Chapter 72: A Fool Proof Plan! 

Days before the auction starts — 3.

(" How’s the little star doing? Are you still regretting all that wasted time ”) 

Are you going to be quiet?

(" No ”)

How about you at least try?

(" I have before, and you complained I wasn’t talking ”)

That was a completely different situation.

(" Maybe, but you still complained ”)

Sigh… fucking hell Espr.

Well, while Espoiramissa ground my mental gears into dust for my decision to change plans, I walked around the lower levels of segment two; just for a casual walk now that the pain had gone down again.

(" However, Ceella, are you sure about this? ”) 

About?

(" Not looking for a way up to the first segment anymore ”) 

Oh that… Are you going to keep roasting me about changing my mind?

(" Not if you give me your reasoning ”) 

Sigh… fine.

I had thought about the decision for a long time. I had already lamented the issues of reaching the first segment legally numerous times. I mean, good job, Jelannax, for having proper security. However, sneaking between the segments was what I needed to do, and I had no ability on my own to do that. Maybe if I had any stealth related skills, I could do it, but I couldn’t change the fact that my skill set was that of combat psycho and nothing else. 

Look, it’s just not going to work. Unless you have some secret plan you would like to tell me or a personal butler who can fly me up there. 

(" That wasn’t really giving me the reasoning ”) 

Well, do you have a secret personal butler or an adjacent individual?

(" No, I’m a planet; did it look like I have a butler? ”) 

I don’t know anymore; you bloody well could.

(" Are your mental faculties actually degrading? ”) 

I don’t know, ask the talking planet inside my head.

This small back and forth of minor insults, sarcasm, and gaslighting continued for a couple of minutes before I actually answered the question–there wasn’t exactly much to do besides chatting after all.

I moved into an alley on a layer above a set of buildings, where I could still see the street below. I flipped my broken phone around in my hand, disappointed that I still hadn’t gotten it fixed. I looked around the second segment, and there was nowhere I could get it fixed with the money I had, and not anywhere that was even out of sight enough that I felt comfortable buying from. There were certainly plenty of places out of sight on the second segment–more than I honestly expected before walking through it–but apparently, no one wanted to set up tech repair shops that were hidden in those areas. The thought came to me multiple times after walking through the second segment that I should’ve spent a better effort in the third segment looking for a different shop to repair my phone–or somehow get some cash to afford it in the first place.

Anyway, I thought about how I should articulate my response to Espr.

Sigh… Well, the base idea is that just waiting on the second segment is much easier.

(" You are not someone who normally gives up easily ”) 

That’s true, but thinking about it, my goal isn’t actually to infiltrate the auction. It’s to watch the auction and prepare for Dominous Hood to attack it.

(" Copying you, that’s true, but wouldn’t it be easier to do that if you were on the first segment? ”)

Yes, but it’s not actually hard for me to reach the first segment non-sneakily. I can fly up there without my issue, by stealing a ship or going up with [Burst]. And yeah so… the reason is pretty much just that it is easier to do it this way. After spending days of no luck finding any way up that doesn’t compromise my identity, I don’t have much hope I will find one before the auction starts. I do recognise the fact that I could possibly find a way up to the first segment if I keep searching–*cough* or you if you do something *cough*–but that is not guaranteed, and so I rather use the remaining time finding a good place to watch the auction, and two, try and prepare for the potential fight.

(" Good enough, I’ll stop making fun of you for the change in decision after days of looking, now ”)

You didn’t have to say the whole sentence, just an ‘okay, I understand’ would’ve worked.

(" I had to get one final jab in ”)

No, you didn’t.

I spent the next small chunk of time just minding my own business thinking about what I should do next with my three days of free time. I knew many locations where the auction would be publicly streamed, of course, anyone could watch it anywhere with whatever devices they had, but I couldn’t do that obviously, so I had to find a good spot to watch it without being troubled.

While I was thinking, my ears picked up a familiar sounding situation on the nearby holographic display above the street. There were plenty of these all over the place, displaying ads and news, and this one had something I wasn’t happy with.

“In sector 7, area Castle region, the local hunter guild Colourful Club was attacked in a small scuffle, leaving multiple individuals unconscious–”

…

(" If I recall correctly, simply describing it as a few would be underselling it ”)

“–The incident was believed to be because, after a small exchange, one of the Colourful Club members and an outsider hunter got into an argument.”

(" I see why you prefer Metous news, they are a bit more spot on with the details they do know, and quiet about the ones they don’t ”)

“It is unknown where the hunter who brutally attacked the members of the guild is supposed to be.”

(" Brutally? My dear Cel, how could you do such a thing ”)

“However, it has been requested by the Colourful Club hunting guild that residents should be on the lookout.”

(" Look at that, no description, you are safe ”)

“The culprit has been described to be a female hunter wearing black armour and a purple mask.”

(" Oh, looks like I spoke too soon ”)

Bloody hell, damn it!

I was really trying to hold my rage in as Espr provided colourful commentary on the news outlet. After days of trying to be sneaky, some simple bugs were what tried to get me caught?! Of course, there was a big difference between the woman in armour and Celestira being found, but still, I was furious.

Maybe I should go back to teach them another lesson.

I wasn’t actually going to, but I felt like doing it.

(" I believe I recall someone saying that wasn’t their fault ”)

And it wasn’t.

(" So, why don’t you cosy up to the nice looking authorities over there and get the situation all sorted out ”)

Oh the star, what a fantastic idea. That wouldn’t go wrong whatsoever, in any possible way.

(" Exactly ”)

Exa–fucking-tly.

As we were gritting through our teeth in sarcasm, I knew I needed to keep my head low, and my presence even lower. I also quickly turned off my additional star mask and fiddled with settings to make a different shape. Without issue, I changed the shape and poured my mana into it, I set the colour to blue and set it to a default dome shape with white ‘holes’ where the eyes would be. 

Argh… this is not how I thought I would make my criminal debut.

(" Honestly, same ”)

I walked further into the alley, thinking about getting another set of clothes.