Acheron withdrew her hand.
She looked up at the approaching, brilliantly illuminated Lightning Lord.
With a light laugh, she asked: "Well then, may I ask for your real name?"
"...Bai Ming. 'Bai' as in white, 'Ming' as in the cry of a bird."
"I see, little sister Bai Ming."
"…"
'Acheron' parted her lips, wanting to say that she actually wasn't a girl.
But then she glanced down at herself—she didn't even have a body anymore. Who knew if she'd ever get the chance to have one of her own?
Trying to argue the point now felt rather unconvincing.
This system of hers was really inconvenient sometimes—it never explained things clearly.
Sooner or later, when she had saved up enough lifespan, she'd get herself a real flesh-and-blood body.
Seeing Acheron's tacit acceptance, Acheron herself felt a rare sense of amusement.
From the very start, she hadn't minded being impersonated. In fact, she was rather impressed that someone could mimic her to such an extent.
And besides, after doing good deeds, this impersonator had even left her name behind.
Of course, one thing was one thing.
The power of Nihility wasn't something to be trifled with.
On that point, Acheron felt it necessary to make this imitator clearly understand.
That was why she had come here. Moreover, Acheron didn't even know how to describe the one before her.
She'd heard that a few days ago, over at Herta Space Station, a series of absurd incidents had also occurred because someone was impersonating Lady Herta.
Most likely, this was her handiwork too.
Word was, the fake Lady Herta had upgraded the space station, personally crafted the first Curio collection, and clearly delineated the station's functional divisions.
Then, when the real one showed up, she fled.
Just what was she?
Puzzled, Acheron decided to voice her thoughts: "Speaking of which, there's something else I'm curious about—why do you do all this?"
"Heh~"
'Acheron' laughed.
Her smile was so natural that even the real Acheron was briefly taken aback.
"Just consider me bored with too much time on my hands."
'Acheron' tossed out a casual excuse.
Back when she was playing the part of Big Herta, it wasn't as if she hadn't tried it. Though it couldn't compare to the abilities of the System, creating a flesh-and-blood body was no difficult feat for Herta.
That part was manageable.
The bigger issue was that she never felt a true sense of fit in a created body—it was always like using a character card, with a layer of separation in between.
So, for now at least, with a lifespan of only a little over a hundred hours, she had no choice but to rely on the role-playing system to survive.
As for the lifespan issue, once she accumulated over a century, or even a millennium, it would hardly matter anymore.
After all, the ordinary Xianzhou natives only lived a few hundred years.
When she eventually rolled a long-lived species, she could try developing a body that truly suited her.
Then, once she had saved up enough lifespan, she could simply withdraw it at will.
Seeing that the other wasn't planning to tell the truth, Acheron's eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't press further.
So she changed the subject: "Where do you plan to go next? Staying on the Luofu?"
"That was the original idea, but with you showing up so openly, it'd feel awkward if I stayed. Why, do you have something in mind?"
Given the methods of the Xianzhou Alliance, it wouldn't be hard to determine one thing: the Acheron who saved the Luofu was the impostor, while the one who showed up later was the real deal.
That was… pretty awkward.
On one hand, the Luofu would naturally side with her, their benefactor.
But on the other hand, the Xianzhou Alliance could hardly officially endorse a case of mistaken identity.
Especially when the person in question was terrifyingly powerful.
So it might be better to just leave.
It would save the Luofu from a difficult position.
That was Acheron's own thought, but she wasn't sure why the real Acheron had suddenly brought it up.
She looked curiously at the original, sensing that she must have a reason for asking.
Hearing this, Acheron also smiled: "I watched your duel with that Xianzhou native. You were studying Xianzhou swordplay and trying to develop a new blade technique, weren't you?"
Her observation hadn't been for nothing.
What this imitator was attempting couldn't escape her notice.
Though she didn't fully understand why, she didn't mind offering some help. As long as it didn't involve Nihility, she was quite easy to get along with.
Besides, this was the little sister she had just acknowledged with her blade.
'Acheron' nodded in response:
"Yes."
"Since you don't plan to stay long, why not travel with me for a while? I could teach you."
Acheron extended the invitation.
She felt that, on one hand, she needed to spend some time ensuring Bai Ming had truly taken her warning to heart.
On the other hand, she was eager to seize this chance to properly exchange blade techniques with another version of herself.
Yet Acheron instinctively felt a sense of foreboding.
A gut feeling told her that if she followed Acheron, she'd end up getting beaten up.
Her instincts were screaming it.
At the same time, her system panel flickered:
--+--
[Name: Bai Ming (Acheron)]
[Lifespan: 136.59:53 (Paused) + 24 Days (Role-Play)]
[Available Transformations: Big Herta (Charge: 12.2%), Acheron]
[Available Draws: 0 (81.6%)]
--+--
But the progress bar made it hard for her to refuse outright.
Just as Acheron was still hesitating, Teng Xiao piloted the Lightning Lord, bringing Jingliu to the now-quiet battlefield.
"Acheron… um, Benefactor! Are you alright?"
Jingliu's voice broke the silence of the stony star.
Then, the Lightning Lord swept aside the smoke and rubble with them, revealing the two figures standing face-to-face, unharmed.
Jingliu rushed over anxiously, swift as the wind, halting just before she reached them.
Oh no.
She couldn't really tell them apart either…
Which one was the benefactor who had saved the Luofu?
As Jingliu stood there in confusion, 'Acheron' smiled and raised her left hand.
She tapped the silver ring on her middle finger.
Jingliu carefully examined the left hands of both, finally identifying the difference in the silver-white ring and recognizing her benefactor.
"Are you unharmed?"
She hurried to Acheron's side, scrutinizing her disheveled appearance.
Her gaze was so intense it seemed she might undress her for a full inspection.
From behind them, Teng Xiao's voice sounded: "Ladies, if there's anything to discuss, why not come to the General's residence? Let the Luofu offer its hospitality."
Hearing this, 'Acheron' glanced at the real one, but Acheron shook her head: "If she and I both appear on the Luofu, I'm afraid rumors will spread."
"Such rumors are trivial. But if the two of you could sit down and talk freely, clearing up any misunderstandings, that would be for the best."
Teng Xiao chuckled amiably, all the while subtly probing for information.
'Acheron' smiled at this and explained, under Jingliu's concerned gaze: "Thank you for your concern, General, but there's no need to worry. The misunderstandings have already been resolved between Miss Acheron and myself. What you saw earlier was merely a friendly spar."
"…"
Teng Xiao's eyelid twitched.
That was a "friendly spar"?
Then what would an unfriendly one look like…
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 2 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.