Aventurine's expression was heavy.
This way of "making friends" had just wiped out all of his previous plans, because what he originally intended was to make contact first, build some goodwill, and then find an excuse to bring Pei Guang to his side.
But it hadn't even been a full minute since he came in, and he was already dragged into this strange trash can?
And he had to admit: the temperature, along with that strange sense of being sheltered by Preservation, it was so comfortable that even someone like him, who had countless experiences of luxury, couldn't help but enjoy it.
The only regret was that you still had to wear clothes while soaking in something this nice.
But thankfully, Penacony's Dreampool liquid was specially made—soaking in it while clothed didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and when you came out, there wasn't any residue left on either your body or your clothes.
But then he noticed something wrong.
Stelle, even in the trash can, was clearly still clothed. But Pei Guang? It didn't look like he was wearing anything at all.
And in Penacony, entering dreams naked was a dangerous thing.
Aventurine warned, "I have to remind you, entering a dream without clothes is a very dangerous practice~"
Pei Guang waved it off. "Not a big deal! Worst case, I'll just put them on once I'm in!"
He didn't care.
But when Stelle heard this, her expression froze. Then she quietly turned her back to them—and as she did, she licked her lips in excitement.
She never imagined Ah Guang was this wild. The Dreamscape Pass explicitly warned: always wear clothes when entering, or you'd end up bare-assed in the dream world.
And yet, he wasn't wearing anything?
"Hehehe… Ah Guang's actually not wearing clothes???"
Stelle hadn't expected that Pei Guang wasn't wearing clothes at all.
Once Aventurine left, she definitely wanted to take a good look at whether Pei Guang's "development" was healthy or not!
While Stelle was smirking to herself, Pei Guang, as if seeing through her thoughts, continued, "I'm a man who comes with built-in harmony! Sure, I'm not wearing clothes, but I am wearing underwear! And my underwear can never be damaged, nor can it be taken off."
That was a lie. His underwear really couldn't be damaged or forcibly removed, but he could take it off himself.
Before Stelle came into the room, he hadn't been wearing anything at all. Only after she opened the door did he put on that one item.
He knew Stelle too well: with how her perverted side had been steadily climbing under his influence, she could absolutely pull off things even he didn't dare to imagine.
Unlike Pei Guang, Stelle truly had never taken her outfit off. While he'd mess around changing gear for fun, Stelle had always worn that same set, at most equipping items with attributes over it.
Pei Guang was starting to wonder if Stelle's clothes were literally part of her body—or maybe that outfit had special properties?
Still, he could understand Stelle's behavior well.
It was like a game: in some, you could freely take off and swap outfits, while in others, no matter what you did, the design only allowed for one set of clothes.
After all, in his case the game files were patched: he had "modded" himself to be able to change anything freely. Stelle's patch didn't allow for that.
It made sense.
But then a question came into Pei Guang's head: Stelle had been wearing this same outfit since her "birth," and living beings, when born, are naked, right?
So rounding it up... doesn't that mean Stelle is always naked?
How lewd!!!
Nobody would know how Pei Guang managed to get aroused looking at the fully clothed Stelle.
If Kafka and Silver Wolf knew about Pei Guang's wild thoughts, they'd have to give him a thumbs up. Only Pei Guang could come up with such an abstract idea that doesn't match reality.
As for how body hygiene is handled when always wearing clothes? Stelle wasn't worried about this at all: with the power of the Stellaron, her body remained in the cleanest state every second.
Thinking about all this, Pei Guang looked over at Stelle nearby.
Thinking this way, even though Stelle was wearing clothes right now, Pei Guang still felt it was so lewd!
Stelle also sensed Pei Guang's gaze, and she looked back with eyes full of desire and interest.
The moment their eyes met, Pei Guang shivered. He didn't know why, but Stelle felt a little terrifying right now.
He thought maybe Aventurine's presence was suppressing some of Stelle's more dangerous impulses. If that was true, then he absolutely couldn't let Aventurine leave.
As the saying went, it was the "thief in your own house" that was hardest to guard against. Who knew what Stelle might secretly try to pull?
Feeling the timing was right, Aventurine tried to break in with a self-introduction. "Hello. Allow me to introduce myself: Strategic Investment Department, specializing in clearing the bad assets under Diamond's command. You're Pei Guang, right? I heard about you from Topaz. After meeting today, you truly are extraordinary~ I heard that as long as there's a job, I can come to you. I wonder if—"
Before Aventurine could finish, a voice cut him off.
"Hey! What are you doing in my room?"
The door, which had been closed, swung open again. Since Aventurine hadn't locked it when he came in, the newcomer easily opened it.
And this time, it was none other than Acheron.
The moment she opened the door, her brain almost froze from what she saw: three people soaking in trash cans. She sniffed the air, catching the aroma of something fragrant.
Wait—why did she instantly know those were trash cans? She didn't know herself.
She just looked at the bins with people soaking inside, and it was instinct: they were trash bins.
Soaking in trash bins to dream was one thing, but these three had even lit fires under them and were literally boiling themselves?
Did they have a death wish or what?
Well, water-boiling wasn't the worst, since she knew none of these three were ordinary. At fifty degrees, they wouldn't cook alive.
But the problem was, why did each of the three trash cans give off a completely different scent?
From Stelle's can came a sweet fragrance, so tempting that even Acheron felt her appetite stir.
From Aventurine's one came a long, bitter fragrance, with a third note she couldn't identify.
Unlike the other two, Pei Guang was different: his body gave off the scent of fragrance, umami, and spices, the three blending together to make him the most dazzling among them?
No… the one who looked the most appetizing.
Pei Guang froze for a moment at Acheron's sudden appearance. Just as he was about to explain, Acheron stepped forward in a single stride, towering over him.
At the same time, Stelle reacted quickly, standing up and following Acheron's gaze to look down as well.
Acheron stared at the naked Pei Guang, then at the liquid that looked exactly like that of the Dreampool.
After a moment of silence, she spoke: "What are you doing?"
Pei Guang: "Preparing to dream, of course. I just modified the Dreampool a little. The water's too cold, it doesn't feel right, so I heated it up a bit~ Soaking in this warm water while dreaming is pure enjoyment~"
Hearing his explanation, Acheron glanced at the flames blazing beneath their three barrels. "Won't you get cooked like this?"
Pei Guang raised a finger: "Tsk tsk tsk~ Absolutely not. This is my unique skill. I can maintain a stable temperature, and I even enabled friendly-fire immunity. With friendly-fire immunity active, any direct or indirect damage from this fire won't affect us at all~"
Seeing Pei Guang so confident, Acheron didn't know what to say.
Should she tell him: "You smell delicious right now. Raise the temperature a bit more and you'll be ready to serve as a boiled Trailblazer."
While Acheron hesitated, Stelle stood up and grabbed her hand: "Acheron~ since you're here already, why not try Ah Guang's special Dreampool? Let me tell you, this trash can isn't an ordinary trash can; it has the power of Preservation. Combined with the Dreampool's liquid and the Savory Truefire for a slow simmer, it's heavenly."
Hearing Stelle's invitation, Acheron began running a rationality check. However, Stelle had learned well from Pei Guang's "fine traditions."
Acheron was a familiar face, even without her memories from the dreamscape, and wasn't there a saying?
"Since you've come this far, why leave?"
Acheron wanted to refuse, but Stelle's hands were faster. She whipped out a bin, quickly filled it with water, and pulled Acheron in.
Once she was inside, Pei Guang lit the fire.
And so, what had originally been a room for one became a room for four.