Chapter 64 - 63: Rest

Hearing the talk of rest, Seele sighed: "You guys go rest. Your lodging has been arranged for a while now, but I didn't expect so much trouble. Once you're up, I'll find you again. I know Boulder Town and Rivet Town like the back of my hand." Pei Guang: "Got it~" Stelle: "Perfect, I'm exhausted." March 7th stretched again: "Yeah, just thinking about rest makes me sleepy~ Ah, staying up late is a girl's worst enemy. If you don't sleep properly, your skin will wrinkle." Pei Guang: "Well said, but we're not staying up late, we're pulling an all-nighter!" March 7th: "That's even worse!" Seeing the two bantering, Seele and Bronya couldn't help but feel relieved. As long as it didn't involve anything abnormal, Pei Guang seemed like a regular guy during normal conversations. But when it came to anything else... they just wanted to forget the unpleasant memories. Pei Guang and his group of five returned to Boulder Town. When they arrived with the supplies, Oleg had already arranged for them to stay at the biggest hotel in the area, the Goethe Grand Hotel. As they reached the entrance, the hotel owner, Gertie, greeted them warmly: "Hey, you must be the guests who brought all the supplies and letters from up above, right? Welcome to Goethe Grand Hotel. I'm Gertie, just let me know if you need anything." Gertie's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, prompting March 7th to whisper: "Isn't this a bit much? Pei Guang, is this what you call maxing out friendship points?" Before Pei Guang could answer, Dan Heng responded: "This is probably what you'd call basic social dynamics... but I must admit, when more people recognize what we've done, everything does become more convenient." Though following Pei Guang could be a headache, mostly because of his unconventional actions, Dan Heng had to admit this was the smoothest mission they'd ever had. In just one day, they had discovered the Stellaron's approximate location. Now all that remained was... No matter what Pei Guang and Stelle were planning to do, he wouldn't interfere. Besides, following them around had been quite fun. Whether it was the tense and thrilling escapes or watching Pei Guang solve problems in unexpected ways, he found it all rather entertaining. March 7th nodded at Pei Guang's explanation and said, "Yeah, it really does feel like things have been a lot easier since we met you, Pei Guang. But I'm so tired today. Rest! We need rest!" As she thought about resting, March 7th pulled Stelle into a hug. "Hehe~ Let's not sleep in separate rooms tonight. Me, Stelle, and, um... what's your name again?" "Bronya," Bronya reminded her. "Oh, right! Let's eat, drink, and sleep well together! And Pei Guang, no sneaking off to play games tonight, okay?" Pei Guang laughed. "I won't~ I've used up a lot of energy today, so I'll need to rest, too. If any of you are interested in opening loot boxes, feel free to do it yourselves. Whoever opens them, it's the same either way. They're meant to boost our overall power, so anyone who's curious can go ahead." Pei Guang wasn't particularly concerned about the loot boxes, and March 7th didn't care much at this point either, as long as she wasn't left out of the fun. Everything else was secondary. Hearing this, Stelle's face lit up with excitement. While March 7th was also interested, she was just too tired and wanted a good rest. Opening loot boxes? That didn't matter right now—what mattered was sharing fun experiences together. Though Pei Guang had shared a lot of food and water, there was still plenty left. A lot of it was food that Stelle loved, so after a long, tiring day, she was ready to eat well and then get a good night's sleep! Gertie, the hotel manager, overheard them talking about food and smiled. "You've brought so many precious supplies. How could I let you eat the rations you brought with you? While resources are tight in the Underworld, we still have some decent food to offer. Come with me, and you can eat your fill." Stelle's eyes sparkled. "Free food? I'm in!" Pei Guang chimed in, "Of course! If it's free, why not?" March 7th sighed, "You two, try to be a little more civilized!" The trio enthusiastically followed Gertie into the hotel. Meanwhile, Bronya stood at the entrance, lost in thought. "I..." Pei Guang, already halfway through the door, waved to Dan Heng and Bronya. "Come on, you two! The meal is free! Free food!" March 7th teased, "Even free food can't shut him up! Get in here already!" Stelle shouted, "Yay~ Free food!" Seeing this, Bronya couldn't help but smile. "Haha, they're really something..." Dan Heng, maintaining his calm demeanor, nodded. "Let's not keep them waiting." Dan Heng and Bronya followed them inside. Though the hotel looked simple, the food was surprisingly good. They enjoyed a hearty meal with dishes like seaweed soup, some meat, and what looked like crab. Despite the somewhat strange appearance of the food, it tasted amazing. After a satisfying dinner, the five of them headed to their rooms to rest. While Pei Guang's group was off to sleep, Seele was busy reporting back to Oleg. Once everything was settled on Oleg's side, he decided to let the members of Wildfire have a break too. As for the captured vagrants, he gathered them up, intending to give them a stern lesson later. These freeloaders who lived by petty theft were about to face some serious discipline. Checking in at Natasha's clinic, Oleg found everything running smoothly. While there were quite a few injuries caused by the chaos between the robots and the vagrants, there were no serious injuries or deaths, only minor wounds. With the supplies brought by Pei Guang's group and the additional resources sent by Natasha's parents, the clinic was well-stocked. They had enough supplies to last at least six months without having to ration, which greatly relieved the strain on the clinic. Natasha was even able to indulge in some of her favorite snacks, stashed away by her adoptive mother. Everything was peaceful here, and everything was calm. Feeling bored, Seele kicked a rock. "Seriously, they've only been here a short while, and now there's nothing left to do. It's so boring..." Normally, the Underworld kept Seele busy, from maintaining order in Boulder Town to helping Natasha gather supplies and assisting Oleg in dealing with the wanderers. But since Pei Guang's group had arrived, Boulder Town had suddenly become peaceful. The troublesome vagrants were captured, Natasha didn't need any help and Seele found himself without any tasks. "I'll take a break too." Seele decided to rest as well, planning to serve as a guide for Pei Guang and his group after waking up. She remembered that Pei Guang and the others still had letters to deliver to Boulder Town. She couldn't figure out why there was anything left to deliver—after all, Boulder Town was in such a state, and there wasn't anyone left there. But since it was something he wanted to do, she decided to follow Dan Heng's advice and stop overthinking it. However, Seele admitted that traveling with Pei Guang had been both relaxing and fun. There was no need to worry about anything—everything was taken care of, which felt great. While heading back to rest though, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, because she saw a trash can.