty, fuel-stinking mass of metal and flesh, burning with hate and ready to smash anything in its path.
*Whoosh!*
Just then, a flaming object suddenly streaked out from an unseen corner behind the crowd!
It was a makeshift Molotov cocktail, thrown together with rags and cheap fuel—the fire on the bottle hissed as it flew, tracing a sharp arc through the air.
*PENG!*
In no time, the Molotov smashed against the big iron gate!
Sticky, burning liquid instantly splattered everywhere, and greedy tongues of flame licked at the cold metal, sizzling and crackling.
A bright blaze flared up, instantly engulfing a large area, while thick, choking black smoke billowed up, reeking of chemicals!
""OOOOOOHHH—!!!""
Seeing the blaze, the crowd let out a wild, animal-like roar.
Meanwhile, Clara, who had never experienced anything like this before, was utterly terrified.
Feeling the wave of heat from the gate, Clara clung tighter to Svarog's coat, then spoke up.
"Mr. Svarog, I... I'll go talk to them... Maybe I can clear up the misunderstanding..."
Even though she was scared, if it was to protect her family, Clara wouldn't hesitate, even if she had to face a thousand angry people.
However...
*Whoosh!*
Another Molotov flew over the iron gate in a perfect arc—unless something happened, it would definitely land right where Clara and Svarog were.
However, just before the Molotov could hit its target, a cold voice suddenly rang out from all directions.
"What's this? Did I not kill enough people, so now you all think I'm merciful?"