This Is Faster Than Printing Money

Judging by the traces left on the battlefield, it wasn't hard to piece things together.

After a brief silence, Hoshimi Miyabi finally released her hand from her sword hilt and turned to the others.

"Gather intel, then withdraw from the Dead End Hollow."

"We know far too little about the target. Once the Defense Force finishes analyzing the data, we'll decide our next move."

"We've already gained enough for now."

Now wasn't the right time.

It wasn't that Hoshimi Miyabi feared the "Fire Picker." If she were alone, she wouldn't hesitate to go deeper into the Hollow and hunt him down.

But she had three teammates with her. Based on her evaluation, they might be helpful—but the risk of injury was much higher.

The danger level was simply too great.

She couldn't let them walk into that. Considering all factors, this was the most reasonable choice.

As for trying to start a conversation with a hostile "Fire Picker," Hoshimi Miyabi wasn't naive enough to try that.

The "Fire Picker" was ranked at the top tier of the official danger scale.

If any dialogue were to happen, it would either require the "Fire Picker" to show willingness—or both sides to be on equal footing. And that didn't just mean strength.

"Soukaku, hand me the camera."

Tsukishiro Yanagi, seeing Soukaku still fretting over her scorched banner, stepped up to take over her assignment with a few gentle words.

Soon, Hoshimi Miyabi and the other three members of Hollow Special Operations Unit 6 made their way out of the Dead End Hollow.

As they exited, Soukaku looked at Hoshimi Miyabi's back and whispered to Tsukishiro Yanagi beside her.

"Is the Section Chief... feeling defeated?"

Yanagi understood exactly what was on Hoshimi Miyabi's mind. She gave Soukaku a soft smile and said,

"Don't worry—she's Hoshimi Miyabi."

"The youngest Void Hunter in New Eridu."

"One of humanity's most powerful forces."

Her gaze returned to Miyabi as she continued in a quieter voice.

"She's just... weighing things carefully."

"No one knows the full extent of the 'Fire Picker's' power. But then again, none of us have ever seen the Section Chief go all out either."

Soukaku tilted her head slightly, clearly still unsure. It wasn't that she doubted Miyabi—she'd always thought of her as the embodiment of strength.

Yanagi chuckled, then tapped Soukaku lightly on the forehead.

"Just wait and see. We're supposed to talk, sure... but there's definitely tension between the Chief and the 'Fire Picker.'"

"Wouldn't be surprised if they ended up fighting."

Harumasa, standing off to the side, overheard their conversation. He glanced at Miyabi, who was nearly out of the Hollow, and gave a helpless shrug.

Well... now he was kind of looking forward to it too.

...

Mid-Layer of the Dead End Hollow

"It's so quiet... nothing but Ethereals."

Zane walked forward. Aside from the person tailing him, he hadn't found any other human presence—only a few wandering Ethereals.

The entire Hollow didn't feel like it was being controlled... more like it was being protected.

But the protection wasn't for what was inside.

It was to protect what was outside.

"An inner defense meant to safeguard the outer world? Interesting."

Too bad... it didn't apply to him.

To Zane, this "barrier" might as well be decoration.

"Found it."

He suddenly spotted a fairly large Ether crystal, its root pulsing with an eerie blue-green glow.

Zane stepped closer and casually snapped the crystal off.

Way more efficient than the Hollow's harvesting machines.

As he crushed the crystal bit by bit, Ether substance spilled out—clear, glowing faintly.

To Zane, it looked like a massive piece of glowing jade—except softer to the touch.

And a bit fragile.

"The Ether crystals I make are condensed by controlling Ether energy, then stabilized so they don't dissipate."

"The ones in the Hollow form naturally. First, the Ether substance gathers, then solidifies into crystals."

"Afterward, the Ether substance does the same job I do—protecting the crystal and keeping it from breaking apart."

Zane stared at the Ether in his hand, eyes narrowing. This stuff didn't feel like inert matter—it was more like an energy entity, albeit one that scanned as non-living.

"I can't absorb Ether energy... but I can control it. Maybe I can do something with this substance."

Without hesitation, Zane began channeling his power into the Ether.

Panta, bored nearby, was pawing at the dying remains of a crystal.

A moment later, Zane looked down at the Ether glowing even brighter in his hand, blinking in surprise.

Had he just... refined it?

He recalled something Nicole had mentioned over a meal, trying to win him over—how a big chunk of Hare's House income came from Ether substance. And this level of brilliance...

This definitely qualified as high-grade Ether.

Eighty thousand Dennies for a fist-sized one... and this chunk was the size of a basin...

Doing a quick calculation, Zane raised an eyebrow.

This was faster than printing money.

His refining efficiency depended on how well he controlled Ether. At this level, he could turn low or mid-grade Ether into high-quality material.

Sure, it shrank in size as it purified—but the price skyrocketed.

Definitely faster than making money.

If he worked hard enough, he might actually afford a place in the city center.

Not that he wanted one or anything.

"Won't be back for a while... might as well purify as much as I can."

Satisfied with his haul, Zane started refining the rest...

...

A while later, Zane was ready to leave, his bag now stuffed with high-quality "Dennies." But before that, he had to figure out how to sell them.

"Belle?"

Belle and Wise were Proxies, not raiders. They probably didn't deal in Ether substance—and wouldn't know much about it either.

"Hare's House?"

Their reputation outside wasn't exactly great. Even if they could handle this kind of shipment, the risks were high.

That left...

The Public Security Bureau? Specialized in cracking down on illegal activity. Their Special Crimes Unit was a raider's worst nightmare.

Qingyi?

That woman had lived a long life—she probably knew all the right places: drop points, black markets, hidden exchanges...

But...

Was she seriously considering asking Qingyi for help selling these?

Right in front of a Public Security Bureau agent?

The thought made Zane grimace.

Forget it. First thing's first—get out of the Hollow, buy a comms device, then see if he could talk Qingyi into it...