---o---
"If I was just having a candlelight dinner with the Aeon of Voracity, and Aha was watching the whole time from the side, does that count as a third party intruding? Also, between me and the Aeon of Voracity, who was the candle and who was the dinner? Or perhaps, candlelight is light, and a gaze is also light, so was Aha the candle?" After learning about Fu Xuan's latest divination results from Qingque, Chen Li couldn't help but ask.
"…" Herta fell into deep thought.
Seeing that Herta was hard-controlled, Chen Li tiptoed, preparing to make a run for it.
This [Great Wit, Dim Wit] Miracle Card was so useful! It was practically a Great Dimwit Spell!
Swish! A sword aura carrying a biting chill instantly streaked through the air toward Chen Li.
Two streams of sword energy rushed forward, and the gale they stirred up nearly blew Herta's hat off her head. The frigid killing intent also snapped Herta out of her reverie in an instant.
"…" Chen Li, sweating coldly, easily dodged the attack and looked into the distance.
A tall, aloof beauty was standing there. Her snow-white hair was like a frozen galaxy, half-tied with an ice-silk ribbon, cascading down like moonlight. Her form-fitting yet elegant attire was constructed from shades of azure and smoky blue, and her over-the-knee boots made her legs look even longer…
Admiring a beautiful girl usually brought joy, but Chen Li wasn't feeling happy at all right now.
"Five hours. Do you have any idea how I've spent these past five hours?" Jingliu had long since removed the black blindfold from her eyes. Her crimson pupils were locked onto Chen Li, piercing straight into his soul.
Her pleasant voice brought not a shred of comfort, only a bellyful of killing intent.
"Uh, Teacher, let me explain."
"When you do something wrong, you must accept the punishment. Since you decided to play with me, you must have prepared to pay the corresponding price, right?" Jingliu chuckled, but her smile was dangerous and deadly.
"I think I can still be saved…"
[While I'm not a professional dating sim system, I believe confessing to a girl can solve any problem. If she likes you, she won't hit you after you confess. If she doesn't like you, she'll feel awkward after you confess, so she still won't hit you.]
Are you sure about that?
[Guaranteed!]
"Teacher, I like you," Chen Li blurted out.
"???"
"???"
Baiheng, who was following behind Jingliu, and Herta, who was standing next to Chen Li, were both stunned by his words.
Jingliu's expression also froze for a moment.
"You'd better not be saying that just to escape punishment." After a long moment, Jingliu's chest heaved slightly.
"…" Chen Li froze.
Was it that obvious?
Behind Jingliu, Baiheng scratched her head awkwardly.
Sorry, bro. I already blocked that path for you 700 years ago.
Noticing Chen Li's hesitation, Jingliu's smile grew even brighter.
She was laughing out of pure anger.
[As I said, I'm not a professional dating sim system. So this might be a third scenario: she gets even angrier after seeing through your trick.]
Goddammit!
I'll be a dog if I ever trust your advice again!
"I'm not lying, really! I super like Jingliu," Chen Li quickly tried to recover.
"Hm?" This time, Jingliu was surprised to find that Chen Li's expression didn't seem fake. His words were filled with sincerity.
"You rebellious disciple!" Of course, Jingliu wouldn't get happy that quickly. After all, Chen Li's declaration defied all logic.
However, the tip of her longsword, which had been pointed directly at Chen Li, gradually lowered.
"Right, Teacher, I made a promise to the you from back then. Once your Mara-Struck condition was cured, I would return a piece of your memory. Now is the time. The answer you seek is within." Chen Li took out a ball of light.
This contained everything Jingliu had seen and heard after Chen Li had summoned her in his home world, including the game Honkai: Star Rail. At the time, Jingliu had asked Chen Li to hold onto it, fearing the experiences might worsen her condition. Now, it was time to return it.
And once she saw it, Jingliu would also understand why Chen Li "liked" her.
Aside from the fact that Jingliu was a tall, cool, and mature beauty… Queen Jingliu's in-game power was completely off the charts! Her voice was pleasant, her art was beautiful, her model was lickable—who wouldn't love a character if her power was just a little bit higher?
That's just how players are. If you ask, we love everyone. Every single one is a waifu.
Although in today's power-crept meta, Queen Jingliu had been benched, people still fondly remembered her former glory! Back in the day, his Jingliu could enter her Transmigration state and cleave her way from the first half of Memory of Chaos 12 to the second half without batting an eye.
It was a shame you couldn't split one character into two.
Jingliu walked up to Chen Li, shot him a glare, took the ball of light, and placed it against her forehead to begin reading the memories.
"Well, I'll be off then." Seeing that Jingliu was hard-controlled, Chen Li tiptoed, preparing to leave again.
"Hold on. Eat the cake I made first," Herta said, grabbing Chen Li.
"…Can't you tell I don't want to eat your cake? Otherwise, I wouldn't have hard-controlled you just now," Chen Li said, rolling his eyes at this genius who couldn't read the room.
"I can tell. So what? I made this cake especially for you!" Herta did not let him go.
"Let me ask you…"
"You're not allowed to ask!"
"I insist on asking!"
"Ask again and I'll throw you in a room with a Sirin who's been starved for a month."
"???"
"In short, eat it!" Herta shoved the cake she had worked so hard to make in front of Chen Li.
"This cake's flavor… is really something else. What a waste of the excellent recipe Nous gave you. Herta, you should just give up on cooking," Chen Li sighed, looking at the somewhat burnt cake.
"No matter how bad my cake tastes, can it be worse than the Aeon of Voracity? You dared to eat It, but you won't eat my cake. Are you disrespecting me?" Herta, dressed in battle-damaged attire, looked at Chen Li indignantly.
There was some cream smeared on her face, her black stockings were torn in several places, and her clothes were slightly scorched… If Herta hadn't told him she was baking, Chen Li would have suspected she had gone off to fight a Holy Grail War behind his back.
"I can eat the cake, but can you tell me why you look like this?" Chen Li was puzzled.
"…It's a long story."
"Then make it short."
Chen Li felt like he had heard this line before.
"It's all Little Herta's fault! I asked her to help me make the cake, intending to use the convenience of her Machine Spirit. But she kept coming up with these wild ideas during the process. And when the kitchen utensils exploded, she actually pushed me in front and hid behind me!" Just thinking about it made Herta laugh with anger.
"Ermm… so where's Little Herta now?"
"I have her hanging upside down in the kitchen."
"As is only right," Chen Li nodded.
But speaking of which, for Little Herta's actions to be considered overly whimsical even by Big Herta's standards, Chen Li couldn't even begin to imagine how many shenanigans she had pulled during the baking process. This only added to his fear of the cake before him.
"Forget it. As long as I don't know what's in it, I can eat it." Chen Li steeled himself and swallowed the cake in one bite.
"Your mouth… is quite big."
"It's not that my mouth got bigger, but the food got smaller. I gained a little trait related to the Aeon of Voracity from my eating contest with It," Chen Li said via ventriloquism while still chewing the cake.
This was another new skill he had learned. He could eat and talk at the same time.
During his thirty-minute eating contest with Ouroboros, Chen Li had held the upper hand… because for Ouroboros, eating Chen Li was like biting into an uncrackable macadamia nut, thanks to his [Friends Circle]. But for Chen Li, eating Ouroboros was like munching on an endless supply of delicious fried pork cutlets.
Of course, the price was that nearly all of his friends were wiped out.
Unfortunately, his dinner with the Aeon of Voracity only lasted thirty minutes, which wasn't nearly enough to eat his fill. As for seeking out Ouroboros for an offline rematch… he'd pass. It wasn't because he couldn't find the Aeon, who had long been missing in the Star Rail universe, but because the Aeon of Nihility offered better value.
If he really wanted to find Ouroboros, he'd just have to poke himself with the Longbow of Peace. Because, perhaps Chen Li was the person with the closest relationship to the Aeon of Voracity currently known. After all, they had a dating relationship where they ate "dinner" together!
"How was it?" Herta asked expectantly after Chen Li finished.
"Anything you make is delicious," Chen Li said affectionately to Herta.
"Even if you say that, it won't make me happy. I want an honest evaluation," Herta rolled her eyes.
"Then you've come to the wrong person."
Because to Chen Li, everything he ate tasted delicious. Besides, he had learned a valuable lesson from his interactions with Jingliu: girls love to hear nice things. Praising them first was never wrong.
"Just give me your review. I won't get angry."
"Really?"
…
"A woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea! You said you wouldn't get angry, but when I actually told you the truth, you got upset." Chen Li pointed a finger at Herta, who was contemplating some problem.
All food was delicious in Chen Li's mouth, but the texture was still different. Especially when he chewed on something slightly hard and his physical stats instantly shot up, he suspected that Herta or Little Herta had left a Curio in the cake while using Curio materials to bake it.
Herta was not suited for cooking, that was for sure. Whoever married Herta in the future would have to cook every day and forbid her from coming within ten meters of the kitchen.
[You could give it a try. Since you can eat anything, anyway.]
"…"
[And you can hard-control Herta at any time. If you two ever get into an argument, you can just ask her a question, and she'll fall into deep thought. Where else are you going to find a wife like that?]
"…"
The little spirit had a point, but not a very strong one.
"I think your critique was a bit too harsh, Chen Li. You found ten problems with the frosting alone. It's normal for Herta to have an issue with that," Baiheng said.
"Is that so? But in the end, I ate Herta's food with a grateful heart, didn't I?"
"That's true."
"Anyway, I'll leave these two contemplative maidens in your care for now." Chen Li glanced at Jingliu, who was reading her memories, and Herta, who was pondering a problem. Both were in a soft-controlled state, but they could break free at any time, so there was no need to worry about their safety.
"What are you going to do?"
"Use the original [Key of Fateful Invitation]." As he spoke, Chen Li inserted the key into the door he had just used. With a light turn, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"???" Baiheng peeked inside the door and felt herself being shaken to the core once again.
She still couldn't recognize the figure before her, but she knew it had to be another Aeon… because she felt as if she was looking at the entire universe. Baiheng felt like she had used up the quota of being glanced at by Aeons for three lifetimes all in one day.
One lifetime for Baiheng, one for Bailu, and one for the new Baiheng. Exactly three lifetimes!
Wait, that might not be the right way to think about it. It's not that an Aeon glanced at me, but that I glanced at an Aeon.
"Long time no see, HooH. Don't say we just met yesterday, or that we see each other every day. Anyway… come here, give me a hug. And let me take another bite, just a small one." Baiheng only heard Chen Li's greeting before the door was shut.
---o---
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Herta, deep in thought, found the sound irritating.
"Wait, I've been hit again. Damn these moronic questions!" But when Herta came to her senses, her first reaction was to sigh. She had never been happy about joining the Genius Society. She lamented why she had to be so brilliant, so unparalleled in the world. Otherwise, why would she fall for it so easily?
Herta had never felt happy about being a genius. Especially not after Chen Li obtained that moronic Miracle Card.
To think that I, Herta, a member of the Genius Society, one of the 100 most intelligent people in the entire universe… solved the Lone Wave Algorithm in my youth… I forgot the beginning, and I forgot the end, but in short, this is simply unbearable!
For the first time, Herta experienced the frustration of being too smart.
Normally, when faced with such a dilemma, Herta would strive to improve and create a Curio with her own abilities, just like how she had invented the Felix Felicis to verify that luck could be changed.
But this Miracle Card defied logic. Herta even suspected that if Nous or any other Aeon were asked a moronic question by Chen Li, they might be hard-controlled for the rest of their lives. Becoming an Aeon didn't necessarily mean high intelligence, but after becoming an Aeon, one would definitely know a lot more. Understanding a Path was also a form of knowing.
After meeting Chen Li, whenever Herta encountered an incomprehensible problem, she would ask if he could forge a corresponding Curio. A gentleman makes good use of tools. Herta wasn't so foolish as to not know when to use Chen Li.
But the Miracle Card belonged to Chen Li… so never mind.
"No, I can't get addicted to Chen Li's Curios anymore. I have to pull myself together! Herta! Try to analyze the Curios he forges!" Herta firmly believed that anything could be analyzed. The same applied to Curios and Miracle Cards. Since Miracle Power was a collectible force, the tools forged with this force could naturally be analyzed.
Entries were formed by elevating Source Text through Miracle Power. So, could using the power of the Imaginary Tree to imbue Source Text with energy construct an alternative form of Entry?
"Hm, the hammering has stopped? That should be the sound of Chen Li forging a Curio… which means he's made another one. Forget it, just one look. I'll just take a peek and then go back to studying Entries!" Herta made up her mind.
It wasn't her fault. Curiosity was a necessity for a genius. And Herta's greatest hobbies in life were deciphering mysteries and collecting Curios.
Sometimes, Herta even wondered, how could she "collect" Chen Li?
---o---
"This Curio is so much fun." Herta looked at the glove on her hand, utterly delighted.
"…Stop playing with it. I haven't even used it yet. Can I have it back?" Chen Li sighed.
He had just finished forging a Curio and was about to test it when Herta arrived. She had claimed she just wanted to see its effect, but after seeing it, she became interested and said she wanted to try it on. After putting it on, she "pushed her luck" and wanted to use it to test its effect. And after testing it, she couldn't put it down, playing with it for half an hour without giving it back to Chen Li.
Seriously, bro?
Didn't you say you were just going to look at the Curio and then go back to your little den to study how to make a good cake?
Truly forgetting to eat and sleep.
"Just one more time."
"No deal." Chen Li snapped his fingers, and the glove in Herta's hand instantly disappeared and reappeared in his.
"Mmm… I'll trade you the Herta Space Station for it, how about that?" Herta suddenly said.
"No deal."
"You can just make another one anyway. Just spare one for me."
"I only forge one of each type of Curio. I forge them to create miracles, not for you to play with," Chen Li shook his head.
The [Key of Fateful Invitation] he had forged for Herta might have seemed like he was indulging her whims, but in truth, with that key, Herta really could create miracles. Plus, Chen Li also really needed the key to achieve certain goals.
This Curio not only let you meet who you wanted to meet, but it could also be used as a control skill, as it could summon most beings, aside from extremely powerful gods, to the invitation space and hard-control them for thirty minutes.
And…
[I Have a Date with an Aeon] Entry Extraction in ProgressProgress: 4/5
From now on, a daily 30-minute all-you-can-eat buffet would likely become Chen Li's daily commission.
"Alright… but you still have to let me use it one more time. I need to teach that woman a lesson," Herta said, clenching her fist.
"Last time. Give it back when you're done."
"No problem. Right, let me borrow the Disguise Glasses and the Friends Circle too."
Borrowing three Curios from Chen Li again, Herta closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then snapped them open.
She reached out with her gloved hand toward the space in front of her. A zipper appeared where her glove made contact. Herta pulled the zipper down, and a pitch-black space appeared before her.
Herta stuck the upper half of her body inside, then raised her gloved hand and slapped the woman in the candy-colored evening gown on the other side.
"Surprise! Bet you didn't expect me! It's me again! I've come to get you in real life! Nyeh-nyeh-nyeh!" Herta made a face at the Silent Lord.
The Silent Lord, who had been unable to eat or sleep because of the moronic question, was attacked and subconsciously threw the scalpel in her hand, which was like a dagger, only to have it blocked by a golden light.
To prevent Polka Kakamot from discovering any clues, Herta had no intention of attacking herself, relying entirely on the friendship and bonds of the [Friends Circle].
"Polka Kakamot has no face, Polka Kakamot has no face." Uttering one last taunt, Herta quickly pulled her body back.
"…In that special space, I couldn't follow the causal chain to find you. But now that I can't find you offline either, you just wait." After being continuously subjected to these non-lethal but highly humiliating acts, Polka Kakamot was seeing red.
And then… Polka Kakamot discovered that she really couldn't follow the causal chain from the slap she had just received to find her attacker.
Seriously, bro?
Are you cheating?
You need to block causality just to slap someone?
Is this cheat custom-made just for me?
The Silent Lord had also tried to peek through the crack the other person had come through to see the background behind them, but found that the background was pitch black. She could only see the attacker's upper body.
After seeing the person disappear, Polka Kakamot began to think about who she had offended. Who had the ability to pull off something so outrageous?
And then Polka Kakamot realized… it was most likely a genius who could do such a thing, and because of her title as the "Genius Killer," she was quite disliked by geniuses. So there were many possible candidates.
It couldn't be a Masked Fool, could it?
Hiss, it was possible! After all, besides the Masked Fools, no one was this bored!
And that phrase, "Polka Kakamot has no face"…
Goddamned Masked Fools!
"How was it? Satisfying?" Chen Li asked the cheerful Herta, tossing the die in his hand.
"So satisfying. This Curio you made that can follow a causal chain to slap someone is amazing," Herta nodded repeatedly.
"But I feel like that woman will be able to lock onto us in a while. After all, the only geniuses who have a grudge against her and aren't dead are us," Herta said.
Although she could say the other's name freely around Chen Li, to prevent herself from accidentally letting it slip in the future, Herta tried to control her words and actions. However, she had already discussed countermeasures with Chen Li and the others for when Polka Kakamot found out she was the one playing with her. So Herta wasn't worried at all.
She's a genius, and I'm a genius. Why should I fear her?
With preparations made and knowledge of the other's methods, Herta didn't think she would be easily defeated.
"Don't worry, I've already solved that problem with the Elation Die. You're really a handful," Chen Li sighed.
However, this also made him realize that the Silent Lord was actually pretty average… after all, using the Elation Die on her didn't even result in a critical failure.
She was such a failure!
This also saved Chen Li some Elation points.
"Ermm…" Herta stroked her chin with her gloved hand, staring intently at Chen Li.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You don't… have feelings for me, do you? You like me? Otherwise, why would you be so considerate?" Herta suddenly asked, a cryptic smile on her face.
[I'm not a professional dating sim system, but I think…]
[Alright, I'll shut up.]
The little spirit had developed a considerable degree of self-awareness.
"I do like you," Chen Li nodded directly, without any coyness. Because, it had to be said, Herta's in-game power was truly off the charts.
"…Curio's back. I'm going to make a cake. Don't disturb me if it's not important, and especially don't disturb me if it is. Go find Little Herta." Sensing Chen Li's sincerity, Herta quickly returned all three Curios to him and scurried away with small steps.
Her face had turned red.
"Hah, playing these games with me… Herta must want me to forge a Curio for her without paying," Chen Li sneered.
[Indeed. That woman surely intends to beat you until you kneel, drag you back to her tower, and force you to become…]
"Is that how shallow you think I am?" A mirror appeared behind Chen Li, followed by an embarrassed and enraged Herta, launching a flying kick.
"Hah, I knew you hadn't gone far." Chen Li snapped his fingers, creating an imaginary portal that teleported Herta away.
"Wow, is this what they call a flirting game?" Baiheng, who had been watching from the side, too intimidated to speak, felt her eyes had been opened.
"Good kids don't learn from me, and don't learn from Herta either," Chen Li reminded her.
"I'm not a kid."
"But you're a kid to Jingliu. I'm worried about your future, Baiheng," Chen Li shook his head.
Jingliu was over 1,000 years old now, while Baiheng was just a "baby" of a few hundred years. If Jingliu hadn't been sent for a detailed physical examination by Asta at Chen Li's request, he really wouldn't dare to discuss this issue.
"What does this have to do with Jingliu and me? And what right do you, a baby, have to talk about me?" Baiheng retorted.
"Ermm… just be careful, that's all. Do you want to try this Curio?" Chen Li held up the glove.
"Yes!"
"Oh? Who do you plan to use it on?" Chen Li's interest was piqued.
Did Baiheng have an enemy?
"Yingxing! I haven't seen Yingxing in so long. I heard some things from Jingliu about what happened after I died. I'm not too worried about Dan Heng, Dan Feng's reincarnation, but I'm very worried about Yingxing's mental state," Baiheng said with concern.
"Mm, this Curio isn't just for slapping people. It can also be used for teleportation. Or rather, that's the real reason I forged it," Chen Li said, very pleased with Baiheng's idea.
Herta had probably thought of this use too, but she just wanted to slap Polka Kakamot.
[The Sound of One Hand Slapping]: Who said one hand can't clap? Just add another face, isn't that enough?!
Effect: You can follow a causal chain to appear before any being, present or past, that has mentioned your name, nickname, title, or any other designation, or any being connected to you, and give it/her/It/him a slap. This effect ignores distance and number of targets.
PS: Please note, this attack is guaranteed to hit, but the target can be temporarily changed.
This Curio had an extremely simple and crude effect. It cost Chen Li 40 Crystals and was constructed from Entries like [Causality], [Connection], and [The Hunt].
The [Causality] and [Connection] Entries both came from the Aeon of Equilibrium. And since all Curios had an anti-detection effect, the Silent Lord couldn't observe a thing.
His good brother, the Aeon of Equilibrium, not only let him take a bite but also, at his constant pleading, gave him a pen imbued with the power of Equilibrium. Although the Aeon had placed many restrictions on the pen, the moment Chen Li tossed it into the Miracle Forging Furnace, all the restrictions were lifted. Even the restrictions themselves could become Entries.
The difficulty in meeting the Aeon of Equilibrium wasn't in finding It, because It was everywhere in the universe. The difficulty was in getting It to take a concrete form for a substantial interaction, which the [Key of Fateful Invitation] happened to be able to do.
And the added [The Hunt] Entry was "allocated" by Chen Li to emphasize the [Guaranteed Hit] property. Because Chen Li felt that a solid slap to the face was more satisfying.
With this Curio, Chen Li couldn't even imagine how efficient it would be if he ever became so poor that he had to use it for express delivery. He might get a lot of bad reviews, but the efficiency would be through the roof.
And the meaning of the [PS] was…
"And when using this Curio, you don't have to slap the other person. You can appear before them and slap yourself or someone next to them, right?" Baiheng confirmed again.
It would be too rude to slap an old friend right after a long-awaited reunion.
"Correct. The slap from this glove is guaranteed to hit, but you can switch the target at any time," Chen Li nodded.
Then why would he get so many bad reviews for delivery?
You get the package, but you don't get the slap? You can't have all the good things in life.
This is Equilibrium!
Equilibrium exists in all things!
"Then I'll begin." Baiheng was eager to try after putting on the glove.
"When you use it for the first time, remember not to search for the wrong target."
"Mm-hm."
"Also, don't use the High-Cloud Quintet as the causal connection. Otherwise, you might slap all five members at once, including yourself."
"Eh, you can slap different people at the same time?"
"You can. Theoretically, with one slap, I could hit everyone who knows the title 'Curio Forger.' But that kind of saturation attack won't let you appear before the target," Chen Li said.
If it could only be used to slap one person's face, why would he have spent 40 Crystals? Whose face was that precious?
Chen Li planned to lend this Curio to Sunday later. To see if he could use it to create a miracle. For example, creating a world with no Robin haters.
"Yingxing, Yingxing…" Baiheng kept muttering Blade's former name to herself, as if in a trance, searching for that causal link.
As a fellow member of the High-Cloud Quintet, and with the added causality of Blade and Dan Feng trying to revive her with the Transmutation Arcanum, Baiheng's eyes lit up. She reached her hand into the empty space before her.
A zipper appeared. As Baiheng slowly pulled it, a pitch-black opening appeared before her.
Chen Li knew that Herta had manifested a zipper for fun when she used the glove, but why was Baiheng doing it? Was it because of the preconceived notion Herta had given her?
[Baiheng can't move now. Go for it!]
A barrage message floated past Chen Li as he looked at Baiheng, whose lower half was still in their original location.
"…"
In a distant galaxy, Blade finished his day's work and returned to the Stellaron Hunters' base. He looked at the blood-soaked bandages in his hand, his eyes slightly lost, before they hardened with resolve again.
However, just as he was about to get up from the sofa, a spatial rift suddenly appeared in front of him.
Blade instantly perked up, grabbed his Shard-Devouring Sword, and eagerly awaited his prey to come knocking.
Three seconds later, Blade rubbed his eyes, feeling like he was hallucinating from exhaustion.
How strange. Why am I seeing Baiheng, with only her upper body visible, talking to me?
Did I fall into someone's illusion? Am I in an illusion world right now?
Damn you, naturally evil little Uchiha brat!
"Yingxing? Is that you? Yingxing." Seeing her companion of old, Baiheng greeted him excitedly and then slapped herself.
Gently, of course.
Equilibrium exists in all things. This slap was both a miracle granted by the Curio and a price it required.
"Bai…heng?" Even though he thought it might be an illusion, Blade still didn't attack the phantom before him.
"Why aren't you surprised at all? You got my hopes up for nothing. But your current look is really different from before. I almost didn't recognize you. I heard from Jing… someone, that after you became a Stellaron Hunter, you've been living as a wanted man every day. I was worried, but looking at the decoration of this living room… the person who arranged it must have great taste, right?" Baiheng curiously observed the decor of Yingxing's living room.
"…" Yingxing was silent, just looking at Baiheng.
"Hm? Why aren't you reacting? I can tell you've had a hard time, but you can't have forgotten an old friend, right?" Seeing Blade's lack of reaction, Baiheng sighed.
Still the same as always.
"Hm, a wound?" But Baiheng quickly noticed the bloodstain on Blade's bandage.
"Wait a moment. Chen Li, give me a Senzu Bean," Baiheng said, pulling her body back and turning her head.
"Don't say my real name in front of a Stellaron Hunter. Call me Curio Forger or Dad. And remember to have your friend keep it a secret," Chen Li said, tossing a Senzu Bean to Baiheng.
"Yes, yes, Dad."
"Remember to keep the real name of the person I just mentioned a secret. Here, this is a Senzu Bean. It can instantly heal any injury." After sticking her upper body back into the black hole, Baiheng said to the still-silent Blade.
"…" Blade glanced at the incredibly real Baiheng, then picked up his Shard-Devouring Sword and fiercely… stabbed himself in the thigh.
Feeling the sharp pain and seeing the blood gushing from his thigh, then seeing Silver Wolf coming out of her room looking for the fridge, Blade finally confirmed that he was in reality.
"What are you doing?!" Baiheng was startled and fumbled in panic.
"Open your mouth," Baiheng immediately shouted.
Blade opened his mouth, and Baiheng accurately tossed the Senzu Bean inside.
Blade's wound healed instantly, even faster than the "blessing" of Abundance on his own body. Although there was blood on him, he actually had no open wounds.
"Whoa, what's going on? A cyber-ghost?" The passing Silver Wolf was shocked by the stimulating scene. It wasn't her fault for misunderstanding. The sight of Baiheng with only her upper body sticking out of a black hole really did resemble a classic ghost image. It was just that the ghost usually crawled out of a TV.
"My former companion. A companion who once died," Blade finally spoke for the first time.
"It's a real ghost?!!" Silver Wolf's hand trembled in fear. The Aether Editing interface instantly appeared beside her, but seeing that Blade showed no reaction, she didn't dare to attack.
"What do you mean, a ghost? This is a Heroic Spirit! Do you understand? A Heroic Spirit! Although the current situation is hard to accept, the fact is, do you know the Curio Forger? He helped Jingliu forge an item that can summon Heroic Spirits, and I was summoned. In a while, when I've collected enough Revival Card fragments, I can even be resurrected," Baiheng said proudly.
"Curio Forger? Dad?!" Silver Wolf's voice instantly shot up several octaves.
"Yeah, do you know him?" Baiheng tilted her head and looked at Silver Wolf. She felt that this person looked a bit familiar.
"My name is Silver Wolf," Silver Wolf said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, so you're the hacker who competed with the Curio Forger to see who could grind more and almost died from exhaustion?! The Curio Forger said you were so angry yesterday you couldn't sleep all night. Crying and making a fuss, very pitiful. Is that true?" Baiheng asked curiously.
"Ah!!! Dad, where is that bastard? Where is he?!" Silver Wolf casually threw away the snack she had just found, then instantly rushed toward Baiheng, trying to shove her head into the black hole Baiheng was in, but she couldn't squeeze through.
Not only did he make her so angry she couldn't sleep, but he also spread rumors about her!
When did I ever cry and make a fuss…
Okay, maybe she did, but he couldn't tell others about it!
I'll kill you!
Blade watched this scene with a blank expression. He had not expected that in a situation where he should have been the one freaking out, Silver Wolf would be the one to see red from a single sentence from Baiheng.
A nostalgic look appeared in Blade's eyes. Even after hearing Jingliu's name from Baiheng's mouth, he rarely showed much change in expression.
"Stop trying, you can't get in. This is a one-way passage. The person inside can go out, but the person on the other side can't come in," Baiheng tried to stop Silver Wolf, but it was completely useless.
After realizing the black hole was just a background image and completely harmless, Silver Wolf's actions became even more extreme. She even pulled out an electric drill from somewhere.
"What are you doing! What are you doing! What are you doing!" Just as Silver Wolf was about to try other methods to get into the black hole, the hole suddenly expanded, and a mascot head popped out, knocking her to the ground.
"Yo, isn't this the Silver Wolf who cried and made a fuss because I wouldn't accept a second challenge? Long time no see. Or should I say, nice to meet you?" Chen Li, wearing the Golden Homu King head, greeted Silver Wolf.
"Dad!"
"Eh, what do you want?"
"…You took advantage of me again, I'm so mad! If you have the guts, let's have a proper hacker duel for our third match! Real-life accounts, PvP!" Silver Wolf said fiercely.
After speaking, she rushed forward with a punch, but was blocked by a glowing shield.
"Hah, you should just focus on collecting your Revival Card fragments. The third match is no joke," Chen Li said cheerfully, patting Silver Wolf's head before ducking back through the hole.
Chen Li would absolutely not give Silver Wolf any chance to make threats or get her payback!
"Yingxing, these companions of yours… certainly have character," Baiheng couldn't find a more suitable adjective, so she settled on that.
"They're not bad," Blade nodded.
Blade felt he should have a thousand words to say, but when they reached his lips, only silence remained.
Seven hundred years had passed, and things were no longer the same…
Nothing could go back to how it was.
"Speaking of which, do you know where Dan Feng is?" Baiheng suddenly asked.
"Dan Feng? Dan Feng!" Hearing this name, Blade's eyes filled with killing intent, and he began to go berserk. Seeing Baiheng in front of him only made him crazier.
He kept muttering Dan Feng's name, which occasionally turned into Dan Heng.
So when Kafka returned home, she saw a female ghost with half her body sticking out of a black hole, and two of her teammates going berserk on the spot.
One was shouting "Dad," crazily smashing the black hole with various large demolition tools, and cackling from time to time as if fantasizing about something.
The other was shouting "Dan Feng" and "Dan Heng," smashing the floor and hacking at the sofa with his Shard-Devouring Sword, his madness terrifying to behold.
It was a full-blown mental asylum outbreak!
In the end, it was the female ghost who seemed the most mentally stable.
And on the other side, Fu Xuan, full of confidence, was preparing to begin her third divination of Chen Li!
"This time, it will definitely work! If this divination is still related to an Aeon and is still this outrageous, I'll let Chen Li be the Master Diviner of this Divination Commission!"
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