Tail looked at Pei Guang with some smugness. "Kid, I like the way you talk. If you run into any trouble from now on, come find this King. I'll get everything sorted out, neat and clean."
Pei Guang: "Let us celebrate! Present your tribute to the birth of the great King Tail!"
Tail: "Ha~ Hahahahaha!"
Watching the antics of this one person and one tail, Huohuo nervously swallowed. Mr. Tail used to be scary and disruptive to her daily life, but overall still normal. So why, after meeting Pei Guang, did it seem… insane?
No—wait. It's not just Lord Tail. She might've gone insane too… As Huohuo thought back on everything she'd done along the way, she crouched down, overcome with embarrassment.
It had all seemed kind of fun in the moment, but in hindsight? Utterly mortifying!!!
Fortunately, that shame only lasted a short while, because Pei Guang had finished his fun and was now calling on Huohuo to go catch more Heliobi.
Thanks to all the ruckus earlier, there were now quite a few Heliobi wandering around Fyxestroll Garden, so it was a good time to capture them.
With no one getting in the way, the whole process went rather smoothly. Though when it came to the other Heliobi, Pei Guang did go a little easier on them.
He didn't know what kind of Heliobi these were, after all: what if one of them turned out to be as communicative as Tail, or, by his standards, kind-hearted and friendly?
As a seasoned gamer, Pei Guang understood just how complex these seemingly hostile entities could be. Some, like Cirrus, were pushed to emotional extremes. Others, like Tail, were surprisingly clever. There might even be some who could truly be companions.
In a world where both Aeons and transmigrators existed, nothing was off the table.
Everything went pretty smoothly. After a few hours, the group, three people and one "tail", managed to collect ten Heliobi. Once sorted and arranged, Pei Guang began the crafting process.
It was simple: Pei Guang brought out the Heliobus, combined them—and boom! A transformation device appeared.
But when he looked at the device's attributes, Pei Guang fell into deep thought.
[Bound Equipment: Heliobus Transformation Device]
[A transformation device made using Heliobus. Binds to the user upon first use. After transforming, the user can customize a combat outfit and weapon, and activate and fully control the device's power. With sufficient energy, the user can freely change their size. When energy is depleted, transformation is canceled. The device can absorb power generated from emotions.]
[Material: Cirrus - Because Cirrus was used in crafting, the user can summon Cirrus's phantom in battle. When equipped to the weapon, it can absorb enemy energy and strengthen the user. Attacks trigger Cirrus's mocking laughter.]
[Materials: Unconscious Heliobus ×9 - Greatly increases transformation speed. During use, attributes from unconscious Heliobi can be freely added. Players must explore to discover specific attributes.]
[Note: Emotional energy absorbed will not affect the user's emotional state. If emotional changes do occur, consider the possibility of Heliobus possession or recent mental trauma.]
[Special Note: When fighting alongside a Heliobus, unexpected effects may occur. Offer your friendship, your bond, your future: let the enemy witness our strength!]
Looking over the description, Pei Guang stroked his chin, thinking. The description wasn't long, but it left him not knowing exactly how to roast it.
It didn't show any specific stats, but after spending so long in this world as a player, Pei Guang knew that any item with the phrase "players must explore" was guaranteed to be overpowered.
Plus, that "freely added attributes" part? That basically meant customizable skills! Using Heliobi to craft items preserved some of their traits. For example, something crafted with Furynox might let you glimpse the future for a few seconds. Every Heliobus had its own properties.
Pei Guang had originally assumed the "unconscious" ones were just neutral and had no abilities—but turns out, they were customizable skill slots!
In that instant, Pei Guang found the Heliobi even more precious.
While he examined the device, Huohuo and Tail had been watching the whole time, especially Tail. As a Heliobus itself, even though it got along well with Pei Guang, it was still curious how exactly Pei Guang was "processing" the others.
But when it saw Pei Guang casually wave his hand and create a soul-gem-like green crystal from the ten Heliobi, Tail was stunned. "Wait—what? That's it?"
It had seen it with its own eyes: Pei Guang laid the ten Heliobi on the ground, waved his hand, and poof—a green gemstone appeared in his palm? The pure Heliobus aura radiating from it confirmed it was indeed made from them, but… just a wave of the hand? That's it?
Pei Guang looked at Tail. "What did you expect? It's not a loot box: you want flashing rainbow lights or something? Here! Huohuo, take the transformation device. Though it's called that, you can choose its outward appearance. I'll teach you how to use it. Oh, and since you've got Tail as a partner, when you fight together with a Heliobus, it'll trigger a special synergy."
Huohuo: "It's that powerful? I can fight together with Mr. Tail?"
Tail: "Correction! You should now address me as King Tail! I'm the King now."
Off to the side, Stelle seemed to catch onto something and smiled. "Oh? So you admit you and Huohuo are partners now?"
Tail was startled. "Is that how you two are wording this? At worst, we're companions, or two misfortunate souls bound together. Partners? Really?"
Stelle seriously explained, "Look! You two act together and operate as a team: that makes you partners, doesn't it?"
Huohuo: "That… actually makes sense?"
Tail: "What sense?! Don't listen to them! You've barely been around these two and already they're corrupting you!"
Tail rambled on, clearly a bit annoyed. Even though it liked to scare Huohuo, seeing Pei Guang lead her astray was something it couldn't stand.
Looking at Tail's fussing, both Pei Guang and Stelle smiled. After a round of teasing, Pei Guang handed the transformation device to Huohuo.
"Here, it's yours. It'll transform into whatever accessory form you want. As for whether or not you want to include a transformation sequence, that's up to you. Oh, and just between us, using this device will seriously boost your courage. After you transform, you won't be afraid of ghosts anymore~"
This is a lie.
While transforming under Pei Guang's influence does grant a massive stat boost and powerful idealistic abilities, it does not alter one's emotions.
Huohuo: "Can I… try it now?"
Pei Guang: "Of course you can. In fact, I happen to know of a powerful Heliobus that'll make for a great test run."
Tail: "He's got a point. I've been curious to see if this thing's any fun, too."
After hearing that this Heliobus could pair with Huohuo during transformation, Tail's curiosity was piqued. Despite the short time spent with Pei Guang, it had already become clear to Tail just how unusual he was.
And then there was the transformation device: Tail could almost see ten Heliobi waving at her from within it.
Encouraged by what Pei Guang and Tail said, Huohuo took a deep breath. "Okay! I'll go find a Heliobus to try it on. Hope this thing really works..."
Pei Guang: "No worries~ Follow me! I'll take you straight to the big Heliobus boss~"
Huohuo: "Alrighty!"
Huohuo was fired up. As far as she was concerned, as long as Pei Guang was leading the way, nothing could go wrong.
But when she finally laid eyes on the "big Heliobus" Pei Guang had mentioned, her expression shifted to one of curiosity. She couldn't tell whether it was due to someone from Garden of Recollection maintaining this space, or if the space itself had been enhanced during a previous collaboration with the Aeon of Remembrance—but now it even had intro cutscenes.
For instance, a Heliobus in the form of Phantylia now floated above a flower petal, waiting to be challenged.
Huohuo saw the Heliobus and tilted her head, puzzled. "Huh? This Heliobus… doesn't seem all that scary?"
Huohuo couldn't tell what it was, but Tail recognized it immediately. Even though it was just a memory fragment—a far cry from the real deal—its nature remained unchanged under the influence of memory.
As a Heliobus itself, Tail bristled instantly upon identifying what it was.
"What is that thing? Why does it feel so terrifying…"
Tail's words only made Huohuo more nervous. "Tail, please don't scare me..."
Tail: "Why would I scare you on purpose?! That thing is seriously scary. Hey! You, kid! What's this Heliobus called? Why don't I recognize it?"
Pei Guang: "Oh, her? That's Phantylia!"
The moment he said that, Tail shot back to Huohuo's rear like a bullet, and Huohuo crouched down hugging her head.
"Nooo! I don't wanna die… eeeek!!!"
At that moment, Huohuo imagined Phantylia stepping on her like a bug, and her imagined death caused her to collapse flat on the ground with her soul visibly drifting out in peaceful resignation.
That's right: the one Pei Guang had brought Huohuo to fight was none other than the ex Lord Ravager Phantylia. According to Pei Guang's intel, Phantylia was unmistakably a Heliobus, one that had even become an Emanator under an Aeon.
Unfortunately for her, that Lord Ravager was now being used as fuel inside the power core of Pei Guang's Star Destroyer warship. And honestly? Since adding Phantylia to the mix, the ship's energy reserves had been rock-solid, and even the main cannon packed more punch.
He hadn't yet found an opportunity to fire it, but if he ever did—oh, he'd let loose without hesitation.