Watching this scene, Pei Guang thought of something else.
"Huohuo, let me ask you a question. If someone tried to take your Tail away, would you be sad?"
Tail immediately interjected, "Her? Sad? She'd be celebrating!"
But Huohuo gave Pei Guang a completely different answer.
"If Mr. Tail got taken away... I..."
Her voice wavered. She looked like she was about to cry. Pei Guang gently patted her head.
"Your expression has already told me your answer. Then let me tell you some bad news. Maybe now, maybe sometime soon, someone will try to take your Tail away."
At that moment, Stelle jumped in as a narrator.
"Everyone, look! Ah Guang has activated his invincible prophecy! Every time he meets a new friend, he sees the future tragedy surrounding them. Not wanting to see tragedies happen, he helps them overcome it and reach a happy ending!"
Xueyi blinked. "Prophecy?"
Stelle grinned. "That's right! Ah Guang prophesied the crisis in Luofu, and even predicted things happening to my companions! I'm telling you, he's never been wrong! Just trust Ah Guang!"
While Stelle was boasting away, Pei Guang turned his head to glare at her.
"How many times have I told you? Stop sticking debuffs on me! 'Invincible' is a debuff! Save it for the enemies!"
After grumbling, Pei Guang focused his gaze back on Huohuo.
To Pei Guang, a cute girl like this combined with the Heliobus setting: if she hadn't met a player like him, her future would've been grim.
No, not just grim—it would've been downright tragic. She'd probably get served a knife or two along the way.
If it were a second playthrough, players would rush through it. But on the first playthrough, knowing the knives were coming, Pei Guang didn't want to see them fall.
Having thought it through, Pei Guang's gaze burned hotter.
Staring at the now trembling little girl, Pei Guang placed his hand gently on her shoulder.
"Huohuo, right?"
Huohuo: "Um... please don't eat me... I don't taste good..."
Tail: "I think he doesn't want to eat you: he wants to eat me! Hurry up, stop trembling, just treat me like a normal tail."
Huohuo: "I'm trying..."
Huohuo's legs started trembling. For some reason, under Pei Guang's intense gaze, she felt like she was being stared down by some man-eating monster.
Seeing the frightened girl, Pei Guang spoke up. "You're scared, aren't you?"
Huohuo: "..."
She didn't answer, but Pei Guang could tell from her reaction that she was afraid. He crouched down and looked at her.
"Being scared is normal. Even I get scared when I run into enemies I can't beat."
That sentence calmed Huohuo a little. She even got a bit curious and asked, "Then, Lord Pei Guang, how do you overcome fear?"
Pei Guang thought seriously. "Overcome? Why would I overcome it? Fear is fear. It's part of my emotions. When I run into someone I can't beat, or something terrifying, of course I'm afraid! As for how I deal with it, that's obvious—"
At that moment, Huohuo was drawn in by the suspense in his words. She looked at him eagerly. "What do you do?"
Pei Guang: "I run away~"
Huohuo: "Eh?"
Pei Guang explained earnestly, "Charging in against an unbeatable enemy is just recklessness."
Huohuo hesitated. "But... what if I have companions with me? If I run away then..."
Pei Guang solemnly turned to Stelle. "Stelle! If we run into a monster we can't beat, what do we do?"
Stelle puffed out her chest proudly. "Run together!"
Pei Guang: "Exactly! If you have companions, then you run together. No one gets left behind! No one gets abandoned! If there's one of us, that one runs; if there's more, we all run together. Running isn't shameful, it's useful. Admitting your own weakness isn't something to be embarrassed about."
Huohuo: "But..."
As Huohuo hesitated, the tail behind her also spoke up.
"Hey, you know what? He's actually making sense! If you can't even beat me, and you don't run, you're just throwing your life away for nothing."
At that, Huohuo raised another concern.
"But what if the enemy catches up and we can't get away?"
Pei Guang: "Then what do you want to do?"
Huohuo: "I..."
Huohuo fell silent. What would she do? She had thought about it before. Her idea was simple, almost naive—
But Huohuo knew her own weakness too well. She was too weak. There was no way she could beat a powerful enemy.
Seeing her expression, Pei Guang already guessed her thoughts.
"I know what you're thinking. You believe you're weak, right? That's fine! Since you know you're weak, then you should make yourself stronger. I have a way for you to get stronger. Want to learn?"
Hearing the word "stronger," Huohuo's heart stirred. She had never truly longed for strength before. But she did wish that, when enemies came, she wouldn't become a burden.
Fear can make people shrink back, but it can also spark courage. At least now, Huohuo hoped she could face the things she feared.
Pei Guang: "Good! In that case, complete my mission! Go! Capture ten Heliobi for me! I'll use them to craft a transformation device for you, so you can fight powerful enemies. Remember: you must do it alone. Your tail can't help you. If it does, the transformation device won't work for you."
Huohuo: "Ten?"
Pei Guang nodded. "That's right! As long as you can capture ten Heliobi, I can make you a transformation device that will let your attacks strike down any kind of demon, spirit, or monster. This device will be the symbol of light and miracles! Bring the Heliobi back, and you'll become the light that banishes all darkness!"
Huohuo: "Become the light... but on my own, can I really do it..."
Pei Guang nodded. "Mm... it's true that it would be tough. How about this: I'll give you a special item. With this item, anyone who sees you will be terrified. Give me one of your usual weapons or equipment."
Obediently, Huohuo handed a small banner over to Pei Guang. Pei Guang rummaged through his backpack, found a plunger special effect, and directly slapped it onto the banner. On top of that, he also added a basic firework effect.
Once he was done, Pei Guang handed the banner back to Huohuo. "Here! I've enchanted your banner. It now has the power to strike fear into all who see it. Use it with the skills you've learned. I can't guarantee it'll work against powerful enemies, but against the Heliobi around here? Should be no problem."
Standing to the side, Hanya watched silently as Huohuo's banner transformed into a plunger. When Pei Guang asked his question, Hanya quietly nodded. "Speaking just of the weapon... no one would dare approach."
Xueyi: "But..."
Hanya shook her head. "It's fine, sister. The skills Huohuo has learned are already enough to suppress the Heliobi around here... and with this, there won't be any problem at all..."
Xueyi fell silent. She knew a thing or two about weapon special effects. If nothing else, she remembered Dan Heng's pink, cutesy bunny… and that thing was practically a nightmare.
And now... the Ten-Lords Commission had gotten handed out a weapon that could rival that bunny in sheer horror?!