"Fortune Glue? Isn't that the Curio from the Simulated Universe that guarantees a three-star Blessing after battle?"
Cipher muttered in uncertainty as she stared at the item in her inventory. It looked identical to the one from the game. Her confusion stemmed from the fact that she rarely paid attention to what the item actually did back in the Simulated Universe.
She lowered her gaze to read the description for Fortune Glue.
"Pass the day peacefully after use? Does this mean even if I encounter a life-or-death crisis, I can survive the day safely?"
Just by glancing at the effect, Cipher instantly grasped its true value.
'Isn't this basically a forced one-day life extension? This is insane!'
The way she looked at the item shifted immediately. A Curio that could forcibly prolong one's life by a day was a top-tier treasure regardless of the world.
"It looks like my luck is pretty good today. First, I pulled a high-attack item, and then I got a life-saving one as a bonus. One for offense, one for defense—this is absolutely perfect, nya!"
Looking at the Fortune Glue and A Wisp of Aura in her hands, Cipher wore a radiant smile. Even her tail swayed slightly behind her, betraying just how happy its owner truly was.
She placed the two purple items into her system inventory and fixed a death stare on the gacha interface.
"System... This cat has already done sixty pulls. If you know what's good for you, give me a gold right now!"
With a wave of her small hand, she threw another 1.6 million Credits into the pit. Of the seven million she brought from the base, only about 800,000 remained.
The system ignored her plea and tossed back nine blues and one purple.
"You're really going to make me hit the pity, aren't you?!"
Cipher screamed, her composure completely shattering.
Back in reality, she constantly hit hard pity on both the 50/50 and the guaranteed banners. The one time she managed seven golds in a single ten-pull, she transmigrated before she could even brag about it. She thought her luck might improve after crossing over, but here she was, facing the same old pity system.
'Is this shitty pool even worth pulling anymore?!'
Sigh... forget it. Transmigrating as Cipher and coming to this world was already lucky enough. If I have to hit pity, then so be it. I'm used to it anyway.
After a frantic bout of complaining, she successfully convinced herself to calm down. She regained her peace of mind and turned her attention to the new purple item.
'Let's see what this purple one is.'
Cipher opened the system inventory to check the pull. However, the moment she opened it, she froze in place, her eyes filling with disbelief.
A familiar voice echoed from within the inventory.
"Hiss... By the ancestors of Zagreus, where the hell have I been sent? Am I in the Underworld? But why don't I see that little brat Xia Die?"
"Is that... Bartholos?!"
Hearing that familiar voice and seeing the wriggling purple mass in the inventory slot, Cipher stood stunned. Before she could snap out of it, Bartholos's voice rang out again, jolting her awake.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Is there anyone in this ghostly place?! Say something! Don't just leave me here all alone!"
"Stop yelling, Bartholos. I'm letting you out now."
With that, she summoned Bartholos from the inventory.
"Eh? Where is this? Wait... Bi—Big Sis? You're alive!"
Initially dazed, Bartholos also froze the moment it saw Cipher, looking at her with pure shock.
"Do I look like I'm dead?"
Cipher fell silent for a short while before asking back. Bartholos shook its head so violently it looked like a rattle.
"No way! Big Sis, you're so powerful, how could you die? Look at my big mouth, just talking nonsense."
Bartholos spoke flatteringly, even reaching out to slap its own upper face. After that, it looked around the surroundings with confusion and turned to Cipher.
"But... Big Sis, where are we? Did that kid finish the Era Nova? It doesn't feel much like Amphoreus here..."
'Era Nova...'
Hearing those words, Cipher went silent. As a player who finished the Version 3.4 story, how could she not know the truth behind that term?
Era Nova was a lie. The so-called Flamechase to save the world was merely a process to facilitate the birth of the Lord Ravager, Irontomb...
"Big Sis, what's wrong? Did that kid fail?" Seeing Cipher's mood darken, Bartholos stomped its feet in the air and put on a show of anger. "And we trusted that brat so much! He couldn't even handle a small thing like this?"
"Be quiet, Bartholos."
"Understood, Big Sis. I'm shutting up."
Bartholos immediately covered its mouth to show its compliance.
"This isn't Amphoreus. This is a brand-new world. Here, there is no Flamechase, no Titans, and no need to worry about the arrival of the Black Tide..."
"However..."
Cipher paused before continuing. "Bartholos, the other Chrysos Heirs of Amphoreus aren't here either. At least, I haven't found any. For you, this will be a completely foreign world..."
"Big Sis..." Bartholos fell silent upon hearing this, but it quickly cheered up.
"It's fine! For me, as long as Big Sis is here, anywhere is a good place! Besides, I wasn't close with those other Chrysos Heirs anyway. Who cares about them!"
"Is that so..."
Cipher fell silent once more. She took a deep breath, seemingly bracing herself, before finally speaking.
"But... Bartholos, I am not the Cifera of Amphoreus from your memories. I can't easily explain the specific reasons, but I am not her."
She knew that saying this would likely bring no benefit to her or Bartholos. It would have been easier to just go along with it and let the creature believe she was the real Cipher.
But she couldn't do it.
Bartholos was arguably Cipher's closest companion—the only one who stayed by her side through eight hundred years of loneliness.
She loved the character Cipher, but that didn't mean she wanted to replace her. Stealing and deceiving Cipher's only friend was something she simply couldn't bring herself to do.
★ ★ ★
T/N: If you spot any mistranslation, please let me know!