Chapter 30: Gathering in Wildfire Town
The harsh, arid winds of the Outer Ring had barely begun to stir the morning dust. Another day had passed since Belle and Caesar's eventful trip to New Eridu. Even before the thin, smog-laced mist had fully burned off under the rising sun, the makeshift parking lot of Wildfire Town hummed with a rugged, mechanical vitality.
Belle stood in a secluded, rocky alcove just outside the town's perimeter. Her gaze darted anxiously across the empty expanse of cracked earth. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her jacket, betraying a frantic mix of excitement and a subtle, gnawing nervousness.
"Brother, can they really cross over to our side?" Belle asked, the question tumbling from her lips for what felt like the hundredth time.
Wise stood beside her, his posture relaxed, his face a mask of analytical calm. "Don't worry, they definitely can. Think about it. Didn't Lumine and Paimon directly cross into the Hollow to save me last time? There is zero reason the system wouldn't work for this trip."
They had deliberately chosen this quiet, junk-strewn corner away from the prying eyes of the locals. Wise adjusted his collar, his eyes scanning the perimeter. "They are probably just prepping their gear or locking onto the coordinates. After all, it would cause a massive panic if a group of heavily armed strangers materialized out of thin air right in the middle of the main street."
Barely a second after he finished speaking, the air ahead of them warped. Three towering pillars of brilliant, pale-blue light pierced the morning mist, humming with raw cosmic energy. The blinding beams flared and then shattered into dissipating motes of light, revealing three familiar silhouettes.
"Woah! Is this the Outer Ring? Other worlds really hit different!"
Stelle hit the dirt like a chaotic raccoon finally released from maximum security. She bounced on the balls of her feet, her golden eyes wide and practically vibrating with unhinged enthusiasm. She spun around, taking a deep, dramatic sniff of the smoggy air. "The air here... it is so sweet! It smells like motor oil and impending property damage! I can barely wait to start my Trailblazing journey right this second!"
"Stelle! Watch your image!" March 7th materialized right behind her, immediately flashing Belle and Wise a desperate, apologetic smile.
"Belle, Wise, good morning! Please excuse this one. She went completely feral the moment her boots touched the ground." March kept one hand hovering near her bow, her eyes darting nervously toward Stelle. She looked absolutely terrified that her tall companion was about to dive headfirst into a highly suspicious, rust-flaked oil drum sitting nearby.
Dan Heng stepped out of the fading light last. His movements were precise, his expression an impenetrable mask of calm. He swept his sharp gaze across the desolate landscape, assessing the tactical layout before finally resting his eyes on the siblings. He offered a polite, measured nod. "We apologize for the disturbance."
"Stelle, March, Dan Heng! You guys actually made it!" Belle's eyes lit up like neon signs. She jogged forward, a massive grin wiping away any lingering trace of anxiety.
"Welcome to Wildfire Town! Uh... I know the conditions are a bit rough around the edges, but hey, that is the rustic charm of the Outer Ring!" Belle greeted them, waving her hands.
Stelle nodded with deadpan seriousness, then immediately dropped into a deep squat, poking at a strangely shaped, jagged rock with intense academic curiosity.
Wise stepped forward, offering a warm smile. "Welcome to our side of the universe. Was the journey smooth?"
"Smooth? Super smooth!" Stelle replied, finally allowing March to drag her upright by the collar. She dusted off her hands with a satisfied clap. "We zipped over in a flash! Honestly, it felt even faster than a Warp jump. When we bring back a massive haul of Trailblaze Energy from this trip, Pom-Pom is definitely going to spin around in circles until they pass out from joy!"
Just as Belle opened her mouth to hype up more of Wildfire Town's unique features, the air hummed again. A short distance away, three more crystalline blue pillars slammed into the dirt.
As the azure light dissolved into the wind, Zhongli, Lumine, and Paimon stepped onto the cracked earth.
Zhongli stood tall and immaculate, his dark coat billowing slightly in the oil-scented breeze. His amber eyes, ancient and calculating, carried a heavy weight of scrutiny as he slowly surveyed the land. This place was utterly alien, a stark, jarring contrast to the prosperous, lantern-lit streets of Liyue Harbor he had guarded for millennia.
The immediate impression was one of brutal desolation, somewhat reminiscent of the scorching deserts of Sumeru. Yet, beneath the rust and dust, it pulsed with an unmatched, chaotic vitality. To him, anything beyond the borders of Teyvat and the Dark Sea was supposed to be a world of absolute void and chaos. But here stood a tangible, vibrant alien civilization where life and lethal crises coexisted in perfect, messy harmony.
Meanwhile, Paimon zipped straight through the air, hovering right in front of Belle. Her tiny face was flushed with adrenaline. "Belle! Wise! We made it! Wow, so this is Wildfire Town? It feels so... so hardcore!"
She glanced over Belle's shoulder, catching sight of a towering mountain of jagged, discarded machine parts, and nervously stuck out her tongue.
"Mister Zhongli! Lumine! Paimon!" Belle practically vibrated with joy, waving her hands frantically. "Welcome, welcome!"
Zhongli measured his steps as he approached, his posture radiating an unshakable calm. He offered a courteous nod to the siblings. "I apologize for the intrusion. The landscape here is indeed vastly different from Teyvat. It is quite refreshing." His deep voice was a steady rumble, laced with a subtle, scholarly curiosity.
Lumine offered a bright, warm smile. "Belle, Wise, hello! It is so good to see you. Paimon was so hyped up last night she refused to go to sleep until the sun came up."
"Hehe, hey! No I wasn't!" Paimon crossed her arms and stomped her foot in mid-air, though her sparkling, wide eyes completely betrayed her lie.
Belle seized the moment, gesturing toward the settlement. "Come on, let's head into Wildfire Town together. I will introduce you to everyone from the Sons of Calydon."
The moment the group crossed the threshold into the bustling, scrap-metal streets of Wildfire Town, they nearly collided with Caesar and her crew. The biker gang was in the middle of a chaotic packing session, strapping heavy gear and supplies onto their roaring machines, clearly prepping for the race track.
Caesar paused, wiping a smudge of grease from her cheek, and grinned at the siblings. "Yo, Belle! Where have you been hiding? We are just about to roll out."
Her eyes flicked to the diverse, brightly dressed crowd standing behind the siblings. "Eh? And who are all these fresh faces? Wait, isn't that young Mister Dan Heng? And Lumine and Paimon! Hey there."
She rested her hands on her hips, her energetic aura practically sparking. "Are you guys here to visit us again? Timing is a bit tight, so we might not be able to give you the grand tour. Once these rigs are locked and loaded, we are heading straight out to tear up the Tour de Inferno."
Lumine shook her head, her smile easy. "That is perfectly fine. We are mainly here to see Belle and Wise. They invited us to watch your race so we can study your driving techniques. Once you guys cross the finish line, we actually plan to compete in a race of our own."
Caesar's eyes lit up with fierce, competitive delight. "Hell yeah! Then I will just have to put on an even crazier show, perfectly befitting the leader of the Sons of Calydon! You guys just sit back and enjoy the carnage. By the way, who are the new folks?"
Belle quickly stepped into the middle of the group to play mediator. "This is Mister Zhongli, a very reliable companion of Lumine and Paimon. And these two are Stelle and March 7th. They travel the stars with Dan Heng aboard the Astral Express."
Caesar flashed a confident, toothy smile and gave a two-fingered salute. "Nice to meet ya! I am Caesar, the undisputed leader of the Sons of Calydon. And this wild bunch behind me are Lucy, Lighter, Burnice, and Piper."
After a rapid-fire round of nods and greetings, Caesar's expression shifted back to business. The low, thrumming idle of motorcycle engines filled the silence.
"Look, I would love to shoot the breeze with you all day, Belle, but we are burning daylight. Where is Eous? We need to hit the road."
Belle quickly ducked into the nearby resting room. She found the little Bangboo, Eous, plugged into the wall, its digital eyes shut in sleep mode. She quickly unplugged it, tapped its head to wake it up, and carried the blinking Bangboo back out, handing it securely to Caesar.
"Caesar, I wish you all the absolute best out there," Belle said, her voice ringing with sincerity. "Bring home that Overlord title!"
Caesar strapped on her gear, returning a fiercely confident smirk. "Don't you worry about a thing. Just watch us dominate!"
With a synchronized, deafening roar that shook the very dust from the rooftops, the Sons of Calydon gunned their engines. Tires shrieked against the cracked pavement, and like a volley of steel arrows, the gang shot forward toward the starting line, leaving behind nothing but a massive, choking cloud of exhaust and desert dust.
The heavy, dramatic silence left in the gang's wake lasted exactly three seconds.
It was abruptly shattered by a bizarre, feral battle cry.
"Oh ho! Wildfire Town exploration officially begins! Let me see what kind of top-tier garbage is hiding in this place!"
Taking full advantage of the distraction, Stelle could no longer suppress her primal urge to scavenge. Moving with the terrifying speed of an unbridled trash panda, she bolted straight into the maze of scrap-filled alleys. In her mind, the boring NPC pleasantries were over. It was time for some real Trailblazing.
"Stelle! You stop right there!" March 7th's face drained of color. She lunged forward, her voice cracking in panic. "Don't run off into random alleys! This isn't the Astral Express!"
March spun around, bowing frantically to the siblings. "Wise! Belle! I am so, so sorry! We will drag her back right away!" With that, she sprinted into the dust cloud, shouting Stelle's name.
Dan Heng let out a long, soul-weary sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose, offered a quiet "Please excuse me" to Belle and Wise, and began walking after the girls. His pace was leisurely, his posture radiating the exhausted resignation of a man who had dealt with Stelle's sudden Trailblazing behaviors far too many times.
Watching the chaotic trio disappear into the winding, junk-lined streets, Belle couldn't help but burst into bright, ringing laughter. "Haha... Stelle really is as energetic as ever."
She turned her gaze toward the horizon, where the roar of engines still echoed against the canyons.
The Tour de Inferno was about to begin.
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