Chapter 194 - 193: Friendly Fire!!!

Words : 1285 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Inside the courtyard, Pei Guang waited for quite some time, but unfortunately, nothing significant happened. Looking at the nine barrels and nine people, he shook his head in disappointment. He had hoped for a big haul but only ended up with one medicinal formula. Then again, there was indeed a major discovery this time. At the very least, this formula revealed the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus's plan to target Bailu, and it seemed they had long-established roots on the Xianzhou, likely deeply entrenched. "But what should I do with these people?" As Pei Guang pondered this, he received a message from Stelle. Stelle: "Pei Guang! I found the headquarters of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus!!!" Pei Guang: "Charge in! Capture them if possible, but if they resist, take them out. Your safety is the priority. By the way, are you sure you can handle this alone?" Stelle: "No problem! I'm... very experienced!" She looked at the contents of her inventory: Herta Puppet No. 2 and mass-produced Svarogs. Satisfied, she replied, "And if things get tough, you can always teleport over. Anyway, it's almost reset time." Pei Guang: "True, let's just go for it." Taking Pei Guang's advice to heart, Stelle readied her fiery spear. Meanwhile, Pei Guang was still waiting in the courtyard, hoping to catch any reinforcements of the Sanctus Medicus. But just then, he heard a familiar voice outside the gate. He instantly sensed something was wrong and glanced at the mini-map, noticing Stelle's marker outside the gate. At that moment, Pei Guang smiled; no wonder that voice sounded so familiar—it was Stelle's. But his expression quickly changed: "Stelle! Friendly fire! It's friendly fire!!!" Earlier, Pei Guang had checked the mini-map, where Stelle was on the opposite side, with March 7th and Welt, and Bailu was marked as being with them. Dan Heng's marker had briefly moved out of range, but he was still close enough to return quickly or be teleported back if necessary. However, Pei Guang didn't monitor the map constantly. Who would've thought that Stelle, whom he'd last seen on the other side of the map a few minutes ago, was now right at the courtyard's entrance—war-flaming lance in hand? After gathering clues outside the gate, Stelle had tracked the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus's hub to Exalting Sanctum and, with her spear alight, charged into the courtyard. Just as she was about to break in, she heard Pei Guang's shout, "Friendly fire!" If it had been anyone else, she would've ignored it and stabbed forward. With a massive blast, the courtyard doors shattered as Stelle stormed in, holding her spear aloft. In the center of the courtyard, Pei Guang stood with a barrel lid raised, looking at Stelle with a mix of relief and exasperation. By the time Stelle realized something was wrong, she'd already rushed in. Luckily, Pei Guang had anticipated this and blocked her attack. "Stelle! Didn't I tell you on the Express to check the mini-map during missions..." Seeing Pei Guang, Stelle's expression froze. "Uh... what are you doing here?" Pei Guang rolled his eyes, "I was on a side quest that brought me here." Stelle, shocked: "Me too! I got here through a side quest as well. Are we on the same quest?" Pei Guang considered, "It's definitely the same one. We're investigating the same organization in the same area. If they were different, that'd be suspicious. Wait, you said you were also led here by a quest, right? Did you notice anything strange along the way?" Hearing his question, Stelle nodded seriously, "Oh, definitely! There were tons of Alchemy Commission people watching Bailu, looking like they wanted to tear her apart. The Realm-Keeping Commission told us that under no circumstances should we let the Alchemy Commission take her..." Pei Guang: "Didn't I already share a formula in the group chat? The so-called immortality elixir they're concocting requires Vidyadhara bone marrow, extracted while alive. Since Bailu is a Vidyadhara, she's bound to be a target. Plus, with her young appearance, she probably seems like easy prey." Stelle grew worried: "So, what do we do?" Pei Guang pondered, "If both of us received quests involving the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, this means it's an essential questline, possibly tied to Xianzhou's recent troubles. And your quest even hinted at problems within the Alchemy Commission, which means it's likely the source of the rebellion." Stelle: "That's what I think too. But Bailu is part of the Alchemy Commission, and there are many Commission members rescuing people—it's hard to tell who's trustworthy." Drawing from his experience, Pei Guang explained, "Villains in recent games aren't as easy to spot as they used to be. And we're just getting started on the main quest, so we don't have all the information. Even with my experience, I need more clues to deduce anything useful. For now, all we know is that the Alchemy Commission is likely the root of the rebellion, and traitors might be hiding among the medics helping the wounded." Stelle shrugged, "So what's the plan? Don't you have unbeatable gaming knowledge, Pei Guang?" Pei Guang tapped Stelle's hand, "How many times do I have to say it? Don't call me unbeatable. If one day I leave the game for good, you'd be stuck here alone." This made Stelle shake her head firmly, "No way. You can't die. I won't allow it. Fine, I won't call you unbeatable anymore." Seeing her sudden seriousness, Pei Guang quickly backtracked, "Ah, I was just joking! It's not that I don't want you to say it—it's just that in my experience, characters who claim they're unbeatable usually end up brain-damaged, sealed away, or worse, wiped from existence. Besides, there's more to it than that: I'll teach you all the quirks as we go." Stelle: "I don't care about quirks. I don't want any harm to come to you, or March, or anyone else. I want everyone to be safe!" Hearing this, Pei Guang sighed, "Things like this... who knows? Let's just do our best to gather more resources, complete more quests, and earn more favor to pave a way out for our comrades. Honestly, after getting to know March, I'm a little reluctant to quit the game myself~" Stelle: "You'd miss me?" Pei Guang: "Miss you? If I could leave, we'd meet in the end. If leaving isn't an option and we reach that point, well... if we both perish, there's nothing left to fear." As he said this, Pei Guang quickly spat out, "Pah, pah! What am I saying? We're not there yet, right? Ahem! Back to the point: the Alchemy Commission is suspicious, and so is Bailu. Looks like we'll need to split up. I'll investigate matters concerning Bailu, and you keep looking into the Alchemy Commission." Stelle: "So what exactly should I look for?" Pei Guang handed her the formula he'd found earlier. "First, turn this in to complete the quest. While you're at it, ask the quest-giver about the principles behind the formula. Chances are they won't know, so request someone who does to assist you. Then just play it by ear; if you run into an enemy you can't handle, call for backup. Steady and reliable." Stelle: "Got it. I'll turn in the quest." Pei Guang: "And I'll go find that little girl!"

Chapter 194 - 193: Friendly Fire!!!

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