This was just an ordinary trash can that could be found anywhere in the Underworld. Throwing garbage into these cans was a civic duty for everyone living below, and Seele could swear she had never littered in her life.
When Pei Guang and the others arrived, she was puzzled. Why were they opening a useless trash can?
But then she saw Pei Guang pull out something from the trash, Stelle rummage through someone's pockets to find a strange machine, and March 7th pull out flashy weapon effects from someone else's belongings. She had to admit, she was envious!
Now, looking at this trash can, Seele didn't see a bin for garbage: instead, she saw a trove of useful and glamorous items beckoning her. But even if they weren't glamorous or useful, what did it matter? At this moment, Seele just wanted to try her luck—see if she could pull something from what appeared to be a plain trash can.
She took a deep breath, and in that moment, Dan Heng's words came to mind.
"Clear your mind! Clear your mind!"
Seele had always been straightforward and lacked cunning, and at this moment, her mind was completely empty. She could feel the pull of the trash can, and, swallowing nervously, she walked toward it.
What would she find inside? Magical materials, or just plain trash?
She remembered Stelle once saying that, until you open it, the treasure and no treasure exist in a state of quantum entanglement. But what was quantum entanglement?
Seele pondered. She didn't know what quantum entanglement was, but she had a stealth-like ability she'd mastered. Maybe that power was related to quantum entanglement?
Her mind was blank, but her hands were already opening the trash can. At that moment, all doubts vanished. She only had one thought: What will I get from this?
She was opening it! Oh! One-third open, now halfway!
Even though there was no glow coming from inside, Seele didn't feel discouraged. After all, who knows what's inside until it's fully open?
Using her last bit of strength, when the trash can finally opened completely, a flashing blue light caught her eyes, making her gasp in surprise. Suddenly, she wasn't tired anymore. As a protector of Boulder Town, she knew the location of every single trash can and bin in the town.
In this moment, she was no longer just the town's protector. She was its Trash Queen. She would open every trash can and bin in this city—none would escape her!
While Seele scoured Boulder Town for any remaining trash cans and bins, inside Goethe Grand Hotel, Stelle was having a strange dream.
"Cocolia…"
She thought she heard a strange voice, followed by the sound of Cocolia. That voice annoyed Stelle. If this were the old her, she wouldn't have known how to handle it.
But last night, while opening trash bins, Pei Guang had taught her something important: Don't worry about ghosts or gods—if they bother you, just deal with them. Clearly, this voice didn't want her to rest, and if it didn't let her rest, then it was useless.
Instinctively, Stelle grabbed something random and tossed it in her dream: "Stellaron, huh? Disturbing my sleep? Just wait, when I find you, I'll crush you. Always shouting while I'm trying to sleep!"
Now that her sleep was interrupted, Stelle turned into an angry older sister. She had been in a good mood, but with that constant annoying noise, if she didn't fight back, she wouldn't feel satisfied.
In that moment, the strange voice disappeared, and Stelle felt like she could finally get some proper sleep. But as soon as she started to drift off, she had another dream. Unlike the last one, this one felt like a nightmare.
It wasn't about being chased by the Aeon of Destruction, nor about being torn apart. Instead, she dreamt that someone had opened all her treasure chests. That wasn't the worst part—the worst part was that the person got rare loot!
At that moment, she jolted awake, breathing heavily and looking outside.
The appearance of that dream left Stelle wide awake. She carefully got up, noticing that both March 7th and Bronya were still asleep. Quietly, she snuck out of the room.
She glanced toward Pei Guang and Dan Heng's room. After some internal debate, Stelle betrayed her previous resolve.
"Sorry, if something good comes out, I'll make it up to you."
Stelle's desire had triumphed over reason. She didn't want to disturb Pei Guang's sleep, but the nightmare had felt too real—so real that she couldn't go back to sleep!
The Stellaron? What a joke. With Uncle Yang, Himeko, Pei Guang, and herself, plus the Stellaron, what was there to fear?
But the treasure chests! Those were non-renewable resources. She remembered Pei Guang had said before that if she wanted to open them herself, she could. So, to avoid waking him, Stelle decided to follow Pei Guang's advice and open them herself!
Stepping out of Goethe Grand Hotel, Stelle felt the treasures calling to her and the countless Imperial-class starships that would become her collection. She approached a trash can, but when she looked inside and only saw garbage, her expression froze.
"Huh? Where's the treasure?"
Stelle closed the trash can and opened it again, but this time, she understood the meaning of pain and despair. There was nothing inside but trash.
"WHERE IS MY TREASURE!?!?!?"
As Stelle was muttering to herself, Findie suddenly appeared by her side: "Beep boop~ How can Findie assist you?"
Stelle: "I need to locate all the nearby trash cans and bins!"
Findie: "Beep boop, I've already mapped out all the trash cans and bins within a 100-meter radius. Oh my, it looks like someone else is digging through a trash can, too."
Findie's indicator light pointed toward a distant trash can, where a man with short blue hair and a flashy outfit was rummaging through it.
That man was none other than Sampo, who had fled from the Overworld to the Underworld. And if you ask why Sampo was digging through trash in the middle of the night, well… it was, of course, because he was looking for a clean trash can to sleep in!
In Boulder Town, some trash cans, once cleaned, had become comfortable sleeping spots for many people. This trash can was one of Sampo's usual resting spots. After an unlucky day and wandering around the Underworld, all Sampo wanted was to find a familiar place to sleep.
But as soon as he opened the trash can, the golden glow inside made him pause. Staring at the mischievous, comical expression inside, he sighed.
He really wanted to know which prankster was messing with him. But Sampo was too tired today. He just wanted to rest. However, as he casually stowed away the goofy item, he felt a murderous intent.
It was pure, unadulterated destruction. Turning instinctively, Sampo saw Stelle standing there, holding a bat glowing with a blue light.
"Gulp..."
Sampo swallowed hard. He wanted to explain himself but quickly realized he hadn't done anything to Stelle, had he? She wasn't one of the people he'd tricked before, was she?
While Sampo was figuring out how to open his mouth, Seele walked over, carrying a pile of materials: "Oh? You're awake? What's going on?"
Stelle pointed at Sampo with her bat: "Him! He stole my golden loot."
Stelle had seen it with her own eyes: the moment Sampo opened the trash can, a golden light had flashed from inside. Although it wasn't quite the same as the golden glow she and Pei Guang had seen when they opened treasure chests, that light still shone brightly, and she saw it.
Seele noticed the trash can near Sampo: "What? He opened a chest before us? Wait, I didn't open that one!"
Stelle: "See? He stole our golden loot."
Seele: "Damn you, Sampo! I haven't even gotten a gold item yet."
Stelle: "Forget how damnable he is! Let's beat him up first for stealing our loot!"
Seele: "What a coincidence: I've been wanting to knock him around for a while. Don't let him escape."
Stelle: "He looks tough! We should call for reinforcements."
Seele thought for a moment: "Won't it be too late to call for backup now?"
Stelle smiled: "It's not too late, as long as we keep him in sight."
With that, Stelle took a deep breath and shouted: "Pei Guang! Someone stole our golden loot!!!!!!"
Goethe Grand Hotel wasn't soundproof, so Pei Guang, who had been sound asleep, heard Stelle's yell loud and clear. Not only Pei Guang, but March 7th and Bronya also jolted awake at that moment.
Sampo, holding the goofy-faced object in his hands, began sweating profusely. He could feel the most primal fear wash over him. At the same time, he felt a phantom pain in his rear. He wanted to use a smoke bomb, but then he remembered—he had used the last one in the Overworld and hadn't restocked when he came down here.
Sampo realized that his years of chasing fun and bringing laughter to the tavern folks had led him to this: today, he would be the joke.
Taking a deep breath, he raised the goofy item he had pulled from the trash can: "I think… this is a misunderstanding. I just found this in the trash can. That's all there is!"
Stelle's eyes, full of wisdom, gazed at him: "Did you open this trash can?"
Sampo nodded: "Yeah."
Stelle pressed on: "Did a golden light come out when you opened it?"
Sampo replied: "Yeah, it did."
Stelle: "Did you find something?"
Sampo: "Yeah, I did."
Stelle turned to Seele: "He confessed."
Sampo: "..."