Chapter 52 - 51: Bronya’s Disappointment and Quantum Entanglement

At the unopened trash can, March 7th looked at Dan Heng. "Come on~ We're a team. I found something, so you definitely can too." Dan Heng remained silent. He didn't know how Pei Guang and Stelle had found things in the trash, but when March 7th opened the can, he could distinctly feel no power or energy. She had simply opened the trash can, and there lay a glowing purple temperature crystal. Watching this unfold, Dan Heng felt his understanding of the world shatter. If Pei Guang's warship and Stelle's Light Cone had come from this, it all felt unreal. Dan Heng: "What's... the logic behind this?" Dan Heng looked at Pei Guang, who was in deep thought. "I have no idea. But in a game that stitches together so many game mechanics, isn't finding materials, tools, weapons, or gear in a trash can common sense?" Stelle: "Isn't it common sense?" March 7th: "Isn't it common sense? Oh no, I'm also turning into a parrot!" Pei Guang: "If you don't open it, I will~ It's just unused materials, so I'll keep them for later." Just as Pei Guang was about to act, Dan Heng continued to hesitate. "The things we find here... are they significant?" Dan Heng had stopped trying to make sense of it. After all, the universe was vast, and some strange logic might be normal. Pei Guang: "Generally speaking, the stuff you find in a particular map is useful for completing that map. Only boss fights or completion rewards are useful for the next map. Give it a try~ You're the only one in our group who hasn't opened one." Dan Heng still hesitated, staring at the dilapidated trash can. It no longer seemed like a trash can but a treasure chest. The trash can, with its faintly rotting smell emanating from its crevices, seemed to remind everyone that it was just a trash can. How could there be treasure inside? Dan Heng was deep in thought, still undecided when suddenly Bronya approached. Bronya: "Excuse me... may I try?" Pei Guang: "Go ahead, open it!" Stelle leaned in closer, whispering, "Can anyone get something good from these?" Pei Guang: "Not sure, but based on my experience, NPCs usually don't get anything." Stelle: "Got it!" Given permission, Bronya approached the trash can. The pain of opening loot boxes late at night without getting anything still lingered in her heart. She was frustrated—why could this man get useful items from what seemed like an ordinary trash can? And her? The heir to the Supreme Guardian, the acting leader of the Silvermane Guards, couldn't extract anything valuable from this "treasure chest"?! Hesitation leads to defeat and decisiveness to disappointment. She resolutely opened the trash can. At that moment, she was hit by the stench of decay and rot, but seeing the overflowing garbage inside, Bronya silently closed the lid. Tears almost welled up in her eyes. Looking at the trash can again, the slight gap seemed to mock her—mock her incompetence, mock her wavering resolve. Yes! No matter the circumstances, she was always doubting, questioning whether she could really pull something valuable or useful out of this. How could she doubt? When she let go of her doubts, she noticed that the trash can seemed to greet her with a welcoming smile, the gap almost like invisible hands drawing her in to experience unparalleled joy. But Dan Heng moved faster. He had some suspicions and ideas—ones that couldn't be tested if Pei Guang, Stelle, or even March 7th opened the can. But now, with Bronya taking the first step, he could verify his theory. So he pulled the lid open. As the trash can opened, and he saw the green glow, he fell silent. Dan Heng couldn't hold back his disbelief: "How is this even possible?" Before Pei Guang could respond, Stelle suddenly realized something, an epiphany: "I get it now—this is Schrödinger's Trash! Pei Guang told me about it before! Whether there's treasure inside is a matter of quantum entanglement!" When in doubt, invoke quantum mechanics. Stelle didn't understand the principle, but did that matter? No, it didn't. As long as it worked and was useful, she would use it confidently. Dan Heng was still contemplating, still observing. But Bronya had reached her limit. She was now sure of one thing—there was definitely something off about Pei Guang and his group. As for Seele? She didn't think about it at all. As long as she didn't think, she wouldn't notice anything strange. Bronya murmured to herself: "How in the world did they do this?" Watching Bronya's confused expression, Seele naturally explained: "Because they're powerful. Look, they just rode the train from the Overworld and brought down all this cargo, singing as they came. Could you do that?" "I..." Bronya wanted to say something but found herself speechless. Bringing supplies down was out of the question—even getting approval from Cocolia to come here was impossible. Seeing Bronya's defeated look, Seele chuckled: "There you go! They can easily do things we can't, so why bother thinking too much about why?" Anyway, she wasn't planning to think too deeply about Pei Guang and his group. Whenever she did, it felt like her brain was itching to grow new neurons. Having lived in the Underworld for so many years, she knew exactly what a trash can or dumpster contained. Not only her—Dan Heng too, as he stared into the trash can filled with garbage, recalling the green glow from before, found himself at a loss for words. "Whatever, let's just accept this as a given." After all, the universe was vast; strange things were bound to happen. He'd just consider this as a prank by some bored Aeon or that Pei Guang had unknowingly stepped onto some destined path. Whatever it was, delving too deeply would only make his already aching head hurt even more. If they truly encountered something they couldn't handle, they could always call for help from Welt and Himeko. Until then... they'd just go with the flow. While they were still pondering, a miner came running up in a panic. Miner: "Seele! There's trouble! Big trouble!" Hearing the distress, Seele rushed over: "What happened?" The miner, gasping for breath, said, "The mines! The vagrants are causing trouble!" Seele: "What?" At the mention of unrest, Seele's temper flared. The vagrants were refugees from Rivet Town or other places overrun by Fragmentum. Some of them were honest, hard workers, but with so many people, there were bound to be a few troublemakers. Recently, a new mining area had been discovered, and conflicts between the Wildfire and the vagrants had escalated. And now, these vagrants had taken advantage of Oleg's absence to stir up major trouble, throwing the whole area into chaos. The miners had come to Boulder Town seeking help.