Bai Tang: Knives! Knives Everywhere!

Bai Tang stood outside the Pearl Redemption Pavilion in the Central Starskiff Haven of the Xianzhou Luofu. Shattered walls crashed down through the smoke and dust, while flames swept charred debris into the sky, turning half of it crimson.

The once-bustling Luofu was now deathly silent. Most conspicuous of all was an abyss cutting through the Luofu before her. Violent, chaotic energy of The Hunt tore wildly at the edges of the opening, and even the air wailed as it twisted.

There were no living beings, only the crackle of flames. She stood amid the wreckage and ashes, surrounded by a terrifying emptiness, as though she were the only person left in the world.

[You really refused the toast only to drink the forfeit. You turned down the reward and insisted on opposing me.]

[You even rejected such an easy task with that nasty attitude, so naturally you have to pay the price.]

[Other punishments couldn't deal with you, so how about this one?]

[Look at the state you're in. Weren't you so arrogant before?]

[Hahahaha, this is the price of refusing me.]

"Heh, you malfunctioning machine made from scrap metal, if you think this will make me submit, you'd be better off getting scrapped sooner. Go wash yourself in a cesspit and come back. I might not be able to stand the stink and actually agree."

[You bastard!!!]

"Ha, someone who knew what you were doing would call that an insult. Someone who didn't would think you were acting cute. Did your language module short out from water damage, or was it never installed at all? Find some time to install one and upgrade it. Even your insults sound like a grade-schooler arguing."

Everything went black before Bai Tang's eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself lying in bed.

Dan Heng had a nightmare, and now she had to have one too? What a horrifying nightmare. In it, her own insult system still hadn't been upgraded, and her insults had been so mild that she was practically a telegraph machine herself.

Seriously, it had been so unsatisfying.

If she were the one doing the insulting now, she'd be sure to teach that scrap machine how to be a machine.

[Bai Tang: Himeko, I had a nightmare. I feel awful.]

[Himeko: Get some rest. There's no rush with the warp. I'll come call you once a decision has been made.]

[Bai Tang: Okay, Himeko!]

Bai Tang tossed her phone into her backpack.

Now she just had to wait for Xing or March 7th to come find her!

While she waited, she decided to do some crafting.

This time, she was going to make two big Dan Heng body pillows! One for herself to sleep with, and the other for Dan Heng.

Once she knew what she wanted to make, she got right to work. She also made a figure of Dan Heng standing with his spear, about two palms tall.

The base could rotate. Turning it to the left made lotuses appear on the base and transformed Dan Heng into Imbibitor Lunae. The spear retracted into the figure, and he raised a hand with a pearl floating above his palm and the phantom of a water dragon behind him.

At the same time, a beautiful song would play.

"Tear apart~ the form~ set free~"

Turning it to the right changed its height and transformed it into Tenghuang. The pearl disappeared, Tenghuang thrust Cloud-Piercer forward, and several little golden dragons appeared behind him.

It played Trek's instrumental background music.

Just look at this figure. Believe her, Dan Heng fans would definitely demand mass production and beg her for one!

The body pillows were easy, but the figure was complicated. It wasn't just that the tiny, numerous, assorted parts made assembly difficult; she also had to make the parts by hand. Making them was much harder than putting them together, and one careless move would ruin a part.

Since she was already making things, Bai Tang went ahead and made a liquid-sand shaker too. It showed Dan Heng and a partially faded Dan Feng standing back-to-back; when the sand was gone, Dan Feng disappeared.

When it came to making knife merch, Bai Tang was like she had cheats enabled: Phainon's Light Cone and him lying in the wheat field; the Chrysos Heirs' Chimeras, with the others darkened and only Phainon's Chimera still lit; the High-Cloud Quintet, with only Jing Yuan remaining. They were the kind of shakers that became knives whenever the sand didn't cover them.

She made seven liquid-sand shakers of her favorites in one go.

Besides the four above, there were three more.

Kakavasha and his disappearing older sister.

The kitty in Aglaea's arms and the kitty who died in front of the door without Aglaea.

Cyrene standing outside the book, watching everyone in Amphoreus, and a disappearing Cyrene.

Bai Tang held up her works of art. They were flawless, perfect.

She was serious about stabbing the Astral Express crew with knives!

Next, she'd make one of March 7th.

Before Bai Tang could get started, she was interrupted.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Hearing the knock, Bai Tang opened the door to find March 7th outside, with Dan Heng beside her, whom March 7th had also knocked up.

March 7th explained what had just happened and said angrily:

"Himeko called us to vote together. That bad woman said a Stellaron has erupted on the Xianzhou Luofu, and she wants us to go to the Xianzhou and save her companion.

"How could it be such a coincidence? A Stellaron Hunter shows up when a Stellaron erupts, and it's so close to us too. Who'd believe she didn't do it on purpose?"

Bai Tang went back into her room, took out a Pom-Pom doll, and handed it to March 7th. "Don't be mad."

"Wow! Bai Tang, you're the best!"

March 7th squeezed the Pom-Pom doll's ears, and her mood changed in a second.

Before long, Xing came over too, giving March 7th a fright.

"Whoa, why are you here too?"

March 7th hugged the doll, and the irritation that had just subsided rose again.

"We've already called them out, and I've told them what happened. Hey, we agreed, okay? We'll all vote against it later! I don't want to take orders from that woman."

Xing looked at Dan Heng, who seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Yeah, March 7th told me... Another Xianzhou might be fine, but the Luofu... I can't go."

Xing was baffled. "Why can't you go?"

Bai Tang's lips curved slightly. "Because he's forbidden from setting foot on the Xianzhou Luofu. But I don't want to go to the Luofu either. I have no problem with any Xianzhou besides the Yaoqing and the Luofu, but as I am now, I don't want to set foot in either of those places."

She would go later. This was a good excuse, so naturally she would stay behind.

Xing was stunned. "You too?"

Dan Heng couldn't go, fine, but why wasn't Bai Tang going either?!

"There are some reasons for it. Sorry."

Dan Heng glanced at Bai Tang and sighed. "Sigh."

They both had stories, it seemed.

He wondered what kind of story this fellow Foxian had.

The four of them went to find Himeko and Welt. When Himeko saw them, she first asked Dan Heng and Bai Tang:

"Are you two all right, Dan Heng, Bai Tang? Little March told you everything, didn't she?"

Dan Heng only nodded without speaking, while Bai Tang replied, "Yeah."

Next came the vote. Himeko laid out the situation and mentioned every possibility, saying that holding out a hand meant agreement, while not doing so meant opposition.