"Che, that foreign goddess… every move she makes is so dramatic. She's like a monster with divine powers. Total foul play." Ishtar's face soured.
Amber blinked. "?"
"She's one of the Three Goddess Alliance," Ishtar clarified. "Completely insufferable."
Amber still looked puzzled.
Ishtar smirked. "Ah, so that guy hasn't told you anything. Figures. You're not really on Uruk's side, are you?"
Amber didn't flinch. "I haven't pledged to Uruk. But it's my duty to guard the fire of human civilization."
Ishtar's gaze lingered, then softened. "Well..I don't hate your type I supposed."
She turned away, then added with rare seriousness, "If you exist to protect humans, then don't help them without asking for anything."
Amber made a listening gesture.
"Unconditional help breeds dependence," Ishtar said. "Like domestic cats forgetting how to hunt. Humans are worse. They fall faster."
Amber considered this. "So… that's why you took the gems?"
"That's right." Ishtar shrugged.
"In other words, you helped without asking for anything."
"Uh…" Ishtar froze, then flailed. "That's none of your business! Questioning a goddess is punishable!"
Amber couldn't help but picture Rin Tohsaka again. She quickly shoved the thought aside—but the resemblance was undeniable.
Still, she had to admit: she liked Ishtar's presence.
Fu Hua, watching quietly from within Yu Du Chen, understood the truth. She'd once protected China so thoroughly that it dulled the nation's will to fight Honkai. By the time she realized, the Mandate of Heaven had monopolized the resistance.
Amber's portrayal of the Red Kite Immortal wasn't Fu Hua's own—but it was the idealized version Amber needed. And Fu Hua, now in a state of unprecedented clarity thanks to the complete Yu Du Chen, saw no need to correct her.
Amber wasn't imitating Fu Hua. She was chasing the image of strength she longed for.
Back in the temple, Amber knew better than to push a tsundere too far. But she couldn't resist a little teasing.
"Sorry," she said with a smile. "I just didn't expect the famously willful Ishtar to be a goddess who loves humans."
"Ha?! I didn't say that! Don't over-interpret me!" Ishtar flailed dramatically.
Amber relented, waving her hand—and summoned a pile of Star Stones, four to five thousand strong.
Ishtar's eyes sparkled. Too good to resist.
Amber had only meant to deliver the gems, but she'd glimpsed something more in Ishtar. Curious, she asked Fu Hua for permission to linger.
[Daily practice is essential. But skipping one night of extra training won't hurt.]
With Fu Hua's approval, Amber turned back. "About that 'business' you mentioned earlier… would you mind explaining?"
Ishtar blinked, then looked away. "It's not a big deal! This goddess can handle it herself!"
Amber sensed the shift. Ishtar didn't want to talk. She'd invited a guest into her temple, but now she felt exposed.
Amber nodded. "Okay. I'll take my leave."
Ishtar watched her go, relieved.
Say what? To a foreign goddess I just met? "Oh, it's nothing—just lost my most powerful treasure, ho ho ho…"
No. Absolutely not.
Amber, meanwhile, had already calmed down. Her "day off" hadn't gone as planned, but she wouldn't waste it.
She knew cultivation was important—but she didn't feel it yet. With Fu Hua supporting her, the desperation was gone.
Fu Hua understood. Amber was seventeen physically, maybe thirteen mentally. She knew what was happening, but not why. She knew right from wrong, but not what it meant.
She'd grown up with illness and absence. No setbacks, no discipline. No practice habits. A full debuff build.
Fu Hua sighed inwardly.
But it didn't matter. Their fates were now intertwined.
And Fu Hua would see this girl grow—until she could stand on her own.