After finishing looting the corpses, Pei Guang carried the trash can with Firefly inside and ran off in an unusual route.
He ran far, and once he was sure there were no Bloodhound Family members around, he returned to the surface and set the trash can down.
"It's… it's over now, right?"
Firefly's voice was still shaky, but there was a strange excitement hidden in it.
Even though she hadn't really done much herself, just the thought of going wild and laughing together with this person in front of her made her feel an inexplicable joy.
A simple, efficient battle that ended in ridiculous laughter, paired with an abstract, absurd escape method: it truly was the kind of unique experience one could only find in dreams.
Remembering the looks of shock on everyone's faces just now when she was glowing, the smile on her face grew even brighter.
Seeing Firefly so happy, Pei Guang glanced around, nodded in confirmation, and said, "For now we're safe. Later, who knows? But I figure they probably won't come to bother us again anytime soon."
Firefly: "So you're saying… they'll still come after us? That's bad news…"
Pei Guang spread his hands: "Who knows? Maybe those playing chess up above will think we're too much trouble and just leave us alone. If they do come, we just knock them all down again. And hey, before that happens, we should have some fun while we can~ So, do you know any good places around here?"
Firefly nodded, putting a hand to her chest as she looked at him with some anticipation.
"Lots and lots~ If you don't mind, I can take you to experience all kinds of fun things. Besides… if I leave on my own now, I'll probably just get caught right away…"
Pei Guang: "No big deal! Trust me, once they finish fighting each other, our 'suspicions' will clear up. Until then, we're like two grasshoppers tied to the same rope: might as well hop around together. You show me Penacony, and once we leave this dreamscape, I'll take you to see other places~"
Hearing she could go to other places, Firefly didn't show excitement. Instead, there was a faint trace of sadness on her face.
For most people, that change would've been impossible to notice, but as a player, Pei Guang picked up on it.
Still, he didn't say anything—just quietly remembered it.
Firefly took a light breath, her smile still the same as she looked at him. "Alright! Then let's say this is my payment for you being my guide in the future. This time, I'll be the guide, and show you the world of beautiful dreams~"
Pei Guang nodded. "No problem! I'll take on that quest. No matter what happens, I'll complete it: take you to other worlds to have fun."
Firefly lowered her eyes slightly, her thoughts unknown, but soon she was smiling again and turned to him. "Okay~ I'll show you around the city. Let's go~"
She looked around carefully, confirmed their location, then let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like it's not far~"
Pei Guang: "Where are we going?"
Firefly: "I'll take you to the Oti Mall. It's famous for dream-goods. And not just that, there are all kinds of luxury stores, clothing shops, trendy toy stores, even dealerships. As long as you've got enough Alfalfa Credits, you can buy anything you want. But our first stop isn't there. Before shopping, I'm going to treat you to something tasty~"
Pei Guang: "Huh? You're buying? Alright then, I won't hold back. But fair warning: my tastes are kinda expensive."
Firefly hesitated, looking a bit unsure. "Um… that should be fine, I still have some savings…"
Pei Guang: "Then no time like the present, shall we?"
Firefly: "Let's go~"
Even though the Bloodhound Family was still after them, since there weren't any around here, and because she was in such a good mood, Firefly slowed her steps.
If she walked too fast, she felt this happiness would vanish too soon.
The two walked one after another, but just as Firefly was about to strike up a conversation, she suddenly heard running footsteps beside her.
Pei Guang had suddenly dashed forward, and in his eyes was a look so gentle and full of anticipation that even Firefly herself was shaken by it.
Yes, right now Pei Guang was that "yasashi".
In games and anime, the word "yasashi" might get so overused it becomes cheap, but what Pei Guang was showing now completely surpassed any protagonist in those stories.
In Pei Guang's eyes, it seemed he had found the most perfect thing in the world.
That thing was Penacony's trash can.
Compared to Belobog's trash cans, these were small and cute. They couldn't hold much, but they carried the garbage of dreams.
If Belobog's trash cans embodied dignity, then Penacony's embodied cuteness and delicacy.
Remember! Never let priests or nuns get close to them.
Who knows what awful things they might do, like trying to shove oversized garbage into these small, delicate bodies.
Pei Guang rushed to the trash can.
Could trash cans dream of black garbage bags? He didn't know.
But what he did know was that in games, trash cans and delivery boxes always held weapons, gear, or materials—that was player common sense.
Though Penacony's trash cans were small, they were also very cute. Facing such an adorable trash can, Pei Guang reached out and gently caressed its body.
In dreams, it bore no marks of time, as clean as new. Touching it was warm and smooth: the texture, the look, it was the most beautiful trash can imaginable!
Unfortunately, it was too small to hold a big trash bag.
Still, when it felt the touch of a Trailblazer, it showed its docile, adorable side.
Firefly watched this interaction in shock.
Some things sound funny when you just hear about them, but when you actually see them with your own eyes, your brain starts to shake. In her head it felt like ten thousand llamas were stampeding back and forth, like wild horses running free.
Pei Guang's behavior had been strange before, but for some reason, when she saw the trash can and felt it near her, it seemed like it was greeting her.
Truly unbelievable…
"Um…"
Firefly swallowed, wanting to say something, but what happened next disrupted her thoughts.
She saw Pei Guang open the trash can, and inside it a blue glow emerged.
At that moment, Pei Guang's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked into the trash can. Inside lay a gear and a movie ticket. He picked both of them up.
[Emotional Manifestation: Can be used to repair people's emotional dials, helping them recover lost feelings]
[Double Movie Ticket: An abandoned double movie ticket. Using this ticket allows entry into the Clock Studios Theme Park to watch the movie "Mint-Colored Galaxy." Remaining use time: six system hours.]
Pei Guang studied the two items, thinking about what use they could have.
First, this Emotional Manifestation: it could actually help people recover lost emotions? As expected of the dream world, this setting was pretty interesting.
As for the movie ticket…
The first person that came to mind was March 7th, but March was shopping in another dream, and six system hours might not be enough for her to come.
Then there was Stelle… and he felt Stelle was actually a very good choice.
According to his analysis, this ticket was most likely a time-limited dungeon entry pass.
Which player would really sit down in a theater just to watch a movie? Obviously, you'd go in to farm loot.
Satisfied with the haul, Pei Guang nodded.
One was a yet-to-be-unlocked functional item, the other a dungeon entry pass.
While he was content, Firefly leaned in curiously, whispering: "Did… that trash can really have something special inside?"
Pei Guang nodded: "That's right! But this isn't a trash can—it's my treasure chest! Hey, don't make that face. How about this: I'll let you open the next trash can. Who knows what you'll get?"
"No way! Just looking at it feels… weird~"
"What's so weird about it~? I'm telling you, I've even run into an Aeon of Preservation's Emanator trash can."
"You're lying. How could a trash can become an Emanator~"
"There it is! The classic response: 'no one would believe you.' Tch."
Hearing the slight irritation in his tone, Firefly muttered: "I believe you~ I believe you. It's just… a trash can becoming a Preservation Emanator, it sounds so strange…"
"Strange? I don't think so. After all, what the Aeon of Preservation does isn't much different from what a trash can does. Look, the Aeon builds walls to seal off the universe. A trash can seals garbage inside its body. If you round it up, a trash can equals Qlipoth."
"Pff—! If anyone from the Company heard you say that, they'd be furious."
Chatting like this, Pei Guang and Firefly headed toward the plaza she wanted to visit.