Silver Wolf was skilled in combat, but she had seen Pei Guang's battle records.
If possible, she preferred not to fight Pei Guang directly. All her abilities were hard-countered by Pei Guang's wooden sword. Plus, when Pei Guang appeared, the Stellaron-related fracture space had collapsed. Who knew if he had abilities that directly targeted her spatial techniques?
At the same time, Pei Guang himself was too special for Silver Wolf to risk underestimating. She wasn't confident that she could detect Pei Guang's stealth if they fought head-on. After all, she had clearly seen him use a wooden sword to stab through the Anti-Matter Legion in the surveillance footage.
Watching Pei Guang fight was entertaining, but she definitely didn't want to personally experience what it felt like to be on the receiving end of one of those stabs.
If it were just a one-on-one against Pei Guang, Silver Wolf had full confidence she could win. But after discovering that Herta's Space Station had the protection of Screwllum and Ruan Mei, she implemented the rule prohibiting any outside assistance.
It was a joke—if outside help or tools were allowed, Pei Guang would have the backing of three members of the Genius Society, while she was fighting solo. That'd be a guaranteed loss!
Additionally, there was something else she had confirmed regarding that staship, which gave her even more reason to place limits on Pei Guang.
Pei Guang: "No problem! Each of us picks two game types."
Silver Wolf: "Should we add a wager to make it more interesting?"
At this moment, Pei Guang was thrilled—finally, he had the chance to test if his reverse-betting luck would actually work.
Pei Guang immediately placed his bet: "I bet on you winning! I'm putting all my credits on you. If I win this bet, I'll do anything within my power that you ask of me."
In Herta's office, Pei Guang looked over at Stelle and March 7th. "This is hilarious. Silver Wolf wants to bet with me, and I've already staked everything I have on her winning."
March 7th and Stelle exchanged glances. Both of them were somewhat familiar with Pei Guang's unique "buff".
Silver Wolf, of course, had no clue about Pei Guang's cursed gambling luck. This was just something that had come up during casual conversations on the Astral Express. Only March 7th had once mentioned it while they were being chased, and Stelle knew from experience.
Though Stelle and March 7th were well aware of Pei Guang's unusual gambling curse, Silver Wolf had no idea.
Pei Guang's wager was strange: if Silver Wolf won, Pei Guang would fulfill one of her requests? This kind of bet sounded interesting. To her, it seemed like part of a game reward—sure, winning or losing was fun, but adding a little reward would make the game even more exciting.
In Silver Wolf's understanding, Pei Guang's wager meant: "As long as you, Silver Wolf, win, I, Pei Guang, will fulfill one of your wishes."
Since Pei Guang had already prepared a reward for her, Silver Wolf wasn't going to be stingy either. She gave her reply: "In that case, I'll bet on you winning. Credits are boring. If I win, I'll fulfill one of your reasonable requests, how about that?"
Pei Guang: "Deal! Five days from now, meet me at Herta's Space Station. Oh, wait, one more thing—what if it ends in a tie?"
Silver Wolf: "If it's a tie, we'll settle it with a round of rock-paper-scissors."
Pei Guang: "Nah, let's just leave it at a tie. Too much hassle. Besides, my mission isn't about beating you in a contest anyway."
Silver Wolf sensed something was off. "I'll make sure you see my strength. When I win, you won't get off easy. Hmm, if you win, I'll treat you to the best fruit."
Pei Guang: "No worries, I'll bring a few crates of good fruit with me. Even if you don't have any, I'll make sure I have enough. As long as you help me complete my mission, win or lose, I'll still treat you to fruit."
Pei Guang was very happy at this moment. He couldn't believe someone was actually betting with him! Besides, he was confident they'd be able to complete the side quest Stelle had accepted. After all, his mission wasn't about winning the game—it was about making Silver Wolf "eat dirt," not about winning or losing in PvP. Winning wasn't important; as long as the mission was completed, the reward wouldn't change. Pei Guang could even surrender immediately in PvP games.
Silver Wolf: "Then I'll bring some fruit too. If you don't give me any, I'll just eat my own~"
Pei Guang: "Ahah, once you get here, feel free to eat as much good fruit as you want."
Silver Wolf: "You're pretty fun. How about we team up for some games together?"
Pei Guang: "Playing games within a game? Nah, I don't like nesting games within games. But hey, if your luck is that good, how about you help me open some loot boxes? My luck's been horrible lately. My teammates keep getting legendary drops, and I haven't even gotten a second gold item. It's depressing."
Silver Wolf: "Oh? I've always had great luck. Check this out~"
Silver Wolf sent a screenshot of her pulling three gold items in a ten-pull.
Pei Guang: "Wow! Your luck really is something! After our contest, stick close to me while I open some boxes. Let's see if your luck rubs off on me."
Even though Pei Guang had taken on the mission to humble Silver Wolf, they had the instant connection that often happens between players. Once that connection clicked, winning or losing became secondary for both of them.
At the same time, Silver Wolf found talking to Pei Guang very comfortable. Despite having played games across the galaxy, Pei Guang's knowledge of games was somehow even more extensive than hers!
However, that wasn't the most terrifying part: the truly scary thing was how, when she talked about certain things, Pei Guang's game experience aligned perfectly, making Silver Wolf feel like the universe might actually be a game.
After chatting for a while, Pei Guang glanced at the system clock. "Looks like the daily reset is about to happen. I've got a few things to take care of for the new day. We'll chat later. See you in five days!"
Silver Wolf: "When the time comes, I'll make sure you suffer a crushing defeat."
Pei Guang: "We'll see who wins when the time comes."
The conversation ended, and Silver Wolf confirmed that Herta had been monitoring their exchange the whole time. Silver Wolf didn't say anything, but Herta quickly sent her a message.
Herta: "Don't worry, come to my station and have your fun with him. I won't interfere because of your previous provocations. I, Herta, guarantee that no one will help the Trailblazer, nor will anyone obstruct your contest. You and the Trailblazer are free to use part of the Space Station as your battleground."
Silver Wolf didn't respond much, just sent a heart emoji. She was in a good mood—she had a chance to spar with Pei Guang, and no one would interfere. Perfect!