Argenti stood still, unsure of what to say: Pei Guang had already said everything he could've said himself, leaving no room for retreat.
Seeing Argenti lost in thought, Pei Guang extended a hand toward him. "You, Knight of Beauty, I don't believe I've gotten your name."
"Argenti."
"Argenti, you came at the perfect time. Although we ended up inside a giant bug thanks to your little rear-end collision, I won't hold it against you."
As soon as he heard that, Argenti suddenly felt like the man before him shone with brilliance—but then he quickly realized something was off.
Bug? What bug?
"Bug? I didn't see any bugs…"
Pei Guang pointed at the red-colored space outside. "See, we slowed down and turned earlier to avoid a bug. This bug is the size of a planet. Who would've thought that just as we were about to escape, your team slammed us right into it.
But it's fine. Even if we hadn't ended up here, we would've entered it anyway. Our goal is to eliminate this giant bug, or at least drive it away from this area. But we're short on manpower right now, so I was wondering… Argenti, could you lend us a hand?"
Argenti responded seriously, "I sincerely apologize. We were unaware of the danger, and our reckless actions have placed all of you in peril. As a Knight of Beauty, it's my duty to help you escape this crisis. Rest assured, even if I must give my life, I will ensure your safety."
Pei Guang shook his head. "No, no, no! Sacrificing your life? That's way too extreme. I actually have a plan to get us out of here. But the more people involved in executing it, the better. For example, right now we need folks to help inspect the train to see if there are any bugs on board. And of course, your own ship should be inspected too."
Argenti nodded. "Understood. As long as you need help, I, a Knight of Beauty, will surely lend my hand."
As Argenti agreed, March 7th lightly slapped Pei Guang's shoulder and said excitedly, "Nice, I can't believe you actually talked him into it."
"Talked him into it?" Argenti asked.
Pei Guang quickly covered, "Don't mind it. It's a dialect from my hometown~ it means you're amazing. Since you now understand the situation, I'll need you to lead your team and inspect your vehicle for any bugs. If you find any, take them out. If you can't handle them, call us. If you don't find anything, come back here so we can plan our next move."
Argenti thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. If things are as you say, then we definitely need to inspect the ship."
While Argenti was still thinking, Welt walked over. "Dan Heng and I have finished inspecting the common areas. We found some insect eggs and cleared them out. You'll have to check your own rooms yourselves."
"Got it~" Pei Guang responded, then turned to Argenti. "We're off too. Let's meet back here shortly."
"No problem," Argenti replied with a serious expression.
He could sense that the person before him was a follower of Idrila. What's more, the radiance he exuded was brighter than anyone Argenti had ever seen before. That dedication to beauty—to such extremes—even he felt humbled by it.
Argenti felt that Pei Guang was definitely someone worth having deep discussions with. He had so many thoughts he wanted to share about what it meant to pursue pure beauty. But he understood now wasn't the time for that: resolving the crisis before them came first.
The group split up for the time being. As March 7th followed Pei Guang back to their rooms, she nudged him with her elbow and said, "As expected of you. Just a few words and you've dragged a complete stranger onto your shady little ship."
Stelle chimed in sarcastically, "Of course! He's the one and only Ah Guang. March, you better keep an eye on him. Who knows, he might disappear for a bit and come back with some new girl."
Pei Guang: "Hey hey hey! Cut it out, okay? Am I that kind of person? I've been walking the pure romance route for so long now, I can't just switch! Besides, unless it's a robot, nothing tempts me anymore."
March 7th: "Tch! What if you met a cute girl piloting a robot who wanted to date you?"
Pei Guang: "Like that's ever gonna happen."
March 7th: "Heh~ Who knows? Welp, this is my stop. See you in a bit~"
Even though she and the entire train had just been swallowed by a giant bug, March 7th still felt completely at ease with Pei Guang around. In her mind, as long as she followed his lead, fought the battles that needed fighting, they'd get through this crisis just like they had before.
It was like that on the space station, like that in Belobog, like that on the Xianzhou Luofu: this time would be no different.
Back in her room, March 7th casually shut the door. She decided to do a thorough check, and because of that, she needed to stash away some of her personal things first. She'd show them to Pei Guang and Stelle once the time was right.
Humming a little tune, she got ready to inspect the room. But just as she was about to start, her expression changed.
Because… she saw herself!
Yes. March 7th saw another version of herself standing in the room.
When the other her heard her footsteps, she actually turned around and looked straight at her.
"What the…"
March 7th's eyes widened as she stared at this other version of herself, who looked back at her calmly, with a slight smile, arms crossed like she was watching something amusing.
Seeing this scene, March 7th closed her eyes and shook her head. But when she opened them again and that person was still there—panic set in.
"Why is there another me in here?!"
At that moment, the fake March 7th in front of her extended a hand: "I understand your past. You want to see, to touch, to know your hometown, your family, your friends, love, and hate."
March 7th: "W-wow~"
Fake March 7th: "I am the complete March 7th. I have all of your memories."
If it were the old March 7th, she probably would've covered her mouth in shock. But after spending so much time with Pei Guang, her thinking had become somewhat like a player's.
Coupled with her experiences in Belobog and her interactions with the Garden of Recollection, she was no longer easily fooled by something like this.
March 7th looked at the other version of herself. While she wasn't fooled, she absolutely could not tolerate anyone impersonating her: especially not to get close to Pei Guang.
[Divine Descent]
At that moment, March 7th immediately activated the golden skill equipped on her weapon. For five seconds, she removed all debuffs and gained immunity to all status effects and magic attacks.