"Beep! Beautiful Girl Card!" Elysia's pleasant voice rang out.
"..." Staring at the card in his hand, Chen Li wanted to die.
The Flame-Chasers used an all-in-one card system, and after some special processing, it could even be used outside their base. Whether intentionally or not, Elysia hadn't set a password, meaning anyone who had it could use it.
That was the only reason Chen Li wasn't reduced to being unable to buy even a cup of water.
But why did Elysia's salary card have this sound effect when used?
Everyone around was looking at him like he was some kind of pervert.
"What are you looking at? Keep staring and I'll drop dead right here and splatter your faces with my blood, believe it or not."
"Um..." After Chen Li had scared off everyone who was looking his way, Kevin, who had been following behind him, spoke up hesitantly.
"Here, iced watermelon juice. Thanks for the uniform," Chen Li said, handing the drink he'd just bought to Kevin, who had just finished a game of basketball.
"Oh, you're welcome," Kevin replied cheerfully.
Kevin, the leader of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, who bore the Signet of "Deliverance," and the lover of Dr. MEI. He was also humanity's strongest warrior.
But compared to the cold, almost inhuman Flame-Chaser of the future who was solely focused on resisting the Honkai, the Kevin of today was still a bright and cheerful young man.
A transfer student, handsome, sunny, loved basketball, athletic, and was even warm-hearted.
This kind of person was usually incredibly popular on campus.
Seeing the cheerful Kevin before him, Chen Li had a bold idea.
"That dean of discipline looked really fierce. You did me a huge favor, so I've decided to give you a little something extra as a reward," Chen Li said.
"You really don't have to," Kevin refused repeatedly.
"A complete collection of love confessions that can win over any girl," Chen Li said, pulling a rather strange item from his stash of transmigration goodies.
"Huh? Really?" Kevin was taken aback, seemingly tempted.
"Look at you. It's obvious you already have someone you like. Love at first sight?" Chen Li asked with a smile.
"Ermm..." Kevin's expression grew flustered.
Click!
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Taking a picture. Here. The moments of youth need to be recorded. Especially moments of budding romance," Chen Li said, handing a freshly printed instant photo to Kevin.
The camera still held the negative of the photo.
Later, I'll ask Kevin how much he's willing to pay to buy this picture back.
And if he doesn't buy it back? Then I'll spread this photo all over the Flame-Chasers!
"Oh, thanks," Kevin said, accepting the photo in a daze.
"This photo, plus this collection of love confessions, is the ultimate weapon I'm giving you," Chen Li stated with conviction.
"Will this really work?"
"Don't worry, listen to me, and you're guaranteed to succeed. But in exchange... how about you give me your baseball bat the next time we meet?" Chen Li asked, pointing to the bat sticking out of Kevin's bag.
Playing basketball and then going to play baseball. You're really making the rounds, huh, kid?
"Sure, but what do you want it for?" Kevin asked, a bit confused.
"You'll know the next time we meet."
Seeing the nascent [Hero] Entry and the developing [Savior] Entry on that baseball bat, Chen Li felt an urge to just throw Kevin into a pack of Honkai Beasts and let him start fighting.
[Appraisal]—This was the special reward and professional skill Chen Li received after completing the Beginner's Quest (Part 1).
When Chen Li touched an item, he could see the Entries it contained.
Even without touching it, he could faintly sense from a distance whether an item held any precious Entries.
With this, Chen Li no longer had to wait until the Flames of Miracle had burned out to confirm if an Entry was present.
"Su, over here!" Just as Chen Li was staring intently at the baseball bat, Kevin seemed to notice someone and waved, shouting loudly.
A handsome, almost delicate-looking young man walked toward them.
Su, Kevin's best friend.
Besides MEI, he was the person Kevin was closest to.
The thought of Su reminded Chen Li of how Su once mentioned seeing a female version of himself while observing other worlds.
That led him to wonder: if Su were a girl, could MEI really have competed with him?
Star Stones: 210 (+100,000)
The Guide to Forging Curios suddenly popped open to the balance page.
Seeing the slightly ethereal but red-highlighted balance of 100,000, Chen Li jumped.
He didn't dare to think too deeply about what it implied, afraid he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to do something like dousing Su with the waters from a Spring of Drowned Girl.
Considering he had been missing for a while and Elysia was probably looking for him, Chen Li chatted with the two future heroes for a bit longer. After making a deal with Su to return the [Barefoot Doctor's Manual] he had given him the next time they met, Chen Li took his leave.
If you don't have Entries, then you cultivate them.
This book, which condensed the warmest memories and most fundamental medical knowledge of a civilization, began to develop two new Entries the moment it fell into Su's hands.
[Heavenly Wisdom], [Medicine]
These Entries needed to be watered with enough Time and Fate before they could truly mature.
Perhaps this was the true purpose of [Appraisal]—to judge a person's destiny, give them a suitable carrier item, and cultivate the appropriate Entries.
For Chen Li, who walked through time, time was something he never lacked.
Beginner's Quest (Part 2):
Forge three Curios (2/3)
Forge 30 Curio Embryos √
Complete three Miracle Check-ins (1/3)
Complete one full Encounter world (0/1)
Add one Friend (0/1)
Sitting in a wheelchair, Chen Li stared at the five new beginner's quests, deep in thought.
He was currently on his way back to the Flame-Chasers' base.
The base was in a remote location, and for secrecy, he couldn't take a taxi. Buying a car would be a waste, so Chen Li simply bought a wheelchair from the side of the road.
Because he had been constantly forging, he wasn't proficient with the Herrscher of the Void's abilities yet, so he didn't dare use them.
However, this wheelchair seemed to have opened up a new world for him.
He discovered that the Entries stored in Crystals were plug-and-play.
For instance, he placed the [Wind Control] Entry on the wheelchair, and now it moved as fast as the wind.
Doing this didn't consume the Miracle Power of the Crystal storing the Entry, but leaving a Crystal exposed on a wheelchair, increasing the chance of it being stolen, was a risk in itself. Also... the effect was terrible.
This wheelchair couldn't even fly! One star!
Although others couldn't use the Miracle Crystal or the Entry, it would still cost one Star Stone to retrieve a lost Crystal, which was a bit of a loss.
So, this kind of risky behavior could only be used when he was certain of his safety.
---o---
"These local thugs are so rude!" Chen Li, tied to a chair, roared in anger as he looked at his now-tattered wheelchair.
"Alright, stop yelling. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come to save you," the person standing in front of Chen Li said, tossing a palm-sized Crystal in their hand while sizing him up with interest.
"Remember, you owe me a new wheelchair," Chen Li said grimly.
"Alright, alright, I'll get you a new one later. So, can we first talk about this Crystal? And... what kind of organization is this Flame-Chasers of yours?" the person asked, pulling a chair over to sit in front of Chen Li, crossing their legs.
"You're committing a crime, you know that?" Chen Li said.
"I think you're the ones committing a crime. What do the Flame-Chasers do? What is your relationship with the disaster known as the Honkai? Why are you present wherever the Honkai appears?" Vill-V demanded, slapping the armrest of her chair.
The girl sitting opposite him wore a hat adorned with complex, mechanical-style gears and decorations, and her entire outfit was filled with mechanical and gear-like elements.
Her pink pupils were full of suspicion.
This is a genuine beautiful girl. Elysia would definitely be interested.
"...Tsk."
If it weren't for the fact that he recognized her as Vill-V, Chen Li would have summoned Argenti long ago to skewer her with a spear. He also wouldn't have intentionally let himself get captured.
As ridiculous as it was, getting captured by Vill-V actually awarded him Star Stones.
This proved once again that the acquisition of Star Stones didn't care whether Chen Li's actions were intentional or accidental; as long as he disrupted the original fate, he would be rewarded.
Coupled with his passive tendency to get into all sorts of trouble, it meant that as long as Chen Li transmigrated to another world, he could continuously obtain Star Stones.
The prerequisite was that he had to survive these troubles.
"Do you want to know all the secrets?" Chen Li asked after a long pause.
"Oh, you've come to your senses?" Vill-V asked, pinching her chin.
"But before that, I'm very curious how you thought of kidnapping me."
"It's simple. The card you were using is a special card unique to that organization, and its signal is even more unique. So I just had to pay a 'little' bit of attention," Vill-V said, holding a pink salary card between her fingers.
"Sounds like I didn't lose unfairly."
"Actually, you can just chalk it up to bad luck. I only confirmed the location of the Flame-Chasers' headquarters today. Not only did you use this card, but you were also heading toward the headquarters, and you happened to pass by my newly constructed 'base'," Vill-V remarked.
She had been planning to use micro-robots to scout the headquarters tonight, and having an insider should make things smoother.
It was as if this person had delivered himself right to her door.
"..."
"What? Feeling defeated?" Vill-V poked Chen Li's cheek.
"I do feel a bit defeated. But I'm not necessarily the unlucky one here."
"What do you mean?" Vill-V became wary of the young man before her.
In truth, she had never let her guard down.
Although she was self-taught, an organization that could hold its own against her was definitely not to be trifled with.
"Did you know? I've always been a very unlucky person. I tend to get dragged into strange troubles."
"Like... getting caught by me?"
"No, that's just one part of the bad luck. What I mean is... for example, both of us are now being targeted by a Honkai Beast that accompanies the Herrscher of the Void. Originally, it was only targeting me, but now it's targeting both of us. Why do you think I was running to such a remote place?" Chen Li, completely tied up, could only tilt his head to express his helplessness.
"Huh? Don't try any tricks. Although this base was built in a hurry, it's very sturdy, and I have weapons on me," Vill-V said, her brows furrowed tightly.
"Very sturdy?"
The moment Chen Li asked that question, a massive, sharp claw smashed directly through the base/shelter.