"Venerable Divine Envoy, we eagerly await your arrival in our world, to once again bestow upon us the miracle of Abundance and repel the fiends of the Xianzhou." The Borisin across from Chen Li bowed deeply and respectfully.
"Since your sincerity has moved the Merciful Medicus, I shall naturally lend you my aid." Holding an ear of wheat that radiated an endless power of Abundance, Chen Li, though the same height as the bowing wolf-like men, projected an unmistakable air of looking down upon them.
Yet, not a single one of them found this strange.
The reason lay in the grain of wheat, emanating a power of Abundance so potent it was intoxicating, that was now in the hands of the tall Borisin leader.
Chen Li was currently appearing before them as a holographic projection. Even though the ear of wheat in his hand was indeed a divine object personally plucked from behind the Aeon of Abundance herself, the Borisin couldn't sense its true power from afar.
It wasn't until Chen Li paid a hefty price—plucking a single grain and teleporting it over—that these Borisin before him became utterly deferential.
A divine object! An absolute divine object!
The Borisin had once been blessed by the Aeon of Abundance, though they called her the Lord of Long Life.
But never before had they felt such a dense and potent divine power of Abundance.
And yet, in the words of this Divine Envoy, such a divine object seemed trivial.
"My lord, this Divine Envoy you speak of… is he legitimate?" a subordinate asked after Chen Li's hologram vanished.
"A rare divine object that has lost 99% of its power being transmitted across space and time still possesses such a magnificent aura. He must be a Divine Envoy. Even if he isn't, he is now." The Borisin leader slapped the subordinate across the head, drawing blood.
"Yes, my lord."
---o---
"I hope I can get that grain back. It took a few days to regrow, after all," Chen Li lamented, looking at the ear of wheat in his hand, now missing one grain.
This ear of wheat, which once held 49 grains, had one taken by Chen Li to forge the Scales of Merit.
The day after he plucked it, he saw a new grain had already started to grow back, but its effects and Entry brightness were very low.
The good news, however, was that it grew quickly.
By Chen Li's estimation, if he only plucked one grain at a time, the remaining 48 grains could nourish it, and it would take about ten days to grow into a complete, new grain.
As expected of a divine object of Abundance, or rather, an ear of wheat that grew right behind the Aeon of Abundance.
It completely defied logic.
Aside from the genuine divine object, Chen Li's deliberate act of redacting the information about the Curio Forger that the Miracle Commission was supposed to transmit to the client was also a crucial part of this infiltration.
That's the magic of editing, my friend.
In short, with Chen Li's smooth-talking, he had transformed himself into a Divine Envoy who had once met the Aeon of Abundance and was so moved that he became her agent.
"Hey, is Kaguya awake?" After getting out of bed, Chen Li started banging on Kaguya Houraisan's door.
Creeak! The door to Kaguya's room opened on its own.
"What? I'm working on the fake elixirs you wanted. I was at it all night, made 600 of them," Kaguya's voice drifted out from the pitch-black room.
Stepping inside, Chen Li could only see the multicolored glow of a computer screen illuminating Kaguya's pale face. It was the only source of light.
Dozens of immortality pills, strung together like a Buddhist rosary, were draped over Kaguya's left arm, absorbing the power of Eternity.
"Thanks for your hard work," Chen Li said as he inspected the finished pills.
"Whatever. I was just fiddling with them since I had nothing better to do. But you'd better remember what you promised me," Kaguya said casually.
"Yes, yes. 500 fake elixirs in exchange for an otherworldly gaming buddy. Once I'm done with my current business, I'll help you persuade Miko to share some good games from her world with you. Or I'll find you another partner."
This was the deal Chen Li had struck with Kaguya last night. 100,000 fake elixirs was a bit intimidating, so the number was reduced to 3,000, and Chen Li gave her many smaller milestones.
Every 500 fake elixirs earned her a small request.
What Kaguya had to do wasn't much—just hang the string of pills on her left arm and charge them with a bit of power.
Strictly speaking, these weren't fake elixirs; they could genuinely extend one's life.
Kaguya exchanged her labor for rewards, and Chen Li used the communication Curio and the promise of helping her return home in exchange for Kaguya's services.
Everyone had a bright future ahead!
After preparing enough fake elixirs to fool people, Chen Li was ready to depart.
The fake elixirs were very useful to him.
Chen Li was an adaptable person. If he had the ability to cleanse a world, he'd cleanse it. If he didn't, he'd start some small-time businesses, grow stronger, and then cleanse the world.
This was a lesson he had learned from countless troubles.
Of course, cleansing worlds wasn't a necessity for him… Just a matter of convenience, bro!
Selling fake elixirs and saving the world were not mutually exclusive.
Besides, Chen Li had never claimed to be a good person.
He was just a passing, despicable outlander.
He just didn't scam good people. Provided they truly knew what they were doing.
---o---
Space seemed to be torn asunder by the jaws of a ferocious beast. A terrifying aura seeped out from the jagged rift.
The moment Chen Li arrived in the Borisin territory, countless Borisin lowered their proud heads, their gazes evasive as if they had seen something horrifying.
"Look at me, you whelps," Chen Li's voice was devoid of emotion, which made the Borisin tremble even more.
"Where is my holy relic?" Unfazed by the countless Borisin, Chen Li extended his hand to their leader, who stood beside him, shaking uncontrollably.
"Your… holy relic." The leader's hand trembled, but he obediently returned the single grain of wheat to Chen Li.
The Borisin leader had already prepared a speech in his mind, planning to find a way to keep this blessing of Abundance for himself. But the moment he truly saw the Divine Envoy, his mind went blank, as if he were staring at a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Is this really an envoy of Abundance? Why does he seem more like the Demon Bow, Root of Calamity than the Demon Bow itself?
"Very good. Are all the believers here?" Chen Li asked, looking down at the dense crowd of Borisin below the cliff.
He wasn't surprised by their attitude toward him. Ever since he cleansed eighty percent of the ghosts on Earth in Miko's world, his intimidating presence against demons, monsters, and spirits had grown even stronger.
"Yes, they are all here, awaiting your blessing," the Borisin leader said respectfully.
"Is that the force sent by the Demon Bow, Root of Calamity to hunt us?" Chen Li looked up at a massive ship, whose colossal silhouette was only faintly visible, seemingly very far away.
"Yes. According to my knowledge, it is the Yaoging of the Xianzhou."
"Oh, the Xianzhou of Great Victories, right? I've heard of it." Chen Li's interest was piqued.
As far as he knew, the general of the Yaoging Xianzhou was a Foxian named Feixiao. Among all the Xianzhou, the Yaoging was renowned for its martial prowess, winning victory after victory.
The group Chen Li was facing was just a splinter faction of Borisin, not even large enough to be called a tribe. They had been engaged in a running battle with the Xianzhou ever since their tracks were discovered, retreating until they ended up on this desolate planet.
At least, that's what the Borisin leader had told him.
"Are you sure all the believers are here? If everyone's here, then I'm going to make my move." Chen Li gently waved the half-man-sized ear of wheat in his hand.
With just a gentle wave, the power of Abundance sprinkled down, causing the Borisin leader next to him to wear a blissful expression, temporarily suppressing his fear of Chen Li.
"Yes, they are all here." High from the blissful sensation and assuming Chen Li was about to bestow his blessing, the dazed Borisin leader nodded again.
In the next moment, a card half a man tall, printed with a divine bow radiating golden light, appeared before Chen Li. He reached his hand toward the card. When it vanished, the Longbow of Peace was once again in his grasp.
This method of summoning a Curio was a bit slow, but it was cool.
Besides, he wasn't in a hurry.
This was the first time Chen Li had ever seen someone so eager to die. He could only oblige them.
However, in the next instant, the smile on Chen Li's face froze.
A gaze, cast from an infinitely distant place, descended upon him…
Although this was Chen Li's first time in the world of Honkai: Star Rail, making him a newborn in the eyes of any Path, the function of a Miracle Card was to record. It recorded the miracles and achievements Chen Li had performed, converting them into a universally recognized record.
This was one of the principles that allowed Miracle Cards to function normally in any world.
In this world, mortals who intentionally or unintentionally stepped onto a Path presided over by an Aeon could become a [Pathstrider] who practiced its ideals.
The most outstanding among them could even earn a glance from an Aeon, which was perhaps the only intersection between mortals and Aeons in this world.
Chen Li's achievements were indeed sufficient to warrant a glance from the Aeon of The Hunt, and his modus operandi certainly aligned with The Hunt.
But… a glance from an Aeon was usually only felt by the person being looked at. It wouldn't create a grand scene like this.
"The Demon Bow! It's the Demon Bow!" Seeing the faint projection of the Hunt Aeon towering over the planet, all the Borisin instantly fell into a panic.
What was most terrifying was seeing the mortal enemy of the Abundance's followers drawing its longbow at them…
Chen Li silently lowered his head and looked at the Longbow of Peace in his hand.
As a weapon born to hunt and twice used by Chen Li to "cleanse filth," its fundamental rule was extremely similar to that of "The Hunt."
The moment it entered this world, the Longbow of Peace was like a giant boulder thrown into the river named "The Hunt," causing a massive splash.
That was the weight of a [Miracle].
Thus, what should have been a mere "glance" of Path acknowledgment had now drawn the personal attention of the Aeon of The Hunt himself.
This should have been a good thing. Chen Li might have been able to get a free Pathstrider certification from the Hunt Aeon and become an honored guest on the Xianzhou.
Unfortunately, he was currently holding a divine object of Abundance personally bestowed by Yaoshi, and he was surrounded by a group of Borisin.
"Wow, is this some new trick you guys from the Divination Commission have come up with?" On the Yaoging Xianzhou, still a considerable distance from the Borisin's planet, General Feixiao turned to the Chief Diviner of the Divination Commission, marveling at the grand spectacle.
As followers of the Hunt Aeon, the Xianzhou never worried that Lan would ignore their signals; they only worried that he wouldn't receive them.
"My apologies, General, it is not."
"That's strange… Oh well, let's back off for now."
---o---
"Everyone, although we've only known each other for a short time, I'll miss you in the future," Chen Li said, tossing the Longbow of Peace aside as he stood next to the Borisin leader.
He tossed the bow aside to receive the blessing.
That's right, a blessing.
Chen Li could sense that the Aeon of The Hunt held no malice toward him.
But he couldn't stay here. The Hunt Aeon was genuinely bestowing a blessing, but he also genuinely killed any Abominations of Abundance on sight.
It was on the way, bro.jpg
The attacks of The Hunt were inescapable. But strangely, Chen Li, who held the divine object of Abundance, was not the primary target. Therefore, he didn't plan to leave the Star Rail universe entirely. Instead, he would let his talent decide where he should go next.
Anywhere but here.
"It's up to you, Restraint Bracelet! I'm outta here…"
Infinite light descended from the sky as arrows of brilliance, scouring everything on the planet.
The utterly dumbfounded Borisin leader was instantly turned to ash, and the entire planet was vaporized along with him. But Chen Li, who had been standing beside him, had long since vanished, leaving only a golden longbow behind, continuously devouring the "arrows of The Hunt."