Chapter 158: For All That Is Beautiful in the World
"How is it? Not bad, right?" Rovel stepped back, gesturing to his handiwork with a satisfied grin.
"It is actually quite good..." Theresa blinked, her blue eyes widening in genuine surprise. She circled Kiana, inspecting the complex hairstyle Rovel had woven. It perfectly complemented the elegant Shenzhou-style garments Kiana wore. The twin buns resting atop her head cascaded into twin ponytails, framing her face in a way that accentuated her natural vibrance. It softened her usual tomboyish edge, replacing her typical foolish charm with a striking, obvious femininity.
Kiana stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She reached up, her fingers brushing against the neatly tied strands, and gave one of her ponytails a light flick. A bright smile broke across her face. For once, Rovel had not played a prank on her. He had actually made her look beautiful.
She spun around, her eyes narrowing into a mischievous crescent. "I did not expect you to have such delicate skills, Rovel. Could it be that you are so used to this because you spent your past tying other girls' hair?" Kiana drawled, her voice dripping with playful malice.
"You caught me. You are absolutely right," Rovel replied without missing a beat, his tone entirely casual.
Kiana froze, completely thrown off by his shameless admission. A second later, a thrill of absolute victory surged through her chest. She had finally caught him slipping. A wicked scheme formed in her mind. From now on, she held the ultimate use. All she had to do was threaten him with the classic line: You would not want Mei to know about your secret past girlfriends, would you? He would be putty in her hands.
Her grand fantasies of bossing him around shattered into dust with his very next sentence.
"I used to help my little sister tie her hair every morning for a while," Rovel explained, adjusting his sleeves. "I picked up a few techniques along the way. As long as the style is not overly complicated, I can handle it with ease."
"Your little sister?" Mei tilted her head, her dark eyes reflecting a gentle curiosity. "I recall you mentioning her before. Did she not join us for the festival?"
It made sense to ask. Countless Descenders had flooded the city for the holiday event. If Rovel's sister was also a Descender, it stood to reason she would have traveled with him.
"She did come to the city," Rovel said, offering a helpless shrug. "But her organization received an emergency dispatch at the last minute. She simply does not have the time to drop by right now."
He had originally planned to meet up with Yuki after taking a day to rest. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. Raven had unceremoniously dragged Yuki away to assist in the massive logistical nightmare of transporting Chiyou's colossal corpse.
Theresa had already extracted the most critical materials from the beast, but the remaining mountain of flesh and bone still held immense strategic value. Rovel knew the lore well. When Kevin eventually escaped from the Sea of Quanta, his body would be in a severely weakened state. A single piece of processed Chiyou meat would be enough to restore a massive portion of his depleted energy.
Beyond the beast's flesh, Rovel had secured his own private spoils from the expedition. Deep within Chiyou's internal caverns, he had unearthed three distinct fragments of Soulium. One pulsed with a freezing aura, designated as Soulium: Ice. Another radiated blistering heat, Soulium: Fire. The last crackled with erratic voltage, Soulium: Lightning. When brought close together, the three fragments locked into place perfectly, forming a seamless, spherical core.
He had snapped a quick photograph and transmitted it to Klein for analysis. Her response had been immediate and staggering. The sphere was a highly advanced quantum computer, a relic left behind by the Previous Era. If this specific terminal was the one safeguarded by Cangxuan and Danzhu thousands of years ago, the data banks within it held something revolutionary: the complete manufacturing schematics for Armed Puppets.
The biometric lock required a specific palm print to open, belonging to either Fu Hua, Cangxuan, or Danzhu. Armed Puppets were legendary constructs, hailed as the greatest masterpiece of Dr. Einstein from the Mu Continent during the Previous Era. By fusing programmed Soulium mimetic cores with physical weapons, the technology generated autonomous, self-aware combat androids. These entities inherited the accumulated combat data of the weapons they were born from, stepping into existence as fully realized, veteran warriors.
A single Armed Puppet might only possess the combat strength to dispatch low-level Honkai Beasts. But the true terror of the technology lay in its scalability. If one deployed ten, a hundred, or a thousand of them in a coordinated swarm, they possessed enough synchronized firepower to surround and obliterate a Judgment-class Honkai Beast.
Klein had offered a highly pragmatic suggestion. She advised Rovel to convert Ji Lin's personal Xuanyuan Sword into an Armed Puppet to serve as his vanguard. If he synchronized the puppet with the Ji Lin Stigmata currently etched into his body, the resulting resonance would create a combat multiplier far exceeding the sum of its parts.
The logic was flawless. The Xuanyuan Sword was originally forged from pure Soulium fused with a Herrscher core. Having spent a lifetime slaughtering countless Honkai Beasts in Ji Lin's hands, the blade had recorded an unfathomable wealth of combat experience. It met every prerequisite perfectly. All Rovel needed to do was extract the programming from the quantum computer and apply it to the sword's Soulium matrix.
Unlike the Yae Sakura Stigmata, which provided a massive, direct enhancement to his physical capabilities, the Ji Lin Stigmata functioned differently. It did not boost his raw stats. Instead, it granted him access to something far more deep: the power of Authority.
The unique skill bestowed by the mark was known as the Six Realms, granting him fragmented control over six distinct Authorities. Heaven, Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Lightning. In the language of modern physics, these translated to the manipulation of Space, Gravity, Ideal Fluids, the Deceleration of Molecular Thermal Motion, the Acceleration of Molecular Thermal Motion, and Electromagnetic Force.
There was a catch, of course. A Stigmata was merely a genetic shadow, a poor substitute for a genuine Herrscher core. The raw output power it could generate was vastly inferior to the real thing, meaning the actual performance of these Authorities was severely bottlenecked.
However, Rovel possessed the perfect solution to bypass this limitation.
The mysterious energy of Taiyi resting within his body could act as a catalyst. By using the Stigmata as a medium, Taiyi could forcibly activate the dormant concepts, granting him the true Authority. In simpler terms, once Rovel channeled Taiyi through the Six Realms, he would no longer be restricted by the Stigmata's pathetic output ceiling. His mastery over the elements would be limited only by his own expanding stamina and strength.
If he continued to grow, pushing his physical and spiritual limits, his control over these Authorities could theoretically surpass that of an actual Herrscher.
Yet, reflecting on his recent experiments, Rovel realized he had started down the wrong path.
He had already managed to grasp the Authorities of Wood and Quantum, but his natural compatibility with them was frustratingly low. He had tested the Wood Authority in private. While he could successfully manifest thick, creeping thorns similar to Yuna's abilities, the energy consumption was catastrophic. It drained him too quickly to be viable in a prolonged battle.
The Quantum Authority was equally underwhelming in his hands. It allowed him to shift his body into a quantum state, phasing through reality to teleport short distances. But he lacked the monstrous processing power of the beast Vishnu. He could not vanish instantly and reappear several kilometers away. He was restricted to tactical, short-range blinks.
However, when he had briefly activated the Heaven aspect of the Six Realms, the spatial manipulation had triggered an inexplicable sense of familiarity deep within his bones. It felt as natural as breathing, much like his initial affinity for water.
Based on that sensation, Rovel deduced his next optimal move. He needed to focus entirely on awakening the Authority of Space. Once he mastered it, the Taiyi energy within him might undergo a deep evolution.
As for the dormant Xuanyuan Sword currently resting in his inventory... it remained entirely lifeless. He had hoped that acquiring the Ji Lin Stigmata would trigger a resonance, forcing the ancient blade to awaken. Instead, it remained as cold and silent as a block of dead iron.
"I see. That is really a pity," Mei sighed, her shoulders dropping a fraction. "I was looking forward to meeting her."
'Uh... she probably has absolutely zero desire to meet you,' Rovel thought, keeping his expression perfectly neutral. He did not dare voice that thought aloud. Knowing Yuki's fiercely protective and territorial nature, there was a very high chance she would literally hiss like an angry cat the moment she laid eyes on Mei.
Actually, no. She would definitely hiss.
"Next time. There will always be a next time," Rovel offered, giving Mei a comforting, soft smile.
The heavy wooden doors to the courtyard slid open. "We have returned!" Himeko's boisterous voice echoed through the room. She and Fu Hua stepped inside, bringing a gust of crisp winter air with them. Himeko was carrying two massive plastic bags loaded to the brim with clinking beer cans. The fiery redhead looked entirely prepared to drink herself into a stupor tonight.
Fu Hua stepped in quietly behind her. Her sharp gaze immediately darted toward Rovel. A sudden thought seemed to cross her mind, causing her to stiffen. She quickly pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and lowered her head. A faint, uncharacteristic flush crept up the tips of her ears. She stared intently at the tips of her shoes, remaining completely silent.
"Perfect timing. The New Year's Eve dinner is just about ready," Mei announced, clapping her hands together with a warm smile. "Everyone, let us gather around the table."
They arranged themselves around the large, circular dining table, the spread of steaming Shenzhou delicacies filling the room with a mouthwatering aroma. Outside the windows, the first brilliant streaks of fireworks shot into the air, exploding in vibrant blooms of crimson and gold, illuminating the sprawling night sky of Shenzhou.
"To the new year!" Himeko declared, aggressively cracking open a cold can of beer and thrusting it into the air. "Cheers!"
"Hold on, Himeko. Are you not going to tell us what your New Year's wish is?" Theresa asked, blinking her large blue eyes in confusion.
"Oh? We are doing that kind of sentimental segment?" Himeko laughed loudly, waving her hand dismissively. "Fine then! Let us celebrate the tragedy of me getting another year older!"
"What kind of depressing wish is that?" Theresa huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "Did your wishes in the past not always involve finding a handsome—mmpf!"
Before the principal could finish exposing her desperate dating history, Himeko swiftly snatched a bitter melon dumpling from a nearby plate and shoved it directly into Theresa's mouth, silencing her instantly.
"My turn!" Kiana jumped up, raising her glass of juice high. "My New Year's wish is to finally become an A-rank Valkyrie! Oh, and to track down my stinky dad as soon as possible!"
"Bronya's wish," the small Russian girl spoke up, her voice quiet but resolute, "is to be able to reunite with the people who are most important to her."
"My... my wish," Mei stammered softly, her cheeks dusting with a pretty shade of pink. She turned her head, her gaze locking onto Rovel sitting beside her. "I wish that Rovel has a safe, smooth, and healthy year ahead."
"Tsk..." Himeko clicked her tongue, her expression souring as she witnessed the sickeningly sweet atmosphere. She pointed her beer can directly at Rovel, her eyes narrowing in a clear warning. "Listen here, brat. It is New Year's Eve. We have a strict ban on public displays of affection at this table. Mei saying it is one thing, but if you open your mouth and say something cheesy like wishing for Mei's eternal happiness, I am going to be very unhappy."
Rovel chuckled, shaking his head. His expression slowly shifted, the playful amusement fading into a look of quiet, unwavering resolve. "Alright, I will spare you. My wish... is to possess the absolute power required to protect everyone sitting at this table, and everyone I hold dear."
"I..." Fu Hua murmured, her voice barely rising above the crackle of the fireworks outside. She adjusted her glasses, staring into her tea. "I hope for everlasting peace in Shenzhou."
Having finally swallowed the bitter melon dumpling, Theresa slammed her small hands onto the table. "My wish is to finally grow taller next year!"
Himeko burst into laughter, nearly spilling her beer. "Theresa, seriously? How many consecutive decades have you been making that exact same wish? Has it ever worked even once?"
"That is absolutely none of your business!" Theresa shrieked, her face instantly flushing as bright red as the fireworks outside.
Rovel smiled, looking around the table at the chaotic, warm, and vibrant family he had found himself a part of. He raised his glass one final time, his voice cutting through the laughter.
"Then, finally... For all that is beautiful in the world! Cheers!"
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]