After sending a message explaining the situation via Knock-Knock, Belle quickly replied with an 'OK.' When it came to Andrew's requests, Belle had always been one to step up to the plate, and this time was no exception.
Just then, Caesar arrived, pulling Piper along to meet up with them.
"Andrew, I was originally going to send Piper into the city to hire a Proxy, but since you said you knew one, I just brought her straight here."
This time, however, Piper wasn't acting lazy. When it came to serious business, she knew how to get her head in the game and work hard.
"So, who is this Proxy you know?"
Andrew's claim that he knew a Proxy had made Caesar quite curious.
After all, you didn't really get any powerful Proxies coming out to the Outer Ring.
The main problem, really, was that powerful Proxies charged a fortune. For a direct commission, the Sons of Calydon, out here in the Outer Ring, simply couldn't afford it.
Asking Andrew who he'd invited was also Caesar's way of trying to calculate if he had enough Dennies on hand to pay the commission fee.
Hearing Caesar's question, Andrew didn't beat around the bush. In fact, you could say he'd been waiting for Caesar to ask him this very question.
"How could you know that the Proxy I'm acquainted with is the legendary one from the Proxy Network?"
Although Andrew always teased Belle about the 'Legendary Proxy' title when they chatted, in front of others, he consistently referred to her as the Legendary Proxy of New Eridu.
And when Caesar heard who Andrew had named, she subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
After all, anyone in New Eridu who dealt with the Hollows would know of the city's newly-ascended Legendary Proxy—Phaethon. For now, at least, no one could best him in the Proxy business.
However, this Proxy's skill was directly proportional to her mysteriousness; aside from her intermediary, no one had ever seen Phaethon's true identity.
Other clients would only ever see a highly autonomous and self-aware Bangboo.
But by the same token, this Proxy's skill was directly tied to her commission fee.
That enormous commission fee, a cut above even other top-tier Proxies, was something that the fledgling 'Boar's Rush, Fox's Advance' group couldn't even begin to afford.
And hearing the familiar tone Andrew used when talking about this Proxy, Caesar wondered if his strength was also far beyond her expectations.
?
'When the time comes, I wonder if we can even afford the fee...'
As someone from the Outer Ring, Caesar had heard of Phaethon's reputation. To be precise, over the last two days in the Outer Ring, that name had been ringing like thunder.
According to the latest news that was spreading like wildfire, a couple of days ago she and that agent who'd suddenly appeared had, by themselves, directly destroyed a research facility belonging to a major corporation.
The day after Phaethon investigated the place, that huge corporation went bankrupt and collapsed in an instant. If it were just that, people would only think she was immensely powerful.
But the most important thing was, after pulling off something so huge, they didn't seem worried about any retaliation from TOPS. They didn't even try to lay low. Just last night, you could still see them posting and surfing with high intensity on the Proxy Network.
Anyone in the Outer Ring who heard about this would think that this Proxy and her agent were both absolute, bona fide badasses.
Unlike others who were afraid, Caesar, after going into the city and seeing the news about what that research facility was doing, could only be described as supporting Phaethon's actions with every fiber of her being.
And then Andrew suddenly says he knows this Legendary Proxy.
This led Caesar to form a faint suspicion about Andrew's identity. Her brain was spinning at an precedent speed; she felt like she'd never been this sharp before.
But a guess was just a guess. Caesar still cautiously asked Andrew for confirmation:
"So Andrew, what's your relationship with Phaethon?"
Hearing Caesar's question, Andrew had no intention of hiding anything either.
After all, having been this open already, there was no point in holding back on this last little detail.
"Me? You could say I'm her exclusive agent."
Upon getting Andrew's confirmation, Caesar couldn't help but recall that evening, and the car Andrew was in, heading towards the canyon.
Connecting that with the location of the destroyed research facility from the news broadcast, Caesar slammed a fist into her palm in a moment of sudden realization and exclaimed:
"So when you said you were going to the bottom of the canyon to watch meteors that day, you were totally lying, weren't you! Was that young guy with you Phaethon?!"
No matter how you sliced it, what he'd said that evening was indeed a lie. It wouldn't have mattered if they hadn't gotten to know each other, but now that Caesar was his friend, Andrew scratched his head and offered an apology.
"Sorry, I did lie to you about what I was going to do that day. As for Phaethon's identity... if she's willing, she'll tell you herself."
"I knew it..."
Her suspicions confirmed, and given their interactions over this period plus Caesar's own personality, she naturally wasn't going to get hung up on such a small thing.
"Hehe, we had only just met back then. It's totally normal to be on your guard."
Caesar gave Andrew an approving thumbs-up and continued:
"Besides, you guys were going up against a corporation to do something genuinely good. Of course you had to be extra careful."
The topic that could have created a rift between them was thus casually brushed aside. Andrew and Caesar moved on to discussing methods and arrangements to completely resolve the current Hollow crisis.
"Piper, the important task of picking up people from the Silver City base is all yours."
During the conversation, Andrew had already explained the situation to Belle. After getting her agreement, he prepared to arrange for Piper to go pick up the reinforcements from the Silver City base.
"We're talking about five hundred people, after all. There's no way we have enough manpower right now. But with the Silver Squad joining in, it'll be a different story."
Regarding Andrew's arrangement, Piper, sitting inside Big Steel Tooth, still sounded a bit lazy, but her posture had already turned serious.
"Alrighty, leave it to me! I guarantee I'll get them here, driving as smoothly and quickly as I do on my veggie deliveries!"
[GNT_PBREA]K
The words had barely left her mouth when, with a roar from Big Steel Tooth' engine, the truck shot forward with an acceleration faster than a race car's, disappearing from sight in just a few seconds.
Driving a truck like a race car—everyone who saw it couldn't help but marvel at the seasoned driver.
Turning his attention back to Caesar, Andrew noticed that her attitude had changed from the eager impatience she'd shown when she was planning to go alone.
Now that she knew he was coming with her, Caesar seemed a bit hesitant.
"Andrew, are you sure there won't be any problems?"
Regarding Caesar's concern, Andrew was fearless. When it came to Belle's skills as a Proxy, Andrew had one hundred percent confidence.
"Don't worry, Phaethon's abilities are beyond your imagination. She can definitely find me."
As he spoke, Andrew fiddled with the Guidebug hanging from his waist and said:
"And likewise, don't you underestimate my Guidebug, the strongest one in the world."
______
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