Chapter 49: Svarog and Clara Make Their Entrance

With a roar, the engines of the 6626 Schicksal Fighter Jet sprang to life, and the massive aircraft began its ascent, rapidly accelerating toward the Great Mine.

The fighter jet streaked across the sky, leaving stunned onlookers in its wake. Miners and vagrants in the Underworld gaped in awe, none of them having ever seen a flying vehicle before.

Belobog, ravaged by the Eternal Freeze and Fragmentum Erosion, had lost much of its advanced technology.

"What's that thing?!" the vagrants shouted, pointing in disbelief at the roaring aircraft overhead.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? But damn, it looks cool..."

"Yeah, it's tempting, but what can we do? We can't even fly."

"Exactly. Let it go. Still, at least we've got something to talk about when we're bored."

The vagrants muttered, watching the fighter jet shrink into the distance. With a mix of envy and resignation, they nodded and returned to their scavenging. They might steal Geomarrow and food from other miners, but they rarely took everything, leaving some Geomarrow, food, and Hydro behind. Sustainable theft, you might say—sustainable development, after all.

The fighter jet sped towards the Great Mine at low altitude. Wandering robots detected its rapid approach and immediately relayed the information to Svarog, who was also stationed there. Svarog took this intelligence very seriously. The images captured by the robots confirmed his suspicions: this was technology lost over seven centuries ago—a fighter jet.

This realization allowed Svarog to calculate the fighter jet's trajectory. He positioned himself and Clara at the center of the Great Mine, near the largest Geomarrow vein, to intercept it.

Svarog was an ancient relic from the old world, dating back seven centuries. Unlike most mindless robots programmed only to obey commands, Svarog possessed complex cognitive abilities. In his absolute rationality, probabilities, expressions, attitudes, and emotions could all be assessed and quantified—essentially objectified. As a robot, he maintained a calm and methodical demeanor, processing all information through his extensive database before making decisions.

Clara, the young human girl beside Svarog, had been found by him in a landfill southeast of Boulder Town. He named her Clara.

During this cycle, Svarog would focus on finding Clara's family. Despite her repeated assurances that she had already found her true family, Svarog continued to gather information, hoping to locate her relatives as soon as possible.

He considered Clara his most important family member and the human girl he cared for most—a reflection of his old fatherly nature.

But why had Svarog come to the Great Mine?

The reason was that miners and wanderers in the Underworld were clashing over the unequal distribution of Geomarrow veins. These veins could sustain Belobog's energy supply for 231 days, with a margin of error of plus or minus seven days. Clara had summoned Svarog after witnessing wanderers being injured in the conflict, hoping he could help them.

Svarog intervened to quell the conflict between the two factions, temporarily seizing control of the mining area. He assured Clara that if no unforeseen events occurred within the next thirty days, a large-scale mechanical brawl would be avoided. Clara longed to do more for the Underworld, but Svarog insisted on trusting the data. He viewed humanity as both detestable and pitiable, forever doomed to repeat its past mistakes, which was why he had always avoided direct involvement in human conflicts.

This was also why Svarog and Clara maintained a secluded existence within the Settlement. Thanks to their combined influence—Svarog's pragmatic nature and Clara's gentle kindness—the once-deserted settlement had gradually attracted more and more people, transforming into a warm and harmonious community. Inspired by the pair, the residents treated robots as their valued companions.

Now, Svarog cradled Clara protectively on his broad shoulder, his camera eyes tracking the fighter jet rapidly approaching at low altitude. His hand instinctively rose to launch an attack, but Clara, unsure of the aircraft's allegiance, urged him to hold his fire.

Svarog glanced at Clara on his shoulder, his camera flashing a few times. He nodded and lowered his hand, relaxing his defensive stance.

Inside the 6626 Schicksal Fighter Jet, The Nameless, Seele, and Bronya breathed a collective sigh of relief. They had nearly crashed, which would have been no laughing matter.

Theresa also exhaled in relief. After all, she had spent ten thousand Elation Points on this fighter jet. While its firepower was impressive, it still couldn't match Svarog's. Besides, any S-rank Valkyrie could practically dismantle it for fun.

Under the watchful gaze of Svarog and the excited, curious eyes of Clara, the fighter jet slowly landed before them. Clara's eyes sparkled as she stared at the peculiar machine—the first flying contraption she had ever seen!

Raised by Svarog, Clara's interests differed vastly from other girls. While they played house or gossiped about typical girl things, Clara's passion lay entirely in machines and robots. The more unusual the robot, the more it piqued her curiosity. She had also developed remarkable repair skills, proving invaluable to Svarog.

"Clara, be careful," Svarog warned softly. "I'll stay vigilant for any visitors."

Knowing her own combat abilities were practically nonexistent, Clara nodded obediently. "Mr. Svarog, please be careful as well," she replied.

Svarog gazed at her with indulgent affection and nodded.

Whoosh...

The fighter jet descended slowly, landing on a relatively flat patch of ground in the mining area.

The hatch opened, and Seele emerged first, bringing a smile to Clara's face. Svarog relaxed his guard slightly. While their relationship with Wildfire wasn't particularly close, they weren't enemies either.

"Sister Seele! Mr. Svarog!" Clara's excited voice further eased Svarog's hostility.

Hmm, but she's not alone. There are other heat signatures inside the jet, Svarog thought.

As he spoke, Bronya followed Seele out. The young girl, unfamiliar with the terrain, stumbled slightly on her first step and nearly fell. Seele rushed forward and caught her in a protective embrace.

"Just as expected from an Overworld lady," Seele grumbled, still holding Bronya. "You're so delicate! If I hadn't caught you, you would have taken a nasty tumble!"

Bronya smiled warmly at Seele. "Thank you, Seele."

"It's nothing, don't mention it!" Seele snapped, her cheeks flushing slightly as she glared at Bronya. Her voice trembled with nervousness. She awkwardly released Bronya, who stood gracefully beside her, still smiling.

Then Theresa, March 7th, Stelle, and the stoic Dan Heng disembarked from the fighter jet. To everyone's surprise, and Clara's obvious disappointment, Theresa stored the 6626 fighter jet back into her System storage.

Theresa was understandably protective of the fighter jet she had purchased with ten thousand Elation Points. It was an invaluable means of transportation, and with the ease with which anyone present could dismantle it, she couldn't afford to be careless.