Dan Heng was taken aback. He hadn't expected this seemingly reckless and rough-around-the-edges cowboy to have a backup plan?
"An item could indeed help a Memokeeper establish contact with you… but Mr. Boothill, I hope you'll inform me about backup plans in advance next time."
Boothill's eyes flashed with a hint of resignation. "My bad. Just chalk it up to habit. I've got a few shady pals who'd stir up trouble if I spilled the whole plan. No amount of backups would be enough."
[Hahaha, I feel that.]
[Guard against fire, theft, and teammates.]
[That's something a good friend would do.]
[The vibe was pretty heavy before, but Boothill's entrance totally changed the mood.]
— —
Dan Heng continued, "How do we get into the VIP room?"
Boothill snapped his fingers confidently. "Piece of cake. Leave it to my street smarts."
Dan Heng nodded in acknowledgment, thinking Boothill might actually have a solid plan.
So, he naturally followed behind him.
A few steps later, the two reached the lobby manager.
"You're the lobby manager here, right?"
A man with his hands clasped in front of him responded respectfully, "Indeed. How may I assist you?"
Boothill adopted a commanding tone. "We're Nameless from the Astral Express, here to check in, and we've gotten no response! Your front desk girl said she'd contact someone in charge, but she's nowhere to be seen! My brother and I have been standing here twiddling our thumbs for half a day—no water, no food. For fudge's sake, is this how the Family treats its guests?"
Dan Heng half-squinted at Boothill. "Your 'street smarts' is just picking a fight?"
Boothill raised an eyebrow. "This is called fighting for our rightful treatment."
[Hahaha, this team banter is killing me.]
[You can practically see the speechlessness in Teacher Dan Heng's eyes.]
— —
After verifying the situation, the lobby manager returned to them. "Please calm down, gentlemen. I understand the situation. The hotel needs to contact Mr. Sunday first. In the meantime, I'll arrange two seats at the VIP room's bar. Please rest and wait there."
Boothill grinned smugly. "See? Worked like a charm."
Dan Heng ignored him and followed the lobby manager's lead. "Don't call yourself a Nameless again."
[Brilliant, only you could pull that off, Boothill.]
[Hahaha, that's some real street savvy.]
[These two are so fun together. The brains and the grump?]
[Dan Heng: The Astral Express can't afford to lose face like this!]
— —
The scene shifted, and the two arrived at the bar.
After inquiring, Boothill learned Black Swan hadn't left any wine.
Since they were already here, and the hotel was footing the bill, they might as well have a drink.
Soon, the bartender brought two glasses.
Boothill downed his in one gulp, then said something shocking. "Phew! That rich black powder barbecue dipped in peroxide flavor… absolutely divine! Truly worthy of the galaxy's finest sherry cask-aged malt juice."
Dan Heng was speechless again. "'Black powder barbecue dipped in peroxide flavor'… is that really a taste humans would enjoy?"
[So I'm dying to know what that tastes like?]
[Look at Boothill's getup—he's probably long since mechanically ascended.]
[Hahaha, Boothill's entrance alone makes me laugh.]
[This space cowboy is so well-crafted and fun.]
— —
After one drink, Boothill prepared to wait for Black Swan for half a system hour.
In the meantime, the two reviewed the information they had.
Penacony's situation was complex, with numerous factions involved, each with their own motives.
However, Boothill was more concerned about Acheron.
"You know, the factions following The Hunt are the last people in the galaxy you'd want to mess with. No one in their right mind would pretend to be from the Xianzhou Alliance or a Galaxy Ranger—that's just asking for death…
The Xianzhou have a saying, don't they? The Empyrean Bow proclaims its wheelchair with light arrows."
Dan Heng corrected sternly, "Lunyin, proclaims its lunyin."
[Hahahahahaha.]
[I remember someone already mocked Lan's lower half looking like a wheelchair.]
[That line's become a meme now, I'm dying.]
[God, it's so funny, especially Dan Heng's dead-serious correction.]
[The Empyrean Bow flaunted seven wheelchairs at lightspeed.]
[So what does that saying mean?]
[It means Brother Lan's a badass—ruthless, talks little, and settles scores on the spot.]
[The Hunt seems to be the Path of vengeance.]
[Wrong. The Hunt is never that narrow. Don't think it's just about revenge.]
— —
Boothill shrugged. "Whatever, you get my point. Anyway, don't let the Galaxy Rangers' long silence fool you—we've been watching this cosmos the whole time. Plenty of fools would rather offend the Annihilation Gang than cross the Rangers.
But that Acheron… at least from what she's done, she doesn't seem crazy. Quite the opposite—she's logical, methodical, sparing when she should and decisive when it's time to strike."
"You think someone like her is using the Galaxy Ranger name for some ulterior motive."
"I'm not jumping to conclusions, just saying it's fishy. Maybe she really knows the Rangers, or maybe she's trying to draw us out for some reason… I don't know."
"I'm more focused on the Family's odd behavior. For this festival, followers of over a dozen Paths were summoned to Penacony. No matter how inclusive the Family is, this isn't normal.
Unless the invitation wasn't sent by them, and yet they're still insisting on holding the Charmony Festival under these circumstances… that's even more intriguing."
Boothill plopped onto a sofa. "Maybe it's all at the behest of Xipe, the Harmony. You think it's unreasonable because humans wouldn't do it.
Humans act on irrational impulses, abandon principles when their interests are at stake, and believe things they know they shouldn't. Fudge it, humans even break their own rules the moment they set them!
But Aeons don't. Aeons stick to one path to the end, never turning back—not even when they hit a wall!"
Boothill also revealed his reason for seeking Acheron. "People have to take responsibility for themselves, I agree—no one else can do it for them. That's exactly why the Galaxy Rangers have to find this impostor ourselves… to figure out what she's really up to."
The conversation fell into silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Boothill spoke again. "Just in case, if that Memokeeper never shows, I've got one last backup plan… my final one."
Dan Heng wasn't surprised at all. "You sure have a lot of backup plans."
[Don't panic, your boy's got another contingency.]
[Galaxy's king of ideas?]
[Honestly, Boothill's a lot smarter than he seemed at first. I thought he was just a reckless cowboy!]
— —
Boothill glanced at the revolver on his hip. "Me? I'm not great at all this scheming nonsense. If I could just stick to my old trade, things would be a lot simpler. Brother Dan Heng, when you were wandering the hotel earlier, did you notice any guests… or group of guests… who seemed particularly important?"
"…" Dan Heng pondered for a few seconds. "What are you planning to do?"