Chen Li stared at the Miracle Card in his hand, named [Retainer of Three Houses], and fell into deep thought.
He never would have imagined that the fact he had averted the [Third Eruption] wouldn't make it into the history books, but the fact he had shouted "Your Majesty, I am your retainer!" three times might be talked about for a lifetime.
What? I didn't stop the Third Eruption? But I was the one who led the charge to stop it!
For his efforts, Chen Li had also received a large amount of Star Stones and Merit.
[You should be secretly pleased that this Miracle Card isn't called "Slave of Three Surnames."]
"..."
[Retainer of Three Houses] (Miracle Card): You've used the same line to deceive three queens. You're invincible, brother. You were born for this!
Effect 1: When paired with the aura-masking effect of the Gourmet Cells, you can blend into any faction without raising suspicion.
Effect 2: Any being with the attributes [Female] + [Leader] will find you rather charming. If your superior is female and you perform well, she will easily come to see you as a trusted confidant, allowing you to quickly rise to the position of second-in-command within that faction.
Effect 3: Can be used to forge a Curio.
PS: The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things. "Three Houses" will never be your limit.
Although the effects of this Miracle Card were quite simple and easy to understand, a complete departure from the style of Chen Li's other cards like [Fictional Historian] or [Toying with the Vassals at the Beacons], a closer reading revealed its profound depth.
It didn't grant Chen Li invincible combat power, but it did give him an ability that made him invincible across the world.
If you can join anyone's faction at will, and no one will ever attack you, don't you effectively have no enemies?
In other words, "invincible" in the most literal sense of the word.
Moreover, this Miracle Card had synergistic properties, linking with the one-star Curio, [Gourmet Cells of Unconventional Taste].
At first glance, this card's effect seemed similar to that of the Gourmet Cells, but in reality, the Gourmet Cells only allowed Chen Li to imitate the aura of any living or even non-living thing; his physical appearance remained unchanged.
It was just like how every "Honkai Queen" had been surprised that Chen Li was a human.
Although things had worked out without a hitch, that was only because the combined age of those three queens didn't even add up to one adult, and their collective years of compulsory education barely reached twelve.
If he encountered a faction leader who was a bit smarter, more vigilant, or more cunning, his cover could easily be blown.
For example, if Chen Li wanted to infiltrate a faction of intelligent machines, he obviously wouldn't be accepted so easily.
And the card specified "faction," not "race."
A race could be a faction, but a faction was not necessarily a race.
For instance... the Masked Fools were a faction.
This detail greatly increased the value of the Miracle Card.
As for Effect 2... there wasn't much to say.
It was just his luck that the three Herrschers he encountered were all female.
As a result, Effect 2 made it sound like Chen Li was a master of mooching off women.
[Is it... just possible that, compared to Lü Bu, you're more like the Diaochan he fought over? I think if you changed your gender, the effects of this Miracle Card might change too.]
"..." said Chen Li.
Chen Li felt the little sprite was spouting nonsense.
Such words were not even worth refuting!
If there was anything to be disappointed about, it was that not all the Aeons in the Star Rail world were female.
Some deities had transcended the limitations of gender entirely, and the only one explicitly called a goddess was Idrila, the Aeon of Pure Beauty.
But Chen Li couldn't just go and join the Knights of Beauty or the Mirror Holders, could he?
Seeing this Curio's effect, Chen Li almost wanted to forge an item that could change any being's gender to female.
[Speaking of which... if you were to change a certain Aeon's gender to female, and you quickly became their second-in-command, wouldn't that mean you could swiftly become an Emanator of any Path?]
The little sprite proposed a bold idea.
The Paths were portions of Imaginary energy occupied by the Aeons, and the Aeons had the final say in how that energy was distributed.
Naturally, an Aeon would be more willing to appoint their trusted confidant as an Emanator.
Being an Emanator of one Path was one thing, but being an Emanator of eighteen Paths... well, that was still just an Emanator.
Unless Chen Li could mobilize 99% of the energy from every Path.
[Alright, maybe you're not interested in the position of an 18-Path Emanator, but what about being the second-in-command of the Imaginary Tree or the Sea of Quanta?]
"Okay, put away your bold ideas. Some are a little too bold."
But it wasn't impossible.
Besides, being the second-in-command... if the person in charge died, wouldn't they become the new person in charge?
---o---
"White-haired dumplings, have you finished your chat?" Chen Li, dressed in his Golden Homu King costume, approached a group of white-haired individuals.
"..." The three white-haired dumplings and one yellow-haired dumpling turned to look at Chen Li in unison.
"Durandal, don't you feel like your hair color is a bit out of place here? Need me to help you dye it white?" Chen Li asked after a brief glance at the four of them.
"That won't be necessary," Durandal said, shaking her head.
Although she did, in fact, feel out of place.
Theresa was technically the outsider, but she also had white hair, while Durandal's was golden.
Schicksal was supported by three great families: the Apocalypse family, representing the "Overseer"; the Schariac family, representing the "Saintess"; and the Kaslana family, representing the "Knights."
The Schariac family's hair color wasn't fixed, ranging from light gray to white. The Kaslana family was uniformly white-haired because their ancestor, Kevin, was white-haired.
And the Apocalypse family's hair was golden.
If someone familiar with Schicksal but bad with faces were to see this scene, they would never guess that the short, white-haired Theresa was the head of the Apocalypse family.
Durandal's hair color and imposing aura made her look far more like the head of the Apocalypse family.
"So, how did your discussion go? Any awkwardness?" Chen Li asked, intrigued.
The relationships between these four people were extremely complicated.
Durandal and Theresa were colleagues, both S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal, one current and one former.
And now, Theresa had become Durandal's great-aunt.
Siegfried and Kiana had a theoretical father-daughter relationship, but in a past life, they were enemies.
Kiana was the Second Herrscher who had caused the death of Durandal's mother, but now Kiana was also Durandal's younger sister.
Wait, Kiana was a clone of the real Kiana, Durandal, making Durandal her mother in a biological sense.
Theresa was Kiana's great-aunt, but in a past life, they were also comrades who had faced life and death together...
It was a total mess.
"Mei, let's keep our distance. Their relationships are too complex," Raiden Ryoma said from the side, pulling Raiden Mei away from the scene.
"Oh." Raiden Mei suddenly felt that her own family situation was rather simple. It was just a matter of her mother passing away from "cancer."
Moreover, Chen Li had given both Raiden Ryoma and Raiden Mei a [Friends Circle] terminal, along with a link to the [Revival Games], giving them the possibility of resurrecting the dead.
This made Raiden Mei even more grateful to Chen Li.
And as it happened, Raiden Ryoma felt the same way.
Siegfried had captured Theresa and brought the Key of Binding to get the revival link. Raiden Ryoma felt he couldn't just accept it without offering something in return.
But apart from those with excessive empathy who couldn't bear to watch this family drama unfold, there were also those who deliberately squatted nearby, munching on melon seeds and enjoying the show.
"Sirin, what are you doing?"
"Me? I'm watching the fun. Hey, you two, have you decided which one of you is going to be called Kiana?" Sirin shouted, fanning the flames.
"If Durandal continues to be Kiana, then I've already thought of a new name for you, Kiana."
"What name?" Kiana asked, as if compelled by a strange force.
"Kiana-Kasworm."
"..."
"Hmph, you don't like it? How about 'Tuna That Roams the Moonlit Sea'?"
"Don't treat the kids like toys," Chen Li said, flicking Sirin on the head.
If Sirin were added to this mix of three white-haired dumplings and one yellow-haired dumpling, the situation would become even more complicated.
Or rather, for Kiana, it would become more complicated.
Durandal, the real Kiana, was her mother in a biological sense. Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void, was her mother in a spiritual sense. And Cecilia was her mother in a psychological sense.
It was safe to say that Kiana would never lack motherly love in her life.
"We've already discussed it. Kiana will continue to use this name," Durandal spoke up.
Bianka Ataegina Durandal—each part of her name carried irreplaceable memories for her.
Therefore, Durandal had no intention of changing her name.
"Although the process of getting acquainted has been a bit rocky, I am very grateful for your help with my father and with resurrecting my mother," Durandal said to Chen Li as she handed him the 6th Divine Key, Abyss Flower.
"This Divine Key is now yours."
All the Divine Keys were forged by the Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era. Now that people from the Flame-Chasers had come from the past to the present to reclaim their Divine Keys, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
Of course, the key point was that they couldn't win a fight.
If the Divine Key wasn't held by Durandal but by Otto, who had the final say, a fight would definitely have to precede any discussion.
The 'reason' in reasoning, and the 'reason' of physics. Physics is also a form of reason.
This was perfectly reasonable.
"This Divine Key... we will take it back to the Flame-Chasers for a period of research. We will return it later," Chen Li said after glancing at the Entries on the 6th Divine Key.
[Life], [Death], [The Strongest]...
The Entries on the 6th Divine Key were all good, but the [Life] Entry could be substituted by the [Abundance] Entry. At the same time, Chen Li had a [Death Note] in his possession, and its [Death] Entry was far brighter than the one on Abyss Flower.
As for the [The Strongest] Entry that interested him, it was formed from the history that "Abyss Flower has always been wielded by Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie." Extracting it wouldn't actually affect the function of Abyss Flower itself.
And researching the Divine Keys was to gain more inspiration to create even stronger ones.
Vill-V disdained creating the same weapon twice. The next Divine Key forged from the Core of Death would undoubtedly be even more powerful!
"You'll return it?"
"Of course. We didn't come to the Current Era to rob you. We will only take back the things we left behind that are useful to us. After all, the Current Era also has to resist the Honkai," Chen Li nodded.
"Thank you," Durandal said after a moment's hesitation.
"If you're truly grateful, could you lend us Durandal for research?" Chen Li asked.
"What? You want to research my sister?" Kiana exclaimed in surprise.
"Not research Durandal the person, but the Holy Sword Durandal. The Holy Sword Durandal was also a weapon created by the Flame-Chasers, but this weapon had a lot of personality. Not long after it was forged, it entered a state of playing dead, so the Void Archives doesn't have much experimental data on it," Chen Li explained.
"I can. However, the Holy Sword Durandal has fused with me on a deeper level. The Shining Armor I materialized during my battle with Sirin was a manifestation of the Holy Sword Durandal," Durandal said.
"Don't worry, Vill-V will handle it. If worst comes to worst, you can use the Void Archives to mimic the Holy Sword Durandal, and that can also help our research."
"Can I use the Void Archives?"
"Theoretically, only a compatible user acknowledged by the Void Archives can use it, but Vill-V left a backdoor, so there's no problem."
"Very well. I am willing to cooperate," Durandal nodded.
"Then, as payment, we can help you stabilize the World Bubble inside you," Chen Li offered.
"You can do that?" Durandal's eyes lit up with surprise.
In her youth, Durandal was criticized by her orphanage counselor for being a blockhead who couldn't think flexibly. In this regard, Kiana had perfectly inherited all of Durandal's personality traits.
But the reason Durandal had trained herself into such a rigid and strictly serious Valkyrie was that as a Valkyrie, she could die in an accident at any moment.
Durandal had long been prepared for her own death, but if she died, the World Bubble inside her couldn't be maintained either.
It was precisely because of the bonds with her friends that Durandal worked so hard to improve herself, correct her flaws, and make herself as perfect as possible.
"Vill-V can definitely do it," Chen Li said with certainty.
"Why does it sound like Vill-V can do anything? Then what can you do?" Kiana asked curiously.
"Vill-V and I have different roles. Vill-V is responsible for solving the problems she can solve, and I am responsible for solving the problems Vill-V can't," Chen Li said with considerable confidence.
Chen Li didn't think he was that much more of a genius than Vill-V, but he knew his advantage lay in forging Curios.
"For example?"
"For example, forging resurrection-type Curios."
"That's truly impressive." Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
If Chen Li had used anything else as an example, some people would always find a point to criticize. But if you said you could resurrect people, there was really nothing to argue about. After all, who didn't have someone they wanted to bring back?
"I am a Curio Forger. My job is to forge Curios and then distribute them to others, letting them create miracles. This is also why I had Sirin collect the Divine Key users along with the Divine Keys. I want to assess whether these users are suitable to wield Curios and create miracles."
"Then what do you think of my sister?" Kiana asked.
"Perfect, powerful, with a strong sense of justice! She is a qualified Curio wielder," Chen Li couldn't help but praise.
"So are you going to forge a Curio for my sister?"
"Uh, I haven't thought about it. Because I honestly can't imagine what other power-ups Durandal could possibly get," Chen Li sighed.
Durandal's Honkai energy resistance increased with exposure, she could grow as long as she worked hard in the field of combat, she possessed the bloodline of the Kaslana family and could obtain the power of Dea Anchora through trials, she had the Holy Sword Durandal, a World Bubble inside her, and she wielded the 6th Divine Key...
She could even fight non-stop for over thirty days, sweeping away all Honkai incidents across the globe in one go.
How could you even buff that?
She was practically a superman!
Chen Li forged Curios to let those who needed miracles create miracles, but what the hell did Durandal need?
Even Durandal couldn't think of anything she needed, so Chen Li was even more clueless.
"You don't need to trouble yourself thinking about what kind of Curio to forge for me. Being able to resurrect my mother and ensure the continued existence of the World Bubble inside me is already more than enough. I only hope that the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, will not take her anger over Otto out on all of Schicksal. After all, the Current Era still has the Honkai to resist, and Schicksal's position is irreplaceable," Durandal said, looking at Sirin, who was still enjoying the show from the sidelines.
Once the problem of her World Bubble's existence was solved, Durandal would truly enter a state of "I lack nothing."
"Hmph, me? Don't worry, I've had enough fun with Otto. And I have no intention of taking my anger out on Schicksal," Sirin waved her hand dismissively.
"Then can you let my grandpa out?" Theresa asked, looking at the burlap sack Sirin had been dragging around since she returned to Raiden Mei's house.
Theresa knew her grandpa was inside that sack, but she also knew she couldn't open it.
"You'll have to ask Chen Li about that. It seems he has some use for Otto," Sirin said casually.
"What do you want my grandpa for?" Theresa turned to Chen Li.
"The weather is turning cold. It's time for Schicksal to go bankrupt," Chen Li said, clasping his hands behind his back and sighing at the sky.
"Huh?"
"What Lord Chen Li means is that the world is currently divided into three factions: Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent, each governing its own territory. In such a state, how can we speak of resisting the Honkai? Therefore, it is time for this world to have a single, unified voice against the Honkai," Gray Serpent #2 stepped out silently to explain Chen Li's meaning.
"If it's really just for the sake of resisting the Honkai, then I have no objections. But will Anti-Entropy agree? And what is this World Serpent?" Theresa tilted her head.
"You don't even know about World Serpent? Ms. Theresa, you've really failed as the Principal of the Far East Branch."
"...Do you know how many ways there are to use Judah?" Feeling Gray Serpent looking at her with pity, Theresa couldn't help but tighten her grip on the Oath of Judah next to her, which was taller than her and weighed 152 kilograms.
"Theresa, you arrived a bit late, so you might not know. World Serpent is an organization that has been passed down from the Previous Era, lying dormant in the shadows," Siegfried explained.
"Tch, I've never even heard of it, so it can't be that strong," Theresa said unhappily.
Gray Serpent smiled without a word.
"There are no issues on World Serpent's side; we can merge. As for Anti-Entropy... they agreed quickly, perhaps a little too quickly," Gray Serpent said.
The credibility of the World Serpent organization could be measured as one stone, with Gray Serpent himself accounting for ninety percent of it.
As long as Gray Serpent agreed, it meant World Serpent agreed. There was no problem there.
The [Sound of One Hand Slapping] glove plus the [Friends Circle] terminal allowed Gray Serpent to contact anyone in the world he wanted to within three minutes.
The six degrees of separation theory states that on average, it only takes six or fewer people to connect with anyone in the world.
But Gray Serpent was even more suited for this glove because he had spies all over the world.
It only took Gray Serpent three minutes to contact Dr. Einstein of Anti-Entropy and Welt, the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, who was hiding in St. Freya Academy.
Of course, it would have been even faster if he had let Raiden Ryoma do it, because Raiden Ryoma only needed one slap.
But the problem was that Gray Serpent was just too eager to make progress.
Under the multiple threats and temptations of the slap glove, the [Revival Games] Curio, the slime-ified Cocolia, and the witness Raiden Ryoma, Anti-Entropy agreed to the merger with remarkable swiftness.
The slap glove proved that if Chen Li wanted to, he could assassinate any high-ranking member of Anti-Entropy at any time.
Cocolia being turned into a slime proved that Chen Li could make them wish for death.
And the [Revival Games] was the sweet carrot, so sweet that the higher-ups of Anti-Entropy simply couldn't refuse.
With a Revival Card, not only the first Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, the real Welt, but also all the comrades who had died fighting the Honkai could return to their side!
Anti-Entropy had never experienced such a wonderful start.
"Aren't you afraid they'll go back on their word?" Theresa was a little worried.
"This item is called the [Compulsory Transaction Gold Coin]. Contracts made before this coin are absolutely binding. So there's no need to worry about them reneging," Gray Serpent said, taking out the gold coin.
Hearing this, Durandal couldn't help but glance at Sirin, who had forced her to make an oath.
"Is it that simple?" Theresa was still a bit concerned.
"The world is just a huge, rickety stage. When you have the power to flip the table, you don't need to care about logic. Besides, reality is often stranger than fiction. Just like how some actors can actually become president because they played a good president in a TV series," Chen Li shrugged.
Before forging Curios, Chen Li had to survive carefully in the Honkai world. But if he still had to survive carefully after forging more than twenty Curios, wouldn't that mean he had forged them for nothing?
"So now all that's left is Schicksal, right? If we let Grandpa out, with his prestige in Schicksal, this union would be a piece of cake. It'll be troublesome if Grandpa doesn't cooperate," Theresa said.
Although Theresa knew her grandpa had done many unscrupulous things, and she herself had only gone to the Far East Branch to establish St. Freya Academy after nearly breaking ties with Otto, Otto was still her grandfather.
Maybe... she should just break his five limbs and leave him with a breath of life.
Because Theresa was also afraid that Otto would pull some other grand scheme.
"Don't worry, Otto will agree. Because the Revival Card can also resurrect Kallen, provided that I, the approver, agree. After I severed the river of time, the only known way to resurrect Kallen is with the Revival Card. Because Otto will cooperate, there's no need to be polite to him," Chen Li said.
"Then after my grandpa dies, can I resurrect him... and can I choose to resurrect the grandpa from 500 years ago?" Theresa suddenly asked.
Theresa had heard that the Otto of 500 years ago was still somewhat human.
"That's... hard to say. I haven't tried. And you need my approval to resurrect someone."
"I want to try... then how can I get your approval?"
"We'll see how you perform. Even if Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent unite, they will still be governed separately. After all, the grudge between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy is long-standing. Schicksal will need someone to take over... I think you're very suitable," Chen Li said.
"Ah, me? I'm not suitable." Theresa shook her head hastily upon hearing this.
What kind of joke was that?
"How are you not suitable? The Overseer of Schicksal, Otto, is your grandfather. As the head of the Apocalypse family, it's perfectly reasonable for you to inherit the position of Overseer... If you don't want to do it, you can find someone else. As long as it's reasonable, I'm not picky," Chen Li said.
"Siegfried, you're the head of the Kaslana family..." Theresa looked at Siegfried.
"I've already defected from Schicksal," Siegfried said, throwing his hands up.
"Durandal, you're Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, and you're the daughter of the head of the Kaslana family and the Saintess of the Schariac family..." Theresa looked at Durandal again.
"...I'm just in charge of fighting," Durandal replied, shutting Theresa down with a single sentence.
"Kiana, you... never mind," Theresa glanced at her grandniece's overly clear eyes and was suddenly overcome with sorrow.
"Wait a minute, Great-aunt, what do you mean? Why not me?"
"Being the Overseer of Schicksal requires managing the affairs of the entire organization, working at high intensity for more than 12 hours a day. Note, that's every day. No rest, no holidays. Although you'll have a lot of wealth, you'll have no time to squander it," Sirin interjected from the side.
"Then forget it. I knew you were the best to me, Great-aunt. You wouldn't want me to suffer like that," Kiana said, happily hugging Theresa.
"..." Theresa wanted to say something but held back.
It's not that I don't want you to suffer, it's that I'm afraid you'll ruin Schicksal.
Whether it was Siegfried, Durandal, Kiana, or Theresa, they all had the qualifications to become the Overseer of Schicksal.
But after looking around, Theresa found that she was really the only suitable one.
No, the mere thought of working at high intensity for 12 hours a day made Theresa feel as if life had lost all meaning!
"And most importantly, only someone with your unique qualifications can use this Curio," Chen Li said, taking out a Curio and handing it to Theresa.
"A Curio? For me?" Theresa was both surprised and delighted.
"That's right. The name of this Curio is [Sacrifice a Relative]. Its effect is that when one's relative or close friend dies, for the next 10 days, one's work speed and efficiency will increase by 300%. It's a rather niche Curio, but it's perfect for you."
This was the last negative Curio Chen Li had... though it wasn't entirely negative. It had some positive effects, but not many.
"Huh? Why?" Theresa was completely dumbfounded when she heard the Curio's effect.
How could there be such a strange Curio?
"Because I think Otto will die often. You don't actually think that just because you can resurrect Otto, no one will want to kill him, do you? Not to mention others, there are at least five people in this room who want to kill Otto," Chen Li said.
"So this Curio is most suitable for you to hold. After the three organizations of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent merge, I will give Otto a chance to have enough time to gather the Revival Cards to resurrect Kallen. And after Kallen is resurrected, I won't care about Otto's life or death. Everyone can take revenge as they see fit."
Chen Li had no interest in Otto, but resurrecting Kallen came with a reward.
Only when a miracle was related to Chen Li or happened under his direction could he obtain the Power of Miracles.
Achieving miracles through Curios was the fastest way to obtain it.
However, some were advanced payments, while others were settled in real-time.
Chen Li wanted to get an advance, because with more Miracle Crystals, he could forge more Curios to create more miracles...
Besides, if Otto could only die once, it wouldn't be enough to appease the masses.
Sirin wanted to kill Otto, Siegfried wanted to kill Otto, Welt wanted to kill Otto...
There was only one Otto to go around!
A Soulium Otto?
If Otto didn't really die, it wouldn't be stimulating enough.
"Isn't this good? You watch ads to resurrect Otto, Otto gets to meet the Kallen he's been longing for, then gets killed, and waits for the next resurrection... Of course, I'll have Otto sign a contract before I give him the Revival Card link to prevent him from pulling any stunts."
"Then how many ads do I have to watch?" Theresa's eyes were wide.
"I don't know. It depends on how many people Otto has offended. So how often your grandpa gets to see his fiancée will depend on how much time you can spare to watch ads," Chen Li said, patting Theresa on the head.
Chen Li wasn't persecuting Otto.
On the contrary, he was providing Otto with the opportunity to resurrect Kallen and giving Theresa the opportunity to resurrect Otto.
The people who wanted to kill Otto were the ones Otto had persecuted.
In other words, Otto killed Otto.
"...Tragic. I'll have to watch ads for the rest of my life," Theresa said sorrowfully.
Theresa had just gained a basic understanding of how many people her grandfather had offended.
Even she herself wanted to swing Judah and smash her grandpa half to death, let alone others.
"Anyway, it's time to let my grandpa out and have him announce his abdication to Schicksal, right?" Although she wasn't keen on taking the position of Overseer, Theresa still said it.
"Oh, not yet. Because when we signed the contract with the higher-ups of Anti-Entropy, they added an extra clause: they want to beat up Otto too. So..."
"What?! You actually used beating up my grandpa as a diplomatic tool?" Theresa was dumbfounded.
"It can't be helped. It's a necessary sacrifice. Although this diplomatic method is a bit despicable, it's really effective."
"...Don't beat grandpa to death," Theresa sighed, accepting the cruel reality.
"Don't worry, Siegfried is in line right after the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, Welt."
"Huh?!" Theresa's eyes widened as she stared at Siegfried.
You brat...
"Uh, Theresa, Durandal and Kiana have had it rough. They grew up without a mother..." Siegfried's reasoning was clearly very sufficient, so much so that Theresa couldn't refute it.
Otto had once used Fenghuang Down to alter Theresa's memories of the Second Eruption, making her believe it was resolved by Schicksal. But Theresa had just read the manga and learned the truth...
"Fine, I'm not getting involved. By the way, Chen Li, I remember Sirin said that my grandpa repeatedly altered my memories with Fenghuang Down, which made me not particularly smart... do you have any way to fix that?" Theresa asked, leaning closer to Chen Li and whispering.
"..." said Chen Li.
In a way, the fact that you believe this excuse means there's no need for a cure.
Even if you were cured, you'd still be drooling.
But it was also possible that she believed this excuse because she had become dumber.
"When Sakura gets back, I'll lend you the [Mengyin Shen]. It can clear the burden on your memory, but I can't guarantee it'll make you smarter," Chen Li said.
The [Mengyin Shen] was only for treatment; it wasn't responsible for increasing IQ.
Of all the Theresas in the world, their collective IQ was one stone, and Stargazer Theresa alone possessed eight-tenths of it.
And for some reason, every one of Theresa's battlesuits and clones was extremely captivating, but only when she wore this nun's habit did she exude zero appeal.
As expected of a nun, truly ascetic.
"Alright, now for the final topic. After we discuss this, you can all take your [Friends Circle] terminals and watch ads to resurrect Cecilia," Chen Li said to the group.
"What topic?"
"After the three organizations—Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent—form an alliance, what should it be called?" Chen Li asked.
"Let's call it the Schicksal Alliance. I think the name Schicksal sounds nice," Theresa was the first to speak.
"Not as good as World Serpent. Or perhaps we can inherit the name of the Flame-Chasers," Gray Serpent suggested.
"We can't call it the Flame-Chasers, or things will get confusing," Chen Li objected.
"Lord Chen Li is right."
"I'll say something fair," Raiden Ryoma walked over.
Generally, when someone says they're going to say something fair, they could say anything, but it's highly unlikely to be fair.
"I think Theresa's suggestion, the Schicksal Alliance, is a good name," Raiden Ryoma said.
"Right?" Theresa nodded in satisfaction.
"But not good enough."
"..."
"So let's take half of the name 'Theresa's Schicksal Alliance' and combine it with Anti-Entropy's name... how about we call it the Anti-Entropy Alliance?"
"...I have never seen such a shameless person!" Theresa was stunned.
What was the difference between the Anti-Entropy Alliance and just Anti-Entropy?
Because Anti-Entropy adopted an alliance-style management system, unlike Schicksal's centralized authority, it was already an alliance.
"And what about World Serpent?"
"Then we can call it the Anti-Entropy World Alliance."
"..."
Even Gray Serpent was left speechless by Raiden Ryoma.
Do you hear what you're saying?
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down. I'll say something fair," Chen Li said, gesturing with his hands for everyone to quiet down.
"Chen Li's words sound awfully familiar."
"Since no one is satisfied with each other's names, let's not use any of them. I'll come up with a name," Chen Li said.
"What name?"
"Homu Paradise."
"???"
"!!!"
"..."
The three major powers—Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent—were dissatisfied with each other's proposed names, but it was clear they were even more dissatisfied with the name Chen Li came up with.
"May I ask, is there any deep meaning behind this name?" Gray Serpent #2 asked tactfully.
"Because this suit I'm wearing is called the Golden Homu King. What, you have a problem with it?"
"..."
"Just kidding. Of course, I have my reasons for choosing this name," Chen Li suddenly smiled.
"What reasons?"
"Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent all sound too cool. Being defeated by such an organization would be seen as a matter of course. But no individual or force can endure the humiliation of being defeated by Homu Paradise," Chen Li said confidently, stating his reason.
Logically speaking, Chen Li was not wrong.
"But have you considered one thing? The people of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent also can't accept the humiliation of their allied organization being called Homu Paradise," Siegfried asked tentatively.
You're right, but...
After the three great forces resisting the Honkai unite, they should have a cool name, right?
What the hell was "Homu Paradise"?
"And you don't have the copyright," Theresa reminded him.
"You're right, but I've come prepared!" Chen Li snapped his fingers.
Gray Serpent then produced a document.
"What's this? Homu Copyright Transfer Agreement. Where did you get this?" Theresa asked in surprise, standing on her tiptoes to take the document.
Theresa loved reading the Adventures of Homu manga. In fact, Homu was a mascot that all children in this world adored.
"You might not believe me if I told you, so I won't."
What Theresa didn't know was that the Adventures of Homu manga series was actually created by the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, Welt.
Sounds bizarre, doesn't it?
And Chen Li had spent a fortune to buy the Homu copyright.
World Serpent paid the bill.
Anti-Entropy needed to eat too.
Although the mechs developed by Anti-Entropy were no weaker than Schicksal's Valkyries, their biggest drawback was their extremely high cost.
And as it happened, World Serpent was very rich, or rather, Gray Serpent was very rich.
"And then?"
"I have an item here called [Full-Audience Cheer]. Its effect is that it can start a popular trend or put a group within a certain range into a state of carnival. As long as we make Homu popular throughout the world, no one will object to the organization being named Homu Paradise!" Chen Li proposed a brilliant idea.
"Don't use such a precious-sounding item for something so boring!"
"You don't understand. If I don't use this thing now, I won't have another chance," Chen Li shook his head.
This reward, obtained for having Nous clean up the leftover trash from Robin's concert, was already becoming outdated.
Chen Li had originally intended to use this reward to stir up admiration for the MANTISes in the Previous Era, but later found it useless. Once he awakened the collective consciousness of the civilization, he could change the entire civilization's preferences without this item.
Besides, since he knew how to obtain such rewards, the next time he needed one, couldn't he just ask his good brother Nous for help cleaning up some trash again?
Chen Li would pay.
"So let's strike while the iron is hot! And once the whole world falls in love with Homu, we can take the opportunity to make a huge profit. Although the trend will eventually pass, by then the name of the alliance between Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent will already be set, and no one will dare to change it," Chen Li said, crushing the [Full-Audience Cheer] reward.
"Alright, now do you have any problem with naming it Homu Paradise or Homu Kingdom?" Chen Li asked.
"No problem."
"I agree."
"The person who came up with this name must have a brilliant mind in their family!"
Seeing that everyone agreed, Chen Li nodded in satisfaction.
[Golden Homu King] Entry (Miracle Card) extraction in progress... Progress: 40% (Progress increases by performing Homu-related actions as the Golden Homu King to increase the "Golden Homu King's" influence.)
Perhaps because Chen Li had established this persona so thoroughly, he had actually obtained a clue for generating a Miracle Card, which was why he was so enthusiastic about it.
"Theresa, get ready. This afternoon, we'll hold the alliance ceremony for World Serpent, Schicksal, and Anti-Entropy. It will also be the day you become the Overseer of Schicksal."
"What? So soon?"
"Is it soon? In half a day, I've managed to participate in the Second Eruption, make a cameo as the Golden Homu King in Sirin's dream, take a bite out of the Herrscher of Thunder's core, catch up with Kevin, sever the river of time, create a parallel world where the Second Eruption never happened, and piss Otto off until he was red in the face."
"..." said Theresa.
Your half-day has been quite eventful.
"And after I'm done here, I also need to prepare to modify the Cocoon of Finality and create a world where Honkai energy can be properly utilized."
"Did you just unintentionally say something incredible?"
"A Curio Forger's job is to create miracles. You didn't think I came to this world just to collect Divine Keys, did you? I'm also here to save the world. I have a plan..." Chen Li explained the [Honkai-mon Project] he planned to implement in the Previous Era to the group.
"I have a question. Why don't you experiment in the Previous Era first? That way, if any problems arise in the Previous Era, you can correct them in time and not make the same mistake twice in the Current Era," Kiana asked, raising her hand.
The question Kiana raised was the same one everyone else listening to the [Honkai-mon Project] wanted to ask. It was just that Kiana was more straightforward and asked it without thinking.
Kiana only needed to ask the question, while the others had to consider many more things.
For example, would asking this question make the people from the Previous Era feel uncomfortable?
Or would it give rise to thoughts like, "The little brats of the future civilization are simply too despicable!"
"You're so smart, Kiana," Chen Li praised.
"I'm not that smart..." Kiana scratched her head in embarrassment.
"But Mobius and Vill-V thought the same thing. They want me to experiment in the Current Era first, so that we don't have to make the same mistake twice in the Previous Era."
Evidently, if even Kiana could think of it, Mobius and Vill-V could too.
"???"
"And I agreed."
"!!!"
The old fogies of the Previous Era are simply too despicable!
---o---