Ye Chang'an felt this couldn't go on. He had to give Eden some practice and stop her from being so soft-hearted.
After thinking it over briefly, he made up his mind.
"Eden, let's go traveling."
"Huh? Traveling? Why bring that up all of a sudden? Don't we still have songs to write?"
They were very busy. Ever since becoming wildly popular, they had been constantly busy writing songs.
Ye Chang'an composed the music, while Eden wrote the lyrics. Their division of labor was quite clear.
"Shutting ourselves away to create isn't good for inspiration. We can write songs while we travel."
"Mm~ That's true, but what about school and the company? We still have graduation exams and performances."
"It's fine. We can come back for the exams when the time comes. As for performances, there's nothing to worry about. We can just tag along at someone else's concert, or notify Maris in advance and have her arrange for the company's singers to hold concerts wherever we are."
There were plenty of solutions. Eden was tempted and nodded in agreement.
When they informed Maris, the agent was furious, but she still swallowed her anger and agreed.
She couldn't afford to offend them. She truly couldn't afford to offend these two already-famous stars.
Even with their contracts in hand, she didn't dare make an issue of them, because Ye Chang'an and Eden's backgrounds had already been thoroughly exposed online.
With Eden's family background, the penalty for breach of contract was merely a month's allowance.
So Maris could only treat the two of them like honored ancestors, terrified that she might fail to serve them properly somewhere along the way.
"Okay, the company agreed. Let's pack our things."
"Woohoo, we're going traveling!"
Eden was overjoyed and packed huge bags and small bags full of stuff.
"We're going traveling, not moving house."
Ye Chang'an didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he picked out a pile of useless things.
He still preferred traveling light, since he could buy anything he needed at any time.
And so, he and Eden began their journey, planning to tour the entirety of Mu Continent before the exams.
It would broaden Eden's horizons and give them inspiration for their work. It was perfect.
During their travels, they slipped into someone else's concert once every half month, bringing surprises to audiences and netizens each time.
The discussion around them grew even more intense.
Once, while they were having fun on their trip, the two of them spontaneously performed on the street.
After that, they never wanted to do it again.
"That was way too dangerous. These people are insane."
Watching the crowds search for them through the streets and alleys, Ye Chang'an clung to Eden as he jumped onto a rooftop, still shaken.
The two of them were simply too popular. Once they were recognized on the street, the commotion was like a horde of zombies spotting survivors—they swarmed over in a frenzy.
"Hahaha, Chang'an, that was so exciting! Hahaha!"
Eden laughed happily, then wrapped her arms around Ye Chang'an and gave him a deep kiss.
It was unclear whether traveling had made her more mature, but her personality had certainly become a little wilder.
"Chang'an, I want you."
See? She could even say things like that now.
"Come on, let's find somewhere to stay."
Ye Chang'an immediately picked Eden up and leaped across the rooftops. Once he found a hotel, he jumped in through a window, then went downstairs to the front desk to book a room.
The young receptionist was dumbfounded. Even after handing him the key card, she couldn't figure out how he had come down from upstairs without booking a room.
"Come to think of it, that guy looked familiar. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. What was his name again?"
The receptionist glanced at the name on the check-in record: Chang'an.
"Mm, Chang'an... Holy crap, could he be Chang'an from Sleepless Chang'an?"
The receptionist was stunned. She pulled out her phone to search and compare, then instantly let out the scream of a fangirl.
"It really is him! He's even more handsome than in the photos online—aaah!"
This stay at the hotel did not go smoothly.
When they checked out, they were blocked by a crowd of fans.
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 16. A Little Honkai Quiz Is Here~
After escaping the fans' pursuit once again, Ye Chang'an deeply realized the necessity of traveling in disguise.
As online discussion continued to build, neither his nor Eden's appearance was a secret anymore.
If they kept showing themselves so openly, they could forget about continuing their trip.
They resumed their travels after disguising themselves, and sure enough, no one recognized them again.
Even when hotel staff saw their names while checking them in, no one grew suspicious. This world had plenty of people with the same name.
He had thought the journey would continue smoothly like this, but trouble arose in only the third month.
A small-scale Honkai outbreak occurred near you.
Neither of them was injured, but Ye Chang'an and Eden both looked awful.
I seem to have been too naive.
This was the Honkai world. It wasn't strange to encounter Honkai at any time or in any place.
But Eden's original fate shouldn't have involved encountering Honkai at this point.
She had personally experienced a Honkai disaster in Australia only during the Seventh Eruption. Before that, she had traveled everywhere in pursuit of her art.
Ye Chang'an had taken it for granted that staying by Eden's side would allow them to remain safe until then.
That thought truly was naive, because he had severely overlooked the changes he himself had brought about.
"Haah~"
With a heavy sigh, Ye Chang'an worried about this world's future.
That sigh made Eden misunderstand something. She clenched his hand and comforted him, "Chang'an, we'll be fine. We'll definitely be fine."
Her hand was trembling, making her words completely unconvincing.
"Eden, don't be afraid. I'm here."
Ye Chang'an comforted Eden in turn. He truly did not take this crisis seriously.
After all, he had already led Eden out, and they were currently under the army's protection. They would basically face no more danger.
At this stage, small-scale Honkai outbreaks were not particularly dangerous.
"Mm, I know. It's just..."
Eden wanted to say something, but the words reached her lips and still went unspoken.
Her mind was in turmoil. Anyone facing this sudden crisis would feel unsettled.
"Eden, it's all right. Recite the Chang'an Melody in your mind. You'll feel better."
Ye Chang'an offered the suggestion. Eden followed it, but shook her head helplessly.
"I can't remember the melody clearly."
Her mind was a mess. How was she supposed to recite the Chang'an Melody?
"Then I'll play it for you."
Ye Chang'an took out the flute he always carried with him. It was also the weapon he had used to lead Eden out of danger.
Made entirely of metal, it could knock out a small Honkai Beast with every strike, and after all that smashing, it hadn't even cracked.
An essential tool for home and travel—because real swords were regulated.
"Mm, Chang'an, it's wonderful having you here."
Eden responded softly, leaning against his shoulder and closing her eyes to listen. The melodious flute soon calmed her down.
Eden was not the only one who could hear the flute. Many civilians under the army's protection heard it as well.
They looked over at the sound. Though their grief-stricken hearts could not help but feel a little curious, after looking for a few moments, they closed their eyes and listened, their expressions gradually easing.
When one was trapped in hardship, music might not be able to help one escape it, but it could offer a little comfort to the soul.
That was the power music possessed.
The originally sorrowful atmosphere lightened somewhat. The civilians stopped discussing and lamenting, all listening to the rare sound.
Even the soldiers on guard and the officers inside the building were no exception.
~
~
When the song ended, no one applauded. It was one of the rare silences in Ye Chang'an's performing career.
But under the circumstances, no one could possibly applaud for him.
The civilians who had been saved had all fallen asleep under the flute's soothing sound, Eden included.
The soldiers who remained awake were forbidden to applaud due to their duties.
It was destined to be a quiet performance, but he didn't care. He only stared thoughtfully at the Erosion Markings gradually fading from one person's body.
Did merely listening to the Chang'an Melody increase their resistance?
Like the Sword Heart Art, the Chang'an Melody was a form of hypnotherapy. It could make the human body change in the direction of adapting to Honkai, which meant increasing a human's Destruction energy adaptability.
That adaptability included resistance to Destruction energy.
The higher one's resistance, the less likely one was to suffer erosion from Destruction energy.
Destruction energy erosion occurred when the Destruction energy accumulated and absorbed by the body exceeded its resistance, producing pathological symptoms. The Erosion Markings appearing on the body's surface were like a countdown to death. Once they covered the entire body, life was over.
Generally speaking, there was no way to cure it, because nothing could rapidly increase one's resistance.
The Sword Heart Art took effect too slowly. One had to cultivate a Sword Heart before it worked, and the requirements were extremely harsh.
The Current Civilization's HSN-b46 serum did have some effect, but its principle was to kill the Destruction energy inside the body rather than increase one's own resistance to Destruction energy.
Thus, Destruction energy erosion had always been an unsolvable problem in the Honkai world. Once eroded, one was practically waiting to die.
Yet Ye Chang'an had personally witnessed that person's Erosion Markings disappear.
Perhaps I can try again.
He began to manipulate Destruction energy and, without the slightest courtesy, poured it into some unlucky person's body.
If Chi Yuan knew he was doing this, she would probably smash his head with one punch.
Unfortunately, Chi Yuan wasn't here, so he was somewhat lawless. He only stopped after Erosion Markings appeared on the unlucky person's body.
Then he began playing the Chang'an Melody again, staring without blinking at the markings on the unlucky person's body.
When the performance ended, the markings on the unlucky person's body had faded considerably, but they had not disappeared completely.
He played it once more and observed carefully. At last, he saw the markings vanish entirely.
Ye Chang'an: "o(*￣︶￣*)o"
A smile appeared on his face. This thoughtless fellow was very satisfied.
He had finally discovered the powerful aspect of the Chang'an Melody.
This damn thing had practically no threshold at all.
Just listening once could directly increase resistance, and its effect in treating Destruction Sickness was first-rate.
But did he need to treat Destruction Sickness? He had clearly planned to lie low with Eden until the Current Civilization fifty thousand years later.
Before you continue