Not long after, near a recycling plant inside The Hollow.
"The factory for recycling vehicle parts is not far from The Hollow's entrance."
"We'll be there soon."
Caesar led the way.
"Wait, I actually have a question."
"I heard from Ling that the factories in this Void actually sell the sorted parts."
"If that's the case, why not just trade outside The Hollow?"
Zhe asked. After all, not everyone inside The Hollow has an ether-aptitude body. Wouldn't business be much broader outside?
"The reason is simple. There are so many members of the Motorcycle Clan in the Old Oil Well District."
"The goods that make it to the market are definitely the leftovers that others have already picked through."
Caesar explained to the group.
"Exactly. It's like wanting to eat a high-quality fish."
"Someone has to charter a boat out of the port at dawn and use an airship to deliver the ingredients to the kitchen."
Lucy explained using a different metaphor.
Whether the others understood or not, Hoshimi Aya didn't understand a single thing.
"Proxy, city people go through so much trouble just for a meal."
"By comparison, just coming into The Hollow to buy things is much simpler."
Bernice said with a giggle.
"It's not really that much trouble."
"If you want to eat, you can choose to go to a restaurant or buy groceries at the market to cook at home."
"It's not as exaggerated as Lucy says."
Hoshimi Aya explained to Bernice, although the difference between the Outer Ring and the Inner Ring was indeed significant.
But the difference wasn't that exaggerated.
Not every family is like the Montf family, having that kind of privilege.
...
Soon, they arrived at the parts market.
"Hello there. Looking at your gear, you must be from the Motorcycle Clan?"
A shrewd old man at a stall asked as he watched the group approach.
"Hello, old gentleman. I'd like to pick out some parts for motorcycles."
Caesar inquired.
"You really are here for parts."
"But you're quite unlucky."
"We won't have any stock to sell until the Hellfire Ride is over."
The old man explained with a smile.
"Eh?!"
"What's going on?"
Caesar asked, bewildered by the old man's words.
"A few young people came by this morning and bought up all our inventory."
The old man explained.
"What!!!"
Caesar showed a shocked expression at the old man's words.
"I did remind them."
"That if they bought everything, it would be troublesome for others who might need them."
"But the Thiren girl leading them didn't look like someone to mess with, and she offered a price much higher than the market rate."
"Oh, she said she was from the Sons of Calydon."
"Since they finally got the challenger qualification, they wanted to prepare well."
The old man recalled.
The group was even more confused after hearing the old man's words.
"Eh?!"
"Besides Aya, who else among us is a Thiren?"
"A-Cao, A-Mu, and A-Zhuan aren't girls either!"
Bernice wondered aloud.
She didn't understand which one of them could have bought the items.
"Bernice, you're focusing on the wrong point."
"The key issue is that someone is impersonating us."
"And they bought everything here."
Lucy explained to Bernice.
"Wait, what did you just say?"
The old man asked in confusion.
"Old gentleman, we are the real Sons of Calydon."
"We don't know the people who came before at all."
Caesar said indignantly.
"Do you know where that group went?"
Hoshimi Aya interrupted.
If they kept chatting, who knows how much longer they'd be delayed.
"Oh, buying everything here wasn't enough for them."
"Hearing that there were still parts in the Abandoned Graveyard deep within The Hollow that hadn't been moved out yet, they set off there immediately."
The old man replied.
"Thank you. Everyone, let's head out."
Hoshimi Aya said, looking at the others.
"It seems we still have a chance to intercept them."
"Brother, go notify Pai Pai to bring the bikes over."
Ling said to Zhe beside her.
Zhe nodded.
...
Soon, the group met up with Pai Pai.
"Wow! Pai Pai, you really brought the bikes for us."
Bernice said excitedly.
"When summoned by the Proxy, this one wouldn't dare delay even for a minute."
"Your bikes are all here. Set off quickly."
Pai Pai said leisurely to the group.
Bernice nodded and immediately hopped on her motorcycle and sped off.
"Bernice, wait!"
"Don't charge ahead alone so fast!"
Caesar shouted at the departing Bernice.
"Don't worry, I'll go follow her and see."
After saying that, Hoshimi Aya picked up speed and chased after Bernice.
Caesar was about to remind her that taking a bike would be the same, but in the blink of an eye, Hoshimi Aya had vanished.
Seeing this, the others could only hop on their bikes and chase after them.
...
Meanwhile, on Hoshimi Aya's side.
Hoshimi Aya kept a short distance behind Bernice.
Suddenly, after passing through a circular pipe, Bernice was blown away along with her bike.
"Is it coming?"
Witnessing everything, Hoshimi Aya stopped her steps and skidded for a distance.
Pulchra appeared before Bernice after she was blown away. Seeing this, Hoshimi Aya quietly approached and took out her phone to record this iconic scene. Although there was no signal, recording a video was still possible.
"Are you crazy?!"
"You'd even burn yourself!"
Pulchra moved back and patted out the sparks ignited on her tail.
"Eh?! Don't all kitties like to sit by the fire?"
Bernice said with a giggle.
"Generally speaking, that is indeed true."
Hoshimi Aya put away her phone and walked out.
"Eh?!"
"Aya, why are you alone?"
"Didn't Caesar and the others follow?"
Bernice glanced behind Hoshimi Aya, but didn't see anyone.
"I ran here by myself."
"I've been right behind you the whole time."
"Nekomata, you have two choices now."
"One, I pack you up and take you to the Sons of Calydon."
"Two, you leave right now, and you won't get hurt."
Hoshimi Aya said, looking at Pulchra.
Since Pulchra would eventually join the Sons of Calydon anyway, doing it a bit earlier wouldn't hurt.
"Great, great! That happens to make up for our lack of a Nekomata in the Sons of Calydon."
Bernice nodded in agreement.
"Bastard!"
"Stop making decisions for me!"
After saying that, Pulchra fired directly toward Hoshimi Aya.
But Hoshimi Aya didn't dodge, and the bullet didn't hit her either.
"Why didn't you dodge?!"
Pulchra was bewildered. Although she hadn't aimed directly at her, any normal person should have dodged!
Hoshimi Aya didn't speak. In the next second, she appeared behind Pulchra, her Demon Blade held against her neck.
...
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