"Masked Fool... Lynelle, is that Mr. Giovanni really a member of the Masked Fools?"
After Giovanni finished explaining the tournament rules and left, March 7th immediately asked curiously.
"Yep, that's right. He's probably the most flamboyant Masked Fool in the entire cosmos. A wealthy merchant from the Epsilon Star System, a famous investor... nobody knows just how deep his pockets really are... Oh, and if you're not familiar with Epsilon, let me give you a little hint."
Lynelle struck a familiar pose.
"That guy who's always in those scam videos, the one singing songs? He's from that star system."
"Tch, that suddenly makes so much sense…"
Stelle, who'd been tricked by Lynelle several times already, couldn't help but complain: "By the way, so what he said earlier about there being more than three Masked Fools in Belobog right now... is that true too?"
"It's true."
Lynelle nodded. "One is him. Another is that 'Sparkle' who impersonated Topaz to trick us before."
"As for the other two... One, I'm not really in a position to name, and the other... will absolutely not be showing themselves to you."
"Anyway, even though the Masked Fools might have a… less-than-stellar reputation, the Path of Elation is actually a positive Path... You don't need to worry about them causing any real damage to Belobog."
"Alright, let's not dwell on that then."
March 7th looked at her Aether Coin, a bit troubled. "But, according to Mr. Giovanni..."
"To enter the Interastral Tournament Festival, we first need to collect all the badges from the four Victory Zones... Only then do we qualify for the finals."
"But these four parks are so far apart! The two local to Belobog are one thing, but why is one on the Xianzhou and the other on Herta Space Station... Is this route even feasible for a regular person?"
"Is it possible that we aren't exactly regular people to begin with?"
Stelle placed her hands on her hips. "We have the Space Anchors!"
"Actually, this is probably a filtering method, right? To screen the participants who can make it to the finals... And maybe it's a special requirement Mr. Giovanni set because he knows we're Trailblazers?"
Lynelle guessed.
"But... I might have a bit of a workaround."
"Eh?"
March 7th's eyes lit up. "Do tell?"
"We split up. Giovanni wants Stelle to challenge all the parks in order, partly to let her get familiar with the game and train up powerful Aether Spirits, and partly probably because he wants us to find out the origins of that mysterious Trotter Aether Spirit."
"My abilities happen to allow me to directly investigate that Trotter's situation. As for the Aether Spirits... 'Choo Choo' could probably sweep the tournament even without any training. So, how about I handle one of the more difficult Victory Zones for you guys first?"
"Uh, well..."
March 7th glanced around and lowered her voice. "Isn't that against the rules?"
"Relax, you gotta have faith in Stelle's abilities, and also in the effects of my authority~"
Lynelle winked playfully. "Slipping past the Company's anti-cheat to tweak some data and transfer the badges I earn to you is a piece of cake."
"Oh, and take this."
As she said this, Lynelle suddenly seemed to remember something. She pulled a black card from her pocket and shoved it into March 7th's hand.
"It's that black card you used in Beloborg for quick decryption. I upgraded it a bit. Now it should work on most common mechanisms over on the Xianzhou too."
"It works on Xianzhou mechanisms?"
Before March could even speak, Stelle keenly captured Lynelle's implication: "Lynelle, are you planning to solo the Victory Zone on Herta Space Station?"
"Bingo!"
Lynelle grinned, her eyes curving into happy crescents.
"Really?"
Stelle's expression turned strange. "You're not planning to... seduce Herta, are you?"
"Eek! I-Is that a topic for public discussion?!"
March 7th let out a gasp. "Wait, did I just hear something I shouldn't have?"
"First of all, a mere badge isn't worth that much trouble."
Lynelle held up a finger. "Secondly..."
"Hehe, since little March has discovered the secret, I have no choice but to capture the adorable little March and lock her in the basement too~?"
"Ah! I'm so scared..."
March 7th deadpanned, utterly devoid of emotion.
"Careful, or this lady will bring out her hidden power to deal with you! Not that I actually know what that hidden power is yet..."
"Anyway, leave Herta Space Station to me. You guys handle the remaining three tasks."
Lynelle tossed the Aether Coin containing Choo Choo in her hand. "Just leave the Space Station to me~"
--+--
One hour later.
"So..."
Herta Space Station, Main Control Room.
Madam Herta, while idly squeezing the soft, pale cheeks of the pink-haired bundle curled up in her lap, said with utter deadpan, "This is your method for exchanging badges?"
"Yep."
Lynelle, nuzzling contentedly against Herta's chest, replied with satisfaction.
"In the digital realm, which Aether Spirit could possibly beat me... Ah, no, shouldn't say it like that."
"Let's say, as one who walks against the current version's meta, the strength I have today is all thanks to my own hard work. It has nothing to do with Aether Spirit stats."
Herta nearly laughed out loud. "'Walks against the current version's meta?' How interesting..."
"This little fellow of yours is quite cute, though... Why is it constantly pawing at my boot?"
"Probably thinks you're bullying me."
Lynelle spouted nonsense with a serious face. "In situations like this, all it takes is for me to bully you back a little, and Choo Choo will understand what's really going on."
"?"
Herta's eyebrow twitched slightly. "It seems letting you run around everywhere lately has made you a bit too bold... I simply must punish you now."
"Eh? Wait, Choo Choo is still watching... Mmnhm~"
"Choo? Choo Choo?"
Seeing her owner suddenly come under various attacks from this flat-chested woman, even starting to let out "pained" cries, Choo Choo quickly scurried out, trying to find some reinforcements for its master.
"Alright, little one, no more running around."
It was promptly caught by another petite figure.
"Don't worry, your owner's fine. They aren't really fighting... Well, you could call it a type of fight, I suppose."
"Choo? Choo Choo?"
"Just stay put with me for a while."
Silver Wolf, who was about to turn into a lonely frog, sighed. "Honestly, how did I end up getting force-fed premium dog food just coming here to urge for an update..."
--+--
Two hours later, Lynelle, now changed into a new dress and white thigh-highs, walked weakly out of Herta's office and back to her own room.
This time, Herta was the one who lost control! It definitely wasn't my fault! I'll win for sure next time!
Lynelle comforted herself.
"Hey, you're back?"
However, when Lynelle returned to her dorm, an uninvited guest was already waiting for her in the room.
"Silver Wolf?"
"That's me... What, not welcome?"
Silver Wolf was sitting at Lynelle's computer desk, legs crossed, playing a game quite comfortably.
"Of course you're welcome, but... Silver Wolf, what are you doing here?"
"I'm an Aetherium Wars player too, naturally I need to collect badges... Don't worry, don't give me that look. I'm not cheating."
"Really?"
Lynelle's lips twitched, pointing at the "stick figure" being wall-hacked through several buildings on her computer screen. "Then what's this..."
"This is called 'Perseverance and Effort.'"
"Huh?"
"Ahem..."
Quickly ending the match, Silver Wolf cleared her throat. "We can talk about Aetherium Wars later. Actually, I'm here to..."
"Urge for an update?"
Lynelle tilted her head, finishing the sentence first.
"You catch on quick."
Silver Wolf stretched out her hand. "Hey, Lynelle. Your days of delaying updates for Honkai Impact 3rd are over... Give me the game cartridge."
"If you want it, then you'll have to take it. You know the rules."
Lynelle played along perfectly with Silver Wolf's reference and pulled out an Aether Coin.
"Oh? You wanna duel in Aetherium Wars?"
Silver Wolf's interest was immediately piqued. "I've been playing this game for a long time, you know?"
"No problem. I'm a specialist."
Lynelle made a small fist. "Even as one who walks against the meta, I will sweep all opponents with my own skill and prowess!"
"Then..."
Silver Wolf swiftly scooped up the passing Choo Choo. "...You can't use this one."
"Choo Choo?"
Choo Choo shook its head in confusion.
"Uh..."
Lynelle blinked. "You're sure you want to ban my Choo Choo?"
"Absolutely. Don't think I've been idle all this time."
Silver Wolf looked proud. "While you were getting all lovey-dovey with that woman, I was busy analyzing your Choo Choo's data!"
"With those pure stats, forget walking against the meta, even among top-tier Aether Spirits it's firmly in the 'extra large' category... So, banned!"
"Mmm..."
Lynelle tried hard to suppress the rising of the corner of her mouth.
"That's really... well, too bad."
"Oh, Silver Wolf."
Looking at Silver Wolf who had already taken out her Aether Coin, Lynelle suddenly spoke up. "You wouldn't cheat, would you?"
"I don't turn it on when playing with friends, you can rest assured about that."
"No, what I mean is..."
Lynelle pulled out another Aether Coin.
"...If you're not going to cheat, then I will."
"I choose you, Benares!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 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.