THE REAL PROTEGE

Fatty, brimming with uncontainable enthusiasm, narrated the entire spectacle through a live emotional broadcast, his voice echoing like a charming melody in the minds of every captivated spectator.

"And this next float," he exclaimed with a dazzling flourish, "represents the moment I accidentally kissed a ghost! Both hilariously awkward and surprisingly enlightening, it was a twist of fate that left me breathless."

Vienna was swept away like leaves in a whirlwind. Children's laughter rang out like chimes in the air, while elders twirled in jubilant dances. A banker, overcome with inspiration, tossed aside his briefcase mid-parade and opened a whimsical poetry café. Glittering unicorns pranced through the Ringstrasse, weaving trails of shimmering dust and unresolved emotions in their wake.

At the crescendo of the parade, Fatty stood triumphantly atop the final float—a colossal, steaming bowl of vibrant soup — declaring:

"Let commerce be tender! Let feelings be edible! Let unicorns be tax-deductible!"

The crowd erupted in ecstatic cheers.

"YES!!!"

"WE LOVE YOU!!!"

"AHHH! I LOVE YOU!!!

Goldie, vigilantly shielding Fatty from the exuberant crowd, couldn't help but think, 'People truly treat him like a cult leader.'

And somewhere, hidden in a shadowy alley of the city, a rival merchant muttered, "We'll never beat him. He sells nostalgia in a dumpling."

Post-Parade Collapse — Fatty in Velvet and Vapor

The parade concluded in a spectacular crescendo of glittering dumpling-shaped fireworks, with an unexpected group hug inspired by a unicorn named Tax Deduction. Vienna thrummed with an electric afterglow — each cobblestone pulsed with lingering joy, and one lamppost even began reciting delicate poetry in melodious Cantonese.

Fatty stumbled into his penthouse suite like a war veteran returning from a surreal battlefield — if that battle were fought with sequins, soup floats, and a chaotic whirlwind of simultaneous ribbon-cuttings. He collapsed into a plush velvet beanbag sculpted like a bao, flinging his arms wide as if to embrace the world, his shoes nowhere to be found, one eyebrow still twitching from the exhilarating adrenaline.

"I am art," he whispered to the stillness that enveloped him.

"I am commerce. I am chaos incarnate."

Goldie "...."

'Is there truly anyone who can rival his level of narcissism? It's hard to believe that such a trait could be infectious, isn't it?'

Goldie felt a chill on his back and exited the room like a scared cat.

The room was cocooned in dim light, illuminated only by the soft radiance of mood-reactive lanterns. One lantern shifted to a tranquil blue as he exhaled deeply. Another flickered pink at the mere thought of Lily, bringing a wistful smile to his face.

Fatty lay there for what seemed like an eternity, letting the silence wrap around him like a luxurious silk robe. His fingers grazed the edge of a dumpling-shaped pillow, embroidered with the whimsical phrase, 'Feelings are edible.'

"I did it," he murmured, an air of reverence in his voice.

"I sold nostalgia in a parade. I weaponized whimsy."

Goldie, who just returned to serve him tea, pondered, 'He can't possibly be prouder than this, right?'

"...."

But then, the lantern closest to him pulsed crimson, and a shimmering message took form in the air — Ling Li's seal glowing softly, her voice calm yet unmistakably unimpressed.

"Fatty. You've turned Vienna into a therapy session with unicorns. Again."

Fatty blinked, sitting up slightly, the weight of reality slowly settling back in.

"Six store openings in one weekend is not a strategy. It's spiritual overextension. Emotional flavoring is not a substitute for governance."

Fatty groaned, flopping back into the beanbag, the soft fabric cradling his limbs as he melted into it.

"She's so stern when she's right," he muttered.

The message continued, unwavering.

"Chaos is beautiful. But it must be tempered by consequence. You've stirred the grid. The koi spirits are restless. And someone in Prague just wept into a dumpling and glimpsed their past life."

Fatty winced at that revelation. "Okay, that one might have been a bit too strong."

Ling Li's voice softened, bridging the sternness with a hint of warmth.

"Rest. Reflect. Then recalibrate. You're not just a spectacle; you're a pillar. Don't forget that."

As the message faded, the lantern transformed into a gentle gold glow, enveloping him in a sense of calm reassurance.

Fatty lay still, gazing at the ceiling where a mesmerizing projection of his parade playfully danced in slow motion — unicorns prancing, joyful dancers weeping, steam swirling from the enchanted soup floats. A smile crept across his face.

"Even pillars need glitter."

With a renewed sense of purpose, he reached for his phone and typed a reply:

"Noted. Also, I'm sending you a sequined phoenix tapestry. It's emotionally neutral. Mostly."

Ling Li sighed, 'Did he even grasp what I was trying to convey? Hays!'

Arrival at Mystical Mountain — Otako Ascends

By 0900, Ling Li was soaring through the skies, the world beneath her shrinking into a sea of clouds. Her tactical trench coat was traded for a sleek, tailored travel coat that hugged her form, with every stitch whispering both elegance and purpose. Her braided hair remained tightly woven, while her striking features were obscured beneath a matte-black face mask, leaving her expression an enigmatic riddle. Below her, Camp Phoenix dwindled into obscurity as her jet banked eastward, a lone sentinel in the vast expanse of the heavens.

Alone, she traveled incognito — unyielding to the concerns of El Padre, Mushu, and Pharsa, who had voiced their apprehensions. Within the depths of her satchel lay a treasure of secrets: encrypted reports like whispers of untold stories, a sealed vial glimmering with the essence of the forge, and an intricately folded invitation to Lily's gymnastics competition in the bustling heart of Shanghai.

But before all that, the siren call of Mystical Mountain beckoned her. She had sworn to herself that she would make this trip — not for the sake of ceremony or the pull of nostalgia, but for a deeper purpose.

As the jet began its descent into the hidden valley, a tapestry of emerald peaks and cerulean skies unfolded beneath her. With each passing moment, Ling Li shed her mortal coil, transforming back into Otako — immortal, omnipotent, and shrouded in an enigmatic aura. The very essence of her being shifted, cloaked in a mantle of silence and unassailable sovereignty, as she prepared to commune with the Majesty of the Mountain — the revered Asure Dragon.