The emergence of Slaanesh's narcotics put the Salamander on edge. He moved forward at nearly the fastest pace these college students could handle. Along the way, he ran into Billy Kid—the robot was being characteristically flamboyant, escorting several young and attractive women through the Hollow.
The giant exchanged a brief greeting with his Man of Iron friend, then led his group away. He didn't want his own worries to interfere with his friend's work. That said, these Hollow-specialized students were genuinely impressive in terms of stamina. Before long, they followed the Salamander out of the storage zone.
"My god, this was absolutely worth it! I'm definitely going to promote this when I get back! Eight thousand—Ethereals, Ether-corrupted mechs, even spatial displacement! Totally worth it!"
"Yeah! I already have ideas for editing the video!"
"Our practical report is definitely going to be the best among all recent classes!"
"Don't worry, I'll contact other classmates who still need this once we're out!"
"Right, we even got to record the erosion process."
Watching the students' excitement and listening to their gratitude, Nicole began to wonder if Ignis had been a bit too professional. Ethereals and corrupted mechs were one thing—she'd already heard rumors about those—but spatial displacement? What was that about? The owner of the Cunning Hares couldn't quite make sense of it. Most of her knowledge of Hollows came from hands-on experience, but in a Hollow like C41, officially declared to be in a recession phase, such a phenomenon shouldn't happen. Spatial instability was supposed to occur under higher Ether radiation levels, wasn't it?
And then there was the erosion process. Did someone actually…
"Ignis, tell me—did something happen?" Nicole asked immediately after seeing off the enthusiastic customers.
"Yes." the Salamander nodded. "We were suddenly displaced by a spatial transfer. After things stabilized, there was an addict nearby suffering withdrawal. He underwent erosion right in front of the students and turned into an Ethereal."
"Logically speaking, with Ether activity at that level, there shouldn't be any particularly strong Ethereals. Why are you so tense?"
"That newborn Ethereal was taken down with one hammer strike," Ignis said, frowning deeply. "But that addict was wrong. It was 'Fantasy.' He came here to get money so he could buy the batch of 'Fantasy' that's rumored to be going on sale."
"So, what do you plan to do?" Nicole looked at the giant.
"I'm heading out for a bit to contact various parties and see if there's any new information on this drug. It's too dangerous—we can't let it reappear and hurt people again." Ignis gestured for Nekomata to come over.
"Take care of the boss. I'm heading out for now." Ignis rubbed Nekomata's head. "I'll make fish for you tonight."
"No problem, meow! Leave it to me, meow!" Nekomata nodded vigorously.
"Go on, go on. I can handle things here." Nicole waved him off. "If it's urgent, move fast."
The giant broke into a run toward the Hollow's exit, even passing those same students again along the way. Ignis gave them a brief wave in response to their enthusiasm, then accelerated away.
The moment he exited the Hollow, the Salamander pulled out his phone from the power pack's storage compartment and called Markus.
"Any new information on 'Fantasy' on your end?"
Ignis went straight to the point the moment the call connected, cutting Markus off mid-thought.
"No. No progress for now," the black-market dealer replied. "Ever since the news about a sale got out, there's been no further movement. I've sent scouts to follow up, but nothing yet. I also had people check on a few gangs previously tied to The Flowerbed and the Vulkan District thermal power plant."
"A lot of addicts among them are waiting for this batch of 'Fantasy' to hit the market. They used to have some stock, but most of it's been consumed since the rumor spread. With no new information now, they're getting desperate."
"I think it's a move to drive prices up. These junkies will spend everything they have as long as the withdrawal is bad enough. And it's not just them—some artists are also seeking it through various channels, offering very high prices."
From Markus's tone, Ignis sensed a hint of envy toward this kind of business and immediately issued a warning.
"You'd better not think about getting a share of it. This drug isn't simple. It has an indescribable power—once you're tainted by it, even your soul gets controlled."
"Damn it, what drug doesn't do that?" Markus nearly laughed. "Relax. Thanks to you, my arms business is booming. The Mole Gang just placed a massive order with me. If you run into them in a Hollow, be careful."
"Still, you and your people need to keep watching this. You mentioned before about asking your boss for information—any word on that?"
"Hey, listen to that tone—you sound like my boss now. Issuing orders and all?" Markus scoffed. "My teams are all watching. Anyone hears a whisper, I send people. So far, no real news about a new batch of 'Fantasy.' If there's anything, it's just hoarders trying to sell at inflated prices."
Markus's voice dropped.
"My boss says 'Fantasy' is quite popular among certain upper-class figures. But New Eridu as a whole strongly rejects narcotics, so these people haven't touched the city's core of power yet. Still, it's possible they're moving closer in secret. My boss would very much like to completely wipe out the source of this drug. Its level of control over people is terrifying—and so is the manufacturing process."
Slaanesh's corruption always led toward the pinnacle of power—this was their usual tactic. Using transcendent pleasure to fuse themselves with authority, then corrupting downward from the top, turning the entire world into a mad paradise for the Prince of Excess. Ignis's actions—destroying pleasure gardens and drug factories—had significantly slowed Slaanesh's plans. No wonder the usually subtle, temptation-driven malice had chosen to strike at him directly.
"If there's any news, I'll contact you immediately. You've got experience dealing with this stuff," Markus said more quietly, likely retreating back into an underground firing range. "Jaxcalibur Squad members are also on standby. If needed, I'll mobilize other teams as well. My boss and I take this very seriously—you can rest assured."
"Good. Contact me immediately if anything comes up." Ignis hung up.
Whether Markus was trustworthy was no longer in question. The Flowerbed had come from his contacts, and the Vulkan Quarter drug factory had been demolished on his orders. Judging by his behavior, the boss behind him was very likely connected to the Defense Force and Public Security. Cooperation might be inevitable in the future—Ignis could handle small-scale threats alone, but if a larger Chaos incursion occurred, he'd need the Defense Force to hold the line.
Ignis opened Jane Doe's contact. There had been no reply recently—she seemed to have vanished again. He looked at the message he'd sent last night, then scrolled upward. Ever since they parted at Port Elpis, the Rat Thiren hadn't replied once.
He knew it was part of her job and that he shouldn't disturb her—but the Salamander couldn't help wanting to see a reply, just to know she was safe. He knew her combat ability was formidable; without armor or psychic powers, even he might lose to her. And yet, the lack of response still made his hearts race with unease.
This worry was different from the old fear of veteran sergeants being wounded on the battlefield. He was afraid she would simply cut ties with him after those fleeting days together. Her name was false—perhaps even her identity—but his feelings were real, and he knew hers were too. Body and soul entwined, they had confirmed it countless times over three days.
Yet Jane Doe's words lingered in his ears—she wanted things to end there. Ignis didn't want that. She was captivating, mysterious. He felt he hadn't learned enough about her yet—he wanted to know more.
But the rat vanished silently from his life, as if she'd never existed, like a beautiful dream.
Yet the warmth they shared—the press of skin against skin—had been real. Even now, the Salamander could recall the heat of her body, her hips moving as she rode him, excited sweat dripping onto his skin, burning hot like flowing fire.
"Do you have time during Golden Week? I'd like to ask you out on a vacation."
Ignis had revised that line countless times, trying to keep the tone light. But each unanswered message crawled over his twin hearts like insects, making him restless and anxious.
A reply? Of course not. Miracles didn't come that easily. If she hadn't replied to thousands of previous messages, she wouldn't just happen to see this one.
Ignis patted his cheeks and sighed.
I'm being too gloomy. She wouldn't want to see him like this. She'd be fine—she was just busy, or hadn't seen the messages.
Ignis closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. Jane Doe wasn't heartless—if anything, she was deeply loyal.
She must have her reasons. After all, she was an undercover agent.
Ignis exhaled slowly and closed the Inter-Knot chat. By the Emperor… is this love? Or am I just fooling myself?
The giant shook his head and removed his helmet. He needed to refocus on work. The C41 Hollow issue wasn't over yet. Even if he wanted to ask Jane Doe out, he'd need enough money first. Best to resolve the Hollow's troubles before anything else.
Setting aside his personal feelings, Ignis reviewed the day's escort mission. That final spatial displacement had been far too coincidental. After landing, they hadn't been attacked, nor had there been any adverse effects. The addict's trail had been blatantly obvious, guiding him straight there.
Everything felt… calculated.
He'd felt the same when dealing with Razor—someone, at just the right moment, had returned Jane Doe to his side and neutralized the 300-kilogram warhead trap. Then Razor had been delivered to him just as perfectly timed.
Ignis didn't know enough about Hollows to draw conclusions. That left only one option—consult a professional. Among his friends, none understood this better than Phaethon.
The giant called Belle.
"I saw it on the Inter-Knot—you guys are really something. Selling access to warehouse zones?" Belle laughed. "Those hackers trying to crack the password gates are furious. They spammed posts insulting you, but the mods muted them for being too vulgar. So, what's up? Shouldn't you be busy making money right now?"
"It's about the Hollow," Ignis said directly. "While escorting today, we were hit by short-range spatial displacement. Is that possible in a recession-phase Hollow?"
"Huh?" Belle was stunned. "Possible… technically. But the odds are like flipping a denny into the air to divine fate, only for it to fall into a sewer, land upright, and not topple."
"Recession-phase Hollows usually disappear naturally in a short time. Their Ether energy is almost depleted. Spatial displacement requires Ether to distort space—unless you're insanely lucky and the Hollow's remaining energy just happened to get used there."
"So, the probability is infinitely close to zero?"
"Correct—but it's not zero," Phaethon's voice suddenly rose. "It's extremely rare. And even when it happens, the displacement is usually nearby. There's just not enough energy."
"Understood. Thanks." Ignis got his answer, yet his brow remained furrowed.
Infinitely close to zero—but not zero. That meant there was room for manipulation. Could it be…
After Sophie was blessed by curiosity and then stripped of that blessing, the Changer of Ways had not spread His raven wings again. Could He be behind these events…?
As Ignis brooded, his phone vibrated. He looked down and saw a name that made his heart leap.
[Jane Doe: "Of course I have time. Where do you want to take me?"]
===BREAK===
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