The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Hearing the voice, Pei Guang turned around. Standing before him was a purple-haired woman with glasses. She noticed his gaze and spoke up before he could say anything.

"Just to be clear—I wasn't the one who released these animals. Let me introduce myself: My friends on the Luofu called me Zhongshan. Those who are closer to me also called me Zhongshanshan."

Hearing the woman introduce herself, Pei Guang's gaze sharpened. "Oh? Then what should I call you?"

Zhongshan smiled. "Just call me Zhongshan~ My friend, you may not realize it, but these fierce animals were released by members of the Unshackled. They believe in freeing life from danger, letting them roam freely as an act of virtue. However, your actions just now not only diminished your own merit but also nullified the good deed of the person who set them free."

She pursed her lips and continued, "Right now, you might not understand the principles of the Unshackled, but all you need to grasp is that these wolves belong to someone. What you've done is not only disheartening for the one who released them but may also anger a certain benevolent and merciful Aeon."

She spoke in a formal tone, as if earnestly explaining things, but Pei Guang caught something interesting in her intonation.

However, hearing terms like Unshackled and merit, Pei Guang couldn't help but comment, "So this Unshackled, do they just buy random animals and dump them anywhere? Like, throwing saltwater fish into freshwater, releasing freshwater fish into the ocean… or, what, setting bottled water free?"

Zhongshan's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know?"

Pei Guang smirked. "I've seen these types of people before. So, let me guess—if I kill the animals they release, their merit points won't be enough for them to meet their Aeon, right?"

Zhongshan nodded. "That's correct. You've disrupted their merit, which means they—"

Pei Guang interrupted, "Hold up! Based on what you're saying, these animals are being dumped here by people looking to farm merit, right? Do you know who they are?"

Zhongshan nodded confidently. "Of course. They are the Four Benevolent Ones—or rather, now it should be the Three Benevolent Ones, since one of them is currently at the Alchemy Commission. Let's go together, shall we?"

She took the lead, ready to guide the way. But behind her, Pei Guang's eyes gleamed with a knowing expression.

This woman's timing was far too suspicious. 

Before coming here, Pei Guang had checked—there was no one behind him. Plus, with The Scalegorge Waterscape under lockdown, outsiders weren't supposed to be able to enter.

Yet the moment he killed three wolves, this woman appeared—acting like she knew nothing while actually knowing everything.

This was the kind of NPC that could easily fool someone like Stelle into playing along with their script. But Pei Guang? He was a seasoned player.

One look, and he could tell this person already knew the truth but just enjoyed playing games. And if this was a find-the-culprit type of mission, then… maybe he could snag two sets of rewards from it. The thought alone made Pei Guang's smile grow… benevolent.

"Sounds good. Lead the way! I'd love to see what kind of people build their merit by throwing wild animals into the world."

At that moment, Zhongshan also seemed to sense something and flashed Pei Guang a smile in return.

With her leading, Pei Guang arrived at the Alchemy Commission.

On the path leading from the commission to The Scalegorge Waterscape, two men and two women stood together, engaged in conversation. Zhongshan gestured toward them and said, "Look! Those four up ahead are the Four Benevolent Ones of the Unshackled. Let me introduce them to you~"

She pointed at the woman on the far left, dressed in a green robe. "That's Tonya, the leader of the Beast Faction. She specializes in releasing large, powerful predators into the wild. The wolves you killed? Those were hers."

Pei Guang clapped his hands together excitedly, marking this person in his mind. "Ah, so she's the one responsible for all those aggressive animals running loose in The Scalegorge Waterscape?"

Zhongshan nodded. "That's right. Next to her is Benna, leader of the Nurture Faction. Her faction focuses on releasing rare and endangered small creatures."

Pei Guang pondered for a moment. "I'm guessing their liberation is just self-indulgence—grabbing some rare creatures and releasing them into completely unsuitable environments, right? And as for weak animals, don't tell me she's setting free herbivores?"

Zhongshan nodded. "You guessed it. They do this all the time. Next, that one over there is Heathmann, representative of the Plant Faction, primarily dedicated to releasing plants. And finally, this last one is Nannan…"

Pei Guang raised an eyebrow. "Damn, so we've got one setting free carnivores, one setting free herbivores, and one setting free plants. They're basically assembling an entire food chain—impressive."

Zhongshan chuckled lightly. "And then there's this last guy, just like you suspected before—he's dedicated to releasing bottled water. The other three thought his liberation efforts were a joke, so they labeled him part of the Fooling Around Faction and kicked him out."

Pei Guang couldn't hold back a laugh. "Wow, I didn't expect to find bottled water liberators in this world too. So, you're saying these Unshackled lunatics are the ones behind releasing dangerous animals into the Scalegorge Waterscape?"

Zhongshan nodded. "That's right. When it comes down to it, they're responsible. Why? Are you planning to arrest them now?"

Pei Guang considered it. "Of course. If possible, I'd love to watch this entire deranged cult fall apart."

Hearing Pei Guang's clear intent to dismantle the group, Zhongshan's eyes lit up. "Do you have any good ideas?"

Pei Guang smirked. "Sure, I do. But if there's no reward, why should I bother? Let me be real with you—I'm here because Lady Bailu of the Vidyadhara asked me to catch whoever's been releasing wild beasts into the Scalegorge Waterscape. If there's no extra reward, why would I go out of my way to take on another job?"

As soon as Pei Guang said this, Zhongshan's eyes widened in realization.

She knew exactly who this man was: The Pei Guang. The guy whose name was already circulating in taverns all across Xianzhou. 

She had never expected that while investigating the Unshackled, she'd actually run into him!

Now that fate had presented her this opportunity, there was no way in hell she was letting it slip by.

Zhongshan quickly thought about how to keep Pei Guang engaged. After a brief pause, she blinked and said playfully, "Simply arresting them would be treating the symptoms, not the cause. If you just throw them in jail, they'll be released in no time… and then you'd have to deal with them again."

Pei Guang shrugged. "That's a win for me. You see, when they're back out causing trouble, I get another bounty to bring them in. Free money. Why would I complain? And as for disbanding their group? If there's no mission reward, I'm not about to waste my energy on it. Wouldn't you agree?"

A dagger hidden in a map!

Hearing Pei Guang's blatant extortion, Zhongshan almost wanted to blurt out, "Damn, you cut straight to the chase, huh?"

She had assumed Pei Guang might be crafty, but seeing him work firsthand? This guy didn't even pretend.

However, she had already prepared for this moment. Flashing a grin, she said cheerfully, "Of course, there's a reward! According to my sources, the Artisanship Commission would love to see the Unshackled disbanded. And you? You're a guest of General Jing Yuan. If you manage to dismantle the Unshackled, I guarantee you'll receive a generous reward from them. A very generous reward."

She then gave him a sly glance. "And if the process turns out to be entertaining, well… I don't mind throwing in a little something extra myself. After all, life is about enjoying yourself, isn't it?"

If it weren't for the fact that Zhongshan wanted to maintain her cover, she might have let out an "Aha!" right then and there.

This was the jackpot.

She had zero expectations of actually dragging Pei Guang into this mess, but now? He just walked in himself.

As far as Zhongshan was concerned, she'd already won.

A mission? She didn't care. A reward? She didn't care either.

All she wanted was to have fun.