Bronya, sensing the need to smooth things over, asked, "Ah Guang, how was my performance earlier?"
Pei Guang gave her a thumbs-up. "Anyone who doesn't know you personally would definitely believe it."
Bronya was momentarily confused. "Huh?"
Pei Guang explained, "When you're actually struggling, you either have that 'I can't do anything, but I still want to try' expression, or you take decisive action. That pie-chart-like emotional performance just now? Way too fake for us."
Bronya pondered. "Looks like I still need to practice more…"
March 7th waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, no need! With us, no matter how much you practice, it won't work. But against outsiders, that level is good enough.
Ugh, that guy was so insufferable, though. He sounded polite and reasonable, but everything he said was basically about taking over this planet. I really wanna punch him."
Bronya hesitated. "Wouldn't that be bad? If we hit him here, wouldn't it just make him furious?"
Pei Guang tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You know… I actually have a way to beat him up without it being traced back to Belobog."
March 7th blinked. "Huh?"
Pei Guang nodded. "That's right. Belobog might seem like a closed-off planet, but there are people here from other worlds. And I have a feeling this guy's background isn't so simple. In fact, you guys know him."
March 7th started listing names. "Who? Is it Oleg? Or Natasha?"
She seriously analyzed all the people she knew in Belobog, but after going through them all, they were all just Belobog locals.
Pei Guang smirked. "Think harder. We just saw him yesterday."
March 7th was still drawing a blank. "Who?"
Stelle rolled her eyes. "Dummy, it's Sampo."
March 7th was stunned. "Huh?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Remember our minimap system? Anyone we've marked shows up within our explored range. But back when we had free roam in Belobog, he was nowhere to be found. Instead, his marker appeared way off in unexplored areas."
March 7th's eyes widened. "So… he's from another planet? But why is he here?"
Pei Guang thought for a moment. "Judging by the high-quality and interesting stuff he sells, I'm 80% sure he's from the Elation faction. And not just some random guy—he's at least a hidden elite."
Stelle grinned. "I get it! We disguise ourselves as Sampo and beat him up!"
Pei Guang shook his head. "No, no, that's too boring. Framing someone outright would be unfair, especially to someone who's done nothing to us and has been feeding us great loot. Instead, let's just go ask him—see if he's okay with us pretending to be him, beating the guy up, and pinning the blame on him."
As a player, Pei Guang had principles. He could mess with NPCs, but he wouldn't outright betray a useful one—especially someone like Sampo, who had never wronged him and had been an excellent supplier.
There was no way Pei Guang would screw him over just like that.
Hearing this, March 7th lowered her voice. "Do you think… he'd actually agree to that?"
Pei Guang: "No idea! Let's go ask him. That guy just got thrown into jail, so we can check in on him there."
Stelle: "Let's go, let's go!"
Hearing that there was mischief to be had, Stelle immediately perked up with excitement. So, the three of them asked Bronya to assign someone to escort them to the prison.
As she watched them leave, Bronya let out a helpless smile. She could already tell that someone was about to have a very bad time.
"Still can't rest... There's a lot to take care of."
Since she needed to consult the people of Belobog, she had to inform them properly. She immediately summoned the Architects and key officials to meet at Qlipoth Fort, also calling up Seele, who was working on rebuilding the Underworld.
She planned to tell them everything exactly as it was.
She would present the company's contract but also point out all the traps she had found within it. The only thing she intended to withhold was the fact that Belobog actually had the means to repay its debt.
Just as Pei Guang had advised, she would use this opportunity to gauge public sentiment and further solidify the unity of Belobog.
While Bronya was making her preparations, inside the prison, Sampo had just finished his breakfast and was about to step out to enjoy his day when he suddenly froze in place.
His instincts told him that something interesting was about to happen. Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw Pei Guang and his companions walking in.
The moment he spotted Pei Guang, Sampo's eyes lit up. "Yo! If it isn't Mr. Pei Guang himself! You're here? Looking to get some treasure off good old Sampo? No problem! Go ahead, take your pick! I love Traiblazers like you!"
Sampo was positively beaming with joy. Just look at the chaos he had contributed to—Luofu's Disciples of Sanctus Medicus in shambles, the humiliation of Phantylia—all thanks to him.
Let's be honest, without him, would the Trailblazers have gotten so many good things? The way he saw it, he had essentially pranked half of Liyue, thoroughly disgraced the Lord Ravager, and outperformed even the best of the Masked Fools in terms of sheer elation.
Thinking about all of this, Sampo wriggled a little in delight. He had found the perfect way to lie low and revel in Elation's pleasures while doing absolutely nothing.
Seeing how overly excited Sampo was, Pei Guang figured that something was definitely off about him. But he didn't dwell on it. Looking at Sampo with an earnest expression, he spoke.
"Sampo, I know you're not just some ordinary guy. I have something I need to do…"
Sampo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The great Trailblazer needs me for something? Ahem! Now, we're good friends and all, but I'm a man of principle. You want me to do something? Gotta pay up."
Pei Guang shook his head. "It's not a job for you. Here's the thing—I want to impersonate you to beat up a company employee. This guy's got a pretty high rank, someone from the Marketing Development Department. Afterward, I'll pin the blame on you. How does that sound?"