Huohuo slowly regained consciousness. As she woke up, she tried to recall what had happened. She remembered clearly that she had been reporting her work to Hanya, and then she heard Tail calling out to them.
"I think... I drank something really bitter, but also really tasty... hmm~~"
While she was thinking about it, the light from nearby flames caught her attention. Instinctively turning her head, Huohuo felt like her heart skipped half a beat.
She saw Hanya engulfed in roaring flames, and beside her, Xueyi was curiously holding her hand out to the fire, as if warming it.
Huohuo let out a cry instinctively, her body trembling uncontrollably. But the voice of Tail next to her helped her calm down.
"What are you screaming for? Never seen anything before?"
That familiar voice and tone instantly steadied Huohuo's nerves. Turning around and seeing the familiar Tail, she finally felt grounded again. "Tail! You're alive!"
"What's that supposed to mean? Talking like your grand master here would just die? Though, to be fair, I did take a trip to death's door."
Hearing Huohuo and Tail's exchange, Hanya, who was being roasted by the Savory Truefire, turned her head and said calmly, "Don't worry, this fire won't harm me. It's actually driving out the evil inside me and making me healthier."
"Eh? Lady Hanya... you're okay?"
Hanya stood up and looked at Huohuo. "I'm fine. This flame is the one recorded in the archives, the Savory Truefire used by Lord Pei Guang, capable of burning even Lord Ravager Phantylia. Rest assured, according to the records, this fire only harms enemies of Lord Pei Guang."
While Hanya was explaining, Pei Guang, who had been watching quietly, scratched his head a little embarrassed. "You don't have to call me 'Lord' all the time... I'm not used to such formal titles. If you could, I'd prefer you just call me by name, or by my famous nickname!"
Stelle chimed in, "That would be the Galactic Baseballer!"
Pei Guang looked at Stelle. "That's your nickname, isn't it?"
He also added, "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine: no big difference."
Watching this exchange, Hanya asked, a bit puzzled, "Pei Guang, I have a question. Why did you use the fire in the first place?"
Pei Guang explained, "Oh! When we arrived, we noticed you and this little girl called Huohuo were being attacked by a Heliobus. So, we used our methods to try and deal with it. Hiss... but who would've thought the Heliobus inside you was so professionally trained, with such strong willpower? I was going full blast with my fire, and it didn't even make a sound! Truly impressive."
Stelle nodded. "Meanwhile, that Tail fellow was very cooperative, chatting obediently with us. We figured he could be treated leniently, but the Heliobus inside you must be severely punished!"
Pei Guang looked at Stelle. "Punish what? It's probably roasted already, can't even scream anymore."
Stelle was shocked. "Roasted? Inside her? Then what about our materials?"
Pei Guang said, "Eh, just let her absorb it! No big deal. According to Fu Xuan, there's a whole lot of Heliobus here anyway. We'll just catch them one by one! Look at her, her body's been ravaged by the Heliobus already. Giving her some roasted Heliobus as nutrition sounds great, doesn't it? Anyway, Tail! Are all you Heliobus this stubborn?"
Listening to their conversation, Xueyi opened her mouth slightly but ended up closing it again without speaking. Watching her sister's expression, Hanya instantly realized something; she was sure of it now: these two had completely misunderstood everything.
"There's no such thing as a Heliobus having strong willpower. They're energy parasites. Plus, we're protected by talismans, so they can't invade our bodies. Still, thank you both for your help. I didn't expect that Huohuo and I would get to enjoy such rare medicine you brought."
When Hanya said this, Pei Guang and Stelle's expressions froze for a moment. Seeing the two of them freeze up, Tail suddenly became cocky.
"I told you! There was no Heliobus in them, you—"
But before he could even finish, Pei Guang's wooden sword and Stelle's bat were already crossed at his nonexistent neck. At that moment, Tail swallowed nonexistent saliva and started crying out for help.
Seeing this, Hanya spoke calmly. "Let him go. He hasn't done anything wrong yet. Traiblazers, may I ask why you came here?"
Pei Guang answered, "Oh! It's . We came here this time specifically for the Heliobi—"
Since someone helped change the subject, Pei Guang quickly took the chance to brush past the incident.
Hearing Pei Guang's explanation, the four others were stunned. Xueyi had interacted with Dan Heng, Seele, and Silver Wolf before, and back then, things had been relatively normal.
But after listening to Pei Guang, everyone's expressions turned grim, especially Tail, who stuttered as he spoke.
"Y-you said... you can... modify me? That's impossible..."
Pei Guang replied, "Why would that be impossible? Since you're right here, I'll show you personally! After I modify you, you'll have no choice but to believe me!"
Just as Pei Guang said that, Tail whooshed behind Huohuo and literally turned into a real tail.
"I'm not a Heliobus! I'm a tail! Huohuo's tail!"
"Mr. Tail..." Huohuo muttered.
"I'm not a mister! I'm just Tail!" Tail shouted.
Normally, no one could do anything to a Heliobus, which was why Tail usually acted so cocky. But in front of Pei Guang, he couldn't stay arrogant: that fire could genuinely wipe him out!
Compared to getting caught and used for synthesis, Tail now felt it wasn't so bad being Huohuo's tail. Messing around and teasing this cute little girl: that was a pretty good life.
For sure better than being barbecued by this crazy guy.
Pei Guang squatted next to Huohuo, staring at the 'tailified' Tail.
"You're really a tail?"
"That's right! I'm just a tail! Hurry up and go catch another Heliobus, leave me alone!"
Huohuo also looked at Pei Guang. "Um... Mr. Tail , he... uh..."
Seeing Huohuo struggle to find her words, Pei Guang nodded.
"Judging by your face, you don't want him modified, right? Then forget it. I'm someone who respects others' wishes. I won't use you. Don't worry, even though I'm targeting Heliobi, as long as you're living peacefully with humans and not hurting anyone, I won't lay a finger on you. I'm a very reasonable person."
Pei Guang could see clearly that both Huohuo and Tail valued each other deeply: like a Parasyte. At first, Shinichi and Migi couldn't trust each other, but after spending enough time together, they became inseparable.