"When I left Inazuma, the Delusion I used had drained so much of my life force that I collapsed on Yashiori Island. When I woke up, I saw an Abyss Mage and, terrified, I desperately fled..."
"After escaping, I encountered more monsters. An Abyss Herald rescued me, and it was then that I learned I had been saved by them. He told me their Order was no longer called the Abyss and had no connection to it; they were now the Chaos Order."
"Aether..." Lumine whispered, realizing it was Aether who had saved Chu Xi!
"What happened next? Why did you become like this?"
Chu Xi: "Lumine, do you remember what I wrote in the letter I left for you back then?"
Lumine nodded, and Chu Xi continued:
"I went to find the Doctor. I wanted him to make me stronger, no matter the cost! The Doctor took me to an experimental facility where I saw many test subjects like me, but unlike me, none of them were there willingly."
"I saw their pain and fear. I offered myself as a condition for the Doctor to release many of them, and he agreed."
"He began conducting transformation experiments on me. I never imagined the pain would be so excruciating. Through repeated experiments, my mind was tormented to the brink of collapse, and the Doctor gradually replaced my limbs with mechanical ones..."
As she spoke, Chu Xi's eyes filled with anguish. Even now, recalling that hellish scene still filled her with terror.
"I used to think that even though the Doctor wasn't a good person, he wouldn't break his word. But I never imagined he would try to erase my consciousness!"
Lumine's delicate face turned icy cold. "Erase?!"
Chu Xi nodded. "Yes, but he ultimately failed. It seems erasing my consciousness would require destroying this entire body!"
"The Doctor had invested considerable effort in this body and refused to abandon it. So he transplanted a sliver of his own consciousness into it, attempting to seize control of it."
"I couldn't fight him off. I could only watch helplessly as he claimed this body for himself."
Chu Xi kept emphasizing her current body, perhaps because she herself understood that, having been transformed into this form, she was no longer her former self.
"Fortunately, the fragment of consciousness controlling this body was from the Doctor's younger days," Chu Xi explained. "He was antisocial and didn't follow the Doctor's Plan, which is why..."
...which is why I was able to kill him, she thought, but of course, she couldn't say that to Lumine.
Lumine looked at the foolish girl before her with pity, while Paimon remained silent, not saying a word.
"The Doctor is now wanted in Fontaine," Lumine declared. "He won't have an easy time. If I ever run into him again, I'll help you teach him a lesson!"
Lumine now possessed considerable confidence. Her strength far surpassed what it had been on her original path—strength was her confidence.
In the past, she would never have dared speak of seeking revenge against the Second Seat of the Fatui. After all, it was rumored that the Top Three Harbingers wielded divine power on par with gods!
Chu Xi felt a surge of gratitude. Lumine is still Lumine, she thought. But Paimon... she seems much more withdrawn than before...
Chu Xi: "It's alright, Lumine. Even though the journey was rough, at least I now have full control of this body and possess a certain level of strength. That was my original goal anyway, so rounding up, wouldn't you say I've succeeded?"
Lumine remained worried. That "Doctor" was a formidable opponent; he might still have some tricks up his sleeve.
"Chu Xi, you're coming with us to Sumeru tomorrow. We'll ask Greater Lord Rukkhadevata to examine you and see if the Doctor left any hidden mechanisms in your body. That way we can all rest assured."
Before Chu Xi could reply, Lumine quickly added, "No refusing!"
Chu Xi: "Alright, Lumine. I'll do as you say."
Lumine pulled two large bottles of black liquid from her spatial storage and slammed them onto the table with a thud.
"What's this...?"
"It's called Metal Maintenance Fluid. It's a lubricant and can also be applied to metal surfaces. It's commonly used by the Fontaine Security Agency. Since you're a robot now, Chu Xi, we figured you might find it useful."
Lumine and Paimon looked at Chu Xi with eager anticipation.
Chu Xi: "..."
After flexing her metal arms and legs, she wondered if she even needed the maintenance fluid.
The mechanisms that comprised her body were different, clearly far more advanced.
Still, not wanting to disappoint Lumine and Paimon, Chu Xi decided to pour some of the fluid onto her arm.
She poured a bit into the cap, then poured the liquid onto her right hand before rubbing it onto her left arm.
Hmm? This scent... it smells... kind of pleasant?
"Lumine, Paimon, come smell this. It actually smells pretty nice."
"Nice?"
Paimon flew over and sniffed the open bottle, wrinkling her tiny nose as she recoiled.
"Ugh, it's kind of pungent..."
Paimon mumbled. There was a hint of fragrance, but mostly it smelled pungent—the kind of scent that would become unpleasant after prolonged exposure.
"Pungent?"
Chu Xi poured another capful, brought it to her nose, and inhaled deeply. She still found it quite fragrant.
Slurp, slurp~
Startled by the strange sound, Lumine looked up and saw Chu Xi drinking the maintenance fluid.
Lumine: "!!!"
Lumine and Paimon's faces instantly crumpled into dumpling-like frowns.
"Chu... Chu Xi, you..."
Chu Xi ignored them, picked up the bottle, and tilted it to her lips.
Glug, glug, glug—
She chugged down half the bottle and let out a satisfied burp.
"Delicious!"
"Delicious???"
Paimon thought she must have misheard earlier and leaned closer to sniff again. This time, she was certain: this stuff was definitely not meant to be drunk!
"Chu Xi, are you sure you're okay? Do you feel any discomfort?"
Chu Xi: "Nope, I feel great! This stuff makes a fantastic drink. Thanks, you two! I love it!"
Lumine: "If you like it, that's all that matters!"
Chu Xi carefully stored the remaining bottle and a half, stood up, and stretched her joints.
Noticing the faint glow emanating from Chu Xi's arm, Lumine grew curious about the energy source powering her body and voiced her question aloud.
"Energy source? Do you mean this?"
Chu Xi pointed to her chest, where a glowing circular ring was embedded.
"I don't know what this is," Chu Xi said, "but I rely on it for almost every mission. Let me show it to you."
Chu Xi removed the core of the ring from her chest.
"It's purple, and it feels similar to a Delusion, but also different. It should... it... should..."
Before she could finish, Chu Xi collapsed.
"Chu Xi!" Lumine exclaimed, startled, and quickly pressed the core back into Chu Xi's chest.
The core automatically snapped into place, and Chu Xi was back on her feet in no time.
Lumine frowned. "Chu Xi, you can't be so careless next time! How could you just take out something so important?"
"But you wanted to see it, Lumine," Chu Xi protested.
Lumine sighed helplessly. "I didn't want to see it. I just... ugh... just promise you won't take it off for anyone, okay? Not even me."
"Okay, okay," Chu Xi replied.