"Hey, don't you ignore me! Isn't the Xianzhou supposed to be a land of propriety? What about rules? What about law? These trash cans are all the property of the Interastral Peace Corporation now—I've already paid! Double the price, too!"
Skott was hopping mad, cursing in frustration. Of all times, these Luofu officials had to show up now.
Trying to ruin my plan? Not a chance!
He jabbed a finger toward Guinaifen.
"This is all being streamed live. If the Luofu robs the Interastral Peace Corporation's goods, where's your shame? Fine then—let the whole universe see that this is how the Luofu does business!"
Feixiao's head ached from his shouting. Her eyes narrowed, and an invisible killing intent locked on Skott.
Of course she could see he was trying to stir hatred toward the Luofu. That line was not something she could respond to. But as the Lacking General of the Yaoqing, anyone who had spoken to her that way before… was dead.
"Uh…" Just one glance from Feixiao made Skott stumble back a step, arms raised defensively. His former arrogance vanished.
"Y-you, what are you going to do?"
"Heh." With a single scoff, Feixiao's cold gaze softened. "Just reminding you. This is the Xianzhou. The Interastral Peace Corporation is welcome to do business here. But you'd best not carry any other intentions."
"Especially…" She drew out the words, then suddenly let a pulse of killing aura ripple past, sharp enough to stop hearts. "I hate wolves the most."
So cool.
Sylvester praised silently.
To force back a mad dog like Skott with just a look… When will I ever be that strong?
"Heh, you're only bluffing." Skott exhaled, taking his time to calm down. "You wouldn't dare kill me here."
His tone was still smug, but everyone could see the recklessness from before was gone.
"The whole universe is watching. I've already paid. If the Xianzhou tries to swallow these trash cans, it's too late. Unless you want to throw away thousands of years of credibility. That can be done too, I suppose."
He hadn't been completely cowed. Still sneering, still pressing.
And he was thankful the stream was running. He knew full well how the Xianzhou operated—every action had to be justified. If he clung to "first come, first served" in front of a global audience, they wouldn't dare use force.
That was why he could act so brazenly. Say one thing to humans, another to ghosts, always pushing right to the edge of the safety line. To him, even winning with words alone was "success."
Feels good, smashing them with their own rules.
Qingque, Stelle, and Guinaifen exchanged glances.
Damn… we've played right into his hands.
As Skott said, the Luofu couldn't openly tear its reputation apart. But to sit back while the Interastral Peace Corporation bought every trash can? Impossible.
For Fu Xuan and her group, the ideal strategy had been to move fast—snatch up every trash can before the Interastral Peace Corporation reacted.
But now that seemed too naïve. Skott wasn't a fool. In just a few words he had elevated the issue to one of interstellar diplomacy.
Fu Xuan's anxiety was greater than anyone's. On the way here, she had gathered data on every trash can sold. Not a single purple-grade curio had appeared.
Which meant…
She turned to look at the remaining dozen or so trash cans. She knew the golden and purple-grade curios she remembered—ones rivaling Zafkiel's Sixth Bullet – Vav and Imagine Breaker—had to be among them.
She couldn't just stand by.
But as things stood…
Fu Xuan shut her eyes with a sigh.
At least one option remained—but it would require courage.
The Third Eye gifted by the Intelligentsia Guild glimmered faintly. With her eyes closed, she saw the path ahead.
She opened them again.
Sacrifice. Sacrifice her own reputation.
The only way forward she saw was to purchase the trash cans in her personal capacity, severing ties with the Luofu's official stance. No other path existed.
As her expression shifted, Feixiao's loathing for the Interastral Peace Corporation's specialist grew deeper.
She had seen that look countless times before—on the battlefield, in the moment of sacrifice. She knew exactly what someone with that expression was about to do.
Fine, then. We'll do this together. For the Xianzhou, life itself can be given—what are a few trash cans compared to that?
From the moment she had first donned the uniform of the Yaoqing Army, she had understood: to guard the Xianzhou as its sharpest blade meant putting aside every personal concern.
"This seat—" Fu Xuan began, but a voice cut her off.
"Take back your money. Everything in this shop has nothing to do with you anymore." Four Jade Abacus slips flew back from the counter.
Skott stared at Sylvester in disbelief. "Y-you're insane! That was double the price! What kind of merchant are you?"
What kind of lunatic turns down money like that? Those two women bought at the base price, and this idiot refuses double? It makes no sense!
"Hard to understand, is it?" Sylvester crossed his arms, looking down at him with disdain. "Yes, I'm a merchant. But first, I'm a Luofu citizen. I heard that even the lowest-ranked worker at Pier Point can't help but puff their chest with pride at the Interastral Peace Corporation's wealth and technology. Yet they still end up crammed into shared bunks aboard corporate ships. The Interastral Peace Corporation has endless wealth… and endless coldness."
His voice grew deeper, steadier. "But the Xianzhou is different. Its people follow Lan's footsteps not because THEY are an Aeon, but because the Xianzhou once endured suffering together. And today, its people would never allow that suffering to be repeated. Not even an Aeon is exempt from that truth."
"Xianzhou folk are not rivals on the Path—they are companions on the same road. Any worthy Xianzhou citizen would never allow its glory to be stained. That… is something the Interastral Peace Corporation will never grasp." His eyes glinted with mocking amusement.
"Skott, tell me—does your job make you happy? Do you enjoy those midnight calls from your superiors? Do you sleep well in the mornings? Do you like scraping by while being told everything you do is useless?"
"S-stop! Don't say another word!" Skott felt as if this man had peeled open his soul. The feeling of being laid bare made him want to flee.
Sylvester shook his head, voice tinged with pity. "You were already a pitiful man with no life of your own. But now, to beg for scraps from your masters, you'd rather bark at the entire world? Skott, you don't need to buy a trash can. The trash can is where you belong! Just not mine—it's too cheap for you."
When his words ended, Sylvester leaned back in his chair, a weight lifting from his shoulders.
Even when he had doubled the trash can's price earlier, he hadn't felt a shred of joy.
He had always carried a simple sense of justice. He knew the universe had its darkness. But that darkness should cower in the corners, not strut in the open for all to see.
He despised men like Skott. Yet in a cosmos brimming with fantastical powers, for his own safety he had been forced to play along.
But when he saw Feixiao, and when he understood Fu Xuan's gaze—he changed his mind.
Enough. I've had enough of people like this. No more pretending.
Maybe Skott would hate him for it, maybe he would see through Sylvester's weakness. But there was still one path left: binding himself firmly to the Xianzhou.
So, what if I side with them? What can you do about it?
Guinaifen watched the Jade Abacus screen flood with comments, finally feeling the stone on her chest fall away.
[Unlicensed Pilot: "Holy crap. That was satisfying. I wish I could one day turn down forty million credits like that! Just toss it away? That's insane! Two million of it was basically free money!"]
[Definitely Is a New Nickname: "Satisfying, sure. But it still broke the rules. The Luofu—"]
[Rear Wheel Spins: "Hey, I've been watching you all day. Funny how you're silent whenever the Luofu's in the right. A man's goods—he sells to whomever he wants. What rules were broken?"]
[Comedic Duo A: "Exactly! If someone like that came to our crosstalk shows, I wouldn't even let them in! That bunch tried to buy up Aurum Alley not long ago. And now they want to shit on the Xianzhou's head? Hell no!"]
"This is… strange," Feixiao admitted, staring at the young man who had just spoken with such conviction.
For a merchant to ignore profit was rare enough. But to recognize the very soul of the Xianzhou to this degree?
Hadn't his identity records all been forged?
Yet everything about him—inside and out—radiated the spirit of a true Xianzhou citizen.
And not just any kind—the kind Feixiao liked most.
In that instant, she no longer found him merely interesting. She felt an instinct.
This man might not be an ally the Xianzhou needed to win over. He might be a blessing the Xianzhou itself had birthed.
Fu Xuan turned, staring at Sylvester, dazed.
She had been prepared to sacrifice her reputation, to take the full brunt of the media storm.
If things had gone as she expected, tomorrow's headlines would have screamed: 'Shocking! Luofu Diviner Overreaches, Then Claims No Ties to the Luofu?'
She knew too well the pressure that would have fallen on Jing Yuan.
For as long as history, words had been more terrifying than blades.
Back in times when propaganda was crude, countless Xianzhou officials had been toppled by public opinion.
She had already braced herself for the worst. If matters truly spiraled beyond control…
She glanced at Qingque.
Then all I could hope was for this lazy woman to take some responsibility.
But none of that came to pass.
When the crushing burden suddenly lifted from her shoulders, her first sensation wasn't relief but disorientation. Then came a strange swell of emotion, surging up from her chest.
This unreliable man… actually has a cool side?