"Still... that guy did have a point. We should figure out how to get out of here first."
Belle controlled Eous as it climbed onto the safe, snapping Nicole and the others out of their thoughts before summarizing the situation.
After some discussion, they reached a unanimous decision—open the safe.
Inside, a chip containing the "Rosetta Data" was retrieved and read by Eous.
A brilliant flash of light followed.
Guided by Eous, Hare's House's crew made their way out of the Hollow.
Meanwhile, Belle, who had been monitoring everything through Bangboo, had already lost consciousness…
...
The streets of Sixth Street bustled with activity, while inside the video store, deep contemplation filled the air.
"Fairy, this commission..."
Belle raised an eyebrow as she read through the job description on her phone screen.
Due to the hacker incident, "Phaethon" was now history. She had no choice but to start over, rebuilding her reputation in the underground network with a new account.
After waking up from her coma yesterday, she found that an AI named Fairy had been integrated into her HDD system. Now, Fairy was assisting her in filtering through commissions, helping her quickly restore her account's credibility and qualifications.
"Master, based on available information, this commission is indeed a good fit for you. After all, you encountered that Ethereal just yesterday."
An emotionless female voice echoed from the computer. Lounging on the sofa, Belle heard her words loud and clear.
"Investigating a talking Ethereal... Huh. The reward is pretty generous, but... someone's already got their sights on him?"
It hadn't been long since they left the Cretan Hollow.
Of course, Belle still remembered the Ethereal named Zane.
And that impression was impossible to forget.
"Fairy, can you dig up some info on that Ethereal?"
"Certainly. I have unrestricted access to 80% of the city's systems. Retrieving data won't be an issue."
On the other side of the room, Wise also requested a copy of the information.
Within moments, a detailed report on the "talking Ethereal" was sent to both Belle and Wise's devices.
Naturally, Fairy had already filtered out the exaggerated elements—sensationalized news, urban legends, and movie-like fabrications.
Otherwise, the file would have been dozens of times larger.
Belle scanned the report, quickly realizing that the situation wasn't as complicated as she had expected.
The earliest known mention of a "talking Ethereal" was from less than a week ago.
"A young girl, trapped in the Hollow, was reportedly rescued by an Ethereal suspected of being able to speak. A black-and-white Bangboo was seen accompanying it..."
That was the earliest recorded incident.
"Rescuing people, huh...?"
Thinking back, Zane had indeed seemed oddly civilized for an Ethereal.
Hare's House's members had made it out relatively unscathed.
He hadn't even harmed Eous.
Belle glanced at the public discussions Fairy had compiled regarding the incident.
"Still, a lot of people think this report is just a newspaper gimmick to attract attention."
"The general consensus seems to be that there's no such thing as a talking Ethereal. Most assume the 'rescuer' was just a uniquely dressed enforcer or military operative. Some even speculate that it was a rogue Hollow Raider or someone from the underworld."
Belle didn't agree with those theories. The HDD's detection system and Nicole's perception weren't something that could be wrong.
That level of Ether activity and concentration…
It was hard to imagine that any creature besides an Ethereal could endure such massive Ether corruption and still remain rational and self-aware.
Unless he really was connected to that incident…
But the chances of that were slim.
Belle continued skimming through the remaining information. Some reports had garnered significant attention:
A Security Bureau investigation team encountered a talking Ethereal in the Cretan Hollow. When found, the entire team had collapsed unconscious near the Hollow's edge.
Suspicion arose that the presence of the talking Ethereal had somehow reduced Ethereal activity within the Hollow, leading to increased energy harvesting efficiency.
Other reports were less prominent, mostly mentioning "sightings," "photographs," and "explorations"—none particularly valuable.
But the key detail? Almost all of these reports mentioned a Bangboo with dark circles under its eyes.
That was the main clue confirming that all of this information was related to Zane.
"Wait... if a Bangboo stays inside a Hollow for too long, it should be affected by the Ether erosion. But that Bangboo by his side..."
Belle furrowed her brows, realizing something didn't add up.
Maybe the only way to get answers was to dig deeper.
...
"Sis, based on this information, he doesn't seem particularly dangerous. Maybe we should take this commission," Wise suggested as he walked over.
"After all, we were planning to investigate him anyway."
Belle nodded. If it were any other Proxy, handling such an unpredictable and powerful entity would likely be a disaster.
But she had already encountered him once. That gave her an edge.
And besides, Zane had left with a parting remark—he expected to see her again.
Now, looking at it, this commission almost felt tailor-made for her.
"If you've decided, send Nicole a message. Let me know when you're ready to move out."
Wise waved his phone before heading out.
Without his Phaethon identity, his earnings as a Proxy had dropped significantly, meaning the video store needed to start turning a profit.
And with business picking up, there was a lot waiting for him to take care of.
...
After Wise left, Belle opened her contacts and shot Nicole a message.
Going into the Hollow wasn't something Eous could do alone—if it ran into an Ethereal, it'd be done for.
And given the current circumstances, Hare's House was the only crew suited for the job.
Unlike last time, though, they weren't the ones issuing the commission. If they were going to help, they had to be paid properly.
Because of that, it didn't take long for Nicole to reply.
She and Nicole exchanged a few messages about Zane.
Even though they'd been completely overpowered by him, Nicole had no reason to turn down the commission.
After all, Hare's House's finances were already deep in the red. If they didn't take on some work soon, they'd be bankrupt.
...
Once the conversation ended, Belle didn't feel much relief.
"This morning, someone actually offered Dennies money just to ask Hare's House about Zane? Things are getting complicated..."
Thankfully, those people didn't seem to know about the direct encounter between Hare's House and Zane.
They had likely approached Nicole's crew simply because Hare's House had been making frequent trips into the Cretan Hollow lately.
Because of that, Nicole hadn't revealed anything.
The client left empty-handed and didn't press further.
Her exact words?
"The guy didn't steal our safe, and he even let us go. That's at least some kind of favor, right? No way I'm selling him out."
Though, Belle suspected it wasn't just about loyalty.
Maybe… the offered price just wasn't high enough to tempt Nicole.