Nicole reminded her, "Nekomata, don't be so dramatic—people might think it's your first time in the city."
"Meow~ It is my first time in the city."
After that, Nekomata looked again at the towering buildings in the distance.
Before they realized it, they had entered the city.
...
The surroundings changed immediately.
The streets were spotless, flowers blooming everywhere.
On either side of the road stood massive pillars—said to be the most advanced Ether detection devices, used to monitor Ether disasters.
Any fluctuation in the surrounding Ether would instantly be reported to the Public Security Bureau, which would then dispatch personnel to contain the threat before a Hollow could erupt.
Suddenly, Nekomata seemed to spot something.
"Nicole, Sam Li, look over there... aren't those some familiar faces? I think their company is called something like Victoria...?"
Following Nekomata's gaze, everyone saw four familiar figures—Lycaon, Rina, Corin, and Ellen from Victoria Housekeeping Co.
They had fought together before in the Hollows of the Imperial City.
Nekomata immediately urged, "Driver, pull over! We'll get off here."
Moments later, the taxi pulled up to the curb.
Everyone got out and headed toward Ellen and the others.
"Yo, yo, yo! Folks from Victoria Housekeeping—we meet again! Are you all here to check out the city center too?"
Billy dashed ahead and struck a dramatic Star Knight pose.
At that moment, Ellen, Lycaon, Rina, and Corin spotted the group approaching.
When she saw Sam Li, Ellen's eyes lit up. "Mr. Sam Li! Did Hare's House move to the city center?"
Sam Li shook his head. "We're just here to buy a car."
Billy chimed in excitedly, "What about you? Sightseeing too? We're headed to get a car—want to come?"
Rina smiled and shook her head. "Victoria Housekeeping's headquarters is right here in the city center."
Nicole, Billy, and Nekomata all looked surprised.
They knew Victoria was wealthy, but hadn't expected the company to be so rich that its headquarters was actually in the city center.
After all...
Property here costs an average of 200 million Dennies per square meter.
In other words, even if an ordinary person worked their whole life, they'd still never afford a single square meter in the city.
Still, Nicole wasn't about to be outdone.
"Uh... well, we've got plans to move to the city center too. In a year or two, Hare's House will be relocating here."
"Nicole is amazing!"
"We're currently on a job, so we can't come with you to buy the car. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave," Lycaon said politely, turning down Billy's offer with a courteous nod.
As the Victoria Housekeeping team walked off, Nekomata looked confused.
"Nicole, were you serious just now? We're really moving Hare's House to the city center?"
She knew the land prices here were astronomical.
All of Hare's House's assets combined wouldn't be enough to buy even a tiny lot here, let alone move the entire base.
Billy covered his face. "Obviously, Nicole was joking again."
But Nicole replied with complete seriousness, "I'm not joking. I meant it—moving to the city center isn't that hard."
Seeing how serious she was, Anby looked pleased.
"Nicole has grand ambitions. Under her leadership, Hare's House is heading step by step toward greatness..."
Nicole beamed. "Did you all forget? We bought a plot of land in Calydon Town. Once Calydon is developed into a city, that land will be part of its city center. We'll move there."
Nekomata blinked. "Wait... are you talking about Calydon's city center?"
Nicole replied matter-of-factly, "What else? The New Eridu city center is 200 million Dennies per square meter—only a fool would buy that."
Billy: "..."
Anby: "..."
Soldier 11: "..."
After a beat of silence, Nicole smiled. "There's the car dealership ahead. Let's not waste time—come on."
...
Meanwhile...
On the other side of New Eridu, at the Janus Branch of the Public Security Bureau in Lumina Square, an emergency meeting was underway.
The topic: the sudden spread of information about the Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo.
Images of both Bangboos were displayed on the large screen in the conference room.
After the chief finished speaking, Seth looked surprised.
"Chief, you mean the rumors are true? The Golden Bangboo and Platinum Bangboo actually exist?"
The chief nodded. "This meeting is to plan their capture."
He gestured, and someone stepped forward to hand out documents to the attendees.
"These reports came from headquarters. They've placed top priority on locating these two Bangboos."
"Just from their names, you can tell they're worth a fortune," someone muttered.
Seth opened the report in front of him, reviewing the intel on the Golden and Platinum Bangboos.
Unlike the online rumors, the documents clarified that the Golden Bangboo wasn't made of gold, nor the Platinum Bangboo entirely of platinum. Instead, both were made from special and confidential materials...
The Golden Bangboo specializes in collecting gear coins.
The Platinum Bangboo collects Dennies.
According to the Bureau's analysis, the people of Old Eridu likely created the two Bangboos specifically to gather large quantities of these currencies.
After all these years, the amount they've collected must be astronomical.
However, the real reason the authorities are searching for them isn't the wealth, but the advanced technology embedded in them.
Seth frowned. "But with this intel, there's no way we can actually find them."
The chief answered seriously, "This meeting is to get everyone prepared and draft a preliminary plan. Once we have more information, we'll act."
Zhu Yuan nodded. "Yes, Chief. Leave it to us."
...
While all the forces in New Eridu were scrambling over the Golden and Platinum Bangboos...
Far away, in the depths of space, on another element-rich continent...
Venti had been searching Liyue for days without finding any sign of Zhongli. Instead, he'd found more and more traces of Azhdaha.
Based on his observations, Venti suspected Azhdaha had escaped through the ley lines, breaking free from the Geo Archon's seal.
"Maybe Azhdaha's disappearance is linked to Zhongli's," Venti murmured.
With that, he turned into a breeze and slipped into the ley lines through the Dragon-Queller Tree.
Sure enough, he found traces left behind by Azhdaha.
And so, he began following them...