While Dan Heng puzzled over the missing trash can, March 7th turned to Pei Guang and Stelle, "Why are you so tired~? Even if you don't want a pillow fight, we could at least go for a walk. It's still early, and it'd be a shame to turn in so soon. Ah Guang~ if you come with me, my affection for you will rise dramatically~"
That comment changed Pei Guang's mind—resting and waiting for the evening to open the boxes could wait: gaining affection was far more important!
Hearing March 7th's suggestion, Dan Heng added, "We have things to do tomorrow, but a short walk around the area wouldn't hurt."
March 7th, holding her camera and capturing all the beautiful sights, asked the group, "Where should we go first?"
Dan Heng pulled out a map, "There's a memorial statue and a fountain nearby, both worth a visit."
March 7th: "Awesome~ Let's go there now."
As they stepped out the door, the group of four began to admire the small details of the city. Stelle continued her cover while Pei Guang secretly swiped trash cans.
But as he was collecting them, he noticed a soldier guarding a passageway, and his instincts told him that where there were guards, there were good things to be found. He approached, hoping to find some quests or treasure chests.
Meanwhile, Stelle was busy pulling March 7th into various selfies. But, after a while, March 7th noticed Pei Guang was missing. "Where's Ah Guang?"
Stelle shook her head. Though she didn't know where he was, she was certain that during this time, he must have found some treasures.
March 7th scanned the area and spotted Pei Guang. "There he is! What interesting stuff is over there?"
This made Stelle's heart skip a beat. She instinctively looked over and was relieved to see that Pei Guang hadn't opened any treasures yet.
Following March 7th's gaze, they saw Pei Guang standing at the entrance of an underground passage, leading down to a railway system. The trains here were an important route to the city's lower district, but now the entrance was guarded by several soldiers.
One soldier stood at the entrance, while more were stationed below.
Pei Guang stood there, staring at the passage leading down. He suspected there were more guards below and figured that to explore, he'd need to disguise himself as a soldier. The uniform of the soldier standing outside looked perfect for that. A flicker of excitement appeared in Pei Guang's eyes as he considered whether to explore now, before getting too deep into the main storyline.
The Silvermane Guard said nothing, just silently watching Pei Guang, his eyes warning him not to step out of line.
Feeling the soldier's gaze, Pei Guang looked back at him.
The soldier sensed the heat in Pei Guang's eyes, and in that moment, he understood what it meant for eyes to speak: he saw admiration and yearning in Pei Guang's gaze.
As a soldier, even for a simple guard duty, he performed his task with utmost seriousness, not moving from his post. Though his body remained still, he returned Pei Guang's intense gaze with one of his own.
Just as the two were locking eyes, March 7th came over. "Let's go, let's go~ What are you looking at? Since this area is blocked off, we can explore it later!"
At that moment, Pei Guang sighed. He had been weighing whether to sneak down or knock out the soldier to steal his uniform, but March 7th's arrival interrupted his thoughts.
There was still time. He could attempt to explore after completing the main storyline.
Pei Guang memorized the soldier's position and orientation, planning to sneak back and acquire his gear later.
The soldier, too, memorized Pei Guang's appearance. The intensity of Pei Guang's gaze was rare—he had never imagined that even simple guard duty could earn the respect of a citizen.
At that moment, the soldier unconsciously straightened up, his resolve firmer than ever.
Meanwhile, March 7th asked Pei Guang, "What were you just looking at?"
He replied, "I was thinking about where this passage might lead. I have a feeling it's a path to countless treasures. Too bad we can't stray from the main story now, or I'd love to go down and check it out."
March 7th urged, "Come on, let's go! We'll have time to explore after we finish our mission. Let's go check out the monument over there~"
Pei Guang was dragged away by March 7th, but the soldier remembered his face. To him, this strange man who just stood there looking at him without making any attempt to go down was a good person, one who had an unmistakable desire to be as great as him.
March 7th led Pei Guang to the monument, where Dan Heng and Stelle were already observing it.
March 7th took out her camera to capture the moment. "Look, this ice sculpture has such a unique shape. It oddly fits with the vibe of this city."
After snapping a photo of the monument, she pointed the camera at Stelle and Dan Heng. "You two~ Look over here and smile~"
Both Dan Heng and Stelle cooperated with smiles, and with a click of the shutter, their presence was forever captured in March 7th's camera.
While the group was taking photos, Pei Guang was inspecting the monument from top to bottom.
"This seems like a big chunk of stone"
During their exploration, he restrained himself a lot because he didn't want to miss this opportunity to increase affection. Didn't March 7th's affection just rise with every activity?
Pei Guang thought his system had quite the personality—when March 7th said "+1," it really added 1, and when she said "a big increase," it actually increased a lot.
Pei Guang found the city quite interesting, especially with such a realistic experience. Whether it was the game elements or the scenery, everything felt fresh and new. But at the same time, he noticed some elements that reminded him of Soviet aesthetics.
"This monument doesn't seem like much. Frozen gears, rusty gears—these gears are bound to break eventually! This game is well-crafted, even the statues with supposed commemorative significance have hidden meanings. But I wonder, does this iced steam age city have any rebellious citizens? I can't wait to meet some rebels—my wooden sword is itching for action! I want to see who would dare build a gladiatorial arena in this weather! But combining Soviet elements with an iced steam age apocalyptic aesthetic is truly stunning to see."
As Pei Guang was ranting, a silver-haired girl passing by overheard the first part. She considered stopping to hear what else Pei Guang might say, but she remembered she had important matters to discuss with her mother, so she chose to leave. Before leaving, she took a good look at Pei Guang, memorizing his appearance. If they ever met again, she intended to have a proper conversation with him.
Since it wasn't a full-on exploration, Pei Guang, with Stelle's cover, "only" managed to collect eighty full trash cans and ten full dumpsters.
Pei Guang originally wanted to collect more, but since it was getting dark and they had important tasks tomorrow, the group returned to the Goethe Grand Hotel to rest.