[Chaos Doctor] (Miracle Card): How can someone who finds even the Aeon of Nihility charming be a bad person? I think my mental state is great, I think I'm fine! I'm full of spirit!
Effect 1: Your presence can make surrounding [Psychological Patients] (people in a bad mood or with psychological issues) a bit more "fun," thereby gradually improving their mood. But don't worry about whether it's your mood or the patient's mood that's improving. When you improve the patient's mood, you will receive a random gift from them.
Effect 2: Each time you conduct an effective treatment on a [Psychological Patient] (treatment progress can accumulate), you will gain Fiction Value. After reaching 100 Fiction Value, you can summon the Aeon of Nihility to smash into the enemy. Summoning incantation: A [IX] this big, for you!
Effect 3: Can be used to forge Curios.
"Is this... really an effect a Chaos Doctor should have?" After Chen Li finished introducing the card's effects, Acheron began to question her life.
"You don't get it, do you? This is a variant of a Chaos Doctor."
"What variant?"
"A doctor from the Chaos Faction."
"???"
Alright, alright, so that's the kind of "Chaos Doctor" it is, huh?
"You heretic!" Acheron couldn't help but exclaim.
"It seems you fit the description of a psychological patient on this card perfectly, Acheron. That's why you've been getting more 'fun'," Chen Li said, his gaze sharp as a torch as he scrutinized her.
"What are you planning to do to me?" For some reason, Acheron felt an immense pressure from Chen Li while he held this card. It was like being a student facing a teacher. Perhaps the Miracle Card had some hidden effect like [Doctors exert pressure on their psychological patients].
"I want to..."
"Want to what?"
"I want to give you some treatment. But I need to figure out the best place to start..." Chen Li studied Acheron, this Self-Anniliator, and began to formulate a treatment plan.
"I've got it! How about I just fictionalize your mental state back to when you were normal?" Chen Li suddenly asked.
Acheron shook her head.
"Right, your heart has never truly lost faith in life." Chen Li hesitated again.
"The reason I walk the Path of Nihility is not because Nihility leads me to self-annihilation, but because I chose this path myself. I want to explore the truth behind Nihility. And then... sever It." Acheron looked up at the black sun.
To fight against fate, Acheron constantly swung her blade, supported by an intense conviction, attempting to sever the curse of "Nihility" at its very root by killing the Aeon slumbering in the abyss. This was the philosophy that had sustained Acheron to this day.
"You're much stronger than I imagined. To arbitrarily change your mindset would perhaps be disrespectful to you... but I should still give you something." Chen Li was conflicted.
To be honest, Chen Li was a results-oriented person; he believed that as long as the goal was achieved, the process didn't matter. But Acheron's situation was special.
Although her body had become sluggish from walking the Path of Nihility, her vision was limited in color, her memories of the past had grown hazy, her senses were dulled, and her sense of taste had completely vanished, the conviction in her heart had never faded. She walked further and further down the Path of "Nihility" only because her desire to save the world from the shackles of that Path was beyond that of any ordinary person.
Therefore, for Acheron, Chen Li didn't need to "correct" her way of thinking. He just needed to solve the physical effects the Path of Nihility had on Self-Anniliators. The slight emotional detachment Acheron experienced was merely a curse of being a Self-Anniliator.
"Give me something? It's fine, you don't need to worry about me so much. Besides, with my former mindset, I might not have had the fortitude to help Tielnan see off all the Bloodsin Wraiths, and then finally see him off as well," Acheron said, shaking her head. Her journeys across the sea of stars had forged the "present" Acheron; every trip was a form of growth for her.
"How about this? What if I give you a chance to sever everything?" Chen Li said suddenly.
"Hmm?" Acheron tilted her head.
"You said you want to sever Nihility, right?"
"Yes."
"I can help you."
"How? If you're thinking of helping me eat that great sun in the sky, there's no need. Consuming Nihility within Nihility can't be a pleasant experience for you, and at your rate of consumption, it would probably take a very long time," Acheron continued to shake her head.
"If I really had to eat all of Nihility, it would indeed take a long time... Half a month? A month? In any case, in all that time, I didn't even eat 1/10000th of it. So that method won't work," Chen Li nodded.
Chen Li couldn't eat the Aeon of Nihility, not because he was incapable, but because his mouth wasn't big enough. He could, of course, forge a Curio to make himself bigger, but his time within Nihility was spent both strengthening his mind through consumption and tempering his will.
Besides, eating the Aeon of Nihility was useless. Even if an Aeon falls, its Path does not disappear.
But then again...
"Remember this?" Chen Li took out [Myriad Phenomena Severance].
"Your weapon is unforgettable," Acheron nodded. The power of this weapon was indeed impressive; it could slice open space and shatter indestructible shields. But what did that have to do with severing Nihility?
"I don't know how you plan to sever Nihility, Acheron, but I have a simpler and faster way. These scissors can cut anything, including the relationship between the Aeon of Nihility and Nihility itself."
"Which means..."
"Which means you can ignore that big black fellow in the sky and just sever the Path of Nihility's corruption of the world. You could, of course, go straight for the source, but the heavier the thing you cut, the higher the price will be. So, want to give it a try?"
"Then what is the price for severing the Path of Nihility's corruption of the world?" The emotions that had been gradually muted by Nihility began to burn hot again as Acheron saw the Curio before her.
"I don't know."
"Hmm?"
"The specific price to be paid is only revealed at the moment of cutting. And to cut something, you need to be able to understand or see it," Chen Li said.
"No matter the price, I can bear it. But understanding... I'm not sure if I can do that," Acheron hesitated.
"I see... Of course, there are clever workarounds."
"There's no need for workarounds. After you return to the [Present], I will find you. In the meantime, I will continue to walk deeper into [Nothingness]. At that time, I will need to borrow your scissors," Acheron suddenly declared.
"Ah, you want to wait until the [Present]?"
"You traveled a hundred years into the past. If you cause too great of an impact in this world, won't it cause some distortion to the future? If the price of that distortion is too great, can you truly bear it?"
"Uh..."
"Don't tell me you haven't considered these things?"
"Emmm..." Chen Li fell silent, merely stroking his chin.
"Sigh." Acheron pressed a hand to her forehead. Perhaps because the shock Chen Li had given her earlier was too great, she seemed to have subconsciously ignored his relatively young age.
"I don't think it will have a huge impact..."
The Aeon of Nihility never actively influenced the world, making it arguably the Aeon with the lowest profile. Of course, due to the nature of its Path, it could never truly remain low-key. Its influence on the world was subtle and gradual. But in other words, on a scale of a mere hundred years, not much would really change.
"Then it's decided. Your business here should be finished, right? It's time for you to go back. Don't waste your time here on us people of the past. Tielnan and I can handle the rest of the guiding," Acheron said, looking at the dense shadows of the Bloodsin Wraiths on the Sea of Death.
"Alright... See you in a hundred years. Remember to find me. When the [Mom's Tablecloth] I've left here disappears, it means I've returned to the present. I might be on the Xianzhou or at the Herta Space Station. Oh, and remember the name Curio Forger," Chen Li nodded.
"I hope those scissors can truly affect the Aeon of Nihility."
"Of course they can. Speaking of which, I brought back some local souvenirs from inside the Aeon. Want to see?"
"Souvenirs? From the depths of IX?" Acheron was momentarily confused. Are you sure you're not misspeaking?
"Yeah, I used these scissors to cut off a small piece of Nihility from its depths. I guess you could call it a part of a god's body. I have a few friends who are geniuses, and their thirst for research is insatiable. I figured they might like it," Chen Li said.
"Oh? Then what was the price for cutting off those parts of a god's body?" Acheron pressed. She felt this might serve as a reference for the price she would have to pay when she used [Myriad Phenomena Severance] in the future.
"It gave me self-destructive tendencies. But since I've died so many times for real, it rounds down to having no effect," Chen Li recalled the price.
"Then perhaps our next meeting will also be the time to say goodbye again..."
"Acheron, you just go ahead and cut. Dad will figure out a way. The worst that can happen is death, right? If you die, you just revive," Chen Li said with a shrug.
"That's true. But who is Dad?" The thought of Chen Li's Revival Card eased much of Acheron's sorrow. Although she felt some things were more terrifying than death, like forgetting everything, or being forgotten by everything. Considering she was planning to cut IX, paying such a price seemed understandable.
"Dad is my screen name. Speaking of which, don't you want to come to the future with me? It wouldn't be difficult."
"No need," Acheron shook her head.
"Alright. By the way, take these 500 Friends Circle terminals. If any Bloodsin Wraiths are able to break free of their original behavioral logic and regain their self-awareness after soaking in the Pond of Rebirth, have them watch the ads. Once they've collected a full Revival Card, just submit it for approval. The future me will receive it," Chen Li said, taking out a large sack of terminals.
A normal phone could also click the ad links, but in the hellish weather of the Sea of Death, ordinary electronics would fail in no time. A Friends Circle terminal now cost one Star Stone, and since arriving in this past time period, Chen Li had already earned 2300 Star Stones, and the number was still rising!
At the same time, to prevent them from getting bored watching ads, Chen Li reluctantly added Robin's songs, which Sunday no longer paid advertising fees for, to the ad links. This was to prevent the Bloodsin Wraiths from charging at Phantylia a hundred years from now shouting things like "Gurgle, gurgle..." or "Lady Herta is peerlessly beautiful, Lady Herta is supremely intelligent, Lady Herta is devastatingly gorgeous!"
It would be better to have them sing "Sleepless Night." It could even serve as an advertisement for Robin.
"And now for the final 'gift'."
"There's more?"
"That's right. As punishment for pulling me out of the Aeon of Nihility's mouth when I was enjoying my meal, I've decided to give you a penalty."
"What penalty?"
"Come on, stick out your tongue."
"..."
"Don't look so expressionless. And I'm not some kind of pervert. This is for your own good. Since you want to experience a deeper level of [Nothingness], you first need to [Have] something. I plan to rent your sense of taste for a hundred years and leave [Mom's Tablecloth] behind. The contrast between a vivid sense of taste and a barely-there sense of sight might help you understand Nihility on a deeper level. It might even help you when you sever Nihility in the future," Chen Li said with a perfectly straight face.
As for why he didn't just touch her head to restore all her head's senses like before? Too expensive.
And why rent instead of buy? It wasn't because of the price. The benefit of renting was that it was always new, whereas something bought would fade with the passage of time. If he "bought" it for her, Chen Li felt her sense of taste would probably disappear again before long. It was the same logic as finding a girlfriend. A girlfriend can't be 18 forever, but there will always be girls who are 18...
Besides, the contrast between taste and sight could genuinely help Acheron understand [Nothingness] more deeply.
Upon hearing that it might help her sever Nihility, Acheron's expression was no longer troubled. It became resolute again. Under Chen Li's gaze, she slowly opened her mouth, stuck out her tongue, and closed her eyes. The obsession to sever Nihility had triumphed over her sense of shame, but not completely, which was why she chose to close her eyes.
As Acheron, with her eyes closed, felt a cool sensation flash across her tongue, she also heard Chen Li's voice.
"And this is also to prevent you from forgetting me. After all, you know, your memory isn't the best. I hope you'll think of me every time you taste something delicious. Goodbye. I have 30 seconds left. Is there anything you want to say to me?" Chen Li said, crossing his arms and looking at Acheron, whose cheeks were now tinged with a barely visible blush.
Thirty seconds was the time Chen Li needed to communicate with his client, Robin, and have her pull him to her time period through The Guide to Forging Curios.
"...This is for you." Acheron glanced at Chen Li, then bent down and undid the garter used to secure the boot on her right leg, placing it in his hand.
"Huh?"
[Random Gift from the Patient, an effect of the Chaos Doctor Miracle Card]
So that's what it was. But isn't this random gift a bit strange?
[I think you should be more concerned about something else rather than the random gift.]
What's that?
[I'm not a professional romance guide system, but I have to ask, did you ever consider what would happen by making a Self-Anniliator think of you every time she tastes food? Assuming the space you occupy in her heart remains constant and doesn't grow, a Self-Anniliator will continue to lose more and more of herself. This means the proportion of the space you occupy in her heart will grow larger and larger. So... can you bear the weight of her life?]
Ah, I'm already bearing the weight of her life? I'm still just a student!
[Just like you said to that Shield Warrior back where your dream began... being a bastard won't help you now.]
So what should I do?
[I have a brilliant idea. Why don't you confess to her now, while you don't hold much weight in her heart, and let her reject you early? Problem solved, right?]
Little Sprite, you're a genius!
"Acheron, I like you. I want to confess to you," Chen Li said in the last three seconds before he disappeared.
The confession was neither formal nor were the words carefully chosen. It was utterly casual. Surely, it would...
"I... will seriously consider it. Give me some time to think about it," Acheron said after a moment of hesitation. She didn't accept immediately, but she didn't reject him either.
"???"
In the final moment before he vanished, Chen Li stared at The Guide to Forging Curios as if he couldn't die in peace.
[Ahem, as I said at the beginning, I am not a professional romance guide software. Therefore, my advice is for reference only.]
F* YOU!
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