Echoes of Ether: Exploring New Eridu and the Enigma of the Hollow

You'll enter a mysterious and perilous new universe as soon as you open the door to the Zenless Zone Zero gaming area. The once-thriving city of Old Eridu has been destroyed in this new world, which is focused on the Hollow. It functions as both the story's beginning and the source of its challenges. Using the riches of the Ether and the legacy of the previous civilization, the new Eridu has come forth from the shadow of destruction to become the final oasis on Earth!

The world view setting of Zenless Zone Zero is based around a mysterious supernatural disaster known as the "Hollow",an unusually huge sphere of space that suddenly appears and expands, filled with dangerous aether energy, and whose internal spatial and dimensional environments have become turbulent due to unknown effects, creating dangerous aberration known as "Ethereal". The high concentration of aether energy makes people feel uncomfortable, and aether energy erosion can cause living creatures to turn into "Ethereal".

Old Eridu was once a prosperous city, but in the game's setting, it has been completely destroyed by a hollow disaster called "Void Zero - Lingbo". This disaster not only destroys the city, but also results in the loss of a significant number of lives. The destruction of Old Eridu becomes the starting point of the game's story, and is the key to the player's exploration and understanding of the world's history.

Located close to the old city and the hollow, "New Eridu" is a city that was founded following the destruction of the old Eridu. It has established a coexisting relationship with the hollow, utilizing the resources of the hollow, "aether," aberration, and the heritage of the old civilization to develop itself. A network of sophisticated underground mikoshi towers are connected to a pipeline that transports the Ether resources from the hollow to the city for its use. New Eridu, a cyberpunk-style fortress metropolis with advanced technology and an original social system, is referred to as the "last oasis" on Earth.

In New Eridu,the leaders have obtained the technology to control hollow and the ability to exploit aether resources from it.They have established the "Hollow Investigation Association" to manage and utilize hollow. The city has a strict hierarchy and order, as well as full of various dangers and opportunities. The residents of New Eridu include people with various backgrounds, such as those with high Adaptable to Ether, adventurers, merchants, etc., who are drawn here by the rich resources in hollow.

They must learn to adapt to the various challenges brought by the Hollow. The "proxies" in the city are a group of special people who are responsible for guiding adventurers into the hollow and helping them return safely. The player's role as the hacker siblings "Belle" and "Wise" is one of them. They operate a video store in the city and play the role of "Phaethon" behind the scenes ("Phaethon" is a special identity, referring to a famous Proxy)."