"We've been sealed away for a thousand years. For so long, we've been unable to experience the joys, anger, sorrow, and happiness of humans."
"I imagine Luxie couldn't wait to run around everywhere looking for someone to play with," Cirrus said with a smile.
"The personalities of the Heliobi are all different, largely shaped by the temperament of whoever they possess," Huohuo continued.
"If one attaches itself to a battle-loving warrior, it gradually becomes aggressive and fond of fighting. But if it encounters a playful child, it becomes a wandering spirit that never grows out of its childish heart."
"I often see Miss Bailu sneaking out and running to Aurum Alley to play. She feels like a child who longs for freedom too," Guinaifen said.
"Mm. With this clue, things should go much more smoothly," Huohuo nodded.
After getting the information from Cirrus, everyone immediately set off and headed straight for Aurum Alley.
As soon as they arrived, Guinaifen let out a long breath and sighed, "I haven't been back to Aurum Alley for days. Coming back to my old turf really feels nice."
"Then we'll leave the guiding and information gathering to our local expert, Guinaifen," Sushang teased.
"Are you doing a comedy routine with me? You sure can talk!" Guinaifen rolled her eyes.
While they chatted, Nero had already moved. Not far away, he spotted two people in Alchemy Commission uniforms. They were probably here looking for Bailu.
"You're looking for Bailu too?" Nero asked directly.
The two medical assistants were startled by the sudden voice behind them. Then their eyes widened. After standing frozen for a moment, the older-looking assistant finally spoke.
"Th-This isn't Nero? So Dragon Lady's situation really brought you out too. But... we didn't file any report, and the Dragon Elders definitely wouldn't want to notify you..."
After muttering to himself, the older assistant looked at the younger man beside him.
"You filed a report?"
"How could it be me? I didn't even alert the Realm-Keeping Commission!" the younger assistant said.
"Besides, who cares how Nero found out? Isn't it a good thing he's willing to help?"
"Dragon Lady is usually watched closely. Everyone knows she's close with Nero. Maybe if he calls her, she'll come back willingly."
"Tell me what you know first." Nero had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with them.
"Uh... well..." Hearing the question, the older assistant looked embarrassed and stammered, "Actually, we still haven't figured out what's going on."
The younger assistant nodded frantically.
"Yeah, Nero. We had already caught Dragon Lady. Then, bam, she disappeared."
"And when we were chasing Dragon Lady, we saw... two of her! It was really strange."
"It's fine. I'll catch them both. Tell me where you last saw Bailu."
"Right down that road." The younger assistant pointed in a direction, then shrank his neck and said suspiciously, "I keep feeling like I can hear children laughing over there. Is it just the wind?"
Nero blinked. He had been about to call Cirrus out to take a look, but then remembered the requirement to keep things quiet.
"If you're hearing things, you should probably make an appointment after I bring Bailu back."
"Huh?" The younger assistant stood there blankly.
Nero ignored his reaction and left, returning to the group.
The Ghost-Hunting Squad had already noticed what Nero was doing, so none of them went over. When he came back, March asked, "How'd it go, Nero? What's the situation with those two?"
Hearing that, Nero thought for a moment.
"The way they talked felt like a pair of impostors putting on an act
"Huh?" March froze for a second before realizing the misunderstanding. "No, that's not what I meant. I was asking whether they had any clues about Bailu."
"Mm. They do. She's in the alley nearby. Let's go take a look."
With that, everyone headed straight for the alley.
As soon as they entered, whether it was imagination or not, the temperature seemed to drop noticeably, and the surroundings became much darker.
Such an obvious environmental change practically had the words "something evil is causing trouble" written all over it.
The group stopped at the entrance.
Guinaifen called inside, "Miss Bailu! Miss Bailu, where are you?"
Sushang also shouted loudly, "Dragon Lady! Come out and play with us!"
Immediately afterward, the sound of pattering footsteps approached.
Two small figures with identical appearances and lazy-sounding voices emerged from inside and came over.
The one in front immediately waved and shouted with a grin, "It's Nero! They're asking us to play with them!"
The Bailu standing behind frowned, looking like a little adult as she cautiously stared at the Ghost-Hunting Squad.
Then she said to the Bailu in front, "Dummy, they're tricking you! They're definitely trying to catch you and take you back! Who comes to play with you while bringing such a huge group?"
After saying that, the Bailu in back smiled slyly.
"How about we play a game and don't let them catch us? Run..."
Before she could finish shouting "Run," she got smacked on the head.
The Bailu in front slowly withdrew her hand, put her hands on her hips, and looked seriously at the other Bailu.
"You're the dummy. Nero is here and you still want to play tag? Do you think losing won't happen fast enough? Even a starskiff can't fly as fast as he runs. With our short little legs, how are we supposed to win?"
The Bailu being lectured looked confused.
"?"
'Wait, sister? You're not even going to resist before surrendering?'
The two Bailus were talking, and it wasn't really a big deal.
Then suddenly, a sharp scream came from nearby.
Sushang squeezed both hands against her chest, shut her eyes, and shouted nervously, "Ghoooost ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
Everyone nearby was startled by the outburst.
Guinaifen even jumped.
Nero covered his ears with both hands and moved aside.
"Miss, you scared me to death... Seeing two identical Bailus didn't scare me, but that scream nearly sent me to the afterlife..." Guinaifen muttered while glaring at Sushang resentfully.
Sushang looked embarrassed.
"Sorry, sorry! Seriously though, even knowing this is a Heliobus causing trouble, it's still scary!"
"It's fine. If you're scared, just admit it. After all, Nero said this Heliobus is basically a ghost in terms of... uh... basic normal standards." March spoke as if she knew exactly what she was talking about while calmly stepping out from behind Stelle.
Stelle said nothing and simply rubbed the shoulder that March had squeezed painfully.
"I-I completely understand Miss Sushang... Even after working for the Ten-Lords Commission for so long, I still can't get used to all the strange things these monsters do," Huohuo said.
"Hah. You can't get used to it because you're too weak. If you could summon a few gourd monsters like this kid, we'd be the ones avoiding you." Cirrus floated behind Nero's head and spoke quietly.