At the gates of Belobog, Gepard apologized as he escorted the group of four to the entrance: "I'm sorry, but we still have tasks to complete. Tomorrow at noon, come to the Central Plaza, and I will personally introduce you to the Supreme Guardian."
Pei Guang and the others agreed, then entered the city.
Gepard led his soldiers to continue their mission, and at that moment, in the Silvermane Guards' barracks, the resting soldiers were singing that very song.
"Love you, walking alone through the dark alley."
"Love you, for refusing to bow down."
"Love you, for facing despair and not shedding a tear."
Like Pei Guang, their singing had no technique, only raw emotion. In such a high-pressure environment, it brought tears to the eyes of those who heard it. This song touched not only the hearts of the Silvermane Guards but also those connected to the city's protection, the unseen guardians in the shadows of the town, and even those who held onto hope for the future.
These people, who had protected countless ordinary citizens, could endure physical pain, but sometimes their hearts ached: yet this song eased their heartache and reignited their passion.
Even wounded soldiers felt as if they could pick up their weapons and battle the Fragmentum creatures for another three hundred rounds.
Outside the barracks, hearing the howling voices within, March 7th shivered.
"This is terrifying. Ah Guang, your singing really is something else. If there were an Aeon related to songs, it would definitely favor you. Huh? Where did they go?"
Just as March 7th was about to compliment Pei Guang, she realized he wasn't by her side. Neither was Stelle.
Dan Heng frowned, "They were just here. You should look for them. I'll ask where we can find a place to stay."
Dan Heng had been lost in thought earlier, so he hadn't noticed when the two had disappeared.
As they searched them, Pei Guang and Stelle were intently focused on the trash can in front of them.
Stelle asked, "Is there really treasure in there?"
Pei Guang replied seriously, "Based on my years of experience, definitely! If this one doesn't have anything, the next one will, and if not, the one after that. With persistence, confidence, and patience, we're sure to find something valuable."
Stelle rubbed her hands together eagerly, "Shall I do it or you?"
Pei Guang responded, "Of course I'll do it! I have good luck."
Excitedly, Pei Guang reached out, while Stelle leaned in closer. But just then, March 7th's voice called out from behind them.
"Ah Guang! Stelle! Where are you? Did you get lost?"
Hearing the call, Pei Guang quickly tapped the trash can, and it instantly vanished into his storage bag.
"Shh! Don't tell them. The NPCs in this game can't handle us rummaging through trash. I'll hide it for now, and we'll open it together later tonight."
Stelle furrowed her brow, "You won't open it alone, will you?"
Stelle had been eagerly anticipating digging through the trash for a while now, so hearing this plan for later made her suspicious that Pei Guang might enjoy the fun all by himself. While he was trustworthy in serious matters, when it came to this, Stelle had a feeling he might act unpredictably. As for why they didn't open the trash cans in the space station? Those were open-air, so there was nothing to dig into—only garbage to pick up.
Pei Guang assured her, "You can trust me. You cover for me along the way, I'll collect more, and tonight, I'll secretly find you, and we'll enjoy it together."
Stelle's face lit up with anticipation, "Good, the covering part is up to you."
While the two were whispering, March 7th came over and asked, "What are you two up to?"
Facing the approaching March 7th, Stelle whistled nonchalantly, while Pei Guang responded seriously, "I'm studying the city's structure and development plans!"
March 7th leaned in, looking around curiously. "Stop studying that stuff~ Let's find a place to stay first. Tomorrow, we can directly ask the guardian where the Stellaron is."
Pei Guang replied, "Mmh~"
Noticing Pei Guang's distracted demeanor and Stelle's whistling and wandering eyes, March 7th asked suspiciously, "I feel like something's off…"
She looked around but didn't notice anything unusual.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Dan Heng had found a nearby inn and called out to the three, "Come over here, I found a place to stay. Let's settle down first."
The three of them walked toward Dan Heng, with March 7th lagging behind, feeling that Pei Guang and Stelle were hiding something, so she kept a close eye on them.
As they walked, Pei Guang spotted a large trash can. He glanced at the distracted Stelle, who then subtly signaled with her mouth. She then quickly grabbed March 7th's arm.
"Hey, March, look at that fountain over there. Isn't it pretty?"
March 7th instinctively turned to look, "Oh? It really is nice. Let's take a picture!"
"Sure~"
As Stelle agreed, she glanced at Pei Guang, who, pretending to be deep in thought, quickly tapped the trash can, making it disappear. No one noticed how the trash can vanished, but it was simply gone.
With Stelle's cover, Pei Guang's trash can snatching operation sped up. Along the way, every trash can within sight was swiftly stored in his inventory. Trash cans and dumpsters counted as two different items, taking up two spaces, but this wasn't an issue. Pei Guang had reserved five slots specifically for these "unclean" items. Items of the same type could stack in his storage, so both of them fitted neatly inside.
Whether empty, full, cans, bins, or even with extra trash, they took up five slots. But as the number of filled trash cans grew, Pei Guang felt an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
Stelle felt the same. Seeing Pei Guang collect more and more trash cans made her smile even brighter. Both Dan Heng and March 7th noticed their changing expressions, sensing something unusual.
How to describe it? The happiness and joy on their faces looked like they had just opened a precious treasure chest, making them feel ecstatic.
As they beamed with smiles, a passerby holding a bag of trash noticed the empty spot where the trash cans used to be and fell into deep thought.
Passerby: "I'm sure there were trash cans here, three of them. Where did they go? Could someone be stealing trash cans?"
At that moment, the passerby's face showed a mix of shock and fear. Even though these times were tough, basic supplies were abundant. No one would bother stealing trash cans, so who on earth was collecting them?
He wasn't the only one wondering: from the city's entrance to the inn where Pei Guang and his group were headed, all the trash cans and bins had been swiped.
Today was the day of the Trash King's collection, and when he noticed the cans were missing, he realized one thing.
Trash King: "This is a challenge! Someone is challenging my status as the Trash King! Damned challenger, I'll make you see what real cruelty is."
The Trash King was furious, vowing to make the person who stole from him pay dearly.
At the same time, Pei Guang felt the Trash King's anger, as if their fates were intertwined. However, he didn't believe the Trash King could match him, especially in the art of trash can raiding—he believed no one could outmatch a player as experienced as him!
"Hey! Hey! Something's really off about you today." March 7th looked seriously at Pei Guang, "You're not planning something fun without me, are you?"
Pei Guang shook his head, "Trust me, I'm not! If it was something fun, I'd definitely include you. I'm thinking about something very serious, something that concerns our future."
March 7th tried to entice him, "Well~ how about we have a pillow fight after we check in?"
Pei Guang & Stelle: "No thanks, we're tired. We need a good night's sleep."
At that moment, March 7th sensed something was definitely wrong, and Dan Heng also noticed something odd in reality. He remembered seeing a trash can by the entrance when they arrived, but now that he wanted to throw something away, the can was gone. Were the trash cans in this world randomly teleporting?
Dan Heng: "Sigh… strange things are happening more often…"