The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Within Aurum Alley, many residents living nearby, after seeing the rising buzz about the place, rushed over without hesitation.

At this moment, deep inside the alley, Pei Guang and Stelle's cooking showdown had reached its peak. As more and more customers flooded in, the two of them were forced to speed up their cooking.

However, their physical limitations eventually caught up with them. But that wasn't an issue—because while their bodies had limits, they had other ways to increase their efficiency.

Take Pei Guang, for instance. He was burning through every bit of stamina and energy he had, activating every single active and passive skill available. Not for any noble reason—just because he was determined to win this ridiculous contest.

On Stelle's side, she wasn't holding back either. To keep up in this utterly unserious culinary battle, the Stellaron inside her flared to life at full capacity. Pure Destruction energy surged around her.

This sudden eruption of immense power instantly caught the attention of Jing Yuan, who was technically "on break" but was actually teleporting all over the Luofu handling matters. Initially, he thought someone was stirring up trouble. But when he arrived at Aurum Alley and saw these two going all-out, his expression grew more and more serious.

He had lived for centuries, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone unleash their full strength… just to cook.

That said, Jing Yuan had simply not seen enough. Had he witnessed what these two had done during their food-eating contests in Belobog or on the Luofu, he would've understood—going all-out in bizarre situations, even passing out from sheer effort, was just standard practice for them.

So, did they collapse from exhaustion this time?

Not quite. But after an entire day of high-intensity competition, Stelle finally burned herself out. Seeing this, Pei Guang lost interest in continuing the battle and decided to take her somewhere to rest.

Bailu, who had been invited along, followed them onto the Astral Express. Of course, she wasn't joining them on their journey across the stars—just taking a quick look around.

Though they had left, the impact they left on Aurum Alley was only just beginning.

Since Pei Guang and his companions arrived, the popularity and foot traffic in Aurum Alley had been skyrocketing at an alarming rate.

First, news of the Trailblazers' activities had spread across the Luofu, successfully drawing the interest of the people. Through the Cloud Knights and those who had received help from them, word spread rapidly. Some people were interested in Pei Guang's medicine, some were curious about the people themselves, and others simply wanted to try Pei Guang's supposedly legendary fried chicken. 

One way or another, the crowds kept growing.

Second, the recent battle had just ended. The long period of tension had left many in Luofu desperate for a place to relax. And when they checked the network? Lo and behold, Aurum Alley was bustling! Naturally, they called up friends and flocked over for a night out.

For many, even if Aurum Alley didn't have much to offer, they could always head to the Exalting Sanctum district afterward.

The end result? Aurum Alley's Little Secretary, Mingxi, was experiencing for the first time what it truly meant for a place to be "too busy to handle."

"Yesterday, barely anyone was here… but today, why are there so many people?!"

"There are so many that I can't keep up…"

"So this is the efficiency of the Trailblazers?"

At this moment, Mingxi was running at full speed with no breaks in sight. Under normal circumstances, the Merchant Guild President would have stepped in to help manage the situation.

But she had already heard from Lianyan—the President's CPU had completely overloaded, its temperature soaring past a thousand degrees, and it was currently undergoing emergency repairs.

So, the responsibility fell squarely on Mingxi's shoulders.

Fortunately, Aurum Alley had once been prosperous before, and with the help of the Trailblazers, it had taken less than two days for the once-deserted streets to transform into a lively night market.

In just a single day, it wasn't only Mingxi who was shocked. Even those returning to Aurum Alley to handle the upcoming bidding process for control of the docks were completely dumbfounded.

Just yesterday, the place had been practically abandoned. But today, it was absolutely packed.

What in the world had they missed?!

Of course, the reason Aurum Alley had become so packed wasn't just thanks to Pei Guang and Stelle: the dedication of the local shopkeepers also played a major role.

While the alley had declined over time, many of the businesses here had once thrived during its golden age. The problem wasn't that they lacked skill—it was that they had lived for so long that they had fallen behind the times. Many simply didn't know how to adapt to modern marketing trends.

Additionally, with several large commercial hubs having been established in Exalting Sanctum, foot traffic had naturally decreased over time.

But now that there was a real chance to restore Aurum Alley's former vibrance, the shopkeepers seized the opportunity. Seeing that the Trailblazers were the ones handling logistics, they figured it was worth giving Pei Guang and his group some face.

Basically, whichever business Stelle approached, that business would immediately join Heron Express, giving her free rein to do as she pleased.

Beyond the merchants, there was another, more subtle reason for the sudden influx of people.

This reason didn't immediately cause a surge in Exalting Sanctum's crowd levels, but it did result in more and more people gaining inside knowledge about what was happening behind the scenes.

That was the fact that simply signing in here granted a chance to win entry into the Echo of War space—and those with insider connections knew exactly what that meant.

The so-called prize in this lottery wasn't just any Echo of War—it was one where challengers could face none other than the Lord Ravager Phantylia.

At the same time, word had spread that this entry quota was already being sold through various channels, with only three slots available for purchase each week. Demand had skyrocketed, and it was said that reservations for these slots were already booked up for the next three years.

It wasn't that the timeframe couldn't be extended, but rather that the Luofu was only willing to sell access up to that point.

Because of this, once people learned that signing in at Aurum Alley significantly increased their chances of securing one of these coveted slots, many arranged for others to visit and sign in on their behalf. 

Pei Guang, however, had set the sign-in location deep within Aurum Alley, and he rotated its position every week.

As a result, people passing through would inevitably be drawn in by the scent of food wafting through the air or intrigued by the local specialties on display, leading them to make impulse purchases. Even those focused solely on their mission knew that this sign-in event was purely based on luck—whether they arrived early or late didn't matter, as long as they remembered to sign in. 

With that in mind, they often ended up spending a little along the way.

To revitalize Aurum Alley, Pei Guang had implemented these three strategies, and the results were already visible to the naked eye.

No matter what had drawn people in, Aurum Alley had achieved its revival with the help of Pei Guang and his companions. This resurgence wouldn't last forever, but according to the Aurumaton President's calculations—before it nearly crashed from overprocessing—this prosperity could be sustained for at least another century.

What would happen after that depended on the people running the place and whether Pei Guang would ever think to return.

Surprisingly, the sheer efficiency of this transformation didn't leave much of an impression on Mingxi, who had been directly involved in managing it. Instead, it was someone else—who had come here purely to slack off—who was completely caught off guard.

When Qingque returned to Aurum Alley, she was utterly dumbfounded.

"This… is Aurum Alley? But I was just here yesterday!"

She gawked at the sight before her—an Aurum Alley packed with people, buzzing with activity. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She vividly remembered that just the day before, when she had come here to visit an acquaintance and get a medical certificate signed, the place had been eerily quiet. Sure, she had heard about whatever Pei Guang and his group were up to, but she hadn't given it much thought.

Now, there was an actual queue just to enter Aurum Alley?

Qingque wasn't the only one stunned. The Xianzhou man, Xiaohan, who had come to process Skott's bail, was just as bewildered.

He distinctly recalled visiting Aurum Alley just yesterday—he had even stopped for a bowl of soup and glanced at his father's nearly bankrupt shop. But after briefly handling some cooperation matters in Exalting Sanctum and preparing Skott's release, he returned to find that Aurum Alley had undergone a complete transformation.

What in the world had happened here?

Sure, economic growth was possible, but wasn't this kind of overnight prosperity a bit excessive?