Turning back to Bronya, Topaz pitched her idea. "I have a project that would be perfect for Belobog at its current stage of development. It would encourage people to live, learn, and explore. Have you ever heard of 'Aetherium Wars'?"
Since she had promised Asta to help Pei Guang organize a festival, she figured—why not go big? Aetherium Wars had corporate sponsors, an established player base, and if she played her cards right, she'd get to enjoy herself in Belobog too.
And if, during all this, the Marketing Development Department ended up crashing and burning? Well, that would just be a wonderful bonus.
Anyone familiar with Topaz's true intentions would probably hand her a mask from the Masked Fools.
"What? Topaz is a firm believer in Qlipoth?" Not a problem. A devout believer who plays the fool? Now that's entertainment.
However, what Topaz didn't know was that while she was calculating her strategic advantage, Bronya was already messaging Pei Guang.
Topaz's words sounded good—but something about them felt off.
And whenever something felt off in Belobog, there was only one person to turn to—Pei Guang.
After all, in Belobog, anyone who knew Pei Guang trusted him unconditionally.
Meanwhile, in a room at the Goethe Hotel, three people sat on a double bed, each holding a hand of playing cards, deep in thought.
The three people in the room were none other than Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th. Since there were no more available rooms, and March 7th was eager to continue experiencing the local culture, the three of them ended up sharing a single room.
If it were just one person, they would have gone to sleep already. If it were two, they might have had an intense "workout" under the sheets. But with three people? That changed the dynamic entirely—before sleep, it was a fierce battle.
At this moment, Pei Guang looked at the three cards in his hand with a triumphant grin. As the Landlord, he was certain of his victory.
No matter what Stelle or March 7th played next, whether it was a single card or a pair, he had it in the bag. If they played a single, he had the Joker; if they played a pair, he had double twos.
He glanced at their hands. March 7th had eight cards left, while Stelle still had eleven.
Watching Stelle hesitate, Pei Guang declared his inevitable victory: "Just go ahead and play. You've already used your bomb. What are you gonna do with those last eleven cards? How do you plan to beat me?"
With absolute confidence, Pei Guang revealed his hand, showing a pair of twos and the big Joker. March 7th's eyes widened. "How do you still have such powerful cards?!"
Pei Guang smirked. "Because this round is mine! Stelle, stop sitting there looking constipated—just admit defeat!"
At this moment, Stelle, who had just played four threes, had a conflicted expression, as if she was suffering from an absolutely terrible hand. But the moment Pei Guang told her to surrender, her lips curled into a devious grin.
"4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A. Straight! My hand is empty. Ah Guang, you lost."
"What?!"
Pei Guang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait—you had a straight and you just sat there holding it?!"
Stelle stood up, looking down at him from above. "Because I wanted to see your face—that smug confidence instantly turning into despair. I love that look on you."
Pei Guang gritted his teeth. "Damn it! You have such a twisted sense of humor! Alright, alright—another round! I refuse to lose again!"
March 7th cheered. "Let's go! Another one!"
Stelle grinned. "Bring it on!"
Ever since they entered the room, the three of them had been glued to their card game. March 7th and Stelle had to admit, this "Landlord" game was seriously addictive. They played deep into the night, each taking turns winning and losing, fully immersed in the fun.
However, just as Pei Guang was shuffling the deck, his phone suddenly buzzed. He stopped mid-shuffle and took out his phone.
It was a message from Bronya.
"Ah Guang, sorry to bother you, but we've run into a bit of trouble. Can you come to Qlipoth Fort tomorrow? I'll keep it brief for now—someone from the Interastral Peace Corporation has arrived in Belobog, saying we owe them a massive debt. I looked into it, and it's an astronomical sum.
Thanks to your help, we can afford to pay it off. Something feels off, but I can't tell what. I don't know what they're after, but we'll talk about it when you get here."
As Pei Guang read the message, Stelle and March 7th leaned in.
March 7th narrowed her eyes. "Oi—who's messaging you so late at night? Some girl?"
Stelle raised an eyebrow. "How do you know it's a girl?"
March 7th confidently nodded. "My intuition is never wrong!"
To be fair, she wasn't entirely wrong—March 7th had a bizarre talent for getting every single detail wrong but still arriving at the correct conclusion.
Pei Guang, however, had no time to joke around. His expression grew serious as he stared at his phone. "Looks like we'll need to use the Star Destroyer warship we got in Belobog again. I knew it, that thing always comes in handy!"
March 7th: "Huh? What happened?"
Pei Guang: "Bronya sent a message. The corporate dogs have arrived."
March 7th: "Huh? Corporate dogs? Like, actual dogs owned by the company?"
Pei Guang: "In a way, you're not wrong. As expected, in a world dominated by monopolistic corporations, this kind of scenario was bound to happen. Loans, debt too high to repay, forced labor as the only way to pay it off, generations losing their freedom, doomed to be corporate wage slaves forever.
Tch—this is literally Arasaka Tower in another world!"
From Bronya's message, there wasn't much detail—just that someone from the company had arrived to collect a 700-year-old debt, and that if not for the 20% revenue cut Pei Guang provided, Belobog wouldn't be able to pay it back.
But reading between the lines, Pei Guang instantly connected today's experience with Cyberpunk and corporate greed. The moment Bronya mentioned signing a contract if Belobog couldn't pay, all Pei Guang could picture was a dystopia where Belobog's people were forced to work for the company, stripped of their freedom and future.
At that moment, a fire ignited in his heart—the only thing missing was Johnny Silverhand in his head.
Stelle: "Huh? What's going on? Let me see."
Stelle leaned in, scanning Bronya's message. Unlike Pei Guang, she wasn't the type to overanalyze. To her, the message was straightforward—someone came to collect a debt, the debt was huge, Bronya was grateful, and she felt something was off. Nothing seemed too suspicious to her.
Stelle: "Doesn't seem like there's anything weird here?"
Pei Guang: "That's because you lack experience! Now, let's break it down—Reading Comprehension 101. Look at this part: Bronya says the company came to collect a massive debt. That alone proves the company wants to seize Belobog's resources and population. Otherwise, why would they even bother coming to collect the debt?"