Chapter 337: Looting the Willing

Pei Guang acted quickly. There weren't too many people skulking around—forty at most. When they saw Pei Guang move, they tried to use secret arts to flee. But before they could escape, he reached them first.

Secret arts for escape? They might work against average folks, but not against the Cloud Knights. Among the Knights were several Vidyadhara members, and seeing their fellow clansmen behave so disgracefully enraged them.

Thanks to the cooperation of the Cloud Knights and the Xianzhou residents, all of the individuals marked by Pei Guang were captured and looted. These people hadn't harmed anyone yet, so he didn't escalate beyond detaining them.

However, just as Pei Guang was about to leave, he was surrounded by a group of Xianzhou citizens.

A nervous Xianzhou native asked, "Sir, please, could you take a moment to check if I've been tainted by the Abundance's power?"

Another frightened resident added, "Me too! I'm terrified of becoming a Mara-struck…"

As always, the Xianzhou people didn't fear death—after living for so long, the concept of dying didn't bother them much. What they truly feared was becoming Mara-struck, a fate worse than death. Losing consciousness was one thing, but harming their loved ones in the process was unbearable. So when Bailu mentioned that someone was tainted by the Abundance's power, everyone began to wonder, "Is it me?"

Then they saw someone try to slip away, and whether they were a Cloud Knight or an ordinary citizen, their anger flared.

"Lady Bailu said the medicine can purge the Abundance's power, yet you're running away? Confess! Are you one of the Abominations of Abundance? Or a Disciple of Sanctus Medicus?"

Bailu's medical services were arguably the hardest to book on the Xianzhou. Normally, getting an appointment could take years, but now she was personally helping people avoid succumbing to Mara-struck states. Not taking advantage of this opportunity would practically be a waste, right?

Thus, what was initially just Pei Guang forcefully "dispensing coffee" turned into a long line forming in front of him. To make things even more organized, a few justice-driven Xianzhou citizens started maintaining order in the queue.

"Fellow citizens, the power of the Plagues Author has erupted on the Luofu! Lady Bailu is here to examine us and prevent us from falling into Mara-struck states. Please line up in an orderly fashion. Also, pay attention to anyone acting suspiciously or refusing to cooperate with the examination and treatment—they're definitely Disciples of Sanctus Medicus or Abominations corrupted by the Abundance!"

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

"Anyone who doesn't cooperate, grab them all!"

And just like that, the situation in Pei Guang's vicinity took an unexpected turn.

Looking at the Xianzhou citizens voluntarily queuing up in front of him, Pei Guang's gamer mind struggled to process what was happening. "Huh, are Xianzhou people always this welcoming? Even lining up to let me loot their pockets?"

Despite his sarcasm, if people willingly queued up to let him loot their pockets—or even if his marked enemies joined the line—how could he say no? That would just be wasteful!

So, he set up a small table and allowed the lined-up citizens to approach. Meanwhile, Bailu stood beside him, putting on a serious expression. Every time someone stepped forward, she would act all grave and then nod solemnly.

Pei Guang would then reach into their pockets. At first, he doubted whether he'd find anything worthwhile, but when he pulled something out from the second person in line, his expression turned serious.

Sure, it was the most basic and trash-tier weapon effect, but hey, even junk had synthesis potential. Pei Guang wasn't about to complain.

Initially, some of the Xianzhou people were unhappy with the pocket-searching. They thought it was an invasion of privacy. However, when they saw Pei Guang pull a fist-sized, strange object seemingly out of thin air, they finally understood.

"Oh, so this is Lady Bailu's miraculous ability? She can directly extract bad things from our bodies and purify us?"

Even though it was Pei Guang doing the looting, everyone attributed the act to Bailu's supposed powers. Pei Guang couldn't be bothered to correct them—why waste time explaining when they were so cooperative? Might as well keep looting.

There were about a hundred people in total. By the time he finished looting the entire line, he nodded in satisfaction.

Over twenty basic attack effects—plenty of material for synthesis experiments. He could even test out some blueprints to see if he could unlock anything interesting.

Since there was still a mission to complete, the group left after looting the crowd and headed toward the Scalegorge Waterscape.

To get there, they needed to pass through the Alchemy Commission. Pei Guang and Dan Heng opted to take a Starskiff to the Commission instead of using teleportation. 

Why? Because Pei Guang wanted to savor the journey. 

Sure, teleporting was faster, but in a world this immersive, taking a slower route allowed for conversation and made the experience much more enjoyable. During the journey, the three of them struck up a chat.

"A big haul! A huge haul!" Pei Guang exclaimed as they arrived at the Alchemy Commission, sorting through his loot. Turning to Bailu, he added, "Hey, Bailu, let's make a deal. How about we set up a stall together? You can bluff about sensing the Abundance's power, and I'll handle the pocket-looting. We can split the spoils fifty-fifty."

For Pei Guang, this was his first time experiencing such simple, guilt-free looting—no, this wasn't just looting; it was NPCs lining up to deliver materials to him! Sure, they were basic materials, but he wasn't picky.

Bailu: "Split the spoils! Ahem, well, I might consider it. But, Ah Guang, could these things… turn into something like his bunny?"

Having traveled with Pei Guang for a while, Bailu was well aware of his many peculiar abilities. She also knew how Dan Heng's pink bunny came into existence, which only fueled her anticipation.

Pei Guang: "Of course! You'll have your pick when the time comes. Now that we've dealt with all the potentially disruptive NPCs during this mission, we can proceed! This time, I don't think anything will stop us."

Thanks to Pei Guang's thorough clean-up in the Exalting Sanctum, and with the detained group temporarily held by the Cloud Knights, critical information never made it back to their handlers. This effectively rendered all the schemes against Dan Heng and Bailu completely useless.

As a result, Pei Guang, Dan Heng, and Bailu encountered no obstacles on their journey, smoothly making their way to the site of the seal.

Standing before the massive dragon's head, Dan Heng and Bailu took in the breathtaking sight.

Bailu: "No matter how many times I see it, this place always feels so grand."

Dan Heng: "Yes. Establishing this seal and using dragon energy to suppress the roots' spread—this is the solemn duty entrusted to the Vidyadhara Imbibitor Lunae."

Hearing this, Bailu sighed. "I wasn't talking about that dragon. I meant that one! Look up!"

Bailu pointed above, where the colossal pink bunny loomed, holding up the vast ocean. Its drawn-out "meow" echoed through the entire Scalegorge Waterscape.

At that moment, Dan Heng fell silent. Truly, compared to the grandeur of the Arbor's seal, the pink bunny was far more attention-grabbing. It was also the reason many members of the Vidyadhara clan had grown to despise him.

The Scalegorge Waterscape was once a pristine sanctuary, but now? It was utterly transformed into a scene of chaos, and some among the Vidyadhara were furious enough to kill over it.

Dan Heng: "You're right. The first time I saw this, I was stunned too…"