Little boss lady Mengming was momentarily speechless. Scott's appearance truly shattered her worldview. "Dear guest, you…"
Scott, brimming with arrogance, looked down his nose at her. "Don't call me a guest. Your eyes clearly don't see me as one. I asked for tea that's 'not too hot, not too cold, just right,' but the tea you served is either cold or scalding. What fine hospitality the Xianzhou offers!
And this tea tastes like muddy water, yet you dare charge me for it? Aren't you just bullying an honest man?!
This place shouldn't even be called Evernight Teahouse—too hard to remember. I'll have a plaque sent over with four big words: 'Xianzhou Sewage.' You'd better hang it up!"
[When will Scott stop being so insufferable?]
[Haha, petition for cultural heritage status!]
[It's being petitioned, it's being petitioned!]
[Isn't this just straight-up picking a fight? What's 'not too hot, not too cold' supposed to mean?]
——
Everyone stared at Scott in unison.
Stelle clenched her fists, rolling up her sleeves, ready to throw down.
At that moment, March 7th, unable to stand the injustice, roared, "Stop! You're going too far!"
Scott, interrupted, grew even more irritated. "Oh, who's the big hero this time?"
"That's me, your great-grandma!" March 7th stood with her hands on her hips, exuding confidence. But the next moment, she felt something was off, like her bravado lacked flair. "Wait, no, 'great-grandma' doesn't sound cool enough… Stelle, you say it!"
"She's your ancestor, March 7th!"
Without thinking, March 7th blurted out, "That's right! I'm your ancestor!"
[Haha, I can't take it anymore!]
[In just a few minutes, I've been shocked a dozen times. How much Elation is packed into this plot?]
[As expected of March 7th, effortlessly saying what others wouldn't dare.]
[This is just too hilarious.]
——
As usual, Scott wasn't fazed. Instead, he switched to mockery mode. "Never heard of you. Go back to wherever you came from."
"Mr. Scott, I'm Yanqing, Cloud Knight lieutenant. We've met before." Yanqing stepped forward, positioning himself between the two. "Please watch your words and don't cause trouble on the streets."
"Ha—?!" Scott tilted his head. "I'm just an ordinary consumer complaining to the little boss lady about bad tea. Do the Cloud Knights even meddle in this? Who in the galaxy would dare come to the Xianzhou for tea after this?"
Yunli stepped forward too. "With your attitude, you call yourself a Xianzhou tourist?"
Scott argued back, "If I'm not a tourist, what am I? A Xianzhou prisoner?"
March 7th merged her dual swords, holding them in one hand behind her back. "In short, if you want to bully the little boss lady in front of me, you'd better ask if my weapons agree!"
"Ha—?!" Scott was utterly baffled. "Oh, you're scaring me to death! Is the great hero planning to take my life with those little metal scraps?"
[Why do I get the vibe of Scott out-talking a crowd of scholars?]
[This cheerful BGM and these joyful lines—I can't handle it.]
[Why isn't Scott on the Path of Elation?]
[Aha should've sniffed him out by now.]
——
March 7th raised her dual swords high. "Little metal scraps? These are treasured swords! I wield them to learn Xianzhou swordsmanship!"
Scott nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, learning swordsmanship? No wonder you're dressed like you're in a performance. You're not even a Xianzhou native—why bother learning the sword? If you're feeling insecure, I can sell you some company mechs."
"Pfft, who wants your junky mechs!"
Stelle glared at Scott. "March 7th could shatter your mechs with one swing!"
"Oh, heavens, can you show me a demonstration?" Scott signaled to his subordinates. "Come on, show these country bumpkins what we've got."
Several company mechs appeared near Evernight Teahouse, drawing a growing crowd of Xianzhou onlookers.
After Scott's barrage of taunts, the plot, as expected, shifted to the classic betting scenario.
The wager was a duel between March 7th and Scott.
"Old rules—we're making a bet." Stelle proposed as per tradition.
Scott acted as if he'd been waiting for this. "No rush! How could I forget something as fun as a bet?
I hear Miss March 7th hasn't formally taken a master yet, so I won't bully you. Go train with your master, learn what you can. In fifteen days, I'll send a formal challenge, inviting Miss March 7th to spar with my company's mechs."
"Only fifteen days?" March 7th's head heated up. "Fine, bring it on!"
"If you lose, you'll not only bark like a dog in public but also shout, 'Xianzhou swordsmanship—dogs wouldn't even learn it!' at the entrance of Aurum Alley, repeating it to every passerby. Oh, and forget taking a master—come apprentice under me. I'll teach you to pilot a mech!"
"And… if I win?"
"I'll apprentice under you."
March 7th made a face of utter disdain. "No way, I'd rather not."
[Haha, the Xianzhou has a master of verbal sparring, and his name is Scott.]
[He still can't let go of the barking—no, the pig squealing.]
[As expected of the renowned bionics master! Impressive!]
[I really want to check the mental state of Scott's actor. How does he play this so naturally?]
[The guy's annoying, but he's game for fun. Not bad.]
——
Scott let out a huff through his nose. "Fine, I'll squeal like a pig in public and shout, 'Company mechs—only pigheads want them!' Then I'll print that phrase on every mech in our transport ship. How's that?"
Stelle, hearing the familiar lines, muttered to herself, "This plot déjà vu is way too strong…"
March 7th emphasized the stakes again. "Squealing like a pig isn't enough! You also have to apologize to the little boss lady of Evernight Teahouse and to Xianzhou swordsmanship!"
"No problem, but only if your little metal scraps can actually win." Scott turned to his subordinates. "You all heard it—we'll meet in fifteen days! Hahahaha, let's go!"
With a burst of hearty laughter, Scott vanished down the street.
With Scott finally driven off, the group quickly comforted the little boss lady.
After some back-and-forth, Yanqing asked the crucial question. "Miss March, about that bet… how confident are you?"
Stelle shook her head. "I'm guessing, March, you didn't even think it through…"
March 7th flashed a confident smile. "How could I possibly lose?"