The girl was still caught up in her shock and joy when Pei Guang gently patted her on the shoulder. "Little one, where's your home?"
The mention of "home" wiped the smile from her face, and Pei Guang quickly reassured her, "If you don't want to go back, I know someone in Exalting Sanctum who can take care of you for now. Her name is Banxia, and she's under the protection of the Divination Commission. She's kind and trustworthy. With things in Xianzhou being so chaotic right now, wandering around isn't safe. How about we wait for things to settle down before you start exploring the world?"
The girl nodded earnestly. "I'll listen to you, big brother."
"Then let's get moving. Stelle, let's go!" Pei Guang called out.
Stelle gave him a curious look. "So, what's the plan for the kid?"
Pei Guang explained, "I'll hand her over to Banxia for now. She'll be safe with her."
Stelle nodded. "Sounds good. But, Ah Guang, did you do something? She seems to be… seeing now?"
Pei Guang chuckled. "I unlocked two skills: 'Wave Perception' and 'Skill Transmission.' Don't get your hopes up for the first one—it only works if you're blind. The second one? Useless for us. Our team already shares basic skills, and I don't even have any fancy advanced ones to pass on."
As he thought about his skills, Pei Guang couldn't help but sigh. All of his abilities were passive boosts—nothing flashy or dramatic. No cool glowing sword effects, no jaw-dropping moves. The only consolation was the loot he could pull from enemies. Sure, it wasn't much now, but with enough battles and a bit of luck, Pei Guang was confident he could piece together some gear with effects so dazzling others would drool at the sight.
For now, though, his optimism didn't stop him from dismissing fireworks effects as trash.
A few days ago, when he'd first found a fireworks effect in Belobog, he'd been so thrilled he'd practically skipped down the streets. Now, seeing another one just made him grimace with disdain.
Meanwhile, Elio's predictions of the future shifted. When the Astral Express crew confronts Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, the assistance provided by the Xianzhou to the crew will have grown significantly.
After entrusting the little girl to Banxia for temporary care, Stelle and Pei Guang made their way to a small house within the Divination Commission. Inside, Stelle excitedly tugged on Pei Guang's sleeve, saying, "This mission was so much fun, Ah Guang! Let's head back now. I really hope that little girl can live like a normal person someday."
Pei Guang nodded. "Mission accomplished. Let's go. Hmm, just teleport here—it's a trash can I marked. We can teleport directly in."
Stelle grinned. "Got it! Let's go!"
She activated the teleportation device, and both of them appeared inside a trash can outside the Artisanship Commission.
However, the moment they arrived, Stelle's face turned serious.
"Ah Guang, this is bad…"
Pei Guang raised an eyebrow. "Watch your words; I did not steal anything yet!"
"No, no, I mean I didn't finish my mission…"
Pei Guang was confused. "Wait, wasn't your mission to save the little girl and change her fate?"
Stelle stared at him. "Huh? When did I say that? My mission was to deliver medicine! Didn't I tell you?"
Pei Guang's eyes widened. "You didn't! All you said was you were being bullied, and then we went and helped the girl. You never explained the mission details!"
Stelle looked equally shocked. "You just went along with it without knowing the details?"
Pei Guang shrugged. "I assumed we were thinking the same thing!"
"Well, clearly, we weren't! So now what?"
Pei Guang sighed. "Alright, show me the medicine. If it's not some kind of forbidden treatment, we can deliver it after we're done."
Stelle handed over the medicine with a resigned sigh. "Fine, here."
Pei Guang inspected it, relying on his system's appraisal. His expression darkened.
Stelle noticed. "What's wrong, Ah Guang? Is something off with the medicine?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Not exactly. It's a tonic to improve vitality, but it also accelerates the onset of Mara-struck symptoms. I'm not sure if the person who gave you this did it on purpose or by mistake, but giving this to a kid? That's a death sentence."
His tone turned serious. "It's not an urgent treatment. The system says delaying it for a day or two won't change the effects. But just to be safe, I'll message Fu Xuan and let her know."
Far away, Fu Xuan was preparing a strike against the Disciples of the Sanctus Medicus near the Alchemy Commission. Upon receiving Pei Guang's message, she quickly consulted her divination tools. Her expression changed instantly.
"This is bad! There's a high-ranking member of the Sanctus Medicus sect hiding in Exalting Sanctum! You, you, and you—lead a team and block this path. Arrest anyone from the Alchemy Commission. If they resist, eliminate them!"
Back near the trash can, Pei Guang and Stelle climbed out, only to find March 7th staring at them, wide-eyed and blinking.
"How'd it go? Mission accomplished?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Not quite, but we did gain two skills that are useless for us as a group."
Despite the modest gains, Pei Guang felt satisfied. Since arriving on the Xianzhou, he'd acquired a synthesis cauldron, a range-based buff skill, and two situational abilities that might come in handy someday.
Not bad!
Stelle turned to March 7th. "How about you? You look like you've got something to show off."
March 7th puffed up her chest proudly. "Oh, absolutely! Uncle Yang and I gathered info about the Artisanship Commission and got a key to unlock the gates. Plus, I picked up a few side quests."
She pulled out a crowbar and a cutting saw. "One of the quests is to cut a piece of Ambrosial Arbor and bring it back for research. Cool, right? Am I amazing or what?"
Welt, standing nearby, sighed at her triumphant tone. After Pei Guang had left, he and March 7th had been busy gathering intelligence.
He had managed to track down someone named Awei, who revealed that his master was still inside the Commission and shared critical details about the situation.
March 7th, meanwhile, had found a pair of senior and junior disciples.
The younger one had an unusual request: he wanted to study some pieces of the Ambrosial Arbor. March 7th thought the task sounded fun and eagerly volunteered to take it on. In the process, she managed to acquire a crowbar and a cutting saw from them.
Despite how basic they sounded, these tools were highly advanced pieces of technology. Welt's analysis revealed the crowbar to contain a built-in specialized mechanical power system, capable of prying open objects weighing over a hundred tons. The saw, on the other hand, was a monomolecular-powered chainsaw, capable of cutting through the hulls of starships.
Pei Guang's eyes lit up as he inspected the items. "These are fantastic! You picked a great task to take on. Alright, noted. As we move forward, let's try to cut down any Ambrosial Arbor we come across, as long as it's convenient. But…"
March 7th tilted her head curiously. "But what?"
Pei Guang smirked. "I've got an idea. Bailu! Bailu! Calling our resident little genius for support!"
Pausing her game, Bailu peeked her head out. "What is it?"
Pei Guang looked thoughtful as he asked, "Okay, correct me if I'm wrong about Xianzhou's history, but the Ambrosial Arbor should be a gift from the Abundance Aeon, right? And since it's a gift of the Abundance, it should have healing properties. If we use Ambrosial Arbor materials as a medicinal ingredient, could you make a drug that has no side effects and purely heals wounds or enhances physical attributes?"
Bailu furrowed her brow in thought. "That's not possible. Any amount of the Plagues Author's "blessing", no matter how small, would fundamentally alter a person's body. Wait… actually, maybe it is!"
Initially, Bailu was certain it couldn't be done. The Abundance Aeon's power, dormant or active, was so potent that even a trace amount, like the size of a fingernail, could cause significant changes to the human body. But then she recalled something.
"That special coffee you all brought back," Bailu muttered. "It's unique—so potent it can suppress the mara-struck condition. Forget mara-struck; I even felt it could slightly counter the forces of the Path of Immortality. If we combined that coffee with properly processed Ambrosial Arbor, it just might be possible to make a medicine that heals wounds without any side effects. It could even enhance the body!"
Pei Guang's eyes sparkled with excitement at the idea. "Perfect. Let's make something truly remarkable out of this."