March 7th had been tricked. But how to put it? Even though she lost the hide and seek game in the end, Pei Guang didn't win either! This time, Stelle spared everyone from punishment, focusing all of it on Pei Guang alone.
Stelle, being loyal as always, handed the punishment over to March 7th.
Seeing the two of them teaming up, Pei Guang swallowed nervously. "Stelle! This isn't right, we both tricked March 7th, so why are you giving her this chance?"
Pei Guang's face turned a little pale as he glanced over at March 7th. "Come on, March, go ahead and flick me~"
March 7th's face brightened with a radiant smile. "Heh heh, trying to outsmart me? Now you see how powerful I can be, huh?"
Accepting his fate, Pei Guang braced for the flick from March 7th. Meanwhile, one of Hook's little companions whispered, "What are they doing, Brother? It looks like punishment, but they seem so happy about it."
Hook, after seriously considering their expressions, clapped her small hands together. "I get it! This is what adults call... showing off love!"
"Oh! Showing off love!"
"Ah, I see. Showing off love."
Stelle: "Showing off love~"
March 7th was about to give Pei Guang a fierce flick, but Hook's comment ruined her concentration. The flick ended up being far too weak, and as soon as her hand touched Pei Guang, he jumped back, dodging it entirely.
"Haha! Your punishment is over!"
March 7th: "Wait, I haven't... even put any strength into it... And what are you little brats even talking about? Just wait and see how I deal with you!"
Hook and her gang ran off, shouting as they went, "Showing off love~ Showing off love~"
"Pfft!"
Watching them run away, March 7th couldn't help but smile. The innocence of children's words wouldn't make her embarrassed, but she was curious who had taught them all this stuff. It seemed like they understood everything.
Childlike comments aside, Hook hadn't said anything too inappropriate, so March 7th wasn't angry.
Just then, Seele walked over. "Yo, Stelle's awake. Looks like you all are having fun with the kids?"
March 7th nodded. "Yeah! These little ones are so interesting. They're amazing at hiding in hide and seek, and one even disguised themselves as an adult."
Pei Guang chuckled, adding, "What's that saying again? Mentally grown, but physically a kid. Just like Kudo Shinichi!"
Stelle looked curious. "Kudo Shinichi? Who's that?"
Pei Guang recalled, "A character from an anime. He's a famous detective who got turned into a kid by accident. I didn't think I'd encounter this reference here."
Stelle: "It seems like you know a lot."
Pei Guang: "That's because I'm a mysterious and complex character~"
As they joked around, Seele approached even further, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry to interrupt your fun, but I actually have a task I'd like to ask for your help with. Don't worry, I've prepared a reward for it... though I'm not sure if it'll be enough..."
Pei Guang was thrilled. A task from their new teammate? Of course, they had to take it!
"Oh? Then this task is a must for me."
March 7th chimed in, "So? What's the task? It's rare to see you looking so concerned."
Seele took a moment to recall before explaining.
"Here's the situation..."
While Stelle was unconscious, Pei Guang and March 7th stayed near the clinic, waiting for her to wake up. Meanwhile, Seele and Bronya continued with their duties.
Bronya had gone to have a private discussion with Oleg, determining their next course of action, then went on a walk with Seele.
During their walk, some of Bronya's memories resurfaced.
According to Bronya, she had also lived in Rivet Town as a child, in the same orphanage where Seele grew up. However, Bronya had been taken away much earlier, so they had no memories of meeting each other.
Thinking about the orphanage brought back a wave of nostalgia for both Seele and Bronya. They wanted to visit the place, hoping to find some items from their past that held sentimental value.
However, Rivet Town was now overrun with powerful Fragmentum creatures, and even if they went, they weren't confident they could bring anything back. That's why Seele thought of asking Pei Guang for help.
After hearing Seele's explanation, March 7th looked at her with curiosity. "Eh? Since when did you and Bronya get so close?"
"Close? Not really. We just share a similar past and a common goal. Both of us thought about our old home... When we evacuated, it was so sudden, we couldn't take many things with us. But I wouldn't bother searching for useless things..."
At this point, Seele's mood turned a bit melancholic. Even she had many cherished memories from the orphanage.
Believe it or not, besides fighting, Seele was skilled at crafting and sewing dolls. She had left many of her handmade items at the orphanage, but...
After hearing her story, Pei Guang immediately pulled out his wooden sword. "We'll take your mission! But... what's the reward?"
Seele hesitated for a moment, fidgeting slightly. "Umm... how about I give each of you something I made by hand as a reward…"
Pei Guang's eyes lit up. "Oh? A favor quest? Now I definitely have to do it. Who knows, if we complete enough favor quests, maybe we can even recruit Seele to the team!"
Seele was surprised. "Join you guys? You mean leave with you? Is that even possible?"
Pei Guang gave a thumbs up. "Of course it's possible…"
Stelle nodded. "Yeah, Seele can definitely join us."
March 7th agreed enthusiastically. "With Seele on board, things will definitely get a lot more fun. Hey, I'll check in with Himeko and Uncle Yang later—I'm sure they'll be okay with letting you aboard too."
Pei Guang added calmly, "No problem. Even if they don't agree, I've got the Star Destroyer, after all. Actually, I've got an even bigger idea, but I'm just not sure how free this world really is. I have a feeling that completing this quest might unlock a home or cultivation system. And then…"
March 7th asked curiously, "Would that be fun?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Not really. Based on how things are set up here, it's probably more of a simulation management game. And simulation games are exhausting. I mean, just look at Belobog—it fits perfectly with my understanding of management sims."
March 7th asked, "Why do you say that?"
Pei Guang explained, "Because management sims always have troublesome citizens, and Belobog's got its own share. Though, here there's only one big troublemaker."
Stelle looked puzzled. "Troublemaker? What does that mean?"
March 7th recalled, "I remember you mentioned that term during one of our chats. I kind of understand it, but it seems like you're hinting at something specific, right?"
Pei Guang elaborated, "Didn't I tell you? I used to play real-time strategy games. One of them was set in a world covered in an ice storm, where temperatures dropped to minus 150 degrees Celsius."
"There was a heating generator, similar to the big furnace here. I worked hard, sending people to scavenge resources and rescuing survivors. But guess what? They rebelled against me because I couldn't give them an eight-hour workday or two days off per week!"
At this point, even Seele was stunned. An eight-hour workday? Weekends? In a post-apocalyptic world?
Pei Guang continued, "As the weather got colder, I had to pass some extreme laws to survive. For example, having children work—totally reasonable, right?"
Seele shook her head. "Not unreasonable. I started working when I was young too."
Feeling understood, Pei Guang went on, "And a 24-hour work shift? Also reasonable, right?"
Seele nodded again. "Reasonable. Some people here work for several days straight just to survive. I once went seven days without sleep."
Pei Guang felt like he'd found a kindred spirit. "Exactly! Everything I did was to keep people alive. I kept telling them, once we get through this, there'll be an eight-hour workday, there'll be weekends. But what happened? These troublemakers, standing in minus 110 degrees, told me they wanted to hire prostitutes. At minus 120, they decided to hold a duel, and one of them ended up dead! And the most outrageous part? While my rescue team was out saving lives, they complained about needing a break due to the eight-hour workday!"
"And when there was no food, they protested instead of trying to find more. Do they think I, as the leader, can just make food appear? Then, when I finally got them food, they complained it didn't taste good. Come on! I worked so hard to make sure they didn't starve, and they tell me it's not to their taste? When I used mass-produced machines to handle the more dangerous jobs, they complained about having nothing to do. When the machines stopped, they whined about the poor working conditions."
"The worst part? Just when things started to stabilize, some people wanted to declare independence and leave! And if that wasn't bad enough, someone even stole six thousand units of coal from me. Six thousand units! In that freezing environment!"
Just thinking about it made Pei Guang angry. Compared to the troublemakers in his game, the people of Belobog seemed like saints! But then again, if there were too many good citizens, maybe the leaders themselves became the troublemakers—some sort of twisted balance.
Though Pei Guang had complained before, Stelle and March 7th were still shocked after hearing his detailed rant.
March 7th: "Wow... what happened after that?"
Pei Guang: "Well… eventually, we survived the cold snap, and the temperature started to rise again. That's when I quit the game. These kinds of games are too intense. After beating it once, I didn't want to touch it again."
After listening to Pei Guang's story, Seele couldn't help but reflect. "Honestly, from what you described, those people were definitely troublemakers. Down here in the Underworld, there are some restless vagrants, but that's because the Fragmentum expansion has left them homeless and hopeless. If our Supreme Guardian thought like you, doing everything to ensure we all survived, maybe they wouldn't be so desperate."
Seele glanced melancholically toward Rivet Town. "After all, everyone wants to survive. But... do we really have hope?"
Pei Guang patted Seele's shoulder with a smile. "Of course, we do! Didn't I say it already? Worst-case scenario, I'll just use my Star Destroyer and take you all away. The troublemakers can stay behind."
Seele smiled back. "That's all I needed to hear. If the chance ever comes, I'll make sure you become the next Supreme Guardian."
Before Pei Guang could respond, March 7th burst out laughing. "Him? The Supreme Guardian? No way! Ahahah! If this guy became the Supreme Guardian, he'd tear down all of Belobog."
Neither Stelle nor March 7th took Seele's joke seriously, sharing a good-natured laugh over it.