Chapter 190: Aurum Alley's Hustle and Bustle 『 Part Five 』
「 "There will be plenty more in the future!" Sushang hastily interjected.
"The future? How far into the future? By the temporal standards of you Xianzhou natives, are we talking five hundred years hence? Hahaha! Can the shopkeepers here afford to wait that long?" Skottclutched his belly, roaring with laughter.
"Uh… well… ten years? Twenty? Stelle, what do we do? I-I can't really say for sure." Sushang's mind was already spinning into a daze.
Seeing that Stelle offered no rebuttal, Skottdecided to press his advantage, unleashing a barrage of questions regarding the pier's freight logistics and the outstanding rental fees.
Yet, this moment of lowered guard was precisely what Stelle had been waiting for. With a flourish, she produced the proof of the pier's rent repayment, lifting her head with pride: "The pier has been paid for! The Guild has turned its losses into profit and settled the debt!"
"W-What!?" Behind his sunglasses, Skott's pupils constricted into pinpricks. His jaw went slack, dropping so low it nearly struck the floor. "You actually paid it off? How is that possible?!" 」
「 .....」
〜Type-Moon World, Carnival Phantasm Worldline〜
Within the church's basement, Gilgamesh reclined upon a luxurious throne, gently swirling the fine wine within his golden goblet.
Witnessing Skott's flabbergasted and unsightly display, Gilgamesh let out a scoff, his eyes brimming with contempt.
"Heh… Can a mere mongrel truly represent the Interastral Peace Corporation? …Truly, a hideous sight."
"If one of my subjects dared to disgrace themselves so publicly, hmph…"
Gilgamesh chuckled coldly before draining the golden goblet in a single draught.
"Oh? On the contrary, I find the contortion of Skott's face to be quite exquisite."
The corners of Kirei Kotomine's mouth lifted slightly, his expression one of pure, unadulterated rejoicing.
"King of Heroes, this executive of the 'Interastral Peace Corporation' is doubtless a man who usually stands high above the masses. Yet now, he reveals such ugliness before the crowd—does this contrast not stir the heart?"
Gilgamesh cast a sidelong glance at him, speaking with disdain:
"Heh. Kirei, you haven't changed. You possess a peculiar enthusiasm for the struggles of such insignificant men."
"However, this mongrel named Skott is not entirely without value—at the very least, he has provided me with a rather entertaining farce."
—
「 "The documents provided by the Aurum Alley Merchant Guild are authentic and credible. According to the lease agreement between both parties, the Guild retains the operating rights to the pier."
Xikui shifted the topic sharply, her gaze cutting toward Skott like a knife. "Furthermore, the Guild has alleged that Representative Skott has been covertly sabotaging the pier's operations. Do you have any explanation for this?"
"Don't you dare slander me with your blood-spitting lies!" Skott exploded with rage. "Why would I pull such petty tricks? Your broken-down pier has no merchant partners and suffers frequent accidents—what does that have to do with me?"
"Besides, I'm not involved in shipping goods at the pier. Are you suggesting I bribed the dockworkers? Ridiculous." Skott crossed his arms, snorting with disdain.
"Then, is there a possibility that you did, in fact, bribe the dockworkers?"
Stelle slowly produced the confession previously obtained from Afeng and handed it to Xikui at her side.
The evidence was irrefutable; even if Skott grew ten more mouths, he could not talk his way out of this. Xikui classified the incident as illicit business conduct, and the Sky-Faring Commission would be launching a continued investigation.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Skott intended to slip away, but before he could even turn around, Sushang called out to him from behind.
"Don't forget our bet! You have to apologize to me in front of everyone!"
Skott attempted a deathbed struggle: "I refuse! Why should I apologize to you!?"
"Because you trampled on the hard work of others! Because you used filthy tactics!" Sushang retorted without a hint of fear. "If my apology could save the people who love Aurum Alley from despair, I would apologize a thousand, ten thousand times!"
"But right now, the one who needs to apologize is you!" 」
「 .....」
〜Honkai: Impact 3rd World〜.
"Well said! As expected of me… uh, the me from another world!"
Li Sushang slammed her hand on the table and rose abruptly, the shockwave causing tea to splash from her cup.
"That's the spirit! Beautifully spoken! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have said it as well as she did."
Rita took an elegant sip of her tea.
"Miss Sushang is too modest~ Your declaration, 'Disciple of the Edge of Taixuan, Li Sushang, requests instruction,' is equally imposing in its aura."
"H-How is that the same?!"
The tips of Li Sushang's ears turned slightly red. Hearing Rita recite that line to her face felt like a public execution.
Besides, every time she uttered those words, it was a prelude to physical combat.
If Skott were facing her instead of that other Sushang, the moment he refused to apologize, she likely would have been forced to introduce his head to the ground for some "intimate contact."
—
「 "…" Skott's Adam's apple bobbed up and down several times, yet he could only produce a few dry, raspy coughs.
Behind his sunglasses, his gaze darted erratically from side to side, terrified to meet Sushang's eyes—until, cornered by the jeers of the onlookers, he was forced to lower his gaze.
"I… I apologize to Aurum Alley…" His voice hitched, as if something were strangling him.
"Hah—? I can't hear you. Louder." Stelle mimicked his earlier demeanor, deliberately leaning her ear closer.
Sushang stood with hands on her hips, radiating aggression. "Hey, hurry it up!"
Skott seemed to collapse in on himself at a visible rate, as if his spine had been instantaneously extracted. He spoke weakly, drained of all spirit: "I… I want to apologize to the folks of Aurum Alley—"
"I am a blind fool! I didn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth, only knowing how to bark madly!" The sentence seemed squeezed through the gaps of his teeth, every word ground out in humiliation.
Stelle and Sushang exchanged a smile, thoroughly satisfied with the outcome.
However, something was still missing—
"You haven't barked like a dog yet, have you?" Stelle glared at Skott.
Sushang, however, felt a pang of sympathy. "…Do we really have to do this?"
From the crowd, voices chimed in agreement with Stelle: "Yeah! That's right!"
Amidst the concurrence and mocking laughter of the spectators, Skott's face began to contort. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he snapped his head up and roared: "Aaaagh—Enough!"
"Woof woof! Woof woof woof woof woof! Woof—"
"Woof woof awoooo—"
Skott's hysterical barking not only terrified his IPC colleagues but also caused Sushang's eyes to snap wide open, her hands flying to cover her mouth in shock.
This scene… she really hadn't seen anything like it before.
To the side, Xikui offered a cold smile. "Tsk. What a disgraceful display. Let us end things here for today." 」
「 .....」