"O 'Sixteen Exceed', you who claim to possess intellect!"
"Swear to the Pledges!"
Disregarding the consent of the sixteen races, the "Ten Pledges," established by the throne of the One True God, were read aloud at this moment.
From this day forward, the world began to change.
[1] All murder, war, and robbery is forbidden in this world.
[2] All conflict in this world will be resolved through games.
[3] In games, each player will bet something that they agree is of equal value.
[4] As long as it doesn't go against pledge three, what they bet and the rules of the game will not be questioned.
[5] The challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game.
[6] Any bets made in accordance with the pledges must be upheld.
[7] Conflicts between groups will be conducted by designated representatives with absolute authority.
[8] Being caught cheating during a game is grounds for an instant loss.
[9] In the name of god, the previous rules may never be changed.
[10] Let's all have fun and play together!
"The Star Cup is really useful."
"Indeed, the Star Cup is really useful."
"Are you two... are you three really this casual about the Star Cup? Burp." Looking at the Star Cup that had just returned to his hands, Chen Li asked the three people in front of him.
Schwi, the Ex-Machina; Riku, the human; and Tet, the Old Deus.
"Because my wish from the very beginning was only to end this Great War. The things humanity wants must be achieved by humanity itself. Because this is a matter for an entire race, not just one person. Isn't peace wonderful too? Besides, don't we still have you?" Riku said, spreading his hands.
"A perfect ending. I like it very much." Tet, the God of Play, said nothing more.
As the God of Play—who only appeared because Riku obtained the Star Cup, his Divine Core activating due to Riku's faith—Tet felt it was only natural that Riku had won this eternal war and obtained the Star Cup.
And Schwi said nothing, because she didn't care about these things.
"Moreover... if life is a game, then it was only with your help that we achieved a perfect ending. Not a single Ex-Machina died, nor did heavily damaged Ex-Machina need to be sent out to slaughter the Flügel or even the God of War. That would have violated the rule I set for myself: [Do not let anyone die]. So, I am very grateful. To repay you, I plan to give you a little something," Riku said.
The moment he touched the Star Cup, Riku seemed to have seen something different from the present reality.
As the omniscient and omnipotent wielder of the Star Cup, he could easily know "what would have happened if a certain outsider hadn't arrived."
Even if the Ex-Machina referred to themselves as heartless tools, and the death of tools didn't count as a defeat, the Flügel were biological creatures. If the Ex-Machina had slaughtered the Flügel after they were turned into lolis by the Divine Smite, it would have forged an endless, eternal hatred between the two races.
But now, everything was so perfect.
Chen Li had even helped Riku achieve something that the Star Cup itself couldn't do—resurrection.
The concept of reincarnation did not exist in this world.
So how could the fallen comrades etched into Riku's heart be resurrected? Chen Li had already provided him with the answer.
—By watching ads.
This was destined to be a massive undertaking.
Because even if the One True God Himself came, a 30-second ad was a 30-second ad. You couldn't look away; you had to obediently watch it until the end.
Even an entity as powerful as an omniscient and omnipotent god couldn't change the drop rate of Revival Card fragments.
What a truly tragic reality.
"What do you want to give me? The Star Cup? Burp," Chen Li asked.
Chen Li still hadn't fully digested that bite of the Star Cup, so he didn't really want to open his mouth, but he was very curious about what Riku wanted to give him.
"Not the Star Cup. Of course, if you wanted it, I could give it to you, but I feel like you're not interested in it as an object. Because when the Star Cup was in your hands, your eyes revealed nothing but the purest, most unadulterated appetite. So I plan to give you something you need more."
Because he burped every time he spoke, Chen Li simply nodded instead, gesturing for Riku to continue.
"For example... the Power of Miracles," Riku said.
Riku had chatted with Chen Li about Curio forging before Chen Li ate the Star Cup, so he already had a basic understanding of how Entries and the Power of Miracles were acquired.
"Based on my gratitude to you, I plan to hand the Star Cup over to Tet after you finish extracting all those inconsequential attached Entries from it. Then, I hope you will use a Miracle Card capable of awakening our collective consciousness to forge a Curio for me. Trust me, it will definitely allow you to make a massive profit!" Riku gave a thumbs-up.
Listening to Riku's words, Chen Li pointed at him repeatedly in realization.
Hey, you're a real genius!
Chen Li understood Riku's logic.
If Chen Li's method of acquiring the Power of Miracles was calculated based on how many miracles the wielder of a Curio could create in the future, then if Riku gave the Star Cup to Tet, used the Curio Chen Li forged from humanity's collective consciousness to guide human development, and ultimately "defeated" Tet (who held the omniscient and omnipotent Star Cup)... the Power of Miracles that would bring would be beyond imagination!
And Chen Li, the Curio Forger, would naturally make a fortune as well.
Riku felt he wasn't particularly good at anything, except playing games.
But in this world where it was mandated that games decided everything, Riku felt he wasn't entirely incapable of defeating the One True God.
Miracles could be created.
But the premise for creating this miracle was that Riku truly handed the Star Cup to Tet, not just letting him hold it for a moment.
The name "Imanity" (Humanity) had actually just been acknowledged by the One True God. Prior to this, the race hadn't even been recognized by the other Exceed races.
That was the biggest point of confusion for the other races when they heard the Ten Pledges—what the heck was an "Imanity"?
And if Imanity could steadily develop and successfully defeat the One True God, how could that not be considered a miracle?
Making such a decision required not only Riku's confidence and boldness as a human leader but also the trust that the God of Play wouldn't use dirty tricks after obtaining the Star Cup.
As it happened, the current conditions were perfect.
As the deity belonging solely to Riku and Schwi, the God of Play wouldn't mind playing another game with them, though he certainly wouldn't go easy on them.
Taking a step back, even if Riku ultimately lost... so what? If Riku couldn't beat the One True God Tet in a game, couldn't he beat the other races?
By then, humanity's treatment still wouldn't be all that bad.
"Then I won't hold back. Burp..." Chen Li couldn't help but speak.
This Riku was really quite the character!
"Then let's start now. I'm very curious, what does awakening a civilization's consciousness feel like?" Riku said expectantly.
Riku never doubted humanity's potential.
Chen Li nodded, then took out the [Toying with the Vassals at the Beacons] Miracle Card.
At this moment, the amount of Civilization Value on this card had reached an impressive level.
Because he had witnessed Riku obtaining the Star Cup, witnessed the establishment of the Ten Pledges, and had personally guided this entire process, Chen Li had received a massive wave of Civilization Value.
The process of awakening the collective consciousness didn't involve any grandiose scenes. It was just that all humans around the world suddenly felt an inexplicable premonition—as if something major had happened.
"...This is all your own doing. Who would have thought that humanity's collective consciousness would look like a chess piece? Burp." The moment the collective consciousness appeared, Chen Li grabbed it.
The [Toying with the Vassals at the Beacons] Miracle Card gave Chen Li the ability to awaken the collective consciousness, as well as a special attack effect against it.
"So what effect does it have?" Riku scratched his head, then took the chess piece symbolizing a "King" from Chen Li's hand.
"A Level 5 Collective Consciousness. It can vaguely perceive the surface-level fluctuations of consciousness among all individuals in the civilization, possesses the ability to preliminarily forecast trends spanning the next ten years, can secretly guide small to medium-scale groups (tens of thousands) to reach a consensus, has a 75% accuracy rate for warning against major disasters, and creators within the civilization—including but not limited to scientists—will have a higher probability of gaining inexplicable inspiration. It increases the civilization's cohesion, marks potential points of internal conflict, and builds a crisis management suggestion database to prevent the civilization from repeatedly falling into the same traps... That's the gist of it. There are a few more details, you can figure them out yourself," Chen Li explained.
The highest tier of collective consciousness was a Level 9 "Will of Heaven," an existence second only to the World Will itself.
The collective consciousness of the Akame ga Kill! world was only Level 2.
It wasn't that Chen Li didn't want to awaken a higher-level collective consciousness for humanity, but reaching Level 5 had almost exhausted all the Civilization Value he had gained this time.
"You forgot to burp," Tet reminded him.
"Burp."
"..."
Realizing what he had just done, Chen Li flew into a rage out of humiliation.
I had finally stopped burping, and you just had to remind me!
"Ahaha..." Sensing Chen Li's murderous gaze, Tet quickly averted his eyes in another direction.
"There's another way to use the collective consciousness. This thing can indeed be used to forge a Curio. Burp." Chen Li directly summoned the Curio Synthesis Platform.
Looking at the Synthesis Platform and then at Tet nearby, Chen Li really wanted to stuff him in there too.
Tet shifted his body, hiding behind Riku.
I just reminded you to burp, you don't need to be so petty, right?
Chen Li threw the King chess piece representing humanity's collective consciousness into the Fire of Miracles, then hefted his hammer and began to forge.
Entries? No need for Entries.
The collective consciousness was inherently an "Entry" itself.
Ten minutes later, the item forged from the chess piece formed by the collective consciousness gradually took shape.
It was a black crown.
Another ten minutes passed before Chen Li reached into the flames barehanded, pulled out the successfully forged crown, and tossed it to Riku.
"The collective consciousness has a 'Dictator Mode,' but it requires an absolutely brilliant leader so that this mode doesn't become a weakness. I think you're very suitable. Burp."
And because it had been scorched by the Fire of Miracles, it was now officially a Curio.
"I've divided this Abundance divine artifact to give you 18 grains. I've already trimmed this portion using the [Myriad Phenomena Severance], cutting off the side effects and reducing some of its potency. It's enough to extend the lifespan of the human race to 300 years, enhance their physical constitution, and increase their regenerative abilities. This is the absolute upper limit humanity can endure without mutating into the Celestial race. Burp." Chen Li then tossed the top half of the Ear of Wheat, containing 18 grains, to Riku.
Chen Li could tell that Riku didn't want humanity to become Denizens of Abundance.
Otherwise, Riku could have just used the Star Cup to alter humanity's state.
"Later, I will invite you to visit the Xianzhou. If you change your mind by then, I can help you splice the effects back together. Burp."
"No need, this level is already perfect," Riku said.
What made it even more perfect was that in this world of games, where all disputes were resolved through games, humanity had the opportunity to cultivate the blessing of Abundance safely.
There would be no scenario where they planted the divine artifact only to have it immediately snatched away by other races.
Moreover, with the Abundance blessing nerfed to this extent, it was unlikely that other races would take massive risks to steal it.
Riku absolutely didn't want the Abundance blessing to become a reason for humanity to be attacked.
"Don't speak in absolutes. Also, after wearing the Black Crown, your physical state will enter a stasis with the help of the collective consciousness. Meaning, you won't age. Burp."
"I'll forge some Honkai Ball Curios later. If you're interested, you can distribute them to your people. Even if you don't use them to capture other races, capturing some wild beasts will still help humanity's development."
"Using them to capture other races isn't very appropriate, but if we defeat other races in a game and make them our vassals, we could definitely use the balls to provide them with housing," Riku said, stroking his chin.
Since it was a game, there had to be a loser. If the loser refused to concede and bet their everything on a rematch, it wasn't impossible for them to lose themselves completely.
"As long as you're happy. This is all the help I can provide you right now that falls within the realm of 'cheating,'" Chen Li stated.
"It's more than enough," Riku nodded.
"Rule the human nation well. Humanity now possesses the largest kingdom in the entire world. More than half of the territory on this continent belongs to Imanity. Burp."
The reason for this was that over the past year, under the guidance of Riku and his "Ghosts," all races besides humanity had, actively or passively, moved out of the areas where humans were active.
Therefore, when the pledges were announced and territories were drawn just now, humanity snagged a massive bargain, occupying more than half of the continent's landmass.
"Rest assured. By the way, did forging this Curio bring you any Power of Miracles?" Riku asked, tossing the crown in his hand.
Chen Li had provided him with so much help and altered their original fate, so Riku naturally cared about Chen Li's profits as well.
Since Chen Li only wanted a little Power of Miracles, why not satisfy him?
"A lot," Chen Li nodded.
An absurd amount.
Although forging the [Black Crown] didn't require an Entry, the burning of the Fire of Miracles had cost Chen Li 2 Crystals.
But the return was a staggering 132 Crystals! A profit margin of over 50 times!
It was ridiculous.
Combined with the 20 Crystals Chen Li obtained from helping Riku win the Great War, and the 25 bonus Crystals from the Miracle Card he received after "eating" the world, Chen Li was already on the verge of financial freedom.
Current Crystal Balance: 273.
The Star Stone profits were even greater. Adding everything up, he had gained over 3,000 Star Stones, bringing his balance to 18,833.
[Scamming Meals] (Miracle Card): In this world, you are either scamming meals, or on your way to scamming meals, you little glutton.
Effect 1: Gourmet - You will acquire an eye for discovering "delicacies," and when you consume various unique foods, there is a chance to obtain special recipes. Food prepared using these special recipes will have random special effects attached. (The rarer the food consumed, the higher the probability of yielding a special recipe.)
Effect 2: World Devourer - When you show an appetite for something, you can establish a [Provision Contract] with it by consuming a portion of it. If the target cannot satisfy your appetite or refuses to provide for you, the World will judge it as an [Unreasonable Existence], subjecting it to rejection on a causal level. In layman's terms: extreme bad luck.
PS: Heaven births all things to nourish man, yet man offers nothing to repay Heaven. Having eaten the World, at this moment, you are the World! You don't want to feed me? Then you're going to suffer!
Effect 3: Can be used to forge a Curio.
[Gluttony and Devouring... I forgot the beginning, I forgot the end, anyway, it's hilarious!]
"..."
The effects of this Miracle Card were... very unique. Especially the formation of Effect 2, which seemed somewhat related to the 1-star Curio that made him taste delicious after eating something delicious.
But Chen Li felt this description was rather biased.
What do you mean I'm either scamming meals or on my way to scamming meals?
Slander! This is pure slander!
Burp.
"Then I'm relieved," Riku let out a sigh of relief.
For a person with a conscience, receiving too much help without giving back could be extremely stressful.
"I'll extract the Entries from the Star Cup and then give it back to you." Chen Li tossed the Star Cup into the Synthesis Platform, which he hadn't put away yet.
The Star Cup seemed to intend to resist, but the moment the Fire of Miracles engulfed it, it fell silent once more in Chen Li's hands.
Countless Entries slowly surfaced on the Star Cup. The most dazzling among them was naturally [Omniscience and Omnipotence].
But this wasn't Chen Li's goal. He already had the Omniscience and Omnipotence Entry on the Black Grail he had obtained.
Omniscience and Omnipotence was certainly covetable, but the logic behind forging Curios was different from using magical artifacts.
Curios were essentially highly specialized powerhouses.
On a test with a maximum score of 100, a Curio could score 200.
There was nothing inherently wrong with forging an Omniscient and Omnipotent Curio; it would allow the user to score 100 in every subject.
But on the flip side, any specialized Curio that could score 200 in its specific subject would completely suppress the Omniscient and Omnipotent Curio in that specific area.
And if you wanted an Omniscient and Omnipotent Curio to score 200 in every subject, it would consume an astronomical amount of Crystals, and it could still be crushed in a specific area by a Curio that scored 300.
There is always someone better; there is always a higher mountain.
Chen Li, who suffered from persecution paranoia and a chronic fear of insufficient firepower, was simply not satisfied with mere Omniscience and Omnipotence.
Besides... a single Curio couldn't be split among multiple people.
[War], [Prayer], [Temptation], [Star Core], [Dreams]...
Countless Entries with decent brightness precipitated from the Star Cup.
As a supreme artifact that had existed for hundreds of millions of years and had triggered an eternal war lasting 6,000 years, the Star Cup was an absolute relic.
The Entries on it were too numerous to count. These were all meanings externally attributed to the Star Cup over the passage of time. Its only true core Entry was [Omniscience and Omnipotence].
After picking out a few Entries he currently wanted from the dazzling array, Chen Li took the Star Cup out, tossed it back to Riku, and Riku handed it to Tet, the God of Play.
"There are too many Entries, I can't extract them all. I'll borrow it again when I need to," Chen Li said.
Chen Li had only extracted 10 Entries.
Although he wanted to collect all of them, he simply didn't have enough Crystals.
"Burp." Tet nodded.
"You guy... Burp." Chen Li looked as if he had nothing left to live for.
"Chen Li," Schwi, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly chimed in.
"What's up?"
"That Machine Spirit Virus you mentioned... can you infect me with it?" Schwi raised her hand and asked.
"The Ex-Machina need it? Burp."
"No, just I need it."
"...I won't ask you why, but sure, no problem," Chen Li nodded.
Although he didn't know exactly what Schwi wanted the Machine Spirit Virus for, it was absolutely fine.
Chen Li didn't want to ask, and he didn't want to interfere.
It couldn't possibly be for naughty stuff, could it?
As far as Chen Li knew, the Ex-Machina could modify their own structures. As long as they knew the blueprint, they could reconstruct themselves. The reason Schwi, despite being married to Riku, hadn't been able to engage in "nighttime activities" was because the only female Schwi was familiar with—Riku's sister, Couronne—felt it was too shameful to discuss, so Schwi never looked deeply into it.
Infecting her with the Machine Spirit Virus wasn't troublesome at all. He just needed to have Schwi bind to a Friends Circle terminal and then have Unique Herta privately send her a virus file.
Although Unique Herta's Machine Spirit Virus had lost its ability to spread naturally due to Chen Li extracting its Entry, the Friends Circle was inherently a transmission-type Curio with extremely high priority.
"Riku." Schwi suddenly hugged Riku.
"What is it?"
"Boys need to protect themselves when they go out. Be careful not to be deceived by other Ex-Machina."
Riku can only be owned by the strong!
"???"
Hearing this, Chen Li roughly understood why Schwi wanted the Machine Spirit Virus. It was because she wanted to become a little more free and a little stronger.
"Um... I've finished collecting the Game Entries, so I'm going to head out to forge some Curios. Goodbye. Burp." Seeing this, Chen Li chose to take his leave.
Having witnessed the perfect ending and successfully acquired the [Game: Life] Entry, Chen Li had no reason to stay here any longer.
"I'm going to go find people to play games with. Goodbye." Having obtained the Star Cup, Tet also chose to leave.
"Wait, why are you all leaving? Stay a little longer..."
Riku noticed a blind spot.
"Your own troubles, don't drag me into them. Burp."
"Don't do this, Chen Li! Can you think of a solution for this? Aren't you the omnipotent Curio Forger? Hey, don't walk so fast! And after I helped you earn all that Power of Miracles, you heartless bastard!" Seeing Chen Li's figure vanish instantly, Riku cursed under his breath.
And when he turned his head and realized Tet had disappeared as well, Riku was even more at a loss as to what to do.
"Oh, right, one more thing... Burp." Chen Li suddenly popped back in.
"What is it?"
"Tet, I know you're definitely still watching. Do me a favor... If you don't say anything, I'll take it as a yes. Pluck a few feathers from the God of War for me. Then send them to me in a red packet." After saying this, Chen Li vanished once again.
With the Friends Circle terminal, Chen Li's getaways had become even smoother.
"That Curio... forget it." Discovering Chen Li was completely gone, Riku facepalmed.
For a brief moment, Riku genuinely felt that he might have been better off dying in front of the Star Cup.
...
Chen Li stayed in the No Game No Life world for quite a long time. By the time he returned to Raiden Mei's house in the Current Era, night had already fallen.
The living room, which had previously been bustling with noise and gathered all the most important characters in the Honkai world, had become cold and desolate.
Everyone had gone back to their respective homes and mothers.
"Emmmm... huh." Chen Li suddenly realized he might have returned to the wrong house.
"It's already this late? Burp." Chen Li glanced at the clock in the living room.
It was currently 1:00 AM.
"I should go back to my room and wait for tomorrow morning's Heavenly Drop. Burp."
Normally, with Chen Li's appetite, he would be having a midnight snack right about now. But even seeing the massive pile of feathers Tet had just sent him through the Friends Circle—supposedly plucked from the God of War—and the mountain of Flügel feathers Jibril had personally plucked from her kin, Chen Li didn't have the slightest appetite.
The definition of a 1-Star Curio was a Curio that had a probability of resisting a World. Taking a bite out of the Star Cup, and through its omniscience and omnipotence taking a bite out of the World itself, still placed somewhat of a burden on the Gourmet Cells.
"Who's there?" A voice rang out from the pitch-black living room, where only the faint starlight from outside revealed blurred silhouettes.
"Raiden Mei?" Chen Li's eyes were unaffected by the darkness, but he only noticed Raiden Mei sitting on the sofa with her back to him after she spoke.
"Why haven't you gone to sleep yet? Burp." Chen Li was a bit confused.
"Because so many things happened today, I can't quite fall asleep. What about you? Are you okay?" Raiden Mei asked.
At the same time, she also noticed Chen Li was continuously burping.
"I just ate a bit too much, that's all. But why aren't you turning on the lights?"
"Perhaps it's a habit I developed during the time my father was taken away. Rather than a cramped room, I prefer staying in the dark living room," Raiden Mei explained.
Only at times like this did Raiden Mei feel that loneliness and darkness were her companions, and only then could she find a sense of peace.
"Well, you can drop that habit now. Although I was busy this afternoon and delayed the alliance of the three factions, once Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent unite, Raiden Ryoma's reputation will be restored. You should be able to return to a normal life... Burp."
"No, you might have misunderstood. Before, it was indeed because I felt lonely that I stayed in the living room. But now... you'll definitely laugh at me if I say this, but I feel that the sensation of being alone in the dark is truly amazing." Raiden Mei sat on her knees on the sofa, turning around to look at Chen Li.
In the darkness, Raiden Mei's purple eyes were particularly striking against the night.
Purple electric arcs surged within them, making her eyes look like beautiful purple gemstones.
"Your eyes..."
"You noticed too, right? It seems that because the Herrscher of Thunder is quite displeased about us tying her up like that, but she can't actually affect me, she can only affect my eyes. So it makes my eyes look incredibly beautiful in the dark." Raiden Mei's voice carried a hint of excitement.
"..." Chen Li roughly understood.
Becoming the Herrscher of Thunder, treating everyone present like stepping stones, and then pulling off an incredibly badass performance in front of the teachers and students who had previously subjected her to cold violence and rumors... no wonder Raiden Mei was so hyped up right now she couldn't sleep.
Coupled with the Herrscher of Thunder's dissatisfaction making Mei's eyes look absurdly cool in the dark, Raiden Mei had run to the dark living room to hang out.
Why did she have to be in the living room? So she could randomly run into a lucky passerby and show off her cool eyes to their face!
To this, Chen Li could only evaluate it as... human nature.
"Very beautiful eyes. Burp."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"What number am I to compliment them like this?"
"The third." Raiden Mei's voice carried a hint of smugness.
Raiden Mei's house was packed today; the entire grand villa was full of people.
Kiana, Siegfried, Durandal, Sirin, Raiden Ryoma, Kaguya Houraisan...
Aside from the students, almost none of Chen Li's group members had gone home. However, because the number of rooms in Mei's house was limited, most of the group members were arranged to stay on the Hyperion, which was parked nearby.
Chen Li felt as if he had unintentionally led Raiden Mei astray.
Could it be that his talk about having the "potential to save the world," being a "Herrscher in the dark," and a "Queen of Thunder" had caused Raiden Mei's chunibyo to relapse?
"Chen Li, thank you," Raiden Mei suddenly said.
"Huh? Why thank me so abruptly?" Chen Li was taken aback.
"Because during the day, I learned about the future plot from Sirin." Raiden Mei stood up from the sofa and walked over to Chen Li.
Because of this, Raiden Mei knew how arduous the future would be, and the devastating impact the Third Eruption would have had on Nagazora City.
Even though it was that bastard Cocolia who detonated the Honkai energy around Nagazora City to artificially create an Eruption, for a gentle-hearted person, it was easy to blame oneself.
For instance, if she hadn't been in Nagazora City, would a catastrophic disaster not have befallen its three million residents?
Would the Herrscher of Thunder losing control bring fatal danger to the people around her, or even the entire world?
Coupled with the Revival Card Chen Li gave her, which gave Raiden Mei the hope of seeing her mother again.
Therefore, Raiden Mei was truly grateful to Chen Li.
As Raiden Mei approached, observed at close range, her purple eyes appeared even more dazzling in the dark.
Then, Raiden Mei turned her head away.
Although being praised for her cool eyes made her happy, having a male of a similar age—whom she had a slight favorable impression of—staring directly into her eyes made Raiden Mei feel embarrassed.
"By the way, Chen Li, you don't have a place to sleep yet, right?" Raiden Mei seemed to remember something and suddenly asked.
"I can go back to my own world."
"My father has already arranged a room for you. Do you want me to take you there?"
Chen Li didn't have to stay in this room, but Raiden Ryoma couldn't not arrange one.
"Come on, I'll take you." Before Chen Li could agree or refuse, Raiden Mei grabbed his wrist without leaving room for argument and walked towards the guest rooms.
Raiden Mei was too enthusiastic, making it difficult for Chen Li to refuse.
"Oh right, the Herrscher of Thunder says she wants to meet you. Do you agree?" Raiden Mei asked as they walked.
"You two made up? Burp." Chen Li was a bit curious.
"More or less. Bronya's companion, Seele, also seems to be a Stigmata possessor. With Seele's help, the Herrscher of Thunder and I had a chat. Since she is my Stigmata consciousness and hasn't thought of hurting me, we can naturally try to get along peacefully."
"What does the Herrscher of Thunder want to talk to me about?" Chen Li was very curious.
"I don't know," Raiden Mei shook her head.
"Sure, bring her out. Or do I need to enter your body?"
"She can just come out." After Raiden Mei said this, her footsteps paused.
They had already arrived in front of the guest room Raiden Ryoma had prepared for Chen Li.
As Raiden Mei faced Chen Li directly and blinked, the look in her eyes instantly changed.
"Herrscher of Thunder, long time no see. I've missed you dearly. Burp." A smile instantly bloomed on Chen Li's face.
The relationship between Chen Li and the Herrscher of Thunder couldn't just be called dramatic; it was extremely dramatic.
One moment he was saying, "Your Majesty, I am your retainer," and the next moment he pulled a Taixu Sword God, stabbing the Herrscher of Thunder right back into her consciousness space.
"No need to be so nervous. I'm here to thank you." Seeing Chen Li so nervous, the Herrscher of Thunder's smile widened.
"Thank me?"
"Yes. I've heard from others that your Taixu Sword God was to sever my connection with the Honkai consciousness, right? Just because I'm a Herrscher doesn't mean I have to obey the Honkai consciousness."
Just because I don't refuse, doesn't mean I agree.
Although the Herrscher of Thunder's power came from the Honkai, it didn't mean she had to become a puppet of the Honkai.
She heard that in the Previous Era, none of the Herrschers had a choice; they were controlled by the Honkai to destroy the world.
But in the Current Era, Herrschers now had the right to choose.
To choose whether to stand on humanity's side.
And all of this was thanks to the Herrscher of Human.
Since that's the case... if I don't rebel against the Honkai, didn't the Herrscher of Human sacrifice herself for nothing?
"Exactly. So you don't mind that I called you 'Your Majesty' when we met?" Chen Li was somewhat surprised by the Herrscher of Thunder's magnanimity.
"I don't mind." The Herrscher of Thunder's smile stiffened for a second before she shook her head.
"And you don't mind that I used the Taixu Sword God to knock you back into your consciousness space?"
"I don't mind." The smile on the Herrscher of Thunder's face gradually faded.
"And you don't mind that I took Raiden Mei into your consciousness space and beat you up?"
"...I don't mind." The smile on the Herrscher of Thunder's face completely vanished.
"And you don't mind that I had Raiden Mei tie you up with ropes? Burp."
"...I don't mind." A smile reappeared on the Herrscher of Thunder's face.
"Come, let's shake hands to show we've buried the hatchet." The Herrscher of Thunder extended a hand crackling with lightning.
Chen Li wasn't worried about the lightning; after all, he was immune to lightning damage.
And it was perfectly normal for the Herrscher of Thunder to harbor a little resentment.
So, Chen Li extended his hand as well.
But just as their hands were about to clasp, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly grabbed Chen Li's wrist and pulled his hand directly onto her own chest.
"Hm?" Feeling the full softness in his palm, Chen Li was stunned.
What's going on here?
Fan service?
"As—" the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly shouted.
But just as the words reached her lips, Chen Li clamped his hand over her mouth.
"ASSAULT!" Chen Li suddenly screamed.
"???" The Herrscher of Thunder, her mouth covered by Chen Li, was dumbfounded.
What a reversal!
I'm assaulting YOU?!
Okay, even if she was trying to assault him, looking at the current situation, who would believe her?!
The Herrscher of Thunder had originally intended to have a proper chat with Chen Li, but she got so pissed off by his words that she decided to give him a little "Herrscher of Thunder shock"!
Dealing with a scumbag who called every Herrscher he met "Your Majesty" required exactly this kind of treatment!
"What? What? What happened?!" The door of the guest room next to Chen Li's suddenly flew open, and Kiana popped out.
"The Herrscher of Thunder assaulted me! She borrowed Mei's body to assault me! Maybe because she can't have me, she wanted to take me by force! She even demanded I call her 'Your Majesty'!" Chen Li looked as if he were on the verge of tears.
"???" Looking at Chen Li gripping Raiden Mei's right breast, and Raiden Mei holding Chen Li's wrist with an abnormal expression, Kiana's intuition told her...
Chen Li must be right!
But it seemed the words "Your Majesty" triggered a certain keyword. Kiana's eyes instantly turned golden.
"What doesn't belong to you, no matter how much you want it, will never be yours. Let go of my retainer's hand. Mistress." Queenie the Sprite directly and forcefully separated the Herrscher of Thunder and Chen Li.
"Who are you calling a mistress?!" The Herrscher of Thunder, momentarily intimidated by Queenie's golden eyes, quickly turned angry.
"You're the Third Herrscher, aren't you? Doesn't that make you the other woman?" Queenie the Sprite said as a matter of course.
"You..."
"Shut up and cool your head for a bit." Queenie snapped her fingers. A spatial bubble suddenly descended, enveloping the Herrscher of Thunder and floating her off to the side.
"Thank you, Queenie. If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have been defiled by the Herrscher of Thunder. Burp," Chen Li said, moved.
"Thank me? You really should thank me. Tonight, you're mine." Kiana, possessed by Queenie, suddenly hoisted Chen Li over her shoulder and began walking towards her own room.
"???"
"???"
Both Chen Li and the Herrscher of Thunder were stunned.
"Stop right there," a voice rang out.
Queenie turned her head and saw Sirin, floating in the air without her feet touching the ground, a man-sized pair of scissors hovering behind her.
"If you use the authority of the Herrscher of the Void near me, be prepared for me to notice. Trying to snatch Chen Li right in front of me... don't you think that's a bit out of line? Now, put Chen Li down," Sirin said, clearly displeased.
"Mind your own business."
"Hmph!" Sirin snapped her fingers.
Sirin's authority of the Void activated, directly suppressing Queenie's authority, trapping Queenie inside a World Bubble, and tossing her right next to the Herrscher of Thunder.
Queenie could indeed use the authority of the Void, but the problem was that the Herrscher of the Void core inside Kiana's body hadn't fully recovered and needed a massive amount of Honkai energy to replenish, so she couldn't compete with Sirin.
"Phew. Sirin, thank you. Good thing you're here..." Chen Li sighed.
"Thank me? You really should thank me. Tonight, you're mine!" After tossing Queenie aside, Sirin also hoisted Chen Li onto her shoulder and flew towards Kiana's room.
"???"
"???"
"???"
Three dumbfounded faces.
"Stop right there," yet another voice echoed.
Sirin turned her head and saw... Big Herta?
"Sirin, have you finished your homework today, yet you want to do naughty things?" Big Herta asked, sitting on her magical staff.
Sirin was taught by Big Herta. And because Big Herta had spent the entire day searching for the 2nd Divine Key, she was extremely sensitive to fluctuations of the Void, which was why she noticed the situation here from the very beginning.
"!!!" Sirin's pupils trembled slightly, seemingly recalling the days ruled by homework.
"In you go!" Just as Sirin was about to run, a mirror suddenly appeared beneath her feet, and Sirin fell straight in.
Meanwhile, Chen Li, who had been slung over Sirin's shoulder, got stuck on the ground because he was too "long."
"Damn it, I'll definitely be back!" Sirin's incredibly unwilling voice echoed from the mirror dimension.
"Phew... Big Herta, thank you." Chen Li breathed another sigh of relief.
It wasn't that Chen Li couldn't resist Sirin earlier; it was just that her actions had left him completely shell-shocked.
"Thank me? You really should thank me. Tonight, you're mine! Get in there too." Seeing Chen Li stand up, Big Herta opened a mirror dimension behind him and kicked him inside.
"Eh?"
"You're the prize. If you don't go in, who will? By the way, you know how to give a massage, right? Searching for the 2nd Divine Key today was a bit tiring. Before you become Sirin's prize for finishing her homework... Sirin, I'm borrowing your retainer for a bit." Big Herta rubbed her sore shoulders and stepped into the mirror dimension.
"Don't use my retainer! You old hag, I'll fight you to the death!" Sirin's enraged roar echoed from the entrance of the mirror dimension.
Leaving only the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Thunder standing in place, looking at each other in utter bewilderment.
---o---