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The ringing of a bell echoed on the not-so-sparse street as Jodeson rode a peculiarly designed bicycle through the crowd, attracting the attention of everyone around him.
He had a faint smile on his lips, and his dark golden hair, neatly swept to both sides, swayed slightly in the wind, making him seem to thoroughly enjoy being the center of attention.
A wire-woven basket hung from the front of the bicycle, with a small blanket laid inside. Bugs Bunny, looking leisurely, wrapped himself in the blanket, enjoying the breeze from the bicycle's rapid forward movement, while unceremoniously shouting:
"Hurry up, hurry up! You're not riding as fast as the kids at school!"
"Shut up! There are so many people on the street. If I accidentally hit someone or throw you off, I won't be responsible."
Jodeson snorted with some displeasure, slightly increasing the speed at which he pedaled.
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!
Jodeson pressed the bell on the handlebar while frantically adjusting the bicycle's direction.
"Whoa! Faster, faster!"
"This is so comfortable!"
Bugs Bunny sprawled in the basket hanging from the front of the bicycle, shouting excitedly and bouncing around in the basket.
Jodeson released his left hand from the handlebar and patted Bugs Bunny's head, reminding him:
"Fat rabbit, calm down! The bicycle is going to tip over because of you. This is a prototype; before the mechanical factory is ready, only those two Artisan cats can manually build it!"
"Hmph! Given my relationship with the cats, if I just tell them, they can build a new bicycle very quickly."
Bugs Bunny said with a slightly raised head and a proud expression.
Jodeson, sitting on the seat behind, couldn't see Bugs Bunny's expression, but he could sense it from his tone. He pursed his lips slightly and tutted softly, saying:
"Then why don't you ask them to build you a rabbit-version bicycle?"
"Then I'd still have to ride it myself, and it's not as comfortable as sitting in a basket!"
As Bugs Bunny spoke, he turned his head and gave Jodeson a disdainful look.
The man and the rabbit bickered all the way, riding the bicycle through the streets of Inpace. The previously ubiquitous vagrants were gone, replaced by groups of workers in uniform clothing. Their expressions were no longer numb; their faces showed more anticipation for the future.
Ever since Mesagnes fully took over the Paz River Valley area, the city has been changing at a visible rate almost every day. In just two weeks, all traces of the previous conflicts had completely disappeared, and even the overly distorted street trees had been cut down and replaced.
Bugs Bunny seemed to have had enough mumbling and became unusually quiet, carefully observing the pedestrians and shops on the surrounding streets. After a good while of observation, he suddenly spoke with a sigh:
"The changes here recently are really big! I kind of understand what the boss meant by 'civilization'!"
"As a native of the Southern Continent, Mesagnes can easily gain the support of the local populace. Plus, with various factions still in their honeymoon period of cooperation, as long as there are no overly strong external influences, the Paz River Valley will enter a period of rapid development, perhaps even becoming the economic center of the Southern Continent!"
Jodeson looked at Bugs Bunny, who was lazily sitting in the basket, in surprise. For a moment, he wondered if this rabbit was possessed by some cultured vengeful spirit.
His lake-green eyes deepened. Taking advantage of the lack of pedestrians ahead, he held the bicycle's handlebar with one hand and made a slight grasping motion towards Bugs Bunny with the other.
Then, he subconsciously voiced the thought that had appeared in his mind:
"Although the boss's words were a bit difficult for a rabbit to understand, it's still easy to fool this silly Marauder!"
Bugs Bunny's soft ears twitched twice, as if illusory Steam was rising from them. Jodeson felt his gray fur seemed to be turning red from holding his breath.
"Heh, as a rabbit, you should just stick to gnawing on carrots. Political issues aren't something you should be thinking about."
Jodeson teased Bugs Bunny, then said with a serious expression:
"Also, I'm not the Marauder you're talking about, but a Marauder, a Deceiver. My dream is to maraud hearts, steal spells, deceive rules, and trick fate!"
"I know, I know. Isn't it just about joining Amon? You don't need to say so many confusing words to a rabbit."
Bugs Bunny shook his head twice, adjusted his emotions, then tilted his head back, interrupting Jodeson's words. Seeing the other party's constantly changing expression, he felt his terrible mood instantly improve a lot.
"The boss was right, smiles don't disappear, they just transfer from one face to another... Haha!"
"Whoa! Slow down, slow down! I'm going to fall out!"
The smile on Bugs Bunny's face hadn't stayed for long before it froze. His two paws gripped the edge of the basket tightly, causing the wire-woven basket to deform slightly under his grip.
Jodeson, riding the bicycle, kept accelerating, specifically heading towards uneven road surfaces. He rode shakily all the way to their destination, Paz Valley First Technical University, jointly promoted by various forces.
Jodeson steadily parked the bicycle next to a street tree at the school gate. His eyes curved, and with an undisguised smile, he dismounted the bicycle and walked into the school.
As he walked, he didn't forget to look back at Bugs Bunny, who was sprawled in the basket, daring not to move, and said with a light chuckle:
"Your boss was right, smiles only transfer, they don't disappear. Now the smile has transferred from your face to mine."
Scattered, brilliant starlight suddenly fell from the sky, re-forming Leyton's figure on the ground. He casually picked Bugs Bunny out of the basket at the front of the bicycle and, looking at Jodeson, said:
"It looks like you two are getting along very well."
Jodeson's expression stiffened, and he somewhat guiltily changed the subject, saying:
"Uh, when did you get here?"
"Bugs Bunny has a Eyes of Mystery Prying I left on him. I noticed when he started shouting earlier."
Leyton explained with a light laugh. Seeing the sudden disappearance of Jodeson's smile, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
After a moment, he continued, "You don't need to teach the students here today. There's something else I need you to do."
Leyton's words made Jodeson's eyes light up. He asked eagerly:
"What is it? As long as I don't have to teach those stupid... those guys, I'll do anything. Only after experiencing teaching others did I truly understand the Captain's greatness. She is so selfless, so beautiful, so kind—"
"That's enough. Edwina already sailed back on the Golden Dream last week. She can't hear any of this now. Save it to tell her next time you meet."
Leyton raised his hand forward, interrupting Jodeson's increasingly emotional exclamations. After a slight pause, he continued:
"It's about the bicycles. Mr. Pulak has already contacted the manufacturing factory. You and Ethan will go to confirm some details and inspect the finished products. As long as there are no issues, bicycles will quickly become popular in the Paz River Valley."
Jodeson nodded thoughtfully, then couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Who invented the bicycle? Large-scale production requires the inventor's permission. The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery has strong patent protection."
"An inventor from Backlund named Leopard. I am his investor. To speed up his development of the bicycle, I even had someone give him a Savant potion."
"In return for the investment, the rights to manufacture and sell all his inventions in the Southern Continent belong to me."
Leyton explained with a light laugh, then waved his hand, signaling him to find Ethan himself. Then, his figure instantly became transparent, transforming into points of swirling starlight, enveloping Bugs Bunny and darting into the school.
On the second floor of the leftmost three-story building, in the staff lounge, Leyton's figure re-coalesced amidst scattered starlight.
As soon as his figure solidified, Bugs Bunny broke free from him, hopping and darting towards Brie and Ritz.
Leyton's gaze casually swept around the lounge. After nodding to Glenn, he sat down in his own seat. Soon, three small figures wearing identical black top hats appeared on the desk in front of him.
Brie and Ritz, mimicking Bugs Bunny's movements, adjusted the top hats on their heads, then walked across the desk with their chins slightly raised and chests puffed out.
Leyton looked at them. In the Eyes of Mystery Prying's vision, the top hats on their heads emitted a brilliant, deep blue glow, and there was a peculiar connection between each hat, as if they were a single entity.
Watching Brie and Ritz pace on the desk, looking as if they were waiting for praise and showing off, Leyton chuckled and said, "Heh, what do your hats do?"
Brie and Ritz exchanged glances, then simultaneously took off their hats, placing them steadily upside down on the desk. Ritz made a movement like diving into water, plunging directly into the hat.
Its overly plump waist and hind legs vigorously wiggled twice in the air, then it poked its head out of the inverted top hat in front of Brie. Its two paws vigorously pulled at the brim, pulling itself out of the top hat.
As soon as Ritz crawled out of the top hat, its two gray hind legs followed, flipping vigorously in mid-air, directly righting the inverted top hat. Its two legs, wearing the black top hat, nimbly hopped between several desks.
Leyton's mouth twitched slightly. He turned his head and, rather speechlessly, pulled Bugs Bunny, whose half-body was stuck in his own hat, out.
Then he turned to Brie and Ritz and said, "When you make Mystical Items for yourselves, don't you compare them to your overly plump bodies?"
Brie scratched its head, then put its top hat back on, sighing as it said:
"Of course we know, but this is a hat worn on the head, it at least needs to fit stably, right? Although it's a bit small, we can squeeze through it."
"Exactly! Although we're a little bit fat, cats are very agile," Ritz, beside it, nodded in agreement.
Leyton twitched his mouth and said with a light chuckle:
"Okay, agile fat cats, what's the maximum range your hats can transfer positions?"
"Within 500 meters, these three top hats can locate each other and shuttle. Once they exceed this limit, they can only be used as individual Mystical Items."
"My and Ritz's hats don't contain as many features. When used alone, they can only perform some low-intensity tricks."
Brie adjusted the black top hat on its head and, mimicking Bugs Bunny's posture of standing upright with hands on hips, seriously explained the function of their hats.
After maintaining the upright standing posture for a while, it felt its hind legs getting sore and reverted to a four-legged stance.
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