Sumeru City! The Wolf Who Greets You!
"Pay up! Pay up! You heartless vendor, pay up!" A man wearing round-framed sunglasses was lying in front of the shawarma stall, throwing a tantrum and shouting at the top of his lungs.
The stall owner, an honest and kind-hearted middle-aged man, looked helpless and could only patiently persuade him, "Esteemed customer, we do business honestly and fairly, with clearly marked prices and no deception. If you have any complaints, we can communicate properly; there's no need for this commotion."
"Communicate properly? I think you're just trying to scam people!" Scott suddenly straightened up and questioned righteously, "Your Sawarma is 3000 Mora per serving, 5000 Mora for two servings, is that right?"
"That's right, this is our special holiday price," the shop owner replied honestly.
"I spent 20,000 Mora on eight portions! I can't finish them all, so I need to return seven portions. Why won't you refund my 21,000 Mora?!"
The shop owner looked bitter and shook his head repeatedly. "Sir, the discounted package is the rule for the package, and buying separately is the original price rule. One thing is one thing. The package itself is a discount, and for you to split it and refund it is really against industry practice. I really can't refund it like this..."
"What kind of ridiculous rules are these! Rules are made by people! I don't care, you have to give me a full refund today!" Scott resorted to thuggish tactics. "If you don't refund me, I'll block this place and make sure you can't do any business all day! I'll make you lose everything!"
"I'm not afraid of your troubles. I'm afraid of losing money, but I'm even more afraid of breaking the rules. Only by establishing the rules can we broaden our path in the future."
"How many Mora are those rules worth! Your shawarma tastes so-so, yet you're selling it for 3,000 Mora? I bet you make 2,500 profit per serving!"
"The meat was freshly grilled this morning, and the sauce is made with high-quality ingredients, without any cheap seasonings. Regular customers say it's a bit pricey, but it doesn't cause heartburn."
"That's right, I can testify." Xingsu pushed through the crowd, looking directly at Scott. "Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?"
Scott swaggered around with an arrogant gait, tilted his head, raised an eyebrow, and said sarcastically, "Oh? Oh? Isn't this Xingsu? Ooi, you seemed to be having a lot of fun at the Sabzeruz Festival."
Xingsu didn't even lift her eyelids, casually retorting, "I was quite happy at first, until I inexplicably heard someone barking like a dog here."
Ying and Paimon, who were standing nearby, also pushed through the crowd and came forward, curiously examining the sunglasses-wearing man who was acting like a scoundrel. They asked in confusion, "Who is he? Why is he causing trouble for you right away?"
"Oh, he's someone I know, someone who works as a lackey for ' The Doctor '," Xingsu replied casually.
"You're the dog! Your whole family are dogs!" Scott's face turned red with anger, and he stomped his feet in frustration.
"We come from the same ' House of the Hearth,' are you sure you want to insult me like that?"
Scott's face stiffened, and he retorted sharply, "Don't mention that wretched house! I'm a wolf! A lone wolf! You're not my brother, you're just a stranger!"
Xingsu scoffed, crossed her arms, and looked him up and down. "Lone Wolf? What kind of lone wolf would block a Shawarma stall and try to cheat you out of money? I thought wolves at least had some sense of shame."
Scott frantically pushed his sunglasses up, raising his voice. "Can face be exchanged for Mora?! Humph! I learned this long ago at the House of the Hearth: face is worthless!"
I'm telling you, this is no longer just a simple matter of Mora; this is a provocation against the "The Doctor's " dignity and a contempt for the authority of the entire Akademiya!
Ying frowned helplessly. "It's clearly you who's being unreasonable, cheating, and trying to take advantage. It's your problem from beginning to end, and you're the one who's tarnishing the reputation of the Akademiya."
"What's it to you!" Scott immediately turned around, glaring at him, and snapped, "Stop stirring things up!"
"Sir, I'm a staff member at the Sabzeruz Festival. Please calm down. This is a complimentary coffee drink. Please calm down and let's discuss the terms, okay?" A volunteer approached Scott with a gentle and obedient expression and a soft tone.
Scott glanced at the polite and mild-mannered staff member, his arrogance instantly subsiding by more than half, his tone tinged with a hint of haughty smugness. "Ha ha ha, so you guys still have some reasonable people among you."
Scott took the coffee without hesitation, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. After finishing, he smacked his lips, looking disgusted. "The taste is just so-so. It can't compare to the imported specialty coffee I drink in high-end coffee shops at all. It's drinkable, I guess."
Riding the wave of momentum, he once again adopted a haughty demeanor, threateningly addressing the crowd. "I'm warning you one last time! Either obediently hand over Mora, issue a public apology and compensation, or you just wait! I'll report this directly to the Akademiya and have all your so-called Sabzeruz Festival Goddess of Flowers Eggs banned! Not a single one will be allowed to pass!"
"Alright then, what kind of compensation do you want?" Xingsu's attitude suddenly made a complete 180-degree turn.
Scott was caught off guard by the sudden show of weakness. He froze on the spot, his arrogance frozen in mid-air. After a couple of seconds of stunned silence, he immediately regained his composure and became even more arrogant.
"Ha! Finally scared, aren't you!" Scott stood with his hands on his hips, smug and self-satisfied, his tail practically wagging in the air. "You guys know what's good for you! I, Scott, am magnanimous and won't stoop to your level!"
Guh--
A clear and loud discordant sound suddenly rang out, standing out conspicuously in the noisy crowd.
Scott's smug smile froze for a moment. He forced himself to remain composed and continued to negotiate, "You give me 50,000 Mora first, and then..."
Guh--!
Scott's face turned from red to white in an instant, at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then from white to bluish.
He suddenly bent over, clutching his stomach tightly with both hands. "Something's wrong... I knew there was something wrong with your shawarma, my stomach..."
Guh----!
A churning sensation instantly swept over his body. Scott could no longer maintain his tough stance, his legs gave way, and he collapsed awkwardly to the ground along the edge of the stall.
"Ouch... you! You all!"
Xingsu to the side, avoiding everyone's gaze, and quietly gave Lynette, who was disguised as a volunteer, a thumbs-up in approval.
Lynette smiled slightly, calmly put her hands on her hips, and winked playfully at Xingsu.
The next second, Scott, who had been shouting incessantly, froze instantly. He was stiff all over, not daring to move, and the atmosphere instantly became eerie.
The Traveler and Paimon, who were standing nearby, also sensed that something was wrong and quickly asked:
"Hey! Why did you suddenly stop moving? Are you alright?" Paimon approached, looking at Scott on the ground with a worried expression.
Ying leaned down slightly and reached out to help him up. "Shall we help you up?"
"No! Don't come any closer! Don't touch me!" Scott screamed hoarsely. "I... I feel a life force inside me that wants to burst forth... but I don't quite trust my sphincter muscles to control it..."
Paimon froze in mid-air, completely at a loss. "Then, then hurry up and find somewhere to take care of yourself! Don't try to tough it out!"
Scott was already dizzy and disoriented, his eyes darting around, and he began to ramble incoherently. "I think... I saw Crucabena walking towards me... The Doctor, have you come to get me...?"
Ying felt a pang of pity and quickly suggested softly, "Um... how about we help you get there..."
Scott's lips trembled violently, and filled with despair, he weakly uttered a few words: "... It's no longer needed."
"Forehead..."
A warm breeze swept through the streets and alleys.
Scott lay helplessly on the ground, a single, cold tear, carrying an overwhelming sadness, sliding down his cheek.