"Here, look. This'll make that monster back off in pain. It's a blend of our coffee and Himeko's coffee, the fusion of caffeine and destruction. The effect's incredible."
Stelle's body shivered at the sight of that blackish-brown liquid. But then a bold idea popped into her mind.
"Eh? Since it works that well, what if we… add some extra ingredients? Like this? Or maybe… this?"
She pulled out a bottle of Mung Bean Soda and a can of pickled herring.
Pei Guang stared at them for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. "No idea if it'll work, but sure, toss them in. Could make it stronger. But we can only use this mix as a temporary measure, it won't give us enough fighting power."
Stelle tilted her head. "Then do we have any way to increase our combat power?"
Pei Guang thought for a moment. "We do, actually, but… ah, never mind the 'but.' The production rate's low, but we've got some stock. Good enough for now. Wait here for a second, you two."
What he was referring to was none other than the Heliobi Fragments he'd been collecting. When combined, they could be synthesized into an Heliobus, and ten of those could form a Transformation Device.
Back at the factory near the gates of the Alchemy Commission, his trusty subordinate, Heliobus Tutu, had been producing these fragments for him daily.
Between that steady supply and what he'd gathered before, Pei Guang now had over fifty Heliobi: enough to craft five Transformation Devices.
Originally, Pei Guang had planned to save them, maybe gather 999 and fuse them into some "god-tier" entity that could crush everything in its path. He'd imagined himself smiting foes left and right, even poking random enemies just for fun.
But then he thought of Firefly: her condition, the twisted sense of humor these games always had, the looming "knife scene."
And just like that, he gave up the plan.
He went ahead and synthesized all five Transformation Devices, giving one each to himself and Stelle, and handing the other three to Firefly.
They weren't literal "devices," though: when crafted, they took the form of translucent gemstones. Pei Guang handed the three crystals to Firefly.
"Here. These are transformation devices. They'll take whatever form you find most convenient when you activate them."
"Ah?" Firefly blinked, staring at the gems in confusion. "And… what exactly do they do?"
Pei Guang explained, "They're called Heliobus Transformation Devices. Once you use one, it'll let you transform based on your imagination—basically, you can create a battle suit for yourself.
After transforming, you'll gain a massive power boost. I won't say it's enough to defeat that monster outright, but it'll definitely let you protect yourself. You've been in a medical pod for who knows how long, right? No matter how sharp your instincts are, you don't have much actual combat experience."
"Transformation… device…" Firefly murmured.
Pei Guang nodded. "Exactly. It converts your emotions into energy during battle. You can transform into a beautiful outfit, or a cool suit of armor, or even change your size at will.
Fully charged, it lasts at least five minutes, and your emotions can keep it fueled in a fight. After the battle, if you don't want to recharge it yourself, I've got a factory that offers a top-up service."
"Transform… into armor…"
Firefly stared blankly, unsure how to even respond.
Just moments ago, Pei Guang had been holding her hand, talking about how to fight that monster—and now suddenly there were transformation devices and armor involved?
She gave him a helpless smile. "Me? I don't think I'm suited for this…"
Pei Guang shook his head rapidly. "No, no, you are! Stelle and I both have our own life-saving items, you're the only one who doesn't. It's better if you take more of them."
Stelle nodded in agreement. "Yeah! I've got a Stellaron inside me: if things go bad, I can literally blow myself up. And don't even start with Ah Guang: he's got a literal Star Destroyer on standby. Between the two of us, we're fine.
But you: if something extreme happens and we can't protect you, you'll need to protect yourself. So take them. And if you really want to repay Ah Guang… then just raise his favorability a little. For him, friendship points mean more than any in-game reward."
Pei Guang glared at her. "What are you talking about? Rewards are more important than favorability! The only reason I want favorability is to get better rewards!"
Stelle nodded quickly. "Ah, right, right!"
Pei Guang ignored her sarcasm and turned back to Firefly. "Since we're not in combat yet, why not give it a try? A quick test won't drain much energy."
Stelle chimed in, "Yeah, exactly! You've never used one before, give it a try, get a feel for it!"
Firefly: "…"
Seeing the enthusiasm of the two beside her, Firefly felt it was hard to refuse. After some hesitation, she picked up one of the gems and raised it skillfully.
She didn't shout "Transform!" or anything dramatic: the moment she lifted the gem, a red light enveloped her body, and in an instant, armor wreathed in flames covered her completely.
The moment that armor appeared, Pei Guang's eyes went wide: because it looked incredibly cool!
The whole suit was a fiery red, flames burning fiercely across its surface. That wasn't the main thing—the main thing was that the armor's structure was sharp-edged and sleek, giving off the impression that it could actually be built in real life.
"Whoa… that's amazing! You really know your mecha stuff, huh? To imagine such realistic armor I feel like if I had the materials, I could even make it myself."
Stelle nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's seriously cool."
Firefly gave an awkward laugh. "Haha… I've seen a few anime…"
She was a bit nervous, unsure if that excuse would hold up, but Pei Guang nodded with total understanding.
"No way, you like that stuff too? Looks like you'll get along great with me and Old Yang. After this, I'll introduce you two: Old Yang loves robots too, though he's more into the big ones."
Firefly tilted her head. "And you?"
Pei Guang grinned. "As long as it's cool, I like it."
Hearing that, Stelle suddenly thought of some of Pei Guang's previous "creations" and couldn't help but tease, "You like cool stuff? Then why were all the ones you made before so… abstract?"
Pei Guang shot her a mock glare. "Hey, don't bring that up! It's not like I could make them properly! If I could, would I have ended up making armor out of a trash can? Anyway, just admit it, the trash can armor was iconic, wasn't it? If you don't like it, I'll use it myself."
Stelle raised her hands in surrender. "Iconic! Totally iconic."
Firefly couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha…"
Pei Guang turned his attention back to Firefly's armor. "Come on, show off a couple of skills, strike a few poses; I've never seen armor this detailed up close before. It's too awesome!"
Firefly hesitated. "It's not that special, really… showing off and all…"
Pei Guang waved her off. "Don't be shy! We won't laugh at you. Honestly, I just want to discuss the design details with you—armor enthusiasts' talk, you know?"
Pei Guang had always loved armor designs of all kinds, but liking them was one thing, being able to make them as a player was another.
The creative freedom in this world made it harder to design something coherent, and even with a transformation device, his imagination couldn't quite pin down the perfect look.
Sure, he had experience, lots of it, but he'd never studied the full structure of a suit in detail, so anything he made would always have flaws.
But Firefly's armor? Perfect from every angle. The only thing Pei Guang found off was the color scheme: if it were silver instead of red, it would've been flawless.
Originally, Firefly wanted to decline, but under Pei Guang's eager gaze, she swallowed her words and nodded slightly.
"Then… I'll just give it a small try?"
Pei Guang grinned. "Go for it! You said you've been stuck in a medical pod in the real world, right? Then here in the dream, just do whatever you want! Move how you want, fight how you want."
Firefly took a deep breath, placing her right hand over her chest. "Then I'll try… I shall set the seas ablaze!"
As her powerful voice echoed through the air, flames burst out around them, and the entire Memory Zone grew scorching hot.
Compared to the searing air, Pei Guang and Stelle's gazes were burning even hotter.
Pei Guang whistled. "Not bad at all! You say you've never practiced that? I don't believe it! Again, again!"
Stelle, fired up, pulled out her own flaming spear and copied Firefly's stance. "I shall set the seas ablaze! Hey, does mine look the same?"
Firefly: "…"