The director quickly nodded and said, "That's right, Mr. Sam Li is right. I promise, this time I definitely haven't deceived you. No one has ever touched that warehouse."
Nekomata looked at Nicole. "What do we do?"
Nicole thought for a moment. "Since Sam Li said so, of course we're going treasure hunting. But since a lot of Hollow thieves have already entered, we have to find the treasure before they do. Director, stop standing around. Hide your camera gear. We're leaving right now."
The director quickly said, "We're here to film—"
Nicole hurriedly corrected herself. "Right, right, filming! We'll film while treasure hunting. Sam Li, Anby, Billy, Nekomata, grab the filming equipment. Move out!"
After that, Nicole pulled out her phone and reviewed the materials she collected yesterday.
With the broken map the director provided, she was confident she could avoid any high-level Ethereals and lead the group safely to the warehouse.
Soon, everyone was ready, and they set off for the deeper parts of the Hollows.
"Yo yo yo, let's go! Anby, Nekomata, Sam Li, want to race and see who's fastest?"
"Billy, since you're so energetic, carry my load too."
"Ah, Nicole Boss, I can't carry it! Nicole Boss, wait for me..."
"Hurry up! Stop wasting time..."
While Nicole, Sam Li, and the others headed deeper into the Hollows...
in the New Eridu metropolitan area, inside a villa belonging to Victoria Housekeeping.,
Lycaon, acting as butler, personally received a client.
"Sir, I am the butler of Victoria Housekeeping. It is an honor to serve you. Please state your commission details."
a young man in a suit stared at him eagerly. "Is that a werewolf mask you're wearing? Where did you buy it? I want one too."
Seeing Lycaon's serious face,
the young man cleared his throat. "Alright, alright, no jokes. Let's talk about the commission. Mr. Lycaon, did you know the Imperial City Hollows have entered a decline? Ether activity and concentration have both dropped drastically. The treasures inside are finally about to see the light of day! I'm so excited—"
Lycaon calmly asked, "Sir, what exactly is your commission?"
The young man said excitedly, "Isn't it obvious? The treasure inside! I gathered information from all over. Before the Hollows disaster, a great work of art was stored in a warehouse in the Imperial City Hollows. I don't care what it costs. I must recover it!"
Seeing the young man so excited,
Lycaon patiently waited until he calmed down before continuing, "Please provide more information. What kind of artwork is it?"
the young man started gesturing wildly. "There's a hidden history behind it! It's the final masterpiece of the great artist Miss Anna..."
The young man rambled on,
telling all sorts of stories about the artwork.
he pulled a photo from his pocket and handed it to Lycaon.
Lycaon stared at the photo in slight shock.
The young man said eagerly, "Well? Can the famous Victoria Housekeeping find this piece for me? Money isn't an issue. Three million, five million, name your price!"
Throwing around millions of Dennies.
For third-rate agencies, a commission would be unimaginable.
But for Victoria Housekeeping, it was only average.
Lycaon's face didn't even flicker as he shook his head. "No. Considering the difficulty, I want six million Dennies."
the young man smiled. "Deal, Mr. Lycaon. I'll be waiting for good news."
He stood up happily and left the villa.
After the client left,
Rina, Ellen, and Corin all rushed over.
"Lord Lycaon, with how excited he was, what amazing artwork could it be?"
"Ugh, back to work, boss. Let's see it already!"
"Lord Lycaon, Corin is ready to head out anytime!"
They thought today would be a lazy day.
Ellen had already prepared her pillow and cleaned the sofa, planning to nap before doing homework.
Now a sudden commission had ruined all her plans.
Lycaon sighed, took out the photo, and showed it to them.
The moment they saw it,
Rina barely held back a laugh. "It really is... a unique piece of art."
Corin exclaimed, "Is this... a golden toilet? A golden Bangboo? Bangboo's toilet?"
Lycaon frowned slightly and said seriously, "Corin, I told you before—don't mock a client's items."
Corin immediately apologized like a guilty child. "Sorry, Lord Lycaon, I'll remember next time..."
Ellen glanced at the photo and said impatiently, "Gold toilet or silver toilet, whatever. When are we leaving? I still have homework to finish."
Lycaon said solemnly, "Let's go. To the Imperial City Hollows. We can't keep our client waiting."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Lycaon straightened his clothes and strode forward.
Rina, Ellen, and Corin followed right behind him.
as Lycaon led Ellen and the others into the Imperial City Hollows,
Nicole, Sam Li, Anby, and the rest were moving through the abandoned city, heading toward the warehouse deeper inside the Hollows.
Even though the Etheric activity and concentration had dropped,
they still encountered various Ethereals several times along the way, all of which Nekomata and Anby easily dealt with.
Seeing how powerful they were,
the director was stunned. "You guys are amazing. You're nothing like what people said on the Forum..."
When she heard the mention of the Forum,
Nicole immediately fumed.
"Slander. Total slander! Those haters are all fake accounts hired by other agencies. The lowest of the low, just a bunch of AI-controlled bots smearing us every day. If I ever find out who paid them, I'll make them regret it!"
Nicole was still ranting,
when Billy suddenly interrupted, "Nicole Boss, look over there. I think we've arrived."