The captured members of the Bloodhound Family provided Pei Guang with a huge amount of materials, items, and effects.
One could say this was the first time since exploring the Xianzhou Luofu that he had acquired resources on such a massive scale.
Seeing so many resources, Pei Guang even wanted to do a big round of synthesis, but he held back: because he knew the mission wasn't finished yet.
Judging from the current situation, he didn't dare to imagine just how rich the rewards would be once the task was complete.
While Pei Guang was daydreaming, his phone received a message from Screwllum.
Screwllum: "I have found Dr. Calderon Chadwick, but I would like to make a request of you, Mr. Pei Guang. I'd like to ask you to deliver something to Dr. Calderon Chadwick, who remains trapped in the dreamscape."
Pei Guang: "No problem~ I'll head out right away~"
Putting away his phone, Pei Guang looked at the others. "Everyone! I need to step out for a moment to pick up a key item. I'll be back soon~"
Stelle waved her hand. "Go on, go on~"
She was in a happy mood too. There were just too many treasures, and right now all she wanted was to sort them out with joy.
What? Mission reward? The mission makes Pei Guang run, while she gets to claim the
loot.What a deal!
Pei Guang returned to the Reverie Hotel, and following Screwllum's coordinates, he found him.
"Hey~ I'm here."
As soon as he arrived, Pei Guang saw a bubble floating above the Dream Pool and Screwllum staring at it in contemplation.
Looking around the room, Pei Guang didn't see Chadwick anywhere, so his eyes fell curiously on the bubble.
"Don't tell me this bubble is Chadwick?"
Hearing his question, Screwllum gave a firm answer: "Deduction: As a short-lived species, the probability of Calderon Chadwick still surviving in flesh form approaches zero. As of today, no known life-extension technology can extend an ordinary human's natural lifespan across two standard Amber Eras."
What's a "standard Amber Era"? That's when knocking the hammer once every few decades counts as normal.
As for the current Amber Lord knocking his hammer several times in a row within just a few days… the Company chose to record it truthfully, but marked these Eras with special notes.
The great Amber Lord hammering so many times in just a few days: there surely must be some deeper meaning.
Pei Guang: "So natural lifespan can't be extended, but there are other methods, right? Like Herta's rejuvenation, or this?"
Pei Guang had dug into quite a bit of information on Herta: her age, her rejuvenation… Well, this was just a game to him.
He didn't care about age, as long as she looked good.
"Yes. The Penacony Family possesses in-depth knowledge of memetic matter and related technologies. Even if Chadwick's body could not be preserved, they could still extract the underlying material of his brain, allowing his mind to survive."
Listening to Screwllum's explanation, Pei Guang clicked his tongue. "Good grief. I really have to say, good grief. Not even allowed to die in peace? That's one hell of a torture method."
Screwllum: "Correct. That is why I am giving this to you. With it, you will understand everything. You deserve to know the full story, Mr. Pei Guang. Had you not shared your findings with us out of goodwill, who knows how much longer Chadwick would have remained imprisoned in this dream."
Screwllum handed him a bottle of medicine.
Taking it, Pei Guang muttered: "Goodwill? None at all. I was just thinking he's tied to a mission and rewards. I've been running around like crazy on this trip, I really hope the rewards are worth it~"
Screwllum said nothing, only stared at him.
Being stared at, Pei Guang shivered a little. If it had been a pretty girl, he would've enjoyed it, but being stared at by a clanker—ahem, a robot, gave him a very strange feeling.
"Ahem~ anyway, no more chatting. I'll go back into the dream and give this medicine to Chadwick."
Pei Guang turned and left. As he walked away, Screwllum shifted his gaze back to the dream bubble.
Back in his room, Pei Guang safely returned to the dreamscape through his trash can. The moment he arrived, Firefly was the first to greet him.
"You're back? How did it go?"
As she stood up, Sparkle, who had been propping her head and staring into the sky in boredom, brightened and also looked over.
Tearing the roof off Penacony alongside Pei Guang had been fun, but when he wasn't around, everything felt dull.
Leave? In this turbulent Penacony, she couldn't find a place more entertaining than by Pei Guang's side.
The truth of Penacony? At this rate, even without digging into it, Pei Guang might just dismantle the Family outright.
They had only played around for a short while, and already the Bloodhound Family had been provoked, forced into retreat, and completely captured.
The fact that no reinforcements had shown up yet was proof enough that Pei Guang had made them back down in his own unique way.
Just messing around, and suddenly he was brushing shoulders with the Genius Society. Even if she wanted to pretend to be a genius herself, it wasn't easy to get in touch with actual members of the Society.
And all this had happened in just a few hours. She didn't even dare imagine what might happen if a few more passed.
So right now, Sparkle was looking forward to what new twists Pei Guang would bring to this stage.
As for Stelle? She was still happily looting corpses.
With so many captured enemies, the joy of pulling drops was keeping her far too busy to pay Pei Guang any mind.
Facing the two who had come closer, Pei Guang explained: "This part of the story should be finished. Screwllum gave me a bottle of medicine to deliver to him. I figure once he takes it, the mission should be complete. After all, we've already cleared the hardest part. What's left is just procedure, plus maybe learning what really happened to him."
Firefly: "And the Bloodhound Family…"
Pei Guang waved his hand. "Don't worry. At the very least, they won't come after us over this genius anymore."
Sparkle: "Mm, meaning… they'll come after us for something else?"
Pei Guang spread his hands. "No idea. But going by standard story logic, that's very possible."
Plenty of games work so that, even in hostile relations, if you raise affection high enough the other side will treat you well. But there are just as many games where, even if you max out affection, people from that faction will still stab you when you walk by.
That was why Pei Guang figured it was possible.
After complaining a bit, Pei Guang found Chadwick still sitting inside the trash can, staring at the sky.
After drinking the beverage Pei Guang had given him earlier, he had regained part of himself. Though crucial memories were missing, his genius insight remained intact.
Today, however, before his consciousness completely faded, he had witnessed something that shook even his mind—
He had been protected by trash cans. Not only that, but the Family hadn't even been able to beat them.
Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime sight!
He also felt some regret. If he still had his memories, he might have studied Pei Guang's curious abilities. Even though this was the dreamscape, the power to learn anything with a single touch, or to build turrets out of scrap, was intriguing to him.
And as he stared at the sky, Pei Guang walked up to him. "Mr. Chadwick, it's time to take your medicine."
Pei Guang's words left Chadwick momentarily confused.
Medicine? What medicine?
He then saw the medicine Pei Guang took out: the drug looked familiar to him, and at the same time it made him recall something.
In that moment, his body emitted a golden light.
The lingering effect of the Emotion Recovery Functional Drink activated, since it determined that this old man no longer needed to have his memories sealed.
What he needed was to regain his complete self.
At that moment, the remnants of the medicine helped him choose the most suitable person.
Pei Guang had originally thought that giving the old man the medicine would completely finish the task. But when Chadwick saw the drug in his hand, Pei Guang realized the old man's body began to glow.
Having gone through Cocona's inner world before, Pei Guang knew that to complete this task, there was still one last step.
As Pei Guang suddenly vanished, Sparkle's eyes lit up, while Firefly explained from the side: "That's one of his powerful abilities. He can enter another person's dream to help them. As for the rest, I don't really know."
"Oh?"
Sparkle's tone was full of interest.