Chapter 469: Two Weeks Later

The ding‑ling‑ling bell rang on the street, which was not exactly sparse with pedestrians, as Yue Desen rode a bicycle of a very unusual shape through the flow of people, attracting all eyes around.

A faint smile curled at his mouth, his dark‑gold hair neatly flipped to both sides and swayed slightly in the wind, looking as if he thoroughly enjoyed the attention.

A basket woven from wire hung at the front of the bicycle, lined with a small blanket; Tu Ba Ge, with a leisurely expression, wrapped himself in the blanket, enjoying the breeze from the bike's speed while loudly shouting without restraint:

"Go faster, go faster, you're not as fast as those kids at school!"

"Shut up! There are so many people on the street; if you accidentally hit someone or fling you off, I'm not responsible."

Yue Desen let out a mildly dissatisfied hum and slightly increased the pedal speed.

Ding‑ling‑ling~ Ding‑ling‑ling~

Yue Desen rang the bell on the handle while nervously adjusting the bicycle's direction.

"Wuo— faster, faster~"

"So comfortable!"

Tu Ba Ge lay sideways in the front basket, shouting excitedly while hopping around inside the basket.

Yue Desen released his left hand from the grip, gave Tu Ba Ge's head a tap and reminded:

"Fat rabbit, tone down your movements, or the bike will be flipped by you; this is a prototype, and until the machine factory is ready, only those two artisan cats can hand‑craft it!"

"Hmph! Given my relationship with the cats, just tell them and a new bike can be forged quickly."

Tu Ba Ge slightly lifted his head, a proud expression on his face, and said.

Yue Desen, seated on the rear seat, couldn't see Tu Ba Ge's facial expression, but could sense it from his tone; he slightly pursed his lips and clicked his tongue, saying:

"Then why don't you ask them to craft a rabbit‑version bike for you?"

"Wouldn't I still have to ride it? There's no comfort sitting in the basket!"

As Tu Ba Ge spoke, he turned his head sideways, giving Yue Desen a disdainful look.

The man and the rabbit rode the bicycle noisily through the streets of Pa Si, where the once‑ubiquitous vagrants had vanished, replaced by scattered workers in uniform; their expressions were no longer numb, and hope for the future showed on their faces.

Since Mei Sangyesi fully took over the Pa Si He Gu area, the city has been changing at a visible pace almost daily; only two weeks have passed, and the traces of earlier skirmishes have vanished completely, even the overly twisted street trees have been felled and replaced.

Tu Ba Ge seemed to have finished his muttering, finally quieting down, carefully surveying the pedestrians and shops along the street; after a while he opened his mouth as if sighing:

"The changes here lately are huge! I'm beginning to understand what the boss meant by 'civilization'!"

"As a native of the Southern Continent, Mei Sangyesi easily gains the locals' support; moreover, all factions are currently in a cooperative honeymoon phase. As long as no overly strong external influence intervenes, Pa Si He Gu will enjoy a period of rapid development, possibly becoming the Southern Continent's economic hub!"

Yue Desen looked at the lazy Tu Ba Ge lounging in the basket with surprise, briefly wondering if the rabbit was possessed by some cultured vengeful spirit.

His lake‑green eyes darkened; with few pedestrians ahead, he placed one hand on the bike's handle and gave Tu Ba Ge a light grip with the other.

Then, subconsciously, he voiced the thought that surfaced in his mind:

"Although the boss's words are a bit incomprehensible to a rabbit, it's still easy to fool this silly little thief!"

Tu Ba Ge's soft, floppy ears twitched twice, as if phantom steam was puffing out; Yue Desen felt its gray fur seemed about to turn reddish.

"Ha, as a rabbit, just nibble on carrots; this kind of political issue isn't for you to ponder."

Yue Desen teased Tu Ba Ge, then, with a serious expression, said:

"Also, I'm not the thief you call; I'm a burglar, a fraudster—my dream is to steal hearts, pilfer spells, cheat rules, and deceive fate!"

"I know, I know, it's just about joining A Meng, no need to spin the rabbit around with so many words."

Tu Ba Ge shook his head twice, steadied his mood, then tilted his head back to interrupt Yue Desen, and seeing the other's shifting expression, felt his own lousy mood improve considerably.

"The boss is right; smiles don't disappear, they just shift from one face to another. Haha~"

"Wuh— slow down, slow, I'm about to fall out!"

Tu Ba Ge's smile, which had only just appeared, froze on his face; his two paws clutched the basket's rim tightly, and the wire‑woven basket warped under his grip.

Riding the bicycle, Yue Desen kept accelerating, even steering onto the uneven road, wobbling all the way to their destination: the Pa Si He Gu First Institute of Technology, promoted jointly by multiple factions.

Yue Desen steadily parked the bike beside a street tree at the school's gate, his eyebrows curved with an uncontainable smile as he stepped off and walked toward the campus.

While walking, he didn't forget to glance back at the motionless Tu Ba Ge curled in the basket, smiling lightly as he said:

"Your boss was right; smiles only shift, they don't disappear. Now the smile has moved from your face to mine."

Clusters of brilliant starlight suddenly fell from the sky, reconstituting Lei Ke Dun's figure on the ground; he casually lifted Tu Ba Ge out of the front basket and, looking at Yue Desen, said:

"Looks like you two get along well."

Yue Desen's expression stiffened slightly, and, feeling a bit guilty, he changed the subject:

"Um, when did you arrive?"

"Tu Ba Ge has the Secret‑Gazing Eye I left on him; I noticed it when he was shouting earlier."

Lei Ke Dun chuckled as he explained, and seeing Yue Desen's smile vanish suddenly, he couldn't help bursting into laughter.

After a pause, he continued: "You don't need to teach the students here today; there's another matter you need to run to."

Lei Ke Dun's words lit up Yue Desen's eyes, and, full of anticipation, he asked:

"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 do I truly grasp the captain's greatness—she's so selfless, so beautiful, so kind."

"That's enough; Ai De Wen Na already returned last week aboard the Golden Dream. She can't hear what you're saying now, so tell her when you meet next time."

Lei Ke Dun raised his hand forward, cutting off Yue Desen's increasingly excited sigh; after a brief pause, he continued:

"It's about the bicycle. Mr. Pu La Ke has already arranged with the manufacturing plant; you and Yi Sang should go over there for verification and inspect the finished product. If all's well, the bike will soon become popular throughout Pa Si He Gu."

Yue Desen nodded thoughtfully, then, unable to contain his curiosity, asked:

"Who invented the bicycle? Large‑scale production requires the inventor's permission, and the Steam Church protects patents heavily."

"In Beckeland, an inventor named Lei Pa De; I'm his investor. To speed his bicycle development, I even had someone give him a bottle of the Generalist's Magic Elixir."

"As a return on my investment, all his inventions' manufacturing and sales rights across the Southern Continent belong to me."

Lei Ke Dun chuckled as he explained, then waved his hand, indicating that he should go find Yi Sang himself; his figure instantly became transparent, turning into flickering starlight that swept Tu Ba Ge into the school's interior.

On the second floor of the three‑story building at the far left, in the staff lounge, Lei Ke Dun's figure re‑coalesced amid the scattered starlight.

As soon as his form solidified, Tu Ba Ge broke free, hopping over to the side of Bu Li and Li Ci.

Lei Kedun glanced around the lounge, nodded to Ge Lan, then took his seat. Shortly, three little fellows in matching black top hats appeared on his desk.

Bu Li and Li Ci, imitating Tu Ba Ge, adjusted their hats, raised their chins, held their heads high and chests out, and walked across the desk.

Lei Kedun glanced at them; through the Eye of Peeking Secrets, the hats on their heads emitted brilliant azure radiance, and there was a peculiar connection between each hat, like a unified whole.

Watching Bu Li and Li Ci prowl the desk, with an expression awaiting praise and show-off, Lei Kedun chuckled and said, "Ha, what effect do your hats have?"

Bu Li and Li Ci exchanged a glance, then together removed their hats and set them upside-down on the desk; Li Ci made a diving motion and plunged straight into his hat.

The overly stout waist and hind legs twitched twice in the air; then it poked its head out of the upside‑down top hat in front of Bu Li, its claws gripping the brim and hauling itself out of the hat.

Li Ci had just emerged from the hat, his two grey hind legs stretched out; he kicked them in mid‑air, flipping the upside‑down hat right side up, then, legs bearing the black top hat, he sprang nimbly between the desks.

Lei Kedun's mouth twitched slightly; he turned his head to see Tu Ba Ge half‑stuck in his own hat, utterly speechless, and pulled him out.

Then he turned to Bu Li and Li Ci and said, "When you craft your magical items, don't you compare them to your overly stout physiques?"

Bu Li scratched his head, then put the top hat back on, and sighed as he spoke.

"We certainly know, but since it's a hat worn on the head, it at least needs to stay put; although it's a bit small, we can still squeeze into it."

"Exactly! Although we've gotten a bit chubby, cats are still agile." Li Ci beside them nodded in agreement.

Lei Kedun tugged at the corner of his mouth, chuckling as he spoke.

"Alright, agile fat cats, what's the limit to how far your hats can shift position?"

"Within 500 meters, these three top hats can lock onto each other and shuttle; beyond that limit they can only be used as individual magical items."

"My hat and Li Ci's hat lack those traits; when used alone they can only cast low‑level tricks."

Bu Li straightened his black top hat, imitating Tu Ba Ge's pose of standing straight with hands on hips, and solemnly explained the function of the hats on their heads.

After maintaining that upright stance for a moment, it felt some soreness in its hind legs and reverted to a four‑legged stance.

(End of chapter)