The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

When Zhongshan mentioned a reward, Pei Guang took a good look at her. Logically speaking, he found her words believable—because, in his judgment, she was exactly the type of NPC who stumbles upon an interesting quest and decides to tag along for the fun of it.

NPCs like her, how should he put it?

Even if they get screwed over, scammed, or outright hunted down in the story, their actual strength in many games is often completely unfathomable.

And since she offered a reward, Pei Guang figured he might as well see what kind of loot this NPC could provide.

Pei Guang smirked. "Your offer is just too tempting to refuse~ In that case, I suppose it's time for these folks to learn what true merit really means!"

Hearing this, Zhongshan grinned. "Oh? So you're not planning to arrest them? Instead, you're going to help them earn merit?"

Pei Guang didn't answer—he simply walked forward with a mischievous smile toward the members of the Unshackled.

As he approached, the group finally noticed him.

"Who are you?"

The first to speak was Tonya, her expression wary as she watched Pei Guang close in.

Pei Guang gave an easygoing smile. "I am a guest of General Jing Yuan—a Nameless Trailblazer. I couldn't help but notice you all standing around looking troubled. Why don't you tell me what's on your mind? I'll do my best to help you complete your mission."

The representative of releasing bottled water, Nannan, spoke up first. "I know you—the famous Pei Guang. The Trailblazer who completes any commission. Just the other day, I saw you in Aurum Alley competing in a cooking contest with some girl."

Hearing one of their own confirm Pei Guang's identity, Benna's eyes widened in shock. "So you really can complete any commission?"

Pei Guang smiled. "As long as you can provide the appropriate task rewards, anything is possible!"

Upon hearing this, Benna became visibly excited. "Actually, we do have something we'd like to trouble you with!"

Pei Guang crossed his arms. "Let me guess—you want me to solve your release problem, right?"

Benna blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

Pei Guang chuckled. "Because I'm the famous Pei Guang! Let me take a wild guess—you guys ended up creating an entire food chain, and now none of you can successfully release anything, right?"

Nannan, the bottled water enthusiast, proudly interjected, "That doesn't include me! My releases are always a success!"

Tonya, however, glared at him. "You fraud! If you say one more word, I'll smack you."

Pei Guang raised a hand. "Now, now, no need for hostility. If this fine gentleman believes his releases are successful, then it simply means he has no commissions to issue. If you don't have a commission, please step aside and allow those who do to go first~"

Hearing Pei Guang's words, Nannan didn't think too much about it and silently closed his mouth. After all, he felt that his act of "releasing life" was very successful—after all, a single bottle of mineral water contains a super high number of microorganisms!

Of course, whether he genuinely believed this or was subtly mocking the others is anyone's guess.

Zhongshan, watching the scene unfold, grinned and joined in. "Alright, alright~ Let me guess, you all want to resolve the food chain conflict between the Three Benevolent Ones, right?"

Heathmann, the Nurture faction representative, nodded eagerly. "Precisely! Do you have any solutions?"

Pei Guang met Heathmann's gaze, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Of course I do! However, from my perspective, you all are releasing things far too inefficiently. Whether it's plants, gentle creatures, or fearsome beasts—your release speeds are way too slow. Have you ever considered improving your efficiency?"

His words stunned the group into silence.

Zhongshan, ever the opportunist, nodded in agreement. "That's true! Think about it—you've been painstakingly releasing creatures for so long, yet you still haven't gained the attention of the Merciful One. Isn't that because your efficiency is too low?"

The group looked as if they wanted to refute her, but Pei Guang cut them off before they could speak.

"Let's not focus on what exactly you are releasing for now. Instead, let's talk about the purpose of your actions."

At this, Benna straightened up and declared, "We do this to uphold the benevolent path of Abundance! By accumulating merit under the gaze of the Lord of Abundance, we ensure a long life and endless good fortune!"

In the Xianzhou Alliance, Abundance Cultists were hunted on sight, but simply believing in the path of Abundance and following its tenets wasn't illegal. In fact, those who merely practiced Abundance peacefully were tolerated.

Hearing Benna's words, Pei Guang's expression brightened. "Ah, I see now! Saving a life is the highest merit! Compared to other ways of accumulating merit, wouldn't rescuing living creatures earn far more merit?"

Tonya nodded firmly. "Exactly! That's why we release powerful beasts—so they can thrive in nature!"

Benna, however, shook her head. "No! It's better to release the weak, pitiful, and defenseless so they can continue their existence—that's what true merit is!"

Watching the two bicker, Pei Guang smiled knowingly. "You're both right—and yet, you're both wrong. Rescuing ordinary creatures does earn merit, but compared to a truly grand release, it's still too slow."

Zhongshan, playing along, tilted her head curiously. "Oh? And what kind of release would earn even greater merit, Nameless one?"

Pei Guang nodded confidently. "I know exactly what that is. The essence of release is to take a living being out of danger and place it somewhere safe and comfortable, where it can live in peace. And in this process, the more merit the rescued being possesses, the more merit the savior will earn."

Then, with a sly grin, he continued, "According to the First Law of Merit—merit cannot be created or destroyed. It can only transfer from one person to another, or transform from one form into another…"

"The Second Law of Merit states that every living being possesses merit. If someone takes a life, their merit transfers to a living being in danger. However, if someone saves that life, the merit instead transfers to the rescuer. In this process, the endangered being retains only a small portion of merit, while the rescuer gains a large amount."

"The Third Law of Merit states that merit never truly reaches zero. Because of this, even non-living things should, in theory, possess merit."

"By applying these three fundamental laws of Merit, we can create a Merit Extraction Machine—a device that manufactures danger, while you perform the act of release. This will allow you to transfer the merit of all things in the world onto yourselves, accumulating vast blessings. Once enough merit is gathered, you will attain enlightenment, achieving the fabled 'Three Flowers Converging at the Crown, Ascension to Immortality.'"

At this moment, Zhongshan was completely dumbfounded.

She had lived for so long yet had never heard of these so-called Three Laws of Merit. They were absolute nonsense—the Aeon of Abundance had nothing to do with merit! But the problem was… when you first heard them, they actually sounded reasonable.

Most importantly, the three Unshackled members—who had been listening intently—were completely stunned by Pei Guang's words. Whether it was the complex terminology or the grand conclusion, every phrase resonated with them, pulling at their very souls.

Pei Guang observed their dazed expressions and casually waved his hand. "Judging by your faces, you still need time to fully digest my words. Find a quiet place to contemplate: once you've grasped the true essence of merit, come back to me. 

If you still encounter difficulties, I'll help you again—for free, just this once, out of the profound bond we share."

The three wide-eyed members scurried off, looking as though they'd just been struck by divine revelation.

Meanwhile, Nannan—who had excused himself earlier—was utterly unfazed. He hadn't understood a single word Pei Guang said. But he was a simple man—if he didn't understand something, he simply didn't bother listening. So, he, too, wandered off to mind his own business elsewhere.