Pei Guang had been feeling down, but the moment he heard March 7th's words, his eyes instantly lit up.
"Something nice to look at? How nice are we talking?"
March 7th: "So nice~ you won't believe your eyes~ Guaranteed to blow your mind."
Pei Guang: "Got it! See you in your room!"
All his unhappiness, all the things he hadn't gotten to do, every single worry—gone. In Pei Guang's eyes, this was the moment his affection points had maxed out, unlocking a new CG.
How had March 7th's affection maxed out? Of course! A justice-driven girl like her would definitely get a huge boost in affection after seeing Belobog regain its future with his help, enough to break the threshold.
At this moment, Pei Guang was lost in narcissistic thoughts. But narcissism aside, he was also nervous.
If he counted all his in-game wives and romantic experiences, the player's expertise could be called vast—but those were just theoretical. In reality, Pei Guang was a complete rookie!
Still, that didn't stop him from looking forward to it~
What he didn't notice, though, was that while March 7th was whispering, Stelle had crept up behind them to eavesdrop.
Something good to see at night? How could the legendary Galactic Baseballer miss out on that?!
"That sneaky March, showing Ah Guang but not me! I'm joining in too!"
A mischievous grin spread across Stelle's face. Some people thought she was shameless, that she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed—but she herself knew, she was plenty sharp.
Sure, she'd been raised by the Stellaron Hunters in the past, but those memories were gone, leaving only some muscle memory behind.
After waking up, though, she'd been practically raised by Pei Guang. After spending so much time with him, she'd naturally picked up on a lot of things.
While they were whispering among themselves, Donatan and Topaz were having their own conversation nearby.
Topaz: "You said who beat you up? Sampo? A guy with short blue hair, right?"
Donatan: "Exactly! You've seen him?"
Topaz frowned in thought. "Are you sure you didn't misremember? That Sampo and his partner have been working with me—they never left my side. How could he have had time to beat you up? Wait… given who he is, as a Masked Fool, he's capable of anything. Fine, I'll help you contact this Sampo guy and see what he has to say.
As she spoke, Topaz called Giovanni and had him pass the phone to Sampo.
Meanwhile, in the former factory of the Underworld, Sampo smirked at Giovanni. "See, old buddy? Told you I was right~"
Giovanni: "Fascinating. Though this means you won't be sharing in this round of joy with me~"
Sampo laughed. "No worries, this is way more fun. I'm curious—how will they deal with me? Even more curious about what they'll do when they learn the truth.
The legendary Pei Guang, heh! Let me tell you, once he becomes famous, old Sampo's name will echo across the galaxy too. Whenever people mention him, they'll remember the contributions I, Sampo Koski, made to this universe."
Giovanni: "True. I can't help but envy your luck. What a shame, what a shame~"
Sampo slung an arm around Giovanni's shoulders. "What's there to regret? This time, you get to have your fun with him and the Trailblazers too, don't you? As for after that—well, we'll meet again in Penacony~"
With that, Sampo took the phone from Giovanni. "Huh? Topaz? What's up? Huh? Beat someone up? Topaz, you know me—all Sampo cares about is making big money. I'd be sucking up to your colleagues, not punching them!
Tell you what, I'll do you a favor and submit to the company's investigation. But if it turns out old Sampo had nothing to do with it, well~"
As Sampo answered the phone, he gestured to Giovanni, and the two exchanged knowing smiles before making their respective preparations.
For the Masked Fools, getting involved in the affairs of players was one of the most joyous things in the entire galaxy. Who knows—someone might even be watching their performance from beyond the screen, grinning at the chaos they'd stirred up.
And with that, Sampo "surrendered" himself. As a proper Masked Fool, he knew when to flee, but this time, staying put promised far more amusement.
Meanwhile, inside Qlipoth Fort, Topaz received Sampo's message and stared at Donatan in disbelief. "That guy says… he's willing to turn himself in…"
Donatan: "Good! That's all I ask for—no other conditions!"
Topaz opened her mouth to say something but hesitated before ultimately staying silent. She could tell—this Masked Fool was looking for entertainment, and the target was the man standing right in front of her
Should she stop it? Hell no! It was obvious Pei Guang was behind this. Like she'd thought before—once you've picked your seat, you don't get up unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, any Masked Fool who lasted long in the galaxy had their own limits. At worst, Donatan would be toyed with for a while—no demotions, no loss of anything valuable. If the Masked Fools wanted to play, let them.
These Masked Fools had been around for a long time. Every major event in history had traces of their involvement. Generally speaking, the ones operating out in the open weren't too harmful—in fact, they often steered events in a direction that benefited the bigger picture.
Because of this, when these people walked their Path… the IPC usually didn't interfere too much.
Having figured this out, Topaz nodded. "No problem. The person you wanted has been found, so the rest is up to you and the acting Supreme Guardian here to handle."
Donatan: "Good! I have no further objections. And may this Supreme Guardian repay the IPC's debts smoothly—here's to a pleasant collaboration! Since there are historical discrepancies, I'll return now to sort them out. Once everything is verified, I'll contact you for further discussions."
Bronya: "Pleasure working with you!"
At this moment, Donatan had fully come to his senses. As an IPC employee, nobody was a fool. He'd just been too heated earlier—but now that he'd cooled down, he realized he'd been one step away from plunging into the abyss.
And indeed, when he returned to his ship to head back to IPC headquarters for a reevaluation of Belobog's history, the ship's feedback left him speechless.
The data on the warship stationed outside the planet confirmed one thing—if he'd actually brought an attack fleet to intimidate them, he wouldn't have been met with threats, but outright annihilation.
Facing a ship of that magnitude, if he'd truly provoked them, the IPC would've cut him loose without hesitation. His value was nothing compared to the sheer destructive potential of that warship.
Just the thought of it crashing into IPC headquarters was enough to make his blood run cold.
"Hah… Thank the Aeons she arrived in time. I owe her a huge favor now."
The once-confident, triumphant Donatan who had first set foot on this planet was gone. Now, all he felt was dread.
As he hastily retreated, back in Qlipoth Fort, Bronya approached Pei Guang.
"Ah Guang… truly, thank you. If not for you…"
Pei Guang grinned. "If you really wanna thank me, then let's make this event a blast! I mean, I'm the one organizing it—it's a major event!"
Sure, he couldn't go all "Let my scorched body become a blazing flame," but if the event went smoothly without any disasters, he'd be more than happy.
Topaz walked over as well. "The specific event plans are ready. Mr. Giovanni is fully sponsoring it and plans to host an annual festival in this city. We've already scouted the location—the old weapons testing grounds in the Underworld. What do you think?"
Though she already had a plan, this was Pei Guang's event. Naturally, she needed his approval before moving forward.
Pei Guang: "I trust you. Leave professional matters to the professionals—we're on the same team, so go wild with it."
Topaz smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear. Don't worry—this will be a grand interstellar spectacle, guaranteed to satisfy all participants. I'll get to work now, I won't disturb your chat any longer. Bye~"
With that, Topaz left.