"Teacher, this kind of thing—the Cloud Knights, even all of the Xianzhou Luofu, would never just stand by. General Jing Yuan and the others will definitely intervene. You need to think this through carefully."
In an attempt to stop Stelle, Yanqing pulled out the laws of the Luofu, hoping she'd turn back before it was too late.
"You make a fair point." Stelle's confidence wavered; resting her chin on her hand, she mused aloud, "Then I'll just have to use it on people outside the Xianzhou."
She began muttering to herself solemnly, carefully planning the grand design of her future kingdom.
That sent March 7th into a panic.
People outside the Xianzhou?
She froze for a moment, then darted her eyes left and right.
There didn't seem to be anyone else here who wasn't from the Xianzhou, right?
Dan Heng, hurry back!
Ah, no—he's also from the Xianzhou.
Wait—doesn't that mean I'm the only one left?!
What?!
In the face of a great crisis, anyone would take action. Even March 7th—no, especially March 7th—would.
She looked pleadingly at Yanqing and Yunli.
Both of her mentors nodded in perfect unison, agreeing with her unspoken plan.
Sylvester watched from the counter, one hand propping up his cheek, the other holding a pastry, clearly entertained by the scene.
Three disciples joining forces—how could there possibly be an opponent that can withstand them?
Crunch. Sylvester bit into his snack.
As if receiving a signal, March 7th and her two mentors leapt simultaneously, pouncing on Stelle in an instant.
A quick shoulder lock, two arms drawn together—they subdued her in one fluid motion.
"What—what are you doing?! Treacherous villains, you dare lay hands on your sovereign?!" Stelle shouted in panic.
March 7th cried, "You need to wake up, Trailblazer!"
Working together, they pinned her to the ground—her face pressed firmly against the floor for a rather intimate kiss.
Yunli straddled her back, yanking Stelle's legs up over her head, while Yanqing and March 7th each held down an arm.
Under their combined effort, they managed to bind her limbs behind her back, twisting the mighty "Trashcan Queen" into the shape of a shumai dumpling.
But Stelle didn't give up. Like a fish thrown onto dry land, she writhed desperately, the only things still moving were her hips and stomach.
She screamed hoarsely, "Rules are meant to be broken!"
"Flaming Lance—Forward!"
But neither Destruction nor Preservation answered her call.
"Help me, Watchmaker! Great Aeon of Joy, Aha! Let's all become Lordly Trashcans together—it'd be a form of harmony, wouldn't it?!"
"Stop talking! You're going to disgrace the Nameless!" March 7th cried, trying to shut Stelle up before she accidentally invoked the power of Elation.
The other Aeons might ignore her—but Aha? Oh no, he would definitely show up!
In a desperate move, March 7th grabbed the [Ayanami Grace Gossamer Steps] scroll and jabbed it down hard—but she used a bit too much force and accidentally poked Stelle in the throat.
"Gaaaah!"
Saliva dripped down the scroll; the jab nearly brought tears to Stelle's eyes.
"Hss—" Sylvester winced audibly from the sidelines.
This scene was… well, awfully well-suited for a twenty-page comic adaptation.
March 7th's shout snapped him out of his musings: "Shopkeeper Sylvester, hurry and lift the curse!"
Stelle shook her head violently, using her surprisingly agile tongue to lick the scroll free.
She wailed in despair, "No! Let me use it just once—just once! Even if the target's a Diting, I don't care!"
The three holding her down shouted in unison, "Shopkeeper, don't listen to her! Just remove it already!"
"Click, click, click…"
Sylvester shook his head with a soft, regretful sigh, as though mourning the fall of a newborn monarch.
Or perhaps, he just didn't want the show to end so soon.
Still, he cleared his throat, placed a hand under his chin, and coughed lightly.
At that sound, a wisp of black mist began seeping out of Stelle's body, making the three young ones squeal in horror and scatter like frightened cats, terrified the "trash curse" might cling to them.
The dark vapor gathered beneath the ceiling, trembling violently before dispersing with a whoosh into nothingness.
Silence settled over the room. Only Stelle's unwilling sobs remained: "I was… supposed to become… the Queen of Trashcans…"
"You've really had enough," March 7th sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead in helpless resignation.
This girl—her obsession truly had no limits.
They hoisted Stelle up and set her onto a chair in the lounge area.
The once fiery Trailblazer now looked utterly defeated—sprawled out limply, her face streaked with tears, drool still clinging to the corner of her mouth. "I'll be back," she mumbled weakly.
Yanqing and Yunli wiped sweat from their foreheads, exchanging awkward smiles.
"Trailblazer-sensei's personality… really is one of a kind," Yanqing said.
"Poor Little March's got her hands full," Yunli chuckled.
They glanced over at the shelf again, still uneasy.
That black trash can was seriously dangerous. They couldn't help but wonder if it had somehow bewitched Stelle's mind.
Otherwise… she wouldn't have gone that far off the rails, right?
Still, it was a relief that things had ended without incident.
"Little March," Yunli said, hands on her hips with a grin, "the Trailblazer already took the biggest hit for you. We've both paved the way—whether you rise to the top now depends on your luck."
March 7th nodded in determination.
It was her turn to open the curio can.
She suddenly found herself missing Dan Heng.
If he were here, maybe he could've opened one for her first.
But she couldn't rely on others forever—just like Master Yunli said. They had already done their part. The rest was up to her.
She straightened up and said with renewed spirit, "Don't worry, Master Yunli!"
Without hesitation, March 7th strode up to the shelf.
"Oh, right," she said to Sylvester, "Trailblazer's phone is linked to a Penacony shareholder account. Just keep charging it to that."
"Got it." Sylvester made an "OK" gesture—even though such a gesture didn't technically exist in this world.
Thanks to the psychic link, though, March 7th understood his meaning perfectly.
She nodded, then turned her full attention to the curio can before her.
Even knowing it probably wouldn't work, she couldn't resist emulating a wandering swordsman—closing her eyes, trying to feel the resonance of the artifact inside.
Seconds ticked by. Then suddenly, she froze. A spark flashed through her mind.
With lightning speed, she reached out, grabbed one can's lid, and yanked it open without hesitation.
A burst of blue light shot upward. When it faded, an ancient-looking book fell gently into her hands.
Though she couldn't read the script on its cover, the telepathic link instantly conveyed its meaning to her.
Her breathing quickened.
Could it be—she'd actually gotten something valuable on her first try?!
"Shopkeeper Sylvester, what is this?"
Sylvester nodded, his smile tinged with amused intrigue. "That's right. It's a sword manual—its techniques are unimaginably powerful. Though, I must say… it's a little bit unorthodox."