Chapter 384

An old man wearing a hat embroidered with golden thread sipped his tea.

The deep wrinkles etched across his face and the white beard around his mouth and chin spoke of a man who had weathered many storms in his life.

His name was Xiaolun.

After savoring the tea for a while, Xiaolun set down his cup with a look of displeasure.

“Tsk. Tasteless. This isn’t real tea.”

The tea had been brewed from leaves grown in a hydroponic plant factory.

To an ordinary person, even that would be a luxury, but it fell far short of Xiaolun’s standards.

“I miss the tea from home. Real tea grown in nature…”

His gaze turned wistful.

Aging is a sorrowful thing.

You stop looking to the future and start reminiscing about the past. And the memories that arise are often more idealized than they were in reality.

Xiaolun was well aware of that.

Still, he missed the past.

He always found himself nostalgic, especially while drinking tea.

Knock knock.

“There’s a report, sir.”

A voice came from beyond the door.

“Come in.”

“Thank you.”

The young man who entered with a bow was Chu Wei, the one overseeing all administrative matters in the Southern District.

Xiaolun gestured for him to take the seat opposite him.

“Sit.”

“I couldn't possibly, ”

“It’s fine. Sit down.”

“Thank you.”

Chu Wei sat, looking sheepish.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No, sir. There’s something more pressing.”

“Pressing news?”

“Yes. Just came in now.”

“Is that so?”

Xiaolun’s eyes lit up.

Chu Wei’s voice was trembling with excitement.

For someone as calm and calculating as Chu Wei, who oversaw an entire district, to show emotion like this was extremely rare.

Lowering his voice, Chu Wei said,

“An outsider has entered City Hall.”

“An outsider? That’s hardly worth getting worked up over.”

“This isn’t just any outsider. He claims to be a pathfinder from another colony.”

“A pathfinder?”

“Yes. Apparently, he was dispatched to seek aid from other colonies. It took him an entire year to reach Neo Seoul.”

“Took a year? Where did he come from?”

“You may want to sit down for this. He said he came from Sichuan.”

“Sichuan? You mean that Sichuan in China?”

“Yes, sir.”

“This can’t be!”

Xiaolun’s eyes wavered.

He was not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but this time, he couldn't hide it.

And understandably so.

Sichuan bordered his homeland, Tibet.

Though one had to cross the treacherous Sichuan mountains to get there.

Xiaolun’s grandfather was originally from Sichuan but had settled in Tibet due to government policy.

To Xiaolun, the people of Sichuan were like family.

“You’re sure he said Sichuan?”

“Many people heard it. He introduced himself as Jang Wuhang from Sichuan.”

“To think there’s a colony in Sichuan. Then again… it makes sense.”

It wasn't called the Sichuan Basin for nothing.

Surrounded by high mountain ranges and naturally sunken, it had long been considered an ideal fortress. But that also made it highly isolated, difficult to access from the outside.

“What about the size of the colony? How many survivors are there?”

“I apologize. We haven't been able to find that out yet.”

“Why not?”

“City Hall has locked it down tight. It’s hard to get close.”

“Jin Geumho… that old man is the problem.”

“We’re trying to establish contact through various channels. If you could wait just a little longer, ”

“There’s no need.”

“Sir?”

“I’ll go see Jin Geumho myself.”

Xiaolun clenched his teeth.

It had been ten years since he’d last seen Jin Geumho in person.

It was a matter of pride.

But this time, he was willing to set that aside.

That’s how desperate he was for news from home.

If someone had survived in Sichuan, then they likely knew something about Tibet as well.

“I want to know. How many have survived, and how many are gathered together? If people from my homeland are in trouble, then it’s only right for those of the same roots to lend a hand.”

“You’re right. I agree completely.”

Thump!

Chu Wei lowered his head to the table in respect.

Deep lines appeared around Xiaolun’s mouth.

“Yes. In the end, those with the same roots are the only ones you can truly rely on.”

---

Slurp!

Lemura was happily eating beef noodle soup.

It was a special dish prepared with care by Old Man Kleksi.

The combination of chewy noodles and spicy broth was a first for her, and she was utterly enthralled.

Brielle looked after her with a gentle smile.

“Eat slowly. It tastes even better with this.”

“Thank you, Unnie.”

“Ugh! Don’t get it all over your face.”

“Hehe!”

When Brielle wiped Lemura’s lips with a napkin, the girl giggled sweetly.

She looked so adorable that Brielle couldn’t help but chuckle.

Last night, Lemura had begged Zeon to take her to the surface.

She had never once seen the outside world.

So when Zeon had been available, she’d pleaded with him to let her come up.

Zeon had agreed without hesitation.

And ever since she arrived at his house, Lemura had stuck to Brielle like glue.

Despite being a high-grade healer, Lemura was still just an eight-year-old child.

Though she helped Jetoya with impressive maturity, deep down she still longed to rely on someone.

Perhaps that’s why she took to Brielle, calling her “unnie” and clinging to her.

Though she often grumbled, Brielle looked after Lemura with great care.

Suddenly, Lemura hugged Brielle’s arm tightly and whispered,

“Thank you, Unnie.”

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Let go.”

Brielle tried to pull her away in disgust, but Lemura clung even more stubbornly.

Eventually, Brielle sighed and gave in.

“Fine. Do whatever you want.”

“Hehe!”

A wide smile spread across Lemura’s freckled face.

Brielle thought she was an impressive child.

No matter how terrible her mother had been, she was still her mother.

And yet Lemura had endured after losing her.

For a while, she had suffered from depression, but thanks to Jetoya and those around her, she had recovered quickly.

While the two bickered, Zeon silently ate his beef noodles beside them.

Old Man Kleksi looked at him and asked,

“Where’d you sneak off to this time?”

“You know. The armored ant nest.”

“I meant after that. You disappeared midway.”

“Ah…”

“‘Ah’ what? Where’d you go?”

“Just here and there.”

“Tsk! Not going to tell me again, huh? Damned brat.”

Old Man Kleksi glared at Zeon.

Zeon smiled and went back to his noodles.

Whatever secret ingredient Kleksi had used, the beef noodles were amazing.

Having the chance to eat them in this era felt like a blessing.

Other colonies and survivor villages could never dream of such food.

It was a luxury only possible in Neo Seoul.

“By the way, thank you for installing the air purifier in Jetoya’s village.”

“Why thank me? I did it because I wanted to.”

“Still.”

“Tsk. Always poking your nose in… Here! Have another bowl.”

Old Man Kleksi shoved another bowl of beef noodles in front of Zeon. Yet the broth didn’t spill.

He’d actually taken care to be gentle.

“Thank you. I was still hungry.”

“Eat your fill and burst, for all I care.”

“That’s not likely. I have a strong stomach.”

“You never lose an argument, do you? Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue and turned to Lemura.

His expression when looking at her was completely different from when he looked at Zeon.

He wore a bright smile, like a grandfather doting on his granddaughter.

“Lemura, want another bowl too?”

“Yes, please. It’s really delicious.”

“Yeah? I’ll make this one extra tasty for you.”

“Thank you!”

“How does she talk so sweetly?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Kleksi began boiling another batch of noodles he’d already prepared.

At that moment, someone sat down next to Zeon.

“I’ll have a bowl too.”

“Huh?”

Startled by the sudden voice, Kleksi turned to Zeon’s side.

The person who had sat down was none other than Mandy.

Looking exhausted, Mandy said,

“You’ve got some extra, right?”

“What brings you here?”

“I came to see Lord Zeon. And I’m starving, so one bowl, please.”

“Alright, alright.”

Kleksi turned his focus back to the food.

“There must’ve been something important? I saw you rushing off to the desert.”

“You saw?”

“Yes.”

“We got an urgent distress call from the mana stone mine. That’s why I went.”

“Tough job.”

“Well, you do what you have to. Hey, who’s that kid? Haven’t seen her before.”

“She’s Lemura. From the Crocodile Den.”

“Wait… could she be…”

“She is.”

“Ah. I should watch what I say, then.”

Mandy realized that Lemura was the rumored high-tier healer.

She had picked up bits of information from spending time around Zeon’s group.

Zeon turned to Lemura and said,

“Introduce yourself. This is Miss Mandy. She’s a Supervisor in Neo Seoul and often deployed for important missions.”

“Hello. I’m Lemura.”

“Nice to meet you, Lemura. I’m Mandy Systyne.”

Mandy gave a small wave and smiled.

Brielle leaned over to Lemura and whispered,

“Be careful! She’s Mandy now, but if she gets mad, she turns into Eloi. Mandy’s nice, but Eloi is a real pain, a bad-tempered half-elf. So be on guard.”

“Huh?”

Lemura’s face froze in confusion.

She didn’t understand what Brielle meant.

Brielle patted her back and said,

“You’ll figure it out later. For now, focus on your food. It won’t taste as good once it gets cold.”

“Okay!”

Lemura nodded and resumed sipping her broth.

Brielle also turned her attention back to her meal, pretending not to care about Mandy.

She knew Mandy had come to speak with Zeon, so she acted deliberately disinterested.

Mandy, aware of that, continued speaking to Zeon.

“Now, where were we?”

“You said the mana stone mine sent a distress call.”

“Right. Apparently, an Awakened from another colony has arrived.”

“Don’t tell me… a pathfinder?”

“Yes. His name is Jang Wuhang. He says he’s a scout, or what we call a pathfinder.”

“Jang Wuhang?”

“Yes. He says there’s a massive underground city beneath what used to be Sichuan in China. According to him, it’s not quite on Neo Seoul’s level, but it’s big enough to hold hundreds of thousands.”

“There’s really such a huge underground city?”

“Well, they were a major power back in the day. So it makes sense there’d be more survivors.”

“Interesting.”

Zeon showed a look of genuine curiosity.