Chapter 155: Cirrus Wants to Be a Wandering Minstrel
"Um, Mr. Rekka? Mr. Rekka..." A frantic message from Huohuo pinged in Rekka's mind.
"It's Cirrus... Cirrus keeps saying it wants to see you, and... and now it's snuck out..."
"Snuck out?" Rekka arched an eyebrow. "Where did it go?"
"Dad! I'm here! I finally found you!"
With a triumphant howl, a flicker of emerald flame darted into the Astral Express carriage. The ethereal fire danced and pulsed with uncontained excitement, its voice ringing with the pure joy of a long-awaited reunion.
Rekka stared at the rogue Heliobus. "You went through all that trouble—escaping from the Ten-Lords Commission, traveling across the universe—just to run onto the Astral Express and find me?"
"That's right!"
Cirrus was determined to better itself. Compared to being sealed away and gathering dust, it would much rather find a reasonable master to sponge off of.
The dignity of a Heliobus? Please. The aloofness of a Heliobus was a burden for Tail to handle. Cirrus was a different breed entirely. Besides, that so-called 'Heliobus aloofness' was currently busy acting as a literal tail for a certain little girl.
"Stop right there."
Rekka reached out and simply gripped the air. The green flame that was Cirrus instantly froze in place, unable to move an inch.
"Who's your dad?"
"You are!" Cirrus's voice was slick with ingratiation. "You're my real dad! The kind that's even closer than a real dad! Whatever you say I am, I am! But… I have a new dream…"
The flame flickered with newfound passion. "I've seen the light! I've recognized reality! I don't want to defeat anyone anymore. I just want to become a wandering minstrel, singing my songs as I drift through the cosmos. In short, Cirrus wants to become a melancholy lone wolf…"
"Wait a minute," Rekka cut in, holding up a hand. "What 'wandering minstrel'? What 'singing while drifting'? What are you even talking about?"
Setting aside the minstrel business, if Cirrus wanted to be a lone wolf, what about Scott? What was Rekka supposed to do about the distinct lack of pathetic whimpering he was now missing out on?
"You'd better not follow me," Rekka warned. "I don't take in develop children."
Besides, this little wisp was far too cunning for its own good.
Rekka rolled his eyes. "Hmph. Fine. I suppose I could take you out for some fresh air on the Xianzhou for a little while, but I'm not bringing you along permanently. You're just too… abstract."
Aurum Alley.
For the past two days, Rekka had been taking Cirrus out for "walks" here. In truth, the little creature was quite the spectacle to parade around.
"Our Terra Cosmic Junk Company offers a full benefits package, including health, dental, vision, and a housing fund! You even get a single dormitory upon joining…"
A figure suddenly popped their head out from under a trash can lid, rambling incessantly to a passing company employee. The employee, completely bewildered, just nodded dumbly before being dragged headfirst into the trash can by the enthusiastic recruiter.
"Holy crap," Rekka muttered. "The trash can folk are recruiting even out here?"
That back view, though… it looked so familiar.
Rekka stroked his chin, pondering. He hadn't gotten a clear look, but he could have sworn he saw a faint golden glow. And what was that company name again? It seemed…
Ah, never mind. It probably wasn't important.
Aurum Alley remained as peaceful as ever, its streets still packed with the tantalizing aromas of gourmet food.
"What do you mean, you don't want to negotiate?! The overdue rent is a problem, and if you're going to be this difficult, then forget it!"
An arrogant voice sliced through the air, followed by a deafening clatter and crash.
A representative from the Interstellar Peace Corporation had just flipped a dining table, sending fine wine and exquisite dishes spilling across the cobblestones. The man, sporting a pair of small, dark sunglasses, spoke with haughty disdain but never made a physical move himself—a very deliberate tactic. As long as the other party struck first, Commissioner Scott would have ample reason to let his subordinates attack.
However, Commissioner Scott clearly hadn't anticipated one thing.
Rekka had been sitting here, snacking for several days, for the sole purpose of ambushing him. The moment Scott appeared, Rekka's senses perked up. He immediately zipped back to the Express, grabbed March 7th and Stelle, and teleported them all back to watch the show.
After all, with Space Anchors, travel was instantaneous.
'Do you really think I wouldn't recognize you just because you're wearing a generic Xianzhou outfit, Scott?'Rekka thought with a grin.'It's useless. Those soulfully smarmy little sunglasses, that tone that sounds despicable the moment you open your mouth… you're like the brightest, most obnoxious star in the night sky.'
, Rekka had just perfectly caught a bowl of flying noodles. With his head.
He was really committing to the bit.
"Who's flipping tables in Aurum Alley?!"
"Me! You got a problem with that?"
"Of course I do!"
Rekka materialized in front of Scott, a ceramic bowl sitting askew on his head, noodles and broth dripping down his face and hair.
"You dumped the noodles on my head!"
Scott blinked. "?"
After flipping the table, Scott honestly couldn't see if the food he'd overturned had actually landed on someone's head. He started muttering to himself, trying to replay the trajectory.
His move should have sent the noodles onto the floor… right?
"Th-that doesn't prove it was me!" Scott stammered. "Aren't there other people eating noodles around here?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Your table is the only one eating here!"
Rekka's accusation left Scott at a complete loss for words.
Scott's mouth twitched, his eyes darting rapidly behind his little sunglasses. "That bowl of noodles on your head… maybe you dumped it on yourself! You're trying to frame me!"
"Right. Because I have nothing better to do than dump noodles on my own head and ruin my brand-new clothes. Is that what you're implying?!" Rekka's feigned anger rose by a notch.
By the time March 7th and Stelle arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Rekka arguing heatedly with Scott.
"Why does Rekka have a bowl of noodles on his head?" March whispered.
"I don't know," Stelle whispered back, eyes wide. "But who's badass enough to actually dump noodles on his head?"
"Hey, hey, hey! No fighting! No fighting!"
A helpful Cloud Knight rushed onto the scene. The young woman planted herself between the two men in a few quick steps, placed her hands on her hips, and struck a pose meant to maintain Order. She frowned, taking in the mess of broken bowls, scattered chopsticks, and spilled soup on the ground.
"In broad daylight, causing trouble in Aurum Alley? You've got some nerve!" the Cloud Knight declared, pointing a small hand at Scott.
"What?! I was clearly just talking business with these merchants! This guy suddenly rushed out, dumped a bowl of noodles on his own head, and then blamed it on me—"
"It was clearly you who flipped the table!" Rekka retorted.
The surrounding merchants, seeing their chance, chimed in. "That's right, that's right."
"Exactly, he did!"
"You—!" Scott was so incensed his sunglasses nearly slid off the bridge of his nose. He hastily pushed them back up, jabbing a finger toward Rekka. "You're pulling a scam! I'm going to sue you! You Xianzhou locals are just too unreasonable!"
"I'm not a Xianzhou local," Rekka stated flatly. "And besides, you dumped the noodles on my head."
He looked absolutely furious.
Well, not really. He wasn't angry at all. In fact… he was having the time of his life. Rekka was practically glowing with joy at being able to play Scott so perfectly.
It was so rare to come across such a fun toy. How could he possibly resist?
Scott's face flushed red, then drained to a pasty white.
Rekka turned to the growing crowd. "Everyone, listen to this! Does this make any sense? He's claiming I have nothing better to do than pick up dropped noodles from the ground, dump them on my own head, ruin my new clothes, all just to frame him?"
Today's Rekka—
Path of [Elation], echoing [Trailblaze].
Coming up next: The Galaxy's Great Wandering Minstrel, Heliobus Cirrus, versus the Legendary Lone Wolf, Linden Scott.
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