Piper Wheel

Piper is currently working with Caesar in the Son's of Calydon biker gang. She drives a giant truck, and helps fight monsters in the Hollow. Hollows are distorted areas that leak ethereal energy. This ethereal energy can lead to humans becoming infected and turning them into monsters. Pipee is highly immune to this energy, and is more than capable of fighting off several of these giant monsters with the help of her spinning blade axe, and quick wits.

Due to the Outer Ring being an area of no real technology, Hollows tend to pop up anywhere with no real way of suppressing them. People try to stay clear of Hollows simply because once inside, the areas are constantly shifting. Ethereal energy changes the plane of existence itself, making it nearly impossible to get out once you're inside due to the ever shifting area. The only way to leave is by having a Proxy show you the way out through calculations and proper data, or by having a "Carrot" which is a USB drive that shows a route to leave.

Caesar King is the female leader of the Sons of Calydon, and Caesar is not always the brightest but she is very charismatic and charming. Piper likes Caesar because of the good she does to the people of the Outer Ring.

The Sons of Calydon live out in the wild, desert lands of the Old Oil Fields, where oil and gasoline matter more than life. Running oil and gas around the desert and to other local areas is what helps drum up money for the gang. This also leads to Piper and her crew having to fight other biker gangs, but that doesn't bother the trucker one bit. Piper is usually the one driving the supplies with the help of her mighty semi-truck known as Steeltusk.

When Piped isn't pulling freight or supplies with Steeltusk, she usually has a special trailer she has that unfolds into a portable bar. A fully equipped liquor cabinet, with a dart board, and pool table. This works great for transporting the entire gang at once, or simply setting up for a party.

Hollows are an apocalyptic-level disaster, an abnormal spherical dimension that appears out of thin air swallowing everything they touch. The internal space-time environment becomes disorderly due to unknown influences, and dangerous mutant creatures known as the "Ethereal" are produced. Ordinary people lost in the Hollows face not only the horror of being attacked by monsters, but have to risk the corruption and eventual mutation. Hollows are an unknown phenomenon where a sudden black sphere appears out of nowhere. These Hollows swallow everything unfortunate enough to be in their path. While Hollows can appear spontaneously, they usually give a sign before appearing, such as vibrations in the surrounding area, electrical malfunctions, and certain objects disappearing from their initial place and reappearing in a completely different location.

Once swallowed, both non-living and living beings inside the Hollow will be subject to Corruption. Non-living objects will form Ether crystals. The deeper the part of the Hollow, the higher the concentration of Etheric energy in that place, which can accelerate the corruption and increases Pressure.

For humans, the time before corruption takes a toll on their body depends on their Ether Aptitude and equipment. Some people have high Ether aptitude, allowing them to explore Hollows for extended periods without suffering the effects of Corruption. Those with low aptitude can still explore Hollows by wearing Anti-Ether Corruption equipment, which is commonly used by PUBSEC officers, Jaegers soldiers, and thugs. If a human is corrupted, they will turn into an Ethereal.

Intelligent machines can also be corrupted if they have passed the Forbidden Fruit test.

Once inside the Hollow, everything appears normal, with the same weather as outside the Hollow. However, everything inside is shifted by the Hollow's fissures, turning it into a maze with layers of distorted places. What seems like a dead end can be a way out of the Hollow or an entrance to a deeper part. The deeper the Hollow, the higher the concentration of Etheric energy, which accelerates Ether corruption and attracts swarms of monsters.

Hollows also seem to be interconnected with each other, as passing through a Fissure may lead to an entirely different Hollow, included Hollow Zero.

Hollows are naturally complex places to explore, and being careless can lead to death for inexperienced and experienced explorers alike. To safely explore Hollows, many explorers bring Bangboo with them. These Bangboo are equipped with the Carrot program, which guides explorers along safer paths, minimizing the chance of falling into the deeper parts of the Hollow.

Hollows are a natural source of Etheric energy, which has been successfully harnessed by the people of the new era as a new energy source. This method involves placing a pipe network underneath the Hollow. The pipes absorb Etheric energy produced by the Hollow, which is then converted into usable energy. After the Etheric energy is converted, the leftover Ether corruption is released into the air through "Shiyu". This method is very efficient for obtaining Ether energy while also preventing the Hollow from expanding further.

Hollows are sustained by the Ether energy inside them, and for many Hollows the amount of Ether energy is sustained by the Ethereals within them. It is possible to reduce the size of a Hollow by destroying a massive number of Ethereals, or eliminating a particularly large one. Killing enough Ethereals can even allow a Hollow to be completely eliminated, and once suppressed a Hollow will gradually shrink until it disappears.

"Ya need a lift? Then buckle up, buddy."

"If you get carsick, look out the window at the view, and you'll feel better."

"Next, it's time for lil ol' me to clock in and get to work."

"Buckle~ Up~!"

Lazy Girl: Lucy, look! A dog is working at that newsstand. It's so cute! I wanna take a closer look~ Lucy: You're not usually interested in cute animals, Piper. Don't think I don't know; you just want to use it as an excuse to buy scratch cards. Piper: sigh Ouch — that was brutal, getting called out like that. Piper: But aren't you being a little harsh, Lucy? We finally got a chance to come to the city, after all~ Lucy: It's precisely because we don't come all the way here often that we need to hurry up and purchase all the supplies the motorcade needs. Lucy: I've put together a shopping list of everything we need. All we have to do is split up and buy all these things. Piper: That's weird. Half of the stuff on this list is makeup? Lucy: Oops... that's the wrong one — here you go! Lucy: And it's not half! Besides, the sun in the outer ring is so strong. I'm still not used to it... Piper: Yeah, yeah of course I can completely understand~ Piper: As for the new MONKEY.TOP surprise box, the Rocket Popping candy and UAP Chips 10-pack... that all sounds great~ Lucy: Stop reading! You've got too good of a memory! Lucy: A—Anyway... don't tell Burnice about the scratch card when we get back, or she'll yell at us for not taking her with us. Piper: Don't worry. I won't say a thing. And I'm just gonna buy one or two~

Piper: Is this the new cargo truck developed by For-All Motor Corporation specifically for Pegasos Logistics? Piper: Let me see... Mmm-hmm~ Yeah, both load capacity and performance, are impeccable~ Piperl: I wish I could buy one secondhand for Steeltusk to use~

Piper: Hey, Lighter~ I really couldn't care less about your private life... but is that true about you having a side hustle as a podcaster? Lighter: Huh? What are you talking about, Piper? Of course not. Piper: No no no, I think it's very possible~ Didn't you say you'd consider any work so long as it pays. And there's lots of people making decent money from it nowadays~ Lighter: Are you saying it's a better option than staying in the Sons of Calydon? I'll have to think about that. Piper: ... Lighter: I'm just kidding. Piper: Why didn't you just tell her she had the wrong person, instead of shaking her hand? Lighter: She was so happy. I'd rather leave her in a good mood than disappoint or make her feel awkward. Piper: sigh I never thought I'd hear such uplifting words from someone so young!

Cram School Flyer Distributor: Hello, Miss. Are you interested in attending our cram school? Cram School Flyer Distributor: We are Prodigy Courses. Whether your future ambition lies in corporate or public schools, we offer specialized classes that provide comprehensive tutoring. Lazy Girl: Cram school? Honestly, I'm already working, so I don't need classes... Cram School Flyer Distributor: Huuuh... N—No way?! Lazy Girl: It's okay. I'm just happy you see me as being so young. Lazy Girl: But forget that for now, seems like your sales pitch could do with a little work~ Lazy Girl: Most students only care about hanging out with their friends. There probably aren't many kids proactively signing up for cram school, right?