Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Sampo: Honest Advice Is Hard to Swallow!
Chapter 11 Sampo: Honest Advice Is Hard to Swallow!
If it were someone with a particularly twisted sense of humor, they might have already whacked the trash can with a bat, giving its occupant a taste of what a "little earth-shaking combo" feels like.
But Kevin was different; he cared more about his baseball bat.
"3, 2, 1..."
"Wait, wait, hold on!"
Finally, a blue-haired head popped out of the trash can. While still wearing the lid, he managed to flash Kevin an awkward yet polite smile.
"Please believe me, I definitely didn't follow you with any ill intentions. I was just... a tiny bit curious... You're that legendary guest from outside Belobog, aren't you?"
Legendary? What legend? From the moment Kevin regained consciousness until now, has it even been half a day?
Just from that alone, this couldn't be some simple character.
"I don't have much patience. Who are you?" Kevin asked flatly.
"Uh... Profession-wise, I have quite a bit in common with that intelligence officer lady from earlier. But well, my scope of work is much broader than hers. All sorts of services, guaranteed to satisfy."
This blue-haired man rattled off a whole spiel, then proudly patted his chest: "So as you can see, I'm an honest merchant who sells everything under the sun."
"But this place has too many eyes and ears; it's clearly not a good spot for talking. So... could you perhaps move to that alley over there?"
Kevin didn't really care about going anywhere, but his sharp intuition told him this wouldn't be a simple fellow.
The Belobog this underground character could show him might be completely different from what the official organizations depicted.
Once the two reached the deserted alley, the young man who had been hiding in the trash can finally let loose completely, his hands constantly fidgeting with small, subtle movements.
"Ahem, esteemed guest, allow me to reintroduce myself properly."
"My name is Sampo Koski. With me by your side, you'll essentially have a merchant, a guide, and a chatty companion to pass the time... How about it? Quite a bargain, right?"
The self-proclaimed merchant Sampo confidently believed no man could refuse a good companion as humorous, witty, and capable as himself.
Unfortunately for Kevin, just imagining having someone who loved to chatter non-stop constantly following him around was enough to make his head feel like it was about to explode.
"If you can't state your purpose briefly, then don't say anything more."
Kevin's original intention was simply to stop this guy from spouting nonsense. But Sampo just glanced at the baseball bat in his hand and naturally arrived at another interpretation—
One swing of that bat, and he might never be able to speak again!
Ah, who could have guessed that honest advice is always hard to swallow?
"Calm down, calm down, my friend. You need to learn to stay calm."
"Although as a merchant, I, Sampo, should be solely profit-driven, my inherently kind nature always drives me to do those good Samaritan deeds that hardly earn any money... The Architects of Qlipoth Fort and those Silvermane Guards—did they only describe the current state of the Overworld to you but never mentioned... the Underworld?"
There was one thing even Kevin had to admit: although this guy talked a lot, his cadence and intonation were quite effective at stirring others' emotions.
Given the chance, maybe Pardo would get along well with him?
But then again, Kevin had indeed never heard anyone else mention this so-called Underworld before. Not even terms like "Overworld" had been brought up.
If taken literally, did it mean that besides the surface city Kevin currently saw, Belobog also had a large urban area developed underground?
To maximize limited living space as much as possible, expanding underground was indeed a common and conventional method.
"Sigh... Judging by your reaction, they definitely never told you about this. In reality, the passages between the Underworld and Overworld were ordered sealed over a decade ago by the 'Supreme Guardian.' And before that, she withdrew all Silvermane Guards responsible for protecting the people in the Underworld under the pretext of defending against the Fragmentum."
"You don't naively think only the Overworld of Belobog has been invaded by the Fragmentum, do you? For the Underworld without Silvermane Guards, their situation is far worse than here. They not only face monster invasions but also lack Silvermane Guard protection... Even worse, because the passages are sealed, children who grew up in the Underworld have never even seen what color the sky is!"
Listening to Sampo gradually paint that bleak picture before him, Kevin couldn't help but frown more and more deeply. In such an environment, even if society completely lost all order, he wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.
But looking at this orderly city, who could imagine that beneath the peaceful surface lay another place harboring filth and corruption?
Even if there were truly unavoidable circumstances... what fault did those children who grew up underground have?
"I know you must be wondering why I care so much about this matter? Of course, besides me being a soft-hearted guy who can't bear to see children suffer, the leader of Wildfire currently responsible for maintaining stability in the Underworld is also an old acquaintance of mine..."
After almost saying all this in one breath, Sampo puffed out his chest, took a deep breath, and finally exhaled forcefully: "Sigh... I really can't bear to see such a situation continue. I also can't bear to let a kind-hearted outsider like you endure such deception. That's why I took great risks sneaking up from the Underworld."
"You should know besides me, practically no one can freely travel between the two layers anymore. Those Silvermane Guards would love nothing more than to catch me and tear me apart limb from limb!"
Often, Sampo's habitual playing for sympathy worked wonders. Unfortunately for him, standing before him now was Kevin Kaslana, who simply didn't care whether this guy was pitiful or not.
"So you're saying you can take me to the Underworld?"
"Of course, my friend. If you wish, I can give you a lift anytime. Otherwise, why would I go through so much trouble to tell you all this?"
Sampo affirmed first, then adopted a coy, almost bashful demeanor and asked softly: "However... that is after all my means of survival. Before we go through the secret passage... could I perhaps knock you out first..."
Crack————
For some reason, Sampo suddenly felt the temperature around them drop several degrees. A crisp sound of ice cracking seemed to echo in his ears.
"Of course! That was totally just a joke! How could I do something like that to a friend I just met!"
"This way, this way~ Please come over here~"
Kevin and Sampo soon disappeared into the depths of the alley. Several dozen minutes later, Pela—finally having completed her task—ran back panting to the street where they had parted ways. The result was her standing helplessly on the street corner, staring blankly at the bustling crowd.
"Mr. Kaslana... didn't we agree you wouldn't wander off?"
"Where are you!!!"
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