This was the first time Belle had mentioned the fall of the Old Capital in front of Zhong Yan, so he understood that she must have made a firm decision before bringing up such a painful memory.
Both she and Wise were intricately connected to the incident of the Old Capital's fall. It was precisely because of that catastrophe that they lost their former lives and became the Proxies they were today.
"The incident of the Old Capital's fall, put simply, was the sudden and unprovoked expansion of the Hollow Zero, swallowing the entire area of Eridu. To this day, it's been more than a decade since anyone has set foot there."
Belle stopped walking, her tone heavy as she said, "My hometown lies at the very center of the collapse, the most dangerous part of the Hollow Zero. The reason my brother and I became Proxies was to one day return to the Old Capital and uncover the truth."
"But it's very dangerous, so I hid it from you before. I knew that with your personality, you'd agree without a second thought, but I didn't want that. I just wanted you to stay alive..."
Belle paused at this point, and Zhong Yan quickly guessed what she had yet to say: "'But now, because you know I'm an Uchiha, you believe I have the ability to help, so you're telling me, right?'"
It was obvious that this was exactly what Belle meant.
To be honest, there was a bit of using Zhong Yan here, so when she realized he had seen through her intentions, Belle immediately lowered her head, looking very much like a child who had done something wrong.
"Pretty annoying, right? Actually, I had thought about asking you to get help from the Uchiha before, but I always felt it wasn't appropriate, so I never opened my mouth."
Seeing Belle's guilty expression, Zhong Yan couldn't help but fall into deep thought. In the end, he came to a conclusion.
If his wife needed something, of course he had to help. Besides, he was also curious about the truth behind the fall of the Old Capital. If helping Belle could answer that question, it would be killing two birds with one stone.
Thus, after a brief silence, Zhong Yan suddenly smiled and said, "It's no big deal. I don't know much about the fall of the Old Capital anyway, so I'd like to explore the truth myself. If you can provide some clues, that would be even better."
As he spoke, Zhong Yan habitually reached out and gently patted Belle's head.
In truth, this gesture might still be acceptable when dealing with Anby and Ellen, but for Belle, who had always played the role of an older sister, she didn't particularly like being treated like a younger sibling.
However, Zhong Yan's touch made her cheeks flush lightly, creating a very picturesque scene.
Belle, her face red, puffed her cheeks in annoyance and glared at Zhong Yan, grumbling, "I'm so much older than you. Can you not act like a big brother taking care of his little sister? I have my pride too..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, to the point that even she couldn't hear herself by the end.
This was because... Zhong Yan's head-patting technique was just that comfortable.
"'So, you see me as a little brother in your heart,'" Zhong Yan chuckled as he observed Belle's reactions. "But is that really all you think of me as? If so, that would make me a little sad."
The implication of his words was almost immediately understood by Belle, causing her already flushed cheeks to turn an even deeper shade of red.
Given the current atmosphere, she finally couldn't hold back anymore and stepped forward, lightly pressing her lips against Zhong Yan's.
"Kacha!"
A random passerby, witnessing the scene, unintentionally made a sound like stone shattering after petrification. Immediately after, they hurriedly fled this heart-wrenching scene.
As for Zhong Yan, he hadn't expected Belle's sudden move. Once he recovered, he immediately reciprocated, parting his lips.
After about two minutes, their lips slowly separated. Belle, panting softly, her gaze somewhat dazed, said, "Of course I don't just see you as a younger brother. It's just... you're always so flirtatious that I was too scared to express my feelings."
Belle harbored a subtle sense of inferiority when it came to Zhong Yan.
The source of that inferiority was Anby and Ellen.
As the one who had met Zhong Yan the latest, Belle couldn't compare to Anby and Ellen in many respects — and reality had proven that.
However, despite meeting him later, once Zhong Yan had made up his mind, he wouldn't give up on anyone.
Whether it was Anby, Ellen, or Belle, these three were all people he had vowed to protect.
Returning to the present moment, the two, after separating from their embrace, continued walking. Thinking back to their kiss just moments ago, Belle felt both shy and happy. As they walked, she would occasionally steal glances at Zhong Yan from the corner of her eye.
At this time, Zhong Yan appeared deep in thought, his expression extremely serious. After a long silence, he finally turned to look at her and asked, "What was the name of the place where you used to live? The next time I enter the Hollow Zero to explore, I can swing by and check it out."
It was almost common knowledge that the Uchiha had the ability to traverse the Hollow without restrictions. After all, he didn't need to worry about Ether corrosion, and his Kamui spatial transfer ability allowed him to move freely through the Hollow.
The depths of the Hollow Zero were indeed dangerous, but not necessarily beyond his reach. Besides, he only intended to scout, not engage the monsters there.
Faced with Zhong Yan's sudden question, Belle, still not fully recovered from their earlier intimacy, froze for a moment. When she came back to herself, she replied, "It's called the Helios Academy. That's where my brother and I used to live and study."
"Our teacher... Carole Arna, after the fall of the Old Capital, was labeled as 'the culprit responsible for the Hollow Zero's loss of control and the ensuing fall of the Old Capital. All tragedies stemmed from her'."
"She once taught and raised us. The HDD System and Eous were both her accomplishments. She even saved us on the day the Old Capital fell. That's also why we became Proxies."
After speaking, Belle looked up at the sky, where the moon — now half-eroded — hung above their heads, casting a dim glow.
"If Teacher is still alive, she must be watching the moon above us too, just like I am."