()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Hume_TheCircularRuins</BGM><BIN>160</BIN><黑屏2><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:St. Mary's Sanatorium, Mainz District, Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Open</SE1><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:With a nurse showing the way, a woman holding a bouquet enters the room with a smile.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker><GradientShow>2</GradientShow>||:You look positively radiant even after just giving birth. You have no idea how jealous I am.
NPC-Meyer(1)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:And you are as refreshing a presence as ever, Frau Hebe.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe walks up to the side of the bed gracefully and takes Meyer's hand.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:You've lost weight. Have you been eating properly these last few days?+Is the catering not to your taste? I remember you like the food from—
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(1)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:Oh, stop fretting over me, I'm perfectly fine.
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(1)||:I suppose you're worried about your little cousin.
NPC-Hebe(3);NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:Sigh...+I just feel sorry for her. She was such a good kid and did really well in school. She only ended up going down the wrong path because she was deceived when she was freshly graduated...+I wouldn't have come to you for help otherwise.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(0)||:By Professor Gray, you mean? I remember she was all over the news a few years ago; she seemed like a professional woman of substance.+Who could've known she was actually doing something so heinous in secret...+Has Nele ever talked about her?
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:We once had a chat where she mentioned how close they were, and that it was this Professor Gray who got her to work in Galatea.+But since the scandal was publicized, she never brought it up again. I wouldn't be surprised if she's come to resent this "Professor Gray".
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(0)||:...Is that so?
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:Yeah, every time I bring the woman up, she'll grimace, then promptly change the subject.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(0)||:I see...
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(2)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:I'd rather not talk about her either. If it hadn't been for her, Nele would've had a bright future.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(2)||:I understand how you feel. I have also been tricked by well-respected people back in the early days of my career.
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:But you made it through. You starred in so many successful films, and now you're retired and have a happy family—how wonderful is that?+If only Nele could also...
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(0)||:Why can't she? Didn't you even manage to secure a meeting with Mr. Vogt for her?+Anything is possible with just a nod from that man.
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:I just hope their meeting will go ahead without a hitch...
NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:But enough of that. Any news about the list of candidates that I've asked you to put together?
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Of course~+I've picked out a handful based on your requirements.
()||<SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1>:Hebe turns on her tablet and starts showing several profiles to Meyer.
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:These are all boys of good stock and education. I've also made enquiries about their characters; they are all kind and well-mannered gentlemen.
NPC-Hebe(3);NPC-Meyer(1)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:Oh, I knew I could count on you!
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>;NPC-Meyer(1)||:Just focus on recuperating. I'll see Nele at eight, and I'll get her to look through the profiles.
NPC-Hebe(0);NPC-Meyer(0)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:Thank you so much for the trouble. Once I'm discharged, I'll definitely treat you to—
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Hush now.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe quiets Meyer by holding up a long, slender finger.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:You know I don't need anything like that. As long as you get to go home in perfect health, I'm more than happy to help you solve your problems.
NPC-Meyer(1)<Speaker>Meyer</Speaker>||:You really are the most considerate friend I have...
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Don't be such a stranger.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe deftly opens up the pastry she has brought along and cuts out a piece for Meyer.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Now tell me more about your little cousin's hobbies and interests.
()||<黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>751</BIN><黑屏2><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>GF_EV9_Intermission</BGM>:On the highway, Mainz District, Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Moto_Run</SE1><黑屏1>:After departing from the sanatorium, the black limousine speeds steadily eastward to the Eschborn District.
()<Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>729</BIN>:Frau Hebe, Miss Nele has already set off.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Have the chauffeur take her around for a spin and only drop her off when I'm done here.+Also, get someone to look into all the comms, mail, photos, and videos on her social media.
()<Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:Yes, ma'am.
()<Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||:The organizers of next year's film festival have invited you to be an award presenter again. How should I respond?
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:They're asking half a year ahead? They must be really short on people.+Tell them my schedule is still TBD and I'll get back to them again in three months.
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Assistant</Speaker><同时置暗>||:Understood.+And will you still be hosting the birthday meet-and-greet next month? Your fans have come to the office building and made a scene quite a few times.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:It's essential that we maintain our intelligence network.+We'll do it at the same restaurant. Remember to get some friendly journalists to snap some photos from outside.
NPC-Hebe(0)<同时置暗><Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||:I'll make the arrangements at once.+A few women have also invited you to an afternoon tea, but they are all on tier C in your system.
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Turn it down.
NPC-Hebe(3)<同时置暗><Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||:Got it.
()<Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||:Oh, while you were at St. Mary's Sanatorium earlier, a woman named "Lady Whyte" left you a message.+You have not assigned her a tier, so I wasn't sure how to...
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:What's the message?
NPC-Hebe(0)<同时置暗><<Speaker>Assistant</Speaker>||:It reads, "The departed butterfly has re-woven its cocoon, ready to be reborn again."+Forgive my ignorance, but is this lyrics from some opera? Should I purchase a ticket for you?
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe, who has been resting with her eyes closed in the back seat, opens her eyes.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:No need, she's already got me one.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>320</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:In the cultivation chamber beneath a Paradeus factory, Eschborn District, Frankfurt.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Bubble</SE1>:Dozens of Nytos—some white, some black, some struggling, some apathetic—are bound and incarcerated within rows of transparent water tanks.+Nemhran stands before the tanks and watches as Ashley inspects each of them in turn and records their data.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:...
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Sister Nemhran, I have already compiled all the data and generated a report.+Should we wait until she arrives before we start, or...?
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker></Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:She's already here.
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>10213</BGM>:Ashley has always prided herself on being perceptive, but she did not notice anyone approach.
()<Speaker>???</Speaker>||:You've actually kept the same assistant around for so long.
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:...!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:A slender arm wraps around her shoulders. From the corner of her eye, Ashley sees a beautiful face with exquisite features leaning in.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:She seems to be just an ordinary Nyto, so how did she manage to survive for so long by your side?+How curious. I would love to take her apart and have a look...
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position><Shake>||:Sister Hebe... If I have done anything to offend you by mistake, please forgive me...
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Haha, I was just joking.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe lets go of her. Ashley feels weak in her legs.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:I have your report. You're excused for now.
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Yes, Sister Nemhran.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_door_elecport</SE1>:Ashley leaves the cultivation chamber, her heart still pounding in apprehension.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:It shouldn't have been time to check in yet. Why have you summoned me?
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Read the report.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Hebe flips through the report that Ashley has left behind and raises an eyebrow derisively.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:I see that the operation in Berlin went splendidly.+Morridow was so efficient. Ruining plans, exposing her downlines, squandering our supplies—she did it all.+She's even better at spending money than me.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:I'll deal with her later. We have a much more pressing matter.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:The channel to the Lake of Cognition was destroyed.+Who's responsible?
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Unclear, but we need to activate the backup channel immediately.+Otherwise, Paradeus' manpower supply will not be able to keep up with the progression of the plan.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:What does Father say?
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:He demands immediate result.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:At any cost?
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:I'm just relaying his order. Make of that what you will.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Operation Cocoon is going smoothly here in Frankfurt. We're actually about 27% ahead of schedule.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Initiate phase three right away.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe leans against the office desk with a smile and pauses for a moment before she responds.
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:Things may be going well here, but we're still a bit far off from being able to initiate phase three.+Besides, you've been in Moscow and Avernus this whole time, so you couldn't stay on top of the situation in Berlin, let alone Frankfurt.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:...
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:I built the foundation for Operation Cocoon in Frankfurt myself. It has taken years of effort in accumulating resources and establishing contacts to achieve its current scale.+I know exactly what to do, I just need Father to give me a time frame.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Don't try to probe me for information. I am taking over here.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:I don't want Paradeus to be kicked out of Frankfurt the way it was in Berlin.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:The farce in Berlin will never be repeated.+On another note, Professor Laplace's research has reached a critical stage, and maintaining a steady flow of resources is of utmost importance.+I'm sure you know what the success of her research entails.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:...
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:So don't bother with your asinine tricks.
NPC-Hebe(3)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:You've changed a great deal since you left Avernus, Sister Nemhran.+You didn't used to be so hard-handed...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Hebe's grin widens with interest.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:What else has happened that I don't know of, I wonder?
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:I don't have time for idle chit-chat.+Morridow and Bramedb are both worthless, and you're the only one I can think of to fill the opening.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:I understand.+Since Professor Laplace's research is almost complete, I won't have to wait long for what I want...
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Glad you worked that out.
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:One more question—what do we do about the mess in Frankfurt?+That RPK-16 sure was something else; she really muddied the waters there.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:...+She brought up the organization named "Pandora". I'll have Styx take care of that, so no need to concern yourself with this matter.+Anything else?
NPC-Hebe(0)<Speaker>Hebe</Speaker>||:No, you are as dependable as ever, Sister Nemhran.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:If you have no more questions, then get out of here. You mustn't blow your cover yet.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:With a smile and a small wave, Hebe's lithe figure vanishes like smoke in the wind.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>417</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Ashley, what's the current restoration progress of the factory?
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||<SE1>AVG_keyboardtype_sci</SE1>:Yes, Sister Nemhran.+Our facilities have been restored to 25.8% capacity, and repairs are progressing steadily. As for manpower...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Ashley grits her teeth.
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:At least 51% had been used up to keep the Bee Sting System and channel operating normally.+Excluding the defective specimens that have gone rogue because of the disconnection, only 33% of the remaining personnel can be recovered...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Nemhran runs some mental calculations, then she impassively walks over to the monitors and lets out an almost imperceptible sigh.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Clean up all the defective specimens within the next minute.
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Yes, Sister Nemhran.
()||<SE1>AVG_BaseDoor_Open</SE1>:Ashley hurries toward the warehouse.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<controll_shake>%%type_id=2%%duration=4%%delay=0.1%%range=5</controll_shake><SE1>Explode</SE1><BGM>10194</BGM>:Boom!!+A loud noise comes from above, shaking the old ceiling. Debris and dust fall all over the floor.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:...
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position><Shake>||:W-what was that...?!
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Don't panic.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_keyboardtype_sci</SE1>:Nemhran taps on the control terminal lightly, and the CCTV live feeds from both inside and outside the factory instantly fill the monitors in front of her.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Cloak_Whoosh</SE1>:On the roof of the central factory building, three shadowy figures flit past the edge of the screen and slip through the blasted hole like specters.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Task Force DEFY? What relentless pests...
NytoWhite(0)<Speaker>Ashley</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||<SE1>AVG_keyboardtype_sci</SE1>:Data on Task Force DEFY have been updated and synchronized...
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Then there's not a moment to waste.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_21Winter_Fire_Alarm</SE1>:Riiiiing... Nemhran pushes a button to activate the defenses of the factory. The next moment, the alarm starts blaring in the spacious workshop.
NPC-Nemhran(0)<Speaker>Nemhran</Speaker><Position>80,90</Position>||:Protect the core.+I am going to greet them in person.
()||<黑点1>: