As Kafka prepared to leave, Pei Guang stepped forward, rubbing his hands together with excitement. "Hold up. You think you can just come and go as you please?"
Kafka smiled knowingly. "Ah, I understand~ Since you've won, you may as well help yourselves. We'll surrender willingly."
She knew exactly what Pei Guang was getting at. As a player, defeating an elite enemy naturally meant looting rewards. How those rewards manifested was beyond her comprehension—whether it was Stelle pulling a cauldron out of her chest or other inexplicable phenomena—but if the player wanted to loot, it was best to comply.
Seeing Kafka's cooperative stance, Stelle eagerly stepped forward. "Let me handle it!"
Silver Wolf peeked out with interest. "I want to try too!"
Stelle glanced at her. "How about this: I'll loot Kafka, and you can loot Blade?"
Silver Wolf shook her head. "How about I loot Kafka, and you take Blade?"
As the two debated who got to loot whom, they approached Kafka and Blade. Blade was clearly reluctant, but he couldn't deny his defeat this time.
Since Kafka was willing to be looted, he had no grounds to refuse. However, he shot a sharp glare at Dan Heng, his eyes brimming with more hatred than ever before. "Dan Heng, next time we meet, you're dead."
Dan Heng responded calmly. "Mm-hmm, sure, sure."
Dan Heng couldn't help but reflect. Pei Guang's seemingly unreliable methods always seemed to work when it mattered. While this experience might have completely severed his ties to normalcy, it was still better than being mistaken for someone else and hunted across the universe.
Blade might still pursue him, but now he'd be chasing Dan Heng—not Dan Feng.
And if Blade hadn't been able to defeat him before, he had no chance against the Dan Heng who had now embraced his identity and achieved a new level of growth.
He resolved to face the High Elders and end their obsession with him. As he mulled over his plans, his gaze fell on Bailu.
Just then, Jing Yuan approached Dan Heng with a knowing smile. "Long time no see, Dan Heng. I didn't expect to see such a dramatic transformation after just a few days."
Dan Heng returned the smile. "Looks like you no longer see me as him."
Jing Yuan sighed with a chuckle. "There's no way I could. That guy could never do what you just did. The… 'Trash Can Punishment'? Pfft~"
Thinking about the Pink Fluffy Bunny conjured by Dan Heng's water manipulation and recalling his mention of the Trash Can Punishment, one thing was clear: not only could Dan Feng not have come up with such ideas, but even the Aeon of Abundance would fall short.
Dan Heng: "This wasn't my idea. It was Ah Guang's. When he learned about immortality, he came up with all sorts of ways to torment people. Sometimes, he's scarier than the Denizens of Abundance…"
Dan Heng had encountered the Denizens of Abundance before boarding the train. If he were to compare them to Pei Guang, those 'cultists' wouldn't even qualify to shine his shoes.
They sought blessings from the Master of Immortality for specific gains, driven by purpose. But Pei Guang? He didn't care about blessings or curses—he simply wanted to mass-produce anything and everything, useful or not. The cultists would flee at the first sign of danger, cowardly and opportunistic. Pei Guang, on the other hand, would consider anyone—weak or strong—as raw material for his next experiment.
As Dan Heng reflected on this, Pei Guang approached, eyeing him from head to toe with curiosity. "Not bad, Dan Heng. Didn't expect you'd be the first in our crew to awaken some hidden power. So, who's next? Maybe March?"
March 7th raised an eyebrow at Pei Guang. "What's that supposed to mean, Ah Guang? Are you saying I'm close to recovering my lost memories?"
Pei Guang pondered for a moment. "If we're following typical patterns, then yeah. First, Dan Heng. Next, you. I'd say you'll get your memories back within five maps."
Hearing this, March 7th's eyes sparkled. Recovering her past had always been a quiet wish buried deep in her heart.
If anyone else had said this, she might have dismissed it as mere comfort. But coming from Pei Guang? There was a good chance it would come true. Even so, if it didn't happen within five maps, that was fine too—she didn't mind her current life on the train.
After all, like her, Pei Guang had no place to return to.
As Pei Guang and March 7th chatted, Stelle and Silver Wolf returned, grinning ear to ear. Stelle, in particular, was thrilled. This time, her looting efforts had produced two seemingly useful items: a spoon-like object from Blade and a spatula-like item from Kafka.
But as Stelle approached and noticed Pei Guang and March 7th's hushed conversation, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. After a moment of thought, it hit her: March 7th must've snuck off to chat with Pei Guang alone.
No big deal, Stelle thought. She'd just find her own time to chat with Pei Guang later and even the score.
Handing over the items to Pei Guang, Stelle asked excitedly, "Ah Guang, take a look! What did we get?"
Pei Guang took the spoon and spatula, reading their descriptions carefully. "Weapon illusions. One makes your weapon look like a spoon, the other like a spatula. Wow. What's with the Stellaron Hunters? Everything we loot from them—pots, spatulas, spoons—is just dining utensils?"
Silver Wolf rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me. I don't know why either! We don't even have anything to do with food!"
Even Silver Wolf was baffled. Why did Kafka and Blade have these items, and why did they pair so perfectly with the cooking pot they'd looted earlier?
Pei Guang furrowed his brow, contemplating. "From what I understand, materials and equipment that drop before a big battle are usually connected to the upcoming boss fight. Like how you need a storm to fell a massive tree—you could do it without, but it'd cost you dearly. And here in Xianzhou, all the loot from the main elite enemies is food-related. This feels like a hint. Could it be… this boss is edible?"
March 7th tilted her head, puzzled. "Edible? Is that even a thing?"
Silver Wolf seemed to catch onto something and nodded. "There's definitely a pattern like that. In many games, high-difficulty bosses drop special items or hints before the fight, tailored specifically for defeating that boss. If we're about to face Phantylia, then I think Ah Guang's analysis makes a lot of sense!"
Silver Wolf had plenty of gaming experience, though admittedly, her skills weren't exactly stellar. She often took shortcuts or skipped content, but despite her lazy tendencies, she remembered all the fun and intricate mechanics of the games she played.
Mechanics like this one weren't uncommon—they were designed to give players helpful tips before major challenges. Technically, this wasn't a video game, so applying game logic might seem absurd. But with Pei Guang, the Player, involved, who's to say it wasn't real?
Stelle gasped. "Wait… are you saying we can beat the final boss by eating?"
Pei Guang went into deep thought. "It's not impossible. Of course, the real way to clear the boss might not entirely involve eating, but what if the boss is edible? Here's the plan: I remember Fu Xuan mentioning that Jing Yuan sent us over 300 pulls. Let's draw from them. If the items we get are food-related, then for this boss fight, we're having a feast!"
As an experienced gamer, Pei Guang placed significant trust in pre-boss loot cues. If they pulled just one more food-related item, he was fully prepared to treat the boss like a buffet.
If they couldn't eat it directly? They'd carve off some chunks, toss them in the pot, and cook it before digging in.