"To be able to stand here today, I must first thank Chen Li for giving me this opportunity. At the same time, I cannot ignore the help and support everyone has given me…"
"Do you think this is an awards ceremony? Yakumo Yukari, are you going to pull or not?" Kaguya Houraisan complained.
"Emmm… I suddenly feel that going all-in with 500 Star Stones at once seems just a little bit extravagant." As Yakumo Yukari stared at the 500 Star Stones laid out before her, the courage she had to go all-in was gradually weakening with each passing moment.
It was like a high-stakes loot-run game. If you found a 3x3 "big red" item and happened to have a 3x3 secure container, you would instantly transform into a fearless warrior.
But if you didn't have a 3x3 secure container… that 3x3 "big red" would become a courage-evaporator.
Of course, that wasn't the worst-case scenario. The worst was when your 3x3 trial container expired, you forgot to switch it, leaving you with no secure slots at all, and then you found a Heart of Africa.
At that point… you'd probably just want to die, wouldn't you?
"Tch, if it were me, if I had 500 Star Stones, I'd go all-in immediately. See if I could pull a god-tier or even higher super-prize," Kaguya said disdainfully.
"I remember Yakumo Yukari saying the same thing to me," Najenda nodded.
"But the problem is, I really have 500 Star Stones right now…" Yakumo Yukari opened her mouth and feebly uttered the words.
If Yukari had 100,000 Star Stones, she would definitely give them to Chen Li to repay him for the Revival Card and for bringing her to endless worlds to seek endless possibilities.
But if Yukari had 500 Star Stones, she would definitely keep them for herself.
Because Yukari really did have 500 Star Stones.
"Small fry! Small fry Yakumo Yukari!"
"If you're so tough, you do it. I'll lend you these 500 Star Stones. Go on, go all-in if you have the guts," Yakumo Yukari said, anger flaring in her heart.
"Really? Then I won't be polite." Kaguya wiped the drool from her mouth and pounced towards the 500 Star Stones.
"Forget it. I don't think you'll ever earn 500 Star Stones in your life." However, just a moment before Kaguya could grab the stones, Yakumo Yukari instantly regretted her offer.
"Tch, stingy." Kaguya hadn't expected Yukari to see through her true nature.
"Forget it, all-in!" Yakumo Yukari made up her mind.
As the Sage of Youkai, Yukari was naturally a person of resilient will.
But these were Star Stones she had earned through days of hard work; naturally, she had to be a bit more cautious.
Yukari steeled her heart, grit her teeth, and crushed the 500 Star Stones one by one.
A super-cool black hole, surrounded by wondrous runes, suddenly opened, waiting for Yakumo Yukari to reach her hand in and claim her boon.
"Wow, her Starry Sea Treasure looks different from mine. When I do pulls, it's just a black hole, not this cool."
"Maybe this is the special treatment for whales."
"It's coming out, it's coming out! It looks like Yukari has grabbed something!"
"Such a dazzling light!"
"Whoa, a Golden Legendary!"
"What is it? What is it?"
Yakumo Yukari pulled the item she had grasped from the Starry Sea Treasure and held it up to the sunlight.
As the sun hit the item, a sacred light shone in all directions. Its quality looked exceptionally high.
When an item was first pulled from the Starry Sea Treasure, its effects and attributes were briefly displayed.
Yukari unhesitatingly chose to share the attributes with everyone, her goal naturally being to show off big time to the people around her!
Come on, this is a super-expensive item worth 500 Star Stones!
You all might never even have the chance to touch something like this in your entire lives!
Envy me!
"This! This is! A Resurrection Cross. The effect is… uh, resurrection?"
"…" After seeing the effect of this wondrous item, everyone nearby fell silent.
"It's a good item, right?"
"It's definitely a good item. After all, it can resurrect."
"I'm so envious of Yakumo Yukari."
"Indeed, indeed."
"This might be a miracle that even gods yearn for. It's too amazing. As expected of an item worth 500 Star Stones!"
Standing under the scorching sun, Yakumo Yukari felt a chill in her heart colder than any she had ever known.
From a rational perspective, the Resurrection Cross was absolutely a grand prize among grand prizes.
Resurrection—what a captivating miracle. A miracle that tugged at the heartstrings of so many.
From the common folk to the supreme gods, everyone desired such a chance to start over.
The "value" of resurrection was never fixed. How much it was worth depended on how much money you had.
"This is a good item, right?" Yakumo Yukari asked slowly.
"Mhm, mhm."
"That's right."
"Indeed." Even Kaguya Houraisan, who was usually at odds with Yukari, didn't voice any opposition at this moment.
She was afraid of provoking her.
"Do you guys want it?"
"Of course."
"Fair enough."
"Definitely."
"Then how about I sell this resurrection item to you at half price?" Yakumo Yukari offered again.
"But then again…"
"You should keep such a good item for yourself."
"Let's disperse, everyone."
The crowd of group members surrounding Yukari instantly scattered.
"Don't go! 90% off! 90% off works too!" Yakumo Yukari cried, tearless.
"Not as good as a Revival Card, I feel."
"Shh, don't be so blunt. Can't you see Yukari is about to cry?"
"What sucker would spend 50 Star Stones on this piece of junk?"
"True."
"Speaking of which, I never realized how good the perks in this group were before… This is basically a 500 Star Stone Revival Card, free with a click."
"Not really. One Revival Card isn't worth 500 Star Stones, but a Revival Card link is worth far more than that."
Theoretically, the Resurrection Cross was absolutely a good item, but that was only on the premise that something like the Revival Card link wasn't as common as cabbage in the group chat.
The Resurrection Cross's ability to revive any target was certainly powerful, but the Revival Card was free.
Although you weren't guaranteed to win the Revival Games, the Revival Card was free.
Although the Revival Card link required watching 25 hours of ads, the Revival Card was free.
Yakumo Yukari silently turned her head, locking her sights on the "main culprit."
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that? You're not going to say something ridiculous like asking me to retract all the Revival Card links, are you?" Chen Li said, scratching his head.
"I remember you recycle trash… Do you take this?" Yakumo Yukari asked, holding up the Resurrection Cross.
"Uh, I'll have to see what entries are on it." Chen Li carefully touched the cross.
He was being so careful because he was afraid of being scammed by her.
What if Yukari just tossed the cross onto him, claimed it was now bound to him, and demanded 500 Star Stones in compensation?
He still had 100,000 lives he hadn't used yet.
[Resurrection], [Holy], [Immunity], [Echo], [Rule]
"This item is quite good. I can offer 100 Star Stones for it," Chen Li said, playing with the cross.
What he valued most were actually the [Rule] and [Echo] entries.
[Resurrection]?
The Revival Card wasn't common as cabbage yet, but it was getting there.
One resurrection-type Curio was enough for the group chat.
"Alright, no need to be so down. In fact, your luck is very good. The brightness of the entries on this Resurrection Cross is very high," Chen Li said, comforting her.
"You don't have to comfort me."
"Uh… how should I put this? Although the Starry Sea Treasure can give good items, it's actually an auxiliary function for Curio forging. That is to say, the item's value isn't important; the entry's brightness is. Your luck is really good."
Yukari told him not to comfort her, but he couldn't actually not comfort her.
When a woman says no, she means yes.
"…Say no more. 100 Star Stones. I'll sell it," Yakumo Yukari said straightforwardly.
Although she could use this Resurrection Cross to trick some country bumpkins, like the Dragon God, who might offer a higher price, the Dragon God's things were useless to her. It would be better to exchange it for Star Stones and try her luck again.
Of course, if Chen Li's offer was too low, she could always keep it as a souvenir.
"A ten-pull is a form of wisdom!" Once the transaction was complete, Yukari held the hundred Star Stones and crushed them all at once. This time, she had learned her lesson. You can't put all your eggs in one basket, so she chose a 10-pull.
However, as she looked at the ten miscellaneous items before her, she fell into deep thought again.
"Buying?" Yukari turned her head to look at Chen Li again.
"Buying. 300 Star Stones, I'll take them all," Chen Li said.
"Hmm? 300? Which item is so expensive?" Yukari was confused.
"These nine items together are only worth 50 Star Stones. But this one alone is worth 50, and the remaining 200 is hush money," Chen Li said, picking up a single bean and showing it to Yukari.
Chen Li could eat anything, so as long as it wasn't too strange, he could use it as a snack.
Therefore, he basically bought everything.
"This is… a Senzu Bean? A single bean can keep you from getting hungry for 10 days, and as long as you're not dead, it can instantly restore your stamina and energy from extreme fatigue? But there's only one."
"Don't worry about that. From now on, just pretend you never pulled this Senzu Bean. Pretend you've never even seen it. So, I'll give you 200 Star Stones as hush money. Deal?"
"Deal!" Yakumo Yukari agreed without a second thought.
She knew that Chen Li was only offering hush money because there was profit to be made, but she also knew that one cannot earn money beyond the scope of one's own knowledge.
"The internet says Senzu Beans have extremely high cultivation costs and production time, with only a few growing each year. I don't believe it." Chen Li tossed the bean in his hand and chose to call upon the wish-granting turtle in his pond.
[Chen Li]: Haruhi, before you come to the Xianzhou, help me plant something.
[Haruhi Suzumiya]: Why ask me?
[Chen Li]: 20 Star Stones.
[Haruhi Suzumiya]: Alright, what am I planting?
[Chen Li]: This thing is called a Senzu Bean. Just plant it.
[Haruhi Suzumiya]: Never heard of it.
[Chen Li]: It's very simple. Dig a hole, bury some soil, count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and hundreds of Senzu Beans will instantly grow. When you come to the Xianzhou, remember to bring them for me.
[Haruhi Suzumiya]: No problem.
"I should think of a reason to give Haruhi some more Star Stones later."
Chen Li wasn't stingy. He was just afraid of giving too much and making her suspicious.
"They all say Senzu Beans are hard to cultivate. I think the difficulty is just average." Chen Li looked at the large jar of Senzu Beans in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
In the Curio group chat, resurrection-type Curios weren't rare, because he distributed them to the group members as a free perk.
After all, friends had to be "alive" to provide him with "friendship and bonds."
But he hadn't forged any instant-healing Curios, nor did he plan to.
[Were you the one who cultivated them? And you're proud of it.]
"Don't you worry about that."
[You've really started treating Haruhi Suzumiya as a wish-granting turtle in a pond, haven't you?]
"Although there are other ways to cultivate them, isn't it just more convenient to ask Haruhi? It's not like I didn't pay her."
---o---
"How about it? I did a good job planting them, right?" Haruhi Suzumiya stood before Chen Li, chest puffed out with pride.
"Although this was a simple job, it is in the simple tasks that one can see the bigger picture. As expected of the strongest Brigade Leader I have my eye on, possessing both meticulousness and patience, wisdom and beauty," Chen Li did not hold back his praise.
"Well, of course…"
"Oh, right, this is Strale, the currency of the Xianzhou. Have fun on the Xianzhou." Chen Li handed a large bag of Strale he had just extorted from Dan Shu to Haruhi.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. We're buddies, aren't we? Oh, right, do me a favor and ask for leave for 'Chen Li' at the Divination Commission. This is your reward," Chen Li said, taking out another 50 Star Stones.
Since the wish-granting turtle in his pond had granted his wish, he should offer some kind of repayment.
No, it should be called fulfilling a vow.
"But aren't you Chen Li? Why are you calling yourself Chen Li?"
"Double agent. If you know, you know. If you don't, just ask Qingque. See ya."
"Oh… see you." Although she didn't understand anything, Haruhi still took her reward and set off with her underlings.
Watching Haruhi's retreating figure, Chen Li tossed the Elation Die.
To prevent Haruhi from causing trouble on the Xianzhou, he felt it was necessary to roll the die.
[1]
"…"
Honestly, Chen Li was already used to this number. He very straightforwardly spent all his Elation points to turn it into an [11].
"Whatever, I'll just count it as grinding uses for the Elation Die. And I can farm an Entry too."
[Grand Failure] Entry extraction in progress…
Besides, for a Curio to be strengthened, it should be used more often, used to create more miracles.
---o---
After sending Haruhi off, Chen Li returned to the world of Akame ga Kill!.
Unlike the scenery he had seen before, the Imperial Capital was now decorated with lanterns and colored banners.
In the 10 days of the Civilization Fast-Forward, Najenda had used the Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin to smoothly transition the Empire's power.
With Esdeath's defeat, the final outcome was decided.
Witnessed by the people of the capital, the Revolutionary Army, and the followers of the Path of Peace, as the little Emperor ascended the Supreme Throne, which had been reassembled by Vill-V, and removed the scepter, crown, and ring symbolizing his power, it signified that the Empire would welcome a new beginning.
Najenda had even specially spent 50 Star Stones to invite Robin, who had just finished a concert, to use the microphone Curio. After adjusting its range to cover the entire Empire, she performed a song.
This was not some meaningless vanity project. The combination of the microphone Curio and Robin's voice possessed a miraculous power.
Different songs could bring different strengths to the people of the new Empire—awakening their confidence in their country, inspiring them to build a better nation, and making them believe that the Empire had truly ushered in a new beginning.
And the song Najenda chose was… uh…
"Damn it! Good Luck Comes is still chasing me. What kind of taste does Najenda have?" Chen Li complained, covering his ears.
"I think this song is quite nice," an outsider said, unable to understand Chen Li's feelings about the song.
"Appropriate is one thing, nice-sounding is another, but this is just really weird." Chen Li really couldn't hold it together listening to Robin sing Good Luck Comes.
Robin singing Good Luck Comes? What kind of weird dream am I having?
It really had been hard on Robin.
Both for challenging a song she had never sung before and for running a second show right after her concert.
So, Chen Li specially gave Robin two Senzu Beans to help her recover her stamina.
Accompanied by Robin's melodious voice, the Miracle Card Chen Li had been longing for appeared before him like a radiant sun.
[To Be or Not to Be] (Miracle Card): A group of world-destroying mad demons happens to facilitate the rebirth of an Empire. Is this not also a kind of miracle? Effect 1: Can switch between "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons" and "Prosperous and Peaceful Age" states at any time. The former makes you more favored by "abnormalities," while the latter makes it easier for "positive" companions to gather around you. Effect 2: Can be used to forge a Curio.
"No, seriously, what do you mean by that? What do you mean 'happens to'? Haven't I been working towards this direction the whole time? And I won't allow you to insult my companions like that!"
Chen Li had reason to suspect that this Miracle Card was alluding to his "friendship and bonds," but he had no proof.
How were Vill-V, Mobius, Ruan Mei, and Yakumo Yukari like world-destroying mad demons? They just dismantled the Supreme Throne, adjusted the life model of Danger Beasts, captured an Ultra-Class Danger Beast…
Okay, the "world-destroying mad demon" persona was well-deserved!
The effect of this Miracle Card was vastly different from what Chen Li had originally expected. It now seemed that compared to the merit of saving an empire, the act of bringing otherworldly heavenly demons to save the empire was more worthy of being recorded.
Empires are everywhere, but otherworldly heavenly demons are not!
"Having you all is truly a blessing," Chen Li suddenly said, turning to Vill-V beside him.
"Ah? Eh? Uh… thank you for the compliment?" Vill-V was somewhat at a loss.
Why did he suddenly say that?
He's being too polite.
To be or not to be, that was indeed a question.
Chen Li swiped the face of the Miracle Card in his hand.
The card had two faces: one of an endless parade of ghostly figures, the other of a rising sun in the east.
In the end, the Miracle Card settled on the [Night Parade of a Hundred Demons] face.
Chen Li felt this state suited him better.
Because he could lure out "abnormalities" and "destruction" to kill them.
Entrapment—Chen Li was very familiar with it.
It was just that this time, the bait he was casting had changed from something he threw out to himself. Not much of a difference.
Chen Li had said long ago that Miracle Cards had synergistic effects.
For example, [To Be or Not to Be] and [Once Slew a Million Demons with a Single Arrow] & [The Cleaner].
[The abnormalities treat you like a brother, and you treat them like merit points?]
[That's too despicable, Chen Li!]
"Shut up. Why do you think I'm called a mad demon? Isn't it because of that World Destroyer title?" Chen Li said resentfully.
Speaking of world-destroying mad demons, Chen Li, who possessed the World Destroyer title but had never activated it, was more deserving of the name.
[Uh, I suddenly remembered I haven't finished fixing the bugs in the Friends Circle. See ya!]
---o---
The Empire had been reborn amidst the song. The people's passion and hope had been successfully awakened, and now, it was obviously time to divide the spoils.
"One for me, one for you. One for me, one for you." As soon as Chen Li arrived at the Minister's mansion, he saw Kaguya Houraisan distributing rewards to everyone.
Yakumo Yukari had given all the wealth obtained from the corrupt officials to Najenda for rebuilding the new Empire, but there was still a lot of wealth in the Minister's treasury.
At Najenda's suggestion, the Minister's wealth was divided 30/70: thirty percent for Chen Li, and the remaining seventy percent for the group members.
However, since the group members weren't very keen on wealth, at Najenda's other suggestion, they decided to use this wealth to purchase local goods.
For example, hunting or capturing Danger Beasts, collecting strange materials, and so on.
Because Najenda felt that the group members, especially Chen Li and Yakumo Yukari, had been of great help to the Empire, they should receive some benefit. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to ask for help the next time the Empire was in trouble.
The group members could refuse, but she had to offer.
And by using the Minister's wealth to stimulate the Empire's consumption, they could also achieve another form of work-based relief.
Chen Li agreed and decided to use his entire thirty percent share to "buy" Teigu.
He wasn't actually interested in the Teigu themselves, only in the entries on them. But extracting the entries would destroy the Teigu, so he had to buy the whole thing.
---o---
"Hey, Big Herta, are you still going to ask the Aeon of Erudition questions today?" Chen Li asked.
"I'll ask this afternoon. You go play by yourself for a while. I'm super interested in this other world right now," Big Herta said enthusiastically.
The world of Akame ga Kill! didn't really have anything of value in Herta's eyes, but another world itself was a very important research topic.
"It used to be the Aeon of Erudition standing you up, now it's you standing up the Aeon of Erudition… Alright, then I'll go chat with Jing Yuan-yuan."
Chen Li felt it was time for him to negotiate with Jing Yuan.
Although he was certain the Xianzhou couldn't refuse [Mengyin Shen], Jing Yuan was ultimately not the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance and couldn't make such a big decision on his own.
After he finished talking with Jing Yuan, Jing Yuan would still have to talk with the Marshal. So, he needed to give Jing Yuan some extra time.
Besides, his teacher Jingliu's Mara-Struck condition really couldn't be delayed any longer.
It was a rare chance to revisit her old home on the Xianzhou, but being unable to enjoy it because she couldn't look at old sights was just too tragic.
So, Chen Li decided to help someone in need!
Eh? You ask who the one in need of "joy" is?
That's not important.
"Speaking of which, I wonder if Jing Yuan was pleasantly surprised by the surprise Baiheng and Jingliu prepared for him yesterday?"
---o---
"I don't know if Jing Yuan was pleased, but he was definitely surprised," Jingliu said.
She and Baiheng were currently staying in the house assigned to Chen Li by the Divination Commission.
"How surprised?"
"As surprised as one can be."
"But it's a pity Little Jing Yuan couldn't stay with us for long. We had only chatted for a few sentences before the new Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan, received his last will and testament, panicked, and started searching for him everywhere, causing the entire General's residence to descend into chaos. Little Jing Yuan had no choice but to go back and explain to everyone… that it was all the work of a Masked Fool! Now the entire Xianzhou has a warrant out for the Masked Fool who hung a pink sun in the sky, forged the Luofu General's last will, and caused chaos in the General's residence," Baiheng explained with a shrug.
After hearing Jing Yuan's excuse, Chen Li couldn't quite hold it together.
Who on earth had corrupted Jing Yuan, making him blame everything on the Masked Fools at the drop of a hat?
"Forget about all that. Teacher, I've finally forged the Curio to treat the Mara-Struck. Why don't you… give it a try?"
"Oh? You've finally made it? Have you tested it? How are the effects?"
"The effects are absolutely fine!" Chen Li said, taking out [Mengyin Shen].
"It's a… very suitable Curio for you." As he said this, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Hmm? Why are you smiling?" With Baiheng by her side, Jingliu, who could remain calm even with her blindfold off, felt that something was a bit off about the smile on Chen Li's face.
"I'm happy that you can finally be free from the Mara-Struck. A teacher imparts knowledge, resolves doubts, and teaches the way. You have fulfilled your duty as a teacher, Jingliu. The thought of you being free from the torment of the Mara-Struck and finally able to let yourself go fills my heart with joy for you."
"Mm." Seeing Chen Li's eager expression, Jingliu's gaze softened.
Although his choice of words wasn't very precise, Jingliu could feel his sincerity!
She felt that meeting Chen Li, this Curio Forger, was the luckiest thing to happen to her in the latter half of her life.
It was because of him that she was able to obtain the Curio to summon Baiheng as a Heroic Spirit, fulfilling a long-held wish. And now, he had created a Curio to solve the Mara-Struck and was so eager to use it on her…
It truly made Jingliu feel unworthy.
She didn't know how she could possibly repay him.
Beside them, Baiheng looked at Chen Li and Jingliu staring at each other and felt that something was a bit off.
She remembered from her conversations with Jingliu that Chen Li had only learned the Cloud Knight sword arts from her. It shouldn't have led to such a deep master-disciple bond, right?
Besides, the look in Chen Li's eyes as he looked at Jingliu was exactly like the look she used to get when she had a great idea and wanted to try it out on her good friends.
And Baiheng was famous as the idea queen among the High-Cloud Quintet.
"Come. I am ready." Jingliu looked at the pink, heart-shaped pendant in Chen Li's hand and nodded lightly.
"Then… I won't be polite." Chen Li's fingers caressed the surface of [Mengyin Shen].
Thinking about what was about to happen, Chen Li was happy for Jingliu—she could finally be free from the Mara-Struck that had entangled her for over 700 years.
[Although I'm not a professional walkthrough system, I think…]
You know what I want to say.
[You got it.]
The little sprite very tactfully shut its mouth.
Just watch this show. You'll be speechless. I'm telling you, you'll get stabbed for playing with a girl's feelings like this.
What? He's already been stabbed by Jingliu 998 times? Oh, never mind then.
"Teacher, remember, no matter what happens next, I am doing this for your own good!" Chen Li said, placing a hand on Jingliu's shoulder with a serious expression.
"Alright… hmm?" Jingliu paused.
Why did that sentence sound so familiar?
She felt that when she was teaching him the Cloud Knight sword arts, she might have said the same thing.
Thinking of this, Jingliu suddenly felt that her life-and-death combat training for him in that knight training space had been a bit too harsh.
She should find a way to compensate him later.
---o---