"If you keep withholding my goods, I'll file a lawsuit directly with your general." The male voice came again, finally attracting the attention of Qiong and the others. " Scott, it's you!"
"I was just about to ask you that! How come I ran into you again!" Scott said angrily. "You're just staying on the Xianzhou and refusing to leave, aren't you? It's really bad luck that I run into you... And who are those two people next to you?" "Passengers on the train, what's wrong?" Qiong's tone was quite tense.
"Aren't these guests from the Astral Express? Why are you at the Artisanship Commission with Yanqing?" a woman's voice asked curiously. "I heard you've run into some trouble," Hanxing asked with concern.
"They've run into some trouble? Humph, it's me! I've run into trouble!" Scott shouted again, sounding completely innocent. "It seems this company employee is an old acquaintance of Teacher Qiong... I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing." Yanqing was a little at a loss, then stepped forward and said:
"Sister Xikui, I was sent to handle the company's protest. What's the situation right now?" Xikui sighed softly and slowly said, "As you know, the Zhuming Ming envoy ship rescued the company's transport ship that was attacked by the Borisin, and then informed the Cloud Knights's Wharf Guard to bring it back to port for repairs and inspection. This is Mr. Scott, the person in charge of the transport ship."
"So you're Scott! I've heard Qiong mention you before~ Weren't you kicked out of Luofu? Why are you back?" March 7th's tone was teasing.
"Do you think I wanted to come back? I originally thought I could just go into port for some repairs and leave this cursed place. Who knew that as soon as I entered the port, a few Cloud Knights rushed in and stole all the goods from the warehouse!" Scott was still furious.
"What do you mean by 'steal'? I've told you so many times, this is a safety check," Xikui couldn't help but retort. "Then why did you bring the Artisanship Commission into this again? And you even brought in a shifty-eyed craftsman, isn't it obvious he wants to steal the company's patented technology?" Scott said angrily.
"I say, sir... a guest who has come from afar, firstly, the Sky-Faring Commission discovered items suspected of being dangerous weapons in your cargo, which is why they requested me to conduct a confirmation inspection." The man couldn't help but ask, "Secondly, where have I looked shifty?"
"I'm baffled. Even if it's a dangerous weapon, what's it to you? It's not like we're shipping it to Luofu. We'll leave as soon as we fix the ship; we won't unload here," Scott continued to retort. "But you'll be staying in port for several days before you can repair the engines and set sail again. How can we let uninspected dangerous goods stay in Luofu port for several days?" Xikui explained.
"I understand..." Yanqing looked at Xikui: "The security check shouldn't require dismantling the cargo, right?" "It shouldn't have been necessary," the man beside her said. "We originally only conducted further scanning and inspection. However, the scan results revealed that the cargo hold contained not only mechanical structures, but also some... characteristics resembling biological tissue."
"Biological tissue? There are living things in this box?" March 7th asked in surprise. "Well, aren't you going to do something?" Firefly looked at Hanxing from the side. "Let me take a look now." Hanxing smiled, blue stars appeared in his eyes, and a wave of " Harmony " aura vibrated, taking in everything in the box.
"This is... the same aura as those werewolves from before." Hanxing was somewhat surprised. "In that case, according to regulations, we should unseal one of the goods for further inspection, but this company specialist keeps obstructing us using the excuse of patent confidentiality." Hearing Hanxing's words, the man instantly became much more confident.
" The Xianzhou Alliance has very strict regulations on biological products. Without further inspection, Sky-Faring Commission would never allow it to pass," Xikui added from the side.
"You just believe his one-sided story?" Scott pointed at Hanxing. "Fine, whoever tries to touch this shipment, I, Scott, will fight them to the death! Whether what we're transporting is biological or mechanical, it's none of your business! I'm going to file a complaint against the Sky-Faring Commission's handling of this matter!"
Hanxing smiled helplessly and shrugged. "It seems this Mr. Scott is very stubborn and not easy to persuade. Sigh, Yanqing really doesn't want to fall out with the company..." Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Yanqing was also at a loss.
"Leave it to me! I'm a negotiation expert!" Qiong suddenly spoke up. "I've heard about what happened in Aurum Alley. Wasn't the company's representative this Mr. Scott? Since you have experience dealing with him... it seems we'll have to trouble you this time, Teacher Qiong." Yanqing said a little embarrassed.
"What are you whispering about? Give us back our goods!" Scott said angrily. Qiong stepped forward, ready to confront Scott.
"Since you're bringing up safety regulations, let's talk about the law." Scott began quoting classical texts. "According to Article 4 of the ' Xianzhou Alliance - Interastral Peace Corporation Trade Consensus Declaration,' the Xianzhou Alliance and the Company must never infringe upon each other's intellectual property rights."
" The Xianzhou Alliance can sign a confidentiality agreement with you, so we don't have to worry about them spying on us, right?" Qiong quickly seized the opportunity and said directly. "We can sign a confidentiality agreement that both parties can accept, according to company rules," Xikui added from the side.
"That's true... but who knows if you'll actually abide by it?" Scott's composure faltered, but he still forced a smile and said, "Leaving aside intellectual property protection, the cost of these test prototypes manufactured by the Genius Society is beyond your imagination! If anything goes wrong, you couldn't afford to pay for them even if you worked your entire lives!"
"Don't underestimate the technology of the Xianzhou. Even if the inspection process involves disassembling the cargo into parts, the Artisanship Commission can put it back together for you," Qiong said confidently. Unexpectedly, Scott seized on her weakness. "Of course you can exaggerate the Xianzhou's technology to the skies; in the end, you're just a lobbyist they hired."
"But I'm different. As a member of the company, my fleet accepted this shipping order, and I am responsible for the integrity of every single item on board. Besides, the cargo on this ship belongs to the Genius Society. If you want to inspect it, shouldn't you at least have a representative from the Genius Society present?"
"You've gone on and on, even bringing up people from the Genius Society. It seems you have no sincerity in solving the problem." Qiong's words completely escalated the situation.