The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Fu Xuan quickly stepped in to mediate. "Don't misunderstand. They're friends of the General, sent here to deal with issues we cannot resolve ourselves."

Yanqing looked unconvinced. "Issues that Xianzhou can't resolve? And besides, I—"

He had intended to boast about himself but paused, remembering his journey with Jingliu. That experience had humbled him, at least enough to temper his arrogance for now.

Still, what's youth without a bit of bravado? However, when Yanqing's eyes landed on Dan Heng, holding a Pink Fluffy Bunny plush weapon, his curiosity got the better of him. "Excuse me, is that… your weapon?"

Fu Xuan jumped in nervously, trying to defuse any potential misunderstandings. "Don't provoke him! That weapon may look strange, but its attacks make anyone hit by it meow like a cat. And over there, that pink-haired girl? She records her companions' battles on video! Oh, and by the way, they're Trailblazers. If you start a fight and don't land a single hit, that footage will spread across the entire universe! The entire universe!"

Fu Xuan wasn't worried about Pei Guang's group killing Yanqing. What she feared was them socially annihilating him. If he faced a "social death" at such a young age, his Dao heart would surely shatter.

Hearing this, Yanqing's fleeting impulse to challenge them vanished entirely.

To ease the awkwardness, Yanqing turned to Fu Xuan, trying to start a conversation, though he wasn't sure how to begin. At the same time, he noticed something different about Fu Xuan—she seemed livelier, less like the monotonous speaker he once knew.

As Yanqing hesitated, unsure how to break the silence, a crunching sound cut through the awkward atmosphere.

Stelle glanced at Pei Guang. "What're you munching on? Not sharing?"

Pei Guang replied casually, "This scene is way too dull. Just grabbed some jerky to pass the time. Want some?"

Before Stelle could answer, two hands emerged from a nearby trash can—one belonging to Silver Wolf and the other to Bailu.

Silver Wolf: "Pass some over."

Bailu: "Yeah, give me some too!"

Normally, a trash can wouldn't fit two people, but Silver Wolf had expanded its interior with her Aether Editing; now, the two of them were lounging inside, comfortably eating snacks and playing games.

Pei Guang laughed. "Sure, eat up! Oh, by the way, I've swiped quite a few drinks along the way too."

Pei Guang casually pulled out all the drinks he had "acquired" along the way. Fu Xuan's eyes widened as she recognized one of them. "How do you even have this?"

She was staring at one of her favorite drinks, a specially formulated tea by the Alchemy Commission. Designed to provide energy for intensive calculations, it was mixed with a personal touch of white sugar—delicious and refreshing.

Pei Guang followed her gaze to the drink in question. "Oh, this? I snagged it earlier from the Divination Commission. By the way, I also grabbed quite a bit of food from your personal canteen."

Fu Xuan: "?"

She distinctly remembered that Pei Guang's group hadn't wandered much in the Divination Commission. When had they managed to grab so much stuff? But after a moment of reflection, she let it go. Jing Yuan had already assured her that he'd cover any losses caused by Pei Guang and his companions.

Besides, Pei Guang's group hadn't caused any actual damage. The food and drinks they took would've been corrupted by the Ambrosial Arbor's power sooner or later. Snacks, drinks, even the litter they picked up—if they wanted it, they could have it.

Still, she couldn't help but mutter inwardly. Sure, players were amazing, but their interests were so… odd. They ignored all the expensive equipment in the Divination Commission and instead picked up food, drinks, litter from the ground, and random trinkets like lost photos and accessories—all in the name of "completing quests."

Finding a lost trinket for someone in the middle of an outbreak? Only a player would accept such a ridiculous task.

Fu Xuan sighed. "Fine, fine. I'm not one to fuss over such details. How much of this do you have? Can I have it all? And can I add extra sugar?"

Pei Guang pulled out a whole bag of sugar. "Here, it's edible sugar—add as much as you want. As for how much I grabbed? Eh, just around twenty cups or so."

Fu Xuan blinked. "Just… Forget it. I won't overthink this. Can I have them all? I really need the energy. Thanks."

Fu Xuan recalled that she had only stored about twenty cups at the Divination Commission, yet Pei Guang had taken all of them. How reliable—having such friends made her feel genuinely at ease.

Pei Guang: "Take them!"

At that moment, Stelle chimed in. "Any cola?"

Pei Guang grinned. "Got that too! And not just cola—also this so-called 'drinking water' that's actually a calorie bomb."

March 7th: "Oh, I've heard of that stuff. Truly an evil drink!"

Pei Guang: "But it's pretty great—massively boosts health recovery."

The initially tense atmosphere, brought on by Yanqing's presence, lightened up once more as Pei Guang got everyone involved. He handed out food and drinks while commenting, "This kind of downtime in the story calls for a feast. After all, before any big battle, there's always a supply run. How can we go into a fight without being full and hydrated?"

As they ate, Pei Guang also organized his inventory. He prepared restorative items, resistance-boosting consumables, and adjusted the order of his weapons and materials.

On top of that, Pei Guang had a special "gift" prepared for Phantylia: two garbage bags filled with vomit from himself and Stelle. He muttered to himself that the Lord Ravager should get a taste of the "delicacies" from Herta Space Station and Belobog.

With all these garbage bags, Pei Guang figured the enemy was in for a treat. Whether they could defeat it or not, it would definitely experience the unique "cuisine" of two entire regions.

While Pei Guang's group busied themselves with preparations, at the Scalegorge Waterscape's starskiff port, Kafka and Blade waited for their arrival.

Even though fate had been altered beyond recognition, she still remembered Elio's instructions. If they wanted the best ending, the Stellaron Hunters had to carry out their tasks—even if the process had become unrecognizable due to the player's involvement.

Fortunately, the Stellaron Hunters weren't enemies of the player. They might even be considered allies. With Silver Wolf already embedded in Pei Guang's group, overall things weren't too bad.

The only issue now was Blade. Activating Dan Heng's full power by cutting him wasn't about killing him—it was about unlocking the strength within him to break the seal on the Ambrosial Arbor. But who knew what consequences this would bring?

It wasn't impossible for Blade to fail against Dan Heng entirely, leading to a scenario where Blade was the one "cut" instead. Without Pei Guang's presence, such an outcome would undoubtedly lead to the worst-case scenario for Xianzhou.

But with the player involved, Kafka wasn't too concerned about the worst ending. Her main worry was how Phantylia would survive after offending Pei Guang. Though not all Aeons had the time to watch Pei Guang's antics, Kafka was certain that some, influenced by their Paths, were keeping an eye on him.

While most Aeons couldn't intervene, there were a few who, under the influence of their Paths, acted freely. And now that Phantylia's identity was exposed, many factions could prepare countermeasures against it. Eliminating an Emanator beaten into retreat by the Hunt's Emanator wouldn't be an impossible task for many forces.

Kafka sighed. "Fate… is no longer within anyone's control."