"Classmate Fu Hua, it seems your luck isn't very good."
Outside St. Freya Academy, in a nearby amusement hall, Daniel Davis couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Fu Hua continuously inserting coins into a prize-draw machine without winning so much as a consolation prize. Unable to contain himself, he walked over.
Beyond the academy's grounds, there were ample recreational facilities – everything from amusement parks and swimming pools to arcades, arranged by Theresa to allow Valkyries opportunities for rest and relaxation.
Most students at St. Freya Academy were working Valkyries. Although many were C- or D-rank, Valkyries received substantial salaries from Schicksal – at least this was one thing Schicksal did right. While Theresa did occasionally miss payroll in other areas, she never delayed paying Valkyries, with the possible exception of her friend Himeko.
"Dr. Davis, I think there's something wrong with this machine."
No wonder Fu Hua felt that way: thus far, she'd fed a near-endless supply of coins into the machine and hadn't won even the lowest consolation prize, while other people had inserted only a few coins and still managed to pull at least a consolation.
"It's more likely your luck just isn't great right now."
In the present-day civilization, Fu Hua's misfortune was truly remarkable. As with this machine: if anyone else fed it this many coins, it would be impossible not to win even a consolation. Since these facilities were run by Schicksal for Valkyries' enjoyment, they weren't set up with tight odds. Even if, hypothetically, they had some behind-the-scenes trick, spending that many coins should still net something.
If you look back five centuries, her luck was similarly rotten: after taking in seven disciples, they all turned traitor in unison. Even so, ironically, that betrayal partially ended up helping Fu Hua: because they destroyed her "Divine Sound" system in her brain, she was no longer that cold, "if demon, then must kill" immortal.
If it had been her old self, facing Kiana and the others, they might have come to blows at first sight. (That isn't to exonerate her seven wayward disciples; had they been alive, Daniel Davis would have given them a taste of "unhappy ending.")
"No way."
Hearing Daniel Davis call her unlucky, Fu Hua frowned. Even she couldn't help feeling displeased by being labeled "unlucky." She promptly asked a staff member to inspect the machine. There was no way she'd believe her luck could be that abysmal.
At St. Freya Academy, Fu Hua was a model student; though she hadn't pursued a scientific path, she certainly understood statistics and probability.
"Daniel Davis, what are you doing here?"
While the staff was busy checking the machine, a group walked over: Xier, Bronie, Mei, and Bronny. It happened to be their day off, and with the dorm newly refurbished, they'd gone on a shopping spree.
Indeed, it was a true spree – first, Bronie led Xier to buy a mountain of clothes (and would have bought out the store if not for Xier calling it quits). Being flush with cash, Bronie didn't hesitate. In truth, if one calculated personal funds, even Theresa's private stash likely didn't match Bronie's bank account – these days, she was a genuine "rich lady," thanks to Heavy Weapon Bunny's stock-trading strategies.
They also needed to purchase new computers and gaming equipment, since everything had been smashed by Waite. Bronie didn't particularly lament the hardware damage – what really bothered her was the destruction of a limited-edition Hoom collectible, which was hard to obtain even with money.
After finishing their shopping and sending their purchases back to the academy, they happened to spot Fu Hua at the arcade.
Currently, apart from training, Fu Hua would occasionally come to the amusement center to unwind. Daniel Davis had coincidentally bumped into her.
"Class Monitor…"
Kiana's friendly grin froze at the sight of Fu Hua. Of the entire St. Freya Academy, Fu Hua was the one she feared most – more so than Theresa or Himeko. If Kiana misbehaved with Theresa or Himeko, she could attempt a little wheedling to soften her punishment, but none of that worked on Fu Hua. Under Fu Hua's ironclad supervision, even the mischievous Kiana had to do her coursework obediently. Another reason Kiana didn't quite like Fu Hua was that in all her practical combat classes, she'd never bested her.
While Kiana's expression soured at Fu Hua's presence, Bronie, Xier, Mei, and Bronny all cheerfully greeted her.
"Class Monitor, what's going on with the machine? Is it rigged or something?"
Noticing the staff fiddling with the console, Bronie walked up. She despised cheating in games. If any particular "green" person (i.e., a certain Greento) lost at a game and responded by banning their opponent's account, Bronie found that extremely vile.
"It's nothing much. Just this device."
Fu Hua briefly explained her predicament, and the staff soon confirmed that the machine was completely normal – and even did a quick demonstration: they didn't land any major prizes, but hitting a small consolation was easy. Once Fu Hua tried again, however, she got the same dismal results. Even the employees were left dumbstruck. None had ever seen someone this unlucky, going so far as to hand Fu Hua a consolation prize out of pity.
Fu Hua immediately declined, explaining she wasn't short on funds or items – she merely wanted the thrill of actually winning something. Whether as the Red Kite Immortal or an A-rank Valkyrie, money wasn't an issue; it was the principle of the matter.
"Haha, Class Monitor. I never imagined you'd be like this – it's too funny."
Kiana cackled as they left the arcade. Indeed, Bronie, Xier, Mei, and Bronny were all trying hard to hide their smiles. Even the normally gentle Xier didn't know how to comfort Fu Hua in this scenario.
"Hilarious, is it? That's because you don't know what my luck has gone into."
Daniel Davis watched Kiana roaring with laughter. Outwardly, he wore a neutral expression, but inside he was chuckling too, just like the others. That said, he also realized exactly where Fu Hua's "luck" had gone – it was invested in survival. In the previous civilization, Fu Hua had repeatedly emerged alive from what everyone else deemed certain death, earning the moniker of "Witch."
From the moment she encountered Honkai, to her days as a fusion warrior, to being the sole survivor of the Shen Yin plan after everyone else failed – she'd always made it out. Even in the current era, her fortune hadn't abandoned her. If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have survived the betrayal of her seven disciples. The truth was that she could have slain them despite being ambushed, but the "Divine Sound" system had enforced "Kill only those who've fallen to demonhood," and her traitorous pupils hadn't yet succumbed to darkness. Her hesitation then cost her dearly.
"Kiana, apologize to the class monitor," Mei admonished. Seeing Fu Hua's face darken from Kiana's relentless laughter, Mei promptly stopped Kiana, insisting she apologize. Realizing Mei's displeasure, Kiana reluctantly fell silent.
"Mei, it's fine. I don't really care."
Before Kiana could apologize, Fu Hua stopped her.
"Sorry, Class Monitor. Kiana didn't mean it. Right – we're having a gathering tonight. Please join us," Mei offered, making it all too clear she'd basically taken up the role of "full-time chef" around there.
"Alright…"
Originally, Fu Hua hadn't planned to agree, but Mei insisted so earnestly that Fu Hua couldn't refuse.
"I guess Fu Hua must never play gacha games… or else it'd be a sea of normal pulls with zero guaranteed pity."
When they split at the front of St. Freya Academy, Daniel Davis saw Fu Hua's retreating figure and couldn't help but let the idea pop into his head.
By dusk, while Mei and Xier were busy cooking, Fu Hua arrived as promised. Immediately, Bronie invited her to play a fighting game.
"Again."
Watching her own character go down while Fu Hua's still had half health, Bronie's expression grew solemn.
Regarding games reliant on luck, Fu Hua was deeply "cursed." But fighting games involving reflex and skill were another matter entirely. Even Bronie wasn't her match – by the time Mei announced dinner, they'd fought ten rounds, all of which Bronie had lost.
"What? Fu Hua, your luck is just…?"
At dinner, Kiana was all too happy to recap Fu Hua's mishap at the arcade, making Theresa and Himeko laugh as uproariously as she had. Naturally, Fu Hua's face turned even darker.
"It was just an accident," she said firmly. No way would she ever admit she was that unlucky – it had to have been chance.
"Right, right. Definitely an accident," Himeko soothed. Being a teacher, she followed Fu Hua's lead.
"Um…" Kiana started to say something, but was cut off by the ring of a phone echoing through the room. Fu Hua took out her phone and glanced at it, then stood up.
"Headquarters orders," Theresa observed.
"Yes, a new mission." Fu Hua nodded, turning to leave without further explanation.
"That sure is unfortunate," Theresa sighed. But since the request came from Schicksal HQ and Fu Hua was an A-rank Valkyrie, there was no preventing it. Presumably, it was a major operation.
"Class Monitor, take these drumsticks to snack on the way," Mei said hurriedly, packing up the plate of chicken legs.
"Mei, that was mine!" Kiana protested.
"Oh right, this mission requires a B-rank Valkyrie's assistance. Kiana, you're coming too." Fu Hua's seemingly kind smile flashed across her face. Even someone like her would get annoyed at being mocked so much – still, Fu Hua wasn't one to resort to petty payback, which meant the mission must truly need Kiana.
"No way! I want to eat Mei's food, Class Monitor. Find someone else," Kiana objected flatly. At any other time, Kiana would have jumped at a Valkyrie assignment, but the food in front of her was too tempting, and the idea of teaming up with Fu Hua was less than appealing.
"Apologies, Kiana – you flunked your last exam, so we'll use this mission as your makeup."
Fu Hua stepped forward, grabbed Kiana by the shoulder, and pulled her toward the door. Even with Kiana's famed Kasslana brute strength, she couldn't shake off Fu Hua. In desperation, she tried flexing her might, but it was futile; the newly-repaired doorframe was destroyed by Kiana's thrashing.
"Mei, help me!" Kiana called out. Yet Mei knew better than to intercede with official Valkyrie orders.
"Kiana…" Theresa let out a groan, seeing her door in tatters. Such damage was a constant drain on St. Freya's limited budget.
"Taking Kiana on a mission together—this will be interesting."
Shortly after Fu Hua dragged Kiana away, Daniel Davis found a pretext to slip out and sent a shadow clone to follow them. Although it might look like Fu Hua picked Kiana on a whim—perhaps in retaliation for Kiana's teasing—Daniel Davis knew Fu Hua wasn't that petty. More likely, the mission specifically required Kiana. And in Schicksal, there was only one person who could dispatch an A-rank Valkyrie like Fu Hua: Otto himself.
Meanwhile, in a virtual projection space at Anti-Entropy Headquarters, the organization's three leaders had gathered: Walter Young, Einstein, and Tesla.
"A traveler from another parallel world, Chicken Coop Head—do you believe such a thing?" Tesla quipped, using her nickname for Walter.
"In theory, it's possible," Einstein said softly.
"Possible or not, we're not about to just offer up the Ruler's core for it," Tesla retorted.
"Dr. Tesla, I said he isn't demanding a trade. He just wants to borrow the Ruler's core," Walter explained again.
"And how do you know he's telling the truth? Maybe he just wants to swindle the core away."
"If we refuse, he might negotiate with Otto, which is precisely what we must avoid," Walter pointed out.
"I feel we can accept his terms. If indeed multiple Rulers end up siding with humanity, we'll save countless lives," Einstein stated.
End of Chapter 866: Tranquil Gem (Part Two)
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