Tree King: What? I've become the Abundant Pharmacist?

Chapter 83 The Responsibility of the Iron Guard

"this....."

Looking at the dimly lit room before her, Bronya was still somewhat incredulous that she had actually arrived in the Lower City.

Although part of the plan was to send Eve and the others to the lower city while I stayed behind to conduct the investigation.

But I never expected that I would end up in the lower city again.

But it seems there's nothing that can be done about it now.

She also remembered that before she lost consciousness, Dunn had said that she was on the arrest list.

This means that Mother has become suspicious of my actions.

Bronya shook her head, somewhat shocked, but her immediate priority was to find Eve.

I remember when I was unconscious, a blue-haired man suddenly appeared, threw something at me, and then I passed out.

That blue-haired man must be the one who escaped from the iron cage, his name is... Sambo?

To be able to escape from the iron cage and still manage to pull off underhanded tactics under the Iron Guards' command, that person must be extraordinary.

Moreover, according to this doctor, it seems that Eve was also taken away by Sambo.

Bronya suddenly remembered something, and looking at Natasha, she continued, "Dr. Natasha, who exactly is Sambo?"

Natasha continued with her own business, casually remarking, "Who knows? He's so secretive, claiming to be a reseller, but who knows what kind of goods he has underground to deal with? But that guy definitely has a lot of connections."

"They urgently needed medicines and daily necessities, and they also helped [Earthfire] a lot."

“Speaking of subterranean fire, you probably don’t know about it, after all, it only came into existence after your Silvermane Iron Guards withdrew from underground,” Natasha said meaningfully.

"Earthfire?" Bronya shook her head.

These were words she had never heard before.

"Since the Great Guardian locked the passage between the upper and lower levels, the people underground have had to rely on themselves to survive. As a result, the miners underground formed a self-defense organization called 'Earthfire' to spontaneously maintain the security of the cities in the lower levels while seeking a way to leave."

"After all, due to the shortage of supplies, there were disputes and wars everywhere, so there had to be an organization to take charge and distribute the supplies."

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Natasha said softly.

“Conflict, war…” Bronya was somewhat stunned.

Having always lived in the upper district, she knew nothing about the underground.

Therefore, she only had a vague understanding of what Natasha was saying.

But at the same time, she also felt some emotion and guilt.

"And what about life for the people underground?" Bronya asked again.

“It’s never been very good,” Natasha said helplessly. “The people underground have to do manual labor in a sweltering environment with scarce resources.”

"Moreover, the situation in the lower districts worsened after the Silvermane Iron Guards withdrew from the underground more than a decade ago. Apart from the exchange of materials around the Earth Core, we had almost no contact with the surface."

"In addition, the erosion of the rift has also spread here..."

As she spoke, Natasha sighed.

"The rift has also invaded this place?" Bronya's heart sank.

On the surface, Iron Guard was constantly fighting against the monsters created by the rift, but unexpectedly, they also encountered an invasion of monsters underground.

After a long silence, Bronya thought for a moment, then mustered her courage and spoke:

"Excuse me, Dr. Natasha, could you please tell me more about the Lower City?"

Natasha put down her work, sighed, and said, "Of course."

"I originally thought that the Silvermane Iron Guards would keep quiet about these things."

Bronya shook her head. "No, I need to know, I absolutely must know, and what really happened back then?"

Natasha looked at Bronya and a slight smile appeared on her face.

“I don’t know the specifics of what happened back then.” Natasha shook her head.

"You should know how important the Earth Core is. After the construction of the Beloborg, the demand for energy has only increased. The cold wave has blocked the possibility of outward expansion, and humanity can only choose to develop downwards."

"At the call of the city builders, people went underground to dig out veins and establish mining areas. At least until the upper and lower layers were sealed off, living underground was an honor."

"It means that an individual voluntarily chooses a difficult task so that the entire civilization can survive."

Bronya nodded. "I understand all of that."

"That's what the Upper District said too."

Natasha sighed and continued, "But more than a decade ago, the Great Guardian at the time was also Cocolia, and she ordered the closure of the passage between the upper and lower city areas."

"Only one transportation route for the earth marrow was left, used to exchange supplies."

"And what exactly this was for, we still don't know."

Bronya thought for a moment and said, "According to the upper district, the monsters in the rift on the ground are becoming more active, and the battle on the front line is becoming increasingly difficult. The builders have had to transfer all their Iron Guards to the front line to defend against the monster invasion."

"If the surface defenses cannot be maintained, the underground will collapse due to the loss of supplies."

Natasha shook her head. "It's not that simple."

“Actually… I’ve always felt that something important is being hidden. Whether it’s the actions of the City Builders, Mother, or the Silvermane Iron Guards, there’s always something unnatural about them,” Bronya said, lowering her head.

Before Eve and the others arrived, she didn't understand her mother's actions at all.

Despite the heavy sacrifices made by the Iron Guards and the existence of better alternatives, the mother simply wouldn't listen.

Bronya's feeling intensified after Eve and the others arrived.

Her mother must be hiding something from her, from everyone else.

"These are matters for you earthlings to concern yourselves."

“Underground, our only priority is survival,” Natasha shook her head.

Bronya remained silent for a moment.

It seems that the living conditions underground were far harsher than she had imagined.

“Excuse me, Dr. Natasha, may I go out to find my companion?” Bronya asked.

“Of course,” Natasha nodded. “It’s your freedom.”

"But be careful, it's not a wise move for you to wander around the lower city in this Iron Guard uniform."

“Because of the shortage of supplies, some people have already become desperate criminals, and they might do something drastic if they see the Iron Guards,” Natasha warned.

“I understand, Dr. Natasha,” Bronya nodded.

"But this is my responsibility."

“I can choose to change my clothes to conceal my identity as a Silvermane Iron Guard.”

"But I have to face the people of the lower city as a guard."

"Whether I came to the Lower City by accident or not, now that I'm here, I'm prepared."

"Whether it's scolding or anger, I have to bear it."

“I am not only a Guardian, but also the successor to the next High Warden. The residents of the Lower City are also the people of Beloborg. I have a duty to face them, not to cower and hide.”

After saying that, Bronya got out of bed and walked towards the door.

After listening to Bronya's words, Natasha shook her head helplessly, "Sigh, she's so stubborn."

"Well then, good luck, little Iron Guard."

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