Let's rewind to that morning.
For Bronya, the soon-to-be Supreme Guardian of Belobog, the people of the city had placed their trust in her.
Although the previous Supreme Guardian, Cocolia, had turned out to be the villain trying to destroy the city, the narrative surrounding her was still complex and nuanced.
No matter how you looked at it, Cocolia's death had brought hope to the city.
And who brought that hope? None other than the next Supreme Guardian, leader of the Silvermane Guards—Bronya Rand!
The people of the Underworld believed in Bronya. She had followed the Trailblazer squad down into the Underworld, temporarily eliminating all the Fragmentum creatures, helping people recover what they had lost and promising to open the way between the Overworld and the Underworld, allowing families to reunite.
Bronya kept her promise. The paths between the two layers were opened, trains were running, and even the Fragmentum's encroachment had paused, halting the extinction crisis. Once again, the future was filled with hope.
Because of this, the residents of the Underworld trusted Bronya deeply. Of course, this trust was split into two parts: one for Bronya, and the other for Pei Guang and his team.
It was Bronya's ability to keep her promises and even make the difficult decision to confront and defeat the Supreme Guardian, who had been controlled by the Stellaron, alongside the outsiders, that garnered the Underworld's unwavering support.
In the Overworld, things were even simpler. The Landau family and the intelligence officers spoke out, and Bronya had video evidence with her at all times. Within just one day, all the civilians in the Underworld knew the truth, and most of them supported Bronya.
As for the small minority who didn't? They couldn't do much. This world wasn't in the age of the internet, so as long as the higher-ups controlled the narrative, even troublemakers wouldn't have a chance to stir things up. Besides, Bronya had revealed the whole truth, so any lies they tried to spread—such as claiming Bronya was merely after the title of Supreme Guardian—wouldn't gain traction.
Such rumors wouldn't shake Bronya's foundations. She had support from the upper echelons, the people of the Underworld, and even the Silvermane Guards. The opinions of a few individuals wouldn't make a difference.
Moreover, Bronya had given everyone hope. According to Svarog's calculations, the Fragmentum was receding, albeit slowly. The Silvermane Guards confirmed that the Fragmentum creatures were decreasing in number.
Stronger, more advanced machines appeared on the frontlines, more supplies flowed into the city, and powerful warships from space, along with the brave and kind Trailblazers from beyond their planet, lent their aid.
Especially after watching the Trailblazers fight—though the fighters had an odd style, the battles were undeniably thrilling.
In one video, Pei Guang appeared with a trash can lid on his head, a garbage bin cover on his left arm, wielding a wooden sword and looking completely calm. While others fought with passion, his fight was comical, yet oddly satisfying.
There was no helping it. It was just too funny! The Stellaron was being repeatedly bonked on the head by Pei Guang's trash can lid, stabbed by his wooden sword, and then kicked away. For all those whose families had been destroyed by the Stellaron, watching this brought a sense of catharsis.
For most people, their wishes were simple—survival and revenge.
The Stellaron could destroy the world—it was dangerous. And those completely corrupted and controlled by the Stellaron, like the former Supreme Guardian, were too powerful for them to fight. But watching Pei Guang and Stelle's brutal yet hilarious actions brought everyone one feeling: satisfaction!
An angry resident shouted, "That's it! So satisfying! If my brother were still alive, I'd tell him to watch how that damn thing got taken down! My brother was a Silvermane Guard for ten years without a scratch, but thanks to that stupid Stellaron, he's dead! Damn it!"
A regular citizen added, "Bronya is the best Supreme Guardian ever. I've replayed her 'Lend me lend a hand, Engine of Creation!' line several times."
A local craftsman chimed in, "You know, the Trailblazers are the coolest. Pei Guang used one of Belobog's trash cans to help take down that evil creature. Do you know what that means?"
An angry resident replied, "What does it mean?"
The craftsman explained, "It means we were part of this revenge too! He used an ordinary trash can and its lid, which can be found anywhere in Belobog. By opening the lid, he exposed the filth inside. This wasn't just any trash can lid; it carried the dignity of all of us in Belobog! That's why I've decided to make a statue of this trash can lid and preserve it!"
Another citizen agreed, "You've got a point. Now that the filth has been cleared away, we should make this city even cleaner. I may not have any great skills, but I'll help our hero by cleaning all the trash cans!"
Passing by, the "King of Trash" proudly declared, "Hmph, while you were talking, I've already cleaned every trash can in Belobog. From now on, the trash cans are Belobog's pride!"
The self-proclaimed King of Trash no longer considered himself the true king. In his eyes, he was unworthy. The real "King of Trash" was the hero who defended Belobog, wearing a trash can lid on his head and using it to block the Stellaron's attacks. No—he was the Aeon of Trash! He had accomplished what no trash can had ever done before!!!
As a king, he had to bow to an Aeon. The King of Trash swore that as long as he lived, he would keep every trash can in Belobog spotless and quickly dispose of all the garbage! This was his tribute to the Aeon of Trash.
Hearing the King of Trash's declaration, passersby turned to look at the nearby trash cans. In that moment, the lids were imbued with a sense of dignity. Who would have thought that such a simple lid, once ignored and trampled on, would rise to such glory?
They all decided that anyone who dared insult the trash cans in the future would be insulting the dignity of their hero! They would defend that dignity at all costs.
A regular citizen declared, "I believe the trash can should become Belobog's symbol. We must teach future generations that no matter how low life gets, even a trash can lid can save the world in the hands of a true hero."
The King of Trash agreed, "Exactly! Even the trash cans deserve a share of the glory!"
Another resident added, "We can't let our symbol of honor get dirty! Keeping the trash cans clean starts with us!"
The King of Trash concluded, "Exactly! Let's clean them up and prepare our trash cans for the hero's blessing!"
"Hurrah!!!" shouted an enthusiastic resident.
Motivated by Pei Guang's actions, the people of Belobog began to take pride in their trash cans. Some less scrupulous individuals even started stealing them.
Their efforts began in the morning, while Pei Guang and his team slept in, only heading out in the afternoon to hunt for treasure… and trash cans.
According to Pei Guang's memory, when they opened about 90 trash cans and bins last time, there were still quite a few that weren't full or nearly full. Given the days that had passed, they should've been filled by now.
But as Pei Guang led the group to these bins, the three of them fell into silence.
Stelle, clearly upset, pulled out her fire spear and bat. "Who!? Who did this?!"
Pei Guang calmly analyzed the situation. "Could it have been Seele? Let me ask."
Group Chat
Pei Guang: "Seele, did you open any trash cans?"
Seele: "Where would I find the time?"
Pei Guang: "Weird. Did Bronya order them cleaned?"
Seele: "She doesn't have time for that either. Oh wait, Bronya just got a request. They want to use your gear as a model for some merchandise. Is that okay?"
Pei Guang: "Hmm? As long as the reward's good, I don't mind."
Seele: "Got it, I'll sort it out for you~"
Seele glanced over at Bronya, who was busy working. "Pei Guang said as long as the rewards are good, he's fine with it."
Bronya breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll make sure he gets a share of the licensing fees."
Seele, still puzzled, asked Bronya, "But I don't quite understand... how does this benefit everyone?"
Bronya explained, "I want Pei Guang and his team's deeds to be remembered forever. Even seven hundred or seven thousand years from now, I want Belobog to remember that, even if the Supreme Guardians are forgotten, Pei Guang brought hope to the people and defeated the Stellaron. Mere publicity won't preserve this truth, but profit can turn real events into legends that carry on for generations."
Standing up, Bronya added, "And that includes you. You're all heroes of Belobog, and your brave deeds shouldn't be forgotten."
Seele grinned. "Pfft~ Well said. I like it. But I think we should make a batch and give them out first. According to Pei Guang's logic, this would be a limited-time event reward."
Bronya chuckled. "No problem~"
While they were figuring out how to turn Pei Guang and his team's legacy into merchandise, Pei Guang, Stelle and March 7th walked back to the hotel, disappointed.
Stelle, dejected, sighed, "Why are all the treasures gone?"
Pei Guang pondered aloud, "Maybe when the connection between the Overworld and Underworld was restored, people got so happy they gave the whole city a deep clean?"
March 7th sighed, "Such a shame! I still haven't found anything rare. What about that blue-haired guy? Where's he?"
Pei Guang smiled. "I've marked him. He's moving between the two districts right now. Once he stops, we can go loot him."
Stelle raised her hand excitedly. "That's our Ah Guang! Always the best at finding loot!"
Pei Guang playfully scolded her, "You little troublemaker, don't jinx me like that!"
March 7th stretched, "Yawn~ I hope he drops something good~"