Now that Belobog was no longer divided into an upper and lower layer and the Stellaron crisis had been resolved, Cocolia immediately turned her attention to education. Those walking the path of destiny were her top priority.
And so, Hook's escape attempts became a regular occurrence.
"Eh?" Pela suddenly remembered something and looked suspiciously at Seele. "If I remember correctly, Bronya also assigned you homework. Did you already finish it?"
"…Haha, let's just hurry up and find Bronya."
----------------------------------
Bronya's beautiful face looked slightly worried, with furrowed brows.
Belobog's affairs were now mostly handled by Bronya, with Cocolia only stepping in to help when Bronya was unsure about something.
"Bronya, you brought them here, huh? Why the long face? Did you skip breakfast?"
Hearing Seele's teasing, Bronya turned around with a helpless expression. Perhaps because of her upbringing in the Underworld, Seele had developed a habit of asking about meals whenever they met after being able to eat freely.
It was usually something like, "Did you eat breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?"
"Is Belobog in trouble?" When it came to critical moments, you could always count on Pela. Bronya gave Pela a "that's exactly why I rely on you" look before quickly turning serious and getting straight to the point.
"Belobog's Geomarrow reserves are almost depleted."
"!!!" Hearing that, the two of them immediately sat up straight.
"That vein was supposed to last Belobog at least fifty years — how could that big guy consume so much?!"
"Does Lady Cocolia know?"
"Mother has already taken people to search for a new Geomarrow vein, but no one can guarantee the outcome."
Searching for new veins had always been a top priority for Belobog. Cocolia had started this effort a long time ago.
Geomarrow was an essential energy source for Jarilo-VI, used in all aspects of life — but that wasn't even the most critical part.
"If Belobog runs out of Geomarrow, will Lord Godzilla leave?" Everyone knew that the reason Belobog was able to recover so quickly after the cold wave receded was because of Godzilla's influence.
It wasn't that Godzilla adapted to the environment — the environment adapted to Godzilla.
That phrase was particularly fitting for Belobog.
When Godzilla entered the Geomarrow vein, they suspected it needed energy. The longer Godzilla stayed in the vein, the faster Belobog's surroundings recovered. That was the true reason why Belobog could cultivate fertile fields and establish schools.
Bronya and the others had thought about following the awakened Beast Lord to a new land, but relocating Belobog's large population was easier said than done. After 700 years of hardship, no other place was suitable for human life — and reclaiming new land would take time.
Initially, they had hoped to discover new veins and build on them, but who knew that there wouldn't even be any scattered Geomarrow near Belobog, let alone a proper vein.
Seele scratched her head in frustration before suddenly having a lightbulb moment.
"Why don't we just move?"
"..."
"I think we should seriously consider digging 50 meters deeper beneath Belobog." Pela couldn't help but smile slightly despite knowing this wasn't the time for jokes. After clearing her throat, she shared her thoughts.
"I don't think we need to rush just yet. After all, we still don't know why Lord Godzilla stays in Belobog or if it will leave for another reason."
Seele agreed with Pela's view.
"Exactly. From what it looks like, that big guy probably just wants Geomarrow as an energy source. Worst-case scenario, I'll just carry it over from somewhere else."
Bronya couldn't accept Seele's suggestion. They were already suffering from malnutrition in the Underworld — compressing resources further would only make things worse.
"Bronya— Huh? Pela and Seele are here too?" The door opened, and a lively, adorable girl walked in.
"Rin? Weren't you with Mother?" Rin nodded and explained, "Lady Cocolia said today is the day Lord Godzilla wakes up, so she sent me back to ask if Lord Godzilla needs anything."
Over the years, Godzilla would wake up periodically, and Cocolia had carefully recorded each occurrence. But even when it woke up, there wasn't much to do — this world had neither Mothra to train nor Ghidorah to confront. Sleeping and absorbing Geomarrow energy was more appealing.
"That's right! Why are we overthinking this? Let's just go ask directly." Seele pounded her fist into her palm, suddenly enlightened.
Without hesitation, they quickly packed up and headed underground.
...
Lower District.
The current Lower District is no longer called the Lower District; it's now known externally as the Land of the Sleeping Beast Lord. Within a radius of 500 meters, both above and below ground, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach. The security is tighter than even Qlipoth Fort.
This is the place where Godzilla sleeps. The cave that was once recklessly dug open has now been expanded several times over. A down bed, infused with the collective expertise of all the scientists in Belobog, bears a weight it was never meant to carry at its age.
A Godzilla sleeps on it.
"Hey~! Big guy! Wake up!"
A loud, clear voice echoed through the vast cave. Godzilla's ears twitched, his claws scratched his face, and his tail flexed slightly… then he rolled over and went back to sleep.
Seeing this, Serval couldn't help but pout. But realizing there was nothing she could do about this big guy, she could only resign herself to the situation.
Clapping her hands on the machine in her hand with a bit more force, Serval cheered herself up.
"Old pal, time to work." Accompanied by a mechanical hum, the machine in Serval's hands trembled and roared. Under her control, it pressed down hard onto Godzilla's skin!
After all, it's underground. No matter how lavishly decorated it is, over time it will lose its luster. So Serval took on the responsibility of cleaning Godzilla's outer skin.
Looking back, she saw Godzilla's tail lift slightly, and Serval let out a sigh of relief — the strength was still just right.
Just when she was about to expand the cleaning area, Godzilla suddenly rolled over. His eyelids lifted, and those golden, vertical pupils — larger than two of herself — stared straight at her.
Serval's heart pounded violently. Her breath instinctively hitched, her chest heaving from lack of oxygen, accentuating her curves.
No matter how many times she saw it, she was still shaken by that intense penetrating gaze and oppressive presence.
Fortunately, after spending years together, Serval quickly realized that he wasn't looking at her.
"Bronya, Seele, Pela — you're here." Serval wasn't surprised by their arrival.
Every time Godzilla wakes up, it's a big event for Belobog. The builders would seize this rare opportunity to offer the treasures they'd gathered — minerals infused with energy. Though they provided more energy than Geomarrow ores of the same size, the quantity was small, making them suitable as post-wake-up snacks for Godzilla.
And if Godzilla hadn't woken up on his own, she wouldn't have dared to come up to clean.
Speaking of which, the fact that she could clean Godzilla's body surface was still considered a miracle in Belobog. As one of Belobog's few intellectual talents, Serval was naturally reinstated.
When she first laid eyes on Godzilla, she froze on the spot — and then, a speck of dust falling from the top of the cave prompted her to speak from the depths of her soul, "Do you want a bath?"