Sigh...
After that long conversation, Lynelle wearily opened her eyes.
Maintaining such a long-distance connection was real work for her. After all, she wasn't entirely adept at controlling the Path of Destruction's power within her.
Balancing her physical body while continuously channeling energy was no easy task for Lynelle.
As for why Stelle could wield the powers of various Paths so effortlessly… well, that's just what you get with a pure talent monster.
But, speaking of Stelle, Lynelle suddenly felt the pillow under her head was unusually soft. It couldn't be…
"Ah, Lynelle, you're awake?"
Large, golden eyes appeared in her field of vision above her.
Right. It was Stelle's lap pillow. But I'm sure I was sitting to the side before I initiated the connection…
"I was worried you might fall over with your eyes closed like that, so I moved you to the bed."
As if reading her mind, Stelle quickly explained.
"By the way, did your call with Miss Tingyun go smoothly?"
"The call itself was fine, but…"
Lynelle covered her face with her hands, distressed. "For some reason, I felt Miss Tingyun was looking at me a bit… strangely."
"Uh… Could it be a side effect of her near-death experience? Like post-traumatic stress or something?" Stelle guessed.
"I've seen some Cloud Knights with similar issues… and their Mara-struck state tends to set in earlier than other Xianzhou natives."
"Ah, no, you've got it wrong."
Lynelle averted her gaze. "I mean… strange in that way."
Stelle fell silent immediately.
"Gah! It's Phantylia! It must be Phantylia possessing Miss Tingyun again, I say!"
"You big dummy, you're just jealous!"
"Ehehe…"
Seeing right through her, Stelle promptly pulled Lynelle into a tight embrace.
Instantly, through the loose fabric of her clothes, Lynelle's face was buried in a vast, soft expanse.
"Can't be helped. Lynelle is just too attractive… It's no surprise she'd have that effect. I'm starting to wonder if you're some kind of succubus race from a fantasy novel."
"...What if I am, in a way?"
Lynelle thought about the previous civilization's Elysia and her legion of 'best friends,' and suddenly felt Stelle might have a point.
"So, are you coming back to stay on the Express tonight?"
"Afraid not. My current 'dorm' is fixed at the Scalegorge Waterscape, or sometimes on Herta's ship. Basically, you can think of my current state as 'charging mode.'"
"If I don't go find the Ambrosial Arbor to recharge every so often, the Abundance's blessing in me won't be able to contain the clashing Path energies, and then… Kaboom!"
"Ehhh—"
Stelle's face immediately fell. "And I thought I could hold Lynelle while sleeping again… My sleep quality has been terrible these past few nights without you."
"It's all your fault for making me get used to holding something while I sleep."
"Your sleep quality would be worse with me! Don't act like you just hold me…"
Lynelle gently nibbled the soft flesh pressed against her cheek through the fabric and asked, "So how did you sleep these past few nights?"
"Holding one of Herta's puppets, or going to bother March!"
Stelle lifted her head proudly, wearing a look that screamed 'Aren't I clever?'
"Don't sound so proud about being a nuisance to others!"
"It's still Lynelle's fault."
Stelle's hands, resting behind Lynelle, gradually began to wander. "But since Lynelle isn't coming back to the Express tonight, I'll just have to get my compensation now—my essential daily dose of Lynelle energy~"
"I'm not a daily essential… Eek?!"
In any case, the Party Car was, as ever, a party in every sense of the word.
--+--
Several hours later… Lynelle emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, feeling utterly boneless, and let out a troubled sigh.
Through personal experimentation, she'd discovered that what Customer Service Kiana-chan told her was probably true.
The Abundance's blessing, while it had enhanced her physical stamina somewhat… had indeed also made the ceiling much more… in need of cleaning.
Just thinking about the invitation from Herta tonight made Lynelle feel her future was looking bleak.
It was hard to imagine what daily life must have been like for her first-playthrough self, who managed a whole large harem.
"Whatever, let's just look at this instead…"
Firmly believing in the principle of 'leaving future troubles for future me,' Lynelle promptly shoved the problem to the back of her mind after a moment.
Instead, she fished something out from the pile of clothes on the floor—an item Stelle had given her earlier.
According to Stelle, not long ago, she ran into the wanted duo Kafka and Blade on the Luofu—the details of that encounter aren't important here—but when they parted, Kafka gave her something.
To be precise, it was something Silver Wolf wanted passed on to Lynelle—a little gadget that looked like a data drive.
However, though it looked like a drive, after Lynelle checked it with her Herrscher of Corruption powers, she found… it seemed to be a communication device.
So, Lynelle promptly plugged it into her terminal.
Beep—
With a soft chime, a petite girl, yawning, appeared in front of Lynelle.
"Yo, finally back among the living."
Silver Wolf looked tired, like she'd just pulled an all-nighter gaming.
"I told them you'd be fine. Even though Kafka said you made quite a scene, since Elio didn't mention anything, you were probably okay."
"Ha… Your timing isn't great. Whatever, let's keep it short. When's the update?"
"Update?"
"The game update!—Don't tell me you forgot? Your Honkai Impact 3rd! Hurry up and serve us the next installment, I say!"
"…"
Lynelle was silent for a moment. "Coo coo coo?"
"Delaying again, you pigeon!"
Silver Wolf's little face instantly puffed up in anger.
"Fine, fine, game delays are the norm anyway, I'm used to it… But, your body should still be up for a trip to Penacony, right?"
"Of course it is. You should have faith in the geniuses' capabilities."
Lynelle sounded puzzled. "But, the Charmony Festival isn't for a while yet, why are you bringing it up now?"
"I'm not worried."
Silver Wolf shrugged. "I'm a veteran gamer; you think I haven't seen my share of delays? But, others might be different."
"Others?"
"Heh heh…"
Silver Wolf wagged the lollipop in her hand. "What I'm saying is, you wouldn't want to see a giant mech tapping on your train window one day, demanding an update, would you?"
"?!"
Lynelle jolted.
Don't get her wrong, it wasn't that she was afraid of Firefly.
But if Silver Wolf's scenario came true… what if, while she was getting… very closely acquainted with Stelle on Penacony, a Firefly demanding updates suddenly popped up outside the window…
What kind of hellish illustration was that?!
"Don't rush me!"
Under the threat of this scorched-earth tactic, Lynelle found her motivation instantly.
"Don't worry! The next major chapter of Honkai Impact 3rd is being passionately developed—guaranteed to be released before the Charmony Festival!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.