Stelle's remark left Pei Guang momentarily speechless.
She had a point: after he cleared Belobog, its citizens had developed an unusual obsession with trash cans.
Back when he finished his run on this planet, he had thought about returning to loot a few, just to see if he could get any hidden treasures. But to his surprise, none of them yielded anything, and every single bin in the city had been meticulously cleaned.
Thinking back on it now, even the souvenirs they gave out were small figures of people standing on trash cans, and the only source of loot in this city had always been from trash cans or dumpsters. If he really thought about it, it wasn't entirely unreasonable to say that the people of Belobog were naturally inclined to revere their trash bins.
Pei Guang muttered, "You make a good point, but even if Belobog's people like trash cans… what does that mean for us? Do our bins have some kind of special effect? Wait—what the hell?! They actually do?!"
He immediately checked the trash can he had been using all this time.
[Item: Belobog Native Trash Can]
A single being's ascension brings prosperity to its kin. The trash can of Belobog, having risen to the rank of Preservation Emanator, has bestowed dignity upon all trash cans in the city. As a result, Belobog's trash cans now possess unique properties.
Effects:
1) Enhances the durability of buildings when placed nearby, stackable up to three times.
2) Can absorb a certain amount of damage from enemy attacks.
3) Hiding inside decreases the likelihood of being detected.
Note:When being pursued by a formidable enemy, a trash can may be your only refuge.
Pei Guang was stunned. He had been using this thing for so long and never realized it had actual stats. Then again, after dealing with Phantylia, he hadn't needed to hide in a trash can, so naturally, he never noticed.
But now that he saw the description, he felt an overwhelming urge to complain.
Pei Guang muttered, "So it's literally 'one bin ascends, all bins rise'? Let me tell you guys a joke—our trash can has become a Preservation Emanator."
March 7th nearly choked on her own laughter. "Pfft! So we've been hiding inside an Emanator's 'stomach' this whole time?"
Stelle nodded thoughtfully. "That means we actually have an Emanator on our side?"
As the three in the team chat mercilessly spouting bullshit, Bronya spoke up on her end.
"Gepard, you may leave."
Upon hearing Bronya's words, Gepard gave the three trash cans in front of him a knowing glance before silently turning to leave.
He was absolutely certain now—one of those bins contained the Trailblazers. And as long as they were present, there was no need to worry about security. He resumed his patrol, shifting his route from the snowfields to a routine check in the Underworld.
Once Gepard had departed, Bronya turned to Donatan and spoke with a calm yet authoritative tone. "Welcome, honored guest from the Interastral Peace Corporation. I am Bronya Rand, the Guardian of Belobog. May I ask what brings you to our city?"
With Pei Guang hiding in the bin, Bronya felt an overwhelming sense of confidence. In fact, as she glanced at the trash can containing Pei Guang, she nearly wanted to say: 'Please lend me your strength!'
Unfortunately, when she spoke those words aloud, the only response she received was the cold silence of the trash bin, rather than the warm reassurance she had hoped for.
Donatan, however, remained composed and introduced himself in turn. "It's a pleasure, Lady Bronya. I am Donatan Plant of the Interastral Peace Corporation's Marketing Development Department. I've come to this city today to discuss the repayment of a debt accrued seven centuries ago. Would you happen to be aware of this matter?"
Bronya furrowed her brows, her voice carrying a tone of confusion. "Seven hundred years… debt?"
Hearing Bronya's baffled response, March 7th couldn't help but comment in the team chat, "Wow, Bronya really sounds like she doesn't know anything. But wait—didn't that other girl, Topaz, already explain everything to her? And doesn't this guy know that Topaz already told Bronya everything?"
Pei Guang: "Maybe I don't really know. As the saying goes, peers are rivals. For all we know, Topaz might not get along with this guy and decided to come ahead of time to give us a heads-up so we could prepare."
Stelle: "So does that mean Topaz is a good person?"
Pei Guang: "Who knows? We're just doing our thing. If she helps us out, then for now, she's a great person. But if she gets in our way in the future, we'll just cement her feet and drop her into the ocean."
Meanwhile, down in the Underworld, Topaz, staring at the now-empty arms factory, suddenly shivered. Still, she didn't dwell on it too much and continued her work.
Since she had taken on the task of planning an event, she was determined to do it right. For someone of her level, organizing an event was as easy as drinking a glass of water.
After all, she had worked her way up from the bottom and had experience in this kind of thing; with her position in upper management and extensive connections, arranging a large-scale event was no problem at all.
"Hopefully, the person coming here will have a slightly better time… Sigh."
Numby: "Snort~"
Thinking about Pei Guang's plan and the company colleagues who would be arriving soon, Topaz held a moment of silence for them.
Was she doing anything against the rules? Absolutely not. No one could find a fault in what she was doing.
She had already reported the uniqueness of this world and had voluntarily stepped down from the debt collection task. It was upper management who decided that, given the value of the discovered materials, her work here was considered complete.
She was simply fulfilling a personal request by hosting an event while evaluating the planet's investment potential. As for whatever "acting" the local leaders were putting on? That had nothing to do with her.
While the three in the trash can continued their internal conversation, Bronya and Donatan were now sitting across from each other. Bronya furrowed her brows in thought, shook her head, and with an expression filled with three parts doubt, three parts confusion, and twelve parts disbelief, she spoke:
"Debt? I've never heard of Belobog owing money. And if we really did, why haven't you come to collect for the past seven hundred years?"
Hearing Bronya's question, Donatan calmly responded, "Lady Supreme Guardian, this is a contract signed seven hundred years ago by Alisa Rand. Back then…"
Donatan began explaining the historical context. Looking at the familiar contract, Bronya carefully examined it. The numbers were exactly the same as the ones she had seen before.
As she stared at the contract, she clenched her fists tightly, her face showing three parts solemnity and seven parts disbelief.
If Donatan had been more familiar with Bronya, he would have immediately called out how exaggerated her acting was.
Because Bronya was deliberately overacting, her face looked as if it was covered in a pie chart of emotions. But for someone unfamiliar with her, they would simply think she was genuinely troubled.