Sampo talked eloquently:
"Heh heh, only by answering questions and getting authenticated can you become one of Svarog's prospectors. As long as you're a prospector, you can go in!"
Seele asked impatiently:
"So where do we answer the questions to get authenticated?"
Sampo carefully leaned in toward everyone, looking left and right, and said in a low voice:
"Did you see those robots next to the vagrants? Those are all Svarog's little brothers. He sent them here to maintain order."
"Besides monitoring the little punks' every move, their other duty is to provide trials. Anyone who wants to become one of Svarog's prospectors has to pass their test first."
After hearing Sampo's words, March 7th asked:
"So we just need to find those robots, right?"
"It's the authentication robot. Your old pal Sampo knows the approximate location—let's go, let's go!"
("zzzZZZ…")
And so.
The group strolled through the mechanical settlement, searching for the authentication robot while observing the surroundings.
The vagrants were all behaving themselves, completely lacking the arrogance they had shown in the Great Mine.
March 7th said curiously:
"Huh, are these vagrants really the same group from the Great Mine back then? They seem so normal."
Seele explained:
"Some of this group might have been involved in the vein seizure back then, but not all of them. Among the vagrants, only a portion like causing trouble."
Bronya looked at the scene of robots and vagrants getting along and murmured:
"This would be unimaginable in the Overworld. Up there, robots are just tools."
("zzzZZZ…")
"…"
Seeing Bronya staring at the certain someone in the wheelchair who had fallen dead asleep again, March 7th comforted her:
"Sigh, don't mind him. When we need him, he'll wake up on his own!"
Seele sniffed and asked doubtfully:
"Are you serious? What's the principle behind this?"
March 7th smiled:
"Everyone's constitution is different."
"…"
There were several damaged robots by the roadside, lying there with zzzzt zzzzt sounds.
A vagrant was standing in front of them, intending to repair them, and said:
"Don't move around. I'll fix you up right away."
But the damaged robot let out a strange refusal:
"I… I'm an outdated model that should go to the mechanical graveyard… My parts aren't worth anything…"
"…W-what the hell are you saying? I'm not going to sell your parts."
Bronya looked over there and sighed:
"It seems the vagrants and robots get along pretty well."
After walking a bit more, the group arrived in front of a traffic-light robot.
Sampo said excitedly:
"Ah, I remember—this is it! This is the authentication robot!"
Suddenly.
The certain someone leaped off the wheelchair like a monkey, sneering with a menacing glint in his eyes!
"Heh heh heh!"
This sudden scene caused the three people except March 7th and Dan Heng to take a step back.
The certain someone stared at the robot and grinned sinisterly:
"Hahahahaha! This is the one, right? It's time to compete in intelligence—let me show you the mighty power of Zeig when it comes to answering questions!"
"What are you doing! You jumped up all of a sudden—you were just snoring a moment ago!" Seele said in shock.
Bronya was also startled.
Sampo, on the other hand, started flattering:
"Whoa, as expected of big bro—you really do wake up at the critical moment!"
The traffic-light robot in front detected someone approaching, and its indicator lights slowly lit up:
"Beep—boop—"
Zeig's eyes gleamed as he pulled a phone from his pocket:
"Heh heh, allow me to open the browser. If there's anything I don't know later, I'll just search it!"
March 7th said in shock:
"Weren't you going to showcase your intelligence? What's the meaning of using a browser to search?"
"That's exactly my intelligence!"
"…"
At this moment.
A burst of noisy electronic sound came from the authentication robot ahead:
"Protocol… initiating… commencing… scan… verification."
"Authentication failed… Individual lacks access permission. Trial will now commence."
The authentication robot that was about to start the trial suddenly shuddered, then scanned the group again.
"Wait… High-risk individual detected… High-risk individual detected…"
It stared at Zeig's face, continuously emitting alarm sounds.
"???"
Zeig had already pulled out his phone, his hand on the search bar, but this thing seemed to go crazy, blaring alarms nonstop.
"Is this thing working properly or not? Isn't it supposed to be answering questions—why is it beeping like crazy?" The certain someone scratched his head.
"Beep—boop—Uploading to network… Requesting support…"
In an instant, all the robots in the entire mechanical settlement turned their heads toward this spot in unison.
Seele immediately sensed something wrong, strode forward, and kicked the authentication robot over!
Bang—
As the robot fell to the ground with a dull thud, its indicator lights flickered on and off.
Finally, they dimmed completely, and the alarm stopped.
"Zeig, how about… you go back to the wheelchair?" Seele said.
"Huh?"
Zeig looked completely bewildered—what had he done?
Was it wrong to use a browser to search for answers? This wasn't the college entrance exam!
Dan Heng spoke up:
"Zeig, just now, that authentication robot seemed to trigger the alarm after scanning your face."
"What's wrong with my face? I haven't done anything immoral—how strange."
He sat back in the wheelchair pushed by March 7th, feeling these robots were inexplicably weird.
Seele stared at the kicked-over robot:
"Let me see if restarting it works. Zeig, stay back a bit."
March 7th handed the wheelchair to Dan Heng:
"Here, here—the wheelchair's yours now. You two remember to stay far away."
Dan Heng asked:
"Aren't you coming with us?"
"No way! We've walked so long and finally found a robot to play with! Remember to push Zeig far away!"
"…Alright."
So, Dan Heng pushed Zeig back, stopping at a distance to observe.
Over with Seele, it seemed the restart was successful.
"Trial step one… Please listen to the question—"
"The overall champion of the Internal Combustion Engine Rap Battle is—?"
March 7th had her phone out, just like Zeig earlier, with the browser search bar open, but upon hearing the question, she was stunned:
"What the heck? How would we know about this kind of nonsense?"
She tentatively searched, but couldn't find anything—this seemed like internal gossip from the mechanical settlement.
Seele looked at Sampo beside her:
"Sampo, do you know the answer?"
Sampo said confidently:
"Of course your pal Sampo~ doesn't know."
"Now that big bro has inexplicably been banned, I'm heartbroken! Please don't disturb me—let me grieve alone!"
March 7th frowned slightly:
"You're way too unreliable. Didn't you say you'd scouted this place thoroughly up and down?"
Sampo shrugged:
"Hey, even your old pal Sampo doesn't know everything, right? The info was gathered from hearsay—don't rush… Let's go ask the vagrants around here. No matter how you look at it, this sounds like some kind of gossip. We have to ask the locals!"
Thus, in the line of sight of Zeig and Dan Heng, the group began dispersing to gather information.
Zeig smacked his lips:
"Tsk tsk tsk, not bringing me along—damn it! In that case, I'll just catch up on sleep."
Zeig immediately slumped back in the wheelchair and closed his eyes.
But Dan Heng, pushing the wheelchair from behind, spoke up at that moment:
"Zeig, how about… we go try to find Clara?"
"Hm?"
Zeig opened his eyes and asked excitedly toward the back:
"Oh ho? General Dan Heng! You also think my proposal to kidnap Clara is great, right?! Jie jie jie jie jie! Then let's go!!"
"…"
…