Sampo was stunned. He never expected that this serious, cold-faced person would ambush him like this!
Sampo prided himself on being a good judge of character, but he had totally misread the situation in Belobog. He'd crashed hard—multiple times. But, to be fair, even with half his body in the water, Sampo found himself enjoying the moment.
As a pure prankster, not only did he enjoy watching others' mishaps, but even when he became the joke, he could still laugh it off. Especially since it was Dan Heng who had pulled this move—could anything be more entertaining?
As his brain processed this, Sampo's body reacted instinctively. Pei Guang pulled him out of the water and handed him a bottle of a dark brown liquid. "The water's cold. Drink this to warm up."
Sampo saw the coffee in Pei Guang's hand and wanted to run. He already knew how terrifying that stuff was. He didn't want to drink it again, nor did he want to see Pei Guang's mischievous grin or his ominous expression. But there was no escape. Pei Guang held Sampo down, while Stelle quickly grabbed his jaw and poured the coffee straight into his mouth.
At that moment, Sampo had the option to use brute force to break free. But when he felt the wooden sword at his back, he gave up. He could already guess what fun was about to unfold with him at the center of it. Though he wouldn't get to see it himself, he couldn't disappoint the tavern crowd watching for entertainment.
As the coffee hit his stomach, Sampo was once again captured.
Meanwhile, Seele, who had been hiding, quietly spoke to Pei Guang: "Last time, I found some loot on him. Mind if I go through him again?"
Stelle chimed in: "I'll do it! It's been a while since I found any good loot."
Pei Guang nodded: "Let Stelle do it. She's been itching for this. Besides, since Bronya and the Supreme Guardian are out now, Seele, it's your turn to step in."
Seele: "Got it. I'll go inform the boss that Bronya is on her way."
Just as Seele was about to head out, Pei Guang stopped her: "Wait, take these with you."
While Stelle was looting Sampo's body, Pei Guang pulled out about a dozen trash bins, and Seele swiftly stashed them away. She then sped off toward the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, carrying the bins with her.
As for finding someone? That was easy. When Serval and Oleg had set out, Oleg left markers along the way that only Seele knew about. Following those would be much faster than the slow pace of Bronya and Cocolia.
As Seele made her move, Stelle quickly reached into Sampo's pockets and, sure enough, pulled out a shiny treasure. However, before they could inspect what it was, Silvermane Guards, acting on Cocolia's orders, surrounded the area to arrest the suspected assassins.
The leading guard took one look at Sampo, half-submerged in the fountain, and then at Pei Guang and his companions. A few of the guards had personal favors to ask of Pei Guang, like helping deliver items to friends and family in the Underworld.
The soldiers encircled Pei Guang's group and Sampo.
The head guard pulled out a wanted poster and carefully compared the faces on it to the people before him.
First, he checked the wild, abstract sketch made by Gepard. Two noses, one mouth, a pair of eyes, and random trash floating everywhere. The sketch's eyes were filled with a mysterious, sinister expression that conveyed the subject's disdain for the world and evil intentions.
Comparing the sketch to Pei Guang's group, it was clear there was no resemblance. In fact, they couldn't have been more different.
As the guard continued his comparisons, one of the Silvermane Guards turned to their leader: "Boss, these four are clean. They're friends of Serval and Captain Gepard. See the gray-haired one? She's even wearing an honor badge. Definitely not assassins!"
Their leader was a meticulous man. The Supreme Guardian had ordered them to capture the three people suspected of fishing around in the fountain. But upon arrival, one of them was wearing an honor badge—clearly not an assassin. Cocolia must've been mistaken.
However, while examining the group, the guard leader noticed something odd. The fourth guy… looked exactly like the person on the wanted poster! "Wait a minute! The Supreme Guardian didn't get it wrong. There is an assassin! This blue-haired guy matches the description on the wanted poster from Commander Pela perfectly! Take him away! Wait… he's not one of yours, is he?"
Pei Guang shook his head: "He's not. We may be assassins, but I don't know him at all."
The guard who had a favor to ask of Pei Guang chuckled: "Hahaha, you and your jokes! Like I don't know you already. Anyway, you guys are back so soon? Did you finish those tasks?"
Pei Guang: "Yep, all done. We left everything at the workshop. You can pick it up tomorrow."
Grateful guard: "Thanks a bunch…"
As Pei Guang and the others continued their conversation, even the Silvermane Guards who were completely clueless couldn't possibly mistake them for assassins anymore. After all, what kind of assassin could casually chat and laugh with their comrades? And what kind of assassin would tell them to meet at the mechanical workshop whenever they wanted? Clearly, the Supreme Guardian had made a mistake, mistaking them for someone fooling around with the fountain.
And as for playing around with water? It wasn't even against the rules. Someone who could do something so whimsical surely couldn't be a bad person.
With that, the Silvermane Guards quickly and efficiently tied up the now soaking-wet and unconscious Sampo, preparing to haul him off to the prison.
As they dragged Sampo away, Pei Guang turned to Stelle and asked, "What did you get from him?"
Stelle pulled out a small, glowing, golden item: a special effect featuring an adorable pink bunny. "This guy dropped something big! Look at the golden glow! But I have no idea what it is. Pei Guang, please help me out! It's my second golden drop!"
Pei Guang took the treasure Stelle had found and inspected it carefully. "Oh? This seems to be a Weapon Transformation. The effect is that your weapon will look like a cute pink bunny to others. But since it's golden... it confirms my guess. That guy is definitely an elite enemy, maybe even a hidden boss. If we defeat him again, he might drop an attack effect that complements this transformation perfectly!"
March 7th, excited, chimed in, "I've memorized what he looks like! Next time, we'll make sure to catch him again!"
Pei Guang grinned. "Absolutely! Let's farm him for loot!"
While the trio was having fun, Dan Heng, ever serious, reminded them, "Bronya and the Supreme Guardian have already moved quite a distance ahead. If we don't catch up soon, we might lose track of them."
Pei Guang, unconcerned, waved it off. "It's fine. Seele has already gone ahead with some equipment to set things up. We'll meet up with her in the restricted area once Bronya and the others have moved far enough. Oh, by the way, Dan Heng, why don't you equip this weapon effect? It suits you perfectly."
Dan Heng stared at the pink bunny in Pei Guang's hand, deep in thought. "It suits... me?"
Pei Guang nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Stelle uses a bat, and even if she transforms it into a cute bunny, it'd still look dangerous up close. But you use a spear. People would just think it's a big stuffed toy when you wield it. Then, when they least expect it, you could catch them off guard! Oh, and when you attack, pink bunnies will pop out—it's the ultimate humiliation!"
Stelle was overjoyed. "That would be perfect for Dan Heng! Just imagining him poking people with a pink bunny makes me so happy."
March 7th quickly agreed, "Yeah! And your weapon doesn't have any special effects yet. Look at mine! It sparkles when it's powered up. Stelle's has cool impact effects, and Pei Guang's—well, he's always stocked up with great stuff. But you've got nothing so far."
Dan Heng pondered this for a while. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea. His spear was long and conspicuous, drawing a lot of attention during battles. If it looked like a harmless stuffed animal, it could give him a strategic advantage.
Dan Heng handed his spear to Pei Guang. "You're right. This kind of disguise could definitely help in combat."
Pei Guang installed the weapon transformation effect and handed the spear back to Dan Heng. "It's amazing! In your hands, it looks like a normal spear, but when I held it, it turned into a giant stuffed bunny."
Pei Guang explained, "That's the magic of weapon effects. Not only can they add special visual effects during attacks, but they can also alter how the weapon appears to others. I can't believe that blue-haired guy dropped something this good. Next time we find him, we have to catch him again."
Stelle cheered, "Yes! And let me handle it next time! I feel like my luck is on fire!"
March 7th shook her head. "No way! It's my turn next! I still haven't gotten a single golden drop, and I refuse to be left behind."
The three continued their playful banter as they started moving in the direction Bronya and Cocolia had gone. Meanwhile, Dan Heng tested his new weapon, stabbing it forward while glancing at his reflection in the fountain's surface. Sure enough, instead of a spear, he was holding a giant pink bunny.
Dan Heng fell into deep thought.
As he continued to test out the weapon, a passerby happened to notice and curiously approached him. "Hey, man. Where'd you get that giant bunny?"
Dan Heng glanced at the passerby, his expression stoic. "It was a gift from a friend."
The passerby gasped in surprise, taking a few steps back. Even though the world was in chaos, they still knew a bit about strange occurrences. Looking at the oversized bunny and then at Dan Heng's handsome, stoic face, the passerby took another step back, visibly intimidated.
Dan Heng, however, was unfazed. After traveling to so many different worlds, misunderstandings like this didn't bother him at all. Instead, he focused on the fascinating nature of his new weapon.
"It's kind of fun..."
Dan Heng wasn't one to cling stubbornly to old ways. Since meeting Pei Guang, he had grown more open to the bizarre and entertaining phenomena that seemed to follow him. And now that he had something useful, there was no reason not to embrace it.
As for what others might think? He glanced around. No one seemed to be paying him any particular attention. Carrying a small toy might look strange, but holding a massive stuffed bunny? That could easily be mistaken for a gift for a loved one.
With the weapon vanishing and its pink bunny disguise gone from view, Dan Heng calmly followed behind the group as they headed towards the Silvermane Guard restricted zone.