Cleaning off the bloodstains wasn't going to be a quick job.
After making sure the washing machine was running properly, Sylvia called out a quick goodbye and left the bathroom.
Settling on the sofa, she scrolled through her phone and focused on the second gacha draw she'd received from Firefly today.
Last time, a white-tier draw had given her a whole crate of Oak Cake Rolls—special treats that really only Firefly herself would appreciate.
Though, to be fair, that crate of cakes had massively boosted Firefly's affection level, and every time she ate one, she'd be reminded of Sylvia.
The added value wasn't low at all.
But for this draw, Sylvia was really hoping for a transformation device.
Let's be real.
With a setting like Firefly's—a beautiful girl combined with mecha—surely the gacha ought to cough up a Kamen Rider-style henshin device, right?
An Ultraman one would work too—it's all tokusatsu anyway.
She'd even drawn a Fullbottle before. Was it too much to ask for a Build Driver to go with it?
Sylvia couldn't help rubbing her hands together excitedly.
Draw!
A flash of green light shimmered.
Something appeared before her that was both unexpected and yet made a weird kind of sense:
--+--
[Hazard Trigger (Honkai Adaptation Edition)]
['A power-boosting item. For you, it's a limiter release for the Herrscher Core. After all, you've never outputted at full power, whether with a Stellaron or a Heliobus.']
['Naturally, there are still side effects, but you won't die from it.']
--+--
"…"
Okay, but still—this thing looked cool in the series, but could she please get an enhancement item without nasty side effects for once?
Sylvia retrieved the mainly-red enhancement device from the system.
Its texture and feel were far more substantial than some plastic toy.
It did look slick, but this damn system hadn't even told her what the side effects were.
Never doing anything decent, day in and day out.
Grumbling internally, Sylvia gripped the Hazard Trigger and examined it carefully using the [Truth-Seeking Sigil].
She discovered the side effect was simply that releasing the Herrscher Core's limiter and outputting too much power would damage her body.
Death wasn't on the table—medical tech and the power of Abundance were still around—but serious injury was definitely possible.
No wonder they didn't specify; there wasn't any loss-of-control stage involved.
That was… somewhat reassuring.
Too bad she couldn't use it as a transformation device. It'd still just be something to plug into that giant sword.
Feels a bit like a Frankenstein monster, honestly.
Shaking her head, Sylvia stowed the trigger away.
She thought she heard Acheron calling her.
Puzzled, she got up and walked into the bathroom. Peering at the figure still under the shower stream, she asked curiously, "Did you call me just now?"
"Mm, could you help me wash my hair? There's blood tangled in it."
Acheron's voice came through the sound of running water. Sylvia sighed lightly and pulled open the shower door.
A cloud of steam, tinged with a faint metallic scent, washed over her. The damp air instantly made her clothes feel clammy.
As the steam thinned slightly, she could see Acheron tending to her long hair.
Even hunched over, back curved, with no adornments whatsoever—just from this angle, Sylvia thought Acheron looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Her fair skin, glistening under the warm water, looked supple and almost juicy, tempting one to take a bite.
Full curves hinted beneath the steam, trembling softly with Acheron's movements.
Sylvia took a deep breath, then simply pulled off her top. She stepped closer, gathering Acheron's long hair, studying it as she said,
"I don't believe what you said earlier now. The lead bug must've been pretty strong, otherwise how'd you get this filthy?"
"…It really wasn't much, for me."
Hearing Acheron's weak defense, Sylvia couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Come on, with your skill level, if the enemy were truly insignificant, would you have gotten even a single drop of blood on you?
But now, not only were your clothes stained, even your hair looks like it was drenched in blood. That swarm must've been some kind of major monster.
Sylvia recalled a moment in the game when the Express crew, on their way to Washtopia, encountered an enormous bug.
She'd forgotten its name, but it was seriously tough—they'd only escaped by ramming it with the Astral Express.
Maybe what Acheron ran into was something similar, or even stronger.
"The universe really is a dangerous place…"
Thinking this, Sylvia couldn't help sighing.
Acheron, who'd been vigorously scrubbing her hair, turned her head at the sound.
"It's fine. I'm here. If danger comes, I'll save you."
"…"
Sylvia felt both touched and amused. Here they were, squeezed into a bathroom, wrestling with your hair—wasn't it a bit weird to say something like that now?
"Alright, alright, I'm counting on you then."
Without waiting for a response, she lowered her head and focused on Acheron's long hair.
--+--
And so, two days passed after the date with Firefly.
Sylvia had suddenly found herself with free time, but the Xianzhou was in an uproar after too many issues were uncovered during screenings, leaving people anxious and unsettled.
All sorts of rumors and gossip were spreading like wildfire.
Qingque had already been dragged back by the Master Diviner to work overtime for several days.
Sylvia had dropped by to check on her once and felt Qingque was on the verge of a Mara onset.
Tingyun was also swamped, reportedly not having returned home for days.
All six Xianzhou commissions were operating at full speed, with Cloud Knights constantly seen moving between departments.
Sylvia had already heard several versions of the rumors.
The most outrageous one was: 'Jing Yuan has been sidelined; Fu Xuan has taken control of the Cloud Knights and is purging dissidents to seize power herself.'
From what Sylvia observed, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus were pulling strings behind these rumors.
They were probably active these past few days too, muddying the waters and recruiting new informants.
Sylvia had no interest in prying into the Xianzhou's secrets. She was just curious—could Phantylia really be this patient?
Was she really going to wait until the Ambrosial Arbor revived and her plan was nearly complete before showing herself?
If that were the case, Sylvia might not be able to resist taking action against the Disciples herself.
Uproot the Disciples, throw in some provocation—a Lord Ravager should still care about face, after all.
She was, by all accounts, a leader of the Legion, and with several colleagues around… even if Phantylia didn't care, the others probably would.
They couldn't just let anyone trample over a Lord Ravager and flaunt it.
But just as Sylvia was thinking this and had started contacting Jing Yuan to discuss specific plan details—someone she'd nearly forgotten suddenly popped up and sent her a message.
[Robin: Miss Sylvia, are you still on the Xianzhou Luofu?]
"Robin?"
Sylvia was currently killing time around Starskiff Haven.
Hearing her phone chime, she wondered who was messaging her—but once that profile picture appeared, she was completely stumped.
"…Right. Totally forgot about this superstar. And she picks now to show up?"
With all six Xianzhou commissions in upheaval and port entries and exits strictly monitored, this superstar was bound to be recognized when passing through the checkpoints.
--+--
T/N: 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.