Keqing suspected that the so-called Exaltist Order might be part of the rebels—and therefore a target of the New Eridu authorities.

Handing these people over to the New Eridu government would surely yield the details of their conspiracy.

Once the decision was made, Keqing didn't question the researchers any further. Instead, she had Billy help tie them all up, planning to contact the New Eridu officials once they were out of the Hollows.

Although there had been some unexpected incidents in the Hollows, Keqing, the Traveler, Caesar, and the others hadn't forgotten their real goal—retrieving the building materials from the warehouse.

Soon after, Billy tossed the bound researchers into the truck, leaving Paimon and Anby to watch over them while the rest headed into the warehouse Caesar had mentioned.

Since they didn't have a key, Billy eyed the rusted iron door, then gave it a sharp kick—sending it crashing to the ground with a loud bang.

A cloud of dust billowed up. When it cleared, they saw that the warehouse was filled with rubble—fragments of building materials piled in a messy heap.

Seeing the ruined materials that took up most of the warehouse, Caesar couldn't help but feel disheartened. If they had been intact, they would have been incredibly useful in Calydon Town.

Just then, Piper's voice called from ahead.

"Come here—there's a pile of intact building materials here. They might still be usable."

Everyone rushed over, and sure enough, under the debris they found several undamaged pieces.

There weren't many, but it would be enough to repair a restaurant.

Caesar broke into a smile. "Looks like coming here was worth it. Piper, Billy, Mr. Kazuha, Mr. Arataki Itto, Miss Traveler—help me get these onto the truck."

Piper yawned. "Alright, let's get it done. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back."

Billy grinned. "Itto, how about a race to see who can move more?"

Arataki Itto smirked confidently. "You're on! I've never lost a single cargo run at the docks."

Back in Inazuma, Arataki Itto had lived by the "work one day, rest three" creed—spending one day hauling freight, then using the wages to relax and have fun with his gang for the next three.

He could afford that because whenever he worked at the docks, he could single-handedly move half the cargo, earning far more than the average porter.

With that, Itto and Billy got ready to compete.

Then Itto glanced back at Paimon and the Traveler. "You two want in on this?"

The Traveler shook their head.

Paimon shook hers even faster. "No way I'm hauling building materials with you two."

With Billy and Itto doing the heavy lifting, it didn't take long for the group to sort out the best pieces and load half a truck's worth to take back to Calydon.

"Caesar, let's head back. We still have to renovate Cheesetopia—we need to move fast."

"Alright, everyone sit tight. Piper, start her up."

"The truck's full—drive carefully."

"Relax, you know me. Unless it's an Ethereal, I won't hit it."

...

With Piper driving, they began the return trip to Calydon Town. Compared to when they had set out, the truck now carried not just building materials, but also several prisoners from the so-called Exaltist Order.

As soon as they exited the Hollows, Keqing said quickly, "Sam Li, contact Hoshimi Miyabi from Unit Six of the Hollow Special Operations and tell them what happened here so they can handle it."

Sam Li replied calmly, "I've already contacted them."

In truth, he hadn't called Hoshimi Miyabi, but Zhu Yuan and Qingyi from the Public Security Bureau—because he had their direct numbers.

And he hadn't waited until they left the Hollows; he had contacted them while still inside.

For most people, communicating in the Hollows was nearly impossible. But Sam Li had long since found a workaround—wrapping his phone in Geo, then gathering enough Geo energy to form an "antenna" that extended beyond the Hollows' boundary, allowing normal signal transmission.

He had just used that method earlier.

...

On the way back, the truck moved more slowly than on the trip out.

By the time they rolled into Calydon with half a truck of building materials, Zhu Yuan and Qingyi had already arrived in a disguised patrol car.

The moment she saw Sam Li, Zhu Yuan hurried over. "Where are the people from the Exaltist Order you mentioned?"

Sam Li pointed toward the truck bed. "Still in there."

Zhu Yuan immediately climbed aboard and saw the bound researchers captured in the Hollows.

Just then, Belle and Wise came running up. "What's going on? What's this Exaltist Order?"

Paimon quickly explained, "They're shady people we ran into in the Hollows. They were talking about some kind of scheme—something about the Exaltist Order and a 'great evolution.' We couldn't make sense of it, so we decided to hand them over to New Eridu to deal with."

As she finished, everyone turned to Qingyi.

Paimon asked, "So what exactly is the Exaltist Order? Are they part of the rebels?"

Qingyi shook his head. "No. The Exaltist Order isn't part of the rebels. They've been around longer—even dating back to the old era."

He went on to give a brief history.

The Exaltist Order was like a religious sect. Unlike today's New Eridu, they worshipped Ethereals—revering the most powerful among them as gods.

They had even played a role in the fall of Old Eridu.

When New Eridu was founded, the government, having learned from the past, joined forces with the Hollow Special Operations Division to wipe the organization out completely.

No one had expected that, after all these years, the group would still exist—and be hatching a new conspiracy.

After hearing this, Paimon was at a loss for words.

"What are these people thinking? How could anyone worship monsters—humanity's enemies—as gods?"

It was like imagining someone in Teyvat worshipping the Abyss.

...Actually, some people did.

Paimon seemed to make the connection. "So this Exaltist Order is kind of like the Abyss Order, and these guys are like Abyss Mages..."

Keqing spoke firmly. "We'll leave these people in your hands. If you learn anything, let us know immediately."

Qingyi nodded. "You can count on it."