Honkai, But I Have Too Many Mods Chapter 48

"Mmm... alright, I'll wait for you here."

Rita reluctantly released Liu Bai's arm.

"..."

Just like Natasha, after Liu Bai entered the restroom, Rita remained dazed for two minutes.

"I, I, I, I... what did I do?"

...Although she didn't regret it at all, thinking about Liu Bai, she even felt it was somewhat acceptable?

No! This was clearly her own perception being altered!

While Rita admitted she thought highly of Liu Bai, it hadn't reached this point, had it?

But even knowing this, it was useless...

"That Natasha... would she rather be dragged down with me than let me off the hook? She's truly the number one scumbag!"

Even though Rita's composure was high, after briefly reviewing the events, she realized the problem and started cursing.

Dream.

However...

"Hmph... I guess I won this time?"

Rita revealed a smug smile again.

Being able to push Natasha to this point was enough.

As for the relationship between Shencheng Pharmaceuticals and World Serpent... she couldn't get any information from Natasha for now.

Her mouth was as tight-lipped as her own; they were truly evenly matched.

Speaking of which, what exactly was in that coffee? It had silently altered her perception.

It directly gave her a "crush" filter when looking at Liu Bai.

She still didn't understand the mechanism of action for this agent, but if it were to be popularized...

Rita shivered. She still remembered that feeling of being "dazzled by love."

Even now, though Rita knew sending a message and leaving first was the best option, she still felt a sense of reluctance.

Ding dong...

[Liu Bai: Little Gui burned down the house while cooking, I'm heading back first]

...Today's events were really thanks to Mr. Liu Bai seeing through the problem.

Otherwise, it was hard to say how things would have turned out in the end.

Rita suppressed the urge to chat more with Liu Bai on the messaging app and turned off her wristband.

Today's strategy ends here.

Retreat.

"You must have had a tough day, Mr. Liu Bai."

Returning to the Serenitea Pot, Firefly poured Liu Bai a cup of tea.

"The fatigue on your face is practically overflowing."

"Mmm... sometimes dealing with nonsensical sudden situations is more tiring than planned strategic battles," Liu Bai sighed.

"Nonsensical sudden situations...?"

Firefly tilted her head in thought.

"Mmm... I feel like I can kind of understand? Wasn't our crash landing on Earth also a nonsensical sudden situation? We're clearly outside the established trade routes..."

"I suspect it's more than just outside the trade routes."

A purple-haired swordswoman, with a cold aura and revealing yet practical attire, descended from the second floor.

"Miss Acheron."

Liu Bai greeted the female swordswoman.

His biggest gain after Ye Lan cashed out yesterday.

Acheron.

Also known as the "housewife who carries a small cat on her face."

As for their background relationship, it was "Hired."

Starting affinity was 30.

Excluding Firefly, she was likely Liu Bai's biggest trump card.

Getting her in fifty pulls on the rate-up banner was quite standard probability.

"Miss Acheron, what do you mean by that?"

Firefly tilted her head, a little confused.

She could feel a dangerous aura emanating from Acheron.

"...Mister, you have another companion, right? Is she also a Pathstrider?"

"Yes."

"Call her back so we can talk together. Although, what I've concluded is just a guess."

Acheron's expression was serious, and Liu Bai couldn't help but take it seriously. He called back Guinaifen, who was in charge of watching Xiao Kong.

"Isn't this meeting a bit too serious..."

Guinaifen looked at Acheron's expression and felt the atmosphere around them was somewhat oppressive.

"Um... Miss Acheron, is it? What do you want to say?"

"This planet."

Acheron spoke sparingly, but it was as if she were carefully choosing her words.

"This planet, I'm afraid it's not just off the beaten path, but very possibly... outside the gaze of gods."

"?"

"?"

"?"

A question mark appeared above the heads of the three eavesdroppers.

"Uh... what do you mean by 'outside the gaze of gods'?"

"Miss Gui, do you know the earliest known Pathstriders?"

"I know, I know. The 'City Builders' who revered and imitated the actions of the Sky-Mending Aeon, the Amber King."

In Xianzhou's beliefs, only two gods could be honored as Aeons.

One was The Hunt, and the other was The Preservation.

Having been on Xianzhou for so long, Guinaifen knew these things.

"Mhm, back then the Trailblaze Aeon had not yet ascended. In that era, only Aeons could traverse the sea of stars. The universe was almost a forbidden zone for ordinary people—but even so, it didn't stop people's piety from earning a glance from the Amber King, allowing them to embark on a Path—even if they weren't City Builders imitating their actions."

"Ah..."

After hearing Acheron's words, Firefly seemed to understand something faintly.

But Guinaifen and Liu Bai were still a bit confused.

"...Miss Gui, have you encountered any Pathstriders on this planet?" Acheron, feeling helpless, elaborated further.

"Not in this city so far... maybe somewhere else?"

"Miss Gui, you are also a Pathstrider."

As a cook who could put on a grumpy face, Acheron's words were quite tactful, more so than her expression.

She was practically saying, "Even you are a Pathstrider, dare you say you haven't met anyone better than you in this world?"

Guinaifen: "..."

Guinaifen was starting to sweat.

She had to admit that although she hadn't met many people with Liu Bai, everyone they had met was an elite.

"You... you mean the Aeons can't control this planet? This is... a joke, right?"

Although she didn't have much faith, as an interstellar being accustomed to the existence of Aeons, Guinaifen still expressed doubt.

"You can take it as a joke."

"..."

This new companion is so difficult to deal with... especially with that cold attitude.

"Um, do I still have power?"

"Ultimately, for Pathstriders, the Path is merely a glance from an Aeon. Even without a Path and an Aeon, hard-earned skills will not betray you."

In the end, most Pathstriders only gained the Path from the Aeons. Those who received blessings were a minority—oh, the Abundance followers were an exception.

Some organizations that worship Aeons, acting out in various ways, might be partly for self-satisfaction, and partly to appease the Aeons and gain their favor.

"Uh... cough, I think I understand. So, what's the use of this information for us?"

"Use..."

Acheron thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm just stating what I've realized."

"..."

Why is this fierce new companion suddenly acting a bit silly and naive?

"The use is, there's no rescue?"

Liu Bai spoke.

"At least for now, we can't hope for any sudden rescue—speaking of which, Miss Acheron, are you alright?"

"Please don't worry, I have this sword, and this world..."

Acheron's calm tone carried no discernible emotion.

Hmm... if I look at it that way, she seems quite reliable.

"I'm going back to my room now."

After Acheron nodded slightly, she turned and went upstairs.

When the sound of a door closing echoed from upstairs, Guinaifen scratched her head and said:

"Um... the room Miss Acheron went into, it looks like Miss Firefly's room?"

"Maybe she just got here recently and made a mistake? Anyway, there are plenty of empty rooms, I'll just find one—oh, right, Mr. Liu Bai, would you like to stay in the Pot tonight? You haven't stayed here since the Serenitea Pot was renovated, have you?" Firefly didn't mind, and instead brought up Liu Bai.

Hmm... now that you mention it, it really has been a while.

"Sure, it's all the same wherever I stay. I'll let Little Gui out later—speaking of which, don't you guys have any feelings about what was just said?"

"You mean we can't go back? Well, it doesn't matter. Going back would just mean running around a few Xianzhou. Even if I miss my younger siblings a bit, with my older brothers there, I don't have to worry about anything."

"As for me, I'm already fortunate to be alive. If I can't go back... it's okay. At least Mr. Liu Bai is here with me... and it looks like there will be more and more people?"

"...Not necessarily. What if this place is suddenly noticed?"

Will the condition for passing be to return to the universe?

In that case, I'll probably have to count on the Stellar Nucleus.

"I won't say anymore. I'll go tidy up a room for you, Mr. Liu Bai."

Firefly excitedly got up and went upstairs.

"Miss Firefly looks very happy. Boss, you might need to be careful tonight."