A man with black hair and black eyes, a knightly princess with a golden ahoge, a curvaceous young woman in a high-class corporate uniform, and a constantly wiggling golden Warp Trotter.
Perhaps in a normal setting, their attire wouldn't be particularly special—eye-catching, but not outlandish.
But here, in the long-abandoned Underworld, their appearance was far too conspicuous.
Never mind the exquisite and ornate armor on Artoria; even Topaz's high-end, silky, form-fitting uniform and Su Mo's mysterious, luxurious fabric of unknown make were far beyond the luxury goods that had long since vanished from the Underworld.
Even the bow on Numby's head exuded a high-quality texture.
Not to mention, the special aura the group exuded and their well-fed complexions, which showed no signs of food scarcity, created an invisible chasm, separating them from the sallow, malnourished miners around them.
Faced with these mysterious beings who had suddenly appeared in the mining area, the surrounding miners showed expressions of fear, greed, hatred, or confusion.
But no matter their expression, no one dared to approach within ten meters of them.
Even the boldest vagrant didn't dare to try anything.
This wasn't because of their high moral standards, but because the armor Artoria wore, which was several times more magnificent than that of the Silvermane Guards, was truly intimidating.
Even though the master of the armor looked rather petite, no one dared to make a move.
The only one who rushed forward to speak to them in an interrogating manner was the young woman, Seele, who had arrived after hearing the news.
After being abandoned by the Overworld, the miners of the Underworld had spontaneously formed a self-defense organization called Wildfire.
The young woman, Seele, was a member of Wildfire, and maintaining order in the Underworld was her duty.
At first, she thought a miner had filed a false report, but after seeing Su Mo's group, she knew almost instantly that they were definitely not from the Underworld.
It had nothing to do with their clothes or appearance; she made this judgment purely because she couldn't see any fatigue or despair in their eyes.
Since they weren't from the Underworld, they must be from the Overworld.
To think that after so many years, with their desperate supply efforts, the people of the Overworld were still living such extravagant lives, completely untouched by their suffering.
At this thought, a hint of hostility appeared in her eyes, and even her usual violet pupils turned crimson from agitation.
In her impression, there were almost no good people in the Overworld.
Therefore…
"You're not welcome here. If you know what's good for you, state your purpose honestly. If you're thinking of harming our Underworld, don't blame me for being impolite!"
The Overworld and Underworld had been separated for many years. Although informants reported that they had appeared out of thin air, Seele still believed they had entered through some secret passage.
Therefore, the information they possessed could be very important. She couldn't let them leave.
Hearing Seele's harsh words, Topaz raised her hands with a strange expression, indicating she meant no harm, and said, "Don't misunderstand, miss. We're just here for sightseeing. We're not bad people."
As she spoke, watching Seele's tight grip on her giant scythe, her eyes narrowed, and her aura became formidable.
"By the way, you shouldn't say things like 'impolite' so casually. At least, not before you know who you might be offending, and not before you understand the possible consequences."
Seeing the living conditions of the Overworld and Underworld, Topaz could understand where Seele's vigilance and anger came from.
However, understanding was one thing, accepting was another.
If she were alone, she wouldn't mind patiently explaining her identity and cooperating to verify it.
But now, she wasn't alone. She had Su Mo, a top-tier client she needed to win over. Whatever decision she made, she had to consider Su Mo's preferences and safety.
Compared to a genius like Su Mo who could benefit the entire universe, the emotional value of an Underworld girl was negligible.
Even if she sympathized with Seele's situation, if Seele tried to harm Su Mo, or even just pointed her weapon at him, Topaz would see it as a serious provocation and immediately act to disable her.
Even if Su Mo had combat power approaching the Emanator level and couldn't be hurt by her, she would never allow such a thing to happen. It was a matter of principle.
This was true whether the enemy was one person, an organization, a civilization, or a planet.
Therefore, Topaz's attitude was also exceptionally firm.
If she hadn't said that, it would have been fine. Seele wasn't the type to attack people randomly. Even when facing the Overworlders she disliked, as long as they didn't commit a crime, she wouldn't use force to oppress them.
However, Seele's personality was one that yielded to soft approaches but not to hard ones.
Hearing Topaz's words, her crimson eyes narrowed, and she became even more displeased.
"Trying to pressure me with your status? Just like an Overworlder. You think your boring status means anything to me?"
Topaz's intention was that no one would dare to threaten a member of the Genius Society like this, but Seele subconsciously equated them with nobles, and her emotions naturally intensified.
"And what's this about 'sightseeing'? You can't even lie properly. Or have you people started treating the misery of our Underworld like a monkey exhibit at the zoo?!"
Years of accumulated resentment, upon encountering this "genuine" arrogant person, suddenly erupted.
"How dare you warn me in the Underworld? I'd like to see what the consequences of being impolite to you are!"
With these words, the girl, who was better at action than words, tightened her grip on her scythe.
Seeing this, Topaz lowered her head in disappointment, her other hand reaching for her waist, already gripping the handle of her gun.
If the other party insisted on being stubborn, then she could only suppress her as quickly as possible.
Artoria also silently stood in front of Su Mo. Her attitude was the same as Topaz's. No matter what the other party had been through, if they dared to harm Su Mo, they were an absolute enemy.
As the two sides faced off, the atmosphere suddenly froze. A tense battle was about to break out.
But contrary to what one might expect, like a resilient blade of grass in the desert, under this pressure, she managed to take a step forward.
And then…
"Grrrrooooowl!"
A clear stomach rumble sounded, sweeping away the silent and murderous atmosphere.
"What was that sound?" Topaz paused, not reacting for a moment.
Even though she had aided many impoverished planets, there were very few that couldn't even meet basic food needs.
"That's the sound of a hungry stomach," Artoria analyzed with great experience. "Such a long frequency... it's probably not a short-term food shortage, but long-term malnutrition."
It was a good thing she wasn't a traditional doctor, or she might have diagnosed gastritis on the spot.
Hearing this, Topaz finally understood.
Two people and a pig simultaneously turned their gazes to the purple-haired girl before them. Even Numby's expression was full of sympathy.
And under their gazes, the purple-haired girl, ever since she had taken that step and her stomach had rumbled, had been petrified on the spot.
Her fair cheeks instantly turned crimson with shame. Feeling utterly humiliated, she didn't even have the strength to continue drawing her weapon. She was caught in a dilemma.
Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have secretly given my lunch to that vagrant! Now I've made a fool of myself!
Even a pig is pitying me!
Right now, she just wanted to turn invisible and sneak away.
Unfortunately, she was too hungry to use her ability and had to endure their sympathetic gazes, which felt like needles.
Realizing she had no strength to fight, Seele swayed a couple of times, desperately trying to control her expression to appear calm and indifferent—in reality, her face was still beet red, and she had utterly failed.
"Hmph! I'll let you go this time... Don't get me wrong! It's definitely not because I'm too hungry to lift my— I'm just, I'm just—"
Before she could finish her brave words, her vision went black.
Thud!
The butterfly-like girl collapsed to the ground.
"Did she... faint from hunger?" Topaz blinked and looked at Su Mo.
"Master, what should we do?" Artoria also looked at Su Mo.
Faced with this question, Su Mo's answer was very simple.
"It should just be low blood sugar. Giving her food will be enough. Help her up!"
Hearing this, Artoria wasn't surprised. She was very familiar with Su Mo's style.
Topaz also felt relieved. It seemed this genius was still very kind.
With this thought, Topaz immediately took the initiative to go and help.
Su Mo, on the other hand, glanced at the few scattered residents who had gathered the courage to stand up, seemingly to protect Seele, and said, "It'll be a while before Stelle and March 7th are driven down here. For now, do a little something to pass the time as you wish, Saber!"
"Yes!" the Ahoge King immediately accepted the order.