"By the way, what are those three canes on your waist?"
"They belong to the evil Cane Weirdo."
Aidan replied instantly.
"What Cane Weirdo... Pfft, you're really roasting Welt like that?" March 7th giggled, then suddenly realized what had happened, "You stole all of Uncle Yang canes?"
"Of course."
Aidan put his hands on his hips.
"You..."
March 7th started to speak but stopped herself.
"What are you doing this for?"
"Naturally, it's to take revenge on the evil Dual-Cane Weirdo."
"Wait, hold on, and why do the glasses on your face look so much like Welt's...? You aren't nearsighted, are you?"
"He isn't nearsighted either, these are non-prescription glasses. You guys didn't just realize he only wears them because he thinks they make him look mature and composed, right?" Aidan spilled all of Welt's secrets right then and there.
Delta, who was listening to Aidan speak from the side, began to wonder what kind of pirate ship she had boarded.
She had a feeling she was going to turn into a comedic character in the future.
"What are we doing next?"
"Wait," Aidan said. "Once Bronya finishes dealing with these matters, we can openly establish diplomatic relations with Belobog. Then we can go shopping or buy whatever we want."
"What about Cocolia?"
"Her affairs are none of our business," Aidan shook his head. "We're just passing Trailblazers. We helped them resolve the Stellaron, the mission is already complete, and our relationship with the people here hasn't reached the point where we can interfere in their personal matters."
"That attitude of yours..." March 7th frowned.
"This is reality. We can't interfere in the internal affairs of every planet. We help them resolve external threats, and let them handle the rest. That's the rule for Trailblazers."
"But rules are meant to be broken!" Stelle patted Aidan on the shoulder.
"Exactly. I knew you were the only one who understood what I meant."
Aidan and Stelle fist-bumped.
"I really have to give you something good, Stelle."
Aidan casually slapped a red mask onto Stelle's head.
"What is this thing?"
"The power of Elation. This is my Fool's Mask, I'm giving it to you. You can use its power just by holding it."
Stelle took the red mask and examined it back and forth.
"This thing can give me power?"
"Try it and you'll know."
Stelle put the red mask on her face. Several seconds passed, but nothing happened.
"How come I don't feel any power?"
"Good question, because when I'm on the Path of Elation, I have a broken mechanic that lets me change my appearance."
"Besides changing your face, do you have any other special abilities?"
Stelle asked him.
"...Nope, that's it. Isn't changing your face broken enough?"
Aidan spread his hands.
"If you put it that way, then your Elation form is just completely trash, isn't it? Among all the forms you've shown so far, this ability is practically useless," Stelle said while face-palming.
"Don't talk nonsense. My Elation form is very broken; Elation is one of my most broken forms."
"Most broken form? All I see is a laughingstock in the sewer."
"Tch, don't say such hurtful things, okay? What do you mean 'laughingstock in the sewer'? This form is perfect for a talented pro player like me."
Aidan crossed his arms.
"Aidan, Mr. Welt is looking for his glasses and cane everywhere right now." Dan Heng looked at his phone and patted Aidan.
"It's fine, go ahead and tell him that his cane and glasses were hidden by me."
"Otherwise, you could just tie these canes together, make a three-section staff, and return it to Welt."
"Your suggestion is truly full of Elation. You're already a qualified Pathstrider of Elation," Aidan patted Stelle's shoulder approvingly. "But I'm afraid if Welt gets a three-section staff, the first person he'll beat with it is me."
"If you know you're scared, why did you dare to steal them!"
March 7th retorted.
"Being scared is one thing, stealing is another; the two don't conflict... When I was in school, I was mischievous. The teacher often hit our palms with a bamboo rod. My friends and I discussed it and stole that bamboo rod, which was as thick as a pen, so the teacher couldn't find it when he wanted to hit our palms."
Aidan's little story silenced everyone.
"So you actually received an education."
"What kind of talk is that? I at least finished school, okay?"
"I thought you were illiterate."
"Me too."
"Damn, so you actually went to school."
March 7th and Stelle looked at him as if he had betrayed them.
"Bruh, don't I have an Erudition state? Why do you guys think I've never read a book?"
"I thought that was just Erudition boosting your IQ..."
Dan Heng didn't care about that and asked, "So, you stole the teacher's bamboo rod. What happened after that?"
"After that..."
Aidan's expression stiffened for a moment.
"After that, the teacher took a newly bought, extra-thick wooden ruler out of the drawer. It hurt like hell when he hit us."
Aidan was laughing and joking with everyone, completely unaware that a man without glasses had been standing behind him for who knows how long.
"Oh right, you guys probably don't know this, but actually, when Welt was little..."
"Ahem, Aidan, I suggest you don't talk about Welt for the time being."
"Why? Don't you guys want to hear it?"
"Ahem... well... uh, this is personal privacy after all, ahem."
Welt, standing behind Aidan, was so angry he was about to turn into a Super Saiyan.
"It's fine, even if Welt were right next to me, I'd still dare to say it."
Aidan put his hands on his hips.
"Really? Tell me about it."
"Sure, I..."
Aidan was just about to start rambling when he felt like something was off.
He slowly turned his head and saw the Cane Weirdo who had lost his cane standing behind him. The phrase "Dual-Cane Weirdo" slipped out instinctively, and everyone got to see a different side of Welt.
Aidan turned and ran, his legs moving incredibly fast.
Welt chased him from behind, carrying two canes. His speed was neither fast nor slow, always maintaining a distance that was just enough to catch up.
"Didn't you say you'd dare to say it even if I were right next to you?"
"That was just now! I don't think that anymore!"
Stelle crouched by the wall, watching with great interest.
"March, I think Aidan deserves it."
"I think so too."
Delta sighed.
"What kind of ship did I board anyway..."
Dan Heng remained expressionless, but if you looked closely, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.
In the end, Aidan was caught.
"Awoooooooo—!"
That wail was long and mournful, miserable yet slightly comical.
Stelle crouched by the wall, resting her chin on her hands, watching without even blinking.
"March, do you think he practiced that wail?"
"It must be a talent," March 7th analyzed seriously. "Look at the tail end and the vibrato; an average person couldn't learn that."