Chapter 60: Did Elio Get Drunk and Use the Script as Toilet Paper?
"Hearing you say that, it seems like you're doing pretty well for yourself on the Path of Trailblaze." Sampo's voice dripped with his usual oily charm, a sly grin plastered across his face.
"Yeah, it's actually not bad," Rekka replied, his tone breezy.
"Then, do you want to buy some of the good stuff I have on hand?" Sampo leaned in, producing a piece of mechanical scrap that looked like it had seen better days.
"Your 'good stuff' actually has a few flaws..."
Rekka took the contraption from Sampo's hands. His fingers moved in a blur, dismantling, adjusting, and reassembling the components while casually explaining the thermodynamic inefficiencies of the original build. Sampo, being an underworld expert, actually understood the high-level jargon Rekka was spitting out. He nodded along, completely mesmerized by the technical breakdown.
By the time Sampo realized what was happening, the trap had already snapped shut.
He pulled out his wallet, counted out a stack of Credits, and handed them over to Rekka.
"Huh?"
Sampo looked down at the newly modified merchandise in his hands and blinked.
He had a lifelong reputation as the ultimate swindler of the underworld. Had he... just been swindled?
But was it a loss? The item was undeniably better now. It didn't feel like a loss.
Right, it felt right...
Wait, no, no, no!
Ah, yes, yes, yes...
Sampo's brain short-circuited.
"Wait a second, let me straighten this out..." Sampo rubbed his temples. "I was going to sell you something. Then you explained that my item had problems. Then you helped me fix the flaws in my treasure..."
"Correct," Rekka nodded solemnly.
"And then I gave you money..."
"Correct."
Sampo inhaled sharply through his teeth. "...It sounds correct, but something feels incredibly wrong here."
He fell into deep thought. The logic was airtight. There was absolutely no point of entry for a rebuttal. If he kept pestering this guy, he might end up selling the very clothes off his back at a discount.
Sampo gave a couple of dry laughs, deciding to cut his losses. His signature slippery smile quickly returned to his face.
"But speaking of which, in this freezing cold, you and this lady who looks like she's not to be trifled with didn't come all this way just to catch up with me, did you?"
"I want to enter the city here to do some trailblazing," Rekka said.
Sampo rubbed his chin, looking away evasively. "This, well... to be honest, I don't really have any connections for that."
Rekka didn't say a word. He simply pulled out a stack of Credits.
Sampo remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on the snowy ceiling.
"Oh, this, actually, it's... not impossible..." Sampo muttered as Rekka slowly added a second stack to the pile. The mercenary's expression gradually softened.
Rekka added a third stack.
"Oh! Look at how this turned out!" Sampo clapped his hands together, his face blooming into a radiant, joyful beam as he swiftly swept the Credits into his coat. "Isn't it just getting into the city? No problem at all!"
"Then the matter of my companions and I entering the city is in your hands?"
"Leave it to me." Sampo gave a confident thumbs-up.
Yet, as he turned around, a lingering sense of confusion gnawed at him. Did something... still feel wrong?
"So, your grand solution is to smuggle us in." Dan Heng crossed his arms, his posture relaxed but guarded.
"Don't put it so harshly!" Sampo spread his hands in an exaggerated shrug. "After all, there's only this one city left on this icy rock. We're all humans anyway, so it's no big deal."
Dan Heng stared at him. Whenever he looked at this blue-haired trickster, he felt a phantom headache throbbing at his temples.
"Is he trustworthy?" March 7th leaned closer to Rekka, eyeing Sampo skeptically. The guy looked like a walking scam. You couldn't tell how many of his words were true or false.
"An old friend, of sorts," Rekka replied. "And very reliable as long as he's been paid."
"Oh, young lady, those words really pierce my heart!" Sampo clutched his chest dramatically. "I'm famous for being honest with everyone! Reputation first!"
"Fine, fine, as long as there's a way in," March 7th sighed.
"Alright, let's go. I'll tell you what kind of city this is as we walk..."
Once inside the towering walls of Belobog, Sampo gave them a few hasty instructions and slipped away into an alleyway, temporarily leaving the group to their own devices. The five of them stood on the cobblestone street, exchanging glances.
"Reliable?" Dan Heng asked dryly.
"There shouldn't be much of a problem," Rekka said.
"But our clothes..." March 7th gestured to their distinctly off-world attire.
"It's fine. I brought a Cognitive Interference Anchor." Rekka casually pulled a metallic cube from his pocket and tapped its surface. A faint, invisible pulse rippled outward. "Now the locals will see us as perfectly normal citizens. Just a small cognitive interference to make them less hostile toward us."
"I'm starting to think the Path of Erudition is just too underhanded," March 7th complained, crossing her arms.
"Erudition has always been this strong. It's quite fair," Rekka stated, pocketing the cube as if warping the minds of an entire city block was just a casual Tuesday.
The city of Belobog was much cleaner than they had imagined. Despite the howling snow and ice beyond the walls, the streets inside were swept carefully clean. The towering architecture on both sides was well-maintained, glowing with the warm light of streetlamps. Occasionally, heavily bundled pedestrians passed by, their gazes sweeping over the Express crew before continuing on, completely unbothered by their presence.
"It's actually quite lively," March 7th said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the glowing storefronts. "There are shops, pedestrians, and even patrolling soldiers... it doesn't look like a city trapped in ice and snow at all."
"The more difficult the situation, the more important it is to maintain order," Dan Heng observed, his sharp eyes tracking the patrol routes of the local guards.
Delta stayed glued to Rekka's side. Her pink eyes darted around the surroundings with intense wariness. Her hand hovered inches from the hilt of her greatsword, her muscles coiled tight, ready to respond to any sudden threat.
"Relax," Rekka reached out and patted her shoulder. "This is a city, not a battlefield."
"A weakling like you has no right to say that," Delta snapped, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. "If a group of enemies rushed out of some alley right now, you wouldn't last three seconds."
"I have force field protection."
"That thing can block impacts under ten tons, right?" Delta sneered, her grip tightening on her sword. "What if someone stabs you with an enhanced weapon?"
"...Can't you wish me some luck for once?"
"Rookies should just stay behind me."
Rekka fell silent.
He vaguely felt that Delta's attitude toward him was a bit strange. Was her protectiveness a bit too strong? It bordered on distorted.
Then it clicked. It was probably because she had failed to protect Liliya in their original world. The physically fragile Rekka of today reminded Delta of the equally fragile Liliya lying in her medical pod. That was why she was so hyper-attentive to someone she had just met. Deep down, Delta was terrified of history repeating itself.
"Stowaways! Catch them!"
Rekka blinked. 'Huh?'
The group tensed up instantly, weapons materializing in their hands. But when Rekka saw the figure sprinting around the corner, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
What the hell? Is this right?
A massive, silver-armored mechanical knight barreled down the street.
Clang! Clang! The heavy metallic footsteps shook the cobblestones.
Sam?!
Is this right? No!
This isn't Penacony!
Sister, isn't your script supposed to take place in the Dreamscape?!
Did Elio get drunk and use the script as toilet paper?!
The entire Express crew froze in a state of absolute shock.
However, shock aside, survival instincts kicked in. As the towering mecha charged past them, Rekka slammed his hand down, activating the Capture Force Field, a stabilizing anchor, and maxing out the Cognitive Interference.
The massive Sam abruptly stopped running. Its mechanical movements became sluggish, heavy, its glowing visor firmly locking onto Stelle, who was standing right behind Rekka.
'Great... the script is correct!'
Inside the cold armor of Sam, Firefly let out a long, silent breath of relief.
Her instructions were simple: Find the people from the Astral Express, then stand still and wait to avoid causing trouble. Especially now. Firefly absolutely did not want to go on a terrifying killing spree right in front of an amnesiac Stelle.
Delta had already drawn her massive greatsword, stepping firmly in front of Rekka to shield him. She could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from the mechanical knight. The enemy opposite her was strong—so overwhelmingly strong that she knew she couldn't handle it alone.
"Stellaron Hunter. Highly dangerous individual. Molten Knight, Sam." Dan Heng's voice was cold as ice. Cloud-Piercer materialized in his grip, the spear tip gleaming with lethal intent. "Bounty... 9.723 billion Credits."
Rekka's gaze remained fixed on Sam's posture. The mecha stood completely motionless, even though Rekka knew his gadgets weren't nearly enough to fully suppress a monster of that caliber.
No, this must be the script...
Has Elio's script completely changed?
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