บท 269: Chapter 268: Countdown Shenanigans and the Competitive Spirit of the Crew

The Cloud Knights had carefully unloaded the precious porcelain vases from the cargo ship. As the team gazed at the pile of gleaming loot, everyone's eyes lit up with anticipation.

If there was one thing that got everyone's blood pumping, it was the thrill of opening treasure. But among the group, who suffered the most from gacha anxiety?

It wasn't Pei Guang, who'd been unlucky with his pulls for a while, nor was it Silver Wolf or Seele, who'd only recently joined and hadn't scored much. No, the most tormented soul was March 7th—Pei Guang's longest-standing companion.

She remembered that fateful night. Back then, March 7th had thought it odd how Pei Guang and Stelle kept pulling all sorts of rare items, but she hadn't joined in. Now, she wished she could go back and slap her past self for missing out.

Even on the Xianzhou, she'd had a few good pulls, but that night? She hadn't joined. By her calculations, it was the equivalent of missing out on a hundred legendary items.

March 7th clapped her hands eagerly. "Alright, time to draw! Can I go first this time?"

Stelle smirked and interrupted. "Respect the old and care for the young. I've only got a few weeks of memories, so I'm the youngest here. I should go first!"

Hearing this, Bailu perked up and climbed out of her trash can perch. "Respect the old, huh? Who here is older than me? Anyone? Anyone?"

As everyone bickered about who should go first, Pei Guang waved his hand, unfazed. "Alright, everyone, calm down. We've got plenty of rewards this time, so everyone will get a turn. Here's how we'll do it: the newest members of the team get first dibs. That means you, Fu Xuan! And you, Bailu! Let's give the newbies the honor of kicking things off. Fresh blood, fresh luck!"

Fu Xuan blinked in surprise. "Me?"

Pei Guang nodded. "Didn't you agree to join our crew? By that logic, you're the newest member. You'll get the first crack, and then we'll divide the rest equally."

Everyone found this logic reasonable. After all, it was only fair to let the newcomers have their moment. Even Silver Wolf, who hadn't pulled anything rare yet, reluctantly agreed. Though she hadn't landed any gold, she had her fair share of blues, purples, and materials, which left her itching for more.

Unlike Fu Xuan, who looked hesitant, Bailu swaggered out of the trash can with an air of confidence, her gait full of unshakable swagger. "Alright, tell me how this works. How do I draw?"

March 7th, ever the veteran of gacha rituals, explained eagerly. "You just need to believe. Believe it'll drop something good, and it will. Trust me, it's all about vibes!"

Bailu: "Got it. So I just go for it?"

Stelle chimed in. "Exactly! Do your thing. Personally, I prefer this method here."

She pulled out her trusty bat. Smashing these porcelain treasures with a bat, accompanied by the sound of shattering and the glow of loot, was her favorite ritual.

Inspired by the chatter, Fu Xuan couldn't help but glance toward Jing Yuan, who had been watching quietly from the sidelines. Sensing her gaze, he smiled and nodded, clearly curious to see if Fu Xuan could actually pull something noteworthy. If she did, he might just consider moving the decorative artifacts from the other Xianzhou ships over to their vessel.

Amidst the lively chatter, the group gathered in front of the 328 gleaming porcelain vases, each neatly arranged in rows of 30. Fu Xuan and Bailu each picked one vase and prepared for their turns.

Fu Xuan didn't bother with any elaborate theatrics. She simply focused on her chosen vase, tracing a symbol in the air with her fingers. A soft pink energy formed and shattered the vase. A green glow emerged from the shards, leaving Fu Xuan momentarily stunned.

Using her unique sight, she confirmed that there had been nothing inside the vase, yet somehow, the act of breaking it had "produced" something. Even if it was just common green-tier materials, for Fu Xuan, it felt like an extraordinary discovery.

On the other side, Bailu took a more spirited approach. After examining her target closely, she spun around and struck it with her tail. The vase shattered spectacularly, releasing a brilliant purple glow. Bailu squealed with delight and jumped up and down. "Ah Guang! Look! Purple! I got purple on my first try!"

Pei Guang applauded and praised her enthusiastically. "Well done! Starting strong with a purple pull, not bad at all!"

Fu Xuan watched Bailu's excitement with a tinge of envy. She couldn't help but wonder if her next pull might yield something better. She had even tried divining her luck beforehand, but her foresight had cryptically replied, "What do you think will come?" That vague response only confirmed to her that this was one of those unpredictable, unknowable situations. Still, if Bailu could do it, then so could she.

As the two newcomers basked in their success, Stelle turned to Pei Guang with barely contained excitement. "Ah Guang! There are still 326 vases left. How are we splitting them?"

Pei Guang could feel everyone's eyes on him. Initially, he had planned for a fair distribution, but after some thought, he decided otherwise. "You know what? Forget splitting evenly. Let's make it interesting. Survival of the fittest, people!"

Surveying the neatly arranged vases, Pei Guang devised a system based on their positions. Ten rows of thirty vases, perfectly aligned, were just begging for a competition among the team.

Pei Guang: "Alright, here's how we'll do this: nine of us, each picks a direction. No large-area skills allowed—Dan Heng, no water dragons. Stelle, no charging with your war-flaming lance. Uncle Yang, that means no black hole shenanigans either. We stick to small-scale weapons—smash as many as you can with what you've got."

Hearing this, everyone got visibly excited. While splitting the loot evenly was the most logical option, for the group, opening the vases felt more like a grand event than a pragmatic task.

Did anyone truly care what came out of the loot? Not really. Everything would ultimately go through Pei Guang for distribution anyway. Especially the coveted gold-tier items—those absurdly powerful drops. By now, the group had fully embraced the idea that, like in any proper game, the best loot always ended up in the player's hands for the sake of optimization.

Stelle: "Hmph! I don't need anything fancy; just a bat will do. I'll show you I can break more than anyone else!"

March 7th smirked, full of confidence. "Hah! Among this whole group, I'm the only true ranged attacker. Watch and learn how fast my arrows fly!"

Others joined the banter enthusiastically, while Pei Guang clapped his hands for attention. "Alright, everyone! One direction each. I'll count down, and on '1,' we go."

"Got it!" x8

Pei Guang nodded, pleased to see everyone ready. His mischievous grin gave him away as he counted. The rest of the group, noticing his smirk, mirrored it with knowing smiles of their own.

In the background, Jing Yuan and some Cloud Knights observed the scene with growing curiosity. As the competitive energy built up, Jing Yuan leaned back slightly, sensing the brewing chaos.

Pei Guang, however, had no intention of playing fair. "Alright, starting the countdown! ...1!"

Instead of the usual "3, 2, 1," Pei Guang immediately shouted "1," hoping to catch everyone off guard. After all, as a player, he rarely broke the game's rules outright—but exploiting loopholes? Fair game.

Smirking smugly, he prepared to dash for the nearest row of vases, only to notice that everyone else had moved at the same time. Even Fu Xuan and Bailu weren't lagging behind.