"Stop hiding, come on out~"
Hearing Serval's words, the lid of the trash bin was lifted: Pei Guang poked his head out and asked, "Are you a good person or a bad person?"
"Pfft!"
Serval couldn't help but laugh at the question. She chuckled and said, "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? But judging by your looks, you don't seem like bad people. Besides, my little brother got bullied by you guys pretty badly—how should we settle that?"
Hearing this, Stelle poked her head out and said, "If we have to hit him, I'll go a little easy."
"Pfft! Hahaha! You guys are really interesting. Come on in. Why don't you tell me about the assassination attempt on Cocolia? I'm quite curious."
March 7th peeked out and said, "Will you believe us? The things we're going to say are pretty terrifying."
Serval responded, "You talk first, then I'll decide whether to believe you or not. Besides, I haven't exposed your location."
Pei Guang nodded, "You're right. You must be the one in the story who learns the truth while we're being hunted, and you probably know what kind of person that so-called Supreme Guardian really is!"
With that, Pei Guang climbed out of the bin. Stelle followed with a cool flip, jumping out. March 7th didn't show any reaction, but by now, she had grown quite thick-skinned and calmly jumped out as well.
Dan Heng had given up trying to manage them, expressionlessly crawling out.
Pei Guang then put away Stelle's beloved trash bin and left a full one in its place before following Serval into the workshop.
"The workshop is pretty soundproof, and no one usually comes here. So, what exactly did you do? The Silvermane Guards were actually pulled back from the front lines to search the whole city for you guys. The entire upper district is in a panic."
Hearing the question, March 7th, who was quick to speak, started, "We—"
But Dan Heng interrupted, "Wait, we—"
Before Dan Heng could finish, Pei Guang cut him off, "It's okay, this person can be trusted."
"Oh, you're really trusting me, huh? Even though we've only met once, my intuition tells me you're not bad people. And my intuition is usually pretty accurate."
Serval's eyes were filled with interest as she looked at Pei Guang. Even though it was their first encounter, he trusted her. How should she describe it? It was a rather strange feeling. But the fact that these people would hide in a trash bin to avoid capture was also pretty unusual.
March 7th whispered to Pei Guang, "Is it because, like with that Supreme Guardian, you've guessed some of her past?"
Pei Guang nodded, "Of course. The plot isn't hard to guess. Our mission is the Stellaron, and Cocolia wants to use it to achieve her goals. So what do you do before utilizing such a dangerous power? You send away any capable and trustworthy people. She's Gepard's sister, and having a workshop like this in such a special location shows her high status: the fact that she's willing to keep our secret shows she has a grudge against Cocolia."
"Her brother is still holding an important military position, and she's able to talk about Cocolia freely without being in danger, which can only mean one thing! She was once a friend of Cocolia's but turned against her after discovering the truth. She was betrayed by Cocolia and now lives here, completely disheartened. I can even boldly guess that she used to work on the Stellaron and perhaps discovered some secrets about it."
After hearing this, Serval's expression changed. "You're not from the city higher ups, yet you know such classified information. Who exactly are you?"
Pei Guang pulled out his wooden sword and pointed it at the ceiling. "Me? I'm the Galactic Swordsman of the Galactic Guardians!"
Stelle took out her bat and rested it on the sword. "And I'm the Galactic Baseballer!"
March 7th instinctively drew her bow and placed it on the bat. "And I'm the Galactic… Wait, wait! This isn't the time for jokes." She quickly put away her bow, her face slightly flushed. It was fine to play around privately, but with an outsider here, it was a bit embarrassing.
Dan Heng sighed, "Let me explain."
Judging by Serval's tone, it was clear she knew about the Stellaron, which meant she was likely a key person involved with it. If they could gain her assistance, their upcoming actions would be much easier.
Although the others could explain the situation, March 7th might take an entire day to do so.
So, Dan Heng briefly summarized their purpose, experiences, and what Cocolia had done.
"Pfft! Haha, interesting, really interesting. No wonder so many Silvermane Guards are after you. But… if what you say is true, then Cocolia…"
Serval's expression turned serious. "I believe you because only city builders or outsiders like you would know about the Stellaron. If you really wanted to destroy this place, there's no need for all this trouble. With your ability to travel through the stars, if you wanted to take it by force, what could we possibly do to stop you? Heh, who wants to die if they can live?"
Pei Guang remarked, "As an NPC, you're definitely smarter than that boss."
March 7th added, "This guy doesn't think and talk like a normal person. He's complimenting you."
Dan Heng then asked, "Do you know where the Stellaron is?"
Serval replied, "Of course, if you can really solve the Stellaron problem… It's located…" She then explained the exact location of the Stellaron and made a request to join them so she could see it herself. It was her dream.
After she finished, Pei Guang turned to Dan Heng and asked, "I have a question. If we find the Stellaron, do we have to locate and seal it immediately?"
Dan Heng responded, "Yes, that's our mission. Do you have any thoughts?"
Pei Guang nodded, "Of course. Our main quest is to find the Stellaron and let Himeko and the others deal with it. While I usually prefer to tackle the main quest first, there's a special situation where side quests can influence the main quest's ending. If we go directly to seal the Stellaron, that's the normal ending. But if we want the true ending, I think we still have a lot to do. The tasks in the beginner's village are simple, and with them backing us up, I think we can afford to take on some side quests, uncover hidden histories, and explore the twin cities' conflicts. There might even be beautiful NPCs and treasure-filled chests that could impact the main quest's outcome. I just wish we could save the game! Otherwise, I'd suggest using the Planet Buster just to see the bad ending."
Stelle, excited by the mention of tasks, side quests, and endings, eagerly looked at Pei Guang. "Oh? Will there be loot?"
Pei Guang, his eyes gleaming with wisdom, answered, "Definitely. In my experience, side quests that affect the main quest's ending always yield good rewards. We might even get a class change!"