Chen Li explained the details of the Friend System to Elysia one by one, and after listening patiently, she still agreed to the friend request.
Although... the truth was that once someone accepted a Curio from him, if he sent them a friend request, they couldn't refuse it anyway.
Miracles are never free.
But that extreme measure was meant for trapping villains, not for tricking friends.
"It's done," Chen Li said.
"That's it? Ah, all good things must come to an end. It's time to part ways again..." Elysia seemed a little dejected.
"Don't talk as if I'm leaving and never coming back. I've already placed a Miracle Beacon in this world. As long as I spend enough Star Stones, I can return. Besides, I'm quite fond of this world, so I might be back very soon," Chen Li said.
When Chen Li performed a miraculous deed in an Encounter world, obtained a [Miracle Card], or forged a Curio, he could spend 1 Miracle Crystal to condense a Miracle Beacon in that world at any time.
The beacon could be placed in a fixed location or set to a random teleport point.
Chen Li chose the former. The location was set to the spot he was leaving from.
While this place wasn't necessarily safe, at least it saved him from being teleported to a remote corner of the world and having to run all the way back to the Flame-Chasers.
"Then... goodbye. Oh, wait, how should I explain this to everyone else?" Elysia asked hastily.
"Just tell them I went to restock. If anyone needs me for anything, have them send me a message." After saying this, Chen Li waved to Elysia, and after a three-second countdown, his figure vanished on the spot.
Just as he'd said, he really was going back to his home world to restock.
Some of his own Relics, the ones still sitting in his basement back home, were excellent materials for forging Curios.
---o---
...A moment of prayer...
[Settlement in progress, please wait...]
In a space of pure void, Chen Li floated aimlessly, hugging his Guide to Forging Curios.
This current phase served as both a purification process for him and a summary of his actions and gains in the Encounter world, culminating in a final evaluation.
In the past, the Miracle System, or rather the Light of Miracle, relied mainly on this stage to summarize the miracles it had performed within a world to acquire Miracle Power.
Unfortunately, the overly pure Miracle System was no match for the despicable locals, which resulted in it getting nothing, or even suffering a net loss, every time it performed a miracle.
If not for the vast amount of Miracle Power it possessed from the "miracle of its own birth," it would have dissipated from power exhaustion long before it ever met Chen Li.
In other words, perhaps the Miracle System's arrival in Chen Li's world was its own "Encounter."
However, after it came under Chen Li's management, the acquisition of Miracle Power changed from a post-world settlement to real-time rewards. Therefore, this settlement phase didn't provide much Miracle Power, but instead granted corresponding "Miracle Easter Eggs" based on his actions.
For every miracle-related act Chen Li performed, he had a chance to receive a free, one-time "miracle" related to it during the settlement.
This was why Chen Li had been willing to leave only after forging three Curios—to increase the number of available Easter Eggs and give himself more choices.
Scenes from his time in the Encounter world materialized as crystal balls of varying brightness, floating around him in this space.
Among them, four scenes were the most brilliant.
The moments he obtained the Miracle Card—[The Upsetter]—and forged his three Curios.
Dozens of photos of varying brightness were the summary of all of Chen Li's commendable actions in this world.
[Evaluation: Unprecedented.]
[Reward: Choose two.]
[Summary: Master, it's me again! Did you miss me? For a beginner, this journey was truly outstanding. And this "Unprecedented" evaluation is based on my hundreds of "zero score" ratings, so you don't need to feel any psychological burden, because no matter what you do, you'll at least be better than me. Please remember, every action you take in any world can be a part of a miracle. That is the secret to obtaining more precious Easter Eggs.]
After reading this summary, Chen Li didn't know what to say.
To get a "zero score" hundreds of times, this Miracle System was truly gifted in its own way.
Next, it was time to choose his rewards.
Each of the Easter Eggs floating around him had its own effect, and the brighter it was, the better the reward.
Naturally, Chen Li's gaze fell upon the four brightest ones.
[Miracle Card - The Upsetter]: The next time you descend into this world, you will have a higher chance of appearing directly in front of a Herrscher.
[Pale Justice]: Gain a one-time opportunity for a face-to-face conversation with any living being in the world just visited.
[Attack Speed Gear]: For a very short time, become a god of black stockings, able to—but only able to—obtain anyone's black stockings.
[Infinite Cat Food]: Become the adopter of any cat in the current world, with feeding rights and the ability to make it actively seek affection.
"..."
This proved that the Easter Eggs were indeed just that—Easter Eggs.
Even the best ones existed in a gray area between useful and useless.
But their priority was incredibly, almost unbelievably, high.
"Ugh, what kind of choices are these... Hmm, wait a second?"
"Gain a one-time opportunity for a face-to-face conversation with any living being in the world just visited..."
An image flashed through Chen Li's mind.
No, not a person. A god.
With that thought, Chen Li decisively chose the second and fourth Easter Eggs.
The third one was self-explanatory. While tempting, it was useless.
If it was the ability to control black stockings, it would have been a must-pick; after all, black stockings could also be used to kill. But alas, it was not.
Since Easter Eggs couldn't be used to extract Entries, Chen Li could only give it up with a heavy heart.
The first one... he felt it was even less useful than his own passive ability that got him dragged into trouble.
The second one was the most important. As for the fourth... the scope of "any cat" wasn't limited to the world of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Holding the crystal ball that the second Easter Egg had transformed into, Chen Li crushed it and immediately chose to use it.
[Please select a living being]
"The Aeon of Abundance—Yaoshi!"
After using the Easter Egg and speaking the name, Chen Li was pulled out of the strange space in a mere instant.
Myriad phantasmagorical scenes flashed before his eyes, and at that moment, his request was granted—an endless radiance filled his vision.
A magnificent figure that defied all description entered his sight.