"The old couple's original plan was probably to imprison those dozens of people until they fell ill, then release them all at once—but the appalling stench from the basement alerted the neighbors ahead of time. The security police quickly discovered the place. By then, the old couple was already at death's door in their apartment. They had reached the end of their existence as Chelated Beings and no longer had the strength to resist.
"Only then did the authorities realize that Chelated Disease had quietly spread through Askia. The Askia government immediately activated its highest-level emergency plan and finally discovered that they had lost contact with the Habitable Zone. So they sent out cavalry at top speed toward the neighboring wilderness and the Habitable Zone—to warn them of the danger here and seek aid.
"At the same time, all five districts of Askia were sealed off.
"Every household took out their reserve epidemic-prevention spray and sprayed it over people and furniture. AHgAs had left behind this batch of spray, claiming that its intense fragrance could, to some extent, make Chelated Beings recoil."
"...Did it really work?" Hesta asked.
Liz shook her head. "Not really. Chelated Beings did have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, but they had no particular preference for pleasant or foul odors. The true purpose of those sprays was to protect the Quicksilver Needles hidden among the population.
"Do you remember the traps I told you about earlier? After directly encountering a Chelated Being, most Quicksilver Needles would undergo their first awakening. Without cover, some Chelated Beings could easily lock onto them because of their distinctive scent, making them the earliest victims. That was why the Quicksilver Needles used the excuse that 'the spray could make Chelated Beings recoil' to persuade people to take such disruptive measures