Kafka listened with interest as Stelle shared her story. But when she began recounting their battles in the lower district, Kafka glanced at the sky.
"We'll catch up later. It's time~"
Kafka pulled out two submachine guns, one black and one white, and started firing into the sky.
Despite Pei Guang's influence shifting many outcomes, at least Fu Xuan's arrival was on schedule. This meant Pei Guang's effect, while significant, might still be manageable…
But then the voice from above made Kafka pause: because it wasn't Fu Xuan's voice, it was Pei Guang's.
"A mere trick! My parry is immune to physical damage!"
A crisp sound echoed from above, followed by the clang of bullets being deflected. Every shot that could have hit Pei Guang was ricocheted back.
Kafka saw Pei Guang wielding the lid of a trash can from Belobog. As absurd as it seemed, it blocked and even returned her custom bullets. While she was aware of Pei Guang's unconventional tactics, seeing them firsthand left her speechless.
Pei Guang stood there, trash can lid on his head, an actual trash can strapped to his back, with Fu Xuan tucked inside, complete with an IV setup and pacifier.
In his hands was a wooden sword that looked like a toy. His disheveled clothes from colliding with Fu Xuan added to the impression of a wandering vagrant who had fallen from the sky.
Pei Guang landed flawlessly and pointed his weapon at Kafka. "Kafka, we're here to capture you. Let's do this!"
Kafka: "Alright~ I surrender!"
Pei Guang: "Huh?"
Kafka looked at him: "Hmm~ if you want me to drink that strange coffee of yours, I don't mind~ I surrender now."
The moment she saw Pei Guang, she realized that the future had already changed.
Overall, it wasn't too bad—Pei Guang had descended from the sky with Fu Xuan on his back to capture her, which, in a way, could be interpreted as Fu Xuan making the arrest. It wasn't too far from the foretold future. As for how she would be brought to the Divination Commission and how Fu Xuan would extract information from her, she had stopped trying to figure that out.
After all, she had done everything she could. Now, it was up to fate.
Seeing Kafka's surrender, Pei Guang pondered, "If you're really surrendering, then prove it. Here, drink this."
Pei Guang tossed a bottle of coffee to Kafka. Looking at it, she opened the cap and murmured, "This coffee? How intriguing. Even Herta probably doesn't know that a simple oddity she obtained by chance could have such a profound effect in your hands. No matter—let me see what makes this coffee so special~"
Kafka took the bottle and drank it all in one go. As the coffee settled in her stomach, she relinquished all resistance and embraced the calm that seeped into her very being.
With the onset of sleep, Kafka's body went limp, and Stelle quickly reached out to catch her.
Stelle's help wasn't motivated by that strange fondness she felt for Kafka but rather curiosity about what Kafka might drop—not her body, but the potential loot!
Stelle rubbed her hands together. "Pei Guang~ I think I'm pretty fond of Kafka. Can I loot her?"
Pei Guang shrugged. "Go ahead. I don't expect much from an enemy who surrendered willingly. Besides, if even Fu Xuan dropped trash, what could Kafka possibly have? This entire map might be a dud."
Pei Guang felt a touch of resignation. He reminisced about how lucky he had been back in Belobog, pulling rare items with ease. Now, though, March 7th had all the luck, getting golden lights, while he ended up empty-handed. Frustrated, he glanced at Fu Xuan's makeshift label—'Just a Common Enemy'—and grew even more annoyed.
Meanwhile, Stelle's anticipation grew. What could Kafka drop?
Under normal circumstances, Stelle would respect someone's privacy and only search their pockets. But with Kafka, that familiar feeling emboldened her to be more thorough.
From head to toe, inside and out, Stelle searched every potential hiding spot: phone, bag, makeup—all claimed as her spoils and stored in her space. They were trophies to her.
After a full search, Stelle unbuttoned Kafka's white shirt and pulled out a large black pot that was bigger than Kafka's chest. It was an ordinary cooking pot, blackened and fitted with an opaque white lid.
Pei Guang, who had been watching idly, became alert when Stelle revealed the pot. His expression shifted from blankness to squinting scrutiny.
"Is that… a pot?"
A big question mark formed in Pei Guang's mind. He hadn't expected much from Kafka, who surrendered so readily, but Stelle actually found something?
Excited, Stelle ran over. "I found something! I did it again!"
A vein throbbed on Pei Guang's forehead. "You little troublemaker! What did you find this time?"
Stelle held up the pot triumphantly. Despite his envy, Pei Guang stayed serious when it came to practical matters. He took the pot and began to examine it closely.
As he studied it, Pei Guang's expression grew serious.
"This is a pot that cannot be destroyed or discarded by any means. If placed over a fire and filled with ingredients, it can create items based on recipes. It can produce food or synthesize useless items into new ones. We've unlocked a synthesis function thanks to Kafka."
Stelle looked at Pei Guang. "And where are the recipes?"
Pei Guang: "We'll have to unlock them."
Stelle: "How do we unlock them?"
Pei Guang: "By making things."
Stelle: "..."
凸(艹皿艹 )!!!
She felt like Pei Guang had just wasted her time with useless information, while he felt Stelle's questions were equally pointless.
A pot without a recipe list was clearly meant for players to discover combinations through experimentation. If no recipes were known, the only option was to throw items in and see what happened.
Being a man of action, Pei Guang decided to test it out. "Stelle, bring out the flaming lance."
Stelle immediately understood what he was thinking: she remembered Pei Guang saying that the pot needed to be set over a fire.
"Will the flame from the lance work?"
Pei Guang rolled his eyes. "It just says fire; who cares what kind?"
Stelle took out the flame lance, and Pei Guang set the pot over it.
Once everything was in place, Pei Guang took some inedible food items from his inventory and threw them into the pot. He placed the lid on top, and soon the pot began to crackle and pop.
When the noise subsided, Pei Guang instinctively opened the lid. A dark light shot up, and inside was a mysterious black substance that looked almost pixelated.
Stelle glanced at Pei Guang. "You try it first?"
Pei Guang glanced back. "Why don't you try it first?"
Stelle: "I'm afraid of dying."
Pei Guang: "I am too, but it's not a big deal. We can… keep it for later."