Outside the Goethe Hotel, March 7th started humming excitedly the moment she returned.
"Goethe Hotel~ Goethe Hotel~ We're back again~"
Her voice was full of excitement. After all, she had made so many precious memories at the Goethe Hotel. Now that she was about to create even more wonderful memories, she was completely overjoyed.
Pei Guang: "We're back~ Hm? Piggy Hero? What's wrong?"
Pei Guang noticed that Piggy Hero was trembling, as if it had spotted something terrifying. Following its gaze, Pei Guang instinctively turned his head—and saw a few familiar faces.
"You guys again?"
At Pei Guang's words, both March 7th and Stelle turned their heads simultaneously. Piggy Hero, in that moment of fear, latched onto Pei Guang's thigh.
For Piggy Hero, Pei Guang's thigh was thick and sturdy. Hugging a leg like that, Piggy Hero felt completely at ease.
March 7th noticed the approaching trio of staff members. Looking at them, she put her hands on her hips and spoke in a displeased tone, "Huh? You again?"
Angry staff member: "Hand over—"
Pei Guang: "Your next line is, 'Hand over that Piggy Hero to us.'"
Angry staff member: "Hand over that Piggy Hero to us—what? You can read minds!?"
Faced with the staff member's menacing attitude, Pei Guang responded with a confident smile, taking out an Aether Coin. "There's no way we're handing Piggy Hero over. It's our companion now. If you've got the guts, challenge us to a duel!"
Looking at the trio before him, Pei Guang felt a strong sense of déjà vu—three staffers, two doing the talking, and one silent in the middle. Even the voices of the two speaking felt oddly familiar.
That alone was reason enough for Pei Guang to be happy to play along.
Hearing Pei Guang's words, March 7th nodded firmly. "Ah Guang's right!"
Their responses infuriated the trio of staff members. One of them barked out angrily, "You three little brats think you can mock us? Let's see how you handle this!"
Stelle shrugged. "I didn't even say anything."
Angry staff member: "Save it! You're all in this together! Go, Aether Spirits!"
The company employees also brought out their Aether Coins. Pei Guang noticed that their Aether Spirits had gotten stronger this time—but unfortunately for them, his team's Aether Spirits were even stronger.
Unaware that Pei Guang had already developed the "Silvermane Retaliation Build," the employees sneered when they saw the Silvermane Aether Spirits.
"That's it? Such weak Aether Spirits—how are they supposed to fight ours?"
"Wait—what's happening?!"
"Stop! Stop it!!"
"Aaaaahhh!!!"
This time, Pei Guang didn't even bother saying anything. All they heard was the deep yet slightly sassy voice of the Silvermane Lieutenant.
Watching the scene unfold, March 7th covered her face. "Ugh! Seriously, knowing that those lines originally came from me… feels so weird now…"
Stelle patted her on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Besides, the embarrassing one isn't you—it's the Silvermane Lieutenant."
March 7th thought about it and nodded. "You're right. Let's just enjoy the show."
The company employees were defeated, and clutching his head in frustration, one of them groaned, "Damn it! We lost again…"
"We'll be back for sure!"
The three of them immediately turned and ran. Watching them go, March 7th clenched her fists and said proudly, "Hmph! Now you know how powerful I am, huh?"
Stelle, still tearing down the mood, added, "But this strat was Ah Guang's idea…"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Come on, there's no mine or yours—it's ours. I couldn't have thought of it without you guys."
March 7th put her hands on her hips and looked at Pei Guang. "Now that's what I like to hear. Let's go, Ah Guang, Stelle, time to rest. We played all day, I'm wiped out. Once we're well-rested, we'll head to the Victory Zone at Cloudford and play some more~"
They had been playing all day and were completely exhausted. Plus, with more fun planned for tomorrow, the three of them returned to their room and immediately crashed for a long, deep sleep.
The next morning, when Pei Guang stepped out into the lobby, he saw March 7th and Stelle already waiting and waving at him.
March 7th was the first to speak. "Hey~ how'd you sleep?"
Pei Guang stretched and smiled contentedly at them. "Slept great. Let's go! Shall we start today's game adventure?"
March 7th nodded vigorously. "Let's go~ let's go~"
Stelle: "Off we go~"
March 7th turned to Pei Guang. "Cloudford Victory Zone, here we come~ But Ah Guang, what kind of interesting stuff do you think we'll run into this time?"
Pei Guang: "Who knows? We might even bump into some familiar faces."
As Pei Guang joked, the three of them set out for Starskiff Haven. They had all done their research: the Victory Victory Zone at Cloudford could only be reached via a starskiff from Starskiff Haven.
Sure, teleporting was an option, but since they were in it for the fun, they decided to follow the proper route.
Once they arrived at Starskiff Haven, they immediately spotted a familiar figure: Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan, who had been sitting with her eyes closed in rest, sensed the people she was waiting for and opened her eyes. "Oh? You've come. I drew a divination this morning: it said you'd be coming here to attend the Victory Zone at Cloudford, so I waited here for you."
Seeing her, March 7th's eyes widened. "Fu Xuan? What are you doing here? Wait, did you guys really just hand over Cloudford for an event like this?"
Hearing March 7th's question, Fu Xuan sighed. "We didn't want to at first, but the General said that while Luofu may have survived the crisis, there's still a long road to recovery. And since there won't be much trade activity for a while, we figured we might as well lend it out. Consider it a favor for Ah Guang."
After Jing Yuan learned the Aetherium Wars event was something Pei Guang was involved in, he approved the venue rental without hesitation. With the influence of the Stellaron and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus' remnants still present, Cloudford couldn't function normally anyway.
So why not turn it into a goodwill gesture?
Pei Guang: "I see. But why are you here? Don't tell me… you're participating too?"
Fu Xuan smiled at the question. "Of course. With an event this large, the Xianzhou Luofu naturally needs a representative to show our support. It just so happens I'm on vacation, so I'm representing Luofu in the Aetherium Wars. And I must say, the game's surprisingly fun—great for relaxing."
Even though Aetherium Wars had been popular for over ten years, that's barely a blink for someone from the Xianzhou.
Pei Guang: "Wait, don't tell me you're this region's championship contender?"
Fu Xuan shook her head. "Of course not. Why would I willingly get crushed by you guys? I'm just participating as a guest. But if you want to challenge me, you'll have to beat the championship contenders first."
Pei Guang: "So that makes you this map's hidden boss?"
Fu Xuan nodded. "Exactly. Anyone who defeats me will receive a special hidden Aether Spirit exclusive to Luofu."
Pei Guang: "Oh? Now I'm interested. Fu Xuan, just wait. I'm taking down the champion contender today, and then you can sit tight and wait for our arrival~"
At that, Fu Xuan puffed up her chest, a bit smug. "Hmph, don't underestimate me. I've already got a good grasp on the mechanics of Aetherium Wars. I'll show you just how strong the Luofu's Aether Spirits really are."
Pei Guang: "No problem!"
After the duel was set, Fu Xuan led the group to the Victory Zone at Cloudford. The area was already bustling with players, some capturing Aether Spirits either online or in person, others deep in battle.
Of the four theme Zones, the Xianzhou Luofu's had the most people. One reason was that the Aether Spirits here were seriously powerful. The other? If you managed to beat the regional champion contender here, you'd earn a limited Aether Spirit directly from the Luofu.
That exclusive Spirit couldn't be used in the main event, but it was a rare collectible—miss it now, and it might never come back. Because of that, tons of people were at Cloudford hunting Aether Spirits.
Upon arriving at Cloudford, March 7th looked around at the familiar sights and couldn't help but comment, "Back here again~ I hope the company actually designed the map properly this time. The last few times we came, if Ah Guang hadn't been with me, I'd have gotten completely lost."
Fu Xuan explained, "That was during the chaos—many routes had to be blocked to keep out the Mara-Struck and the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. But everything's back to normal now. You won't get lost this time."
March 7th's eyes lit up. "Really? Now I'm super hyped!"
Stelle: "No worries. As long as Ah Guang's here, we're not getting lost."
March 7th turned to Stelle. "Are you maybe relying on Ah Guang a little too much…?"
Stelle puffed out her chest proudly. "What's wrong with that?"
Watching the trio joking around, Fu Xuan also smiled. "Alright~ you three go on and enjoy the experience. I'll head to the designated spot and wait for your challenge. I hope the first challengers I meet are you."
Pei Guang patted his chest. "Don't worry, we'll definitely be your first challengers. Let's see if the Aether Spirits here can inspire me to come up with a new strategy."
Pei Guang was really looking forward to his match with Fu Xuan, and Fu Xuan was just as eager to have a proper match with Pei Guang; after all, if it came to a full-on, no-holds-barred fight, she wouldn't be able to take it.