The needle of the black vinyl record player was stuck on the final track. Twelve empty liquor bottles lay toppled on the carpet, condensation trickling down the tequila labels, staining the gold-threaded patterns with dark marks.
The dining table looked like it had been hit by an airstrike. Melted ice cream created a sickly-sweet pattern on the linen tablecloth, a fork stuck upright in an overturned mousse cake—proof of how wild last night's party had been.
In the cluttered room, the large bed, floating like an island in a sea of debris, was particularly conspicuous.
A ripple suddenly appeared in the pink and yellow-edged quilt. A jade-like foot, smooth as solidified cream, poked out from the warm cocoon. The moment it touched the cold air, it recoiled, toes curling up.
"So cold..."
A rose-scented, nasal voice came from deep within the covers. The girl, wrapped in the goose-down quilt, wriggled to the edge of the bed. A sleepy, lovely face peeked out from a mess of white hair, her target the black-haired boy sleeping soundly beside her.
One kick.
Two kicks.
Three kicks.
"Servant, servant."
She mumbled, yet persisted, "Get up and cook for this Queen. I want seafood ramen for breakfast. Haaaw..."
"Don't kick, don't kick."
Under the Herrscher's relentless harassment, Fuli finally sat up, yawning.
The silky-smooth quilt slid down along the lines of his muscles, revealing half of the boy's bare, lean torso. A few strands of silver-white hair, clearly not his own, clung to the hollows of his V-lines.
It had been two and a half years since Fuli had accidentally stumbled into this mental space.
During this time, his relationship with the Herrscher of the Void couldn't be said to have progressed by leaps and bounds, but at the very least, it could be called love born from long association.
You can develop feelings for a small pet after raising it for two years, let alone a super-clingy, ice-queen beauty with white hair—a targeted attack on any Chinese man—who ran around all day in an oversized boyfriend shirt.
Well, not exactly an "ice queen" (at least not in front of Fuli).
The boy sometimes even had the illusion that living like this forever would be pretty good. No worries about food or clothing, with a beauty by his side. It was just a shame that, according to the time-flow conversion, the real world was already dawning.
After making this breakfast for Quan, it was time for Fuli to return to reality and continue his life of leveling up.
He couldn't give up the entire forest for a single tree, could he?
Unless that tree was named Kiana Kaslana.
Miss Herrscher was very displeased with his departure.
After a whole "kun" year, she had long grown accustomed to having a servant by her side. [T/N: A "kun" year is a meme unit of time, equal to 2.5 years, based on a celebrity named Cai Xukun.]
Fuli had to coax and cajole her, promising to return when he slept at night in the real world, and giving her kisses, hugs, and lifting her high. Only then did he manage to soothe Quan, who had two large pools of tears welling up in her eyes.
Both he and Quan were smart enough not to bring up having Mei remove the seal.
Fuli had a guilty conscience.
And Quan—please, that was hilarious. Letting that crazy woman Raiden Mei know that her boyfriend (as Mei saw it) had spent two years with a perfect woman (as the Queen saw herself) whose looks, talent, and skills were all superior to her own? Who knew what kind of insane things she would do to her then.
Rather than watch the future descend into chaos, it was better to wait obediently for the seal to end and then admit fault.
Quan was still in a hurry to trick K423 into pretending to be the real Kiana to snatch the man!
If she couldn't bring herself to do it, she would! Five hundred years of loneliness and day after day of companionship were enough for the Herrscher of the Void to make her choice.
"Wait for me obediently in the dream. If you're bored, just go to sleep."
Fuli sat on the edge of the bed, twirling seafood ramen with his chopsticks. He blew on it and then fed it into the eagerly waiting cherry-lips.
Chew, chew, chew, gulp!
"Hmph."
A light snort escaped her delicate nose. The Queen puffed up her cheeks, picked up the bowl, and drank the remaining broth in one go.
"Well, see you tonight."
Tugging on the stubborn cowlick she shared with Kiana, Fuli's figure gradually faded from the mental space.
The next moment, he opened his eyes in reality.
He looked out the window. The sea before dawn was like a quenched steel blade, forging the first ray of sunlight into liquid gold. The rising and falling waves were edged with light, and the dark currents in the deep water carried nocturnal algae, leaving a trail of fluorescent blue in their wake at the boundary between light and shadow.
"It's a beautiful day," the boy said with a smile, stretching lazily.
...
After a quick wash-up, seeing that there was still some time before breakfast, Fuli slapped his forehead and ran to Mount Taixuan to retrieve a crystal-blue, round jade stone.
Its shape was perfectly natural, its edges smooth and delicate, with a unique luster. Through the light, one could see what seemed to be flowing patterns inside the jade, like frozen ripples or solidified clouds, full of dynamic beauty.
[Name: Inferior Hōgyoku Fragment]
[Rank: C]
[Category: Item / Enhancement]
[Effect: A beautiful gem that glitters with a blue-black light. A semi-finished Hōgyoku created by a certain popular villain.
Possesses the special ability to "make wishes come true." As a semi-finished product, this item can only fixate on a single wish that does not exceed the item's rank, and it requires a large amount of energy to be invested periodically to maintain its effect.]
[Remark: Aspiration is the emotion furthest from understanding. Hinamori Momo is the best meat shield in Bleach.]
This was a product of the last ten-pull lottery.
[A very fascinating item. Unfortunately, I cannot study it at present.]
The elusive Dr. MEI commented: [I suggest you don't let that little girl Raiden Mei see it. The moment she acts cute, you definitely won't be able to resist handing it over.]
Fuli shook his head. "This fragment's rank is too low. It doesn't even have a thousandth of the effect of the completed version."
The true Hōgyoku possessed the great power to "make all things develop in the direction one desires in their heart." Even with the prerequisite that "the holder must possess the power to realize the wish," it was still a manifestation of the Soul King's omnipotence.
[That effect sounds really convoluted.]
Prometheus, whose hands weren't exactly clean, complained: [How does the host plan to use this wish?]
"A wish-granting ability for a C-rank item... if used normally, it would probably be similar to exchanging for the Mikazuki Munechika or the Youtou Shiranui from the Future Foundation before."
Fuli explained, "I don't lack weapons or armor right now, so I want it to assist me in cultivating the Nine Rotations of the Peerless or the Path of the Immortal Human."
[So you're going to implant it in your body as a cultivation cheat?]
Dr. MEI clasped her hands together: [That sounds like a decent idea.]
Cultivation techniques require a gradual approach above all else. In the previous loop, Fuli had managed to cultivate the Nine Rotations of the Peerless to the seventh rotation in less than two years. Now, with a cheat like the Inferior Hōgyoku Fragment, that speed could obviously be increased.
"The only pity is that it can only be fixed on one wish and cannot be changed. It would be great if more similar items appeared in the system store in the future."
Fuli didn't hesitate. He set the effect of the Inferior Hōgyoku Fragment to "increase the rate of constructing super-mutated organs for the Nine Rotations of the Peerless" and then made it into a bracelet to wear.
Better to be a master of one trade than a jack of all. Compared to the Path of the Immortal Human, he still preferred the Nine Rotations of the Peerless, which enhanced his fundamental stats and with which he had cultivation experience from the previous loop.
Seeing Fuli standing still in silence for a long time, Prometheus asked with concern: [Host, how's the effect?]
"Strange, why is there no effect?"
He opened his eyes, perplexed.
[Don't forget the description. The prerequisite for activating the Hōgyoku is to input a large amount of energy to maintain its effect.]
Dr. MEI facepalmed: [Little host, you just put it on. It would be strange if it worked.]
"What?!"
Fuli looked shocked and incredulous. "It's just working for me, and I still have to pay it a salary?"
Is this a robbery? Is there no law and order?!
Prometheus's mouth twitched: [Host, look, that lamppost over there is tall and hard, and the ornaments on it are big and round.]
"Fine, fine."
The boy instantly teleported to the peak of Mount Taixuan, pushed aside a small deer that came over to act cute, and bent down to scoop up a handful of clear water from the Well of Fuli.
He infused this high-grade flowing energy into the Inferior Hōgyoku Fragment. The once-listless gem instantly burst into a dazzling, dreamlike, beautiful halo. A magnificent, misty vapor seeped into Fuli's body, perfectly exerting its amplifying effect.
After experiencing it for a while, Fuli judged, "The construction efficiency of the Honkai Beast factors in my body has increased by 23.4%. Combined with the progress I've already made in the past month, I'll soon be able to complete the construction of the super-mutated organ for the first rotation."
The first five rotations of the Nine Rotations of the Peerless each gave the cultivator an opportunity to construct a Honkai Beast organ within their body.
However, due to the lack of high-grade materials, Fuli hadn't even chosen a Honkai Beast organ for the first rotation.
It wasn't until a few days ago, when Mei, who was giving him a physical exam, noticed something was wrong and questioned him, that the boy obediently revealed the characteristics of the Nine Rotations of the Peerless.
Two days later, the girl called him to the Massive Electric Corp lab again.
After the routine physical exam, she tossed a tube of crystal-clear blood to him as he was getting dressed, telling him he could use it to construct the Honkai Beast organ.
It was the genetic factor of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Shesha, containing the extremely powerful characteristic known as "Shed Scale Rebirth."
That's right, it was that heaven-defying passive ability to "resurrect after death by consuming a large amount of energy, while also gaining resistance to the previous killing blow."
The Herrscher of Thunder during the Third Honkai Eruption had relied on this trick, first commanding Shesha to die and be reborn, then making a coat from its scales to gain resistance against the Ever-burning Flames.
As for Fuli, who had just constructed his Honkai-mutated organ and was only A-rank, he certainly couldn't treat death and regeneration as child's play like the real Shesha.
Even if he evolved the corresponding resistance, he wouldn't be able to completely ignore the previous killing method with such ease.
After all, that was the companion Judgment-class Honkai Beast of the Herrscher of Thunder, with a unique and powerful serpentine dragon body.
But as long as he coordinated it properly with the recently acquired Sun Wheel Armor, with invincible defense plus resurrection, anyone fighting him would have to curse him for being shameless.
Of course, Fuli had his own suspicions about where Mei had gotten the Shesha factor.
Since she wouldn't say, the boy wouldn't ask.
Otherwise, what if Miss Raiden, her cover blown, flew into a rage and decided to force herself on him? Should he adopt a policy of non-resistance? Or just lie back and enjoy it?
Kurikara was a top-tier S-rank combatant. Let alone now, even in his peak state in the previous loop, he couldn't beat her.
...
Hyperion, Dining Hall—
After devouring dozens of baskets of beef buns served by the chef Cat Paw Cakes, Durandal left a sentence, "If you figure out the budget problem, come find me," and then walked to the window, opened it, and leaped out, speeding away.
Fuli had a feeling the girl was in a bad mood. Although he didn't know why, he still leaned out the window and waved vigorously at her. "If you really run into trouble, I'll—mmph!"
Halfway through his sentence, a pair of hands clamped down on his mouth from behind.
"Bro, don't tell me, as the boss of Hyperion, you're really planning to go to Schicksal and give the entire Immortal Blades a group 'MyGO'."
Kallen smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. [T/N: "MyGO" is a pun on "maigo," Japanese for "lost child," and is a euphemism for... other services.]
"My body is not that cheap!"
Fuli looked solemn.
"Right, bro's hook is only for Durandal. Those random Immortal Blades grunts on the street don't qualify."
Bronya saw right through his ambition.
"More like you don't have the ability even if you wanted to!"
Kallen flicked her braids, her peak-human-beauty face full of mockery.
The Immortal Blades, the team formed by Durandal, was young, but it was full of powerful elite combat personnel.
A mere Fuli had to half-kill himself just to serve the S-rank Durandal, let alone these starved Valkyries?
"Who says? Who says?"
The person in question slammed the table in protest. He now not only had the Sun Wheel Armor to tank damage, but his activated Shadow Weaver Sword could also transform into all sorts of auxiliary tools.
Fighting ten at once might be a bit difficult, but transforming into Doctor Octopus and fighting seven would be no problem!
His stamina was still a bit lacking, though. He'd have to get the super-mutation factor of Garuda from cousin Hua later.
That was the recognized king of super-speed regeneration. One section was stronger than six. With it, taking on ten Rita Rossweisses at once would be a piece of cake!
While the three of them were chatting and joking in the dining hall, Kiana came running over, "pata pata," holding a large bag of things.
"Good morning, everyone! And good morning, Sauce!"
"Woof!"
"Haha, stop it!"
The dog in the corner pounced on her enthusiastically, and the two quickly started playing together.
Fuli said proudly, "Just in time. Here, the salaries I owed you two."
With a wave of his hand, he transferred the donations from the big shot White Moon Knight last night to Kiana and Bronya respectively.
"Hmm?"
The duckling became alert, her twin-drills twitching. "Where did bro get the money? You didn't do something illegal last night, did you—"
"Can't you think better of your bro? I earned it legitimately, okay."
A karate chop interrupted the rest of the girl's words. As she ducked and covered her head, Fuli turned to the other person. "Your expression is a bit off. Shouldn't you be happy to get your salary?"
"Yeah, yeah! Happy, happy!"
Kiana's face showed her usual simpleton smile. "Li! Li! This morning when I was scrolling through a social media app, I saw a way to make money quickly!"
She placed the container in her hands on the dining table, and the two people and one AI immediately gathered around to look.
"Is this... mercury?"
Mercury, element symbol Hg, is in the 6th period, group IIB, and is the 80th element in the periodic table, commonly known as quicksilver.
"I got this mercury from the Massive Electric Corp lab!" Kiana said excitedly. "Have you guys heard of artificial gold? I saw on social media that you just need to use tweezers to take out one electron and one proton from a mercury atom, and then you can extract 987.5g of gold from 1kg of mercury. That's almost fifty thousand US dollars!"
"Holy crap, that works?"
Illiterate No. 1, Bronya, was dumbfounded. How did this grass-brain always manage to dig up such weird things from the most obscure places?
"Well said."
Illiterate No. 2, Kallen, felt that this operation was both feasible and not-so-feasible. "So where are we going to find a super big shot who can separate electrons and protons with their bare hands and is willing to help us?"
"Normally, techniques and cultivation methods above B-rank basically involve fine control of energy, like the most typical Taixuan Sword Qi, the simplified Valkyrie cultivation manual from Schicksal, and my Nine Rotations of the Peerless."
Illiterate No. 3, Fuli, stroked his chin. "But to reach the microscopic level of protons and electrons, leaving aside those Sequence grandmasters of unknown identity, in my impression, only Bianka, who has the help of the holy sword Durandal inside her, can do it."
So, the question is: would the knight-princess who just left be willing to help?
The four of them looked at each other and then collapsed in their respective spots, defeated.
Several tens of minutes later, Hyperion Bridge—
"The budget issue? Don't worry about that anymore."
Facing the listless four, Mei, sitting on the sofa, crossed her beautiful legs. "I spoke with my father last night. He said he can provide some sponsorship."
"Raiden Ryoma?"
Bronya blinked.
"It's Uncle Ryoma! A kid should be polite!"
Fuli pressed down on her small head, thinking, You, the daughter of his enemy who helped put Raiden Ryoma in prison, please give your big bro a break!
This family will fall apart without me!
But even so, the boy didn't have much faith in Raiden Ryoma's assistance.
For no other reason than that after the Third Honkai Eruption in the previous loop, this once-famous Anti-Entropy Executor had disappeared for several years.
At least before Fuli started over, he hadn't heard any news about Raiden Ryoma.
He was missing in the previous loop; could he really make a comeback in this one?
—Yes, he could.
The reason was simple. The currently recorded Herrscher of Thunder's name had been altered to [Raiden Makka Pakka], not Raiden Mei.
The main reason why Ryoma was missing in the previous loop was precisely because his daughter had become the Herrscher of Thunder.
When all was said and done, it was he, the father, who had requested Welt Yang to implant the Gem of Conquest into the young Mei. His favoritism had been the cause of everything.
On that point alone, the reformist faction's higher-ups could launch a massive attack on Ryoma, forcing Einstein and Tesla to shelve him.
This time was different.
First, the Third Honkai Eruption was stopped in time by Fuli. Although the scope of its influence was greater than in the previous loop, the number of casualties was extremely low.
Second, due to Fuli's causality-level tampering with the Herrscher of Thunder's vessel, Raiden Ryoma's past actions could no longer be considered abuse of power for personal gain.
Even if there were still some ripples, overall, Raiden Ryoma could still retain his status and power as an executor of the conservative faction.
For example, he had already used his superb political skills to reclaim one-third of the ME Corp assets that Cocolia had transported to Canada.
Another example was the large tracts of land purchased in Brazil and Argentina. The entire Americas was Anti-Entropy's pasture. Cocolia, a latecomer, could only occupy the cold and barren land of Canada, which was closer to Russia. South America was where Ryoma had organized the people of the Far East to buy large amounts of land as a new base for ME Corp's revival.
An executor was an executor, after all.
Even what slipped through his fingers was enough to fill Hyperion's coffers to the brim.
"Under normal circumstances, such a large investment would be extremely dangerous for a new organization."
Mei said, "Thomas Sankara, hailed as the 'Che Guevara of Burkina Faso,' once said, 'He who feeds you, controls you.'"
"But who can blame my father for only having one daughter?"
The girl smiled at Fuli, as if hinting at something, or perhaps not. "When he retires, all his assets will be mine."
Marry me, and all of this will be yours!
Fuli thought for a moment. "According to that logic, your dad is using your money right now?"
Bronya: Holy crap!
Even though she had been amazed countless times before, the little girl couldn't help but curse inwardly again.
As expected of the divine metal who can sleep in the same bed as Kiana. Birds of a feather flock together!
Mei was also stunned by his excellent logic for a moment and couldn't recover.
She touched her forehead. "But my father has one condition for his sponsorship. He said he wants you to accompany me to the Fog City to meet him."
Um, meeting the father-in-law?
Isn't it a bit early for that?
...