Captain Xin was a bit surprised. She had only posted the commission casually, hoping for some extra results. But the information she received was... strange.
"Does the person who took the commission think I'm easy to fool? Are they trying to scam me for the fee?"
She wasn't short on Dennies—they were just numbers to her—but that didn't mean she was willing to be conned.
Not even for a single Dennie!
"Xin, what's up?"
A girl with double buns walked over, curious after seeing Xin's expression.
"Nothing, just got some information about the Fire Picker from the one who took the commission."
"But the info is absurd—what he likes to eat and drink, his favorite art style, places he enjoys, games he plays..."
"That doesn't sound like something about an Ethereal."
Captain Xin shook her head. She wasn't taking it seriously and figured she'd just been fed nonsense. Either way, she had no plans to pay the commission fee.
"Wait, didn't you say the Fire Picker has human consciousness?"
The bun-haired girl tilted her head in confusion. If he had human consciousness, wouldn't that kind of info make sense?
"Yeah, I said that. It's what the professor personally recorded in the manual he left behind."
"But that's just human consciousness—not all the other things that make someone human. What part of that list even fits?"
"You telling me an Ethereal can eat, drink, travel for fun, and play video games?"
They're in the grey space between black and white—not both.
Xin shook her head again. The white wings at her waist shifted slightly as she spoke with resignation.
"The person who took this commission is just clueless. I wanted intel on an Ethereal, not a dating profile."
"Good thing I had no expectations for that new Inter-Knot account to begin with..."
"Xin, what if... he doesn't just have human consciousness? What if he has other human traits too?"
Unlike Xin, the bun-haired girl hadn't been involved with the Fire Picker for long. Her thinking was all over the place—she believed anything was possible.
"But the manual never said that."
"Which means your theory isn't realistic."
Xin waved a hand, exasperation flickering across her pale face.
"But the manual never denied it either."
Her friend's words hit like a pebble dropped into still water, sending ripples through Xin's mind.
Her hand paused mid-air.
That's right—the manual never denied it. It never said the Fire Seeds of the future couldn't become human.
The bun-haired girl watched Xin fall silent, then crossed her arms triumphantly and let out a proud hum.
"Knew it! Nailed it in one."
Beside her, Xin's eyes began to glow brighter.
She had a point. And thinking it through... it was actually plausible.
After the disappearance of the Cretan Hollow, the Fire Picker had vanished. When it reappeared, it was inside the Defense Force base in the Mars District.
Those districts weren't even close.
Even with special means to travel between Hollows, it would be nearly impossible for an Ethereal to break into a military base.
And no one even knew what the Fire Picker's goal was.
If it could become human, then everything happening in Mars District would suddenly make sense.
It was a bold idea.
An Ethereal turning into a human—Xin had never heard of such a thing.
She blinked, her pristine white wings fluttering faintly at her waist.
If this theory held, then the seemingly new Inter-Knot account that had already passed its first promotion test might not be ordinary at all.
The upper brass in the Defense Forces were still busy bickering over external affairs. Things had calmed down for now, and Mars District offered the first real lead about the Fire Picker.
But doing anything was still difficult.
That Inter-Knot account might be a potential entry point to break the deadlock.
Before that, though, she'd need to keep up the act of a good customer.
"As expected of the mercenary group's young lady. If something really comes of this, I'll owe you."
Xin gave her friend a small smile.
"Haha, no need to thank me! But if you do find the Fire Picker, tell me right away. I have to be friends with him!"
"That Ethereal form? Totally my aesthetic!"
The bun-haired girl waved her hand. Xin could only return the smile and nod.
Ever since learning about the Fire Picker, this one had been slipping further and further into fangirl territory.
"By the way, what if... he really can become human?"
"What if we recruited him into the Staff Corps?"
Now that the idea was out there, Xin's thoughts were growing bolder.
"Power is the foundation of all purpose and action. But if he had a better platform, he could make even more of a difference."
"You... that idea's really something, but you shouldn't be asking me."
"You're the one who's a captain in the Staff Corps. I'm just your friend—nothing to do with the Corps."
The girl shook her head with a sigh, not offering any opinion either way.
"Yeah, I get that. It's just a thought. Joining the Staff Corps isn't easy."
Xin wasn't surprised by her reaction. The situation in New Eridu had changed. Groups like theirs had to keep a healthy distance from the military.
She raised her hand, gazing quietly at the staff emblem stitched onto the sleeve of her uniform.
What exactly was she trying to do?
Protect peace...
Fearless, unyielding, and without regrets...
That was the mission and the belief of the Staff Corps.
Yes—fearless. Unshaken. Without regret.
Without regret.
"Right, Xin, about that forum I mentioned earlier—what are you going to do now?"
"Just send me the link. I'll check it out. I want to see what kind of content is drawing so much attention."
...
In the video store.
"Hmm? (Belle, what's wrong?)"
Eous sat on the couch, eyeing Belle who was quietly sitting in the corner. Concerned and curious, it asked the question.
It had just finished recharging and didn't know what had happened.
"What do you think? She got beat up."
Wise sighed and answered.
"What! What! (Who did it! I'll avenge Belle!)"
Eous immediately stood up, clearly upset.
"Relax, I'm kidding."
Wise patted Eous on the head, motioning it to sit back down.
"She just cooled off and realized she did something dumb. Now she's overwhelmed with embarrassment and can't face anyone."