Heading to New York

"Should I do a draw?"

Even after Li Chen got home, he was still itching to try.

It was so hard to resist the urge to splurge.

But after thinking about it, there didn't seem to be much worth drawing for.

The main problem was that there were too few prizes in the pool.

For now, he could still only draw from three worlds: "Superman," "Pirate King," and "Re:Zero."

"Transformers" had started filming, but it wouldn't be released until the following summer.

Batman's solo movie was also in preparation, and it too wouldn't be released until the following year.

Compared to movies, there would also be games next year.

He had asked about their progress. "Bayonetta" was nearly finished, and the first game they had ultimately chosen to make in the "NieR" series was "NieR:Automata," which was also nearing completion.

"Stellar Blade" was the slowest, since it had to be developed from scratch.

So Li Chen was considering whether to save up.

Forget it. I'll start with a ten-pull to test the waters.

Li Chen thought he'd satisfy his craving.

Even if the ten-pull yielded nothing good, he would still have ten thousand reputation points.

So Li Chen had Rem prepare hot water and took a bath first. All he was missing was burning some incense.

[Perform a ten-pull?]

"Yes!"

[Better luck next time!]

[Better luck next time!]

[...]

Li Chen watched the draw with an expressionless face and decided it really wasn't a good time.

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained: Boa Hancock's intimate apparel.]

"Wait, is this for real?"

Li Chen stared at the scrap of fabric in his hand, which seemed to still have a little warmth, utterly speechless.

"Forget it. I'll wait until 'One-Punch Man' comes out before drawing again."

He would have accepted a fragment of the Empress, but he hadn't expected to draw something like this.

Sorry, but he really wasn't short of those.

A somewhat irritated Li Chen got up and went straight to find Psylocke.

Psylocke had adapted well, and Li Chen had indeed been right about her. There was something in her very nature, and she had even come to enjoy the feeling.

That was just how the Japanese were.

Li Chen didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Of course he respected people, but were the Japanese people?

And their women were born to be this way.

If Psylocke wanted someone to blame, she could blame her identity and bloodline.

Still, Psylocke was different from other Japanese people.

Most Japanese people were rather short, so a woman like Psylocke, who stood 1.8 meters tall, was exceptionally rare.

"Master, your phone."

Ram found Li Chen and acted as though she hadn't seen Psylocke.

Whatever Master wanted to do was his business. What they, his maids, had to do was support him.

Besides, Master hadn't gone too far.

At least, as far as Ram and Rem could see, Li Chen was only playing around.

Li Chen took the phone and checked it. It was the White Queen calling.

Lately, Li Chen had often gone to the Hellfire Club for a diversion, having a drink and chatting with the White Queen.

But he hadn't seen the Black Queen since then.

She seemed rather mysterious.

"Emma."

"Li, how are things over there?"

Li Chen glanced over and said, "Go ahead."

He stroked Psylocke's head. Hearing the White Queen's voice, Psylocke felt a moment of regret.

If I'd accepted the White Queen's invitation back then, would things have turned out differently?

But by now, Psylocke had grown used to it, so her so-called regret only lasted a moment.

Human nature was truly hard to describe, and human habits were a frightening thing.

The White Queen's cool voice came through the phone. "The Hellfire Club in New York is holding a grand party, and someone from the upper ranks needs to go. Are you interested?"

"New York?"

Li Chen hesitated.

Come to think of it, he had been to New York before, but he had left after just one day.

The city was still very mysterious to him.

"I can't get away from Los Angeles. You're the White Rook, so you have to fulfill some obligations."

"Then what do I need to do?"

Li Chen asked.

He thought about it. He had nothing to do right now anyway, so there was no harm in going to New York for a look.

"Just make sure the party goes well. Of course, you'll also have to visit Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and help us recruit people."

Emma Frost, the White Queen, continued, "If you do a good job, I'll reward you."

Li Chen smiled. "Oh? Can I choose the reward?"

As though she knew what he was thinking, the White Queen said, "That depends on your performance."

She had neither agreed nor refused.

The suggestive atmosphere continued to linger between them.

When Ram and Rem learned that Li Chen was leaving, they were both reluctant to see him go.

They were a little sad as they helped Li Chen pack.

This was the first time Master was leaving them.

Psylocke was the only one who was relieved.

But she didn't dare run away either, because she had imagined it countless times: as soon as she ran, Li Chen would catch her and bring her back.

Yes, she had made all of that up herself.

Then she really let her imagination run wild about what would happen if she were caught...

All one could say was that women had quite a knack for imagining things.

It was like how many girls liked to imagine they had a vicious mother-in-law who constantly bullied them, and then they would hide under the covers and bawl.

"Ram."

Li Chen pulled Ram over. "I'll be back as soon as I can, but before that, let me replenish your mana."

Since he was leaving for a few days, Li Chen made sure to replenish Ram's mana.

It left Ram's face rosy.

The next day, Li Chen boarded a plane.

He had no particular reason, other than wanting to see if he might have a romantic encounter.

There were scenes like that in both novels and films.

The male and female leads would hit it off, then embark on a happy journey together, perhaps even getting it on in the air.

But he regretted it as soon as he boarded. Flight attendants? These were old ladies!

And he was in first class, with who knew how many partitions between him and the neighboring passengers, so there was naturally no chance of striking up a lively conversation.

"Flying in America isn't half as good an experience as it is across the ocean."

At least the flight attendants across the ocean were young and pretty, and very pleasing to the eye.

These old ladies in America weren't just old; their service wasn't much good either.

The airlines were even more arrogant.

Li Chen would have been better off flying on his own.

Soon, the plane took off and flew straight over a stretch of "flyover country."

So-called flyover country referred to the central regions of America. Compared with the East and West Coasts, the center was less developed and had many agricultural areas. Under normal circumstances, the elites would never go there, only glancing down at the ground when they were on a plane.

And so the term "flyover country" had come about.

The arrogant expression made the rednecks furious, but there was nothing they could do about it.

To put it bluntly, wasn't that a form of discrimination too?

This was also Li Chen's first time looking at this part of the continent. The last time he had taken flight on his own, he had been too busy enjoying the thrill of flying.

He couldn't help but marvel that America really did have excellent terrain. How well suited these vast, seemingly endless plains were to farming!

If such a naturally blessed place had been given to the ancestors of China, who knew how wonderful that would have been.