Fyxestroll Gathering (I)

Fyxestroll Gathering (I) is the second part of the Trailblaze Continuance chapter A Foxian Tale of the Haunted. It begins after completing Sojourners' Ghastly Reverie and reading a message from Guinaifen.
==Steps==
# Receive a message from Guinaifen
# Meet up with Guinaifen in Fyxestroll Garden.
# Talk to Huohuo and learn about the task commissioned by the Ten-Lords Commission.
==Dialogue==
===Receive a message from Guinaifen===
:
===Meet up with Guinaifen in Fyxestroll Garden===
;(Talk to Cirrus, optional)
:Cirrus: This boredom is killing me... the only entertainment I have around here is watching the insects fly by.
:Cirrus: Speaking of which, it seems one of them has come to visit me. I wonder, is here to taunt me, or implement some sort of restorative justice? We'll just have to wait and see...
: Still haven't given up?
::Cirrus: The Ten-Lords Commission judges won't abandon one of their own... but they won't let me off the hook either.
::Cirrus: So now I'm stuck here, condemned to eternal boredom. Hehe, I wonder which will last longer — the lifespan of my jailors, or the patience of a heliobus...
::Cirrus: In any case, time is on my side, so long as the Xianzhou are willing to maintain some facade of humanity.
: What are your terms of surrender?
::Cirrus: Surrender? Why would I do that? To you, I may as well be fighting an unwinnable battle — wasting my time away in someone else's body...
::Cirrus: ...but for me, the game has only just begun. The Ten-Lords Commission doesn't have any moves left... and I still have time to turn the game in my favor.
::Cirrus: You know, it wasn't that long ago that you and those judges would have become my pawns — if it wasn't for that meddling guard dog...
: I'm speechless.
:Cirrus: If you have nothing to say, then run along and let me be.
;(Approach designated location)
:Guinaifen: Yo, what's up! You're finally here! Without you, our ghost-hunting squad would be nothing!
:Sushang: Hey, I'm a reliable squad member too!
:Guinaifen: Sure, when you're not passed out in fear! Hehe...
:Sushang: Cut it out — if you keep teasing me, I—I... I'm not gonna perform my boulder-smashing trick for you anymore!
: What's this ghost-hunting squad all about?
:Hanya: The official name is the "Ten-Lords Commission Special Operations Team for the Heliobi Containment Breach Incident."
:Hanya: That was the name given to us by decree of the Ten Lords. Since we managed to survive the Fyxestroll Garden incident, the Ten Lords decided to entrust us with hunting down and subduing the heliobi using our special skills.
: By decree of the Ten Lords?
::Hanya: That's right — this expedition was commissioned by the Ten Lords themselves. I am unsure as to why they attached so much importance to this endeavor, but I have a theory.
: Using our special skills?
::Sushang: Huohuo is a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission and I'm a Cloud Knight — we must answer the call to the best of our abilities. And (Trailblazer) is an outworlder who's done great things for the sake of the Xianzhou...
::Sushang: But why did Little Gui have to get dragged into this? This mission is too dangerous for a civilian!
::Guinaifen: ...I get it. You don't think I have any special skills, so I'll just get in the way?
::Hanya: Every flower and tree on the Xianzhou is significant in its own way — Miss Gui has her own strengths too. As a famous street performer and livestreamer, she has precisely the skills we need to acquire intel for our mission.
: I don't have any more questions.
:Hanya: Miss Gui has set up a social media account under the guise of investigating paranormal phenomena and unexplained mysteries... we can use it to gather intel for our mission.
:Guinaifen: You hear that, Sushang! I'm a key member of the squad! They said I could be a Ten-Lords Commission intelligence hawk!
:Sushang: Uh... I might not be a scholar, but I don't think calling someone a "hawk" is a compliment.
:Hanya: The Ten-Lords Commission has specially entrusted Judge Huohuo with commanding the ghost-hunting squad, so please make sure to follow her lead in all matters related to the heliobi.
:Huohuo: ...Th—That's right. I won't let us down.
:After Hanya delivered the task to the ghost-hunting squad, she left to continue resolving matters at Fyxestroll Garden.
===Talk to Huohuo and learn about the task commissioned by the Ten-Lords Commission.===
;(Talk to Huohuo)
:Sushang: Captain Huohuo, should we start the ghost hunt now?
:Huohuo: C—Captain? You can just call me Huohuo.
: Understood, Captain Huohuo.
::Huohuo: I'm really surprised that Madam Hanya asked me to be the leader of the ghost-hunting squad.
::Huohuo: After Tail disappeared, I thought for sure the Commission would ask me to resign, but for some reason... A—Anyway, I'll do my best to carry out my duties!
: We're all counting on you, Judge Huohuo.
::Huohuo: Actually, I'm not sure if I can be helpful anymore...
::Huohuo: After Tail disappeared, I thought for sure the Commission would ask me to resign... but for some reason, Madam Hanya asked me to be the leader of the ghost-hunting squad.
::Huohuo: A—Anyway, I'll do my best to carry out my duties!
:Huohuo: As for our mission... Cirrus was locked up in Fyxestroll Garden, but there were a lot of other heliobi that escaped after the Creation Furnace was broken.
:Huohuo: According to the Ten-Lords Commission's understanding of heliobi behavior, they tend to roam densely populated areas in search of hosts... and wherever they go, there are bound to be reports of "supernatural phenomena."
:Huohuo: Little Gui, can you show us the website we'll be using for intel?
;(Opens A Foxian Tale of the Haunted: Ghostly Grove)
::Guinaifen: Ta-da! This is the paranormal lovers' website, Ghostly Grove.
::Guinaifen: I've created a new account to gather paranormal experiences from the site.
::Sushang: This account is your personal account, right? Is that really okay?
::Guinaifen: The Ten-Lords Commission has to stay hidden, but I don't have to. I've been instructed to gather fans at all costs.
::Huohuo: That's right. As the number of fans increases, we can receive more assignments to investigate paranormal activites.
::Huohuo: There aren't any help requests posted yet, so let's check back in a bit. Tap here to close the page.
----
:Guinaifen: I'm a new user, so I only have a few followers on this site... but based on past experience, once you get a following, people start flooding you with stories and news about paranormal activity.
: What if all the leads we get turn out to be fake?
: A lot of paranormal activity is just people in costumes.
:Guinaifen: We have our work cut out for us, that's for sure. Sometimes a lead is obviously fake, but other times... it's hard to tell from just a few words on the Internet.
:Guinaifen: After all, some people will make up all kinds of nonsense to attract attention.
:Sushang: So we still have to go out and fact-check the leads?
:Huohuo: Mm. Plus, the spiritfarers from the Ten-Lords Commission will be carrying out their own investigation in secret as well.
:Sushang: Speaking of attracting attention... how do we get a following on a paranormal activity website? Sounds like Little Gui's department — she used me in some of her performances just to draw a bigger crowd.
:Guinaifen: That's the easy part — we just post some videos of us ghost hunting... Uh, I mean, subduing heliobi! We're working for the Ten-Lord's Commission after all — we're gonna have the best content out there!
: Will the Ten-Lords agree to this?
::Guinaifen: Madam Hanya has already given us the green light. We'll record our heliobi-hunting expeditions to get more followers, and then use the intel from our followers to find more heliobi. It's like a vicious cycle... W—Wait — a virtuous cycle!
: Does sound kinda effective...
:Sushang: Wait, aren't we supposed to be operating in secret?
:Huohuo: Another thing we have to think about is that heliobi feed on the emotions of their hosts. They can even manipulate a host into revealing their deepest secrets...
:Huohuo: Wouldn't posting a victim's personal information online... cause even more harm to the victim? I—I'm not trying to pick holes... just raising some concerns.
:Guinaifen: The way I see it, "operating in secret" and "exposing the paranormal" go hand-in-hand.
:Guinaifen: We won't reveal the names of any victims. We'll just post some pics and videos of the squad engaging in fierce battles with the supernatural! And then come up with some dramatic titles...
:Guinaifen: Like Little Gui Investigates: Ghost Tries to Scare Young Cloud Knight Girl on Creepy Road — Gets Owned..." Y'know?
:Guinaifen: We'll turn the entire heliobi-hunting process into regular uploads. Viewers will see that there's nothing that scary about it, and there won't be any public panic!
:Sushang: Why are you looking at me? Want a medal or something...? It does kinda sound like a good idea...
:Guinaifen: Hee-hee, thanks bestie.
:Guinaifen: I feel like some of you aren't convinced by the whole online ghost-hunting thing... How about this — we take a look at the leads we have so far, and pick one to try out as a test run.
:Guinaifen: Take a look — this post is getting tons of comments.
;(Opens A Foxian Tale of the Haunted: Ghostly Grove)
::Guinaifen: Look, it didn't take long for a help request to be posted, did it?
::Guinaifen: Help request posts usually have clues leading to heliobi. Click it to have a look.
::Sushang: Oh, so that's how it is. Mhm... Okay, I get the picture.
::Guinaifen: As you can see, after completing assignments, you will receive fans and gratuity!
::Sushang: Best not to dilly-dally. Go accept the investigation assignment.
::Huohuo: Let's begin our investigation!
----
:Sushang: Lady Bailu disappeared? That's nothing new — she sneaks off all the time.
:Guinaifen: That's not the point — here, read this part...
:Guinaifen: "One of the healers from the Alchemy Commission had Lady Bailu cornered, but then she disappeared into thin air..."
: Maybe they were seeing things.
: Maybe they made it up.
:Guinaifen: Judging from the comments, there were several witnesses. Sure, Lady Bailu runs away all the time, but disappearing into thin air?
:Huohuo: It looks like the work of a heliobus... The heliobi are masters of manipulating the senses. There are stories of heliobi changing their shape and appearance to disguise themselves as someone else.
:Sushang: Okay, so what are we waiting for? Let's get moving and see if we can find some witnesses.
:Huohuo: Before we head out, let's make sure we have our intel in order.
:Huohuo: If we can better understand what a heliobus wants to do — and what it's capable of doing — it'll be easier for us to help the victim.
:Huohuo: Interviewing witnesses might give us some clues, but they won't know anything about heliobi. I... I think I have an idea... We have another source of intel we could use...
: You mean... Cirrus?
::Guinaifen: That's right! Those heliobi were locked up in the same space for ages! They probably got to know their fellow prisoners like the back of their... Huh, I guess they don't really have hands...
: Why would Cirrus help us?
::Guinaifen: I heard from Miss Hanya that Cirrus is caught in a stalemate — the Evil Binding Matrix has trapped them. Will they really cooperate with us?
:Huohuo: Th—The thought of seeing Cirrus sends shivers down my spine... but I bet Cirrus would be eager to see me again... they'd devour me whole if they could.
:Huohuo: I think Tail made a fool of Cirrus, and Cirrus has a held a grudge ever since. If we can get them worked up over it, we might be able to use them to our advantage.
----
;(Talk to Guinaifen, optional)
:Sushang: Let's see... Ghast—ly Grayv... ee? Ghastly Gravy!? What kind of website is that?
:Guinaifen: Ugh, it's Ghostly Grove, not Ghastly Gravy!
:Huohuo: Ghostly Grove is the most renowned website for paranormal enthusiasts on the Luofu. Everyone who loves the mysterious and the unexplained knows about it.
:Huohuo: I used to go there to read first-hand accounts of ghost sightings whenever I needed to build up my courage.
:Huohuo: We can get our leads from this website and then investigate them posing as paranormal investigators.
:Huohuo: That means we can operate more efficiently, and with a low profile... If people started to see a spiritfarer making door-to-door visits, they might begin to panic... and that would give the heliobi even more power over their hosts.
:Guinaifen: I'm a new user, so I only have a few followers on this site... but based on past experience, once you get a following, people start flooding you with stories and news about paranormal activity.
: What if all the leads we get turn out to be fake?
: A lot of paranormal activity is just people in costumes.
:Guinaifen: We have our work cut out for us, that's for sure. Sometimes a lead is obviously fake, but other times... it's hard to tell from just a few words on the Internet.
:Guinaifen: After all, some people will make up all kinds of nonsense to attract attention.
:Sushang: So we still have to go out and fact-check the leads?
:Huohuo: Mm. Plus, the spiritfarers from the Ten-Lords Commission will be carrying out their own investigation in secret as well.
;(Talk to Sushang, optional)
:Sushang: Little Gui's methods can be a little unorthodox, but that's just because she has a vivid imagination... When it comes to getting things done, she's actually pretty reliable.
: Why did you suddenly feel the need to say that?
:Sushang: Haha, I'm worried you don't trust her plan. Just relax — Little Gui is unbeatable in her area of expertise.
: You two seem to have a lot of history.
: You two sure like getting each other into trouble...
::Sushang: That's just the sticky glop that holds friends together!
::Guinaifen: ...Glue.
:Sushang: Like the time Guinaifen dragged me to Fyxestroll Garden so I could protect her, but I was so scared I ended up fainting...
:Sushang: While I was passed out, she went and caused all kinds of trouble... I neglected my duty of keeping her from making a mess of things.
:Sushang: But I'll redeem myself this time! I'll make sure to protect her— uh, and also keep an eye on her...
:Sushang: That being said, why did you decide to come back into this mess? Dealing with Heliobi isn't an easy task...
: I'm not sure I was given the choice...
::Sushang: Hahahaha, oh yeah! No one asked you if you wanted to join the ghost hunting squad — we just took you in by default.
::Sushang: Sure you don't wanna reconsider? It's not too late to change your mind!
:: Well, since I'm already here...
::Sushang: Good point! May as well see it through!
: I have a score to settle with Cirrus...
::Sushang: Oh, that's right, you were possessed by a heliobus once before — guess it wasn't a pleasant experience, was it?
:: It was too short — I want to try it again.
:::Sushang: C'mon, don't act tough.
:: Not great.
:::Sushang: I'll bet, poor you... This time we're gonna avenge you! I'll show those heliobi what happens when they mess with my friend!
:: I'M TAINTED!
:::Sushang: Ah! Can you not do that...? Don't worry, this time we're gonna avenge you! I'll show those heliobi what happens when they mess with my friend!
: You come for me, you best not miss.
::Sushang: What are you, a mob boss?
::Sushang: You're brave, I'll give you that... Just seeing a heliobus makes me weak in the knees. You... won't laugh at me if I faint, right?
:Sushang: Ugh, I can't stand the thought of those things roaming free. After what Little Gui and I went through, I'm not about to let them have their ghostly way.
:Sushang: I have to redeem my honor this time! I have to protect Little Gui!
;(Talk to Sushang again, optional)
:Sushang: I have to redeem my honor this time! I have to protect Little Gui!
;(Talk to Huohuo, optional)
:Huohuo: (Trailblazer), do you think we can really catch heliobi this way?
: The Internet is a very powerful tool.
::Huohuo: I sure hope so...
: We'll be trusting random strangers...
::Huohuo: That's what I'm worried about too — doesn't feel very reliable...
: Let's feel it out.
::Huohuo: I guess we have to give it a go... I don't see any other options.
:Huohuo: I can't help thinking that if Tail is out there, there'll be traces of him on the Internet. He had a big personality...
: Do you want Tail back?
:Huohuo: Yes... Do you think I'm just getting myself into more trouble? It's not like we were good friends to begin with...
:Huohuo: ...but when Tail disappeared, my tail — my real tail... it disappeared too. Now my reflection looks weird to me, and I hate work even more than before...
:Huohuo: ...M—Maybe that's all just a bunch of excuses... The truth is... I miss him.
: We'll find him.
::Huohuo: Thank you... if we're ever going to find Tail, now's the best chance we have.
: He might not be around anymore.
::Huohuo: Mm... I guess so. Maybe he ran away, or broke into tiny pieces... Either way, I'd like to know what happened to him.
:Huohuo: O—Of course, finding Tail isn't our top priority right now — we need to catch and subdue all the fleeing escaped heliobi as soon as possible.
;(Talk to Huohuo again, optional)
:Huohuo: Tail... The important thing right now is stopping the heliobi from causing chaos.
;(Talk to Hanya, optional)
:Hanya: (Trailblazer), it is good to see you are doing well.
:Hanya: During the Fyxestroll Garden incident, my sister gave the order to seek reinforcements. It was thanks to your support in that critical moment that we were able to get the situation under control. I wanted to thank you.
:Hanya: And now this small team needs your help, too.
: Where's Xueyi?
::Hanya: She sustained heavy injuries in the previous incident.
::Hanya: Fortunately, my sister is using an ingenium body. As long as she returns to the coffin and is tended to by the spiritfarers, her life is not in jeopardy. I still worry about her, though.
::Hanya: Creatures of flesh and blood fear death and will always strive to preserve their life... but not my sister. Her human instinct for survival is slipping away — she sees herself more as a "tool," driving her body to the point of total exhaustion.
::Hanya: Every time she fights like that, I can't bear to watch.
: Can we really handle this better than the Ten-Lords Commission?
::Hanya: In most matters, I would say no. But when dealing with heliobi... I think the answer is quite clear.
::Hanya: The Ten-Lords Commission have long specialized in suppressing abominations, but they were negligent in guarding against the dangers of the Creation Furnace. Once it became a problem, the spiritfarers and aurumatons were powerless against the heliobi, proving that the traditional means of subduing them were no longer effective.
::Hanya: As fate would have it, the girl we unwittingly rescued many years ago became the key to defeating Cirrus.
::Hanya: After this is all settled, we intend to make contact with the Xianzhou Zhuming. That ship is under the influence of the mythical Reignbow Arbiter — the people there are able to coexist with the heliobi and at the same time be free from their manipulation. We hope that from them we can learn the art of breaking free from the influence of the heliobi.
: Is it true that the Ten-Lords Commission is located in... the netherworld?
::Hanya: Did you really think we were messengers from another plane visiting the world of the living? Hehe, how cute of you.
::Hanya: And maybe we are... don't get too close, or you might turn into a ghost too.
::Hanya: The precise location of the Ten-Lords Commission is highly confidential... but you have contributed much to the Xianzhou and are very close to the secret. If you wish to know more about it, I will have to ask you to spend time with our ghost-hunting squad.
: About Huohuo and Tail...
::Hanya: A judge of the Ten-Lords Commission has no past. Once one has entered the service of the commission, all links with the outside world are severed...
::Hanya: However, since you are now a member of the squad, and in the interest of everyone working together, it's best that we know each other a little better... — I'll tell you some of the secrets I know.
::Hanya: After Ignamar was defeated by the general in a great battle, the Ten-Lords Commission was ordered to seal away the heliobi fragments. To make them atone for their actions, most of the heliobi were sealed inside the Creation Furnace.
::Hanya: Decades ago, the Ten-Lords Commission was asked to investigate an unusual case — a Foxian girl's tail had been consumed by a strange fire of unknown origin... so we set out, ready to subdue whatever foul demon awaited us.
::Hanya: It turned out that the fire was none other than a heliobus. The remaining fragments of Ignamar — the heliobi — had found some way to escape from their furnace prison.
::Hanya: That heliobus's power was weakened to the brink of death, but he was kept alive thanks to the kindness of the Foxian girl. Gradually, he regained his strength and rekindled his desire to manipulate humans.
::Hanya: Normally, I would have just purged the heliobus and sent it back into the furnace. But Huohuo's body was too frail and weak to perform a purging. The best I could do without harming her was to inscribe a talisman seal — enough to subdue the thing living inside her, at least for a while.
::Hanya: The Ten-Lords Commission took Huohuo in as a spiritfarer apprentice, teaching her the arts of purgation and ghost hunting. This way the Commission could keep an eye on Huohuo — and ensure that she wasn't taken over by the heliobus.
:: But Tail doesn't seem like an enemy.
:::Hanya: Perhaps all those long years with Huohuo have bestowed upon that heliobus some form of human compassion. Though Tail has never given up on attempting to break free of his bonds or usurping his host, he has fought against his own kind to protect Huohuo.
:: Tail betrayed his own kind.
:::Hanya: You could say that. Who would have thought Tail would have sacrificed himself to defeat Cirrus? Granted, heliobi have no obligation to be loyal to one another, but Tail's willingness to side with Huohuo is significant.
: This has to be the strangest group of people on the Xianzhou...
:Hanya: I would save the jokes for later! As the saying goes, with great work comes great rewards. The Ten-Lords Commission will compensate you accordingly.
:Hanya: I've wondered at times what the Luofu should give the Nameless in return for their great deeds...
:Hanya: Alas, questions like that are above my pay grade. That is for the Ten Lords and the General to figure out.
;(Talk to Hanya again)
:Hanya: I leave the matters of the ghost-hunting squad in your hands. If you have further questions, just ask Huohuo.
:Hanya: As always, I have mountains of paperwork to finish... Piles of paper... I'll never get it all done...
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