The commissioner named Scott found himself at a loss for words in that moment.
After standing there in a daze for a bit, he said, "Who cares about you people? Get lost. This has nothing to do with you."
With that, Scott turned his head back toward Sushang... more precisely, toward the chamber of commerce secretary behind her... and, with a level of shamelessness that left people speechless, said, "Back to what we were saying earlier... what do you think caused all this? The situation we're in now is entirely your Aurum Alley Chamber of Commerce's fault."
The secretary-like woman's expression shifted slightly. She let out a breath, lowered her head, and spoke with far less force than Scott, as if she were several levels weaker, "…I won't deny that."
Off to the side, Stelle and Bailu looked at Scott with clear displeasure.
To be honest, their first impression of this guy was extremely bad.
Nero, meanwhile, stood to the side, thinking. At first glance, Scott had felt familiar, but he hadn't quite placed it. Now, after hearing that exaggerated way of speaking a few times, the memory finally came into focus.
He remembered this man who barked like a dog quite clearly.
"Then say it louder," Scott's voice blared like a loudspeaker, rising and falling in a twisted, theatrical cadence.
He had truly mastered that mocking, sneering tone. "Say it... 'The Aurum Alley Chamber of Commerce has let down all the shops here and botched everything at the docks. Everyone in the chamber is useless trash!'
"And then kowtow loud and clear for every single day of overdue rent, and apologize to me... the company's representative!"
Faced with Scott's aggressive pressure, Sushang suppressed her anger and tried her best to remain courteous, "Hey, don't you think your attitude is a bit too arrogant? About the overdue rent, can't we just talk it out properly?"
Although Sushang's tone wasn't exactly gentle... and it even carried the sense that she might draw her sword at any moment…
Considering her youth and her background from the Xianzhou Yaoqing, this could already be considered her version of being polite.
Scott shook his head at Sushang. His tone suddenly dropped, as if he were being understanding, "I'm not bullying anyone,"
But in the very next sentence, his tone shot back up again, as if he couldn't suppress the excitement bubbling inside him. "I'm just offering a friendly reminder. So, can the company recover the rent?"
The secretary-like woman sighed. "…Not at the moment."
As soon as she said that, her presence weakened even further.
Scott raised an eyebrow, tilted his chin up slightly, and looked around as he spoke in a "let everyone judge this" tone, "The company subleased the operating rights of this dock to your chamber of commerce, hoping Aurum Alley would thrive from here on out… and look at this. Such a fine cargo dock, completely wasted!"
Sushang frowned, crossing her arms. "Who says the chamber can't pay it back? If… if we can pay it back, then what?"
Big Softie Sushang's momentum was strong, but her words faltered slightly halfway through.
Clearly, she hadn't thought it through at all... her blood had rushed to her head, and she had blurted it out on impulse.
Scott looked at her, tugged the corner of his mouth downward, then put on an exaggerated "oh, how scary" expression. "Oh my, I can't even imagine."
Then he straightened up, rolled his eyes, and said arrogantly to Sushang, "Girl, let's make a bet."
"If your chamber can pay back the company's rent, I'll bow my head and apologize in front of everyone in Aurum Alley..."
"I'll even shout out loud, 'I'm a blind fool! I didn't know my place and could only bark wildly!' And then I'll get down on all fours and bark like a dog in front of you. How about that?"
Watching Scott prance about, Stelle's brows drew together slightly. A sharp sense of déjà vu stirred in her mind.
She sifted through her memories, trying to pinpoint the source of that strange familiarity... or rather, that sudden spark of insight.
In the end, she thought of the Simulated Universe, and the Aeon that had appeared during one of the tests.
The one who called Nero his brother.
"Aha would definitely like him," Stelle said. Then she turned to Nero, hoping to get an explanation from someone so close to Aha. "What do you think?"
"It's like a show you follow... right on schedule, you grab some snacks and drinks and tune in to watch the latest episode," Nero said.
Bailu looked left and right, completely lost as to what Stelle and Nero were talking about.
Sushang, on the other hand, didn't hesitate for even a second. She agreed immediately, "Sure," and then, quite honorably, asked about the penalty if she lost. "What happens if I lose the bet?"
"Simple," Scott said, putting on airs again. "You'll also apologize to me in front of everyone, just like that... and bark like a dog in front of me."
Sushang accepted without hesitation. "Deal!"
Hearing this, Scott immediately burst into laughter. His face wrinkled with it as he spoke to the surrounding onlookers in a smug tone, "You all heard it. I'll be waiting. Hahaha... let's go!"
With that, Scott left with his subordinates.
Nero didn't say anything. He simply watched their retreating figures, seriously considering the possibility of sending this group to the Fragmentum factory.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
If they went there, it would only be for punishment. But judging from the situation, they hadn't really committed any major wrongdoing... they were just overly arrogant.
As a pacifist, a conservative, Nero rarely resorted to overly extreme measures. Though he acted freely, he wasn't so heartless as to drag "innocent" people off to a factory to be tortured to death.
Having been in the Honkai, Star Rail universe for some time now, Nero had undergone changes that were hard to explain... almost earth-shattering.
The fact that he still held onto this kind of thinking was proof that he still retained his humanity.
As for those Fragmentum monsters who had protested…
They weren't human. What use was showing them humanity?
Besides, wasn't making them work also a kind of "humanity"?
After Scott left, much of the crowd dispersed, though some people remained, worry evident on their faces.
The three passersby exchanged a glance and walked over.
The secretary-like woman looked at Sushang apologetically and said, "Miss, this kind of bet brings you no benefit at all… we've dragged you into this."
Sushang waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's fine. I just didn't like how overbearing he was. I had to do something... I can't just stand by and watch."
A kind-looking worker behind her spoke up, "We understand your good intentions, miss, but…"
Before he could finish, Nero and the others stepped forward. Stelle spoke first, "Speaking up for what's right... impressive!"
Sushang turned her head, her expression stiffening slightly.
Big Softie Sushang was still Big Softie Sushang... her righteous aura vanished in the next second, replaced by an awkward smile. "…O-once I calmed down, I realized that if I lose, it'll bring shame to the Cloud Knights. But I really couldn't stand that guy's attitude!"
"He is a bit too arrogant. That's not good for his future development. For his own sake, I think it's necessary to teach him a lesson," Nero's voice sounded as he lowered his head, fiddling with his phone.
Everyone looked over with confusion, while Stelle narrowed her eyes slightly.
Based on her understanding of Nero, those words... seemingly spoken for the company representative's benefit... definitely carried another meaning underneath.
'What was that Xianzhou saying again?'
'A knife hidden in a smile.'
'Right... that was it.'
Teaching that representative a lesson might be true, but there was no way this kid was doing it out of concern for the man's future.