A few minutes later, Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th staggered off their starskiff at the Divination Commission's docking area, pale-faced and supporting each other.
March 7th leaned against Pei Guang, her legs shaky as she looked around. "This is... the Divination Commission?"
Her eyes seemed to sparkle. She was incredibly grateful for her physical resilience and the protection of her Path—otherwise, she might've thrown up everything she ate yesterday.
Stelle wasn't doing much better. She leaned on Pei Guang from the other side, her eyes rolling as she muttered, "So thrilling... Ah Guang, you're amazing... What's that move called?"
Pei Guang was also feeling dizzy himself. He realized that games shouldn't allow complete freedom. Moves like this were fun but exhausting.
Still, with two girls leaning on him, Pei Guang felt the immersion level was worth it.
After taking a moment to recover, he finally responded. "'Tornado Decimates Trailer Park.' Honestly, I didn't expect pulling off a stunt like this would give me a skill—and such a cool one at that. But man, it's exhausting."
March 7th caught her breath and shook her head. "Exhausting? Stay in there a little longer, and we might've been flung into orbit. But anyway, what did we come to the Divination Commission for again?"
Before getting on the starskiff, March 7th clearly remembered their purpose. But after the dizzying ride, her brain felt scrambled. All she wanted now was to sit down and rest.
Pei Guang scratched his head. "Let me think... Oh! I forgot. Whatever. Since I can't remember—"
Before he could finish, his phone buzzed.
Pei Guang instinctively checked it and saw a sticker sent by Kafka. Suddenly, it all came back to him.
"Oh yeah! We took Kafka's job."
March 7th: "Oh! Kafka! Hmm! That woman? Ah Guang, you didn't let that mature woman trick you, did you? That woman, eww~"
While voicing her concerns, March 7th clung tightly to Pei Guang's arm, as if she were afraid he'd be deceived by that "bad woman." In March 7th's eyes, it was fine if Pei Guang got swept away by Seele, Bronya, Silver Wolf, or even Bailu, but under no circumstances could he be taken in by this unfamiliar Kafka.
Pei Guang, however, remained calm. "Relax, she can't trick me. I'm face-blind. Whether someone looks better or worse than you, I can't really tell."
Hearing this, Stelle pouted unhappily. "What about me? What about me?"
Pei Guang: "You? Same."
March 7th gasped. "Hiss! Ah Guang! Just how many girls have you tricked with that mouth of yours? Come on, spill it!"
Pei Guang glanced at her. "Isn't there one standing right here?"
Stelle beamed proudly. "Of course! I'm one of the girls Ah Guang tricked into being completely dazed."
Stelle straightened her chest with confidence, while March 7th widened her eyes and stared at Stelle. "Huh?"
The three continued laughing and chatting as they walked after getting off the starskiff. However, as they moved forward, they noticed the Cloud Knights patrolling nearby seemed unusually numerous.
Especially when Pei Guang approached the entrance of the Divination Commission, his attention was drawn to a wanted poster.
Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th gathered around the poster. March 7th, suddenly channeling her inner detective, analyzed it carefully. "This guy... I remember! He's the one who chased Dan Heng and got thoroughly beaten. The Stellaron Hunters' wanted orders were already canceled, but this guy's is still up. I get it! He must have caused more trouble after being let go by the Xianzhou authorities, so they never took down his poster!"
March 7th confidently presented her theory, piecing together clues from experience. Afterward, she turned to find Pei Guang and Stelle unusually quiet, prompting her to ask, "Ah Guang, what do you think?"
Pei Guang shrugged. "I think what you're saying makes sense! This kind of scenario happens all the time."
Stelle, however, tilted her head thoughtfully before suggesting, "But what if—just saying—what if this guy wasn't wanted for being a Stellaron Hunter? What if, like Dan Heng's past life, he messed up on the Xianzhou before and that's why he's still wanted?"
Pei Guang nodded. "That's possible too. Both of your theories make sense and are plausible outcomes. In fact, you've pretty much covered all the angles."
Stelle put her hands on her hips and said smugly, "That's what happens when you hang around Ah Guang—skills like these come naturally."
March 7th turned to Stelle, her mouth agape. "Wait... is that how the saying goes?"
Pei Guang waved it off. "No big deal! As long as the meaning gets across. Anyway, regardless of why he's wanted, Jing Yuan was willing to let him go back then, which means he didn't see the need to kill or capture him. Plus, Kafka's mission might even tie into the main story later."
Leaving the wanted poster behind, the three continued walking and chatting as they followed the signal Kafka had sent. Pei Guang, however, found her coordinates too imprecise, so he used the mini-map to track her down more accurately.
They arrived at a small courtyard and spotted Kafka standing outside, looking through a window.
Inside, Blade was meditating at first glance, appearing calm. But soon, a pained expression crossed his face. Kafka, outside the window, showed no emotion as she maintained her Spirit Whisper ability, continuing to keep him under control.
Seeing this, Pei Guang called out casually, "Kafka, we're here~"
Upon hearing Pei Guang's voice, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at him. She seemed only mildly surprised to see that he wasn't alone.
"Please, I need your help. We need to suppress Blade's corrupted state," she said.
As she spoke, he tossed her a bottle of coffee. Kafka caught it deftly and poured the contents into Blade's mouth. Immediately, he drifted off to sleep, his pained expression vanishing.
Seeing this, Kafka smiled faintly. She glanced over at Pei Guang, contemplated for a moment, then said nothing.
If it had been Stelle she was dealing with, she might have said plenty. But with Pei Guang, there was no need to explain. In this universe, true freedom didn't exist—without Pei Guang, so many destinies were predetermined. The Stellaron Hunters could only do so much to steer fate in a certain direction.
Yet Pei Guang's presence was the greatest variable in this universe. Even as destiny bound the world in shackles, it simultaneously granted this realm a fleeting sense of freedom.
That freedom stemmed from Pei Guang, and it influenced anyone connected to him. Where the universe would go from here was more than just a choice by fate; it was now a choice of Pei Guang's as well—a decision that involved the entire cosmos.
Hence, the Stellaron Hunters' original plan would proceed as normal, but anything to do with Pei Guang was handled on a case-by-case basis. According to Elio's prophecies, she understood more than most, so there was no way she'd make an enemy of a player like him.
Pei Guang, on the other hand, noticed Kafka's silence and spoke first. "Is there something you want me to do? Just remember, I don't work for free."
Kafka nodded. "Of course. I'd like you to buy me some time. As payment, I'll surrender a second time—letting you and your companions do whatever you like with me. Sounds good?"
Pei Guang's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected to find a second "Sampo" figure on the Xianzhou. The first time he looted Kafka, he'd gotten a synthetizing cooking pot. The second time, he'd scored a fancy spatula effect.
Once, he'd unlocked a new ability; another time, he'd gained a high-grade weapon skin. Naturally, the prospect of a third chance to loot her body was thrilling.
Still, in a free-form world like this, just looting one enemy simply wasn't enough.
Sensing Pei Guang's thoughts, Kafka smirked. "I can't stop whatever you decide to do~" she admitted.
Hearing Kafka's proposition, March 7th—who had been listening from the side—suddenly piped up. "Hey, but didn't Pei Guang and Bailu whip up a special cure that can treat Mara-struck people? I remember Bailu prescribing a dose for him earlier. Why didn't it work?"
Kafka glanced at Blade's sleeping form. "It would work for accidental Mara-struck transformations, yes. But the recent shock was far too severe. His mind has rejected the treatment, so my only option was to seal his memories via Spirit Whisper and make him forget."
Pei Guang cut in with a raised hand. "Actually, I don't think making him forget is necessary. My guess is he's just traumatized from that pink bunny of Dan Heng's. Nobody can stand up to such absolute humiliation. But I've got an idea to calm him down—let him equip one of my weapon skins.
"Remember that spoon we got from him last time? I was thinking about giving it to Jing Yuan's Lighting Lord, but that thing ended up sprouting its own spoon anyway, so now nobody's using it. I think Blade would be perfect. He can't die, has a lethal fighting style, and brandishing a giant spoon to humiliate his enemies might do wonders for his morale, right?
As an old saying goes, "Fight humiliation with humiliation!"