The next morning.
Everyone got up early and gathered for breakfast.
Belle looked at Sol and Nicole with a deep resentment, while simultaneously taking a fierce bite of her bread.
That fierce bite was as if she were biting Sol himself.
Not sleeping at night, instead "exercising" together.
And Anby, who usually seemed so proper, turned out to be unexpectedly wild behind closed doors.
Her heart felt sour and itchy, with pent-up frustration she didn't know where to direct.
Wise looked at his sister with concern, noticing her low spirits, and asked solicitously, "What's wrong, little sister?"
"Nothing, brother," Belle forced a smile and said plaintively, "It's just that I heard some mice squeaking last night, and it was a bit annoying."
Aside from being mentally tired, she wasn't really having any major issues.
Her body had undergone initial enhancements, so staying up all night didn't affect her energy much.
It was just the habit her body had developed from sleeping daily that hadn't been broken yet.
That, and the brain-piercing, demonic sounds that had left her restless and unable to control herself.
"Are there such bold mice in Blazewood?" Caesar, unaware of the context, said with great confusion, "Given the conditions in the Outer Ring, there shouldn't be enough food to support so many mice."
The Outer Ring was covered in sand and wind, with basically no crops.
Food here was mainly obtained from within New Eridu city, and people cherished it greatly, leaving basically no room for mice to thrive.
In some places, they even roasted and ate mice.
Sol, being especially warm-hearted and knowing full well that Belle couldn't lie, comforted her with great seriousness: "Don't be afraid, Belle. I'll come to your room tonight to catch the mice. I promise they won't disturb your sleep."
"No!" Belle shook her head rapidly, as if startled.
She wasn't ready yet! Just thinking about last night's sounds, she was far from prepared!
And this scoundrel didn't even bother to hide his philandering; how could she let him succeed so quickly!
"You wouldn't dare!" Nicole glared at Sol, her expression stern.
She had made a huge sacrifice last night, giving her the confidence to speak firmly for a good while.
"Just a joke, no need to be nervous," Sol took a sip of soy milk and said with a smile. "My real idea is to put Nekomata in your room. With her there, the mice definitely won't dare come back."
He picked up the dozing Nekomata beside him and placed her in front of them with a serious air.
"Nya?" Nekomata's eyes widened like copper bells, surprised to be implicated even like this.
Although she had listened intently all night, she hadn't done or said anything!
"That's more like it," Belle nodded, agreeing with this proposal.
Whether those three big mice would squeak again tonight or not, having someone with her would be good.
Soon, breakfast ended.
Everyone continued with their respective tasks according to the previous day's division of labor.
As for Sol, who had already completed the motorcycle modifications, he became an idle person. Sometimes he followed Belle and the others to collect data, sometimes he slacked off around Nicole who was preparing for business, and occasionally he had a few drinks with Burnice.
Despite being at an age for striving, he lived like a certain unnamed Archon who strolls with a bird cage—completely relaxed and leisurely, doing nothing but taking it easy.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
The route mapping was completed, and the supplies Nicole had arranged for were retrieved by the Sons of Calydon. All preparations were finished. Next was time for Caesar and the others to familiarize themselves with the motorcycles and the route, waiting only for the Tour de Inferno to begin.
Belle, Wise, and the members of the Cunning Hares also found themselves with free time, briefly enjoying themselves in the Outer Ring while waiting for the feast after the Overlord was decided.
It was then that Belle sought out Nicole—this big mouse hadn't stopped for three days, disturbing her peaceful dreams every night.
Even with Nekomata's company, Belle couldn't take it anymore.
She pulled Nicole into a corner and asked in a very serious, low voice, "Nicole, can you tone it down at night? I haven't slept for three days and three nights."
She had listened for three whole nights, not missing a single minute.
Even if the gossip was thrilling, hearing it for three nights straight was too much; she wanted a change of pace.
"..." Nicole's face flushed instantly, her eyes evasive as she said, "I'll try to be more careful tonight, and let you have some sweet dreams~"
Try to be careful?
Belle noticed the implication in those words.
It clearly meant it was still happening tonight, non-stop all night!
She grabbed her head, then held Nicole's face, saying earnestly, "No, what I mean is stop, stop it!"
After listening for several days in a row, her own heart was stirred; she couldn't take it at all.
Originally quite wary of Sol, she now found him rather handsome and appealing.
"That won't do," Nicole refused outright. "You know, Sol is about to go away for a trip. I need to tie his heart down so he doesn't get even more restless outside."
"With his personality, you can't tie him down. He's a wild horse, always thinking about running free!" Belle held her forehead, speaking with clear insight.
There was a time when she had thought the same way. But after realizing this man was plainly a scoundrel, she had simply let things take their course, focusing on her own happiness.
As long as she didn't care, it was as if Sol loved only her. Understand? Applause!
But...
Belle looked Nicole up and down, highly suspicious.
Given Nicole's intelligence, even if she hadn't noticed early on, after spending so much time together, she should have understood that guy's nature.
She leaned close to Nicole's ear and asked nervously, "Tell me, is Sol going away for a long time? For many years?"
She couldn't think of any other explanation.
"Well, not really..." Nicole's eyes darted away, and she hemmed and hawed.
"Then what's the reason?" Belle pressed relentlessly, determined to get to the bottom of it.
Nicole looked at Belle, considering their close cooperative relationship and their many life-and-death experiences, and finally relented.
She lowered her head, glanced at Sol in the distance, and said with a blush, "I don't want to waste resources, lest the fertile water flows to others' fields."
She knew Sol could enhance strength, and having learned that he was going away soon, she was seizing the time.
Calculating with her sharp business mind, one night could yield an improvement equivalent to one Anby's worth of strength.
If he skipped a single night's "payment," it would be like losing one Anby per day.
If she and Anby collected the "payment" together every day, that would be an extra income of two Anbys daily.
If someone else stole the "payment," it would be like someone snatching one Anby from the Cunning Hares—a huge loss that would pain her to death.
"Not wasting... resources?" Belle stared blankly at Nicole, as if a new world had opened before her.
Is this what adulthood is like? So terrifying. It seems compared to Nicole, she's still just a child.
Since she had already revealed a bit, Nicole simply threw caution to the wind and laid out her entire "Anby Income Theory": "It's like this, this way and that way, so and so..."
Belle's eyes widened; it was an eye-opener. "So amazing!"
"Now you understand my difficulty, right?" Nicole looked at Belle pitifully. "You don't want the Cunning Hares to lose two Anbys every day, do you?"
"Right, you don't want the Cunning Hares to lose two Anbys every day, do you?" Belle licked her lips, her tone carrying a dangerous edge.
"What do you mean?" Nicole was somewhat stunned.
"Split it fifty-fifty!" Belle made up her mind, unwavering in her resolve.
To protect her brother, for world peace, she would bravely offer herself.
She had originally planned to find a way for her brother to kowtow to Sol a few times and become his disciple too.
But now, it seemed that wasn't necessary, since her brother lacked that particular function.
She would have to take the field personally to protect New Eridu.