Honkai, But I Have Too Many Mods

At the same time, Rita also saw Liu Bai and Yelan.

"Thank you for waiting, Rita."

"It's I who troubled you, Ms. Yelan."

Rita and Yelan exchanged pleasantries, then turned their gaze to Liu Bai.

"I'm very sorry to trouble you by asking someone to arrange this meeting, but I really couldn't get away myself."

"It's fine, it's about work, isn't it?"

Liu Bai could roughly guess Rita's reason for being there.

It was none other than to protect Kiana.

But why would she choose to protect Kiana on World Serpent's turf instead of somewhere else?

Was this some kind of game of chess between World Serpent and Schicksal?

"You guessed correctly." Rita smiled and nodded. "But you can let it go for now."

She didn't want to babysit Kiana all day.

She wasn't Kiana's aunt, so what right did she have to stare at Kiana when Kiana's actual temporary guardian was out having fun?

Even if Rita admitted she was a lolicon, she couldn't do this.

She could spend a day watching over Theresa, but Kiana... forget it.

She wasn't in her league at all.

So Rita declared she wasn't playing along anymore.

She was going on a date... no, gathering intelligence.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Heavens Inverted

"Speaking of which, I didn't expect you to actually agree to an invitation from a stranger you've only met once."

Rita wore a slightly questioning expression.

She was curious why Liu Bai had accepted the invitation.

If it were her, she probably wouldn't have accepted an invitation where the person themselves didn't even show up.

It seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

"It's precisely because it was an unexpected invitation that I came."

Liu Bai's reply made Yelan, standing beside him, inwardly cheer.

The implication was that he also wanted to know why a woman he'd only met once had asked him out.

While it was a bit of a deflection, the logic was sound, and... it was direct enough.

Getting straight to the point, but without seeming abrupt.

"I see..." Rita rested her chin on her hand, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. Then, her expression turned serious as she spoke to Liu Bai, "Since you're so forthright, I won't beat around the bush either—Mr. Liu Bai, have you perhaps noticed that your sister might be engaged in illegal activities?"

(Oh... straight to the point...) Yelan watched from the side with a look of amusement.

From a third-party perspective, it was genuinely interesting to watch these two try to fool each other.

(But in this situation, the one who speaks first has already fallen into a disadvantage... Of course, it depends on how Liu Bai handles it. From Yelan's own perspective, Liu Bai's ability to argue and his thinking skills might even be stronger than Rita's. Rita's strength lies in being more proactive and having a more aggressive demeanor. Liu Bai isn't good at overpowering people with sheer force.)

"Eh... illegal activities?"

Liu Bai feigned surprise.

"Um... Ms. Rita, that joke isn't funny at all."

Rita continued to smile as she watched Liu Bai.

"...It seems it's not a joke, but Ms. Rita, where is your evidence?" Liu Bai tried to find a flaw in Rita's expression but found none.

(Oh dear, it's over.)

Yelan pulled up a small chair, sat on it backward, and rested her arms on the backrest, watching with great enjoyment.

As soon as Liu Bai said that, before Rita could even react, Yelan knew it was over. He was about to be played like a fiddle by the man.

"You haven't noticed at all?" Rita retorted.

She didn't have much contact with the "Serpent," and she wanted to buy intel from Yelan, but the woman wouldn't sell.

"This..."

Liu Bai appeared to be pondering.

"Indeed... my sister has been coming home late and leaving early all these years, always buying various dark-colored clothes that look rather gloomy. Sometimes she doesn't get home until one or two in the morning, and she's always washing clothes in the middle of the night. The money at home has also been increasing..."

Rita: "..."

Wait a minute! These actions are way too obvious!

It's practically an open declaration!

Rita's smile stiffened slightly.

She thought Liu Bai had noticed some subtle clue, but was that "Snake" guy really that careless?

Was that guy usually acting like "Idiot Sister"?

Ah... if it's come to this, it would be strange if Liu Bai didn't react.

Had her judgment been wrong...

"Come to think of it, it really is suspicious," Bai continued to analyze and ponder with great seriousness.

"Uh... it does require some careful thought." Rita's internal monologue disrupted her own rhythm. "Anyway, Mr. Liu Bai, I'm glad you've realized this issue."

"I was just kidding."

"Huh?" Rita blinked in surprise.

"I was just kidding—it was too obvious, wasn't it? Only Sister thought she was hiding it well." Bai's words smoothed out Rita's slightly flustered mood. "Let's get straight to the point, Miss Rita."

(Using an emotional shift to seize the initiative? That's a good tactic...)

Yelan watched and learned. While she didn't pursue negotiations, the higher one's position, the greater the demand for eloquence.

Disguising herself as a casual fisherman or hiker was easy for her; she could learn it through everyday life. More importantly, skills like hiking and fishing were easy to practice.

But for more advanced techniques, Yelan had few opportunities to learn. High-level skills often had different methods of expression.

Ningguang's negotiation tactics were different from anyone else present.

(This kid's ability to lie through his teeth is quite something!)

He looked so honest, but when he spun a yarn, he was on par with her.

"I've known for a long time that, in a sense, Sister and I are no longer people of the 'same world'."

"Mhm... yes, yes, we are." Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel so heated?

Rita found it a bit strange.

"Her skirt's World Mark level... cough, I mean, what she's doing right now is definitely dangerous, and probably immoral."

"That's right, your sister's actions can hardly be called moral."

"However, how can I be sure that you, Miss Rita, are the moral one?"

Liu Bai's tone shifted, and he retorted.

"Even if I have some doubts about my sister, wouldn't she be more trustworthy than a stranger I've only met twice?"

(*Oh ho... a complete reversal. *)

"Proof of morality... you've certainly given me a difficult task."

Rita felt a little troubled, but not as disorganized as before.

At least now, his intelligence met her expectations... perhaps too much so.

All the persuasive tactics she had prepared were now useless.

"...Please take this."

Rita produced a silver-white bracelet.

"This is a bracelet issued by our organization to external personnel. The technology is two generations ahead of the one you're wearing."

"Miss Rita, what do you mean by this?" Bai frowned.

"The meaning is simple. Any further explanation is just empty talk, Mr. Liu Bai. Would you like to learn about the 'world' your sister is currently in?"

Rita handed over the bracelet, extending an invitation to Liu Bai.

She was supposed to be the interviewer, but now she seemed to be assigning a task.

(*Ah... it's over, there's no saving her. *)

Yelan swayed her chair like a mischievous child, standing on one leg.

(*If this were dating, Rita would have already been tricked into sex. What a little lamb... this is clearly a wolf. *)

This guy might actually appeal to Ningguang.

No, from a strategic perspective, Ningguang dislikes things that cannot be controlled.

Hm hm... In any case, Yelan was increasingly looking forward to Rita's expression when the truth was revealed.

However... it wasn't necessarily that certain.

Yelan took out two dice and played with them. A male and female pairing, whether the man seduces the woman or the woman seduces the man, it's not unexpected, especially for two single, attractive individuals...

Besides, Liu Bai and Raven weren't siblings at all; they'd only known each other for two days and had no emotional foundation. If Rita played her cards right, she might actually be able to lure him in.

Hm hm~ Luring someone in...

No one noticed Yelan's internal thoughts.

Liu Bai looked at Rita's bracelet. After a moment of silence, he put on a determined expression and uttered a line worthy of a shonen protagonist:

"If that's the case, then show me, Miss Rita."

[Successfully joined Schicksal, current position: Undying Blade external assistant (Promotion conditions: Unknown)]
[Current Schicksal Favorability: 0]

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Let's Live Off Someone First

So now I'm serving three... no, three masters?

Isn't this happening a bit too fast?

Liu Bai, double agent for World Serpent and Schicksal, reporting for duty!

"Let me see... the nearest Honkai ball, found it." Rita tapped her bracelet, displaying a map of the entire Sky Dome Zone.

Several purple dots of varying sizes were scattered across the map's edge.

"Ms. Yelan."

"Got it, let's go. I'll drive, and you can use this time to brief Liu Bai on the world's situation."

Yelan was looking out for Liu Bai.

World Serpent had definitely provided Liu Bai with information, but Yelan wouldn't believe for a second that it was their only offering.

Similarly, Rita would definitely include some hidden information in hers.

One piece of hidden information was dangerous, but two wouldn't matter.

A quick comparison would allow them to roughly figure out what was true.