Chapter 156: Scott: I Feel Like I've Been Tricked
Rekka's Path: [Elation & Trailblaze, Intertwined Echoes]
"Cirrus, go!"
At Rekka's command, the ethereal entity known as Cirrus perked up, its form shimmering with anticipation. With a silent, fluid whoosh, it dove straight into the depths of Lyndon Scott's inner world.
And what a world it was.
Cirrus discovered that Lyndon Scott had possessed a sinister and cunning heart since he was a child. Even his father was a creature of divine ambition, though Cirrus wasn't entirely sure if either of them could truly be considered human. The inner worlds of mortals were always so wonderfully strange.
A scene flashed before Cirrus's perception.
"Old Scott, you are suspected of receiving massive bribes. Come with us."
"Father, I did it. I betrayed you!" a younger Scott declared.
"You... Scott, you actually betrayed me!" Old Scott's eyes, far from being filled with rage, welled up with tears of overwhelming pride.
"I am truly so... proud of you! Step on me to climb to greater heights! Scott, you are the pride of the Scott family, a qualified [Lone Wolf]. Father is so proud of you—!"
[No enemies, no friends, only prey.]
"Hahahahaha..." Cirrus echoed with silent, internal laughter. It found the entire spectacle utterly hilarious.
'What a Scott, what a lone wolf!'it thought.'But unfortunately for you, this little Cirrus here wants to be a lone wolf, too!'
Outside, in the bustling street of Aurum Alley, Scott's eyes went vacant for a moment. He gave his head a slight, disoriented shake.
"Then you agree to the bet, right?" Rekka's voice cut through his daze.
"What bet?" Scott asked, frowning.
"Didn't you just agree?" Rekka pressed, his tone deceptively casual. "If Aurum Alley pays off all its back rent before the next due date, you'll stand in the middle of the street and loudly proclaim, 'I am a blind fool! Ignorant of the world, only capable of barking like a dog!' And then, you know, actually bark like a dog and so on."
Scott scratched his head, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "Huh? I... did I say that?"
Although... it did sound exactly like the kind of provocative rhetoric he would use. Why did he feel so out of it just a moment ago?
But something still felt off. Scott felt like he was forgetting something important. He replayed the supposed conversation in his mind, and it seemed he had only mentioned his own part in the wager.
"Wait!" he snapped, his focus returning. "If I have to bark like a dog if I lose, what about you? What happens if you lose?"
"Then I'll bark like a dog too. How does that sound?" Rekka replied instantly, without a hint of hesitation.
"...Fine! Since that's the case and everyone here heard it, we have a deal!" Scott declared, turning on his heel. "Let's go!"
He led his men away, but a nagging feeling persisted. He couldn't shake the sensation that he had just been thoroughly and completely tricked.
Once Scott was gone, one of the elderly merchants approached Rekka, his face etched with worry. "Young man, thank you for speaking up for us... Sigh, but you... this is just too much..."
"Everyone, rest assured," Stelle said, stepping forward and patting Rekka firmly on the shoulder. "Since Rekka said he would help you, he definitely has a way. After all, he's a genius."
"A genius?"
"For real...?"
"Ahem, I'm not a genius, not a genius," Rekka muttered, giving Stelle a pointed look. He waved the official-looking certificate in his hand. "Actually, I was commissioned by General Jing Yuan to help everyone. This is a document from the Seat of Divine Foresight."
The merchants looked at each other, then gathered around to examine the document with careful scrutiny.
"The seal on this official document is indeed correct... An externally assigned consultant, so that's how it is!"
This concrete explanation and the obvious proof finally put the surrounding merchants' minds at ease. Their anxiety melted away, replaced by a budding hope.
"So, Consultant, you've been wandering around Aurum Alley these past few days to conduct an inspection?" one of them asked.
"Yes... uh, yes," Rekka confirmed, deciding to go along with it. In truth, he'd been staking the place out for a different reason, but as it turned out, he really did end up catching a lone wolf.
"As expected of a consultant, so professional."
"Exactly, exactly."
Rekka cleared his throat, enjoying the moment. "In that case, I'll have my Assistant Number Two help out. Don't worry, my Assistant Number Two is an absolutely reliable talent."
He draped an arm over Stelle's shoulder. She nodded along, then blinked as she realized what he was doing.
"This is the legendary-tier tool-girl, Stelle! There's nothing she can't learn!"
Stelle was a bit dazed by the sudden, effusive praise and just nodded again. "Ah, right, right, right..."
"Right, right," Rekka echoed with a grin.
"Is that right?" a merchant asked, looking at her with newfound respect.
"Exactly! Stelle! You stay here and help them solve their problems. March and I will head to the Sea of Quanta first."
"Oh, okay," Stelle agreed readily.
Without another word, she was swept away by the enthusiastic members of the Aurum Alley Merchant Guild, sat down at a table, and immediately began planning logistics routes.
"...Wait, that's not right."
After a busy afternoon of drawing lines and calculating figures, Stelle suddenly paused while taking a break. A crucial detail finally surfaced in her mind.
"Wasn't I here to watch someone bark like a dog?"
Meanwhile, Rekka took March 7th aboard the Hyperion. After a quick hot bath and a change of clothes, he was ready for the next phase of his plan.
"Where are we going?" March asked, toweling her hair dry.
"To create some free labor," Rekka said with a sly smile. "Jing Yuan outsourced the work to me, so of course I can get some subordinates of my own... Do you know why Aurum Alley is in decline right now?"
"Because civilian Aurumaton usage on the Xianzhou is strictly limited now," March recited. "And even the most beautiful scenery gets tiring after looking at it for too long. It's impossible to keep things exactly the same forever."
Rekka led her to a room next to the Hyperion's armory, the door hissing open to reveal a sterile, high-tech chamber.
"What is this place...?"
"The place where Honkai Beasts are manufactured."
"Hey, hey, hey! Honkai Beasts? Are you serious?" March yelped, her eyes wide. "If you make those..."
"It's fine," Rekka reassured her. "They're not the highly aggressive Honkai Beasts from the simulation, but fully automated, intelligent beasts of burden. Since Automatons and other machinery are strictly regulated, it's perfectly reasonable for me to use silicon-based lifeforms to help with the initial stages of revitalization."
March's brain stuttered for a second. "...Wait, silicon-based lifeforms, that means..."
"Yes," Rekka confirmed. "Silicon-based lifeforms don't have to worry about the Aurumaton control regulations."
"But, won't that scare people away?"
"Here, look at this one," Rekka said, gesturing to a figure standing silently in a stasis pod. It was a Knight-class Honkai Beast.
"Isn't that... a human?" March asked, confused.
"No, no, no~ She's a Honkai Beast, a Knight-class. What do you think? Doesn't she look like a cute young girl? Laying bricks, sweeping floors, moving goods, organizing the warehouse... any physical labor you can think of, she can do. And she doesn't need a salary, won't complain, and won't slack off."
March was utterly shocked. "There's such a powerful work machine?"
"Let's take twenty for now," Rekka decided. "If that's not enough, we'll come back for more."
"Are you sure they aren't real people?" March leaned in close to one of the motionless girls and waved a hand in front of her face. There was no reaction.
"Of course they aren't real people," Rekka explained. "They're just clusters of Honkai Energy that look like humans. Although, Honkai Beasts with actual sentience do exist."
The Knight-class Honkai Beast, with its lance and knightly appearance, was known for its relatively slow movement speed. Of course, that 'slow' was before it started its charge. Once it got going, you'd be lucky if it didn't knock down a house.
Back in Aurum Alley, Stelle sat slumped on a chair. The table in front of her was a chaotic mess of planning maps, and next to them sat a plate of now-cold Tapir-Tapir Rolls. She looked utterly melancholic.
The vibrant Trailblazer had been reduced to an emotionless line-connecting machine.
"Aaaaah—! What should I do! Not enough workers! Not enough funds! Aaaaaaaaah—!" she wailed in despair.
"Who said there aren't enough workers and funds?"
A familiar voice cut through her misery. Rekka and March 7th appeared, and behind them marched a large, orderly group of Knight-class Honkai Beasts.
Stelle's eyes, previously dull with exhaustion, instantly lit up.
Her hero had arrived.
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