Chapter 59 - 58: Beep-boop, I’m useless now!

Watching the continuous bursts of fireworks, Stelle truly felt a sense of positive feedback. Reflecting on previous battles, fighting just for victory suddenly seemed dull. Instead, the special effects that popped out with every hit brought her real joy and excitement. Especially since different strike points and varying force produced slightly different fireworks effects. It was such a small detail, unnoticed by most, but those who did notice would surely appreciate the finesse of it. The cries for mercy, the sound of the fireworks, and the slowly falling sparks stimulated Stelle's senses. Her body and mind were completely immersed in this pleasure. One more hit! Just one more! Unlike the coffee, which was an enticing temptation, this was pure enjoyment from her own choice and perfect physical response. As she kept going, the Vagrants' voices gradually faded. Just as she was fully enjoying herself, March 7th's voice brought her back to reality. "Are you still at it? They've already passed out. And Pei Guang and the others have moved on! There's still plenty of stuff waiting for us to loot ahead." Stelle glanced at the distant corner where the main group had already moved forward, leaving her behind, still caught up in her fun. This wouldn't do! She was the Galactic Baseballer, a crucial damage dealer for the Astral Express. How could she not keep up with the team? Besides, what if Pei Guang found something good along the way without her? No, she couldn't let him enjoy the thrill of opening treasure chests alone. Stelle stopped her assault, but before leaving, she turned back to the four fallen Vagrants on the ground, pulling out her bat for one last swing at the leader's rear, "Hey! Next time, watch what you say. You might not give us any good fruit, but you can't leave us without anything good to eat!" Watching the fireworks pop out from the spot she hit, Stelle nodded in satisfaction before jogging to catch up with the group. As she joined them, she noticed that everyone had come to a stop. Stelle: "More enemies to beat up?" March 7th quickly held Stelle back: "Stop, stop, stop! There aren't any enemies ahead, but there is an obstacle blocking our way." In front of them, a broken-down minecart was completely blocking the path. Stelle looked at the obstacle and suggested, "Pei Guang! Clear the way!" But Seele quickly intervened, "Those are the mining team's assets, don't destroy them so casually. I can repair it." They could technically climb over the obstacle, but Seele decided to fix it first. Her instincts told her that if they kept moving forward, Pei Guang would likely dismantle the cart blocking the path. But that wouldn't do: the mining team's assets were too valuable, especially in times of resource shortages, even a broken-down minecart had its uses. Hearing that it could be fixed, Pei Guang asked, "Oh? What materials do you need?" Seele approached the minecart and began inspecting it, "The pin connecting the body to the chassis is broken, and the rear axle bearing is also snapped. Damn, you can tell this is the handiwork of Svarog's lackeys. Let's search around for some replacement parts." In the Underworld, there were only three factions: Wildfire, the Vagrants and Svarog. Most people still didn't fully understand what Svarog was, but since robots had taken over the mines, Seele was convinced this was Svarog's doing. When Seele suggested searching for parts, Findie, which Stelle had stowed away, saw its chance to shine and popped out in front of everyone: "Beep-boop, dear friends, need help finding something? Findie is here to assist!" March 7th looked at the suddenly activated Findie and curiously asked, "Why did it jump out on its own? But can you really find what we need?" At that moment, Findie felt a sense of grandeur. Searching for trash cans? Is that really what a Home-Object finder device like it should be doing? Clearly, these off-worlders didn't appreciate its capabilities. Now, it was going to show off its true skills and let them know that even though it might be a bit damaged, it could still help them find what they needed. Once it had proven its worth, it could convince Pei Guang and the others to take it to an interstellar repair shop for some maintenance. As it envisioned this bright future, Findie—even while being a machine—couldn't help but feel a bit smug. It was even ready to advertise for its company, to be the face of its product. It already imagined how useful it would be in the company's future, perhaps even earning a museum dedicated to its greatness. Findie was overjoyed, basking in its own brilliance, eager to promote itself. But then, it noticed something was wrong: March 7th didn't look excited, and Stelle wasn't showing any surprise. Scanning its surroundings, Findie realized what was going on. Not far away, Pei Guang had already extended his hand, and thirty or so of the parts Seele needed had appeared in front of him. Findie realized it was no longer needed. Silently, it returned to Stelle's side and entered standby mode, while also quietly expanding its search range for trash cans by 100 meters. Seele looked at the parts Pei Guang had produced, her expression stiffening, "Where did you get all these?" Pei Guang pointed to the ground, "Some were on tables, some were tossed on the ground, I just picked them up as we went." March 7th spread her hands, "Pei Guang has a habit of collecting all sorts of useful and useless materials. What's that saying?" Stelle recalled, "'Better to always collect it, you never know when it might come in handy'. But Ah Guang, how much more stuff can you carry?" Pei Guang glanced at his storage space, "About twenty more types. Luckily, there aren't too many different materials here, so I've got plenty of room left." Seele decided to set aside her thoughts on all this for now and focus on the task at hand, "Well, this saves us a lot of time. Give me a hand, let's get this minecart fixed." Pei Guang stored the damaged minecart in his storage space, "How do you want it positioned?" Seele pondered, "Flip it over, that'll make it easier to fix." As soon as she mentioned it, Pei Guang flipped the minecart over and set it on the ground. Pei Guang: "Mind teaching me how to fix this thing? As a player, knowing a bit of repair skills might come in handy." Seele laughed, "So there are things you don't know. This one's actually pretty simple..." Pei Guang: "Of course! Every skill is learned bit by bit, especially in such an open world. I figure I'll have to learn a lot of skills from scratch. But it shouldn't be too hard." As Pei Guang learned, he noticed that his system had unlocked repair and crafting functions. For now, the only option available was repairing the minecart, but Pei Guang figured he'd need to learn more on his own to fully utilize these abilities. While Pei Guang was learning, March 7th and Stelle gathered around to watch. Not far away, Bronya opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. She couldn't understand how Seele had integrated herself so quickly, or how Pei Guang managed to learn the disassembly and reassembly of a minecart just by watching once. And how was he able to complete the task so quickly with just a tap? What was the principle behind this? As for Seele, she didn't think too much about it. Why bother? It was exhausting to overthink. With the time she would've spent puzzling over these things, she could've just fixed the minecart.