Chapter 35 - 34: Threats and Schrodinger’s Trash

Stelle's second ten-pull was still nothing but clear skies, leaving her frustrated. She was about to ask Pei Guang for some luck when she noticed how clean he had made one of the trash bins. She curiously asked, "How did you do that? That bin looks brand new..." Pei Guang replied, "I just cleaned up the trash! The storage bag allows you to collect specific items, right? Can't you do that?" Stelle: "I can't collect trash like that?" Pei Guang: "Maybe it's a special skill of my class? For example, with a half-full trash bin, I can either collect the trash or just the bin itself. Only a fully-loaded bin gives you a full trash drop or a treasure." Stelle: "Oh, I see. Then why don't you just collect the trash and leave the treasure?" Pei Guang: "I can't do that! Before opening the bin, the game considers everything inside as trash. You can only know if there's treasure after opening it. What's it called again... Schrodinger's Trash!" This term left Stelle baffled: "What does that mean?" Pei Guang explained seriously, "It's like Schrödinger's cat. When you open the trash can, the stuff inside is in a quantum entangled state—both garbage and treasure at the same time. It could be trash, or it could be treasure. You only know for sure once you open it. Until then, anything inside the trash can is assumed to be garbage. When in doubt, just blame quantum mechanics. You must not have met anyone who can bluff like this before." Up until now, Pei Guang still assumed that Stelle was another unlucky person stuck in the game like him. After all, the things Stelle did seemed perfectly in line with how a player would act in this situation. Serious, but not too serious—clearly a newbie still learning the ropes! Stelle seemed to understand, "So that's quantum entanglement... Pei Guang, you're really wise!" Pei Guang humbly replied, "You flatter me! Just believe in your luck, and you'll get what you want. If that doesn't work, you can try some superstitions, like me. You never know, it might just help." Encouraged by Pei Guang, Stelle became even more determined as she continued to open the trash cans, firmly believing that she would find something valuable. But, unfortunately, as she opened the last trash can, there was no golden light, just blue skies and clouds everywhere, with a few purple glows here and there. She got seven or eight purples, which were actually quite valuable, but weren't what she was hoping for. As she stared at the last trash can, a tear rolled down her cheek. It was a tear of frustration: despite her efforts and praying to every Aeon she knew, all she got were three "Safeguard of Amber" items, with no sight of gold. Seeing Stelle so upset, Pei Guang thought for a moment and asked, "Did you try any superstitions?" Stelle responded, "What kind of superstitions?" Pei Guang replied, "Pray to the gods, demons, and Buddhas you know." Stelle sighed, "I already prayed to all the Aeons I know..." Pei Guang pondered, "Then... threaten them. If a god is useless, there's no point in believing in them." Stelle hesitated, "Is that really okay?" Pei Guang shrugged, "What's the harm? They don't really exist in reality. Even if they did, are they going to show up and beat you up for threatening them?" Stelle, convinced, asked, "So who should I threaten then?" Pei Guang grinned, "The most notorious and dangerous one, of course. Everyone in the universe already curses their name, so why not you? Just unleash your frustration from all those unsuccessful draws—go ahead and vent your anger!" Stelle agreed with Pei Guang's idea, knowing exactly who had the worst reputation in the universe. She grabbed her bat, channeling all her strength into it, and shouted to the sky, "Aeon of Destruction! I'm going to destroy you!" With her strength concentrated in the bat, Stelle swung it hard at the trash can. As the lid flew off, a golden light shot up into the sky. Whether it was the city's residents, the creatures outside the city, or even Himeko and Welt on the train, everyone saw the brilliant light. At that moment, Stelle felt like she was seeing a special being. This entity was made of golden liquid and was staring at her, intently. Time seemed to stretch out, but also pass in an instant, as Stelle's consciousness returned to her body. When she looked into the trash can again, there was a golden Destruction Light Cone floating on top of the garbage, with the simple words "Waiting for you" written on it. "I got it! I got it!" Stelle excitedly picked up the Light Cone. Not only was it golden, but it was also something she could use. As for the words "Waiting for you"? Well, she ignored them completely. Whoever he is, why did she have to threaten him to get something good? If she ever meets him, he's in for a beating! At that moment, Pei Guang seemed more important than any so-called Aeon. All that praying, and only when she was about to start smashing things did something finally come out. It seemed that scaring them was the only way to get results! As Stelle swapped her old Light Cone for the new golden one, she looked at the trash can with a sense of nostalgia: despite the unpleasant smell inside, it had given her a treasure, making it significant to her. But since she couldn't take the trash can with her, she turned to Pei Guang. Pei Guang, understanding the sentiment as a seasoned gamer, immediately reassured her, "No problem! I'll clean it out, make it look brand new. You could even live in it if you wanted to." Trash cans were much smaller than dumpsters, and you could fit four people inside one. Pei Guang also thought it might be useful to keep one around in case they needed to hide from enemies or avoid a chase later. As Pei Guang helped clean it out, he noticed that the lid Stelle had knocked off seemed very sturdy. Lifting it up and examining it,he nodded in satisfaction, "I'll keep this—it looks like it could make a good shield." Meanwhile, outside the alley, several Silvermane Guards were closing in: they had noticed something strange and thought it might be related to the Fragmentum, so they rushed over. But as they reached the entrance to the alley, they saw Bronya. "Commander?" Bronya spoke directly, "You can all step back. There is no danger under my supervision regarding what the people inside are doing." "Understood!" The Silvermane Guards withdrew, and Bronya took a deep breath, deciding to check on the two individuals. Since Pei Guang and Stelle's conversation was conducted at a normal volume, she had heard everything clearly. That's why she wanted to investigate these two, as they might cause significant changes in Belobog.