Amber's exclamation wasn't meant to hide anything from Fu Hua. For one, it was to give the Celestial a heads-up so she wouldn't be startled by a third person suddenly appearing within Fenghuang Down. For another, Amber just really wanted to flaunt her 'gacha luck' right away.
Sure, she'd basically pulled nothing but the core, but hey—she got the core!
If she didn't mention it, how would Fu Hua ever know she'd nearly walked away empty-handed?
Yet, several seconds after she spoke, nothing changed within the Fenghuang Down. All she could feel was Fu Hua's puzzled gaze.
"..." Where's Little Senti?
The mechanical voice of the Navigation system considerately chimed in:
[The Herrscher of Sentience Core is classified by the system as a 'weapon.' The currently equipped weapon for the host is 'Gygnus Gauntlets.' Would you like to change weapons?]
'Mister Navigation... next time, you can just swap it directly...'
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Amber blushed and whispered inwardly, 'Go ahead and change it.'
As if to emphasize the weapon-swap special effects, the previously hidden Gygnus Gauntlets reappeared in Amber's hand, then dissolved into specks of blue light.
But soon, crimson points of light gathered in Amber's palm, ultimately forming... a red brick.
Amber: ...
Fu Hua: ...
"Huh? I was wonderin' where I'd ended up, but look—it's the same old place, ain't it?"
Just as the two were at a loss for words, a third figure materialized in this blank world. That familiar outfit, the familiar gray hair with white streaks, and those unmistakable crimson eyes—Amber and Fu Hua recognized her identity at a glance.
"Little Senti!" Amber cried out in delight.
"Hey, hey! Don't get all chummy just yet!"
Seeing the girl before her—the one with long black hair who bore some resemblance to Seele—the Herrscher of Sentience made a "stop" gesture, then turned to Fu Hua. "Old-timer, what's all this now? Is she your new disciple? How come she's got control over my core?"
Fu Hua: ...
She opened her mouth, but for a moment couldn't find the words to explain. Finally, she said, "The situation here is a bit complicated. Let me use Fenghuang Down to show you."
"Fenghuang Down? Alright, fine. Fenghuang Down it is, then."
The Herrscher of Sentience crossed her arms, first taking a moment to feel the robust power coursing through her—a sensation she hadn't experienced in a long time—and decided there was no need to rush.
She simply waited for Fu Hua to proceed.
Truth be told, she'd felt a fair bit of alarm earlier.
After all, while a Herrscher doesn't strictly need their core to survive, losing it still deals a heavy blow.
The moment she realized her core had been seized by someone else, she'd almost thought the Herrscher of Dominance was back in action.
Fortunately, she soon realized she was inside Fenghuang Down, with the old-timer by her side, and the one controlling her core didn't seem hostile. Only then did she gradually calm down.
Still, this old-timer felt different somehow. Maybe it was because... she seemed more relaxed than ever before? But her clumsiness with words hadn't changed a bit—no, if anything, it had gotten worse.
Thinking this, the Herrscher of Sentience relaxed her mental defenses slightly, allowing the power of Fenghuang Down to flow into her memories.
...
...
......
Herrscher of Sentience: What the—
"Wait, where the heck did this take me? Is this even Honkai Impact 3rd anymore?" She immediately referenced a classic: "So, does that mean I've basically isekai'd now?"
Then, she turned to Amber and broke into a hearty grin.
"Not bad! The Great Herrscher of Sentience doesn't mind lending some power to my martial niece! It's not like I've got anything else to do now that I've left Honkai Impact 3rd anyway. Besides, sticking with you is bound to be more fun."
"Mmhmm!"
Amber nodded eagerly, a motherly smile spreading across her face.
"Hey, don't let those fanworks get to your head! Don't actually think I'm craving maternal affection!"
The Herrscher of Sentience looked exasperated. "Besides, a little girl like you shouldn't be making that kind of expression—it's making me uncomfortable! And since I'm basically your martial auntie, show some respect to your elder, would you?"
"We do not have a master-disciple relationship," Fu Hua reminded from the side.
"Ah, come on, old-timer, you're not actually some cursed lone star. Why cling to such mystical notions? Look, did anything happen to Kiana?" The Herrscher girl waved a hand dismissively.
She was in a pretty good mood now that she'd suddenly gained a martial niece and didn't feel like arguing with a blockhead.
Hearing this, Amber looked at Fu Hua, her eyes shining with expectation.
She didn't really believe in that kind of mystical fate stuff either, but since Fu Hua seemed to care about it, she'd never brought it up.
But in her heart, she'd always seen Fu Hua as her master.
"..."
Both their attitudes were clear. Even Fu Hua could tell they were waiting for her response.
People might call her wooden, emotionally dense, but she never really saw herself that way.
It was just that she had to prioritize things, sometimes setting aside emotional matters for more pressing concerns. But when there was no real dilemma at hand, she wasn't so rigid.
Truthfully, her initial reluctance to establish a master-disciple bond wasn't solely about that mysterious fate. Part of it was... not wanting to form too many attachments.
She hadn't intended to get so close to Amber, only planning to help when necessary.
But... she wasn't as cold-hearted as she imagined herself to be.
Or perhaps, because her memories had fully returned without any side effects, and she'd now digested them all, her perspective on everything had shifted.
Seeing Fu Hua remain silent for so long, Amber felt a little disappointed, but she didn't mind too much.
Even without that verbal acknowledgment, the way the two interacted had already elevated the fact above mere words.
Thinking this, she smiled and was about to speak when she noticed the silent Celestial looking straight at her.
"Perhaps... you are right."
Fu Hua's gaze was brighter than ever before, giving Amber an unprecedented sense of being seen—as if she were standing under a bank of spotlights, giving her a wholly new feeling... of being truly valued.
"Amber and I... have long been master and disciple."
The Celestial's tone was plain, but one could hear the seriousness in it, making even Amber—who hadn't cared much about the matter—feel her heart race, her breath catching unconsciously.
"It was inconsiderate of me not to say it sooner." She didn't stop there. "My apologies."
"...Ah..." It was only several seconds after Fu Hua finished speaking that Amber belatedly realized the other had said her piece.
The same girl who'd once boldly declared a 2D character her 'waifu' right in front of Fu Hua was now at a complete loss for words.
"Like master, like disciple, I see."
The Herrscher of Sentience sighed, facepalming, then spread her hands. "Alright, you're not gonna start with some formal apprenticeship rituals now, are we? It's the modern era—let's set that aside for now."
As she spoke, she walked over to Amber, took the brick from her hand, and—using the access Fu Hua had granted her within Fenghuang Down—easily reshaped it. A long sword appeared in her grasp.
The sword had a golden guard, a black hilt, and its blade shifted from black near the spine to crimson at the tip—exactly the one she was accustomed to wielding.
"Forget all that. Let your martial auntie help you settle the score. That so-called Quetzalcoatl, right? Just watch how easily your auntie here takes her down!"
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T/N: I fricking love Senti!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.