"This… could he be…?"
"No, no way… it's impossible, whew…"
As his mind processed the situation, Welt's chest heaved rapidly, and it took a while for his tense muscles to gradually relax.
…This is Little March, not Luocha himself.
He had to admit, he was genuinely startled just now. The moment Luocha spoke, Welt thought he was conversing with the man himself. That fleeting sense of oppression and suffocation reminded him of facing Otto in the past.
When Luocha opened his mouth, the essence of Otto was almost too authentic.
A chilly evening breeze brought a sharp coldness, and only then did Welt realize that, in the span of a single sentence from Luocha, his freshly changed clothes were already soaked with cold sweat again.
——
["Cough, cough, cough… isn't it going smoothly?" March 7th cleared her throat.]
[Welt: "We're trying to figure out what Luocha was doing for those two hours, but circling this place twenty times wouldn't even take two hours."]
[March 7th suddenly realized: "You're right… his journey might have been far more dangerous than I imagined. Come on, let's recreate the scene again."]
[Back at the starting point, Luocha faced a goldfish monster.]
[Shockingly, the monster spoke in human tongue: "Roar, roar, roar! Look at your tender flesh, daring to trespass here. Today is your doom!"]
[Though Welt wasn't sure why Little March imagined a talking monster, in any case, Luocha ended up fighting it.]
[In her imagination, Luocha's swordsmanship was unparalleled, dispatching the monster in a few swift strikes. After the fight, he brushed the dust off his white robe and spat in mild disgust: "Tch, what a hassle. Where do all these enemies on the Xianzhou Luofu come from?"]
[Stelle: "March 7th, explain."]
["Uh…" March 7th stammered as if a frog were stuck in her throat: "It's because… because… because…"]
[Welt sighed: "…March, we can wait while you think about the plot. It doesn't have to involve fighting."]
[Welt didn't believe that before the Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence, the Luofu would have dangerous areas for black market buyers and criminals to meet. But since it was hard to imagine what specific difficulties Luocha faced, they assumed he encountered many monsters here for now.]
["Hmm… that kind of makes sense," Welt nodded.]
"Wait a second…! How does that make any sense?!"
Though she didn't fully understand, Furina was utterly shocked: "Would there really be a dangerous area full of mechanical monsters on the Xianzhou Luofu before the Ambrosial Arbor's resurgence? And in a military stronghold, no less! Did Luocha really have to come here to trade a Stellaron?!"
"Anyway, isn't this a bit too forced?!"
"I don't think there's any obvious flaw," Navia, standing nearby, said approvingly. "Furina, think about it carefully. Isn't it reasonable to station mechanical constructs to guard a military stronghold? How could the Luofu predict a 'blind spot' like this?"
"What about the buyer? If Luocha could unlock the stronghold's gate, wouldn't the buyer need to know how to pick locks too?" Furina's face started to flush. "We now know the one using the Stellaron was Phantylia. Are you saying… she, disguised as Miss Tingyun, would come to a place like this to buy a Stellaron from Luocha?"
"Of course," Navia said matter-of-factly. "If Miss Tingyun dared to buy a Stellaron on the Xianzhou, picking a lock wouldn't be surprising, would it?"
"Hiss…"
Furina took a sharp breath and raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, too many things to nitpick at once… let's just keep watching."
["I wonder who this mysterious buyer interested in the Stellaron could be…" Luocha mused to himself, noticing a figure standing in a secluded spot in the distance. "The buyer is waiting for me there. Let's go check it out."]
[As Luocha approached, the figure took a step out of the shadows. When they reached a well-lit area, everyone could finally see—it was…]
[Welt!]
[Welt (Fake) stood with his hands on his hips, letting out a disdainful "Hmph" and addressing Luocha arrogantly: "Stop right there. What are you here for?"]
[Stelle's expression twisted: "Why is it Uncle Yang?"]
["No, this is the gatekeeper of the Tea Society, [Pu'er]," March 7th explained patiently. "The members of the Tea Society all use tea names as their codenames."]
[Welt (Fake) struck an even more provocative pose, tilting his head back and asking even more arrogantly: "Hey, I'm talking to you, kid! What are you here for?"]
[Welt struggled to keep his composure: "Can you make him speak more politely…"]
["Oh, right, got it," March 7th quickly adjusted.]
[Welt (Fake) maintained his hands-on-hips stance: "Hey, I'm talking to you, kid! What are you here for, sir?"]
[Welt rubbed his forehead, unable to look anymore: "…Forget it, just keep it like this."]
"Hahahahaha…!"
Himeko couldn't help but burst into laughter, instinctively pulling out her phone to snap screenshots of the scene, sending them one by one to Welt with a message: "Welt, I didn't expect you to be so polite, huh?"
"…Thanks, I've always been polite," Welt replied from the other side of the screen, also watching the Celestial Screen, his facial features practically twisting together.
Himeko typed with amusement: "Want to grab a coffee together? I'm with Kiana and the others. Care to join us for some 'appreciation'?"
"…You guys just want to gang up and laugh at me, don't you?"
"Sorry, haha, I swear I absolutely won't laugh… unless I can't help it."
The thought of hearing such lines from the usually composed leader of Anti-Entropy was almost as entertaining as Luocha's antics. Missing the chance to see Welt's contorted expression in person would be such a shame.
[Luocha spoke unhurriedly: "I'm here to deliver something. It must be handed to your boss personally. Please contact him for me."]
[Welt (Fake): "Delivery? …Ah, the boss has been waiting for you, but you need to prove your identity before I can let you see him."]
[March 7th: "This is where that thing comes into play."]
[Luocha handed over the first record, suddenly adopting a pitiful tone: "Look, I've got elders to care for and kids to feed. If I don't sell this Stellaron, my whole family will go hungry tonight… Please, just let me see your boss."]
[Stelle: "If you've got elders and kids, don't do bad things…"]
[March 7th, with a confident tone: "This is Luocha's strategy—showing weakness on purpose to make the other side let their guard down."]
[Welt (Fake's tone rose slightly, and he shook his head decisively: "No way. If I let everyone slide, what's the point of rules?"]
[Welt clicked his tongue: "This Pu'er is quite principled…"]