"Setting the weapon aside for a moment, I want to ask you, can you destroy the Shikon Jewel?" After long consideration, Kikyo looked up and asked an unexpectedly direct question.
"I can, but why destroy it?"
"Because the Shikon Jewel brings disaster, and I do not have the confidence to guard it forever. Destroying it can also be considered a form of purification," Kikyo said.
"If you wish, I can forge your longbow into a weapon that can only be used by a kind-hearted person. That way, it would solve your problem of needing to guard the Shikon Jewel, in a sense 'resolving' the jewel itself. It would also ensure that the bow cannot be misused by others. How does that sound?" Chen Li offered another suggestion.
Chen Li had a rough idea of her point in the timeline. She likely hadn't met Inuyasha yet and hadn't decided what to do with the Shikon Jewel.
He didn't even bring up the idea of her simply giving the Shikon Jewel to him, because he knew she would never agree.
As a benevolent miko, Kikyo would not permit him to use the Shikon Jewel for evil in another world.
That was why she had proposed destroying it.
"That… is acceptable. But I have one condition. You must come to my world to perform the forging," Kikyo said after a moment of thought.
If the resulting weapon could only be used by the good-hearted, it would be the best possible fate for the Shikon Jewel.
After all, in the Warring States period Kikyo lived in, there were indeed many demons and monsters.
Making this request was also an extra precaution.
"I can do that," Chen Li nodded.
In fact, he had been trying to figure out how to trick Kikyo into letting him travel to her world in the first place.
He had no intention of causing any danger to her world; he simply wanted to complete another Miracle Check-in.
And how could destroying the Shikon Jewel not count as a miracle?
"Wait a moment. Tonghua, do you have any auto-tracking type items?" Chen Li turned his head and asked.
"How kind of you. You want to add an auto-tracking feature to her arrows?" Tonghua said, glancing at Kikyo.
In truth, Tonghua had said that deliberately for Kikyo to hear.
"Do you have one or not?"
"I do… Here. A Magic Tracking Compass." Tonghua produced a rather old-looking compass and handed it to Chen Li.
"This is surprisingly good." At first, Chen Li had been worried that the Entry on a magically created compass might be dim, but its brightness was moderate. It seemed this compass had also seen its share of weathering.
"What about an Entry for a guaranteed hit?"
"Don't have one!" Tonghua answered with remarkable speed.
She definitely has one.
But she was reluctant to part with it.
"What about ricochet?" Chen Li didn't press the issue. After all, it was rude to ask for too many freebies.
"Will this work?" Tonghua pulled out a giant ejection seat from somewhere.
"What is this?"
"The Carnival Chair. I snatched it from a local Evil God," Tonghua said.
Holy crap!
[Ejection], [Bloody], [Slaughter], [Sin], [Survival]…
Seeing these Entries, Chen Li could roughly imagine what had happened here.
Although the [Ejection] Entry was the dimmest of the lot, indicating it was the least important attribute, it was usable.
Who cares what it ejects? The point is, does it eject or not?
"Alright, you should get going. Don't keep Miss Kikyo waiting," Tonghua urged, seeing that Chen Li was about to speak again.
"Fine, I won't raid any more of your collection. Bye." Seeing through her intentions, Chen Li gave up on the idea of getting anything else from her.
---o---
"Don't worry, we've already signed a contract. I won't cause any trouble in this world," Chen Li said to the highly guarded Kikyo.
His journey to this world had been smooth, though the 10 Star Stones it cost was truly painful.
Kikyo was still a bit wary of him, which Chen Li felt was perfectly normal.
He glanced up at the sky. It was already 4 PM in his world, but here it was still morning, giving him plenty of time to forge the Curio.
It was a good chance to adjust from the time difference between the Honkai world and his home world.
School in his world let out at 3 PM. After all, different professions had different practical requirements, so students were naturally given enough free time.
"Speaking of which, did we forget to discuss the forging fee?" Seeing that Chen Li didn't give her a sense of crisis, and even feeling that his strength wasn't particularly great, Kikyo began to relax.
Her words were another form of probing.
"Oh, that… Are you in a hurry to use this bow?" Chen Li asked.
"No, I'm not." Kikyo shook her head.
In fact, if Chen Li truly forged the Shikon Jewel into a longbow that only the good-hearted could use, it seemed Kikyo wouldn't even need the bow herself.
Demons frequently attacked her village because of the Shikon Jewel. Once the jewel was gone, the demons would naturally lose their target.
Although Kikyo often accepted commissions to exterminate demons in other places, her own Azusa-yumi was sufficient.
It was only the heavy responsibility of guarding the Shikon Jewel that had made her wonder what she could do with greater power, which in turn had triggered the Miracle Commission.
"Aside from the leftover materials from the forging belonging to me, would it be possible for me to use the Curio I forge for you for a period of time first?" Chen Li asked.
"No problem." Although she was a bit puzzled as to why this Curio Forger would need to use a client's weapon, Kikyo nodded in agreement.
"Although I am a Curio Forger, I am still a novice. I hope to use this bow for self-defense," Chen Li explained, seeing Kikyo's confusion.
"I see." Chen Li's honesty put Kikyo more at ease.
It was good that his strength wasn't high. Otherwise, even with a contract, she wouldn't be completely reassured.
"Then when shall we begin the forging?" Kikyo asked.
"We can start now. But before that, could you find a few demons and bring them here?"
"Why?"
"To be honest, only by letting the demons see me destroy the Shikon Jewel with their own eyes will they stop harassing you in the future. Otherwise, they'll just suspect you've hidden it somewhere deeper. So after they see me forge the longbow, remember to let them go," Chen Li said.
He was a very considerate person when it came to his customers.
"…You are more thorough in your considerations than I am. Thank you," Kikyo nodded slightly.
"Then you should go and prepare. It would be best to capture a few relatively strong demons. Or you don't even have to capture them. Just announce that you are about to destroy the Shikon Jewel, and they will come on their own," Chen Li suggested.
"But if you do that, you will be in danger while forging the jewel," Kikyo said with concern.
She could sense that Chen Li's own power was not strong.
"Don't worry, a protective barrier will appear around me when I am forging."
"But if I go to find the demons now, your safety…"
"Rest assured, I can summon the barrier even when I'm not forging. Go on now. I hope we can settle this before the day is over," Chen Li said.
"Understood." Though still a little worried, Kikyo took her longbow and headed towards a place she knew demons gathered.
Chen Li didn't know what was going through her mind. He simply took out a Star Stone and tossed it at his feet.
"Come forth! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
A strange hexagram unfolded before Chen Li, and countless brilliant, violet-hued lights converged into a single figure.
When the cocoon of light broke open, a beautiful, pink-haired girl was already standing before him.