Honkai, But With a Spirit Simulator

"Three people, is that enough?"

The Finn nodded first, then looked at Einstein.

Einstein, who had changed into new clothes, was already leaning back in her chair, asleep, with a copy of "Riemann Hypothesis" covering her face.

So, excluding Liu Bai, there were only three people awake.

"Just so you know, I won't help you cheat."

Liu Bai, floating in the air, smirked at the red-haired girl with pigtails below.

Tesla twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at Welt, who was sitting with the Finn.

...This guy, he's probably a newbie, right?

"Since we're here, why not play Texas Hold'em?"

"Texas Hold'em, huh? I don't think I have enough change." Although the Finn said that, there wasn't a hint of refusal on his face.

It would be strange if a lecherous guy like him didn't play this kind of game.

"What are you talking about, Finn? We have this, don't we!"

Tesla held up a box—the box of chocolates that Einstein had received from that Destiny person.

...So childish.

"In some eras, chocolate was more valuable than gold. Back in the Aztec Empire..."

Tesla began to prove at length how reasonable it was to use chocolate as stakes.

"Um... I don't understand how to play this Texas Hold'em game you're talking about." Welt raised his hand, interrupting Tesla's argument.

"It's nothing, you'll learn as you play."

It's good that he doesn't know how, a poker game always needs a newbie—let Welt be it.

"Uh..."

Just as Welt was about to say something, he suddenly felt someone poking him, and then a small note was discreetly passed over.

[Agree, I'll help you, I'll take 70% of the chocolate, you take 30%]

...This is cheating, right?

This is just too... too reliable! Senior Liu Bai!

Welt almost wanted to give Liu Bai a bear hug.

As for Liu Bai, he looked at the excited red-haired girl with pigtails and sneered.

With your poker skills, Tesla, you think you can bully a newbie?

With me, Liu Bai, here, don't even think about it!

"Fold."

"Fold."

The Finn and Welt said one after the other.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Tesla grabbed the top two cards from the deck with a dissatisfied expression and forcefully shoved them back into Welt's hand.

"No folding allowed!"

"Hey, hey, Tesla dear, that's a bit unsightly, don't you think?"

Liu Bai watched Tesla's empty stake area with a smile.

If this were a real casino, Tesla would have been thrown out long ago.

A noob, a complete noob.

Liu Bai felt that even if he didn't help Welt cheat, this guy wouldn't be able to beat Welt, the beginner.

Or rather, Welt and the Finn were learning quite well. In any case, Tesla had already lost all of her chocolate.

Yes, not a single piece left.

This must be the legendary fat sheep.

"The real importance of the game is entertainment! How can you do anything if you're so timid and hesitant? Look at you..."

"God doesn't play dice."

Einstein's calm voice sounded, it seemed that Tesla's voice had woken Einstein up.

Einstein casually tossed the "Riemann Hypothesis" that had been covering her face to the side.

"I'll join too."

Einstein reached out and took a few pieces of chocolate from Welt's and the Finn's tables.

"Um... didn't you just say that God doesn't play dice?"

Tesla looked at Einstein suspiciously.

"That's right, Dr. Tesla."

Einstein unwrapped a chocolate and popped the chocolate ball into her mouth, a fleeting expression of happiness on her face.

This woman just wanted to eat chocolate, right?

"...God is responsible for eating chocolate."

Chapter 36: Otto's Things Are Hard to Take

After another layover on the plane, and Tesla losing all her chocolate again, the plane finally arrived at its destination—Billings.

Just like the scene a year ago when Einstein and Tesla picked someone up at the airport, except this time, the roles were reversed.

After some greetings and exchanges, Planck led a group of people to a restaurant near the airport for dinner.

"...What is this?"

The girl with red twintails stared curiously at a plate of fried balls on the table.

"Rocky Mountain Oysters." The seventeen-year-old big sister from seventeen years ago winked playfully and smiled.

Schrödinger: ...

The girl with the Roman curls sighed silently, "The professor likes to eat this, I don't know if you guys will get used to it."

After speaking, Schrödinger turned her head away.

"It's just oysters, it's not like I haven't eaten them before... although oyster balls are a bit strange."

The girl with red twintails nonchalantly picked up a ball and put it in her mouth like a dessert.

"Ugh..."

Is something not quite right?

Tesla seemed to finally realize something was wrong. The feeling of sticking a fork into it was a bit strange, and after it entered her mouth, there was a strange feeling.

A rubbery, elastic texture that didn't taste like seafood at all...

Although it wasn't unpleasant, the confusion on Tesla's face was obvious.

"Fun fact, the Rocky Mountains don't produce oysters." A certain Spirit helpfully provided some information.

"?"

Tesla tilted her head, completely failing to understand what Liu Bai meant.

It seemed that Tesla's knowledge base didn't include anything related to "Rocky Mountain Oysters."

"Rocky Mountain Oysters is a pretentious name."

After watching Tesla swallow the "ball" completely, the mischievous green-haired big sister explained.

"As you know, this area is mountainous. In the old days when preservation technology was backward, cowboys couldn't eat real oysters, so they called this thing that wasn't eaten much on the coast oysters, half for comfort and half for fun."

"...Huh?"

"A more common name, um, we call it 'testicles' in biology."

"Rocky Mountain Oysters are usually fried bull testicles."

Liu Bai added from the side, "Although it sounds a bit disgusting, it's still nutritious."

"...Um, I didn't hear clearly?"

"Testicles."

As if teaching a student who wasn't paying attention in class, Planck repeated with a smile.

"And they're from calves."

Einstein and Schrödinger shrugged. These two obviously knew what so-called Rocky Mountain Oysters were.

And Tesla, who had eaten one herself, had already turned green.

...So pitiful.

"So, you encountered people from headquarters when you came?"

After a satisfying meal, under the snowy night, Planck confirmed with Einstein.

The Finn and Welt had been sent to arrange the hotel, so now the only ones left were their own people, and many things could be said directly.

"That's right, Bishop Otto sent someone to deliver an unpublished scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls."

"This…"

Otto's things are hard to take.

Liu Bai supported the tipsy Tesla with one hand while typing what it wanted to say on the typewriter.

They don't have a Kallen among them, so why do they think they can get something for free from Otto?

The gifts Destiny bestows have already been marked with a price, and the gifts Otto bestows may be ten times more expensive than Destiny's.

"...Just as I thought."

Planck didn't dare to be careless when Otto was involved.

"Mr. Liu Bai, have you tried possessing that Dead Sea Scroll?"

[I have. Something on it has been altered, and I can't discern what.]

The Dead Sea Scrolls record the Honkai energy conversion formula from the Previous Era—the formula at the heart of the Moonlight Throne's core function.

It could be said to be the highest achievement of the Previous Era's Honkai research. However, it was so advanced that even though Liu Bai possessed it once, he didn't understand it.

"Possessing a pen should allow you to restore the original records, right?"

Liu Bai's possession ability of pens happened to include the ability to restore text.

[I think so, given the chance.]

"The opportunity will always come," Planck said with a smile. "As long as that Bishop wishes us to study the formulas within."

They didn't have any good solutions for Otto, but fortunately, Liu Bai's presence prevented them from being led around by the nose by Otto all the time.

"Alright, let's talk about something more cheerful."

The green-haired "beautiful girl" who was doubly seventeen years old waved her hand, then put on a teasing expression. "Like, should we let Mr. Liu Bai share a room with me tonight?"

"Don't even think about it," Einstein refused without hesitation. "As an elder, please have some dignity as an elder."

"Wuwuwu... Liesel, you're so mean~ I'm heartbroken! I was even going to tell you something good."

Planck pretended to cry.

How exaggerated.

Both the fake crying and the self-proclaimed "older sister."

...Alright, looking at that face that was at most twenty-five or twenty-six years old, Liu Bai decided to pretend he didn't hear anything.