"The situation is like this. Yesterday, I went to take a walk in the plaza in front of the Ballet Twins. Because the Companion Hollow there has shrunk, public transportation in that area has already been restored." Miss Proxy began recounting what she experienced yesterday.
"Not long after I arrived, I saw an elderly man arguing with someone. A young man named Hong was sharing strange stories from inside the Hollow with an old gentleman named Rhode. That's normally a pretty ordinary thing, right? So, I went over to ask what was going on. Turns out they had a disagreement about the Twin Ballerinas in the Ballet Twins Building."
"The Twin Ballerinas? You mean that strange pair of Ethereals?" Ignis naturally remembered the pair that had suddenly withdrawn. Unlike the Dead End Butcher, those two hadn't fought to the very end. Instead, they had abruptly taken their final bow and vanished, something that had always puzzled him.
"They weren't Ethereals originally—they were a pair of dancer sisters. Their final performance was on the very day the Ballet Twins was swallowed by the Hollow. All the audience members managed to leave safely, but the two of them didn't." Belle sighed softly. "Even though I don't want to admit it, there's a very high chance that those strange Ethereals are what they became. You've seen the process of living people turning into Ethereals before, right?"
"I have. Miguel Silver turned into an Ethereal right in front of me."
"After we resolved the airship incident, Hollow Raiders started appearing inside the Ballet Twins too. After all, it used to be a famous landmark. Someone even filmed strange black shadows on the very stage where the twin sisters once performed, dancing to music that matched the choreography they used when they were alive. I saw related posts on the Inter-Knot as well. Oh, right—the two Ethereals have official names now. They're called Nymph."
Nymphs—demigod-like spirits often depicted as beautiful and elegant, yet also followers of Bacchus, guardians of hunters and abandoned lovers, possessing a mysterious power that could drive people mad. In every sense, the name suited those two Ethereals perfectly. Yet they didn't seem to possess particularly strong battle instincts. When the Salamander fought them, they chose to abandon the fight and let him pass.
To be honest, being let off like that didn't feel very good at all.
"The young man named Hong told Grandpa Rhode about those online rumors, and the old man suddenly snapped. He started yelling that it was all fake, all lies." Belle continued. "I went to talk to him and only then found out that he was actually the grandfather of the twin ballerinas."
"No wonder he got angry. His granddaughters were swallowed by the Hollow, and then Ethereals with similar behavior appear inside. Whether it's true or not, it's extremely hard to accept." Ignis understood that feeling. The death of a loved one—especially an accidental one—was a raw, bloody wound. Mentioning it once meant tearing it open again. And to make matters worse, those online theories linking his granddaughters to Ethereals were like rubbing salt into an already bleeding wound.
Even though Ignis knew the speculation was very likely true, such claims were still deeply hurtful to the families of the deceased.
"Grandpa Rhode has had it rough. Even when his granddaughters were alive, paparazzi fabricated rumors about them. After their deaths, they still weren't allowed any peace." The Proxy pulled up a photo on her phone—two young girls, bright and cheerful, brimming with youthful energy and dreams for the future.
"Augilia and Augetta were raised by their grandfather from a young age. Even after becoming famous, they never revealed anything about him to the media, so no one knew about their guardian. That spared the old man from being hounded by obnoxious reporters. Grandpa Rhode said that only a few days after the Ballet Twins Hollow disaster, the overwhelming news coverage vanished. No one cared about that place anymore—including his missing granddaughters. The only ones who still remembered them were the company the Twin Ballerinas had signed with. They came to the old man and demanded compensation for his granddaughters' 'breach of contract penalties.'"
"Normally, when someone dies, shouldn't debts die with them? They actually went after the relatives for breach-of-contract penalties?" Ignis found it hard to believe. There was clearly something fishy about that contract.
"I don't know the exact details, but the old man still took on the debt." Belle's gaze dimmed. "During the day, he works as a security guard. At night, he does part-time work at a supermarket. An old man who can barely walk straight, hunched over—and yet he has to work two jobs every day just to pay off debt. And he still hasn't finished paying it off. He even borrowed money to buy a secondhand Bangboo and adopted a little dog with a crippled hind leg to keep him company."
"He said he gets to eat meat once a week, and that makes the whole 'family' lively. He said he's happy."
Happy?How could that possibly be happiness? It was nothing more than scraping together a bit of self-comfort in endless suffering. No wonder he cared so deeply about his granddaughters' reputation. Paying off their debt and reclaiming the honor they deserved—that was the old man's final wish. But with that level of labor intensity and inadequate nutrition, his health was bound to be in terrible shape.
"So, you want to help him out?" Ignis sighed as well.
"Of course. If you can, who wouldn't want to help someone in trouble?" Belle nodded. "But the positions I can offer him don't pay much. The video store itself doesn't generate high revenue. Most of the time, it's subsidized by the Proxy business. Breach-of-contract penalties are notoriously hard to pay off—especially in the entertainment industry."
"I think something's off here. The contract is very likely problematic. But I don't really understand New Eridu law. Maybe we could hand this over to Nicole and let her try." Ignis thought of the owner of the Cunning Hares. She was the kind of person willing to go to court with Vision Corporation on behalf of Canvas Street, so she had to be well-versed in New Eridu law and precedents.
"Nicole, huh? If a case like this wins, the entertainment company usually has to pay a huge sum due to unfair contract terms. Nicole would definitely be interested." Belle agreed with Ignis. "It's worth trying. Your Cunning Hares are known as an all-purpose problem-solvers. If you win this case, it's both good publicity and real profit. Nicole will absolutely take it."
"As for making a living, honestly, once this weird contract issue is resolved, I'll see if I can help the old man set up a simple breakfast stall." Ignis thought of Vesmir and the others. If he called out loudly, those guys would probably be willing to help.
"Right, your morning and night markets have gotten a bit famous lately. Especially after things blew up online last time, a lot of people came to try them out. I've heard the reviews are pretty good—cheap and good quality. One of these days, I'll have my brother take me to see it myself." Belle's expression brightened. She knew Ignis might look unapproachable, but in truth, he had a genuinely warm heart.
"Oh, right. Besides that, the main reason I called you is that we're preparing to go back to the Ballet Twins."
To be honest, Ignis didn't like that place. It was dark and damp, and more importantly, the Hollow there interfered with his perception. Whether it was the Lehman's Ear or his Fire-Sight, their effective range was severely limited in that cursed place.
"You're planning to look for the Twin Marionettes' relics? Bring something back for their grandfather to remember them by?"
"It seems you don't oppose it. It's an appealing idea, but relics like that won't be easy to find. That place has been swallowed by the Hollow for two years now. Even if anything's left, it's probably encased in ether crystals or already corroded." Belle thought for a moment. "I think it might be better to film the Ethereals' dance instead. Make the lighting dimmer, then have Fairy edit it—blur it a bit. It should look pretty convincing. There are already similar blurry videos on the Inter-Knot. That seems more reliable than trying to find relics."
"A recording, huh? That's a good option too." Ignis nodded, agreeing with the proposal.
"Then the most important question—how do we handle the payment?" Belle tilted her head as she looked at the Salamander. "I didn't charge the old man anything, so..."
"Alright, alright. I get it." Ignis laughed. "No payment. But you have to reimburse my fuel costs for this job. My autocannon had a misfire and isn't fixed yet. Right now, the only thing I can use is the flamethrower."
"I knew Mr. Ignis was a really good person!" Belle was so happy she nearly jumped. She'd been ready to negotiate a lower price, but he'd gone straight to zero.
Just as Belle was celebrating, Wise pushed open the door to the video store. "Belle, stop messing around and come help. There are too many customers."
"Got it, big brother!"
After Belle responded, Wise nodded to Ignis as a greeting and immediately ducked back inside. "Don't worry, we have backups of the tapes. I'll head to the storage room and find them for you right away."
"Looks like Ellen really brought in a lot of customers. She's unexpectedly popular." Using Lehman's Ear, Ignis estimated there were at least twenty or thirty people inside the shop. For such a small store, it was packed.
"Hehe!" Belle proudly crossed her arms. "I told you bringing Ellen in to help with promotion was the right call. A cute maid girl—absolutely irresistible."
It seemed Belle really hadn't paid attention to Ellen's actual working condition... but the Salamander wasn't about to point that out.
"So, when do we head out?" Ignis asked about entering the Ballet Twins Building.
"Tonight. It's too busy right now. Take Eous back with you. I'll connect to it directly tonight, and then you can bring it into the Hollow." Belle glanced at the bustling store interior.
The Salamander didn't mind bringing Eous along, but he was a bit worried the little guy might hold a grudge. After all, during their first meeting, he'd poked it—repeatedly. Still, he had to admit that Eous felt really good to the touch. Much better than Amillion.
As a Bangboo Nicole had picked up from an abandoned military scrap heap, Amillion was a mystery in itself.
Come to think of it, everyone in the Cunning Hares had been picked up by Nicole. In her words, they were all lost children.
Before long, Eous came out of the Proxy's house. Belle communicated with it for a bit, and the little guy reluctantly tugged at Ignis's pant leg.
"Alright, I've talked to it. Don't bully it, okay?" Belle waved at the Salamander and turned back toward the store. "I've got work to do. See you."
Ignis and the little guy stared at each other. Eous still seemed a bit scared when facing the Salamander alone.
"So, what'll it be? Do you want me to carry you, or are you walking yourself? I remember Bangboos can take public transportation."
Following Ignis's outstretched hand, Eous climbed straight up onto his shoulder and sat there.
"Like it up there? Fine by me. Just hold on tight."
It was probably the first time Eous had ever experienced such a high vantage point. The little guy was excited the entire way, chattering "Eh-ne, eh-ne" nonstop—even though the Salamander couldn't understand a word of it.
===BREAK===
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