『 Boothill curled his lips, revealing his signature shark teeth, and said with full confidence, "This is where my street smarts come into play." 』
『 ....』
〘Yanqing〙: Street… Smarts?
〘Belle〙: Like the kind in movies?
〘Anby〙: Street smarts?
〘Guinaifen〙: Oh, you should ask me about this! I'm a street performer, so simply put, it's all about reading the room and observing people.
〘Boothill〙: Yes and no, little lady. Watch me work.
....
『 With that, he led Dan Heng over to a man in a sleek suit wearing refined glasses.
Boothill stared straight at the luxuriously dressed man and asked point-blank, "You're the lobby manager here, right?"
The man nodded, replying in a gentle and polite tone, "Indeed I am. How may I be of service to you?"
Confirming that the man was indeed the lobby manager, Boothill spread his hands and began his performance.
"We're Nameless from the Astral Express, here to check in, and we've been getting ignored this whole time! The girl at your front desk said she'd contact someone in charge for us, but then she vanished into thin air."
"My brother and I have been standing here twiddling our thumbs for ages, with no water to drink and no food to eat. What the fork, man? Is this how The Family treats its guests?" 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: So your 'street smarts' are just looking for a fight?
〘Boothill〙: Son of a nice lady, this is called reasonably resolving one's own demands. Don't you get it?
〘Belle〙: That's… surprisingly reasonable…
〘Jing Yuan〙: Such is a Galaxy Ranger—free, untamed, acting according to their own principles.
....
『 After watching Boothill's performance, Dan Heng silently poked his cybernetic arm and whispered, "Your 'street smarts' are just picking a fight?"
Boothill whispered back, "It's called 'standing up for your rights.'" 』
『 ....』
〘Silver Wolf〙: Are you guys on team voice chat? The manager is standing right next to you; there's no way he didn't hear that.
〘Hanabi〙: Oh, he definitely heard it. His eyelid has been twitching, and his face is turning pale. Hahahahaha.
....
『 Seeing Boothill's agitated state, the lobby manager maintained his gentle, unchanging smile and offered a solution.
"Please calm down, gentlemen. I am aware of the situation. The hotel needs to contact Mr. Sunday first. How about this? I will arrange two seats with complimentary drinks in the VIP lounge so you can rest while you wait."
Hearing this, Boothill immediately became smug. He looked at Dan Heng and raised an eyebrow. "See? Didn't that work out?"
Dan Heng sighed helplessly. "Just... just don't call yourself a Nameless next time." 』
『 ....』
〘Dan Heng〙: You're going to ruin the reputation of the Nameless.
〘Pam〙: Exactly, exactly! And you even used the Conductor's name, Pam!
〘Boothill〙: Don't worry, just this once. After all, you Nameless are famous as the good guys of the cosmos, and good guys always end up with guns pointed at them. I don't want that. Being the bad guy suits me better.
〘Griseo〙: But do bad guys call themselves bad guys?
〘Boothill〙: You haven't seen much of the world, have you? For a Ranger, sometimes playing dirty gets things done faster. The universe is just contradictory like that.
〘Stelle〙: Now I understand why your Ranger reputation is so mixed. As long as it doesn't cross your bottom line, you'll do whatever it takes to get the job done.
....
『 The two followed the waiter to the VIP lounge. Looking at the luxurious hall and the central bar, Boothill couldn't help but marvel, "Whoa! As expected of the Planet of Festivities. Even a bar in reality is this grand."
They walked toward the bar while scanning their surroundings. The place was already packed with all kinds of people, their chatter and laughter filling the air.
"Give me a Lemon SoulGlad, with ice, no lemon, no SoulGlad."
"Hmm… then I'll have a Lemon SoulGlad too, no ice." 』
『 ....』
〘Stelle〙: I feel like I'm already full…
〘March 7th〙: But aren't those the voices of two men?!
〘Pela〙: That's even better! That's exactly what I want to see!
〘Griseo〙: That's even better! That's exactly what I want to see!
....
『 The two of them heard the exchange, their expressions shifting through several phases. They silently took a few steps away from the two speakers—not understanding, but out of respect.
Once they sat down, an idle bartender immediately approached them, greeting them with a smile, "Good evening, brave gentlemen."
Boothill thought for a moment, then said to the bartender, "Hey... I have an order for a bottle of Asdana's White Oak. Can you help us find it?"
"Asdana White Oak?" The bartender looked surprised, then smiled and explained, "I think there might be a misunderstanding. We don't serve that here."
"No way. Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Boothill asked again.
The bartender explained patiently, "If someone had reserved such a beverage, I would definitely remember it. It sells for hundreds of thousands of credits per bottle, after all... I couldn't afford to cover for such an item if it were broken or lost."
Boothill frowned, muttering to himself, "That's strange... could it be that the Memokeeper couldn't afford it?" 』
『 ....』
〘Black Swan〙: Memokeers have shed their mortal vessels, so we do not need material desires. Still, Ranger, you certainly know how to pick them…
〘Boothill〙: Hahaha, after all, if there's a chance to fleece the Garden of Recollection, you gotta take it. As for Credit Points, of all those Light Cones you collect, which one isn't priceless?
〘Hanabi〙: So you haven't shown up for so long because you were looking for wine for him? Tsk tsk tsk…
....
『 "What do we do now?" Dan Heng tapped his fingers lightly on the counter, pondering their next move.
"No need to rush. Let's grab some drinks first. Maybe I arrived too early, and she hasn't come yet."
With that, Boothill picked up the drink menu on the table and examined it closely. "Let's see what kind of single malt juice you have here…"
Seeing the drinks on the menu, he couldn't help but let out a cold chuckle. "Well, give me a glass of Hinnom Valley 40 Years. I'll have it neat, no ice."
Hearing the name, the bartender couldn't help but show a look of admiration. "Well, that's the most expensive one on the list. You have a taste for the finer things."
Boothill's lips curled up slightly at the praise, but he whispered under his breath, "Hah, it's on the house anyway..." 』
『 ....』
〘Black Swan〙: ...
〘Hanabi〙: Look at that, even our generous lady is speechless. Careful she doesn't backstab you.
....
『 With a professional smile, the bartender looked at Dan Heng, who was with Boothill, and asked gently, "Would you like anything, sir?"
"Anything is fine."
The bartender nodded. For this kind of request, there was a perfect answer. "Then I would recommend today's special, Glass Village — it's Classic SoulGlad mixed with Leboom juice. It's refreshing and suits your cool demeanor. Just one minute, gentlemen." 』
『 ....』
〘Sampo〙: Oh! A cool and aloof temperament. As expected of the man I named the Cold Dragon Young.
〘Stelle〙: Truly worthy of the Cold Dragon Young.
〘March 7th〙: Truly worthy of the Cold Dragon Young.
〘Jing Yuan〙: Hahahahaha.
〘Dan Heng〙: Can we stop? Is this nickname never going away? (Pam sighing.jpg)
....