The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Inside the Scalegorge Waterscape, Pei Guang found Bailu, who was diligently searching for clues.

"Bailu~"

Hearing Pei Guang's voice, Bailu looked up. "Ah Guang! You're here. Did you find any clues?"

Pei Guang: "Yep, here's what happened…"

He explained the situation in detail. After listening, Bailu let out a sigh of relief. "Whew! If it's just those idiots releasing wild animals all over the place, then I can relax a little."

What Bailu feared most was some thief eyeing her properties, but in this case, it was clearly just some fools getting tricked by nonsense. Since Pei Guang had already taken action, she had no doubt that those troublemakers would suffer dearly.

Bailu: "Really, thank you so much, Ah Guang! I've prepared an amazing reward for you!"

Since she had entrusted the task to Pei Guang, Bailu had naturally prepared a reward. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then carefully pulled out a small paper-wrapped package from her pocket. Inside were the best candies she had managed to find in recent days.

"Ah Guang! Here, these are the tastiest candies I've found!"

Pei Guang didn't hesitate, picking one up and popping it into his mouth. "Mmm~ This candy really is delicious. Sweet but not overwhelming, with a slightly tangy aftertaste. I love it."

Bailu grinned proudly. "Of course! When it comes to food, I'm a total expert. Next time I find something tasty, I'll bring it to you again!"

Pei Guang: "Sounds great~ Do you have any other tasks? If not, I'll head back first—March is waiting for me in her room."

Bailu: "Nope, you're free to go~ But make sure to visit me when you have time!"

Pei Guang: "Of course~"

He waved at Bailu and turned to leave. But as he walked away, Bailu suddenly realized something felt off. "Wait a second? Her room? Hmm… well, that makes sense. They're young and full of energy. Ah Guang's got great stamina, but as his friend, I should prepare some good stuff for him… Oh! I know just the thing!"

Clearly, Bailu's thoughts had taken a… different turn.

While Pei Guang was returning to the Astral Express, the Unshackled found themselves in a rather interesting predicament.

Zhongshan had only given them a few subtle hints after Pei Guang left, but that was enough. When these three sought help in constructing their "Merit Extraction Machine," they all secretly tampered with it to gain an advantage over each other.

The end result?

One of them got arrested by the Realm-Keeping Commission for intentional harm, while another was left with multiple fractures and in need of urgent medical treatment.

But overall, they had managed to accumulate a lot of "merit."

Whether that merit was actually useful, no one could say. However, for causing chaos in the sacred land of the Vidyadhara, they were now facing enormous fines and a potential prison sentence.

Betraying each other for the sake of merit, only to end up injured and awaiting judgment—of all people, Zhongshan probably enjoyed this outcome the most, having watched the entire process unfold from beginning to end.

Of course, Pei Guang wouldn't find out about all this until much later when the Realm-Keeping Commission contacted him about it.

For now, after leaving Bailu, Pei Guang returned directly to the Astral Express and arrived outside March 7th's room.

"March~ I'm here~"

"Ahh! Wait, wait! Coming!!"

From inside the room, March 7th sounded a little flustered. But after a few seconds, she finally opened the door.

"Hehe~ You're finally here. Come in quick! I have something amazing to show you~"

March 7th grabbed Pei Guang and pulled him into her room, shutting the door behind them as soon as they were inside.

Once inside, she took a deep breath, then looked at Pei Guang mischievously and said, "Ah Guang, what I'm about to show you, you absolutely cannot show to anyone else! Ta-da! Look! These are the two Light Cones given to me by the Aeon of Remembrance."

Without any buildup, March 7th straightforwardly handed the two Light Cones to Pei Guang. The moment he saw one of them, he immediately understood why her face was red.

One of the Light Cones recorded the scene of March 7th sealed inside the Six-Phased Ice. In that state, she was wearing nothing~~~ 

However, in a rather miraculous way, the Light Cone had conveniently obscured every part of her body.

Pei Guang held the Light Cone and looked at March 7th seriously. "So, I can look at these any way I want?"

March 7th nodded firmly. "That's right! Ah Guang, you can look however you want!"

She hadn't realized what Pei Guang actually meant by that.

If it had been before, the first thing Pei Guang would have done with a Light Cone was check its stats and special effects. But now, seeing this particular one, he instinctively held it up vertically, tilting his head to the side to see if he could look past its flat perspective at March 7th inside.

At first, March 7th was confused, but the moment she realized what he was doing, her face turned completely red in an instant.

"Ah Guang! What are you doing?!"

Pei Guang smirked. "Just taking a look~"

March 7th panicked. "You're not allowed to look!"

Pei Guang teased, "But you just told me I could."

March 7th stomped her foot. "I take it back! And besides, you can't see anything anyway!"

Pei Guang chuckled. "No problem, just remove the holy knight from the party, and I'll be able to see."

March 7th's voice shot up. "You pervert!"

Pei Guang corrected her with a straight face. "Pervert? No, I prefer 'appreciator of beauty.' At least I'm honest about it, and that deserves some praise."

March 7th, flustered, blurted out, "If you really liked looking so much, why stare at that Light Cone instead of me?!"

She had spoken without thinking, but the second the words left her mouth, she slapped her hands over it in horror. "What am I even saying?"

Pei Guang, as serious as ever, repeated, "You just said, 'If you really liked looking so much, why stare at that Light Cone instead of me?'"

March 7th groaned and gave him a light punch in the chest. "Ugh! You weren't supposed to repeat it! Wait—ahhh!!!"

She had no idea what to do anymore. Her entire body was heating up in embarrassment, and if there had been a hole in the floor, she would have dived in without hesitation.

Seeing her so flustered, Pei Guang casually added, "I want to look at the Light Cone, and I want to look at you too! The two aren't mutually exclusive. But honestly, compared to a still image, I much prefer the real thing—lively and full of energy."

March 7th coughed awkwardly before straightening her back and putting her hands on her hips, as if regaining her confidence. "Of course you do! That's a given!"

Seeing her puffed-up confidence, Pei Guang delivered another direct hit. "Though, I still think you look the best right now."

Maybe it was the impact of his words, or maybe it was just that the train's temperature had suddenly risen—but March 7th suddenly felt a lot warmer, and her face only burned hotter.

She found it increasingly difficult to breathe: she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. She tried to lift her head to look at Pei Guang, but some strange force stopped her.

Pei Guang felt the same. When he made his move, he realized that reality and virtual games were two entirely different things. Sure, he had plenty of in-game experience, but in real life? He was completely clueless!

Just as the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly heated between them, a knock on the door interrupted them.

"March~ Ah Guang~ I'm here!"