Chapter 71: Awoo Awoo Roar Roar Roar Roar Roar!
"By the way, what exactly are those three canes strapped to your waist?"
"Spoils of war from the evil Cane Weirdo, obviously," Rekka answered without missing a beat.
"What Cane Weirdo..." March 7th let out a soft giggle, her pink eyes crinkling in amusement. Then, the gears in her head finally clicked into place. Her smile froze. She pointed a trembling finger at his waist. "Wait. Did you steal all of Mr. Welt's canes?"
"Of course I did." Rekka planted his hands firmly on his hips, jutting his chin out with absolute, unearned pride.
"You..." March 7th opened her mouth, closed it, and rubbed her temples. "What are you even doing?"
"I am exacting my righteous vengeance upon the evil Double-Cane Weirdo. It is a matter of principle."
"Wait, that math doesn't even add up. And another thing," March leaned in closer, squinting at his face. "Why do the glasses you're wearing look exactly like Mr. Welt's? You aren't even nearsighted!"
"Newsflash: neither is he." Rekka tapped the rim of the frames, pushing them up the bridge of his nose with a smug grin. "These are completely non-prescription. Plain glass. Don't tell me you guys just now realized he only wears them because he thinks they make him look mature and steady?" Without a shred of hesitation, he spilled every last one of the senior Trailblazer's closely guarded secrets.
Standing a few paces away, Delta listened to this exchange with a growing sense of dread. She stared at the chaotic youth, then at the stolen canes, and finally at the stolen glasses. A deep realization washed over her. She began to seriously question exactly what kind of deranged pirate ship she had just boarded. If she stayed with this crew, she had a sinking feeling her entire existence was going to be reduced to pure comic relief.
"So, what are we actually doing next?" March asked, trying to steer the conversation back to sanity.
"We wait," Rekka said, his tone shifting to something almost resembling a plan. "Once Bronya finishes handling the internal fallout, we can officially establish open diplomatic relations with Belobog. And after that? We can stroll into the city, go shopping whenever we want, and buy whatever we want without sneaking around."
"What about Cocolia?"
"Her business is none of our concern." Rekka shook his head, the playful smirk fading into a rare moment of neutrality. "We are just passing-by Trailblazers. We helped them solve the Stellaron crisis, which means the mission is already complete. Our relationship with the people of this world hasn't reached the point where we have the right to interfere in their personal, political affairs."
"That attitude of yours..." March 7th frowned, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden emotional distance.
"This is just reality, March. We can't micromanage the internal affairs of every single planet we visit. Helping them resolve external, world-ending threats and letting them handle the rest of their own mess—that is the fundamental rule of the Trailblazers."
"But rules are meant to be broken!" Stelle suddenly chimed in, stepping forward to clap a heavy hand onto Rekka's shoulder.
"Exactly! I knew you would understand what I meant."
Rekka spun around, his face lighting up. He raised a hand, and Stelle met it in a crisp, echoing fist-bump. The brief moment of philosophical seriousness completely evaporated.
"You know what? I really have to give you something good for that, Stelle." Rekka reached into his inventory and casually slapped a bright red mask directly onto the top of Stelle's head.
Stelle reached up, pulling the object down to inspect it. "What is this thing?"
"The pure, unadulterated power of Elation. That is my Fool's Mask, and I am officially gifting it to you. You can tap into its power just by holding it."
Stelle turned the red mask over in her hands, tracing the exaggerated, grinning features carved into the material. "This piece of plastic can actually give me power?"
"Try it and you'll find out."
Stelle lifted the red mask and pressed it against her face. She stood there in absolute silence. One second passed. Then two. Then five. The wind howled faintly through the alleyway. Absolutely nothing happened.
She lowered the mask, her deadpan expression unchanged. "How come I don't feel any phenomenal cosmic power?"
"Ah, good question," Rekka nodded sagely. "That is because I, while walking the Path of Elation, possess a truly overpowered mechanism to completely change my physical appearance."
"Okay..." Stelle stared at him. "Besides changing your face into a different face, do you have any other special combat abilities?"
"...That's it." Rekka spread his hands wide, looking genuinely offended. "Isn't completely altering my face already overpowered enough?"
"If you put it that way, isn't your Elation form completely trash?" Stelle dragged a hand down her face, letting out a heavy sigh. "Among all the crazy forms you've shown us so far, this ability is absolutely bottom-tier."
"Hey, don't talk nonsense. My Elation form is incredibly overpowered. In fact, it is one of my most overpowered forms to date."
"Most overpowered form?" Stelle countered, her voice drier than the desert. "All I see is a laughingstock crawling out of the sewer."
"Tsk, don't say such hurtful things, okay?" Rekka crossed his arms, pouting slightly. "What do you mean 'laughingstock sewer'? This form is absolutely perfect for a highly talented pro player like me to mess around with the game's code."
"Rekka." Dan Heng's calm, even voice broke through the bickering. He was staring down at the glowing screen of his phone, his thumb swiping through a barrage of messages. He reached out and patted Rekka's shoulder. "Mr. Welt is currently looking for his glasses and his cane. Everywhere."
"It's fine, go ahead and tell him." Rekka waved a hand dismissively. "Tell him I've hidden his cane and his glasses in a secure location."
Stelle looked at the three canes strapped to Rekka's waist. "Why don't you just tie those canes together, make a giant three-section staff, and give it back to Mr. Welt as a gift?"
"Your suggestion is truly full of Elation. You are already a highly qualified follower of the Path." Rekka patted Stelle's shoulder with deep, solemn approval. "But I am deeply afraid that if Mr. Welt gets his hands on a three-section staff, the very first person he will beat to death with it is me."
"If you're so scared of him, then why did you even dare to steal them in the first place!" March 7th retorted, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Being scared is one thing. Stealing is another entirely. The two concepts do not conflict." Rekka adjusted the stolen glasses, adopting a nostalgic tone. "When I was in school, I was quite mischievous. The teacher often hit my palms with a bamboo stick as punishment. A few friends and I held a tactical meeting and decided to steal that bamboo stick, which was about as thick as a fountain pen. After that, whenever the teacher wanted to hit our palms, he couldn't find his weapon."
Rekka's little trip down memory lane was met with absolute, stunned silence.
March 7th stared at him, her jaw slightly slack. "So... you actually received a formal education?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Rekka bristled, dropping his arms. "I at least finished my basic schooling, alright?"
"I honestly thought you were illiterate," March muttered.
"Me too," Stelle agreed, nodding slowly.
"Damn. So you actually went to a real school."
March 7th and Stelle both looked at him with wide, betrayed eyes, as if his ability to read and write was a personal insult to their entire dynamic.
"Bruh, do I not possess the Erudition state?" Rekka gestured wildly to himself. "Why on earth would you think I've never read a single book in my life?"
"I just assumed the Path of Erudition was artificially boosting your IQ..." March mumbled, looking away.
Dan Heng, completely uninterested in Rekka's academic background, cut straight to the core of the issue. "So, you successfully stole the teacher's bamboo stick. What happened afterward?"
"Afterward..."
Rekka's boastful expression instantly stiffened. A shadow of ancient trauma passed over his eyes.
"Afterward, the teacher calmly opened his desk drawer and took out a newly bought, super-thick solid wooden ruler. It hurt like absolute hell when he hit us with it."
Rekka burst out laughing, joking and bantering with the crew, completely and utterly unaware that a tall, imposing man—currently missing his signature glasses—had been standing silently directly behind him for who knows how long.
"Oh, right! You guys probably don't know this," Rekka leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "but actually, when Mr. Welt was little..."
"Ahem." Dan Heng coughed loudly into his fist, his eyes darting to the figure looming in the background. "Rekka, I strongly suggest you stop talking about Mr. Welt right now."
"Why?" Rekka blinked, oblivious. "Don't you guys want to hear the juicy gossip?"
"Ahem... well... uh," March 7th stammered, frantically waving her hands while trying not to make eye contact with the man behind him. "This is a matter of personal privacy, after all. Ahem!"
Welt Yang stood perfectly still behind Rekka. A dark, terrifying aura seemed to radiate from his rigid posture. He was so intensely furious that he looked like he was half a second away from going Super Saiyan and obliterating the entire alleyway.
"It's fine!" Rekka laughed, slapping his hands back onto his hips. "Even if Mr. Welt was standing right next to me at this exact moment, I'd still dare to say it to his face!"
"Is that so?" a deep, dangerously calm voice murmured right next to his ear. "Let me hear it, then."
"Sure, I—"
Rekka was just about to launch into his story, but the words died in his throat. The temperature in the air had suddenly plummeted. A primal instinct screamed at the back of his neck. Something was very, very wrong.
He slowly, mechanically turned his head. Standing right behind him, glaring down with eyes that promised absolute destruction, was the Cane Weirdo who had lost his cane.
"Double-Cane Weirdo..." the phrase slipped out of Rekka's mouth subconsciously, a fatal error born of pure shock.
In that exact moment, everyone present witnessed a completely different, terrifying side of Welt Yang.
Rekka didn't hesitate. He spun on his heel and bolted, his legs kicking up dust as he sprinted for his life.
Welt chased after him, having somehow materialized two spare canes from thin air. His pursuit was methodical. His speed was neither fast nor slow, a relentless stride that always maintained a distance just close enough to keep the pressure on, but never quite closing the gap immediately.
"Didn't you just say you would dare to say it even if I was right next to you?" Welt's voice echoed down the street, cold and measured.
"That was just now!" Rekka shrieked, sprinting around a corner. "I don't think so anymore! I changed my mind!"
Stelle crouched comfortably by the brick wall, resting her chin in her hands as she watched the chase unfold with great interest. "March, I think Rekka entirely deserves this."
"I think so too," March nodded, not making a single move to help.
Delta let out a long, exhausted sigh, rubbing her temples. "Seriously... what kind of ship did I board..."
Dan Heng stood nearby, his arms crossed over his chest. He remained perfectly expressionless, but if one looked very, very closely, the corners of his mouth were ever so slightly upturned.
In the end, there was no escaping the wrath of a senior Trailblazer. Rekka was brutally caught.
The sound of Rekka receiving his punishment echoed through the streets of Belobog.
"AWOO AWOO ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR ROAR—!"
The cry was long, mournful, and incredibly miserable, yet undeniably comical. It sounded exactly like a cartoon cat getting its tail slammed in a door.
Stelle remained crouched by the wall, resting her chin on her hands, watching the off-screen beating without blinking a single time.
"March," she asked, her voice flat. "Do you think he practiced that cry in his free time?"
"It must be a natural talent," March 7th analyzed, nodding with absolute seriousness. "Just listen to the tail note and the sheer quality of that vibrato. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to learn a scream like that at all."
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