Chapter 383: Sasuga Pei Guang-sama!

Elysia stared at the scene before her, feeling an itch in her brain. She knew that in the vastness of the galaxy, some forces defied common sense. But a trash can spitting out weapons? Even making garbage vanish and turning clean? Something about this just felt… off.

Watching her reaction, March 7th walked up and reassured her, "Relax, relax~ I was the same at first! I thought I wasn't awake yet. But later, I realized… these trash cans are just too amazing!"

Elysia: "Huh?"

March 7th explained, "Think about it! Trash cans, bottles, vases, and treasure chests can all give you gold-tier weapons, equipment, and skills. Like Ah Guang's fire? He got it from a loot box. The Star Destroyer ship? Also from a loot box. And then there's…"

Stelle pulled out a Light Cone. "I got this Light Cone from one too! These aren't just trash cans—they're treasure troves! As long as your heart is pure and you're one of us, you'll start pulling rare loot from all kinds of weird places!"

Elysia: "Huh? Trash cans… really have treasure inside?"

Pei Guang: "Of course! Everyday objects like jars and crates can drop all sorts of low-tier materials, and there's a tiny chance to get rare weapons, gear, or items. That's just common sense."

March 7th turned to Elysia with excitement. "See! Ah Guang's special common sense has appeared! Since you're his second-in-command, it's only natural for you to be able to pull items too. Come on, Elysia, give it a try! We'd never trick you!"

Elysia hesitated. "Can this really work?"

March 7th: "Of course! But you have to try it for yourself. I know it's hard to accept at first, but as Ah Guang always says, give it a shot! What if you succeed? Then you'll be able to pull super-powerful items from the most unexpected places!"

It wasn't that Elysia was unwilling to believe—it was just that no normal person would buy into something like this. 

What? Why was Stelle so accepting of it? Well, that was because she had been following Pei Guang since she woke up. She had already been shaped into his way of thinking.

As for everyone else? The more they hung around Pei Guang, the more they had to accept it. The truth was right in front of them, and it worked. Any rational person wouldn't refuse something that actually had results.

What? It's embarrassing? March 7th wasn't bragging, but if word got out that you could pull a battleship, Light Cones, or strange skill books from trash cans, then digging through trash would become a universal trend. 

They were just ahead of the curve!

Besides… in Belobog, scavenging through trash was already trending. Trash cans had even become one of Belobog's signature cultural icons. After all, nothing was more inspiring in a post-apocalyptic world than knowing you could survive just by looting trash. With Bronya subtly encouraging the movement, the trash can culture had already spread across Belobog.

Elysia was finally convinced. If she was just opening trash cans to see the garbage inside, she'd find it disgusting. But if opening them meant acquiring artifacts powerful enough to fight the Antimatter Legion, then… somehow, it all felt a lot more pure.

Pei Guang spoke with righteous conviction, "Do you really think we like trash? We may rummage through trash cans and use discarded items, but that doesn't mean we like garbage. What we love are useful items, not trash!"

Stelle nodded. "That's right! And trust Ah Guang! He may always bring up weird topics, and his jokes might only make sense after he explains them, but he's never made fun of us in a way that's insulting. If Ah Guang finds something good, he always shares it with us first. So—go ahead and open it! Smash open every container hiding treasure, and take everything that nobody else wants!"

Hearing Stelle praise him so highly, Pei Guang crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, radiating the unmistakable confidence of a player who had mastered the art of looting.

After hearing all this, Elysia took a deep breath. No matter what, Kevin had already set an example. If he could pull golden loot, then surely she, a beautiful girl, could too!

At that moment, Elysia's determination became unwavering. Besides, if it was possible to obtain information from other worlds through the Fragmentum, then wasn't finding loot in a trash can just… completely normal?

Elysia took a deep breath, firmed her resolve, and looked at Pei Guang. "Can I open it myself?"

Pei Guang nodded. "Of course. We just wanted to see if you could open something, and turns out, you can. As for whatever you get, keep it if it's useful, and if not, hand it over to me for distribution."

Hearing this, Elysia took another deep breath. As a graceful young lady, rummaging through trash cans still felt a bit off-putting. But, just like Stelle had said, she wasn't digging through trash—she was using these containers filled with junk to uncover treasures that had manifested in this world due to Pei Guang's influence.

Once she reframed it this way, the garbage cans in front of her suddenly seemed less filthy and more… intriguing. She was ready to act!

But just as she was about to make her move, Pei Guang grabbed her wrist. "Wait, this one's already been looted. You need to find an unsearched one."

Elysia: "Huh?"

Pei Guang explained, "You can only get stuff from untouched containers. If we've already searched it, we've already taken everything valuable. What's left is just actual trash. You're not interested in actual trash, are you?"

Elysia: "???"

At that moment, she had to admit—when it came to being infuriating, Pei Guang had an undeniable talent.

"Hold on, how do you even tell whether something's been looted?"

Pei Guang shrugged. "Unsearched containers feel unsearched. You'll get the hang of it after opening a few. It's just one of those things players know."

Stelle nodded in agreement. "Yeah! At first, I couldn't tell either, but after looting a few, you just know. It's kind of mystical, really."

March 7th pointed to an abandoned, dust-covered crate in the corner. "Like that one over there—I know it hasn't been searched yet. There's definitely loot inside. What kind? Well, that depends on luck!"

Looking at the crate, Elysia suddenly felt relieved. Compared to a garbage can, an old wooden chest was much easier to accept.

She exhaled and smiled. "Alright, I'll start with that one. How do I open it? Just… lift the lid?"

Pei Guang shrugged. "Open it however you want—pry it open, smash it, whatever works. Don't worry about how—just make sure you get what's inside. We usually lift the lid on trash cans because we don't want to send garbage flying everywhere. But, honestly? I prefer just kicking them over—it feels better."

Yes, the real reason Pei Guang handled trash cans "properly" was simply because this was a real world—scattering trash everywhere could bury valuable items, and that would be a real disaster.

Elysia approached the crate. Opening a chest like this didn't carry the same mental weight as digging through garbage. In fact, she was starting to anticipate what she might find inside!

Would it be something cool, like the weapons Kevin had looted? Or maybe something cute? Since she'd never opened one before, she was genuinely curious.

She raised her bow, channeling the power of her Path. A pink-glowing arrow formed at the tip of her weapon as she drew the bowstring and let it fly.

The arrow struck the crate dead center, and the moment it shattered, a white light glowed faintly from within.

Pei Guang let out a sympathetic sigh. "Oh dear, compared to your teammates, your luck isn't great."

March 7th nodded. "White glow! According to Ah Guang, it's like blue skies and white clouds—the most basic stuff you can get."

Elysia blinked, still processing March 7th's words. The way she said it was gentle, but once she thought about it for a second, the meaning became painfully clear—she had terrible luck.

But while the trio teased each other, Stelle, who usually loved goofing around with Pei Guang, had suddenly gone silent. 

As soon as Elysia had activated her powers, Stelle had felt something strange—her Stellaron had reacted in a very peculiar way.

But the moment Elysia stopped using the power of her Path, that brief, familiar energy vanished completely. Even when she tried to sense it within herself, she couldn't feel anything resembling a Stellaron's power.

Though the sensation was fleeting, Stelle was certain—her instincts weren't wrong.

However, when she glanced at Elysia's disappointed expression and then turned to look at Pei Guang's relaxed demeanor, something clicked in her mind. She clenched her right fist and lightly smacked it into her palm. "I see! No wonder Ah Guang made her his adjutant the moment they met. Ah Guang! Was this all within your calculations?"

Pei Guang, who had just noticed that Stelle wasn't joining in on the fun, turned around in curiosity. Just as he walked over, he caught only the last part of her sentence. "Huh? Within my calculations? What am I supposed to know now?"

At this point, he had fully realized that Stelle was determined to frame him as some all-knowing mastermind. But whatever—it was normal for players to hype each other up. As long as he stayed cautious during battles and didn't let things get too reckless, it was fine.

Stelle shook her head knowingly. "Oh, nothing. I just knew you already figured this out."

She gave Pei Guang a wise, knowing look. In her mind, the fact that the ever-unbeatable Pei Guang had made Elysia his adjutant right away had to mean that he knew something about her potential.

Pei Guang snorted. "I don't know shit!"

Stelle smirked. "Not knowing shit still means you know something."

At that moment, Pei Guang understood—Stelle had completely gone off the rails. When he first met her, she barely understood anything. Now? She was hitting back at him effortlessly.

But it didn't matter—Pei Guang wasn't just anyone. He was someone who had survived the cesspools of the internet, where flame wars, trolling, and chaotic banter thrived. He might not be the best at roasting enemies, but when it came to trading jabs with teammates? He was flawless. And so, he and Stelle immediately dove into a full-blown argument.

Meanwhile, Elysia, still fixated on the item she had looted from the crate, wore a puzzled expression. What she had pulled out was… solid purified water? A perfectly cubic, ice-like block of water.

That's right—solid water. She had no idea why it was in this form, but it was unmistakably water. More importantly, Elysia was sure of one thing—this wasn't something that should exist on Earth.

Looting crates really could give you good stuff!!!

Her heartbeat quickened. Even if it was just the lowest-tier white glow, the fact that she had obtained something so unusual made it feel almost magical. 

She was totally hooked.