Belle stared in surprise at Keqing, Hu Tao, the Traveler, and Xiao, her eyes filled with confusion.
As a member of Phaethon, she had spent years working in the Inter-Knot and had heard of many powerful individuals and organizations in New Eridu—but she had never once heard of Keqing or the others.
At that moment—
Seeing Belle frozen in place, Paimon quickly called out, "Miss Proxy! Miss Proxy! The monster's already been taken care of, so let's hurry up and head deeper into the Hollow! I really want to see what's down there!"
Belle was speechless: "…"
It was the first time she'd met someone so eager to explore a Hollow.
Most raiders or agents would avoid them at all costs, yet here she was, showing this much interest in the depths.
Belle took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to go deeper? There are bound to be more high-level Ethereals inside—much tougher than the one we just fought…"
Hearing that, Paimon quickly looked to the Traveler. "What do you think?"
The Traveler thought for a moment. "If they're like the one we just dealt with, they won't be a problem. Let's keep going and see what's further in."
Keqing nodded. "I think so too."
Xiao added seriously, "Just what I was hoping for."
With the strength of their team, these monsters posed no real threat.
However—
Belle could only sigh: "…"
She certainly didn't want to venture deeper into Hollow A37. The pressure there was immense, and the Ether concentration and activity were terrifying. It was one of the most dangerous Hollows—second only to Hollow Zero.
Even so—
As a Proxy, if Keqing and the others insisted, she had no choice but to follow their lead.
And so, they set out again, heading deeper into the Hollow.
Paimon flew up beside Belle, speaking seriously, "Hey Proxy, do you know where the strongest monsters are? Based on what you said earlier, if we can eliminate the strongest ones, the Hollow will go into decline—and that'll save this place, right?"
Belle answered, "In this Hollow, the strongest Ethereals are, of course, in its deepest part."
Paimon pressed further, "I don't just mean this Hollow—I mean, where's the strongest monster among all the Hollows?"
Controlling Eous, Belle glanced at her helplessly. "Obviously, in Hollow Zero…"
These people…
Don't tell me they actually plan to head straight into Hollow Zero and suppress it?
What a joke.
Even New Eridu's top elites couldn't break into its depths—they were stuck patrolling the outskirts. Suppression? Impossible.
But—
Paimon declared confidently, "Then after we clean up the monsters here, we'll head to Hollow Zero! With the Traveler and Xiao, we'll definitely wipe it out!"
Belle was stunned silent: "…"
Wipe out Hollow Zero?
You've got to be kidding.
Sure, Keqing, the Traveler, and the others were strong—but the idea that a handful of them could suppress Hollow Zero was pure fantasy.
As they walked, Belle warned the group, "Be careful. A37 is an extremely active Hollow. The deeper we go, the more Ethereals we'll encounter. Stay alert—they could show up at any time."
The Traveler nodded. "Thanks for the warning."
Keqing rested one hand on her sword hilt. "Proxy, Paimon—stay close to me."
Paimon quickly flew over. "Okay! You guys have to protect me!"
Belle hurriedly controlled Eous to follow: "…"
In her entire Proxy career—
This was shaping up to be one of her most dangerous assignments yet.
...
While Keqing, the Traveler, and the others ventured into the depths of Hollow A37...
At that moment—
At the Hollow's edge, Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Asaba Harumasa, and Soukaku had finally entered the Hollow to begin their investigation, following orders from their superiors.
But almost immediately after entering, Tsukishiro Yanagi noticed something off.
"Something's wrong. The Ether activity and concentration aren't normal…"
"Of course they're not. Didn't the commander say our mission was to investigate the recent data anomalies?"
"I mean the readings now are way lower than what the commander reported before—especially the Ether activity. It's dropped off a cliff…"
Tsukishiro Yanagi stared at the readings on her observation device in shock.
From her experience, these changes only happened when a Hollow suddenly went into decline—or when a large number of Ethereals had been wiped out.
But—
Hollow A37 had always been one of New Eridu's biggest headaches. The authorities had tried suppressing it countless times and never succeeded.
There was no way it would suddenly enter decline.
Hearing her analysis, Hoshimi Miyabi furrowed her brow. "It does seem like something has happened. Does your map mark the locations of high-level Ethereals?"
Yanagi quickly pulled out the Hollow map, studied it for a moment, and found the mark. "Here—it's marked. Section Chief, let's check it out."
Hoshimi Miyabi nodded. "That's what I was thinking too."
Asaba Harumasa smiled. "If this Hollow really is declining, it'd be huge for New Eridu. We wouldn't have to worry about another sudden expansion from A37."
Soukaku slung the Oni Blade Banner over her shoulder and took a deep breath. "If only merchants from New Eridu would open a few restaurants in here… Then when we get hungry, we could eat a hot meal right away…"
At that, Asaba Harumasa laughed. "Quit dreaming, Soukaku. Hurry up!"
Soukaku sighed. "Alright, alright—I'm coming! Wait for me… Yanagi, got any rations? Lend me a piece."
Tsukishiro Yanagi shook her head helplessly. "Didn't bring any…"
They weren't far from the first marked high-level Ethereal.
Soon, they reached the location.
Looking around at the abandoned buildings, Hoshimi Miyabi frowned. "The Ether pressure isn't as high as I expected, and the concentration and activity aren't strong either…"
It was her immediate impression—and she was dead on.
Nearby, Tsukishiro Yanagi did her usual scan and found her data matched exactly with Miyabi's observations. The Ether readings weren't much different from when they'd first entered.
In other words—
There weren't any high-level Ethereals nearby.
The one originally here had either been killed or moved elsewhere.
Up ahead, Asaba Harumasa suddenly called out, "Section Chief, Yanagi, Soukaku—over here! There are signs of a battle!"
Hearing that—
Miyabi and Yanagi rushed over, and sure enough, they found traces of combat on the ground and on the crumbling walls nearby.