Chapter 48: Theresa Doesn't Want to Crash

After reminiscing about her own story, Seele glanced at Dan Heng, who was engrossed in a lively conversation with Oleg. Her gaze then shifted to Sampo, who flinched, quickly averted his eyes, and began whistling innocently.

Seele scoffed. Sampo always rubbed her the wrong way—the man had a knack for swindling his own allies.

Next, Seele noticed Bronya, who was chatting animatedly with March 7th. She studied Bronya's somewhat form-fitting dress thoughtfully. For reasons she couldn't quite explain, she felt a strange urge to reach out to her.

Shaking her head, Seele turned to Theresa. Their eyes met, and Seele was momentarily taken aback by the wisdom in Theresa's gaze. When she blinked and looked again, Theresa was sitting in Bronya's lap, being held in her arms.

"Then we'll leave it to you, Mr. Dan Heng," Oleg said with a smile. "Svarog and Clara are in the Great Mine. That giant robot is said to be seven hundred years old—you might uncover some crucial information there."

Dan Heng nodded in agreement. "Then we should depart soon. We'll head to the Great Mine to find Svarog."

Dan Heng bid farewell to Oleg, who smiled and wished them a safe journey.

After a moment's hesitation, Seele stepped forward.

"Old man," Seele said calmly, stepping forward to address Oleg. "We're your guests, and I know the Great Mine like the back of my hand, so I'll take them there. Besides, I need to see Svarog anyway."

Oleg looked at Seele in surprise, unaccustomed to her sudden enthusiasm. He paused to consider.

"Alright then, Seele, you lead them to the Great Mine. Oh, and if you encounter any Vagrants, don't go overboard. They're pitiful souls too," Oleg said with a wry smile.

Seele clicked her tongue in annoyance and nodded reluctantly. "Fine, old man. You all heard that? I'm taking you to the Great Mine. We'll pass through Rivet Town on the way—a fallen settlement that used to be my home."

"Don't get separated. Wandering alone in Rivet Town is practically suicide. Understand?" Seele stated bluntly.

The group sensed Seele's gruff demeanor, though she was technically polite. Remembering she was acting in their best interest, they nodded.

"Let's move out. Stock up on rations first. The journey to the Great Mine is twenty kilometers, and even the miners travel in groups. Watch out for the Vagrants too—they're ruthless scum who'll do anything to survive. If it weren't for the old man stopping me, I'd have wiped them all out long ago!"

Seele snapped irritably, her fury betraying how disgusted she was by the vagrants. It wasn't surprising; a girl as beautiful as her appearing in their territory was bound to attract unwanted attention.

Dan Heng and the others glanced at Theresa, nestled comfortably in Bronya's arms, looking quite content. Theresa's beauty rivaled Seele's, and March 7th was no exception. As for Stelle, Dan Heng figured the vagrants' skulls were unlikely to be tougher than baseball bats. If Stelle could withstand the Doomsday Beast's explosive breath attacks, these vagrants stood no chance.

Soon, guided by Seele, they collected the dried rations and water Wildfire had provided and set off toward the Great Mine.

"So, we have to walk twenty kilometers to this Great Mine?" Theresa asked, her voice laced with reluctance. She was already slipping into her lazy mode.

"What choice do we have? The geomarrow miners do this every day. I often run back and forth to the Great Mine myself. Don't tell me you can't handle a little walk!" Seele retorted, her gaze sweeping over the group in disbelief. Dan Heng remained impassive, while March 7th, like Theresa, seemed unwilling to trek tens of kilometers on foot.

"Theresa, can't you replicate things?" Stelle asked, her eyes shining with anticipation. Theresa nodded.

"Actually, I can! Give me a moment to figure out what kind of vehicle to create."

"Hmm... If it were just me, I could fly there with the Oath of Judah. But considering everyone else, let's go big!"

Waaah, my precious Elation Points! Theresa lamented inwardly, her excitement fading as the Homu System, now transformed into an enthusiastic merchant, aggressively marketed a massive Schicksal aircraft. With a sigh, Theresa splurged a staggering 10,000 Elation Points on the RPC-6626 fighter jet—a boss from her past memory battlefields.

"Purchase complete! Little Cutie, you're so generous!" the Homu System chirped cheerfully, making Theresa sigh in resignation. It wasn't that she didn't want something cheaper, like "persecuting Duckling" to get a Heavy Armored Bunny-style motorcycle. But suddenly, her right eyebrow began to twitch violently—a premonition that riding a motorcycle to the Great Mine would incur the wrath of cosmic forces.

[Because the protagonist of the old novel went there on a motorcycle ╮(╯▽╰)╭]

Thus, Theresa had no choice but to bleed her resources for the extravagant aircraft.

Just deploy it outside... Sigh, it was so expensive.

Theresa grumbled inwardly, her heart aching at the cost. The Homu System, ever playful, teased her before deploying the massive RPC-6626 "Big Grey Plane" nearby.

Before the awestruck eyes of Seele, Dan Heng, March 7th, Bronya, and an excited Stelle, the sleek, black fighter jet materialized from thin air and settled before them. Its unconventional design drew puzzled looks toward Theresa, whose pained expression betrayed her lingering heartache.

"Wow! What a huge plane, Theresa! You're practically omnipotent!" March 7th exclaimed, circling the aircraft with childlike wonder. Seele and Bronya stared in astonishment at the fighter's unique design, particularly the two fission missile launchers that floated independently from the main body.

"Now we can reach the Great Mine with ease and without worrying about vagrants bothering us. Let them try flying up here if they dare!" Theresa declared triumphantly, striking a proud pose with her hands on her hips.

Dan Heng studied Theresa thoughtfully, utterly bewildered by how she had conjured such an advanced aircraft, especially one that clashed so starkly with the local universe's technology. After all, five-meter-long fission missiles were no laughing matter.

Dan Heng, remembering that Welt trusted Theresa implicitly, decided to keep his reservations to himself. He followed the group onto the fighter jet, urged on by Theresa's excited calls. Inside, the spacious and luxurious modern interior immediately piqued Seele and Bronya's curiosity.

"6626, initiate launch! Destination: Great Mine!" Theresa shouted from the pilot's seat, her excitement palpable. Everyone buckled their seatbelts and watched with interest as she began the startup sequence.

New command received. Verification complete. Theresa Apocalypse, granddaughter of the Schicksal Bishop, verification successful. Initiating area scan: complex mineral vein region detected. Commencing navigation.

The emotionless mechanical voice of 6626 filled the cabin. They listened curiously to the peculiar synthesized tones as the projected windows rose, revealing the fighter jet accelerating rapidly toward the Great Mine, twenty kilometers away.

Due to the complex terrain, the jet maintained subsonic speeds. After all, crashing would be rather embarrassing, considering Theresa had spent a ton of Elation Points to purchase it. If it crashed, she would undoubtedly throw a tantrum.

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Insert picture of the plane crashing immediately into a mountain lol.