"Oh, just tell me." Elysia circled around Chen Li, trying to learn Jingliu's name.
"Shouldn't you be more concerned right now with Vill-V, who is wanted by the Flame-Chasers, and the companion Honkai Beast of the Herrscher of the Void, which that white-haired girl and I just defeated?"
"Huh? This is the one who sent the challenge letter? What a cute girl. Your name is Vill-V, right? That's a lovely name." Chen Li had successfully diverted Elysia's attention.
Taking advantage of her distraction, just before the belatedly arriving Flame-Chaser members reached them, Chen Li stored the giant dragon's corpse.
This act also caused a disturbance, adding 15 Star Stones to his balance.
Vill-V's temporary base wasn't too far from the Flame-Chasers' headquarters to begin with, so the arrival of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast was naturally detected.
It was just that they had been on their way the whole time.
---o---
"Vill-V, congratulations on your rescue. But you're also under arrest," Chen Li said, finally approaching Elysia and Vill-V after handling matters on his end.
The arriving Flame-Chaser soldiers had already placed Vill-V under careful watch.
"Is it too late to surrender now?" Vill-V asked.
"Probably too late. But if you have sufficient talent, joining the Flame-Chasers isn't out of the question. I can't help you in that regard, though," Chen Li said with some regret.
He was an outsider, an openly acknowledged one.
If Chen Li wanted to trade for benefits, the Flame-Chaser higher-ups would be overjoyed.
But if he tried to interfere in the organization's internal affairs, they would become exceptionally vigilant.
Those who are not of our kin are bound to have different hearts.
In fact, there were probably only two people in the entire Flame-Chasers organization who observed Chen Li without prejudice.
One was Elysia, which went without saying.
The other was Mobius, because she viewed every single person equally—as a lab rat.
"Is that so... Then I'd like to ask you a question." Vill-V paid no mind to the soldiers who had surrounded her.
"What is it?"
"Is everyone in the Flame-Chasers as amazing as you? I'm very interested in your ability to forge miraculous items," Vill-V said, flipping her hand to reveal the Crystal with the [Wind Control] Entry that she had taken from him.
"Of course not. And I can't teach you, either. However... I would welcome it if you tried to invent something new by studying me," Chen Li said, taking the Crystal back and looking at Vill-V with anticipation.
He was genuinely looking forward to seeing what other Entries Vill-V could nurture.
"Alright, it's a deal," Vill-V said with a delighted smile, as if she had just been presented with an unsolvable challenge.
It was a special kind of excitement that only a genius would feel when faced with a difficult problem.
"Good luck. Try going from a prisoner of the Flame-Chasers to its Head of the Engineering Department."
"Oh? You have that much confidence in me?"
"Of course," Chen Li nodded.
"Good. Then tell your Engineering Department Head to wash up and wait. I'll be coming for him," Vill-V said, full of confidence.
"...I am the Engineering Department Head."
"Huh?"
---o---
"Elysia, come over here for a second," Chen Li said, calling Elysia aside after Vill-V had cooperatively gotten into the vehicle.
"What's wrong?" Elysia kept glancing toward the vehicle holding Vill-V, seeming worried about whether she was being treated unfairly.
"You're wearing those black stockings I made for you, right?" Chen Li asked, glancing at Elysia's long, slender legs, which were encased in thigh-high boots.
The boots were indeed very good at providing cover.
Chen Li knew she was wearing them because he could sense the location of all his Curios, but he couldn't just admit that directly.
"Mhm, I am. So... you want to see?" Elysia tilted her head slightly.
"Then how about we add each other as friends?"
"Huh? Is that all it was for?" Elysia sounded a little disappointed.
"Great acting. Next time, don't."
"I was just... never mind. Seeing as you look so serious, I assume this 'friend' you're talking about isn't just a regular contact on a communicator?" Elysia asked.
"Mhm. It's a special function that allows me to summon you to my world, with your permission," Chen Li nodded.
"Does this mean... you're going back?"
"I've been out for a while. Naturally, I need to go back and check on things," Chen Li nodded.
"Then I won't ask why you're adding me as a friend, lest I get a disappointing answer. So what do I need to do?" Elysia readily agreed without much thought.
"Of course I'm adding you because I'm captivated by the beautiful Miss Elysia and want to see you often. As for adding you as a friend, as long as you're holding the Curio, just leave the rest to me," Chen Li said with a perfectly straight face.
"So now you no longer admit that the beautiful goddess Idrila's beauty is unparalleled?" Elysia asked with a smile.
"Is there a direct relationship between Idrila's unparalleled beauty and me being captivated by the beautiful Elysia? But speaking of which, the beautiful Miss Elysia wouldn't mind lending me a hand when I'm in danger, would she?" Chen Li asked, pressing his hands together piously.
"I would have been happier without that last sentence," Elysia said, gently tapping Chen Li's forehead with her finger.
"I know. But I would never deceive the beautiful Miss Elysia."
"Mhm. Now I'm much happier," the Pink Elf said with a satisfied nod.
Beginner's Quest (Part 2)
Add one Friend √
Friend, written as 'combat support,' read as 'hired muscle.'
After an individual receives a Curio from him and conceptually holds the right to use it, Chen Li can use a [Miracle] (Crystal -1) as a medium to establish a friendship (contract).
Chen Li can then spend 1 Star Stone to have a temporal projection of that friend, or the friend themselves holding their Curio, appear before him.
Simply put, if you can't win a fight, call for backup.
And after summoning them, Chen Li has a certain degree of command authority over the friend.
This function was perfectly reasonable. After all, what kind of forger gets into a fistfight themselves?
The existence of [Pale Justice] was a complete accident in this regard.
Compared to Pale Justice, the advantages of this function were its reliability, the lack of a side effect requiring him to grant a wish, and the unlimited number of friends he could summon.
If there was a downside, it was that it cost 1 Star Stone.
This 1 Star Stone served as both the fee for summoning the projection and the payment for the friend.
Each time a friend is summoned by Chen Li for combat support, they can choose one of the following rewards: [Lifespan +1 day], [Luck +1 for one day], or [Gain a 1-meter teleport distance].
These rewards corresponded to the Time, Fate, and Space properties of the Star Stones. Any additional tips from Chen Li were calculated separately, but there was a daily limit.
The more times a friend was summoned for aid, the more reward options would be unlocked.
Furthermore, friends could communicate freely with each other at no cost.