Accompanied by steps as resonant and powerful as her words, the Bright Knight, filled with righteous aura, arrived before the three of them like lightning.
"Mmph mmph mmph! Mmph mmph mmph!"
But then strange sounds came out; Eleanor behind her had stepped forward and covered her mouth.
"Sorry, our Dudu was rude."
Light condensed in front of the two, and a blonde beauty with the sickly temperament of a narcissus leaned forward elegantly in the halo.
"You are Schicksal's new AI?"
Situ Qinghong raised her elegant eyebrows.
Lingsha, having conveyed the situation, disappeared at the right time, but judging from the smoke beast still wandering in the corner, this former Cauldron Master also possessed a exquisitely curious heart for gossip.
"It is I." Ella nodded politely, the six seraphic wings behind her swaying gently. "In my memory bank, this is the first time you and I have 'consulted' face to face in this form, Staff Officer Situ."
She changed the subject, sounding somewhat helpless. "So please put away that wary look. I'm really not Otto Apocalypse in disguise—although we both know that with his bad taste, he would definitely do something like this."
Hard to say!
Yunli scoffed and rolled her eyes imperceptibly.
There were quite a few people in the world over five hundred years old; the most typical was Fu Hua.
But even she didn't care so little about her gender like Otto, dressing up as a little girl every now and then to go out and trick people, and enjoying it too.
"It seems I was rude, uninvited Ms. Ella."
Situ Qinghong was noncommittal about this. Her gilded eyes pierced through Ella's translucent phantom, locking firmly onto Bianca, whose mouth was being forcibly covered by Eleanor from behind.
"But if I heard correctly... when Miss Durandal broke down the door just now, she seemed to be saying 'I'd like to see who dares?'"
Resting her wrist casually on the Taixuan Bagua Saber at her waist, she chuckled. "What, do the people of Schicksal intend to openly interfere in the internal affairs of my Taixuan Front on Shenzhou soil?"
Rex Lapis Seat. Possessing the powerful ability to manipulate the earth and change crustal movements, it was the top-tier divine equipment corresponding to the Earth Official Emperor, usually mimicking the form of the Taixuan Bagua Saber.
Not only could it instantly change the landscape of an area to create geographical advantages for oneself, but it could also mobilize geographical matter (such as soil, boulders, mineral veins, magma, etc.) for attack and defense, and could also be used to trigger large-scale earthquakes and release bombardments.
When used to the extreme, a casual strike could sink a modern international metropolis, burying it deep underground.
Glimpsing the tip of the iceberg of the opponent's combat capabilities, Ella shrugged with feigned ease. "Of course not. Bianca was actually saying the English phrase 'war can share gun,' which translates to 'sharing guns during war.' Rounding it up, she was asking if you need strong support from Schicksal in arresting Fuli."
T-That works?!
Yunli and her little sisters were stunned.
"Really?"
Situ Qinghong smiled faintly.
"Really, really!"
Ella nodded vigorously, her big eyes blinking, written full of innocence and purity.
"We appreciate your kindness, but the situation hasn't reached that point yet." The Chief of Staff clapped her hands. "Yanqing, why don't you quickly guide the three enthusiastic guests to the tea room for tea?"
"Yes, Chief of Staff!"
Understanding tacitly, the Sword Head cupped his hands in response and walked steadily to the Schicksal trio.
Extending his wide sleeves, he bowed to guide them to the side corridor. "Three honored guests, please follow Yanqing."
Can Little Brother Yanqing handle the three of them alone?
Yunli's puzzled voice rang in Situ Qinghong's mind.
She chuckled in reply: This is our territory.
Don't look down on the aerial strategic fortress built by Shenzhou; it wasn't inferior to Cocolia's Creation Engine.
I'd better go take a look.
Yunli was still a bit worried.
Anyway, the Chief of Staff alone was enough to 'invite' Fuli's group.
Thinking this, the girl ate the last candied haw, tapped the ground with her bare feet, and walked towards the group, the silver bell at her ankle not making a sound.
"Mmph mmph mmph!"
Seeing this, Durandal was frantic.
Could she not be?
If she didn't do something, her husband would be tied back to Yingtian Prefecture by this bunch to become a child groom!
Seeing this, Ella couldn't help but sigh.
The current Bianca was still too immature.
Slaming the table with people in Shenzhou's territory—she really didn't know what kind of brain circuit this girl had, thinking she was invincible? Could take down the entire Shenzhou single-handedly?
Concern leads to chaos...
She thought.
The answer was clearly right beside her. Something that could be settled with a simple phone call had to be made so complicated.
"Shenzhou doesn't need our help, which is a good thing; in that case, please wait a moment."
Ella smiled and nodded at Yanqing's inviting gesture, but her fingertips traced a dazzling trajectory on the ominous blue screen.
Situ Qinghong suddenly had an ominous premonition in her heart.
Ella spoke to herself, "It's nothing really. Considering that Shenzhou and Schicksal are comprehensive strategic partners, we specifically ordered the Valkyries near Kanas to come and coordinate with your operation earlier."
"Given the combat power of the Hyperion group, only Valkyries of A-Rank and above were notified this time."
"Since you don't need support, I will cancel the mission here."
"But it's a networked society, after all. She will definitely be able to see this email on her end. If she reads quickly, she can see the content at a glance~"
"Am I right? Staff Officer Situ?"
Affiliated with Schicksal;
Near Kanas;
A-Rank Valkyrie.
"Holy crap! You—"
Realizing what Ella had done, Situ Qinghong was so scared she blurted out a national curse.
"Si·tu·Qing·Hong!"
A gray-haired girl with a stern expression passed by the gracefully departing Ella. The latter turned her face slightly, her holy cyan eyes smiling, as if saying:
I dunno. If you have any issues, go talk to your Ancestor Chiyuan yourself.
"It's over..."
Facing the enraged Ancestor, Situ Qinghong's legs went soft, and even her hand holding the weapon trembled.
Of course, the mission to 'invite' Fuli couldn't be known to Fu Hua. But she actually forgot that the Ancestor was currently still employed by Schicksal and could know about this through other channels!
Durandal's eyes lit up, casting a rare gaze of admiration at Ella.
How did she forget about this?
Could it really be as Rita said, training all day long resulted in training her brain into muscles too?
"Heh heh."
Eleanor also let go of the small hand blocking the Knight Princess's mouth at the right time, shaking off the glistening saliva on it unhappily.
Little did she know that this stuff could fetch a sky-high price among the vast Valkyrie community; she lost a hundred million.
"What is this about capturing Cousin?"
Fu Hua didn't know the twists and turns in this. Receiving the mission notification, she jumped out of the healing pod and rushed straight to the conference room.
"Ah? This, that..."
Situ Qinghong looked left and right guiltily.
Shenzhou people had always stressed having a justified cause for their actions since ancient times. They really didn't have the moral high ground on this matter.
Facing the Ancestor's questioning, she couldn't organize words to make excuses for a moment.
"Allow this concubine to explain, Celestial."
The smoke beast beside Yunli transformed into the appearance of the brown-haired beauty again.
Lingsha smiled faintly and explained the sequence of events.
"..."
Staring at the other party's appearance, Fu Hua was in a bit of a trance. She had retrieved most of her memories with the help of the moon duo.
And this watery face in front of her looked more and more like a mature version of her friend no matter how she looked at it.
Is there a connection between them?
The girl thought. Her aura wasn't as sharp as before.
After listening to Lingsha explain the cause and effect, Fu Hua nodded. "I understand the specific situation."
"Then—"
"This is actually a misunderstanding," the girl said. "Cousin k-k-kissing me..."
Speaking of this, with a slightly flushed face, she subconsciously looked at Durandal beside her.
The latter frowned slightly with heroic eyebrows but still raised a hand to signal Fu Hua to continue.
Bianca naturally knew that Fuli did that to activate the Outer Path power to usurp the Divine Essence. Even though she was surprisingly unhappy in her heart, it was a last resort to save someone.
Good thing she didn't know about Kiana and Fuli going to the church last night. Prisoner Li had no excuse to justify that.
Although given his personality, it was more likely he would put his hands on his hips and say triumphantly, "I haven't fallen so low as to have only two girls fight over me!"
Having received the 'Head Wife's' permission, Fu Hua briefly described the situation at that time, then added, "Those people's worries are all superfluous. Like that girl Huo Qubing, at least until Honkai is completely eliminated, I have no plans to start a family."
"As for inheriting the divine position, to put it bluntly, I think you should have told Cousin everything from the very beginning." She continued, "Using force to coerce an outsider, aren't you afraid that Cousin will seek revenge after sitting on that throne?"
Five thousand years of life had let Fu Hua witness too much of the complexity and darkness of human nature. Almost instantly, she could imagine the tragic scene of Fuli sitting on the void throne, thirteen Herrschers soaring around him, the Herrscher of the Void tearing open dimensional rifts to descend into reality, engaging in a final decisive battle with the remnants of the Earth Alliance.
Don't ask why it's Herrschers, just say if it's despairing or not!
"Isn't there you? Everyone believes in your charm, Grandmaster. Conquering a little boy should be a piece of cake, right?" Situ Qinghong whispered, "Besides, after inviting him back, we will definitely offer him good food and drink, then move him with affection, reason with him, and tempt him with benefits."
You, Fuli, although you lost your freedom, you became a Sequence Rank!
Look! Ready-made!
Ask yourself if you're tempted!
Fu Hua thought about it and agreed.
Ella coughed lightly.
Ah-Hua woke up, realizing she was almost bamboozled: "Anyway, I don't agree with this!"
The smoke beast surrounding Yunli sighed and dispersed. She herself took out the life-sized Old Iron, eager to try. "As expected, we still have to see the truth under our hands!"
"Three against two, there's absolutely no reason to lose."
Yanqing formed a sword gesture with his fingers, flying swords circling around him.
If reasoning doesn't work, then use physics as usual!
"How dare you be disrespectful to Ancestor Chiyuan!"
Durandal shouted, standing beside Fu Hua with her lance.
She wasn't Schicksal's S-Rank Valkyrie right now, but the number one combatant under Celestial of Empyrea!
The meanings symbolized by the two were completely different. The former was a head-on conflict between two major powers, while the latter was merely an internal issue of the Taixuan Front! It was "clearing the monarch's side" (removing corrupt officials)!
Eleanor didn't understand why, but she also pulled out Black Abyss excitedly.
"Celestial, your new armor has arrived."
Ella waved her hand, and a set of Valkyrie armor emerged from the data carried by the Bright Knight, wrapping around Fu Hua's slender body.
Gray-cyan long hair was tied up, two sharp amethyst hair ornaments piercing the night like fangs.
The skintight combat suit had a mysterious black base. Dark purple light flowed on the shoulder armor and waist armor. Matte metal plates covered vital areas, curves rising and falling under the sharp lines.
The Shadow Knight thrusters floating behind her waist buzzed low. Dense electric snakes wandered between the tail wings, every breath pulling at the lingering thunderstorm aura in the air.
Fourth Generation Godsbane Armor: Shadow Knight: Moon wheel. A specialized armor for close-quarters combat, created by Schicksal specifically for Fu Hua, intended to draw out the remaining power in her body to the maximum extent.
"Very good."
Feeling the surging Honkai energy in her palm, Fu Hua curled her lips.
She could sense that this armor could allow her to burst out with S-Rank combat power in a short time. Stalling either Yanqing or Yunli would be no problem.
"Now it's three against three." Ella smiled. "We aren't mortal enemies; everyone just stop at the right point."
"Nonsense!"
Situ Qinghong glared viciously at this stirrer, then drew the Taixuan Bagua Saber. The weapon grew in the wind, transforming into a 3-meter-long black metal lance covered in golden magic patterns.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Manual transmission is a no-go, never driving manual in this life."
Fuli and Kiana vetoed Bronya's proposal with a 2:1 vote. The three noisily arrived at the used car shop, ready for a shopping spree.
Appearance was the main reference factor because there was a high probability that only the shell of this car would remain in the end.
If they didn't need legal transaction documents for the road, Mei could have hand-crafted the shell herself.
"Old Zhang! Is Old Zhang here?"
As soon as they entered the parking lot, Fuli shouted. The "Old Zhang" he spoke of was both the boss here and a member of the fishing group.
Previously, the group had been falsely accused of "crowd promiscuity" (orgies) and thrown into the detention center together. Unfortunately, unlike Prisoner Li who had Cousin Ah-Hua to bail him out, they were released after three days.
The boy had agreed with him in the group chat beforehand to come buy a car, so after a few shouts, a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance walked out of the house.
"It's Little Li and his cute little girlfriends, haha."
Old Zhang walked over smiling and patted Fuli's shoulder, suddenly lowering his voice to whisper in his ear: "Someone's catching you! Run!"
Before his voice faded, several people in black suits popped out from every nook and cranny.
The leader, with a bob cut and baby face, was none other than City God Mu Hanyin who appeared before!
That's right, it wasn't just Yunli's group who received the mission. "All Honkai-related personnel of each unit are required to gather immediately at the Kanas border area" naturally included the people from the OPBI!
"Run!"
Fuli didn't hesitate. He took the keys Old Zhang passed from his sleeve and dove into a Toyota Prado.
Bronya and Kiana, though confused, did the same.
"Hold tight!"
Duck-Duck, jumping into the driver's seat, slammed the gas pedal. With a beautiful drift, she shook off several black-suited men surrounding them and drove out of the parking lot.
...