"Thank you."
"It's nothing. When you get back from town later, you should go chat with Lucy and her friends," Caesar said with a relaxed smile.
More than that, she wanted to know what this girl, whose name sounded so fashionable, was actually called, and what her relationship with Wise was.
"Didn't you say you wanted to collect some Hollow data before the competition? Lucy and the others have also been preparing for the Tour de Inferno lately, so we should be able to help each other out!"
Although the Outer Ring has an overall rugged style, its people, including Caesar, are surprisingly meticulous.
Led by Caesar, the siblings soon arrived in front of the mayor of Blazewood. Fairy, however, did not follow them. She had said she needed to help set up the equipment and stayed in the car.
"Kasa, I've brought my Proxy to say hello," Caesar said with a smile as Kasa looked at Wise and Belle with clear interest.
"Hey, Caesar. These two are the Proxies from the city? So people from New Eridu are just like us, starting to make a living at such a young age?"
"Hello, Miss Kasa."
Wise greeted her politely, but the woman chuckled softly, as if amused. It seemed the title "Miss" wasn't commonly used in the Outer Ring.
"You city folks have quite an interesting way of speaking. Let me introduce myself. I am Kasa, the mayor of Blazewood. Our town has received a lot of help from the Sons of Calydon, so if you need anything, just come and find me."
She displayed the warmth typical of the Outer Ring and even arranged a comfortable place for the siblings to stay—far better than where they had slept the previous night.
"Hey, Kasa, I noticed a lot of people in town making those woven items."
Caesar seemed to recall something and suddenly spoke up.
At her words, Kasa's smile faded and was replaced by a bitter expression.
"We don't have much of a choice. The pipeline to town still isn't fixed. Without a gas station, all we can do is make handicrafts to earn a living. Fortunately, we recently received a fairly large order, and with the announcement of the Tour de Inferno, Sunflints have become much easier to sell."
"What is that?" Belle asked curiously upon hearing the unfamiliar term, while Kasa took out a finished piece.
"This is a straw-woven handicraft. It's hung in almost every household in the Old Oil Field during the Tour de Inferno."
"The pattern looks like a face..." Wise said with some uncertainty as he examined the design on the small pendant.
"Haha, the elders say this is the face of the God of Sun and Fire, who guides heroes to ignite Cinder Lake and return safely from the Hollow," Caesar said with a soft laugh.
She then added, "But there's another saying. The upside-down figure on the Sunflints is the first Overlord of the Motor League."
She explained it with great enthusiasm, clearly enjoying the story behind it, her eyes filled with longing.
Although the Old Oil Field area can still be used to extract oil, the core oil field had actually been swallowed by the Hollow decades ago.
Petroleum is easily corroded by Ether, but coincidentally, the collapse of the only deep-mining equipment created a unique natural gas combustion vent.
The erupting natural gas ignites and burns continuously, preventing the Ether from spreading further downward. This natural phenomenon is known as Cinderglow Lake.
The birth of Cinderglow Lake saved the livelihoods of everyone in the Old Oil Field. Even so, they were never completely at ease.
The byproducts of burning natural gas and Etheric Matter can easily transform into Ether crystals, which accumulate around Cinderglow Lake. If left unattended, these crystals will continue to build up until they eventually seal off the combustion vent.
If that happens, the underground oil reserves would once again face total annihilation.
"Wise, Belle, there was actually a crisis before, when Cinder Lake nearly went out. At that time, to save it, a young man and his companions risked their lives by entering the Hollow and blasting open the Ether crystals using a special Sparkstone, just like the one in my hand."
As she spoke, Caesar took out a small device. It was square, with each corner missing a piece, and had something resembling a trigger at the center of each face.
The Sparkstone also served as the entry permit for the Tour de Inferno. It was filled with a special catalytic fuel, and when thrown into Cinderglow Lake, it would cause an explosion.
"But the Hollow was treacherous, and they didn't even have a Carrot with them. By the time they reached Cinder Lake, it was almost completely covered with crystals. In that desperate situation, the young man had no choice but to ride his motorcycle into the only ignition point deep within Cinder Lake, finally managing to set it ablaze."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"So everyone made the Sunflints to commemorate his sacrifice..."
"So he died..." Wise said, already guessing what came next.
After all, how could a normal person survive an explosion of that magnitude? Unless a miracle occurred.
"Hahaha! Oh, Proxy, I never said the first Overlord died there!"
"Wait, what?"
Caesar's words startled the siblings slightly. Then Kasa, who had been listening from the side, continued the rest of the legend.
"It's only natural to think that way. Everyone who went to Cinder Lake with him believed he had died as well. But miraculously, he returned from the Hollow in just one day. People say the God of Sun and Fire was moved by his courage and allowed him to be reborn from the ashes."
"Since then, the residents have drawn his face, along with the image of him diving into Cinder Lake, on their Sunflints. There's even a line in a folk song that goes, 'Diving into the fiery sea, the hero returns valiantly.'"
"Fortunately, it was a perfect ending."
After hearing the story, Wise couldn't help but sigh, while Caesar, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, if it ended in tragedy, the Tour de Inferno wouldn't be nearly as epic."
"And of course, the first Overlord did more than just that. After he returned, he gathered all the biker gangs in the Old Oil Field and formed the Motor League. Then a rule was established: the Tour de Inferno would be held every few years to prevent Cinder Lake from facing a similar crisis again."
"Caesar really seems to like this story," Wise said as he glanced at her.
She immediately nodded without hesitation.
"Of course! This is a story everyone in the Outer Ring has heard since childhood. I love it, and that's why I aspire to become the strongest Overlord!"
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
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