["Gradually, the younger generation on the Yaoqing started loving the films and toys produced by the company's entertainment division. They began wearing the company's tailored, fashionable clothing, to the point you could hardly tell if they were Xianzhou natives or company employees."]
["The buildings in the delve changed beyond recognition. The elegant flying eaves I saw as a child became fewer, and the glazed tiles and breathsoil bricks disappeared. Sleek, monument-like company skyscrapers began rising from the ground."]
["Anyone over five hundred years old on the Yaoqing, like my mom, says the Yaoqing has changed. But they can't say whether these changes are leading to a bright future or sliding toward a decline controlled by short-lived species… they're just anxious and uneasy."]
["When I saw Yunxi facing that company guy, I felt the same unease. Despite living several times longer than him, she was at a loss when confronting them," Sushang said earnestly.]
——
Monogatari Series
"Hmph, I've lived six hundred years and witnessed countless foolish eras come and go—this girl's words resonate with me somewhat."
Atop the abandoned cram school building at dusk, Shinobu Oshino sat on a rusted railing. Koyomi Araragi approached, carrying a convenience store plastic bag, and handed her a box of donuts.
"Is Shinobu starting to miss the Edo-era starry skies without light pollution?"
"Heh, as if. The moon back then was far lonelier than now, with streets full of humans staying up until two or three in the morning…"
Shinobu bit into a donut while watching Sushang's melancholic expression on the screen. "I only spoke up because of that girl's words… though many things vanish with time, plenty of good things pop up too."
She waved the donut, a satisfied smile curling her lips: "…Like this. A few hundred years ago, I couldn't have tasted something this good."
"So, in Shinobu's view, these changes are heading toward a brighter future, right?" Koyomi opened a can of soda, the gas hissing softly.
"Mm-hmm."
At the edge of the rooftop railing, Shinobu gently swung her pale legs. "Back then, if I'd declared myself a vampire in public, I'd have been despised by countless people and hunted to death by vampire slayers, right?"
"But now, if I streamed online claiming to be a vampire, tons of idiots would probably beg, 'Please bite my neck, streamer!'… Though that'd still tick me off, it's at least a good thing, isn't it?"
——
[Sushang's many words boiled down to one plea: "I want to help the Aurum Alley Chamber, to help them protect Aurum Alley. Please, help!"]
[Seeing Sushang's sincerity, Stelle made up her mind and agreed to the secretary's request.]
[Overjoyed by Stelle's commitment, Yunxi, who hadn't yet informed the chamber president, took Stelle to meet the president's secretary, Lianyan, proclaiming that Stelle would surely make Aurum Alley great again!]
[After all… no one understood cargo handling and logistics planning better than her!]
[After Stelle demonstrated her skills to the president, everyone marveled at her legendary line-drawing abilities, and they formally requested her assistance.]
[Stelle didn't refuse, but she found it odd that… even at such an important occasion, the president didn't appear in person, leaving everything to their secretary, Lianyan.]
——
Runeterra
Zaun—
"Hey, I just had a wild idea!" Jinx suddenly flipped down from a ceiling beam, landing behind Silco's chair, giggling.
"I bet—the president's already dead! I mean, a president who never shows up keeps Lianyan awfully busy, doesn't it~"
"Lianyan… that polite secretary in front of Stelle? Heh, your guess is interesting. When a shadow suddenly steps into the light, it usually means—"
"—means she's already cleaned up everything that needed cleaning! The Aurum Alley president? Ha! You probably can't even find their bones!"
Jinx exaggeratedly mimed a throat-slitting gesture, laughing hysterically.
"So, you're saying… Aurum Alley's rules are being set by an unassuming 'little secretary'?" Silco's tone carried a hint of mockery but also a touch of admiration.
If Jinx's guess was right, these seemingly minor characters on the screen had quite the cunning and means.
——
[With Stelle's involvement, Aurum Alley's progress was immediate, quickly meeting the first phase of revenue goals.]
[Just as Yunxi was about to invite Stelle and Sushang to celebrate, Skott suddenly appeared at the dock, running into them.]
[Skott glanced around, noting their tense expressions, and said unhurriedly: "Look, I'm just here to send a package. Why're you all ganging up on me?"]
["This guy's cargo is problematic—it damages other customers' goods, causing the dock to keep paying compensation…" Sushang glared at Skott.]
[As Stelle moved to inspect Skott's package, he suddenly raised his voice, acting as if he wanted to escalate things: "Ha—?? Speak louder, I can't hear you. Is this how Aurum Alley treats tourists?"]
[Sushang put her hands on her hips: "We're going to open his package right now—it's definitely shady."]
[After a standoff, Stelle decided to inspect thoroughly. After unloading his package onto the open ground, she shockingly found a [Dense Cloud Golden Toad inside…]
[At that moment, the golden toad happened to wake up… Though Stelle didn't know why things aligned so perfectly, by the time she snapped back to reality, she'd already smashed the aggressive toad to pieces.]
[Sushang immediately accused Skott of tampering with the toad to maliciously ruin others' goods. But faced with the accusation, Skott deliberately raised his eyebrows, pretending not to hear, and leaned in: "Ha—?? Speak louder, I can't hear you."]
[Everyone thought they'd caught him red-handed, but it turned out the golden toad wasn't even Skott's. No one could figure out why it was there.]
["After all this fuss, you owe me an apology," Skott said.]
["This… we have to apologize?" Sushang's momentum deflated significantly.]
["Ha—?? If you don't apologize, it won't look good when word gets out,"] Skott raised both eyebrows, clearly eager for what came next.]