How to put it.
Even after Jing Yuan managed to squeeze quite a bit out of Jingliu, successfully giving Bai Heng a taste of the "Aloof Sword Master Falls for Me" experience...
Well, in the end, Bai Heng just didn't have the stomach for living off someone else.
It was like that Snow King tea drink—drinking it would make him miserable for a day, but not drinking it would leave him restless for a whole week.
That feeling was just like a novelist writing a story—putting words on the page might be agony for a day, but not writing made him feel like ants were crawling all over his body.
So, after lazing around for a few days, he reluctantly opened up his little shop again.
Sigh, guess some folks are just fated to be commoners, unable to handle such overwhelming fortune.
As for Jingliu, the former Sword Champion of the Luofu, after returning to her homeland, she did exactly as she told Jing Yuan she would and settled down temporarily on the Luofu.
During the day, she would practice her sword at the training grounds. As dusk approached, she would always appear before Bai Heng, stepping on the fading light of the sunset, and softly say:
"I'm back."
Life was simple, yet warm.
But within that warmth lingered a sense of crisis.
Glancing at his Jade Abacus, Bai Heng wore a troubled expression.
The latest message on his terminal was, of course, from Firefly.
But the emoticon sent by this lady, who was out on a mission, sent chills down his spine.
[Firefly: Smile.JPG]
It said nothing, and yet it said everything...
If things got really bad, maybe he should just lay low for a while?
The thought had barely crossed his mind before Bai Heng shook his head, dismissing it.
As a certain flashy bottle-tossing young man once said:
"A hero never runs!"
Debts had to be repaid. Even if what lay ahead was a blazing, fiery battlefield of emotions, he had to face it with the courage of a true champion~
So!
To better prepare for the terrifying emotional battlefield that awaited him...
There was only one thing to do...
"Simulation—start!"
[Knifing Simulator initialization complete. Proceed?]
"Yes."
--+--
[Random entries generated. Please select three entry talents to begin the simulation.]
[Delicate Southern Frame (⭐): As everyone knows, the Southern Dynasty's end was the Northern Dynasty. Your appearance will be soft and slender, and your charm will receive a slight boost. Choose carefully.]
--+--
Bai Heng: ???
Starting off with something this heavy right out the gate?
--+--
[Innate Elegance (⭐⭐): Elegance is an art carved into your bones. Your demeanor leaves a deeply beautiful impression.]
[Nicotine (⭐⭐): Cigarettes keep your mind sharp and calm, while also significantly reducing your stress levels.]
[Word Sorcery (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐): Under specific conditions, words can become lethal weapons—and you are a master of this art.]
[Gun-Kata (⭐⭐⭐⭐): The moment a shooter fires, a rapid flick of the wrist can make the bullet curve! You are also highly skilled in combining blades with firearms.]
--+--
Well now, another episode of crystal-clear choices.
Looking over the randomly generated entries, Bai Heng clicked his tongue.
Compared to the entries from the last simulation, while there was only one 5-star entry—Word Sorcery—in terms of versatility, this batch wasn't much worse.
Both Gun-Kata and Nicotine offered solid, tangible improvements.
Without much hesitation, Bai Heng made his choice.
"Select Word Sorcery, Gun-Kata, and Nicotine as this simulation's entries."
--+--
[Ding, entries confirmed. Loading simulation...]
[Simulation loading complete...]
[Initiating consciousness transfer. Generating corresponding scenario...]
--+--
As the system's voice echoed, Bai Heng felt as if he were enveloped by an intense drowsiness.
Even his consciousness began to drift away, bit by bit.
Pteruges-V.
Amber Era, 2098th Cycle. This planet was rated by the Interastral Peace Corporation as one of the most chaotic planets in the universe, with a livability rating of: D-Class.
This was a world corrupted by a Stellaron.
Humans living here for extended periods would gradually lose their sense of fear, becoming dominated by desire and pleasure, transforming into demons.
Here, money could buy you anything to satisfy your every need.
Extended lifespan, enhanced strength, or even—a living, breathing life.
In his ears were the piercing sounds of crying and ugly curses.
The air carried the nauseating stench of garbage and filth.
But to all of this, the young Kafka had long grown accustomed.
The number of children locked up with her dwindled day by day. Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after, it would be her turn to disappear.
Yet, there was no panic in her amethyst eyes—only a hollow stare through the prison bars, fixed on the pale blue sky.
There was a time when Kafka, too, had yearned for freedom.
But on Pteruges-V, this land of drowning desires, the word "freedom" was far too distant for a powerless child.
So distant that she no longer held any hope.
She was merely a leaf fallen into a rushing current, unable to choose her own future. And even if she could, all those futures would invariably lead to a ruinous death.
All Kafka could do was curl her small body up in the corner of the dark cell, seeking whatever warmth she could muster.
But as the saying goes, when you are at your loneliest, your most hopeless, a door will suddenly open beside you.
After groping in the darkness for who knows how long, ten-year-old Kafka finally welcomed the first ray of light in her life.
...BOOM!
A violent explosion tore open the doors of the dark warehouse. Flames and blinding sunlight together chased away all the shadows within.
It also made Kafka, so long accustomed to the dark, instinctively squint.
But she still saw it.
Saw a scene she could scarcely believe.
In the warehouse, shrouded in dust thick as fog, a tall, lean figure stepped inside, stride by stride.
Though surrounded by ferocious humanoid demons, his steps remained as casual as a stroll, as if he were not walking into a circle of demons, but a crowded shopping street.
And in the next moment, as the figure slowly exhaled a faint wisp of blue smoke, he unhurriedly drew the long blade at his waist, and then...
...unleashed carnage!
Blood and blade gleams intertwined. The demons' shrieks, the roar of firearms—all of it should have struck overwhelming fear into the young Kafka's heart.
Yet that didn't happen.
Gripping the cold bars of her cell tightly, Kafka's amethyst eyes were fixed on the scene unfolding before her.
The demons falling, their howls of agony, the splattering blood—the very scene she had dreamed of, day and night, was finally happening!
Each moment made her small heart beat faster and faster.
It wasn't until a pleasant scent of tobacco wafted across her face that Kafka snapped out of her daze.
And in that moment, she finally got a clear look at the figure.
It was a man clad in a black overcoat, his face sharply defined and stern, his dark eyes holding a certain murkiness. He carried the distinct scent of cigarettes—pleasant, not pungent.
Upon seeing her, the man grinned.
"Well now, not a bad look in your eyes, kid. Wanna come with me?"
--+--
T/N: If i had a nickel for every hsr simulator fic i read had a simulation where Kafka is adopted, id have two.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.