"Chen Li? What's wrong? Why do you seem so heavy-hearted?"
When Robin saw Chen Li again, she noticed that his state was vastly different from before. As a member of the Path of Harmony, Robin possessed an ability called "Tuning," which allowed her to keenly perceive the emotions of others.
Chen Li's current mood had the profound sorrow of someone who had confessed their feelings only to be decisively rejected.
"Is something on your mind? You can talk to me about it; I'll be a quiet listener. Or... would you like to hear a song?" Robin asked cautiously.
She cared a great deal for this friend who had provided immense motivation for both herself and her brother. After receiving the [Misty Microphone], Robin's voice could travel farther, and with the grand vision Chen Li had painted for him, Sunday was now working even harder. He was about to turn from a Sunday into a workday.
Moreover, the thought that she could nominate her mother for resurrection once she collected enough Revival Card fragments, and that her family could be reunited after her mother won the Revival Games, made Robin hum a little tune. She really did hum. Robin was planning to release a new album titled "Grateful Heart."
She felt she could never repay Chen Li's kindness.
"It's nothing. I just carelessly listened to a scoundrel's bad advice and made a wrong decision, that's all," Chen Li sighed.
He never should have believed that little sprite's nonsense. Then again, if the little sprite could understand the human heart, would the Miracle System have destroyed countless worlds because it couldn't discern human intentions, earning him the title of World Destroyer?
[You can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want. Before I was born, the Miracle System had no humanity at all. I only came into existence within the system a few days before I met you.]
You still have the nerve to show up?
[...I'm going to fix a bug in the Friends Circle. Goodbye.]
"What wrong decision? Is it... related to a girl?" Robin asked, observing Chen Li's expression.
"Is it that obvious? Alright, fine, it is," Chen Li nodded gravely.
He was wondering if he, a mere student, truly had the ability to bear the weight of another person's life. After some careful thought, it seemed he actually could.
Well, that settled that.
After receiving Chen Li's reply, Robin became even more certain that he was feeling depressed after a failed confession. So, who had he confessed to and been rejected by? Kaguya Houraisan? Sirin? Or a member of the Genius Society? Perhaps Lady Herta or Lady Ruan Mei.
Robin fell into thought.
"Mr. Chen Li, if you don't mind, perhaps I could..."
"Speaking of which, Robin, you're not planning to return to Penacony yet?"
"Ah? Oh, I still have two more tour stops. There's still some time before the Charmony Festival, and I want to use this time to spread my voice even further. I've always believed that songs can bring strength, and this Curio has helped me realize that dream." With a gesture, the microphone Curio appeared in Robin's hand.
In the time since Chen Li had forged this Curio, the ever-busy Robin had already completed a tour in another location. The tour was a great success; not only did her singing reawaken people's love for peace, but it also propelled her fame to new heights.
However, as her fame grew and her fanbase expanded, so did the number of haters. It had gotten to the point where Sunday, in addition to his daily routine of harassing Chen Li, would also ask: "Can you forge a Curio that can slap haters through the internet?"
What's that? The person on the other side of the screen is just a hater, not necessarily a bad person?
Sunday: "He's hating on Robin. How can he be a good person!"
"I see... Just keep going, step by step. You can tell me if you run into any problems. You just focus on singing your heart out, and I'll take care of the rest. I'm looking forward to your future achievements," Chen Li said with great sincerity.
In Chen Li's view, although this world had Paths, and the power of Emanators was undeniable, an ordinary celebrity, no matter how famous, couldn't achieve much. But what if that celebrity was also a Pathstrider? Using her voice to resonate with her Path, using her songs to change the world.
The bigger the stage, the broader Robin's future would be. If this positive cycle continued, Robin's future influence might be no less than that of a Genius Society member.
In other words, the bigger the stage, the bigger the Miracle!
"Go for it, Robin!"
It would be even better if she could generate a Miracle Card.
"Ah, o-okay. Thank you for your support." Although Robin had many fans, this was the most moved she had felt, aside from when her brother built her a small stage and acted as her sole audience member.
"Don't mention it, we're friends. Oh, right, I just brought back a little souvenir from IX. Do you want it?"
Although Chen Li suspected Robin might not be interested, it was polite to ask.
"IX? Who? Wait, you mean the Aeon of Nihility?" Robin froze.
As someone raised by the head of the Oak Family, Robin naturally had a basic knowledge of the Aeons, but the impact of Chen Li's words was still a bit overwhelming.
"Yeah."
"What kind of souvenir?"
"A physical manifestation of the friendship between IX and me—Little Black Handsome!" As he spoke, Chen Li took out a black, egg-sized oval object.
This black oval was tightly bound by numerous rings of golden light, but Robin could tell at a single glance that it was something extraordinary. Her gaze was captivated by the century egg before her, and it felt as if her very consciousness was about to be drawn into it.
Chen Li waved his hand in front of her eyes, but she didn't react.
"Robin?" Chen Li called out softly.
"Hmm? What is it?" Robin responded, but her eyes remained fixed on the century egg.
Only when Chen Li put it away did Robin snap back to her senses.
"I just waved my hand in front of you. Did you not see it?" Chen Li asked.
"No," Robin shook her head, looking bewildered.
"I see. It seems this thing is still too dangerous. Even through the Friends Circle, with sight being the only way for the outside world to interact with it, it can even attract one's gaze..." Chen Li mused. Because Robin's sight had been drawn in and distorted by the century egg, she could no longer see anything else, but her hearing was still normal.
"That thing gives me a terrifying feeling," Robin said seriously.
"Of course it does. It's a piece of the Aeon of Nihility, after all, albeit a very small one."
"!!!"
"I'm thinking of giving this to Big Herta, Ruan Mei, or Screwllum as a souvenir. Do you think they'd be interested?"
"Of course not! Don't just casually take out something so dangerous! Speaking of which, I didn't notice before, but what's that in your other hand, Chen Li?" Robin asked curiously.
"A piece of the Aeon of Nihility's body."
"No, I mean in your other hand."
"Oh, this is Acheron's... it's nothing." Realizing he hadn't put away Acheron's garter yet, Chen Li froze for a second before quickly stuffing it into his pocket.
"That looked like a garter, right?" Robin asked, uncertain.
"Uh, yes... You probably won't believe this, but I'm currently working on completing an Entry called [Garter Collector]," Chen Li said, glancing upwards.
[Garter Collector] Entry Extraction in Progress...
Progress: 1/5 (Collecting garters from pure maidens will increase progress)
At first, Chen Li had found it a bit strange. Did Acheron really count as a "maiden"? But then he remembered that "beautiful girl" isn't defined by age, and he felt at ease.
"Well... does this one count?" Robin hesitated for a moment, then turned around, reached for her slightly raised right leg, and removed the strap from around her ankle.
Although Robin didn't understand what use the [Garter Collector] Entry had, she wanted to help if she could.
After Robin placed her ankle strap in his hand, Chen Li saw the progress bar for the Entry above his head increase by one.
"It counts. Uh, thanks," Chen Li said, scratching his head.
Honestly, he had no intention of extracting this Entry, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse Robin's proactive gift. Besides, if he refused, he wouldn't be able to explain the origin of Acheron's garter.
"Speaking of which, I think my brother has a garter too..." Robin said, tapping her chin with her index finger.
"That really won't be necessary. This Entry requires garters from pure maidens," Chen Li quickly interjected.
If Chen Li collected garters from young women, he might at worst be called a pervert if misunderstood. But if he started asking for men's garters too, that would be beyond abnormal.
"I see. Well, I'll ask for you in the Curio group chat."
"Hey, wait, you don't have to go to all that trouble..."
"It would be embarrassing for you, right? I know. Chen Li, you've always felt that friends shouldn't be so calculating, so you never keep track of gains and losses between us, but we've all benefited from your Curios. You even gave everyone the priceless ad link for the Revival Games for free, and you only set up ad space rentals to divert our attention so we wouldn't feel guilty about the value of the Revival Card itself. But since this involves an Entry, I feel we have an obligation to help you complete it," Robin said, giving Chen Li a very friendly smile.
"But..."
I never thought that far ahead!
"And I'll tell everyone to transfer the items to you via private message, and I'll suggest we don't discuss this topic in the group chat, to prevent some members from feeling obligated to give you one just because others did. This way, we can complete the Entry progress without morally pressuring anyone. You can rest assured now, right?" Robin blinked playfully.
"Alright," Chen Li conceded. It was too late; Robin had already sent the message.
She really was too kind, too thoughtful. Much better than her brother. Chen Li suspected Sunday's mind was now completely occupied with harassing him at a fixed time every morning!
Still, garters are such a niche accessory. There can't be that many people who own one, right?
---o---