March 7th: "Huh? Wait, that actually makes sense! Hold on—didn't you literally predict this in the afternoon? You said something about the company coming to collect a debt, and now it actually happened that night?! Are you a prophet?"
Pei Guang continued analyzing: "I'm no prophet—I just made a random comment, who knew I'd actually hit the mark?"
Stelle: "Ah Guang, keep going—what else is hidden in this message?"
Pei Guang: "Look here—she says 'Thanks to your help'. Even though she's asking me to come over, her wording suggests she's struggling internally. As a leader, she shouldn't be too reliant on others, but the corporate dogs' arrival has left her no choice.
Honestly, Bronya's being way too formal. I mean, come on, we've dug through trash together, explored the Underworld together—Belobog might be broke, but she can always pay me back in friendship points."
Stelle: "Wait, that 'thank you' actually means all that?"
Pei Guang: "Of course! And this last part—'something feels off, but I can't tell what'—this is huge. It means the company has already threatened her and is monitoring her. Why else would she insist on talking in person?
Think about it—what do monopoly corporations do when they can't control a city? They eliminate the leaders, enslave the population, and turn them into corporate workers. No—wait, in a so-called 'civilized society,' they wouldn't call them slaves. They'd call them employees."
Stelle: "Wait… being an employee is that bad?"
Pei Guang: "If you're free to choose your job, it's fine. But if you're forced into it, that's a nightmare. Imagine working 24/7, never getting enough food or rest, having kids just so the company can force them to work too. Tell me, does that sound bad?"
Stelle: "That sounds awful! Ah Guang, we have to help Belobog!"
March 7th nodded firmly. "Yeah! Belobog finally has a chance at a better future—we can't let the company destroy that hope!"
Pei Guang nodded. "Of course. Now's the time for our Star Destroyer to shine. Remember what I said before? Any seemingly overpowered thing we unearth in Belobog is bound to be game-changing for the city. Beating Cocolia was just a warm-up—now it's time for the real deal."
March 7th took a sharp breath. "Wait… Ah Guang, you're not seriously thinking of going to war with the company, are you?"
Pei Guang: "Do I look like someone who'd just rush in headfirst?"
Stelle and March 7th both nodded at the same time.
Seeing their reaction, Pei Guang clutched his chest in mock pain. "You two… actually think that about me?"
They nodded again—then, a beat later, shook their heads.
Stelle: "Hmm… Ah Guang, you're really smart! But it does feel like… you tend to charge in a lot?"
March 7th nodded. "Yeah, yeah! It's like… every time you do something, it's only after you're 100% sure it'll work, not because you're gambling… Oh! Right, you suck at gambling, so obviously you wouldn't take risks."
Pei Guang: "…"
Several seconds of silence passed…
Pei Guang: "Seriously, do you have to bring up my embarrassing losses like that?"
March 7th grabbed his arm playfully. "Relax~ It's just us three here. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Pei Guang nodded. "True. After all, I've seen everything about your past."
March 7th's face instantly turned red. "W-What are you saying?!"
Stelle, meanwhile, tilted her head. "Anyway… what's your plan for dealing with the company?"
Pei Guang: "Of course I have one! Since they're here to collect debt and enslave the people, they'll make a big spectacle out of it, trying to pressure Bronya by making everyone aware of the debt. Then, they'll offer a 'bright future'—making it seem like signing a contract will 'fix everything.'"
Stelle thought for a moment. "I get it now! Ah Guang, you told me before—'the most expensive things are always free'—so this contracted future they're offering has to be fake, right?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Exactly. I'm sure even Bronya can figure this out. If she can't, well… maybe it's time to find a new Supreme Guardian."
Then, he continued, "If their first plan to manipulate Belobog fails, their next move—like any monopolistic corporation—will be to destabilize the local economy. If that still doesn't work, they'll resort to force."
March 7th shuddered. "Why do you sound like you have a lot of experience with this?"
Pei Guang: "I already told you—me and Johnny Silverhand blew up a megacorp's HQ. Big or small, planetary or interstellar—capitalists all play by the same rulebook."
Stelle: "So what do we do? Are we actually fighting the company?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "No, no, no. If we had nothing, sure, we'd have to fight. But if war breaks out, Belobog suffers the most. I'm fine leading a rebellion against forces that want to destroy the world, but I won't drag innocent people into war. I hate war"
Hearing the seriousness in his voice, March 7th looked at him with concern. "Ah Guang… Did you… go through something?"
Pei Guang thought for a moment. "Not personally, no. But I once played a war game that showed me just how brutal war is for ordinary people. Whether it's Belobog's citizens or even the company's regular employees—war is never a good thing. Against the Antimatter Legion, we had no choice but to fight. But against corporate overlords…"
A mischievous grin spread across Pei Guang's face as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's see… Debt is just an excuse. I bet Belobog doesn't have enough money to pay it all at once, so the company dogs will use intimidation tactics, exploiting Bronya's lack of knowledge about interstellar laws, and try to trick her into signing a contract full of unfair terms. Well, if they're gonna play dirty… we'll play dirty too. Hehehe…"
Pei Guang grinned excitedly. He had no clue how intergalactic debt collection worked, but one thing was certain—this kind of money could always be delayed. Even if they tried to enforce the debt, there'd be legal procedures to go through.
He was certain the company's people would try spreading fear and threatening Belobog, but that wasn't a problem. Pei Guang already had a countermeasure.
He immediately contacted Fu Xuan, planning to borrow a legal expert from Xianzhou—someone who actually knew interstellar law and could go toe-to-toe with the company's lawyers.
And if that didn't work? Pei Guang had another plan. "Oh, you want us to pay our debt? You want this planet? No problem—we'll cut off our connection to the star rail and see how you get here without it."
If that still didn't work? No problem. Pei Guang was a player—even in linear storylines, players could always find creative ways to complete missions. In reality? He could already think of over ten different ways to deal with the situation, including at least five ultra-complex schemes.
He might hate war, but if corporate lackeys wanted to mess with his rescued city, he wouldn't hesitate to make them regret it.
Meanwhile, far away in Belobog, Topaz sneezed.
"Hmm… I have a bad feeling about this… Oh well! Not my problem. My job here is done, and now I just have to fulfill Asta's request and help this Pei Guang guy set up a grand event. Numby, what kind of person do you think this Pei Guang is?"