With the battle over, Pei Guang was busy collecting the Arbor's fruit when Seele came over, holding a trash can.
"Ah Guang, what do we do with this thing?" she asked, gesturing to the container.
Pei Guang replied casually, "This thing is an excellent energy source. Could you take it to my Star Destroyer and throw it into the reactor? It's simple—just teleport to this spot and place the trash can here. The warship's AI will handle the rest, using Phantylia as a power source."
March 7th, standing nearby, looked concerned. "Are you sure that's safe?"
Pei Guang reassured her. "No need to worry. Our warship isn't just any ordinary vessel—it's a legendary golden-class ship. The AI guarantees that anything I put in the reactor can't get out, no matter what."
Based on the warship's AI feedback, Phantylia was a top-tier energy entity. Once placed in the reactor, there was no risk of her escaping or being rescued.
That said, Pei Guang had noticed a loophole in the system's description. Sure, nothing he put in could get out—but what if someone snuck into his reactor for fun? Wouldn't they have free rein to come and go?
Shrugging it off, Pei Guang thought, No one's crazy enough to jump into my warship's reactor just to mess around… right?
While Pei Guang pondered this, Seele teleported into his Star Destroyer.
When Phantylia was deposited into the reactor, she dismissed Pei Guang's boasts as nonsense. She thought, Besides that bizarre trash can, what could possibly restrain me? Some mere technological contraption? Ridiculous!
But as soon as she entered the reactor, she froze.
Five figures, who had been casually watching television, turned to stare at her. Among them was a familiar face—another of the Lord Ravagers, her equal.
A terrible realization dawned upon Phantylia.
Meanwhile, the five others clapped in unison, welcoming their new companion. Though she lacked hands or feet, they seemed delighted to have a new member to alleviate their boredom.
"Nooooooooooo!" Phantylia's anguished scream echoed throughout the warship. Unfortunately for her, the Star Destroyer was fully remote-controlled; there wasn't a single person aboard to hear her cries.
With Phantylia sorted, Pei Guang's group temporarily left the Ambrosial Arbor's root system. Though the fruit was precious, its production rate was low, and Pei Guang didn't see any point in sticking around. He simply noted down an approximate harvest time and planned to return later.
And so, with Jing Yuan's head poking out of a trash can strapped to Pei Guang's back, the group cheerfully left the Arbor's depths.
When they handed Jing Yuan over to the nervous, excited, and slightly furious Cloud Knights, Pei Guang was promptly stopped by Fu Xuan.
"How is the General?" Fu Xuan asked, her tone urgent.
Pei Guang shrugged. "Bailu checked him out. He's perfectly fine, just… overstuffed."
Fu Xuan frowned but then shifted topics. "And your battle? I tried divining the outcome earlier, but the readings were chaotic—completely unreadable."
She sighed, exasperated. Every attempt to predict anything related to Pei Guang ended in confusion. If not for her strong mental fortitude, any other diviner would have either gone mad or given up entirely.
At this point, March 7th chimed in, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, it was an amazing fight! If you're interested, I can tell you all about it!"
Fu Xuan smiled faintly. "I'd like that, but it'll have to wait. We still need to deal with the remaining Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in various realms of the Xianzhou. They're carrying out Dan Shu's commands and causing chaos everywhere. Plus, there are still remnants of the Antimatter Legion to mop up. Once that's done, I'll come find you."
March 7th raised her thumb enthusiastically. "Absolutely no problem! Oh, by the way, Fu Xuan, are there any fun places to visit here in Xianzhou?"
Fu Xuan considered for a moment. "Fun places? I could assign someone to—"
March 7th quickly shook her head. "No need to send anyone! Just tell us the spots. Hehe~ After a tough battle, we have to explore a bit and then treat ourselves to a long, nice sleep."
Stelle joined in, rubbing her eyes. "Now that you mention sleep, I feel kind of tired already... It's like we've been rushing around non-stop for two months."
Pei Guang, standing off to the side, sighed. "Exactly! The downside of having so much freedom—it feels like two months' worth of work crammed into a couple of days. Even I feel exhausted now."
Silver Wolf chimed in, nodding. "Same here. Ever since I started tagging along with you, it's like time hasn't changed, but the amount of stuff we do in one day has exploded."
She began counting on her fingers, from boarding the Astral Express to arriving on the Xianzhou. Every step of the way had been either fighting or preparing for a fight. Still, despite the chaos, Silver Wolf was satisfied with the experience. If nothing else, her journey would make for an unforgettable story back home.
Though not as dazzling as stories of the famed Galaxy Rangers, her contribution as part of the team that fought against one of the Lord Ravagers was something she took pride in. Yet, the sheer number of events they'd faced left her unusually tired. All she wanted now was a quiet place to rest.
Fu Xuan smiled knowingly. "In that case, I'll have someone mark the best spots on Xianzhou for you to explore. Oh, and I'll open access to several Domains of various realms for you."
As she spoke, Fu Xuan activated permissions for Pei Guang's group to access several special areas on the Xianzhou, including the Divination Commission. She even granted them the highest level of access, allowing them to roam freely and enjoy themselves. Knowing Pei Guang's peculiar quirks, Fu Xuan went a step further.
She instructed her less-occupied subordinates to hide treasure chests and small rewards throughout the Divination Commission—nothing too valuable, just credits, various food supplies, and small tokens of gratitude from those who appreciated Pei Guang and his team's efforts.
The Cloud Knights' families, for instance, were eager to show their thanks but found direct interaction with someone as unique as Pei Guang challenging. Instead, Fu Xuan suggested they place their gratitude items in these chests for Pei Guang to discover during his exploration.
To ensure everything was set up smoothly, Fu Xuan contacted Yukong, briefly explaining the situation. Yukong then quickly arranged personnel to help with the setup.
Additionally, Fu Xuan had her team scatter some toys called the Hexanexus across the accessible Domains. These intricate puzzles were both a gesture of thanks and a fun way to repay Pei Guang's team for their help.
As for who would handle the chest placement within the Divination Commission? That task fell to none other than Qingque.
Having just wrapped up the major incident, she had been hoping for some downtime to play some Celestial Jade when she was roped into setting up treasure chests. Resigned to her fate, she stood amidst a pile of boxes, looking thoroughly overwhelmed.
Was all this effort worth it? Considering the spectacle of Phantylia's severed head hanging outside the Xianzhou Luofo, the answer was obvious.
In truth, the number of chests wasn't overwhelming—just a dozen or so per Domain. For the Xianzhou's administrative bodies, it was a trivial task, especially given the potential benefits.
Such simple arrangements delighted Pei Guang and subtly improved his perception of the Xianzhou—a win-win situation for everyone. After all, material rewards meant little to Pei Guang, but these small, thoughtful gestures lifted his spirits.
Honestly, after everything Pei Guang and his team had done for Xianzhou in such a short time, these tokens of appreciation were more than justified.
And who was footing the bill for these rewards? Jing Yuan, of course! Hadn't he declared that all expenses for Pei Guang's group would be covered by him? Considering the profits he'd reaped recently thanks to Pei Guang's efforts, this was a drop in the bucket—not even half of his net earnings!
The arrangements were secretly made to surprise Pei Guang and his companions, granting them access to several domains on the Xianzhou.