"The Imperial City Hollow is quite unique. It doesn't exist in isolation—it's part of a massive cluster of Hollows. Seven or eight large and small Hollows are crammed together, each one connected to the others. A change in one affects the rest."
"At one point, Hollow Special Operations tried to eliminate them, but no matter which Hollow they destroyed, it would quickly regenerate. Unless all seven or eight are eliminated at once, Ether and Ethereals will just keep flooding in, reactivating the area."
"This time is no different. Even though a lot of civilian and even official groups claim that the Imperial City Hollow is in decline, I don't think it's that simple. I've heard some Hollow Thieves are already targeting it, so you guys at Hare's House better not get involved."
Zhu Yuan's expression was stern as she rattled off a long list of things about the Imperial City Hollow.
But her point was simple:
She wanted to warn Sam Li that it was dangerous and that Hare's House should stay far away from it.
"And besides, the Notoriety Ethereal in there might not be dead. There could be other high-level Ethereals, too. Don't even think about getting close."
"Oh? There's really a Notoriety Ethereal?"
Hearing the familiar title instantly piqued Sam Li's interest.
Since arriving in this world, he'd already faced two Notoriety Ethereals—
one was the Butcher of Dead End Hollow,
the other a creature catalyzed by rebels in the C97 Hollow.
Every time he took one down,
he earned tens of thousands of system points, progress in his role, and sometimes other rewards.
If he could defeat a few more, he'd have enough points to exchange for a Seven Archons Statue.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Sam Li's face,
Zhu Yuan added seriously, "We're not certain—it's just a theory Qingyi and I came up with based on available info. Just be careful. Don't risk your life for Dennies."
Qingyi nodded.
"Exactly. As the old saying goes, 'Dennies don't follow you to the grave.'"
Sam Li nodded in agreement. "Thanks for the heads-up."
...
They continued talking about the Imperial City Hollow for a while longer.
According to rumors,
when the Hollow first appeared, a film crew had been shooting there. It was instantly swallowed up.
Not a single actor made it out—every last one turned into an Ethereal.
One investigator who entered the area claimed to have seen a terrifying Notoriety Ethereal that attacked using dancing and singing—
using dance for physical attacks and singing for Ether attacks.
A rare dual-attribute Ethereal.
Fierce and unpredictable.
But no one else had ever seen it,
so it remained just a legend—unverified and possibly false.
The three of them sat outside Master Tingman's café, talking for over an hour, all about the Imperial City Hollow.
Suddenly,
Sam Li's phone buzzed.
A message from Nicole:
Nicole: "Sam Li, did you get a commission yet?"
Sam Li: "No."
Nicole: "Then forget it and come back. I've found another great money-making opportunity."
Sam Li: "?????"
Nicole: "Someone in the 'Hollows Are Home, Thieves Rely on All' group said there's an Imperial City Hollow that's been declining for two days and still hasn't been touched by any Hollow Thieves. There's bound to be treasure inside. We could go take a look and maybe score big… Sounds great, right?"
Sam Li: "On my way."
Sam Li put the phone down and finished the rest of his coffee in one gulp.
Technically, his job at Hare's House was only to accept commissions—not participate in them.
But ever since the C97 incident,
once everyone at Hare's House realized he was actually powerful,
Nicole had simply waved her hand and added him to the active-duty team.
Sam Li placed his cup back on the table.
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had also finished their drinks and were getting ready to continue patrolling other districts.
"Master Tingman, check please."
"That'll be 5,300 Dennies. Cash or card?"
"Cash."
Qingyi patted herself down but didn't find any Dennies.
Then it hit her—
she had rushed out and left her wallet on the living room table.
She turned to Zhu Yuan.
"You bring any Dennies?"
Zhu Yuan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, senior. Yesterday during the mission, my wallet got sliced open. I took it in for repairs and haven't picked it up yet."
Then he turned to Sam Li.
"Uh... Mr. Sam Li, did you happen to bring any Dennies?"
All three of them—Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Master Tingman—looked at Sam Li.
Sam Li shook his head.
"Nope."
Awkward silence.
Zhu Yuan cleared his throat.
"Master Tingman, could you put it on our tab? We'll come back tonight and pay you then."
Master Tingman: "..."
...
With that little incident behind them,
Sam Li said goodbye to Zhu Yuan and Qingyi, picked up his birdcage, and headed back to Hare's House.
Zhu Yuan and Qingyi returned to their patrol car and moved on to the next district.
...
But Sam Li had barely walked away
when a middle-aged man with a briefcase came rushing up to the café, scanning around the entrance like he was looking for someone.
Master Tingman approached.
"Can I get you anything?"
The man quickly replied,
"Did you see an agent carrying a birdcage? I'm looking for him."
Master Tingman pointed down the street.
"You must mean Mr. Sam Li. He just left—you should still be able to catch up if you hurry."
The man didn't even stop to rest.
"Thank you—!"
And took off running in the direction Tingman had pointed.
...
A few minutes later, at the far end of Sixth Street,
Sam Li was just returning to Hare's House when the middle-aged man dashed up to him, panting and hunched over.
"Wait—hold on… the agent with the birdcage—wait!"
"My name is Sam Li."
"Mr. Sam Li, sorry—I don't mean to intrude. I know you're an agent with Hare's House. I've seen you on the forums. Please, I really need you to take my commission!"
Still catching his breath,
the man rested his hands on his knees, gasping for air as he explained why he stopped Sam Li.
After a moment,
he took a deep breath and straightened up.
"Mr. Sam Li, I'd like to ask for your help. Please, accept my commission."
Sam Li replied calmly,
"State the job."
The man answered seriously,
"I'd like to hire you to play the role of the Star Emblem Knight."
...