"I told you, don't put so much pressure on yourself. I'm very easy to feed. As long as it's a rare item, I can even eat a clod of dirt. Besides, my food has no requirements for appearance or size, as long as it can strengthen me."
Chen Li was busy comforting the little fox girl he had just terrified.
In the end, he was the one who scared her, so it was only right that he be the one to soothe her.
"Benefactor, you truly frightened this humble lady. If that's the case, I would go bankrupt to provide you with sufficiently rare food," Tingyun said with a laugh, breathing a sigh of relief.
After hearing about the effect of Chen Li's [Gourmet Cells] Curio, Tingyun felt that his needs aligned quite well with her profession.
Tingyun traveled year-round, and with her gentle personality and talent, she had connected trade missions from sixteen different worlds and even renegotiated a mutual benefit agreement with the Interastral Peace Corporation. The Xianzhou's trade festival, the "Star-Sailor's Sojourn," had also become a renowned celebration throughout the sea of stars thanks to her vigorous promotion.
Because she traveled so frequently for business, Tingyun could indeed get her hands on many rare items.
And if their appearance didn't matter, acquiring them would be even easier.
"Going bankrupt is a bit much. Before you, the Xianzhou Alliance should be the first to go bankrupt. You're still weak right now. I look forward to seeing what miracles you can create with the Curios I give you, and what surprises you can bring me."
"I will not fail your expectations. If Benefactor doesn't mind, this humble lady has some rare items at home. You are welcome to take them all."
"Really? Come to think of it, I've always felt like your house has a lot of weird little things. If you're okay with it, I'd be more than happy to take whatever I want," Chen Li said cheerfully.
"???"
Listening to Chen Li, it sounded as if he had already been to her house.
Was she imagining things?
"Speaking of which, you don't even know where I am, do you? Here." As he spoke, Chen Li pulled down the curtain behind him, and a familiar scene entered Tingyun's view.
Familiar decorations, a familiar landscape—it was, without a doubt, her home.
"???"
"They say truth is stranger than fiction, and perhaps this is the guidance of fate. Back when I kidnapped the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, I just randomly teleported and ended up right in your home, Tingyun. That's how I established a connection with the Xianzhou's leadership. And then, in your courtyard, Jing Yuan and I reached a certain unspeakable..."
"Stop! Benefactor! You don't need to explain further. If you've taken a liking to any of the items in my home, please, just take them."
Tingyun's heart pounded in her chest as she listened to Chen Li's explanation.
Seriously, Benefactor, what on earth do you do all day?
Why are you either "committing a crime" or on your way to "commit a crime"?
Are you absolutely sure you're not a Masked Fool?
"Oh. I was just about to tell you some interesting stories about Jing Yuan, like the time he was..."
"Benefactor, perhaps we should talk about matters related to the Curio," Tingyun said with a gentle smile.
Although she was genuinely curious about the gossip, the gossip that came from Chen Li's mouth was always deadly.
It was always some "interesting story" involving the General of the Luofu...
Why not just tell her some fun tidbits about the Aeons?
Just put her out of her misery already.
"Oh, the Curio... Right, when are you coming back to the Xianzhou?" Chen Li asked.
"Establishing a commercial partnership with an unfamiliar world is not something that can be achieved overnight. It will still take some time—perhaps three to five days, or maybe ten days to half a month."
"I see... In that case, just work at your own pace. Phantylia will want to steal your identity when you're in a secluded, deserted place, so it will most likely happen when your trade mission is on its return journey... The most crucial thing is for you to decide what kind of Curio you want to create. I have told you everything you will encounter in the future. The choice of where fate flows is now in your hands."
As Chen Li spoke, he wandered around Tingyun's house, taking a bite out of any object that caught his eye.
Every time she saw one of her precious curiosities "perish" in Chen Li's mouth, a flash of pain would involuntarily appear in her eyes.
However, when she saw those objects restore themselves to their original state after being bitten, her expression turned to one of amazement.
"Benefactor, you have a truly fine set of teeth. And this ability to restore items is nothing short of divine," Tingyun said, the light in her eyes growing brighter.
Though it might have been inappropriate, after seeing Chen Li's ability, several get-rich-quick schemes had indeed flashed through her mind.
"This restoration ability has its limits. It has to be used before the item is completely broken. So, trying to make money with it would be difficult," Chen Li said, seemingly having read her thoughts.
He had previously considered forging a Curio imbued with the power of eternity to restore the overly high-end food he consumed.
Later, he discovered it didn't need to be so complicated. Simply holding a crystal with an [Eternity] Entry could solve eighty percent of the problem.
And if he used Star Stones to enhance that power of eternity, he could solve ninety-nine-point-nine percent of it.
"But having a good set of teeth can indeed make you money."
"Oh? How so?"
Seeing Chen Li's apparent interest, Tingyun didn't want to be a spoilsport. A Foxian's silver tongue was their trademark, and Tingyun was a master among them. Naturally, she played along and inquired further.
"A few days ago, as a down payment and gift for forging a Curio, General Jing Yuan of the Luofu gave me a piece of Divine Body Amber," Chen Li said.
"Divine Body Amber? That is indeed a rare treasure. Those people from the Corporation are extremely attentive to anything related to [Preservation]. I heard that just the other day, the Corporation acquired a piece of Divine Body Amber shaped like the Amber Lord.
They're proclaiming it as a reward bestowed upon them by the Amber Lord in recognition of the Interastral Peace Corporation's work. However, I suspect they purchased it from some collector. I wonder what the price was. I would truly love to see such a rare treasure with my own eyes..."
A look of longing appeared in Tingyun's eyes at just the right moment. She was both genuinely interested and trying to delve deeper into the topic.
Being well-informed was a necessary quality for a merchant like her.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to grow her trade mission to its current scale.
"Oh, that thing. I sold it to them."
What Chen Li hadn't expected, though, was that the people at the Interastral Peace Corporation were ruthless enough to even lie to themselves.
"My, does Benefactor also possess such carving skills? Truly amazing..." A look of admiration filled Tingyun's eyes.
"Then take a guess how I carved it?" Chen Li asked with a smile as he took a bite out of a colorful and enticing meteorite displayed in Tingyun's home.
"..."
Seeing Chen Li casually chomping on what looked like an alloy, a flash of inspiration struck Tingyun.
Suddenly, she wasn't so sure she wanted to know the answer anymore.
"It looks like you're about to guess it. Come on, say it..." Chen Li urged.
"Benefactor, please don't be like this..." Tingyun's voice was a mixture of refusal and temptation.
She felt the image of that Divine Body Amber, the one enshrined by the IPC, the one she had admired in photographs for so long, was slowly shattering before her very eyes.
Please, not this!
"Don't be so timid, Tingyun. Knowing a few more secrets will be very helpful for your business in the future. If you don't make money, who's going to feed me?"
"This humble lady feels it might be better not to know certain things," Tingyun said tactfully.
Although, she felt it was already too late to say that.
She already knew far too many incredible secrets.
"Right, speaking of which, I should probably set you up with a wealth-attracting item," Chen Li said, talking to himself.
"Wealth-attracting?" Those two words instantly captured Tingyun's full attention.
"This is an ability I gained after eating the divine body of the Aeon of Voracity—Attraction. It can draw anything to my mouth, whether it's tangible or intangible. Therefore, it can naturally attract wealth, which is what people usually call 'beckoning riches'," Chen Li explained.
This idea had actually come from Big Herta.
Herta had said that the abilities of every Aeon were more complex than they sounded.
You think the Hunt is just about chasing and hacking at others? No, it also contains the laws of causality!
You think Abundance can only heal and manipulate flesh? No, as long as there's an injury, it can be healed, regardless of whether the target is human!
The power of Nihility isn't just about devouring objects; it can even erase one's own presence.
Regarding the Aeon of Voracity, Herta had proposed a hypothesis: if the founder of the Interastral Peace Corporation, Louis Fleming, had ever gotten close to the Aeon of Voracity, he might have been able to attract all the wealth and gold in the entire universe.
Voracity was also related to greed.
Therefore, Herta had also suggested that Chen Li might be able to use a medium like a Miracle Crystal to absorb all the "miracles" in the Honkai: Star Rail world.
But after trying, it was, without a doubt, a failure.
After Chen Li obtained an Aeon's trait through [God of Cookery], the trait would belong to him. Its strength was dependent on his own strength, and Chen Li's current true power was still a "tiny bit" weaker than an Aeon's.
In short, the future was promising.
And that future wasn't far off.
However, Chen Li felt that even if he reached the level of the Aeon of Voracity, accomplishing such a feat would still be difficult.
Perhaps... Chen Li needed to surpass the Aeon of Voracity.
"Benefactor, how would one forge this wealth-attracting item you speak of?" Tingyun had to admit, she was intrigued.
"This kind of thing isn't a Curio, so it's simple. You just need to find an item that possesses the trait of wealth."
"The trait of wealth?" Tingyun tilted her head.
"The attraction of the Aeon of Voracity has no bias, so it might attract anything and everything. That's why you need an object with a particularly prominent trait to serve as a vessel for this power, to attract specific things."
"Would gold work?"
"It would, but it's not enough. You need something that is a synonym for wealth to act as the medium."
Just like the founder of the Interastral Peace Corporation, Louis Fleming, was a synonym for wealth.
"Then..." Hearing Chen Li's words, Tingyun's gaze couldn't help but land on the crown atop Chen Li's head.
"You've got your eye on this thing? You've got good taste. This special gold is a synonym for nobility, and it can also attract wealth, but I have a more important use for this, so I can't lend it to you."
"Understandable." Tingyun nodded.
Chen Li's crown was clearly a symbol of some kind of inheritance. Tingyun felt that even having such a thought was a form of blasphemy.
"Right? Whether you have money or not is a matter of one world, but whether you're handsome or not is for a lifetime. Look how handsome this crown is!" Seeing that Tingyun strongly agreed with his philosophy, Chen Li felt he had found a kindred spirit.
The Credits of the Interastral Peace Corporation would be garbage in the Honkai world, not even worth a scrap of paper.
But this crown on his head would appear noble in any world!
"...Benefactor, let's go back to talking about the Curio." Tingyun couldn't shake the feeling that her benefactor's focus was unusually peculiar.
Perhaps it was due to their different ambitions?
"Oh, have you decided what kind of Curio you want to forge?"
"More or less. But before that, I would like to ask if Benefactor knows the process that Lord Ravager uses when she usurps someone's identity," Tingyun asked.
"It's more or less you watching with your own eyes as your memories, emotions, words... are stripped from you piece by piece, flying away and dissipating, only to converge onto another person," Chen Li explained.
And it was precisely because Phantylia didn't kill Tingyun immediately, instead wanting to possess everything about her, that Tingyun was able to survive.
"I see... In that case, Benefactor, could you forge a Curio for this humble lady that can steal everything from Phantylia?"
"Hmm???" Hearing Tingyun's words, Chen Li froze for half a second.
Turning the tables, are we!
"This humble lady also wants that high-and-mighty figure to experience the feeling of having everything taken away. It was you, Benefactor, who said I could let my imagination run wild. If it's not possible, I will simply think of another way."
"It's... it's not impossible." Chen Li looked at Tingyun, his eyes filled with confusion.
What was this?
Because Phantylia is going to NTR me, I'm going to NTR her back?
Letting that innately evil little devil of a Lord Ravager get a taste of her own medicine?
How brutal!
Chen Li originally thought his plan to use Phantylia as a [Destruction] Entry extractor and a public pet to be slapped by his [The Sound of One Hand Slapping] Curio was already excessive enough.
But it seemed his reason had indeed limited his imagination.
Tingyun was different. As the future victim, she could genuinely comprehend how helpless and painful she would feel when it all happened, so her methods tended to be a little more... extreme.
Understandable.
Very understandable.
Besides, a man could never admit he couldn't do something, so Chen Li accepted the commission to forge this Curio.
Based on Tingyun's request, she probably only needed a one-time-use item. And for a disposable item to achieve a specific effect, the crystal consumption was far less than that of a regular Curio.
"Then this humble lady will await Benefactor's good news." A perfect smile graced Tingyun's face.
"Er... alright. This Curio of yours is a bit tricky. I'll have to think about what kind of effect to create." Chen Li was already deep in thought.
"Benefactor must also take care of your health. Please don't trouble yourself over my problem for too long. I still have some time before I return to the Xianzhou. If it doesn't meet the requirements, we can just give up on it. Benefactor, you absolutely must not push yourself."
As the video feed froze on Tingyun's smiling face, Baiheng, who was standing beside Chen Li, suddenly felt that this Foxian lady might be the greatest rival to Jingliu, that master-assaulting disciple.
Her words made people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze. She was considerate of others in every way, yet she didn't give off the impression of playing hard to get or using reverse psychology.
Getting along with this person would most likely be very relaxing.
Getting along with Jingliu... er, should also be very relaxing... right?
"What do you think of Tingyun?" Chen Li asked Baiheng without turning his head.
"She'd probably make a great mistress."
"???" Chen Li shot a shocked glance at Baiheng.
"Because I feel it would be such a waste for a woman that gentle to just be a girlfriend."
"Wait, what kind of logic is that?" Chen Li didn't understand, but he was thoroughly shaken!
"Isn't it a common trope for guys to face setbacks with their wives and then go to their mistresses to pour their hearts out? I feel like if Tingyun were the wife, it would make the guy feel like he's a bit too useless, right? And if Tingyun then gently told her husband not to overthink it, the guy would probably feel even more useless. It would actually create a lot of pressure."
"But it's different if she's a mistress. She can provide you with ample emotional value. Of course, you could also think about it the other way around..."
"How do you think about it the other way around?"
"You could be her lover," Baiheng said.
"...Seriously, stop learning things from those abstract weirdos in the Curio group chat," Chen Li said, patting Baiheng's shoulder.
Look what the abstract weirdos in the group had done to the once pure and kind little Baiheng.
"You're the one who asked for my opinion," Baiheng retorted.
"I was asking you what you think of Tingyun, the Amicassador of the Xianzhou's Sky-Faring Commission. Is she suitable to be the successor to the Helm Master of the Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission?" Chen Li said, pressing a hand to his forehead.
"Ah, her as the Helm Master?"
"Here. I found a letter while I was eating earlier. It's something the current Helm Master said to Tingyun, which Tingyun then copied down. Something about blood and fire..." Chen Li placed a letter in front of Baiheng.
Tingyun had said he could take any treasure from her home, so Chen Li hadn't held back.
[The times are changing. The Xianzhou is changing. One day, this great ship will grow utterly weary of a sky of blood and fire. When that day comes, the Sky-Faring Commission will be your stage.]
"That... actually makes a lot of sense." Reading the contents of the letter, Baiheng felt there was nothing wrong with it.
Baiheng could see that under Jing Yuan's leadership, the Xianzhou Luofu was developing into a new star of trade for the Xianzhou Alliance.
It made sense. Each ship in the Xianzhou Alliance had its own specialty. For example, the Xianzhou Yuque was the headquarters of the Divination Commission, and the Xianzhou Zhuming was the headquarters of the Artisanship Commission...
The Xianzhou Yaoqing was the ship where the Cloud Knights' martial prowess and military might were the strongest.
The Luofu actually had its own specialties too, like the Ambrosial Arbor, and the Alchemy Commission during the Arbor's era... that was the origin of longevity!
But now, research in that area had become taboo, and the Alchemy Commission had gradually declined, which made the Luofu seem as though it had lost its unique characteristic.
And the letter was right. It was time for the Xianzhou to change.
---o---