Although everyone could understand that Xueyi didn't want any innocent people getting involved in dangerous matters related to the Heliobi, her stern attitude and sharp rebuke still startled them.
Especially March and Guinaifen, whose bodies both visibly trembled.
But what drew attention was that Huohuo seemed to have flinched too.
Everyone else's attention was on Hanya and Xueyi, so they didn't notice it (except for Tail), but Nero clearly felt it. The hand Huohuo was using to hold his arm trembled slightly.
He turned to look at Huohuo and narrowed his eyes a little.
Training courage in the Fragmentum Factory had helped somewhat, but from the looks of it, the effect wasn't quite as great as he'd imagined.
Then again, that made sense. Huohuo had already worked in the Ten-Lords Commission for so long. With her personality, she had definitely tried to build up her courage herself while doing this kind of work.
Thinking about it that way, compared to her past performance, the progress she'd made during her time training in the Fragmentum Factory was already quite impressive.
The sudden shout from behind had inevitably frightened Huohuo, but she quickly realized it had come from Lady Xueyi, so she let out a long sigh of relief.
When she looked up and saw Nero looking at her, she raised a hand and scratched her head, showing a somewhat silly smile.
Only then did Huohuo say to everyone, "Um... everyone... we should be going now."
"Mm, okay," Nero said. "Just in time, I have a new idea and need to talk to Bailu about it."
Nero didn't particularly care whether they stayed or left, and nobody else had anything to say, so they followed Huohuo out.
As they walked, Guinaifen said, "Haunted places, Heliobi, possession... I feel like someone stuck a pole into my head and stirred it around."
"Ah, I feel the same way!", March said.
Then Guinaifen shook her head, "But if you think about it carefully, it's really no different from ghosts in urban legends."
"Energy parasites and stuff, it sounds like some kind of pest infestation... Suddenly it doesn't feel mysterious or scary at all."
"Once you remove the mystery, you've already subdued the ghosts," Stelle said.
"According to Nero's way of putting it, you can define everything from a relatively scientific and materialistic perspective that makes sense to you.
"And actually, science and mysticism aren't separated as clearly as people think. Back at the space station, I happened to see some hypothesis about Laplace's Demon."
"It used a mystical setting to prove a theory that seemed scientific but also looked pretty mystical."
"I get it. Before I understood it, it was mysterious and scary. Once I understood it, learned the causes and the process, and got an explanation, it stopped being scary. At least the psychological pressure becomes much lighter."
Guinaifen nodded, then continued, "But audiences like mystery. They like secrets and conspiracies they can't figure out."
"The romantic appeal of legends and ghosts is all concentrated there. We streamers can only serve what people want."
After saying that, Guinaifen looked at Huohuo, Tail, and Nero walking ahead.
"So if I could record a few videos of Tail, and give them a title like 'Supernatural Ghost Fire Appears, Possesses Innocent Foxian Girl,' it'd probably attract a lot of attention, right?"
Hearing Guinaifen's words, Tail slowed down. Floating backward, he looked at her and said, "Heh, heh. Who do you think you are, little girl? Do you think you can just film me whenever you want?"
"Grandpa Tail, just cooperate with me a little..." Guinaifen looked at him and pleaded.
"Cooperate with you? Am I that bored? What benefit are you giving me?"
"Uh... well..."
Guinaifen was stumped. She genuinely had no idea what she could offer a Heliobus as a "benefit."
"Come to think of it, Grandpa Tail is always with Huohuo," March suddenly said. "Ever since I met you two, I don't think I've ever seen you apart."
"Mm, that's because Grandpa Tail is sealed onto my tail," Huohuo answered obediently.
"Seal, seal, seal... Bah. One day I'll make you tear that seal off," Tail said irritably.
"You think I want to stay with you?" Huohuo replied aggrievedly.
Then Huohuo ignored Tail and turned to Nero.
"Nero, you said just now that you had a new idea you wanted to discuss with Bailu. What is it?"
"Mm... it's about mara-struck conditions," Nero said.
"M-Mara-struck?"
"What new idea have you come up with now, kid?" Tail also curiously moved closer.
"When I was with Bailu before, I heard that part of the cause of becoming mara-struck is the accumulation of extreme emotions. Those unforgettable memories and intense emotions rarely lead people toward happiness."
"And just now, when Sister Hanya was talking about the Heliobi, she said they feed on exactly those things. So I was thinking, maybe Heliobi could become a kind of 'medicine' for treating or delaying mara-struck conditions."
"And this idea doesn't really harm the Heliobi either. People who are about to become mara-struck, or already have, can get rid of that trouble, while the Heliobi get to eat their fill of those extreme emotions. Isn't that a win-win situation?"
"If it's controlled properly, I think the Alchemy Commission and the Ten-Lords Commission could even establish a joint project team and conduct experiments on this."
"Just like medicine, there would be standards for usage and dosage. Incorrect usage might not benefit the human body, and although Heliobi seem harmful to people, with a little proper use, they might become a species capable of living alongside humanity in harmony, with mutual benefit."
"And there are many types of spirit flames. If starting experiments directly with Heliobi seems too reckless, we could first try using Wubbaboos for the initial experiments..."
Nero spoke slowly, seemingly unaware that the expressions of the people around him were gradually becoming strange.
Huohuo and Guinaifen were fine. They simply followed Nero's line of thought and even felt that it should be feasible.
Tail, meanwhile, quietly drifted farther away from Nero.
Although it sounded reasonable, after visiting the Fragmentum Factory, he didn't think this would necessarily be a good thing for the Heliobi. Just look at the Fragmentum monsters in that factory.
Maybe the Fragmentum Factory itself had started because of one of this kid's sudden ideas.
March and Stelle exchanged a glance, and both showed odd expressions.
Back then, before the Fragmentum Factory had truly been established, there seemed to have been a moment in Belobog very similar to this one.
Nero had suddenly come up with an idea and started talking at length, explaining his views on how everyone could benefit.
For a moment, the two of them felt like the Heliobi might be in danger.