Before Himeko could reply, Pei Guang stretched out his hand: "No! One cup isn't enough, I want a whole pot!"
March panicked: "Ah Guang, are you crazy? Himeko's coffee, made with her whole heart—cough, cough, cough, cough!!"
She faked a coughing fit to remind Pei Guang that Himeko's coffee was like his singing: free for sure, but also incredibly deadly. But for Pei Guang, the temptation of Himeko's coffee was greater.
Pei Guang: "It's fine. If that's the reward, then I accept this quest. I can't even imagine how incredible coffee brewed with your whole heart will be, Himeko."
Ordinary Himeko coffee was already deadly enough. If it were made with her full devotion, Pei Guang couldn't even begin to picture just how lethal it might be.
But this was exactly why he was so satisfied with the reward.
Coffee brewed with Himeko's whole heart—this was a rare quest item. It could serve both as a consumable to torment enemies and as a collectible. Pei Guang was more than happy.
In fact, even without a reward, he would gladly accept Himeko's request. But with one?
His fighting spirit ignited instantly.
"That's it! I can't hold it anymore: I have to enter the dream now and complete this quest!"
Himeko: "No need to rush. For now, let's focus on the conductor's request, gather intelligence while enjoying our holiday. Penacony is one of the most famous resorts in the universe, after all. Many people never get to visit even once in their lives."
After a bit more chatting, everyone began preparing to dream.
When Pei Guang entered his room, he saw a giant shell filled with liquid.
"So this is the Dreampool?"
Curious, he poked the water. The instant his finger touched it, he shivered.
"This water's cold…"
He glanced at the Dreamscape Pass, which had instructions for entering the dream. But faced with the icy chill, he suddenly had no desire to dive in.
"No way, too cold. I came here to enjoy myself: I'm not about to soak in freezing water just to enter a dungeon."
If it were just sitting at a computer, he wouldn't care how he entered a new map. But here, his body could feel temperature.
While it wouldn't actually affect his health, if he could choose, he'd much rather it be warm.
With that thought, a bold idea struck him. He grabbed a trash can, poured all the Dreampool's water into it, and built a fire beneath.
Once it was ready, Pei Guang climbed into the steaming water. The instant he sank in, he felt like his whole being had ascended.
"As expected, warm water really is the best… ohhh, so good~"
Soaking in the trash can, Pei Guang had already stored away all his clothes.
After all, who takes a bath with clothes on?
What? The Dreamscape Pass said no entering dreams while naked?
But he wasn't entering the dream, was he? He was just taking a bath.
As for the temperature, that was no issue at all: he was using his own Savory Truefire. Now that he could control the temperature of his flames, he kept them at a steady level, holding the water at about fifty degrees.
At the same time he settled in, Pei Guang received a system prompt.
[Enter dream?]
"Looks like I can decide myself whether to go in or not? In that case—no! This hot bath is way too comfortable~"
Compared to entering the dream, the feeling of soaking in hot water right now was much better.
But his blissful moment was short-lived. Just as he was enjoying himself, there was a sudden knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
Hearing Pei Guang's question, Stelle called from outside: "It's me~"
Pei Guang: "Come in~ door's not locked."
Stelle pushed the door open. The moment she stepped inside and saw Pei Guang soaking in a bucket, her eyes lit up.
"What is this? What kind of setup?"
She noticed that the water from the Dreampool was completely gone, yet there was now a trash bin filled with enough water for someone to soak in.
The bin was being heated over a fire, while Pei Guang lounged inside enjoying the steadily rising warmth.
Pei Guang: "Oh~ I thought the Dreampool water was too cold. I figured something warm like this is just right."
Curious, Stelle reached out to touch the water. It was rather hot, but seeing Pei Guang like this made her want to try it too.
Stelle: "I want one like this too, can I?"
Pei Guang: "Of course you can! Actually, bathing is more fun with more people."
So Pei Guang pulled out another trash can, set it next to his, filled it with Dreampool water, and lit a Savory flame under it, keeping the fire at a steady temperature.
Once the water was ready, Stelle climbed in.
At first the heat made her flinch, but soon after she felt an unprecedented sense of comfort. The soothing sensation made her close her eyes involuntarily.
She felt like she was about to enter a dream, but before she could, a prompt appeared—
[Enter dream?]
"Nope! I'm bathing with Ah Guang~" she declared, resting her arms lazily along the edge of the can.
Pei Guang: "So? Pretty great, right? I'm telling you, if we enter the dream at this temperature, we won't just wake up mentally refreshed: the body will feel amazing too. I can't even imagine how good it'd be to soak at over fifty degrees the whole time!"
Stelle: "It is nice… but something feels missing."
Pei Guang: "Obviously—snacks!"
He pulled out some snacks to share with Stelle. As the two of them soaked and munched happily, the room's door was knocked on again.
Pei Guang called out immediately: "Door's not locked~"
The door opened, and it was Aventurine.
After hearing that Pei Guang had checked in, he had wanted to meet this unusual Trailblazer in person. He had prepared himself for the encounter—but he had not prepared for this.
Two people… stewing themselves in buckets? Not even proper tubs, but in garbage bins?
Aventurine had seen a lot in his life, but for a moment his mind simply blanked.
Pei Guang noticed his reaction.
He remembered this was the man who had locked eyes with him earlier. But why was he standing there stunned now?
Pei Guang thought through all the possibilities, and then he understood. In many games, some NPCs were coded as "shy types."
That must be it: this guy was the shy type.
And what was he shy about?
Of course! He must have seen Pei Guang's unique technique for using the Dreampool and wanted one for himself, but was too embarrassed to ask.
Realizing this, Pei Guang nodded with satisfaction.
Pei Guang: "Oh~ stranger NPC, you must have taken a liking to our Dreampool setup and want one yourself? No problem, we'll take your commission. Just remember the reward~"
He quickly pulled out another trash can, filled it with Dreampool water, and lit a controlled flame under it that could last all day.
All set, he placed the bin before Aventurine: "Here! No need to be shy, try it out!"
At that moment, Aventurine still hadn't processed what was going on.
He had only paused for a second—just a second!—and suddenly Pei Guang was offering him a trash can of hot water.
Looking at the bin and the steaming water, Aventurine's expression turned serious.
When it came to Pei Guang, he could not afford to take risks. If he couldn't recruit him, then at the very least he couldn't afford to make him an enemy.
And what did this gesture mean? Was it a test? A test of his sincerity?
After glancing at Pei Guang and Stelle soaking contentedly, Aventurine pondered for a moment, then smiled. "I'll try it."
If this was a chance to build rapport, he would take it.
Humiliation? That didn't matter.
Just seeing the two of them enjoying it was enough proof: this must be some sort of recognition ritual from this Trailblazer!
So Aventurine tried stepping into the water. He had thought this was some kind of trial, but once he slipped in, he realized… the water was hot, yes, but surprisingly comfortable.
As he adjusted, Pei Guang handed him some snacks: "Here! Try one. I'm telling you, eating snacks while soaking in the bath—nothing compares, even immortals wouldn't trade it!"
Aventurine: "Indeed~"
He carefully savored the strange new experience.
Somehow, while soaking, he could completely choose whether or not to enter the dream. And compared to the rigid Dreampool where one could only lie down, this fire-warmed garbage bin was far more pleasant.
But just as he was starting to relax, Aventurine's expression froze.
He suddenly remembered: he hadn't come here to take a bath.
From the moment he stepped inside, he hadn't said a word, and somehow he had completely been swept along by Pei Guang's pace.
And worse yet—since when was entering dreams from the Dreampool a choice??? He could actually pick yes or no???
This Trailblazer really was terrifying.
No wonder Topaz and Dr. Ratio had both warned him to treat this one with absolute caution.