The next morning, Fu Zhu and Seele returned to Svarog's villa early. When they arrived, March 7th and Xing were still sleeping in. Dan Heng and Bronya, however, were already awake, sitting and chatting at the long table.
"What are you talking about?"
Fu Zhu and Seele walked over, pulling out chairs and sitting in the empty seats.
Dan Heng first nodded a greeting to Fu Zhu and Seele before answering the earlier question: "Bronya says she wants to help us."
"Really? Have you thought it through?" Seele was somewhat surprised. Yesterday, Bronya had looked devastated after learning the truth. Had she really figured things out overnight?
Although Bronya still looked a bit unwell, it was a significant improvement compared to her near-collapse the previous night.
Her face was slightly pale, but she managed to force a small smile and nodded slightly. "Yes. Regardless, I need a chance—a chance to prove my mother's innocence or make amends for her mistakes. I want to return to the Overworld with you all. With my help, I believe it will be easier for you to meet the Great Guardian."
Dan Heng nodded in agreement beside her, but he didn't forget to ask Fu Zhu's opinion, turning his head to cast an inquisitive look at him. "What do you think? It would be best if we could resolve the Stellaron issue without bloodshed. After all, Belobog is the only surviving civilization on Jarilo-VI. If people discover the Great Guardian has been concealing the truth, it might cause significant unrest."
Fu Zhu thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Alright. In that case, I'll go wake up March and Xing. Let's get ready and head back to the Overworld."
"Okay."
Following his minimap, Fu Zhu first located March 7th. He reached out and knocked on her door. After waiting several seconds with no response, worried something might have happened to her inside, Fu Zhu chose to simply break the door down, casually stuffing the wooden door he'd just knocked off into his inventory.
Wooden doors are great for underwater exploration. Replenishing oxygen depends on them.
On the large bed inside the room, March 7th lay quietly on the white bedding, her small mouth occasionally parting slightly with soft breaths. The covers, which should have been neatly over her, had been kicked aside.
Her pink pajama top had ridden up slightly due to her rather ungraceful sleeping posture, her belly button 'playfully' peeking out.
Perhaps because Fu Zhu's method of entry was a bit violent, the cold air drifting in from outside caused the sleeping girl to frown unhappily. She turned over, reaching out and fumbling around the bed, searching for the long-discarded covers.
Fu Zhu stood beside the bed, taking a couple of extra glances before slowly turning his head away. He then pulled his phone from his pocket and quietly set an alarm for ten seconds later. The ringtone was specifically set to March 7th's own shout of "Open Sesame!" from outside the Robot Settlement.
Although March 7th had taken his phone and deleted the video back then, Fu Zhu had developed a good habit ever since he started playing MC: making backups.
After all, sometimes a save file could get corrupted for various inexplicable reasons, highlighting the importance of backups.
This led Fu Zhu to subconsciously back up everything he did afterward, including the video of March 7th's "Open Sesame" moment.
After setting the alarm, Fu Zhu carefully placed the phone near March 7th's ear and began counting down silently in his head.
Ten, nine, eight... two, one!
"Open Sesame!!!"
The abruptly awakened March 7th shot bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide open, lightly patting her chest with lingering fear.
"Damn it... I actually had a nightmare. It's all Fu Zhu's fault, secretly recording videos! Hmph!"
"Oh? How is this my fault? Weren't you the one who said it?"
Fu Zhu's voice suddenly drifted over from the side. March 7th shuddered, stiffly turning her head towards the source of the sound. Fu Zhu stood by the bed, arms crossed, looking at her with a half-smile.
March 7th's gaze met Fu Zhu's eyes. She blinked, slightly bewildered, then looked down at her somewhat disheveled clothes. She couldn't help but gasp, her lips parting slightly, seemingly about to scream.
"Wait!"
Fu Zhu stopped March 7th's instinctive scream before it could start, leaving her stunned.
Just as her emotions were building up, someone had slammed on the brakes...
"I know what you're thinking. You probably think I saw something I shouldn't have. But think carefully, am I that kind of person?"
Hearing this, March 7th gradually calmed down. Thinking about it, Fu Zhu had indeed always been a very reliable person. He probably wouldn't barge in and peep on her like this.
"Well, my answer is, I did indeed see... your belly button."
March 7th's face flushed crimson in an instant. Her small hands flew to cover her navel as she protested coquettishly, "Don't look!"
Fu Zhu chuckled, reaching over to retrieve his phone from beside March 7th, not forgetting to tease her.
"It's useless covering it now, I've already seen it. Remember to cover your belly button properly with a blanket next time you sleep, don't catch a cold. I'm going to wake Xing up now. Get up quickly, we need to set off."
Putting his phone away, Fu Zhu walked out of the room. He initially intended to close the door for March 7th, but his hand reached into empty air. After a moment's hesitation, he finally took the wooden door back out and reinstalled it.
March 7th's gaze followed Fu Zhu's retreating back until the door closed, only then looking away.
"Ugh!"
March 7th grabbed the nearby blanket and rolled herself into a human burrito, burying her burning cheeks into the soft pillow. Her complaining voice became muffled.
"Bad guy, secretly looking at my belly button, how embarrassing!"
But then, remembering Fu Zhu's parting words reminding her not to catch a cold, a warmth spread through March 7th's heart.
"Hmph."
....
In the adjacent room, Fu Zhu roughly dismantled the door again. Walking inside, he couldn't help but feel a twitch at his temple.
Xing was sleeping peacefully on her side on the bed. Seeing this, Fu Zhu didn't think much of it, but... Xing was hugging the Redstone Block he had given her yesterday. And wrapped around the Redstone Block was a small, pink pajama top that Xing must have found somewhere.
"Hehehe, my Redstone Block..." Xing mumbled in her sleep.
Fu Zhu took a deep breath and reset his phone with a new alarm. This time, the ringtone was the default chime that office workers considered a nightmare.
Ring ring ring~~~
The instant that nightmarish sound erupted, Xing reacted almost instinctively, flinging her own phone—which had been placed beside her pillow—across the room.
Bang!
The phone crashed heavily against the wall nearby. The corner of Fu Zhu's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had no choice but to call out to wake her up directly.
"Xing, I suggest you open your eyes right now and see what you just threw."