Who are you calling a weakling?
"Answer me. This is very important."
"...Alright, alright, I was relatively weak. So what? Is that my fault? Wasn't it just because fairy tales hadn't been around for very long in the Middle Ages?" Tonghua said helplessly, her hands on her hips.
But what did it matter if she was a little weak? A weaker Evil God was still an Evil God.
Born from the grace of heaven and earth, they were immortal and indestructible. The only thing that could cause their demise was a God War.
In other words, Tonghua was, in fact, a juvenile Evil God, simply because she had been born too late.
Of course, even the weakest god was still a god.
Just as even the most pathetic dragon could never be solo-killed by an ant.
However, having supplemented her power with countless fairy tales from this world and gradually expanded her [Fairy Tale] Authority towards [Story], the Evil God Tonghua was confident that upon returning to her own world, she could raise her ranking among the Evil Gods from the lower-middle tier to the middle tier.
"Have you ever considered the possibility that when any single Evil God among you defeats all the others and devours all their Authorities, they themselves will transform into a mindless, ultimate Evil God named [WORLD]?" Chen Li asked.
It was precisely because he needed to discuss this matter that Chen Li had deployed the Miracle Shield.
No curse of time, space, or fate could affect him.
But Tonghua was not immune.
Chen Li was afraid that in the middle of their discussion, Tonghua might suddenly go insane.
"How could that be... What did you see?" Tonghua subconsciously retorted, but after a moment's pause, her expression gradually turned grim.
Chen Li's words seemed to have made her realize something dreadful.
"Take my advice. Don't get involved in the God War anymore. Just run," Chen Li said, patting Tonghua's shoulder. He didn't say anything more, instead turning and walking towards the forging furnace.
Although he was mentally and physically exhausted, forging a Curio that couldn't be simpler was still within his capabilities.
---o---
A few moments later, a vibrant rose was presented to Tonghua by Chen Li.
"For me?" Tonghua forced a slight smile.
"It's for Argenti, but you can use it for now. To establish a Friend relationship, the other party must hold at least one Curio. I'm worried that while I'm out adventuring, you'll suddenly get dragged into the God War and kick the bucket, so I'm giving you a trump card to save your life," Chen Li explained.
This was the Eternal Rose.
[Eternity] + [Scattering]
Crafting this Curio cost Chen Li a total of 2 Crystals. As for the rose itself, he had asked Tonghua for it earlier.
Profession EXP +2.
"...Would it kill you to lie to me just once?"
"I am a very honest person. Don't even think about teaching me to lie," Chen Li said, denying her request as he established a Friend relationship with Tonghua, who was now holding the Eternal Rose.
"Alright. If you ever run into real trouble in the future, send me a message. I'll summon your true body to another world as soon as possible," Chen Li said.
From the information he had spent 20 Star Stones on, it was clear that even the weakest Evil God was necessary for [WORLD].
And Evil Gods were drawn to each other, possessing a tendency towards unification.
But Chen Li refused to believe that if he brought Tonghua to another world, the destiny of unification could still catch up to her.
Worlds differed from one another.
Chen Li's world and Tonghua's world existed under the same cosmic framework.
But Chen Li's world and the Honkai Impact 3rd world... in other words, they weren't even in the same dimension.
Go on and chase her! Chase my ass!
"Then... will you still forge the God-Slaying Curio for me?" Tonghua continued to ask.
Ever since Chen Li's revelation, Tonghua, who now seemed to understand the truth, felt a persistent sense of impending doom.
She also understood why Chen Li had summoned the Miracle Shield.
"You still want to participate in the God War?"
"I was thinking... I'd just slay half of the Evil Gods. Just half, and then I'll immediately elope with you," Tonghua pledged.
"Do you even know how to use words? What do you mean, 'elope'? Setting that aside for a moment, what I need to tell you is that every Evil God in your world represents a rule. The more rules you devour, the more of your 'self' you will lose, until you completely ascend and break out of the cocoon named [WORLD]. If you devour half the Evil Gods, you will lose more than half of yourself," Chen Li warned her.
The narrator had told him this as well.
"Tsk, who would have thought the God War had such a massive pitfall? No wonder some of the more powerful Evil Gods rarely push things to the point of complete annihilation, even when suppressing their mortal enemies," Tonghua sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.
"Evil Gods who have lived long enough are bound to discover some clues. It's only a naive greenhorn like you who doesn't know anything and genuinely wants to kill all the other Evil Gods," Chen Li retorted.
"So what do we do now? Really elope right now?" Tonghua asked, a little worried.
"I told you, it's not eloping. But you don't have to worry too much. Even if Evil Gods have a tendency to unify, you're such a weakling and you're in another world; no one will make you their first target. Use this time to your advantage. I'll help you find a suitable world," Chen Li said.
"I suppose that's the only way..." Tonghua, having suddenly learned the truth of the God War, now only wanted to expand her [Fairy Tale] Authority into [Story] Authority as quickly as possible, and then run for the hills.
"Oh, right. Settle the bill, thank you," Chen Li said, holding out his hand to Tonghua.
"The bill? What bill?"
"The payment for the Curio I just forged for you."
"But isn't this Curio you gave me meant for Argenti?" Tonghua asked, somewhat shocked.
"Don't worry about who it's ultimately for. Just tell me, did I forge this Curio just now for your sake or not?"
"Wow, you are such an unreasonable person. I'm warning you, even though I'm not considered strong among the Evil Gods of my world, I can still kill ten of you with a single punch."
"The ward is not allowed to talk back to the guardian," Chen Li stated casually.
"You..." Tonghua was fuming.
But because of Chen Li's Guardian authority, Tonghua, having committed an act of filial impiety, found herself genuinely unable to refute him.
In my own world, I might not be the strongest, but at least no one bullies me. Yet since coming to this world, you bully me every single day. Did I come to this other world just for this?!
"Alright, I've forged four Curios in one day. I feel like I'm about to die from exhaustion. And it's already past two in the morning. I'm going to get some sleep. You can take your time thinking about how much you should pay me. Remember to lock the door when you leave my house." Chen Li yawned, stood up, and headed upstairs.
He still had many things to do tomorrow, such as researching the Merit he had obtained from the Inuyasha world, and paying a visit to... Kaguya Houraisan.