A few days later.
Wise had just finished updating his novel, having been urged repeatedly by a certain young lady. Not long after uploading the latest chapter, he received a message from Shepherd.
Shepherd mentioned that he had been working near Sixth Street over the past few days and wanted to meet. Apparently, there was some news regarding Perlman's whereabouts, something Wise had previously asked him to investigate.
After informing Belle, the two arranged to meet Shepherd at the video store.
"Phaethon, my old friends! It has been a while. How have you both been lately?" he said as he stepped inside, greeting them with his usual warmth.
This time, the tea he had been longing for was served by Odile and Odette.
"Thanks to you, we're doing just fine. Though it would be even better if you could bring us the kind of business we actually need," Wise replied, offering a faint, dry smile.
"Oh, what are you saying? Haven't you been getting quite close to Miss Venus lately? She must have sent plenty of good commissions your way, no? Don't underestimate my intelligence network."
Shepherd's words left the siblings momentarily speechless.
Why did that sound like they had been cheating on him?
"Are you saying you're going to disappoint us?" Belle asked.
The siblings knew Shepherd well. For him to speak like that usually meant the matter they had entrusted to him had not gone as planned.
Sure enough, his next words confirmed it.
"My dear friends, hear me out. This was entirely due to force majeure. To ensure election security, the city has recently tightened its measures considerably. Not only are the main roads under surveillance, but even the Hollow exits connected to the Outer Ring are now heavily guarded..."
Shepherd spoke for a while, making it clear that it was not for lack of effort on his part, but rather the circumstances that had made things impossible. Even so, he still offered them a possible lead.
If they wanted to gather information from the Outer Ring, their best option would be to get acquainted with the biker gangs operating there.
"That's all I have for you, my friends. I won't keep you from your business any longer. If you change your minds and feel like making some easy money in the near future, feel free to reach out anytime," he said.
With that, Shepherd finished the last of his tea and took his leave without delay. Once he was gone, the siblings turned their attention to what little they had gained.
"Even if we got one useful lead, tracking down Perlman hasn't become any easier," Belle said with a quiet sigh.
"There's nothing we can do about it. The Outer Ring is completely outside our usual scope," Wise replied, falling silent as he mulled over the problem.
Although they had Caesar's contact information, bringing something like this up out of nowhere would be far too abrupt.
On top of that, information about Perlman within the city had grown increasingly scarce. Even Fairy had been unable to uncover anything useful.
That struck Wise as deeply unsettling. Perlman's escape had caused quite a stir, and Public Security was actively hunting him.
Logically, as time passed, more information should have surfaced from all directions.
'Could he already be dead...?'
The thought left a faint chill in Wise's chest. The investigation into the Sacrifice could still be left to HAND, but the proxy lawsuit for the Cunning Hares would likely have to be put on hold for now.
Lost in those troubling thoughts, Wise was suddenly interrupted by Fairy's voice.
[|Master, Assistant No. 2, Billy is calling. Shall I connect him?|]
"We were just talking about them... Fairy, put him through."
At Wise's confirmation, Billy's voice echoed through the room.
|Oh, oh! So you two are at home! I sent a message earlier, but you didn't reply.|
"Sorry about that. We had a customer just now, so I missed it," Wise said.
Billy didn't dwell on it and went straight to the point.
|You two, I have something really important to tell you. It's better said face-to-face. I'm at the intersection behind the Bardic Needle. Can you come?|
After delivering his message, Billy quickly ended the call, as if something had come up on his end.
Left with little choice, Wise and Belle exchanged a glance before heading out to meet him.
Shortly after, Wise spotted Billy standing beside a large truck at the intersection, a red pig Bangboo at his side.
"Oh, Wise, you're here! That was fast!" Billy called out, waving the moment he caught sight of him.
Wise stopped a few steps away, a hint of surprise crossing his face as his gaze drifted between the truck and the Bangboo standing quietly beside it.
"Billy, did you strike it rich? Or did you finally leave the Cunning Hares?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Ah, how could that be? You know me, I'm pretty satisfied with how things are. Besides, Boss Nicole hasn't handed me a single Denny of that promised bonus yet," Billy replied.
As for that bonus, he might as well stop dreaming—it probably wasn't coming in this lifetime.
Billy went on to explain that both the truck and the Bangboo belonged to an Outer Ring biker gang known as the Sons of Calydon.
Although the truck had a New Eridu pass, the queues for non-citizens entering and leaving the city had been moving painfully slowly lately.
Because of that, Billy had temporarily stepped in as their driver to haul goods, considering they had once been his employers.
Upon hearing this, Wise raised his brows slightly.
"Billy, you know biker gangs?"
"Yeah, I actually worked with them for quite a long time. I only ended up in the city later, by chance. But we can get into all that another time. Right now, I've got something important to tell you."
Billy's tone shifted, growing more serious.
"The Sons of Calydon have information about Perlman."
Wise showed no reaction to the news. Keeping his expression steady, he pressed for details.
"Is that so? What exactly did they say?"
"I tried to get more out of them back then, but their second-in-command said it wasn't something they could just hand over. They know we're looking for Perlman, and they claimed they have valuable, exclusive insider information. The condition is that they discuss cooperation with Phaethon directly, in person."
"You mean... they're looking for a Proxy?" Wise asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They didn't say it outright, but that's how I see it."
With that, Billy left the decision in Wise's hands. Either way, he would still be in the city for the next few days, so if Wise agreed, he was ready to go along.
Wise gave a small nod before heading back to the video store to discuss it with Belle. After talking it through, the siblings decided to go ahead and meet with them.
The choice of who would go was obvious. Wise's abilities were considerable, and his particular powers were more than enough to handle most situations that might arise.
The following day, he began saying his goodbyes, letting those close to him know he might be out of reach for a while.
That evening, Koleda and Rain arrived at the video store at nearly the same time. The moment they saw each other at the door, both stiffened slightly, the realization dawning on them that they had come for the same reason.
"Wise, I heard you're heading to the Outer Ring. It won't be dangerous, will it?"
Both of them looked at him, their concern clear and unmistakable.
"Don't worry. Don't you two know by now how capable I am?" he replied with a grin.
Something about the way he said it made both of them flush, if only for a brief moment, for reasons neither seemed willing to admit.
"By the way, Koleda, how did you get here so quickly?" Wise asked as he reached out to ruffle her hair.
Rain lived on Sixth Street, so her quick arrival was no surprise. Koleda, on the other hand, explained without hesitation.
It turned out she had been completely free that afternoon and had already been on her way to see Wise when she received the message. From there, she simply picked up her pace and made it over as quickly as possible.
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
-> Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives! (Translation)
-> Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White. (Original - P@treon Only Until It Reaches 30 Chapters)
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