Today I watched the livestream about Ninth Street online too. Saw that giant crane soaring through the sky, and that enormous, colossal deer...
Especially that collision between the giant deer and the Hollow.
Belle was stunned.
Belle said earnestly, "Those three legendary immortals everyone's been talking about online—they really are connected to you guys. Where did you find such powerful allies?"
Nicole smiled confidently. "Of course from Sam Li's hometown—a city called Liyue."
Billy chimed in, "Manager, it was such a shame we didn't bring you along to Liyue last time. Next trip, we'll definitely invite you. You'll see the true power of Liyue—not a single Hollow in sight over there..."
Hearing Nicole and Billy's words, Belle grew even more perplexed.
What was going on?
Belle already knew Sam Li wasn't from New Eridu, but from the Outer Ring. But... was there another country called Liyue out there? It was completely unheard of to her.
Beside them, Zhu Yuan said earnestly, "Regarding the training and assessment of the Public Security Bureau recruits, please do agree to this request."
As a request from the Public Security Bureau, both Hare's House and the Video Store naturally didn't want to refuse. But this was their first time encountering such a commission.
Belle hesitated for a moment before saying, "But we've never trained or assessed Bangboo before, and we're unfamiliar with the specific procedures..."
Nekomata quickly chimed in, "That's right, meow! We've never handled this kind of commission before."
Hearing this, Qingyi smiled faintly. "No need to worry. The training and evaluation procedures are standardized. You just need to communicate smoothly with the Bangbu, troubleshoot when they encounter issues, and give them courage... Since you frequently interact with Bangbu, you should be quite skilled at these things."
Especially Belle, who was exceptionally adept at handling Bangboo. Every Bangboo in Sixth Street was very familiar with her.
After hearing Qingyi's explanation, Nekomata exclaimed excitedly, "In that case, meow, leave it to us!"
Belle also agreed. "Alright, since it's for suppressing the Hollow, we're certainly willing to lend a hand."
Seeing everyone agree, Zhu Yuan beamed. "Alright, this training and assessment will be called [Little Bangboo vs. Evil Ethereals]. I'll pick you up tomorrow and take you to the special Hollow for training and testing."
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi seemed quite busy. After finalizing the commission details, they hurriedly left the video shop.
Watching their retreating figures, Billy muttered to himself, "Little Bangboo vs. Evil Ethereals? Wait a minute, isn't this just a special insect battle?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Billy received a kick in the rear.
Nicole scolded angrily, "All you think about is insect battles! This is a Public Security Bureau commission. Do it properly if you want to earn more Dennies."
Billy sighed helplessly, "Got it, Boss Nicole..."
Still, Billy couldn't shake the feeling. Training Bangboo felt just like a bug battle.
Nearby, Guoba seemed to understand the conversation and joined in, meowing loudly, "Lu, Lu-lu—"
Nekomata looked puzzled. "What's it saying?"
Xiangling explained, "Guoba says it can help train Bangboo too, teach it how to fight."
Hearing this, Billy couldn't help but laugh. "Fight? That little thing?"
Xiangling said earnestly, "Don't mock Guoba. Though it's tiny now, it was once formidable—one of the ancient deities from Liyue's Archon War era, the God of the Stove. It predates even the Adeptus..."
Hearing this, Billy's jaw dropped. "That powerful?"
Guoba placed his hands on his hips. "Lu-lu-lu—"
Xiangling followed suit, hands on hips. "Guoba says, 'Of course.'"
Billy pressed, "Then can it transform into a hundred-meter-tall form like those Adepts and fight?"
Xiangling shook her head. "No... I already said, Guoba lost its power during the Archon War."
With that, Xiangling began recounting Guoba's story to Billy and the others.
She described the successive calamities that befell Liyue, how Guoba invented the stove, and taught the people of Liyue to use it. Ultimately, to purify the land of Liyue, it channeled all its power into the earth.
After hearing Xiangling's account, Billy sucked in a sharp breath. "So it's that powerful? It's actually lived for two or three thousand years..."
Xiangling continued, "But don't worry. As long as Guoba eats its fill, it can steadily regain its strength. Sooner or later, it'll become as powerful as it once was."
Anby realized with a click. "No wonder it eats so much."
During their days in Liyue before, Anby had always wondered about this little Bangboo named Guoba. Despite its tiny frame, it worked with astonishing speed and could polish off several bowls of ramen in one sitting.
After hearing Guoba's story, Belle also watched it with keen interest, surprised by how formidable this little creature truly was.
Then, Belle inquired about the Immortal.
Thus, Billy recounted everything that had transpired in recent days to Belle—including being teleported to Liyue with officials from New Eridu, witnessing the floating Jade Chamber, gazing upon the boundless ocean, ascending Jueyun Karst, inviting the Adeptus, and the collaboration with Liyue...
Billy sighed. "The New Eridu should be called the Eridu City of Liyue Kingdom from now on..."
Belle fell deep in thought. "..."
She hadn't imagined so many events could unfold in just a few short days.
At that moment, Hu Tao suddenly chuckled. "Didn't we agree to watch a movie? Stop spacing out and get it out already."
Belle snapped back to reality. "Follow me, they're all over here... Pick whatever you want to watch."
Billy exclaimed excitedly, "Of course we're watching Starlight Knight! Those dashing figures, those drifting marksmanship—just as cool as me... Found it! This one! Manager, can we borrow your projector?"
Belle sighed helplessly. "Alright, the projector is over there."
Saying this, she led everyone to another room.
Billy eagerly inserted the disc into the projector. As the TV lit up, the theme song of Starlight Knight began to play.
"Starlight Knight, shining bright—"
"Lu-lu-lu—"
"What did he say?"
"He said to move your hand. It's blocking his view."
"Oh... got it..."
...
While everyone watched the movie, Belle quietly slipped out of the projection room.
Soon, Wise returned from outside.
The moment he came back, he sensed something was off. He opened the projection room door and saw Nicole, Hu Tao, and the others sitting on the sofa.
He then silently closed the door again.
Wise looked puzzled. "Who are they?"
Belle explained, "They're from Liyue... Liyue is Sam Li's hometown. It seems to be a nation untouched by the Hollow."
Immediately after, Belle also told her brother Wise about Adeptus, and about New Eridu's collaboration with Liyue.
Wise took a deep breath and said, "If they can truly suppress Hollow Zero, it would be a tremendous blessing. But they still underestimate Hollow Zero..."