The incredibly stunning motorcycle battle back then had completely blown the young Andrew's mind. After meticulously looking up the bike's specs, owning a motorcycle just like that became a small wish tucked away in his heart.
Of course, his school days and a decade-plus career as a hunter had nearly made Andrew forget that wish entirely.
But the moment Andrew saw this motorcycle, those dusty memories reawakened in his mind. Suddenly, his feet felt glued to the ground, utterly unable to move.
"Caesar, what do you think? If I give you a full blueprint, could your crew build me a custom replica?"
Although the base model was already excellent, if possible, Andrew wanted one with the exact same design. Even if the performance couldn't match, having the same look would be enough!
"Hmm... I don't think it'll be a problem, but you should let me see the blueprint first."
Caesar said, a little puzzled. She had no idea why Andrew had suddenly decided on a specific customization. Wasn't he just indecisively picking out a frame a moment ago?
Caesar was a bit confused, but since Andrew was the one choosing the bike, as long as he thought it was suitable, that was good enough. After all, everyone's tastes were different. In the Outer Ring, the best bike was always the one you loved.
An idea now firmly in his mind, Andrew immediately grabbed a pen and paper and started sketching. His experience drawing maps and environments during his hunter days had given him decent artistic skills, and the not-so-complex design of the motorcycle quickly came to life on the page.
To be honest, when Caesar took the blueprint from Andrew, she was feeling quite relaxed, having been watching his design process. After all, the cosmetic changes weren't that drastic, and the design of the tires and such was mostly unchanged.
But when she saw the top speed written on the specs, even Caesar, who was used to street racing, was left stunned for a moment.
"Top speed of 420 kilometers per hour? Andrew, are you serious? What are you trying to build here, a motorcycle or a missile?!"
"Ah, well..."
Suddenly remembering that he'd casually jotted down the specs while drawing the exterior, Andrew instantly realized just how absurd those numbers were. For a normal motorcycle, at least, it was utterly ridiculous.
After all, Ms. Hoshimi Miyabi, the cyborg Void Hunter recognized as the fastest, only clocked in at 200 kilometers per hour. If this bike were actually built, its speed would be more than double Ms. Miyabi's.
"What Ethereal could stand a chance then? I'd just run them all over!"
Realizing how crazy the number was, Andrew immediately laughed it off, saying:
"It's fine, it's fine. If it's possible, just mod it to reach the highest speed you can manage."
Setting other things aside, with the riding skills he'd honed on a Seikret in the Forbidden Lands, combined with his current reaction speed, even 200 km/h wouldn't be a problem. He could handle it perfectly.
Besides, the speed of a Seikret was far beyond what most people could imagine. No matter how you looked at it, it was a mount that could reach a destination at almost the same time as a flying dragon, but it did so by running through forests. Its speed was absolutely top-notch.
Although Andrew said not to worry about the top speed, Caesar quietly committed it to memory, planning to swap out every possible part with components that could boost its acceleration and velocity.
Looking at the ordinary-looking jet-nozzle design on the rear of the motorcycle in the blueprint, Caesar remembered the fuel injector Burnice had prepared for her when she was building her own bike. If Caesar's injector was meant to speed up her wide, heavy motorcycle, then installing it on Andrew's lightweight off-road bike would basically be a launch system.
However, just as Caesar was starting to figure out how to modify Andrew's motorcycle, Kasa, the mayor of Blazewood, suddenly burst in.
The ornaments in her hair were disheveled from her frantic run, her brown skin was covered in sweat, and her face was flushed red from the exertion. She paid no attention to Andrew standing in the garage, instead speaking anxiously to Caesar:
"It's bad, Caesar! Something's happened!"
Caesar, who had been deep in thought, immediately stood up with a serious expression. In stark contrast to her usual goofy demeanor, a serious Caesar exuded an aura of authority.
This kind of decisive and commanding presence, characteristic of a leader, was already beginning to take shape in her.
"What is it, Kasa? What happened?"
It was only then that Andrew began to think that Caesar's goal of becoming the overlord of the Outer Ring was actually quite feasible. Though her immaturity was also quite apparent.
Kasa's face was filled with anxiety and helplessness. In response to Caesar's question, without caring if it was appropriate for Andrew to hear, she said directly:
"There's been a Hollows disaster at the Blazewood oil refinery! Some people managed to escape, but about five hundred are still trapped inside!"
As she spoke, Kasa's expression turned even more desperate.
"The factory... we can live without the factory! The most important thing is that we have to rescue the people!"
The sudden catastrophe brought the motorcycle selection to a halt. The moments right after a Hollows appears are absolutely the best time for a rescue. Every minute and every second of delay was another step closer to death for those trapped inside the Hollows.
Caesar wasted no more time, immediately putting down the blueprint she had been studying.
"Sorry, Andrew. We've picked out the bike, but let's postpone the modifications. I'll contact you after I've dealt with this crisis."
She felt a little bad saying this; leaving a friend on their own like that was genuinely embarrassing for her.
But Andrew had no intention of just getting on his bike and leaving. As a hunter, he couldn't just ignore people who were in danger. Besides, Caesar was his friend.
"Are you planning to rush in by yourself? Aren't you afraid of the danger?"
To Andrew's question, Caesar replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Of course I am! I'm the leader of the Sons of Calydon. When there's danger, I have to be the first one in!"
Although Caesar spoke with great bravado, an unavoidable problem lay right in front of her.
"But newly formed Hollows are extremely dangerous. The biggest problem for anyone inside is always how to get out. Without a Proxy, there's a huge risk of getting lost."
Seeing Andrew standing in her way and hearing his words of caution, Caesar didn't hesitate for a second. She just shook her head, not backing down in the slightest.
"Even so, I have to go. Don't try to stop me, Andrew. By the time a Proxy from the net accepts the commission and gets to the Outer Ring, it'll be an hour or two. With my Ether resistance, I'll be fine."
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