This Is the Unorthodox Way to Make Money

"Don't ask. Just do it."

Liu Bai pressed his hand onto a flower bud ninety percent identical to a Simulated Calyx, and the bud instantly bloomed.

But in Guinaifen's eyes, Liu Bai had merely clenched his hand in midair.

"...Snow?"

Guinaifen stared blankly at the snowflakes pattering against her face.

Tap, tap...

Two sets of footsteps emerged from the alley. Then, two girls with skin as pale as snow and expressionless faces stepped out of the shadows. Only a faint bloodthirsty gleam remained in their eyes, and each held a scythe as tall as herself.

"B-Boss Liu! What are those?!" Guinaifen shuddered instinctively when she saw the girls' eyes.

Those were the eyes of monsters that existed only to kill.

"Just think of them as Mara-Struck from the Xianzhou!"

"O-Oh—good morni... No! Mara-Struck are even worse!"

Guinaifen fumbled out the potions Liu Bai had given her.

"W-Which one do I throw?"

"Throw whichever one you pulled out!"

"Got it!"

Guinaifen took a deep breath, and the panic on her face instantly settled.

"Catch!"

As an acrobat, Guinaifen's short-range throwing ability might have surpassed that of some professionals.

The two gray Failed Potions traced elegant arcs through the air, slipping past the Deathless' scythes and striking the girls directly on the head.

Glacial Scythe 1 was affected by Failed Potion. Favorability +200. Current Favorability: 100

Glacial Scythe 2 was affected by Failed Potion. Favorability +200. Current Favorability: 100

The girls, who had been radiating a chilling killing intent, abruptly stopped in their tracks.

Their crimson pupils simultaneously fixed on Liu Bai. Just as Guinaifen inwardly cried that things were bad, she saw two pink hearts gradually appear in the blood-red eyes of the two girl monsters.

"...Huh?"

You have successfully identified a potion

Failed Potion: Elixir of Love: Energy Boost

You have unlocked the Identification skill. Current Identification Skill Level: 1

"Ah... ah..."

As Deathless infected by Honkai energy, the Glacial Scythes had long lost the ability to speak. But that did not stop them from murmuring as they walked toward Liu Bai with hearts in their eyes.

"So... they're not going to fight anymore?"

Looking at the hearts in the two girl monsters' eyes, Guinaifen felt that something had taken a strange turn.

It was like seeing Xianzhou natives fall in love with Mara-Struck on the Xianzhou.

No, this was way too weird. What exactly had she thrown?

"Um... Boss Liu, they're coming for you."

"I know."

Everything... was still within calculations... probably?

This Is the Unorthodox Way to Make Money

Elixir of Love: Energy Boost (Consumable)

After use, greatly increases a character's favorability toward the player for a certain period of time. When used at low favorability, once the duration ends, favorability will return to its original value and may drop drastically. At high favorability, there is a high chance that the increased favorability will remain. The increase and duration depend on Intelligence and Willpower.

This item also has an Energy Boost effect. Upon use, it immediately restores a large amount of energy, and greatly increases energy recovery speed for ten hours.

In most games, there was always one type of unit completely out of place with all the others.

—That was right, the player.

Transcending the Three Realms and outside the Five Elements was the best description for this kind of existence.

That was why this potion had become a "Failed Potion."

Because this potion was meant to affect the player!

Even if Guinaifen had thrown it, the two Deathless would still have fallen in love with Liu Bai in the end.

Of course, even if Liu Bai's special nature as a player did not exist, it would not have mattered. In this case, there was not much difference whether Guinaifen or Liu Bai became the final target.

Still, normal people generally would not use this kind of drug on Deathless.

Liu Bai had only tried it on Deathless before because he thought they seemed pretty cute too...

Well, with miniskirts and long pale legs, it would have been a shame not to try.

And, unsurprisingly, it worked.

As zombie-like beings, Deathless possessed a certain level of intelligence and could follow commands—but that intelligence might not even have been higher than that of pack animals like dogs and wolves.

As for willpower... forget about it. What was there to say about a zombie's willpower?

Even if just a few drops splashed into their mouths from being thrown, it could control them for more than ten minutes.

"Ah... ah..."

The two Glacial Scythes came closer and rubbed against Liu Bai.

Glacial Scythe 1 has become a companion

Glacial Scythe 2 has become a companion

Honkai faction favorability unlocked

Current Favorability: -100 to -99 (Undying Enmity)

"...Huh?"

Liu Bai could not help but freeze when he saw the notification.

Why was there Honkai favorability too? There had not been a notification like this before!

Could this be a newly added requirement for joining the Honkai faction?

Actually, the normal way to join the Honkai faction was not difficult. You just had to get infected, and then the gameplay would turn into the zombie mode from those shooting games.

Normally... if your favorability with the Honkai faction got too high... it seemed you would become a Herrscher?

But he had not joined the Honkai faction yet—though it sounded as if Herrschers were born members of the Honkai faction!

Well... there was no point fussing over it. More favorability meant more options.

At that thought, Liu Bai smiled.

"Can I have this?"

Liu Bai pointed at the large scythes in the Glacial Scythes' hands.

The Deathless girls tilted their heads, seeming to ponder something.

Liu Bai pointed again, then made a gesture as though gripping something in empty air.

"Ah! Ah!"

This time, both Deathless girls understood. Without the slightest complaint, they handed the frost-emitting scythes to Liu Bai.

Great Ice Scythe (Weapon/Material)

A weapon wielded by the advanced mutated Deathless, "Glacial Scythe." It constantly emits cold air. Even its fragments are extremely valuable items, while the value of an intact great scythe is immeasurable.

In-game price: starting at 500,000.

That was right, this was Liu Bai's unorthodox way of making money!

Then Liu Bai pointed at their clothes and mimed taking off clothing on himself.

"What are you doing?!"

Seeing this, Guinaifen blushed and smacked Liu Bai on the head with the drumstick hanging at her waist.

"Even if they've become monsters, they're still—"

"The clothes on them are worth 300,000."

"..."

Guinaifen really wanted to condemn Liu Bai. Money was not everything; merchants needed morals.

But... 300,000.

Guinaifen had checked the vending machines before. At least when it came to buying food, the currency here was even more stable than Credits.

Guinaifen thought about it. If someone offered 300,000 Credits for the outfit she was wearing...

...She would definitely sell it. Wouldn't refusing be stupid?

"But no matter what, you can't make girls—at least monsters that look like girls—strip in front of you!"

"Ah—! Ah!"

The two Deathless girls threatened Guinaifen. If Liu Bai had not been holding their scythes, they might already have attacked her.

"Whoa!" Guinaifen jumped in fright too. "Fine... I know it's strange to care about the genders of monsters..."

"It's fine. It means your values are still pretty normal." Liu Bai comforted Guinaifen, then continued making the motion of removing clothes toward the Deathless girls.

Before long, the two Deathless girls understood completely and began taking off their clothes.

Guinaifen: "..."

Although she had spent plenty of time hanging around with the guys on the streets after moving to the Luofu, that had all been perfectly wholesome hanging around. When had she ever watched other women get naked with a member of the opposite sex?

If anything, she had always maintained excellent boundaries in her "hanging around"!

Guinaifen silently turned around.

Having thick skin as a performer and having thick skin as an unmarried young woman were two entirely different things.

Icy Deathless Garb (Armor/Material)

Tough clothing formed from ice-element Honkai energy. Extremely cold-resistant but heat-intolerant. Quite valuable.

Frost-emitting underwear

Although it uses little fabric, it possesses stronger ice power and greater toughness than the Deathless Garb. As close-fitting clothing, it has no odor whatsoever—of course, due to its limited coverage, it provides almost no defense. Additionally, female users are not advised to equip it.

"What exactly did you get—?!"

Guinaifen covered her eyes and turned around, only to see through the gaps between her fingers something in Liu Bai's hands that made her even more embarrassed.

"...I have no idea why there's even something like this."

Liu Bai was somewhat puzzled as well. Normally, materials stopped dropping once Deathless Garb had been obtained.

"But Deathless underwear is actually a three-piece set... Ahem, anyway, just think of it as something dropped by Mara-Struck. Wouldn't that solve it?"

"I-I'll try."

After hearing that, Guinaifen thought about it and felt that it made sense. If a Mara-Struck or Abundance follower were naked in front of her, would she still be embarrassed?

She would definitely smack it with a stick!

—Though normal people would not think of stripping Abundance followers or Mara-Struck naked either!

"Ah, Boss Liu, behind you."

"Behind me?" Liu Bai's expression changed upon hearing Guinaifen's warning.

Could the potion's effect have worn off so quickly?

That could not be right! It had not even been ten minutes yet!