Chapter 53 - 52: Is this a fight?

Seele: "Everyone, I'm sorry, but I need to head out. The mines need me!" Seele had originally stayed to guide Pei Guang and his group, but with the situation in the mines, she had no choice but to leave. There were already too few hands, and now the vagrants were causing trouble. Pei Guang: "Wait, what did you say? Mines?" As a seasoned player, Pei Guang immediately picked up on the key detail. He looked at Seele: "You mean there's a lot of ore here?" Seele nodded: "The Underworld used to have plenty of mines, but in recent years, the Fragmentum's spread has contaminated many of them, making mining impossible. The area in question is one of the few remaining intact mines, still relatively clean. Some vagrants whose homes were destroyed by the Fragmentum have settled there. Most of them are decent people, but with so many, there's bound to be a few bad apples." "The vagrants have been clashing with the miners frequently, often stealing or looting supplies. It's been minor skirmishes so far, but this time seems different..." Seele knew some of the inside story, which made her realize just how dire the situation was in the mines. Even though she was grateful for Pei Guang and his group's help, she had no choice but to leave and assist the Wildfire in the fight. Listening to Seele's explanation, Pei Guang exchanged a glance with Stelle. Pei Guang: "So, there's something happening here?" Stelle: "What's the quest reward like?" March 7th: "What they mean is that they'll help, but they'll need some kind of reward." Hearing this, Seele fell into thought. "I... I think..." March 7th leaned in closer to Seele and whispered, "Anything works, as long as it's something you consider valuable. They'll accept your request. Trust me, if you ask those two to help, they'll get the job done—unless they forget." Having become quite adept at communicating with Pei Guang, March 7th knew exactly what he meant. A situation like this? It's practically a quest! How could these two possibly turn it down? Rewards? Seele thought hard about what she could offer. Most of the supplies had been brought by them—what could she possibly give? As she pondered, March 7th quietly suggested, "If you have nothing else to offer, you could just guide them around. You're familiar with the area, right?" Seele whispered back, "Yes, I'm familiar with it!" Upon hearing that, March 7th turned to Pei Guang and said, "Ah Guang! She says if you complete her request, she'll guide us while we finish the letter delivery quest!" Seele: "???" This made Pei Guang's eyes light up. "This is a good quest! And we get a temporary party member? Let's go! By the way, I just grabbed a few pickaxes. Since we're in a mining area, there's bound to be ore. While we're completing the quest, we can secretly mine some and take it with us." Stelle made an "OK" gesture. "Got it! But what's the ore for?" Pei Guang: "It might be useless, but it's better to have it than not. If it turns out we don't need it, we can toss it or give it away. Worst case, we can use it to boost our reputation: with higher reputation, our final quest rewards might be better. We mine their ore, boost their goodwill toward us, and they'll end up thanking us!" Stelle: "As expected of you, Pei Guang. You're so wise! Does that mean with enough goodwill, we can do whatever we want~?" Pei Guang: "Of course! Hugs, kisses, even surprise tickles! This game is so open-ended; with enough goodwill, anything's possible." Stelle: "Shall we go, then?" Pei Guang: "Let's go, let's go! March~ We're heading out!" March 7th: "On my way! Let's roll!" Watching the three of them rush off, Seele was stunned. It wasn't until Pei Guang called out to her that she hurriedly scrambled to catch up. Seele felt that ever since she met Pei Guang, her rhythm had been completely thrown off. What were these three even talking about? And how did she end up getting pulled into their conversation? She hadn't even said anything! Dan Heng sighed as he watched the three walk away. If possible, in the next world, he wanted nothing more than to take a proper break. He was exhausted—not just from leading others, but from the mental strain of dealing with all these oddities. Just then, Bronya also followed after them. Dan Heng realized that if he didn't keep up, those three might just dismantle the entire Underworld. What could he do? He had to follow and keep an eye on them. His only consolation was that Pei Guang still had core principles. If he didn't, someone like him could probably take apart an entire Xianzhou ship without anyone realising. On the bridge near the mines, two vagrants were keeping watch over a lift. Far behind them, Pei Guang's group had arrived. Instead of rushing in, Pei Guang pulled out some coffee and two empty cups, pouring in just enough to knock someone out after drinking it. Pei Guang: "I'm going to fill these cups. Then, we'll sneak over and get them to drink." Stelle: "Why not just knock them out? Or chase them off?" Pei Guang: "I'm afraid we might hit them too hard and either kill them or cripple them. This game's too realistic: it would be a shame to kill or cripple someone! Remember, in the apocalypse, people with all their limbs intact are more useful than the dead. Chase them off? Why would we let two strong workers go when we could use them to mine?" Stelle: "Mining?" Pei Guang: "Exactly! What use are the dead? Just more meat, maybe, but the living can create value. Clearly, you haven't played many simulation management games. With them around, our mining will be much more efficient." Stelle understood: "Ah, I see." Pei Guang waved his hand, "Let's go! Follow me and stay low. March, be ready to cover us if things go south." March 7th readied her bow, "Got it~" Seele, standing nearby, was puzzled, "Huh?" With Seele watching, Pei Guang and Stelle crouched down and began sneaking toward the two vagrants standing guard by the bridge and watching the elevator. Seeing their actions, Seele turned to March 7th, who was also crouching nearby and watching with interest, "Are they... fighting? Shouldn't we help them?" March 7th replied, "Huh? Help? What help? You should be glad they're trying this method. If those two really got serious, they'd be going all out! Trust me!" Recalling Pei Guang and Stelle's usual combat methods—one swinging an enchanted bat with brutal force, now even stronger with the light cone, and the other with an uncanny knack for stabbing in... uncomfortable places, or even using garbage as a weapon—March 7th felt it was better this way. Whether it was human or creature, Seele and anyone else witnessing it would be left with a pretty bad impression if they went full force. Giving the enemies some coffee to knock them out gently was a much more pleasant approach for everyone involved. Still, March 7th couldn't help but feel a bit left out. She thought sneaking up and shooting an arrow into someone from behind would be a lot of fun. Seele hesitated, "But... won't they get caught? Those guys aren't idiots..." March 7th stayed calm, "Oh, for sure! Not only are they not stupid, but neither was the Antimatter Legion. Just watch, and you'll see Pei Guang's unique way of handling battles in different environments."