Chapter 240: What's the shortest path to becoming a girl's emotional pillar?
Cheng Tian and Aileen indeed had a tacit understanding. With just a look, Cheng Mouren knew Aileen had something to say, so the two of them found a casual excuse and left the 'pure prison style' personal space one after another.
The two of them held their drink cans like they were smoking outside a shop, watching the increasing crowds come and go as the main quest returned.
"So, the culprit who massacred Mina Majikina's hometown village is..."
"Yes, it's that little thing called Chablis."
"Hiss—"
Although she had already guessed some things, Aileen still couldn't help but gasp when she heard the affirmative answer from Cheng Tian.
At the same time, she became even more convinced that Cheng Tian's origins were absolutely special.
However, Aileen had no intention of digging deeper into this. Even if Cheng Tian truly didn't mind, she wouldn't actively inquire about such a sensitive topic in Heaven's Chosen Space.
Maintaining a certain distance and private space between both parties was the secret to a better relationship, whether it was friends, comrades, lovers, or parents. At least, that's what Aileen believed.
"As far as I know, that little thing also has a demonic form with an evil aura, or perhaps a demonized guardian deity form. When it transforms into that state, it goes berserk and attacks others. Whether someone is manipulating it from behind, I don't know, but it's definitely the one that destroyed that dark-skinned girl's hometown."
Cheng Tian also chose to spoil it directly, completely unreserved.
"So, killing it means completing the Bronze Side Quest?"
Aileen opened her panel and saw that the quest clue hadn't updated, but she didn't question Cheng Tian. Instead, she continued to ask.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Tian shook his head upon hearing this.
"You might not know how important that Chablis is in the dark-skinned girl's heart. It's already at the level of an emotional pillar. In this situation, if she were to know that Chablis is her enemy, then there would most likely only be one outcome."
"What outcome?"
"After the dark-skinned girl kills Chablis and completes her revenge, she will commit suicide to fulfill her vow to 'be with Chablis forever.'"
"...Is this woman that extreme?"
Aileen couldn't help but pinch her forehead, feeling the difficulty of the matter, and at the same time, she directly confirmed that Cheng Tian possessed relevant information about Samurai Shodown Zero.
This 'be with Chablis forever' vow was something Aileen only learned just before forming a contract with Mina. For Cheng Tian to say it so smoothly and be so certain of Mina and Chablis dying together in the future, it was no longer something that could be explained by 'gambling.'
Now the enemy target was locked, but the enemy was also an emotional anchor. This awkward situation was truly too rare.
"Logically speaking, the Space wouldn't give a completely unsolvable quest... Cheng, give me your brilliant insight."
Unable to think of a reliable solution for a moment, Aileen directly threw the problem back to Cheng Tian.
"Uh, two ways."
Cheng Tian held up two fingers.
"One is to let her know Chablis's true identity as the culprit, and then have someone else kill Chablis. This way, while getting revenge, a part of the dark-skinned girl's desire for revenge can be transferred to someone else. In this situation, the dark-skinned girl won't seek death before a second revenge."
"That's a temporary solution, next."
Aileen directly gave a thumbs-down gesture.
"The other one requires your effort."
Cheng Tian smiled at Aileen with a hint of mischief.
"Me?"
Aileen looked puzzled.
"Simply put, it's about using your position in the dark-skinned girl's heart to replace Chablis as her emotional pillar. Then Chablis will only be left with the attribute of an enemy. At that point, even if you kill it, there won't be any 'death pact' consequences."
As soon as Cheng Tian finished speaking, Aileen let out a soft 'ah.'
Because her Bronze Side Quest had already updated its conditions.
[Bronze Side Quest Clue Updated.]
["The Lonely Demon Slayer" — Exclusive Quest, Cross-Instance Quest. You have learned from others that the culprit who massacred "Mina Majikina's" hometown is her companion spirit, "Chablis," who is also her emotional pillar. Due to the dual attributes of enemy and emotional pillar, and the vow to "be together forever," when Chablis dies for any reason, Mina Majikina will choose to follow her to the grave.
What you need to do is to hide the secret of the culprit while raising your personal reputation with Mina Majikina or another individual to "Worship," replacing Chablis's position as her emotional pillar. Afterward, assist Mina Majikina in killing Chablis and completing her revenge.]
[Quest Hint: Friendly interactions with Mina Majikina as a subordinate unit, gifting equipment, taking her on main/side/bounty quests, etc., will increase her corresponding personal reputation value; performing actions that severely conflict with her personal will, or causing her death, etc., will decrease her corresponding personal reputation value.]
Looking at her updated Bronze Side Quest clue, Aileen's mouth remained agape for a long time.
She hadn't expected that this crucial information, which would have originally required entering the Samurai Shodown Zero instance an unknown number of times, was directly revealed by Cheng Tian.
Furthermore, the solution he provided was almost directly thrown into the clue update after a slight modification and refinement of the rules, and it even clearly stated the completion conditions.
After much thought, Aileen could only throw this sentence at Cheng Tian in the end:
"You're truly awesome."
The two of them returned to Cheng Tian's 'pure prison style' personal space, and during their absence, the dark-skinned girl and the beautiful woman had silently entered a frantic eating mode.
Bazett simply wanted to eat. For her, taste was secondary, nutrition first. As long as it filled her stomach, even the toothpaste-like compressed food from space, she could eat it.
Mina, on the other hand, somewhat turned her grief into appetite, trying to suppress the mental trauma caused by recalling the tragic state of her village with food.
At this moment, Aileen was in a brainstorming state.
Aileen noticed a key point in the quest description: it stated that replacing Chablis as the dark-skinned girl's emotional pillar was the core objective of this Bronze Side Quest, but it wasn't, as Cheng Tian said, something only she could accomplish.
Theoretically, if someone else's personal reputation reached 'Worship,' it could also satisfy the condition for replacing the emotional pillar.
And under the influence of hormones, the rate of emotional warming between lovers was clearly much faster and more intense than between friends.
However, there was still a relatively big problem: Mina Majikina strongly disliked men. Although she could maintain superficial communication, deep down, she rejected them.
Does it have to end up like QQ Space? I don't want that!
Although girls are soft and fragrant, that's nice too, but I'm straight! I don't have that preference at all!
Thinking of this, Aileen couldn't help but scratch her head, feeling increasingly headache-y... Then her gaze involuntarily fixed on Bazett, who possessed both feminine grace and masculine heroism.