At Herta's words, Stelle's face fell, her hopes dashed. Pei Guang patted her on the shoulder and reassured her, "Don't feel down! We can make these puppets ourselves later. We'll gather the materials, customize their appearance, and pick out their outfits! You'll love it!"
Stelle's eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh? How much material will we need?"
After recalling the various material prices he had seen while browsing the online store, Pei Guang gave a definitive answer: "Once we find some enemies we can farm for money, a few days of grinding should cover it."
Stelle responded eagerly, "I see! Then I'll build an entire army!"
Pei Guang chuckled. "An army might be a bit too much… We haven't found any monsters that drop these materials consistently. Unless we come across something that reliably drops them, it's going to be tough. The problem is, without industrialization up and running, gathering the resources will take time."
While Pei Guang and Stelle were deep in conversation, Silver Wolf entered Herta's office properly. It wasn't that she didn't want to teleport—it's just that Herta's room was too specialized to allow it. If she tried to teleport randomly, she might encounter a small "accident."
Under normal circumstances, Silver Wolf wouldn't care about such accidents, but this time, to protect her game accounts, she decided to be cautious.
What? You think controlling her game accounts would be enough to manipulate Silver Wolf? Impossible! She was merely giving the Genius Society's member a little face.
While she was having this internal monologue, she finally saw Pei Guang in person.
Upon seeing his attire, she found herself pausing. Before her very eyes, Pei Guang—who had looked normal just moments ago—suddenly pulled out a trash can lid and a wooden sword, with a trash can lid now adorning his head like a helmet.
What was that phrase again? "At least look human when you're progressing through the story."
Silver Wolf couldn't help but ask, "Forgive me for asking, but... what's with that thing on your head and your arm?"
Pei Guang raised the trash can lid on his head. "This? Oh, it's a makeshift helmet. It can block a physical attack. And this? It's my shield. How else am I supposed to parry?"
Silver Wolf blinked in surprise. "And your shield can block all physical attacks?"
Pei Guang gave the lid a little wave. "Exactly! As long as it's a physical attack, this can block it. Want to try hitting me with your full power to test it?"
Test it? Testing would be her downfall! Silver Wolf had watched the footage of Pei Guang fighting: one wrong move, and she'd be executed on the spot. She was a hacker, not a fighter, and that wooden sword of his...
Silver Wolf quickly shook her head. "No, no, I'm good…"
As Pei Guang and Silver Wolf continued their banter, Stelle's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
"This feeling..."
She hadn't felt it earlier when she and Pei Guang were joking around, but the moment she saw Silver Wolf, a strange sense of familiarity hit her. It was like she knew Silver Wolf—had known her for a long time.
While Stelle was lost in thought, Silver Wolf glanced at her. "And you? How are you doing?"
Since Herta was present and already knew about Stelle's situation, Silver Wolf didn't bother hiding anything.
Stelle remained silent. The playful thoughts she had earlier with Pei Guang were now gone, and after a moment of hesitation, she reached into her bag and pulled out a handheld gaming console.
"Pei Guang said you'd love this. It has a few small games from his homeworld."
March 7th, noticing what Stelle was doing, quickly intervened. "The plan! The plan!!!"
Stelle blinked, startled. "Ah! Sorry… I forgot."
Pei Guang had already confirmed that while the games from his world shared some similar mechanics and stories with the ones in this world, most were entirely different. So, to win Silver Wolf over, he'd prepared a gaming console specifically for Stelle to use in gaining her favor. The games loaded on it were classic, fun, and timeless—perfect for a gamer like Silver Wolf.
The handheld console and its games were like a special weapon for gamers.
But Stelle was jumping the gun by offering it so soon. It was supposed to be given after playing some games together! Giving it away this early…
Huh? Well, Silver Wolf's petite figure and silver hair were certainly appealing. It's not unusual for a player to be taken by such a character. Heh, Pei Guang thought back to the first time he watched an action movie—he'd also gotten carried away. This was just a typical gamer reaction, no big deal.
Pei Guang had no idea about the deeper relationship between Stelle and the Stellaron Hunters, so he still saw Stelle as a fellow player. Naturally, he misunderstood Stelle's actions.
But it didn't matter too much. Building rapport would happen eventually. Besides, in such a realistic world, sometimes going all in from the start had its benefits. In some situations, playing your trump card early could yield unexpected results.
Seeing the handheld game console in Stelle's hands, Silver Wolf's eyes lit up with excitement. "A game from his homeworld? I'm really looking forward to it. Can I try it right now?"
Silver Wolf glanced at Pei Guang, who gave her a nod. "It's a gift to get on your good side. Feel free to play whenever you want."
Silver Wolf smiled. "Thanks. I'm really happy to get this, but I won't go easy on you."
That line snapped Stelle out of her daze. Her expression turned serious as she responded, "That's right! Pei Guang made two games for me to face off against you. Even if I think you look good and feel familiar—and even if I kind of want to hug you—I'm not going easy on you either!"
Silver Wolf grinned. "Great! I'll take this seriously and give it my all. Oh? Super Mario? An old-school game style, huh? But I've never played this one before... interesting."
Seeing this, Pei Guang chimed in. "How about this? Since we're all here to play games, why don't you and Stelle compete first? Winning isn't the point—just have fun. And once the competition's over, I'll gift you both games as a symbol of our friendly match."
At this moment, March 7th was doing her best to stifle her laughter, while Silver Wolf looked up, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Sure! Let's see just how different games from your world really are."
Pei Guang explained, "The first game is a horror game—fully immersive, with a super-realistic experience. I've had it tested by people with strong nerves, and it's definitely terrifying!"
Silver Wolf had been thrilled, but the moment she heard it was a fully immersive horror game with realistic sensations, her expression froze.
Seeing the look on Silver Wolf's face, Stelle, who had been lost in the joy of reuniting with her, snapped back to reality. Noticing both Silver Wolf's and Pei Guang's expressions, Stelle's eyes grew determined.
She could feel a sense of familiarity toward Silver Wolf—at least starting from a place of fondness. But it didn't matter. Even if Silver Wolf felt like a dear friend, today she had to see that pained expression on her face. Just imagining Silver Wolf crying in fear from playing the game brought Stelle immense satisfaction!