Rewards, Elves, Little Trash!

[Lumine: Wait, what do you mean by that! I'm very devoted!]

Lumine wasn't stupid—if she admitted it, how could she still get close to all those beautiful girls? She'd probably be seen as a pervert, a playboy, a scumbag wherever she went. So she wouldn't admit it. Absolutely not.

But the moment she finished, some Emergency Food started undermining her.

[Paimon: Lumine, but in the video, you did say "my dears" though.]

[Lisa: Oh my, it really does seem that way. Little cutie, are you eyeing me up too?]

[Jean: No, there must be some misunderstanding. The Honorable Knight is definitely not that kind of person.]

Mondstadt, outside the Hunters Lodge. Lumine had just sat down when she saw Paimon, looking utterly bewildered, quickly pull her into a hug. Before Paimon could figure out why Lumine was suddenly hugging her, Lumine whispered in her ear, "Paimon, today should we eat Honey-Glazed Carrot Roast, or a Paimon Stuffed Burger?"

Paimon immediately caught on and quickly sent a message in the group chat.

[Paimon: But the Traveler's "dears" should include me, right? I mean, I'm her best partner.]

[Lumine: That's right, exactly.]

[Noelle: So that's how it is. Of course, someone who can become the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius couldn't possibly be that unfaithful.]

[Kaeya: Oh~ Is that really the case?]

The Cavalry Captain, slacking off at the tavern, thought to himself—did they really think he hadn't noticed? Back when Lumine first met Grand Master Jean and Lisa, her eyes practically glued themselves to their... slimes. As a man, he knew exactly what that meant. But what did it have to do with him? Rather than calling Lumine out, it was more fun to be a bystander. With this livestream around, it'd all come out sooner or later anyway.

Thinking that, Kaeya couldn't help ordering a few more drinks, saying to put it on some "Justice Man's" tab. But he didn't notice the red-haired figure standing behind him...

[System: Alright, alright, let's drop their matters for now.]

[System: Now comes the long-awaited moment—rewarding the protagonists.]

[Kiana: Ooh! Right, I almost forgot about the rewards.]

[Bronya: Idiot Kiana, why are you so excited?]

[Kiana: Didn't you hear? It's rewards for the protagonist! And I'm the protagonist, aren't I?]

[Fu Hua: Kiana, the system means the protagonist in the video, not you.]

[Kiana: Oh, is that so? Class President.]

At this moment, the leaders of the major factions were all waiting for the rewards to be distributed. After all, even though they'd said rewards were coming, no one was sure if it was real yet.

[System: System distributing rewards...]

[System: Congratulations to Stelle for obtaining "Trash Can Sprite." Congratulations to Lumine for obtaining "Treasure Chest Compass."]

At that moment, aboard the Stellaris Train, Stelle—who was being lectured by her family—suddenly saw a miniature flying trash can with wings appear before her. At the same time, the Trash Can Sprite's description appeared in her mind:

Trash Can Sprite

Abilities:

1. Magical Garbage Whereabouts: The sprite can teleport through trash cans that have been rummaged through before.

2. Size Shift: Can freely change size from palm-sized to a large dumpster.

3. Garbage Recycling: Every time the sprite eats a certain amount of trash, it can produce (~~cough~~) random small amounts of supplies.

4. Versatile Can: The sprite can transform into any trash can model it has seen (appearance only).

After Stelle told the Trailblaze Crew about the sprite's abilities, the entire crew couldn't help contributing to global warming.

Pom-Pom: So finally, someone can help Pom-Pom clean up the train's trash?

Trash disposal on the Stellaris Train was no small issue. After all, the universe had regulations against littering. Many ships had been destroyed by colliding with space debris, so for safety, all major cosmic factions banned throwing trash in space.

The Stellaris Train was no exception. And since they constantly explored different planets, each with its own environment, what was ordinary trash on one planet could be a weapon of mass destruction on another. (For example, if a modern person traveled back to ancient times, with the ancients' immune systems, that person would be a living bioweapon to them.)

Thus, the train's trash disposal was a major headache. But with the sprite, things changed—no more stockpiling garbage to dump on specific planets.

While Pom-Pom focused on the recycling ability, Old Yang and Himeko thought deeper.

Himeko: Stelle, so it can let you teleport through trash cans?

Sprite: Trash.

Stelle: He says yes.

March 7th: How do you understand what he says?

Stelle: Because I am... the King of Trash!

March 7th: Weren't you the Galaxy Bat Man? When did you become the King of Trash?

Stelle: The moment I got him (the sprite), I knew—I was destined to be the Trash King's woman.

March 7th: ...

Watching the two bicker, Old Yang interrupted: Stelle, can you demonstrate?

Stelle: You got it! Little Steel Coin, show your true power!

March 7th: You named him Little Steel Coin?

Stelle: Yeah! Great name, right?

Stelle wore an expression that screamed "That's so me."

March 7th: "Uh... if you say so."

The little spirit—no, Little Steel Coin—heard Xing's command and instantly grew from palm-sized into a trash can large enough to hold a person, even opening its own lid. The Trailblaze Crew looked at the open lid; inside was spotlessly clean, not a single piece of trash in sight.

Xing slowly climbed in. The moment she was inside, the trash can's lid snapped shut.

Seeing this, the Trailblaze Crew frantically flipped the can open, but the Stellaris Core who should have been inside was nowhere to be found.

At the same time, the trash can on the train suddenly rattled. Everyone looked over and saw a Stellaris Core crawling out of it, a banana peel on her head and her whole body filthy.

The crew quickly stepped back, pinching their noses and staring at her with disgust.

March 7th: "Xing, go wash yourself right now. You stink."

Xing: "Do I?"

Dan Heng: "Yes, you're covered in the smell of trash right now."

Seeing the disgusted looks from her companions, Xing—a Stellaris Core barely taking human form—declared, "Such a thick trash smell is amazing~ This is the kingly aura of me, the King of Trash!"

Not to mention Xing, who was lost in her own "kingly aura," the two parental figures on the train had far more on their minds.

Himeko: "Xing, does Little Spirit... Little Steel Coin's teleportation have any limits?"

Steel Coin: "Trash, trash trash, tra-trash."

Xing: "Little Steel Coin says it can teleport ten times a day within a planet, but only once a day between planets."

Old Yang: "So it can bring you back to the train from another planet instantly at any time?"

Xing: "That's right, exactly."

Himeko and Old Yang exchanged a glance, instantly grasping the terror of this ability. Their explorations across various planets inevitably ran into danger. Though the Trailblaze Aeon had left behind beacons, those beacons couldn't be used for teleportation anywhere—only by touching one could you teleport, and only to a beacon you'd previously activated. Most places they needed to explore had no beacons nearby, making escape from danger impossible.

(Here's the setting: the Trailblaze Aeon Akivili once left beacons formed from his own power across countless planets in the universe. Nameless can activate these beacons using the power of Trailblaze to teleport, but only within the same planet or back to the train.)

But now it was different. With Little Steel Coin, if danger struck, they could teleport straight back to the train. The price, though...

Looking at Xing's filthy appearance, everyone agreed: unless absolutely necessary, this ability was best left unused.