Luoqi stared at the translucent prompt hovering in front of him and couldn't stop the first thought that jumped out of his skull.
*I can beat a Dajiang houbu… and only now you decide to show up?*
If he'd gotten this "system" back when he'd first fallen into this worldwhen survival itself had been a daily gamblehe might've actually felt grateful.
Now, it just felt like the universe had a sense of humor.
But complaints were useless. His mind was already moving, turning over the information the prompt had offered.
"Yingling… templates…"
The words hit a familiar nerve. Not just "powers," but "templates"as if you could peel the shape of a legend off one world and wear it in another.
*So that's how it works.* Luoqi's eyes narrowed slightly. *It can extract templates of characters from different heavens and worlds, and use them to strengthen me…*
Type-Moon's heroic spirits. Naruto's ninjas. Even Dragon Ball's martial artists.
Just imagining that kind of ceiling made his blood run a little hotter.
*Interesting,* he thought, a slow grin curling in his chest before it reached his mouth. *If that's true, then joining the Caomao Haizei Tuan… isn't optional anymore. It's necessary.*
He looked down at the straw-hatted boy standing in front of him, eyes sparkling like he'd already decided Luoqi belonged with him. Lufei was still holding his hand out, patient in that oblivious way only Lufei could manage, as if rejection wasn't even a possible outcome.
Luoqi reached out and clasped Lufei's hand.
"Lufei, right?" he said, voice smooth, friendly. "I'm Luoqi. Nice to meet you. As for your invitation… I accept."
The moment the words left his mouth, the invisible air seemed to *click*.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully activated the "Zuiqiang Yingling Moban Xitong."]
[Detecting partners…]
Kebi, who had been hovering at Lufei's side with nervous energy, froze mid-breath. His eyes widened like he'd just heard Luoqi agree to jump into the sea with a stone tied to his ankles.
"H-huh?!" Kebi stammered. "Y-you… you agreed?!"
Lufei's grin exploded across his face.
"Shishishi! Awesome!" he laughed. "I've got a partner now!"
But before he could fully celebrate, his attention snapped awaytoward the ship they'd just watched dock.
The snail-pulled vessel was already turning, slowly but surely beginning to move away from the port.
"Eh? Wait!" Lufei pointed at it, startled. "Luoqi, your ship is leaving!"
Luoqi glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, the massive woniu was dragging the vessel out again like it had simply come to drop off a package.
"That woniu ship?" Luoqi said. "It's not mine. It belongs to a friend."
"What?!" Lufei looked personally offended by reality. "It's not yours?!"
The disappointment on his face was so immediate, so dramatic, that Kebi almost panicked on his behalf.
Lufei's eyes followed the ship as it drifted farther away, shoulders drooping.
"…It's kind of a shame," he muttered, then quickly forced himself back into a grin. "But I can tell you're super strong, so it's fine!"
Luoqi chuckled. "Don't worry, Chuanzhang Lufei. I might not own that ship…"
He leaned in a little, voice dropping with a conspiratorial spark.
"…but I've got other fun things."
He was about to show Lufei the systemabout to explain the "templates" and see what kind of ridiculous power the boy might choose
When the sound hit them like a cannon blast.
*Guuuuuuu!*
Lufei's stomach growled so loudly that even the nearby townsfolk turned their heads.
Lufei immediately clutched his belly, his whole body sagging as if his bones had turned to noodles.
"Ah…" he groaned. "I'm hungry!"
Luoqi stared at him for half a second, then sighed in defeat.
"…Fine. If the chuanzhang is hungry, we eat first."
Lufei's face brightened instantly, as if hunger had never existed before that exact moment.
"Yay! Meat!" he cheered, then swung an arm toward Kebi. "Kebi, come too!"
Kebi flailed, horror painted across his face. "L-Lufei xiansheng, we don't have any Beili!"
He had survived a "fat pirate woman," gotten rescued, and now he was supposed to commit dine-and-dash? His heart couldn't handle it.
Luoqi's lips curved.
"Beili?" he said lightly. "I have Beili."
He lifted the suitcase he'd been carrying and popped it open.
Inside, neatly stacked thick bundles of high-denomination bills filled the case almost to the brim.
For a moment, even the sea breeze seemed to pause.
Lufei's mouth dropped open. Kebi's glasses almost slid off his nose.
"S-so… so much Beili!" Kebi choked out.
Lufei's eyes turned into glittering stars. "Wooaaah!"
Luoqi scratched the side of his nose as if he'd just shown them a snack.
"It's not that much," he said. "If you count it properly… about a hundred million Beili."
A hundred million.
Kebi's soul nearly left his body.
"L-Luoqi xiansheng," he whispered, voice trembling, "how do you even… why do you have that much Beili?!"
Luoqi closed the suitcase again with a soft click.
"Robbed it from a disgusting man, once upon a time," he said, not bothering to elaborate.
There were some truths you didn't casually drop into a conversationlike the fact that the "disgusting man" had been a Tianlongren and that Luoqi had taken far more than just money that day.
If the suitcase hadn't been such a pain to carry, he would've taken even more.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted slightly, seemingly casual.
Across the street, an orange-haired girl lingered near the edge of the crowd. She was trying to look like she wasn't paying attention, but Luoqi's Jianwen Se Baqi caught the way her eyes had snapped to the suitcase the instant it opened.
Orange hair. About eighteen. Slim, quick posture.
*…No way,* Luoqi thought, amusement rising. *Is that Namei?*
His smile deepened just a fraction.
Kebi was still stuck on the money. "A hundred million… that's… that's insane…"
Lufei, meanwhile, had already accepted it as if the world naturally provided him meat whenever he wanted.
"Shishishi! Doesn't matter! We can eat now!" he said happily. "After we eat, we'll go find that Sandao Liu swordsman and make him our new partner!"
He slapped his stretchy hand up and down against Luoqi's shoulderdespite the height difference between themas if they'd known each other for years.
"Luoqi, thanks! When I get Beili later, I'll pay you back!"
Luoqi didn't bother correcting him. The kid's sincerity was almost weaponized.
"Since we're partners now," Luoqi said, "don't overthink it. Let's go. I'll treat you to meat."
The word *meat* was all Lufei needed.
He followed like a puppy who'd smelled food, dragging a still-flustered Kebi along behind him.
Luoqi led the way toward the town's restaurant, the suitcase swinging at his side.
And as they started walking…
The orange-haired girl blinked once, then took a few small, careful steps after themquiet, light-footed, and just close enough to keep the suitcase within her field of vision.
Luoqi didn't turn around.
He didn't need to.
Jianwen Se Baqi told him everything.