Chapter 45: Unable to Receive Any Messages
『 When Belle arrived at Seed's safehouse, Seed was curled up on the sofa, her face wearing its usual smile, though her eyes were fixed straight ahead.
The safehouse was cluttered with many pots of flowers, an antiquated sofa, and a pile of supply crates behind it.
Belle couldn't decipher Seed's internal state at all. Upon seeing Belle, Seed hopped nimbly off the sofa.
"Yah-hoh, Proxy~!" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙:Such a lively girl, ya-hoh~
〘Hanabi〙:Ya-hoh~
....
『 Belle returned the "Ya-hoh" with a smile, then explained she'd heard about Seed living here from Magus and decided to drop by.
"But, speaking of which… isn't it dangerous living in the Hollow Zero?" Belle asked with concern.
"Hmm… does the Proxy think it's dangerous? Should I burn this place down then?" Seed pondered, tapping her chin.
Belle shook her head immediately upon hearing this, clarifying she didn't mean that; she was worried about Ethereals bothering Seed.
"I'm kidding! I've set up some traps around here. Any Ethereal that steps on them gets skewered in under a second." Seed looked at Belle and smiled. "So it's very quiet here. No need to turn up the heat just yet."
"Proxy, I get the feeling you didn't just come for a visit. Is something the matter~" Seed's intuition kicked in.
"Uh… It's nothing! Just wanted to catch up! It's been a while since we fought together, and thinking back on it, I still have so many feelings about it!" Belle scratched her head and laughed.
Seed clapped her hands in agreement. "I know, right? That battle was like tossing mints into Nitro-Fuel—super intense at first, but then the fizz died down, and everything's calm again~" 』
『 ....』
〘March 7th〙:She really is a space-case, isn't she?
〘Elysia〙:Mmm♪, looks like a Nitro-Fuel is something like sparkling water♪.
〘Burnice〙:A nice idea. I'll try it when I get back.
〘Piper〙:Just make sure you don't use this person's cup~
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『 Belle heard this strange analogy and felt her store of useless knowledge increase.
Seed smiled and told Belle she could try it sometime, then said she needed to tend to her little flowers. Belle was free to look around the safehouse, but she should be careful—the safehouse contained quite a few Minefields.
Belle was initially suspicious of Seed's use of "minefield," then clapped her hands in sudden realization, assuming it meant areas carefully arranged within the safehouse.
Seed shook her head. "Oh, no. I mean, there are a bunch of blown-apart Ethereals outside the safe house. Their remains weirdly smell like mint candy. If you're curious about the Nitro-Fuel and mint combo, go take a whiff~" 』
『 ....』
〘Aventurine〙:Showing the guest the door, are we?
〘Seed〙:Well, the Proxy upstairs clearly has something up their sleeve~
〘Magus〙:Proxy, you really need to improve your acting skills.
〘Belle〙:What kind of Proxy needs acting skills?!
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『 Belle realized Seed was trying to dismiss her after only a few sentences. Seed had already turned away to water the flowers, seemingly not expecting a reply.
Belle took the opportunity to carefully observe the safehouse. Many items here bore traces of Seed Sr's existence.
Belle decided to open Seed's heart from this angle. She walked over to Seed, who was watering the withered flowers.
"Hm? Proxy, what is it?" Seed asked, looking at Belle with confusion.
"Nothing, just wanted to see what you're doing! How long have these flowers been planted here?" Belle asked, looking at the many flowers before her.
"They've been here since I built this safehouse. These little ones were originally in the dormitory, Seed Sr., and I shared. But since I moved here, if I left them in the dorm, there would be no one to take care of them," Seed replied.
"I see… but some of these flowers have already withered, right? After all, with the Ether concentration in the Hollow Zero, even plants are subject to erosion, or they gradually lose their vitality…" Belle nodded, then pointed to a withered bunch.
"I know~ Although I don't think there's anything wrong with Ether, for these little ones and some other people, Ether is a real headache, isn't it?" Seed said, looking troubled. 』
『 ....』
〘Looter A〙:This is the innate Looter physique! What a pity, got caught by the authorities.
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『 "I've been raising these little ones for years, and this is the first time I've seen them so listless. So, this act of watering them is an attempt at a solution."
Belle realized something and looked at Seed, puzzled. "Wait a minute… what you're pouring… isn't that water? What are you feeding them?"
"Engine oil," Seed said calmly. 』
『 ....』
〘Magus〙:…
〘Orpheus〙:That's definitely something Seed would do.
〘Stelle〙:Won't that just accelerate the withering?
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『 Belle was silenced by this answer.
"When Seed Sr. was feeling down, he would drink engine oil to perk up. So I thought, maybe it would work for them too? Although it doesn't seem to be working very well at the moment. Maybe it's because the species are different…" Seed explained, seeing Belle's silence. 』
『 ....』
〘Machina 10086〙:I agree, engine oil is top-tier! And when it comes to drinking it, I only recognize the Company's No. 98. Rich and aromatic~
〘Machina 1234〙:You're full of it! Screwllum Star's No. 46 IS THE TRUE GOD!!!
〘Machina 131〙:Stop yapping! The Society's No. 888 is the only king!
〘Stelle〙:So engine oil has different flavor profiles?
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『 "But it doesn't matter if it doesn't work, I have other alternatives! Fuel drinks, salt water, juice squeezed from other plants… as long as I water them with each one, one of them is bound to work."
"After all, look… that person from the Exaltists tried many methods to restore her old partners to their original state, and in the end, didn't she find the Miasma as a means?"
"Seed... after seeing that incident... you're not planning something, are you?"
Belle had just said it. She had said it… 』
『 ....』
〘Magus〙:I want to blast you with my high-heat ray. You are just too unreliable!
〘Trigger〙:The Proxy really is cute, blurting out what's on her mind without realizing it.
〘Zhu Yuan〙:Belle, you…
〘Belle〙:Don't say it! It hasn't happened yet, has it?
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『 Realizing she had said it, Belle immediately tried to smooth things over, explaining in a robotic, rapid-fire way that she didn't mean anything by it, just that she didn't want Seed to emulate that person.
Seed shook her head. "There's nothing to learn from her. The result of trying to control the Miasma is becoming a part of the Miasma. She already showed me the result."
"But the fact that she can see her old friends she lost touch with for years in the Miasma… that actually makes me a bit envious~"
"Seed, are you wanting to see Seed Sr? I saw many items related to him here, and I heard about him from Magus. He must be… a very important person to you, right?" Belle asked.
"…Yes. During that incident, lots of the citizens of Waifei Peninsula saw the people they wanted to see in the Miasma." Seed nodded.
"So I thought… I've grown taller now. If I don't let Seed Sr. take a look, he won't be able to recognize me later." 』
『 ....』
〘Yixuan〙:Miasma… illusions… Exaltists… Waifei Peninsula… that really is a series of troublesome matters. It's going to get busy soon~
〘Ju Fufu〙:Are we going down the mountain, Shifu?
〘Yixuan〙:Prepare yourself.
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『 "What the Miasma creates are just illusions… but Seed Sr. has been by your side all along. He's just fallen into a temporary slumber. You'll be able to see each other again sooner or later." Belle comforted her.
"Actually, he and I are in contact right now. Seed Sr's Knock-Knock account replies to my messages from time to time," Seed said with a smile, delivering news that shocked Belle. 』
『 ....』
〘Magus〙:That's impossible!
〘Trigger〙:That is truly shocking news…
〘Seed〙:It's true. I have the records on my phone right now.
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『 "Wait?! Really?!" Belle asked, astonished.
"Of course. Although it's always while I'm asleep, ~ Why is the Proxy so surprised? Isn't it normal for someone who is asleep to wake up in the middle of the night, check their phone, and then go back to sleep?" Seed finished, squinting at Belle.
"Could it be… that like me recently, you've started to realize that Seed Sr. isn't actually sleeping?" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙:Here it comes! Haha, you got played too! Hilarious!
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『 Realizing she'd been baited, Belle became nervous.
"The Proxy doesn't need to be so nervous~ I'm actually very proficient in mechanical technology, so once I fully understood the body structure of intelligent constructs, I knew… Seed Sr. isn't sleeping at all right now." Seed looked at Belle.
"He woke up quietly when I didn't know, but his consciousness isn't in this shell… Perhaps it was uploaded to the electronic network space? I don't know the specifics yet, but it's time to find out~."
Belle said she wanted to join Seed's plan and help her, as a fellow being of Seed's kind.
Seed said she needed to consider it.
"You used to feel like me... but now, you're starting to seem just like everyone else."
Belle insisted she was still herself, a different firework! Nothing had changed.
"Mm… was that my imagination? Since the Proxy says so, I will seriously consider it, but not right now."
"I've got other guests coming soon~ I'll give you a proper welcome next time, Proxy. I'll even whip up a mint Nitro-Fuel~."
With that, Seed gave Belle a wink.
Seeing Seed showing her the door again, Belle had no choice but to leave the safehouse. Not long after, Belle reached Magus and the others, describing what she had seen and heard in the safehouse. 』
『 ....』
〘Aventurine〙:This Ms. Seed has very sharp intuition. That's the kind of opponent you fear at the gambling table.
〘Qingque〙:Indeed, indeed. That's the kind of person you fear most when playing Celestial Jade.
〘March 7th〙:One side says Seed Sr. is dead, the other says he's still sending messages… what's going on here?
〘Otto Apocalypse〙:You must understand, messages don't necessarily have to be sent by the person themselves. That is all I will say, my friend.
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