The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

　The woman turned around, paused slightly when she saw Russell, and then gave an apologetic smile. "You must be the guest Oleg mentioned? I'm sorry, it's a bit messy here. I'm Natasha."

　Her eyes were clear and tired, yet they held an unyielding resilience.

　"I am Bertrand Russell."

　He handed her the bandage, his gaze sweeping over the pale blue under her eyes and her hands, which were clearly rough from overwork. "It seems that you have more 'lesions' here than I thought."

　Natasha took the jar and gently placed it on the table.

　“The lower wards are never short of patients, Mr. Russell. We just try our best… to minimize the suffering.”

　“Well said, Miss Natasha.”

　She looked up at him, her tone gentle yet direct, "I've heard about what happened at the boxing gym. That wasn't treatment, that was execution."

　Russell looked around the clinic and, instead of answering, asked, "How long have you been here? Fighting seemingly endless diseases and injuries with limited resources."

　"Don't you think that sometimes a complete elimination is more effective than futile delays?"

　"The value of life does not lie in whether or not one is sick, Mr. Russell."

　Natasha's voice was not loud, but extremely firm: "My duty is to heal, not to judge. Taking lives... that's not what a doctor should do."

　"Even if that life itself has become a breeding ground for more suffering?"

　"even so."

　She made no attempt to evade the question: "I believe in order and rules, and I believe in the significance of the Earth Fire—it exists to prevent anyone from arbitrarily deciding the life or death of others. You agree, sir?"

　Russell looked at her and seemed to see through her weary body the core that still shone brightly in the mud.

　He suddenly laughed.

　“Very good answer, Dr. Natasha.”

　He said gently, “Perhaps we can talk about…the real ‘healing’.”

　……

　Chapter 106 Meeting with Natasha.

　"A true cure?"

　Natasha carefully tied the bandage on the last wounded soldier, gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, turned around, and looked at him with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "I don't quite understand what you mean."

　"If this is what you mean by healing, then I cannot accept it. Such healing is not true healing for me."

　Just call me Russell.

　He smiled slightly, his tone calm, "As for the question from earlier... there's really no need to delve into it. Everyone has their own path; you hold fast to your beliefs, and I'll follow my own way."

　"In this bottomless abyss, there are very few people like you who can hold on to their original aspirations and light a lamp for others."

　"At least our paths lead to the same destination, and I have no doubt about that."

　His words were frank and sincere, but Natasha did not respond. Instead, she silently shifted her gaze to the almost empty medicine shelf and sighed without a sound.

　"But your act of murder is—"

　"Consider it a sincere compliment, Miss Natasha."

　Russell took a step forward, his voice lower but still clear, "Or is it that... the true leader of the Earthfire is actually still worried about the shortage of medicine?"

　Natasha's body tensed almost imperceptibly: "How did you know..."

　“It’s not hard to guess. Oleg is more like a decisive executor, while you…”

　He paused briefly, gazing calmly at her. “You possess a power that inspires people to follow you. It’s a quality of leaders—it gives people hope and motivates them to take action. I call it the ‘gift of hope.’”

　Without waiting for her response, he continued, his tone calm: "I'm not here to defend the boxing gym. You won't convict me, otherwise we wouldn't be standing here talking like friends."

　“Scott isn’t worth your time. He’s a jerk, isn’t he? Instead of worrying about whether this jerk lives or dies, you should be thinking about how to get around the downtown area.”

　"It's a good thing that the gym is now under the management of Di Huo. At least it can prevent the tragedy from happening again. There won't be any cruel acts like kicking out boxers who can no longer fight and leaving them to fend for themselves."

　His gaze swept over the empty medicine shelves once again.

　"As for the medicine... please let me do you that favor."

　Russell stretched out his hand, and a pure and bright emerald green light emerged from his palm, swirling and gradually coalescing into an antique yet exquisite medicine box. Vines-like patterns wrapped around the box, exuding a tranquil yet vibrant life force.

　"Please accept this. It's not an apology, but a gift—to someone like you who has always upheld medical ethics. This has always been my way of doing things."

　Natasha took the box, stunned. It clearly didn't belong to any of Belloberg's known manufacturing systems; it was warm to the touch, as if it possessed a life of its own.

　"It will automatically generate some basic medicines and dressings every day. The amount is not much, but it should be enough to alleviate most of your predicament. As for other things, feeding it some waste will be enough to maintain normal survival."

　Russell's voice was gentle yet firm: "Permanently effective."

　He looked into her eyes, as if he had anticipated all her surprise and doubt: "You may find it hard to believe. But it is because of you that this miracle has occurred. You are the miracle itself, aren't you?"

　"It is because of miracles like you that the lower district has not become completely desolate. You deserve to be rewarded."

　His aura suddenly became solemn and distant, and flowing golden patterns silently appeared on his clean white robes. An indescribable pressure spread out, and Natasha found herself unable to move for a moment.

　"In the name of the Envoy of Abundance—the Lord of the Dead, by the Medicine Master, I will bless the healer with a kind heart, and help him to alleviate the suffering of the world."

　He gathered a wisp of pure, life-giving light at the tip of his left finger and gently touched Natasha's forehead before she could react.

　A warm and powerful force instantly surged through her entire body, cleansing her limbs and bones.

　She could clearly sense an energy she had never encountered before flowing through her veins, which eventually condensed into a peculiar emblem of abundance on the back of her hand.

　"Carry this power with you and continue to spread the grace of the pharmacist. This is not charity, but recognition you deserve. It's just a pity that it comes a little late."

　He withdrew his hand, and the surrounding light faded away. "This mark is proof of the Compassionate Physicians. They travel among the stars, healing countless suffering lives; they are a force under my command..."

　"If one day this planet can reconnect with the stars, you will know its significance. For now, keep it safe. Perhaps we will meet again when you travel the universe."

　Natasha was still reeling from the shock, countless questions weighing on her mind, but they were firmly sealed by the real mark on her hand and the power flowing within her.

　Just then, with a "bang," the clinic door was pushed open carelessly.

　A brightly dressed man with a beaming smile poked his head in, immediately noticing the lingering dim light in the room and the atmosphere between the two men. He then exaggeratedly raised his hands:

　"Oh! Boss Natasha, I really didn't mean to bother you! Or... should I wait outside?"

　Natasha quickly regained her composure and said calmly, "Speak your mind, Sambokoski."

　"Actually,"

　Sambo scratched his head, then glanced at Russell with a grin. "I'm here to talk to this brother about some personal matters. I wonder if it would be convenient for you... to borrow him for a few words?"

　Natasha looked at Russell, who nodded slightly.

　“Ask him yourself. I can’t interfere with this gentleman’s thoughts.”

　Sambo immediately looked over eagerly, and Russell smiled faintly: "It's alright. I should take my leave now. I won't disturb Dr. Natasha's work any longer."

　"Alright! You're really straightforward, buddy!"

　Sambo warmly approached Russell, putting his arm around his shoulder and practically pushing him out of the clinic, chattering incessantly: "Oh my, you have no idea what you've done! It's all over the lower districts! A million times more reliable than me, old Sambo! Really, I admire you from the bottom of my heart..."

　He kept rambling on, and Russell just listened with a smile. For this guy whose energy of joy was almost off the charts, it was obvious that he was talking to him about something important.

　Russell let him lead him through several narrow alleys, eventually into a secluded dead end. Sambo looked left and right, making sure that no one would come for four weeks.

　He suddenly stopped smiling excessively, lowered his arms, his tone remained light, but his eyes became more serious:

　"Dude, it's quiet here, good for getting down to business. About Yalilo—how about we talk?"

　Russell met his gaze and nodded slightly:

　"Of course, Mr. Sambo. May I ask where you'd like to begin?"

　Chapter 107 The Interlude Between the Envoys

　"Alright! Since you're so generous, I, Old Sambo, won't bother with all that fancy stuff!"

　Sangbo clapped his hands, and his playful expression turned serious, a rare occurrence.

　"Dude, you should know that there's a star core buried here in Yalilo, right? Right now, this frozen wasteland and rampant rifts are all caused by that thing."

　"Of course I know."

　Russell nodded. "It's very intelligent. It hid itself as soon as I sensed its presence. The star cores here are quite intelligent."

　"Wow! Dude, I'm really impressed by your honesty!"

　Sangbo gave an exaggerated thumbs-up, then leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Then you must have seen those three extraterrestrial visitors, right? There was a cool guy with a cold face and a long spear, a loud and boisterous gray-haired girl, and an overly lively pink-haired girl?"

　"They are members of the Star Train, and by all accounts, they are my juniors."

　"Oh, I knew it!"

　Sangbo slapped his thigh, "Well... what do you think about this..."

　Russell's gaze suddenly darkened, and a subtle chill crept into his aura.

　"What? What are your plans for them?"

　He knew all too well the pleasure-seeking nature of this man, and the three children were clearly not going to be played with too much.

　"Hey, hey, buddy, don't get angry!"

　Sambo quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

　"Do I, Old Sambo, look like such a reckless person? Your Excellency Huaixiu, relax—I don't want to provoke a Commander who is famous throughout the universe."

　"You know quite a lot."

　Russell said calmly, "Is it because you think my sudden appearance disrupted your script and made things less fun?"

　"How can it be!"

　Sangbo waved his hand with a grin, "I'm overjoyed that you can participate!"

　“But we also need to give young people more opportunities to perform, right? I guess you think so too, otherwise how could that star core have slipped out of your grasp? Hey, that's an old joke.”

　"I came in response to your prayer, with no intention of interfering in your script."

　"It's better to be unintentional!"

　Sambo clapped his hands. "You don't know, ever since you arrived, the Great Guardian, who was misled by the Star Core, has given a death order: capture all extraterrestrial visitors!"

　"Those three little devils almost got surrounded and turned into dumplings the moment they met the Iron Guards. If it weren't for me, old Sambo, 'passing by' in time and lending a hand, they'd probably be counting ice picks in solitary confinement right now!"

　"If you ask me, it must be because you scared this star core out of its wits that it's in such a hurry to eliminate all variables."

　"As the Envoy of Pleasure, wouldn't resolving this kind of trouble be a piece of cake for you? Destroying the star core wouldn't be difficult for you either, so why go to all this trouble to stage this charade?"

　"That's right, buddy."

　Sangbo shrugged, his face clearly saying, "You just don't understand." "But those kinds of 'easy-sweet' storylines where everyone just crushes their opponents are so boring!"

　"What I, old Sambo, pursue is that ultimate joy—the joy they find in being tempered by hardship, and in the end, in healing the scars of the entire world with a smile! Besides..."

　His tone softened slightly, and he pointed to the ground: "You should be able to feel the tension between the upper and lower levels in the lower area, right?"

　"What I'm afraid of is that once the star core is gone, the people above and below will immediately start fighting! Their conflicts can't be resolved by simply smashing a star core."

　"At least there needs to be a representative recognized by both superiors and subordinates to slowly mend the mess left by Cocolia. Otherwise, there will only be more trouble. In the end, instead of getting any fun, I'll become the fun myself, and Boss Aha will probably laugh himself to death!"

　Russell nodded silently. Almost every lower-class resident he had treated harbored deep resentment towards the upper classes. Sambo's concerns were indeed valid.

　"So, solving problems is easy, cleaning up a mess is hard. Why not put on a grand show and sweep all the problems into the trash heap at once! That's the real comedy that's suitable for all ages and makes everyone happy!"

　Sambo became more and more excited as he talked, gesturing wildly.

　“Hmm, you’re quite different from other pleasure believers I’ve met.”

　Russell raised an eyebrow slightly. "To be honest, I don't dislike you, Sambo."

　"Oh, thank you for the compliment!"

　Sambo chuckled, "It's true that I enjoy watching the fun, but I won't do anything immoral! To be honest, when I first sensed your arrival, I thought it was some colleague coming to cause trouble!"

　"Oh why?"

　"Your abundant energy is one thing, but the concentration of pleasure you exude is frighteningly high!"

　Sambo sniffed exaggeratedly.

　"As you know, we encounter all sorts of people in our lives, not all of them are as hospitable, kind, and reasonable as I, old Sangbo. I don't want them meddling and turning a good comedy into a farce!"

　"The power of pleasure?"

　Russell thought for a moment, then took out a candy box covered with all sorts of strange cartoon stickers from his pocket. "You mean this? Aha gave it to me many years ago when I first left my hometown."