"I was so stupid, really..."
"I knew perfectly well that equipment shatters if an enhancement fails past +12, but I still couldn't control my hands..."
Qingque slumped in front of the cold Enhancement Furnace, her eyes staring hollowly into the empty chamber. It was as if her entire world had been drained of color, leaving her looking utterly broken and tragically delectable.
Lost miserably, friend!
As soon as Fuli rushed over and saw her posture, along with the faint wisp of black smoke drifting from the top of the furnace, he immediately realized what had happened.
In the past, a certain unbelieving Bronya used to sneakily enhance her gear in private too. After shattering over a dozen of her beloved items, she honestly started bribing Kiana with snacks to do it for her.
Fu Xuan, who arrived a few steps behind him, also noticed the abnormality with the Enhancement Furnace. An ominous premonition rose in her heart, and her tone carried an imperceptible trace of sternness. "Qingque? Are you alright? What just happened?"
If the General finds out I accidentally shattered my divination tool while enhancing it, she'll kill me! She'll definitely kill me!
Driven by this sheer terror, the Little Sparrow did a kip-up and leaped to her feet. The despairing expression that made one want to bully her was instantly replaced by her usual breezy, carefree smile.
"Ah? N-Nothing! Nothing happened at all!"
In her heart, however, she was bleeding: Goodbye, my good partner who accompanied me for so long!
"As long as you are fine."
Fu Xuan's gaze lingered on her forced smile for a moment, clearly having realized something.
But since the members of Hyperion were all present, it wasn't appropriate to have a fit on the spot. She could only turn around and change the subject. "Everyone, shall we continue?"
"Alright."
Bronya nodded and continued to lead the way ahead with Mei.
Kiana skipped after them. Just as Fuli, who was at the back of the group, was about to step forward, his thigh suddenly sank. A subtle, soft, and squishy sensation rubbed against his pant leg.
Looking down, Qingque had somehow hugged his leg at some unknown point. Her small face was tilted up, looking at him with big, watery puppy-dog eyes.
"What is it?"
"Shh—!"
Qingque hurriedly pressed her index finger to her lips, signaling him to keep his voice down.
Once Fu Xuan and the others had walked far away and only the two of them were left in the bridge corridor, the force of her hug on his thigh suddenly increased. Her voice was laced with a distinct sob. "Little Brother Fuli! For the sake of us being neighbors, you have to help me! If this goes on, the General really will throw me into the Scalegorge Waterscape to be torn apart by five dragons!"
"Even if you say that, I can't magically bring back your shattered equipment." Fuli tried to shake his leg with a hint of disgust, but failed to shake her off. "And... neighbors?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Qingque nodded vigorously, her pretty face full of flattery.
The big boy thought for a moment, then it dawned on him. "Oh! You're that older sister next door who never likes going home! No wonder you looked so familiar earlier."
The Little Sparrow had left home to study when she was young, and after graduating, she entered the Luofu's Divination Commission to eat the public grain. Since then, she was constantly nagged by her family about getting married, so she only ever went home during the holidays. Naturally, Fuli wasn't very familiar with her.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The girl said eagerly. "Just for my mom's sake, please, lend your little sis a hand!"
(As for calling herself "little sis" and Fuli "little brother," that was just her personal quirk.)
"Who's to blame for you shattering it yourself? It's not like Kiana didn't warn you earlier. You bet, you accept the loss."
Fuli was also helpless. Other things were fine, but complete sets of divination-combat tools like the Celestial Jade, he didn't have any here.
"It doesn't have to be similar! Anything of roughly the same value that I can take back to report on the mission is fine!" Qingque pleaded urgently, her long eyelashes fluttering with a trace of delicate entreaty.
"Is that so."
Fuli casually tossed the +14 sharp small katana into the Enhancement Furnace. A golden light flashed—the enhancement actually succeeded.
"Wow, my luck is pretty good today."
The boy hesitated for a moment. Recalling the precedent of the Celestial Jade, he still didn't dare to put his Plasma Kagehide into the Enhancement Furnace.
A blank weapon was like a blank piece of paper, easy to draw on. High-level weapons already had ink on them; enhancing them further could easily turn them into a messy doodle.
He took out an unopened HTR Modification Potion and waved it, along with the freshly baked +15 sharp katana, in front of the girl's eyes. "How about this sword and this potion? With good luck, it can directly birth an A-Rank Valkyrie wielding a C-Rank divine weapon."
"Yes, yes! Absolutely yes!"
Qingque's eyes lit up, and she lunged forward to grab them.
Fuli dodged nimbly, and with a loud BANG, she crashed solidly into the alloy wall next to them.
"Ugh..."
The victim clutched her bright red nose and turned around with teary eyes. She looked so pitiful that one couldn't help but want to pull her into a tight embrace and lavish her with affection.
Prisoner Fuli remained unmoved. "I never said I was giving these two things away for free. What are you going to trade for them?"
"Oh my! With our relationship—"
"What relationship? Don't spout nonsense. We are purely innocent neighbors."
Fuli took a vigilant step back, afraid of being extorted by this girl.
"I—!"
Qingque was left speechless. She couldn't exactly say: In the IF-route where you didn't encounter the Honkai, we were destined to become husband and wife, right?
And the probability was so high, it was as if Yue Lao, the God of Marriage, had directly welded them together with handcuffs, and Cupid had tossed his bow and arrow aside, picked up a Maxim machine gun, and just went rat-tat-tat-tat! Emphasizing a match made in heaven, one life, one pair—uh, wait, a trio?
Recalling those rippling images that she had hastily tried to forget after a fleeting glance, even with the Little Sparrow's thick skin, two faint blushes crept up her cheeks.
"Tsk, fine."
She made up her mind and lowered her voice. "I won't hide it from you, Little Brother. Through my divination deductions, I've learned that many criminals bury treasures in various places on the Luofu before going to prison. As long as you help me through my current crisis, during the Wardance Ceremony, I'll take you to dig them up. I guarantee it'll open your eyes!"
Fuli asked in confusion, "Then why don't you just use those things to pay off your debt?"
Qingque wanted to cry but had no tears. "I want to, but the problem is she'll torture me tonight!"
Fuli sighed and casually tossed the items to her. "Forget it. You promise me one thing, and the sword and potion are yours."
"A thing? What thing?" Qingque hugged herself warily. "Let me state upfront, I sell neither my art nor my body!"
"Don't think so dirtily, it's not like I lack beautiful girls around me." Fuli curled his lips in disgust. "I just want you to go home and visit more often when you're free. All those days you're not around, your mom is always missing you."
"Just for this?"
Qingque looked at him in surprise, then looked down at the sword and potion in her arms.
"This is not a small matter." Fuli glared at her. "Aren't you just complaining that the elderly nag too much? Let me tell you, what's wrong with them nagging you to get married?"
I want my elders to nag me about getting married, but I don't even have that luxury!
He fell silent for a moment, an imperceptible loneliness between his brows.
He took out a blank Soul Contract. "I feel like a shameless person like you isn't very reliable. Better sign this. Black and white, to prevent you from reneging on the debt."
"No need, no need, no need!"
Qingque shook her head like a rattle drum, a teasing smile appearing on her face. "Isn't it just going home a few more times? Easy peasy, leave it to me!"
To actually be thinking about my parents—who he doesn't even interact with much—at a time like this... The girl finally understood why her IF-route self would fall for this big boy who was so much younger than her.
Don't assume that just because the Little Sparrow "didn't dislike" Fuli, it meant nothing. Anyone who has dated knows that "acceptable" or "not bad" in the eyes of women and men are completely different concepts.
In a woman's eyes, "not disliking" can already be considered extremely satisfied. Not to mention that Qingque was the high-and-mighty Master Diviner of the Luofu and had seen countless excellent men.
"But for now, forget it," she muttered to herself. "My romantic luck is too strong, too many peach blossom tribulations. It's better for a helpless commoner like me to keep a respectful distance."
"What are you muttering about?"
"Nothing, nothing, nothing! I was just saying you're a really good guy, Little Brother Fuli!"
"Serious question: does this 'Nice Guy' card have a phone number written on the back?"
"Eww! Creep!"
Half an hour later, having tossed about for a whole day, the boys and girls with rumbling stomachs switched their focus and arrived at the spacious and bright dining hall to eat.
After eating and drinking their fill, seeing that the starry sky had already risen outside the window, and under the strong protests of a certain large white cat (Kiana), the remaining tour schedule was postponed until tomorrow.
But post-dinner entertainment was necessary!
Qingque's eyes darted around. She took out an automatic Mahjong table from her subspace storage and enthusiastically invited everyone on the Hyperion to play together.
The already bored Treasure Kiana immediately cheered and joined in. Using her big watery eyes and pouting offensive, she successfully conquered Mei, who originally wanted to go back to her room to read. Adding the final member, Bronya, the Mahjong squad was officially assembled!
And so, the Little Sparrow's nightmare descended.
"They're all the same color! Mei, Mei! Help me see, is this a winning hand?"
"The tiles in my hand are all completely different, this hand is so bad... What does 'Thirteen Orphans' mean?"
"Eh? You can win directly on the first turn as the dealer? Ah-Li, did you say this is called a 'Heavenly Hand'?"
Half an hour later, as the initiator of the activity, all the light had completely faded from Qingque's eyes. She slumped in her chair, unconsciously humming an off-key dirge.
"We are all trying so hard to play... I've tried so hard, why won't my hand win?"
Kiana, on the other hand, indicated she didn't understand. Go talk to my Nine Gates, Big Four Winds, Big Three Dragons, Four Concealed Triplets Single Wait, and Rinshan Kaihou!
To be fair, regarding her subordinate's obsession with Mahjong, Fu Xuan had always heavily disapproved.
But since Qingque's work ability was indeed outstanding, she could only turn a blind eye.
However, looking at the scene before her, she even wished Kiana and the others would play with Qingque for three days and three nights straight, completely beating the gambling addiction out of the little addict.
To this end, the girl even dragged Fuli—who wanted Kiana to hold back a bit—to the bridge, preventing him from ruining her good deed.
"That's too cruel!"
Hearing the General's reasoning, Prisoner Fuli was filled with righteous indignation.
"There are even crueler things about to happen..."
Kallen's melodious voice, suppressing a laugh, echoed in her little brother's ear. "The aircraft carrying Theresa and Miss Himeko has already landed on the deck. The former didn't even bother with her usual routine of going to Mount Taixuan to pack up fruits, vegetables, and meat. The moment she got off the ship, she furiously charged straight toward the bridge!"
"Eek! Why did they come?"
Hyperion was hovering in the waters near Madagascar. The current time was 8:00 PM, which corresponded to 2:00 AM the next day in the Far East.
What were these two doing flying over in the middle of the night instead of sleeping in bed?
Anyway, let's rule out an orgy first.
"Won't you know in a moment?"
Big Sister Kallen clearly knew something but just wouldn't say it. She didn't even manifest her projection, clearly planning to watch a good show.
Barely a few seconds after she spoke, the heavy alloy doors of the bridge slid open to the sides.
The pint-sized Principal strutted into the room with a gait that refused to acknowledge anyone. Her ice-blue eyes swept across the bridge like a scanner, finally locking precisely onto Fu Xuan's equally childish yet dignified face!
"I was wondering who it was," she said sarcastically. "Isn't this the pint-sized General who stuffs two lumps of extra fat into her chest all day long to deceive herself and others? What? Are the official duties of the Luofu not keeping you busy enough, that you have time to come inspect my little ship?"
"It's still better than a certain embarrassing someone in her forties who still clings to her grandpa's thigh all day, trading acting cute and whimpering for supplies." A light flashed from the Dharma eye on Fu Xuan's forehead. After resisting Theresa's covert sabotage, she retorted without showing any weakness, "Principal who is still unweaned to this day, is the pocket money your guardian gave you still enough?"
The air between the Legal Lolis seemed to freeze instantly. An invisible cold current swept out with them at the epicenter.
The lights on the bridge seemed to dim a few notches. The atmosphere was at a breaking point!
Yes, Fu Xuan and Theresa absolutely did not get along.
This was partly due to their personalities, but also due to the natural repulsion brought about by their highly overlapping attributes.
Look at these two: not only were they both flawless "legal lolis," they both had a fetish for white pantyhose, both had completely flat chests, and both were the chief leaders of a subordinate branch belonging to a super-large organization. Even their voices sounded like they were carved from the exact same mold; if you didn't listen carefully, you couldn't tell them apart!
Beyond that, Theresa was astonishingly lazy in her daily life. Despite possessing considerable wisdom, she wouldn't use it unless pushed to her absolute limit.
And Fu Xuan?
She was a renowned workaholic maniac in the Taixuan Front, working overtime desperately even on holidays. Because of this, she had even been poached by the Heaven-Striking General Feixiao back during her Master Diviner days.
These two were like the front and back of a mirror, completely opposite yet highly similar.
If you stacked them together and threw them onto Little Fuli's big bed— ahem, add the antagonism between their factions and the fanning of flames by unscrupulous media, and it would be a miracle if they ever had a good relationship.
For instance, right now. If outsiders were present, within half an hour, a news report titled [Shocking! The Two Great Loli Leaders of Schicksal and Shenzhou Suspected to Have Fallen Out Over the...Same Man!] would be fresh off the press.
What's more, Fu Xuan had actually come uninvited this time, descending upon the Hyperion, which Theresa had always regarded as her exclusive territory.
What are you trying to do? As if sending one pink-haired girl (Asta) last time wasn't enough, now another pink-haired shorty is coming to poach from this Principal?
If the uncle can bear it, the aunt cannot!
I will strike in my S-Rank Valkyrie form!
So, she sighed: "Sigh, I thought the General of the Luofu could maintain her integrity. I didn't expect, I really didn't expect, that you would contract the same bad habit of stealing people's things as those Far East people."
"Who are you calling a Far East person?!!"
Fu Xuan's voice suddenly pitched up, anger rising in her golden eyes, her fists clenching tight!
Dirty!
So fcking dirty!*
This was the most vicious profanity she had ever heard!
"Is it not?"
Theresa asked back coldly: "As everyone knows, in 1945, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and they still haven't been found to this day; and aren't you currently stealing my things? If this Principal hadn't arrived early, wouldn't the Hyperion have already become something in your pocket? General Miao Jian, how is your behavior any different from those nuclear-bomb-stealing Far East thieves?"
"Not so, Ms. Theresa." Fu Xuan suppressed her anger, the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking arc. "This Seat simply doesn't understand. In your daily life, have you never considered taking your ID card and a photocopy of your ID card to play Fight the Landlord, just so you can drop a bomb of four 2s?"
She provoked, "The Hyperion is an independent and autonomous organization. The Taixuan Front reached a transaction with them based on the principles of mutual benefit and mutual respect. What does that have to do with an outsider like you? And what right do you have to boss us around?"
"Outsider?" Theresa scoffed. "Don't tell me you don't know that this Principal has long since established a marriage contract with the person beside you!"
"A person in her forties establishing a marriage contract with someone less than half her age?" Fu Xuan looked as if she were hearing the biggest joke in the world. "Theresa Apocalypse, This Seat heard previously that you were congenitally without a father or mother. If you do not mind, This Seat is willing to show great mercy and become your mother, so I can discipline you on her behalf and teach you what basic shame and morality are."
Whoa!
Such fierce aggression from both sides!
Fuli watched from the sidelines, utterly dumbfounded.