It was like setting up the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor right outside the Millelith barracks in Liyue Harbor—holding funeral services day in and day out, making a racket. No wonder the Millelith eventually cracked down.
"Find me a spot that's a bit more out of the way too..."
Seeing this, Nicole sighed helplessly. "Alright, let me think where else might be suitable..."
At that moment, Anby interjected, "There are a few vacant storefronts on Sixth Street..."
Hearing this, Nicole's eyes lit up instantly. "Exactly! Sixth Street is a hidden gem—packed with all kinds of shops and facilities..."
Billy also grew excited. "Next time we play games at the arcade, we can swing by for Xiangling's cooking afterward. Perfect!"
Nekomata couldn't wait. "Let's go now! We can introduce Xiangling and Hu Tao to the Proxy. Since we'll be neighbors, he can keep an eye out for them."
With that, Nekomata eagerly pulled Hu Tao and Xiangling toward Sixth Street.
But then, Xiangling suddenly realized, "Wait, where's Guoba?"
Billy quickly pointed to the side. "He's right here..."
But when they turned to look, Guoba, who had been standing beside them moments ago, was gone.
Anby hurriedly said, "It's Guoba's first time here. He might have gotten lost. Let's go find him quickly."
Immediately, everyone rushed to search the nearby alleys and streets.
Suddenly, Nekomata excitedly called out, "Over there! He's chatting with a Public Safety Bangboo!"
Hearing this, everyone hurried over.
They saw Guoba standing at the entrance of a shopping mall, face-to-face with a Public Safety Bangboo.
"Lu-lu-lu—"
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Thank you for chasing away that dog disturbing the peace)—"
"Lu, Lu-lu—"
"Neh-da, neh-neh (To show my gratitude, please charge at the station next door—their electricity tastes best)——"
"Lu-lu, lu-lu-lu——"
...
The two little creatures chattered back and forth, seemingly engrossed in their conversation.
Billy, watching from the side, was utterly bewildered.
Brother Guoba.
And you claim you're not a Bangboo?
Nicole panted as she ran over. "What are they two saying?"
Xiangling explained, "I can't understand what that Bangboo is saying. Guoba said there's no need to thank him, helping friends is only natural..."
Billy clarified, "I can only understand what Security Bumb is saying. He's thanking Guoba—seems Guoba helped Security Bumb chase the dog away..."
Through the two interpreters, everyone suddenly understood what had happened.
It turned out that while they were discussing helping Hu Tao and Xiangling open their shop, a vicious dog had been causing trouble nearby. Guoba discovered it and immediately ran over to help Security Bu chase the dog away.
Hearing this, Nekomata exclaimed in surprise, "Little Guoba is pretty impressive, meow—"
Hu Tao chuckled. "Of course! Don't let its small size fool you—it can even knock Ethereals flying when placed in a Hollow."
Billy gasped. "That powerful?"
He clearly didn't believe her, thinking Hu Tao was joking.
After finding Guoba, Nekomata couldn't wait to say, "Let's hurry to Sixth Street!"
Xiangling nodded. "Mm..."
Before leaving, Guoba didn't forget to bid farewell to Security Bu. "Lu-lu-lu—"
Security Boo raised his hand in return. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm-da (Goodbye, next time I'll treat you to a charge)—"
...
Sixth Street was quite a distance from Lumina Square.
To reach Sixth Street quickly, they hailed two taxis and rode all the way to the video store entrance.
"This is Sixth Street. Proxy has run a shop here for years and knows the area best. Let's hear their advice."
As soon as they stepped into the video store, they saw Belle.
Nicole first introduced Hu Tao, Xiangling, and Guoba to Belle before bringing up the shop matter.
"Here's the situation, Manager. Do you have any good storefront locations to recommend?"
"Of course. There are still several vacant shops on Sixth Street..."
...
Though Sixth Street boasted a diverse array of shops, their locations were generally poor.
Compounded by the fact that most operated in gray-market industries, these businesses appeared to be struggling on the surface.
Take the Bangboo Modification Shop, for instance—it closed its doors every other day...
Or the toy store, where common toys were perpetually out of stock, replaced instead by odd, obscure items...
Over time, the legitimate businesses moved out, leaving several vacant shops.
"Let me show you around," Belle said with a smile.
With that, she led the group to Sixth Street.
At the street entrance, they spotted a large storefront. "This used to be a big restaurant, but they just moved out recently... This one was a phone shop, also gone..."
After walking around Sixth Street, they spotted four or five vacant storefronts.
Belle smiled. "What do you think? I have the owners' contact info. If you like any of these, just chat with them."
Xiangling nodded. "Alright, I'll take the one at the street corner... But the rent must be sky-high, right?"
Belle gave a slight smile. "Not at all. Don't worry..."
Meanwhile, Hu Tao also picked a shop from among the vacant ones.
Belle smiled. "I'll contact the owners for you right away..."
A moment later, Belle sighed. "The owner has something up today and can't make it, but they'll definitely come tomorrow. I'll make sure to negotiate a great price for you then."
Nekomata excitedly said, "Then let's go see a movie at the theater today!"
Anby immediately chimed in, "I second that—"
Nicole said with deadpan seriousness, "Going to the theater is such a hassle. The video store has more DVDs than the theater anyway. Ahem, let's just go browse the video store instead."
As she spoke, Nicole had already walked ahead.
Anby fell silent. "..."
Billy was speechless. "..."
Nekomata sighed. "Nicole's old habit is acting up again..."
But the video store wasn't a bad idea.
Though most of the discs had been watched already, both Hu Tao and Xiangling were first-timers, so they could just tag along.
...
Just as they'd returned to the video store and were introducing the films to Hu Tao and Xiangling, suddenly a Public Security Bureau patrol car pulled up outside.
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi got out and entered the store. Spotting Nicole, Sam Li, Ling, and the others, they visibly relaxed.
"You're all here. That's great."
"Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, what brings you here?"
"Well, with the help of several Liyue Adeptus, the higher-ups plan to launch a large-scale crackdown on the Hollow. But such a massive operation requires far more personnel than the Public Security Bureau currently has. So they intend to quickly train and assess a large group of Public Security Guards... Belle, Nicole, Sam Li, we hope you'll accept this commission."
Hearing this, Belle, Sam Li, Nicole, and the others exchanged glances.
Sam Li and Nicole were thinking about the training and assessment of the constables.
But Belle's mind was elsewhere—on the Adeptus.
Suddenly, Belle realized. "You're talking about the crane and the deer that went viral online today?"