Chapter 313
"Oh~" Li Pu saw that everyone, including Ai-chan, had run away, and he felt bored, so he decided to put away his Holy Sword.
But after taking just one step, he suddenly had a wicked idea. Wasn't this Redhead next to him still there? Why not have Otto give him a demonstration?
"Hey~ Otto." Li Pu stepped forward and stood next to Otto, saying, "Isn't this a good opportunity? Don't you want to try and see if you can pull out the Holy Sword yourself? If I put the Curry Stick away later, you'll never have this chance again."
"Should we try? Go and pull out the Holy Sword?"
Chapter 348 They've already done their best, haven't they?
Want to give it a try?
To be honest, Otto actually became a little interested. "Should we give it a try? This thing is the legendary Holy Sword. It seems different from what I know."
However, judging from King Arthur's use of it several times, this thing is undoubtedly very powerful!
So, should you give it a try?
"You think you can rule the British Isles just by pulling out this sword?" Otto tried to change the subject with a joke, saying, "Aren't you afraid I'll take your sword and become king of Britain?"
"Tch~" Li Pu shrugged and said, "It is people who give meaning to weapons, not weapons that determine a person's fate. King Arthur himself had the ability to rule the country, and the Holy Sword merely opened a path for him."
Yes, that's a very accurate statement.
But...
"That's not how the people feel," Otto added. "Otherwise, the Queen wouldn't have demanded to be buried with her own sword, and the current king wouldn't be in so much trouble."
"Since you've chosen to use religion and mythology to numb and deceive the masses," Li Pu said dismissively, "Then you must bear the backlash. Why should I consider so many issues for Britain?"
"Anyway, it's just like what Ai-chan said, 'Opportunity knocks but once,' so it's 10,000 NTD per call, cash only!"
Redhead was speechless. Goodness, this one's increased even more than Ai-chan's.
"Oh~" Otto stroked his chin and said, "It seems like it's still worth it, but I don't have that much cash."
"I can write an IOU," Li Pu said with a wicked grin. "As long as you pay it off within three days, ten thousand dollars is nothing to you, Otto, right? But this is your only chance to try drawing the sword and see if the Holy Sword recognizes you. You'll never have another chance like this."
Ten thousand dollars is not much for Otto, but it has to be said that what Li Pu said was quite tempting.
This sword looks different from any of the weapons he's seen or handled before.
"Okay." Unable to resist the temptation, Otto picked up his pen and wrote an IOU for Li Pu before standing in front of the Holy Sword.
He didn't rush to try drawing the sword; first, he carefully examined it. It did indeed look very unusual, and he couldn't immediately tell what material it was made of.
He could sense that some kind of power was gathering within the sword.
This is not Honkai Energy, or at least not entirely Honkai Energy. It appears to be some other form of energy that can be converted from Honkai Energy.
'What kind of energy is this?'
This piqued Otto's interest even more; he felt as if he had found a way to break the Honkai.
Breaking the Honkai is something humanity has been doing for a long time. From the beginning until now, humanity seems to be trapped in a vicious cycle. Because we fight the Honkai, we study the Honkai; we study the Honkai and then use Honkai to fight the Honkai. This has led humanity into a seemingly inescapable predicament.
Whether it's Schicksal or Adversity, the essence is using Honkai to fight Honkai.
Their growing strength also means the growing strength of the Honkai, but this is not simply an escalation of the conflict between spear and shield. Rather, it is a spiraling confrontation of the same force, entangled from the very beginning and impossible to unravel.
The idea of using True Magic to fight True Magic obviously means that there is no way to use True Magic to eliminate True Magic.
Is it okay now?
Perhaps this Holy Sword did indeed open a strange door for Otto.
Shall we give it a try?
Otto gripped the sword hilt, experiencing for the first time that strange power—clear yet seemingly mysterious. It was both distant and close to him. More importantly, this power seemed to be resisting him.
No, it's not just a feeling; they are indeed resisting themselves.
If you're resisting, then try conquering it first!
Li Pu, who was watching from the sidelines, quickly noticed Otto's strange behavior. Although it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, he couldn't be sure whether Otto could pull out Otto Holy Sword. After all, this guy was a very important force on this stage, and he seemed to possess the Divine Key.
Therefore, there is a certain possibility that he could pull out the sword.
"Mr. Otto seems a bit..." The Redhead next to him also noticed something was off and said, "He seems..."
"What's wrong?" Li Pu asked, not particularly surprised. "What did you figure out?"
If you can't see anything unusual about this Redhead, then he definitely isn't the kind of protagonist, how should I put it? The chosen one, mixed in with so many famous figures on this world stage.
"I..." Redhead said, frowning, "I... don't know..."
'He probably doesn't know how to describe it.' Li Pu was fairly certain that Redhead had figured something out, but he just didn't know how to describe what he had seen.
"It's power," Li Pu said. "He's trying to conquer the Holy Sword."
Li Pu knew exactly what Otto was doing; he had already sensed the magic contained within the Holy Sword. Therefore, he was attempting to access and conquer that magic.
However, this thing is not so easy to conquer. Li Pu can now convert Honkai Energy into magic.
This wasn't because Li Pu was exceptionally talented; it was thanks to the system and another Noble Phantasm. Without that Noble Phantasm, Li Pu might not have been able to use the true Excalibur.
Otto is even worse, at least not now.
The future is uncertain.
Otto tried for a long time without success, and quickly gave up. This wasn't the Honkai Energy he was familiar with; he couldn't force it, or he'd be harmed by the backlash.
Anyway, as long as Li Pu is here, he will have time to do research.
"Why don't you try anymore?" Li Pu said with a smile when he saw that Otto had chosen to give up. "Why don't you try again?"
"No." Otto looked a little tired. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He said, "I've tried my best, but the result is that it's really not a weapon I can use."
"Put it away quickly," Otto said. "Let's not continue this farce here."
Indeed, this scene should end here. Li Pu is next going to discuss with Otto about forming a team to find the Xuanyuan Sword. But from the perspective of improving combat power, the Xuanyuan Sword is also something that must be acquired.
Li Pu was also determined to get his hands on those Pipi Ma.
Li Pu stepped forward, grabbed the sword hilt, and then applied a little force.
"Um?"
The situation seemed to be getting a little awkward.
"What's wrong?" Otto was the first to notice Li Pu's awkwardness and asked, "Could it be that even my lovely Kallen, the former owner of the Holy Sword, has been rejected by the Holy Sword?"
"Hahaha~" Li Pu laughed awkwardly and said, "How could that be? That's impossible."
'Does the Holy Sword have its own consciousness?' Li Pu could sense that the Holy Sword seemed to treat him like a commodity, leaving him there to be played with at will.
The Holy Sword was protesting; it was protesting Li Pu's treatment of it as an exhibit or even a toy.
'I'm sorry, it won't happen again.' Li Pu silently apologized in his heart.
He then pulled out the Holy Sword with a forceful motion and tucked it into his waistband.
Seeing Li Pu's actions, the Redhead suddenly said, "Is it because the Holy Sword was angry with your behavior that it resisted you just now?"
"Huh?" Li Pu was genuinely surprised this time. How did this Redhead figure it out?
"Because of what you said." Redhead saw Li Pu's doubt and said, "These divine weapons have their own will; they are not things that can be manipulated by others."
"So..." the Redhead scratched his head and said, "It's just a feeling, a feeling that the Holy Sword did indeed emit an angry ringing in protest against your actions."
"Ah~ intuition~ intuition, not always accurate," he added.
'No, this is already quite accurate.' Li Pu sheathed his Holy Sword and thought to himself, 'He truly is someone I have high hopes for.'
Otto glanced at Li Pu, then at the Redhead. His expression seemed to become complicated. He had a feeling that he was about to be burdened with even more of those inexplicable accusations again.
Let's change the subject for now.
"Speaking of which," Otto said, feigning curiosity, "Where did you put the Holy Sword?"
"Avalon." Li Pu patted his chest and said, "Although the way you saw it being tucked into its waistband looks like it's hiding a sword there, the Holy Sword is actually here. Avalon is buried in my heart, and that's not a figurative expression, it's literally there. You can explain it physically, it's inside my body."
"What is that?" Redhead asked casually, having never heard of it before. "Inside your body?"
"The scabbard of the Holy Sword," Otto explained to the Redhead. "Avalon, also known as the Avalon."
"A sword sheath?" the Redhead said, sounding impressed but not quite understanding. "It sounds really powerful."
"Don't just listen to the name." Otto shook his head and explained, "Many people know about and value the Holy Sword's reputation. But the scabbard that holds the Holy Sword is also a treasure. Avalon is the scabbard that is called the land of the elves, and it is also the legendary home of the elves. It is a sacred object that can heal wounds and remove all curses."
"Avalon, the homeland of the elves, a legendary and Avalon. It is the final resting place of King Arthur's soul."
"Oh~" the Redhead said, sounding even more impressed but still puzzled, "So, there's a world inside Brother Li's body?"
"No," Li Pu shook his head and said, "To be precise, it's a key, which I can't use for the time being."
"But it is indeed very useful."
Because of Avalon's existence, he was able to convert Honkai Energy into magic power to support the Holy Sword's actions.
"But I don't want to talk about that now," Li Pu said with a smile. "Otto, do you want to go find the Xuanyuan Sword?"
"Find some Valkyrie, form a team, and then go to the secret realm to retrieve Xuanyuan?"
"The Xuanyuan Sword, do you want it?"
Chapter 349 Come on, don't be shy
"Oh, my dear Kallen, I don't want that thing at all."
Li Pu, who had thought he had it all figured out, was stunned.
No? Shouldn't the storyline be ' Otto readily agrees, allocates funds, selects personnel, forms a team, and paves the way to the secret realm'? How did it turn out like this?
This isn't what we agreed on!
"No..." Li Pu said incredulously, "Why? This isn't harmful to us at all, is it?"
"Yes," Otto nodded. "This doesn't do me any harm, but the same question arises. What good does this do for me and for Schicksal?"
"We can equip them on the Valkyrie," Li Pu said. "Just among the Valkyrie on the Hyperion, there are Mei, Yae Sakura, and Himeko who wield swords. Why not equip them on them?"
"Of course~ I can give it a try if you don't mind."
Actually, this item should be equipped on Cherry Girl and Himeko; if Li Pu remembers correctly, these three should be the ones using greatswords. Then, why not just equip Pipi Ma on yourself?
"Oh~" Otto said, "Then here's the question: just like how others can't use your Holy Sword, how can you be sure that they can use the Xuanyuan Sword, my lovely Kallen?"
"Secondly, even if they are capable of using the Xuanyuan Sword, why do you think the Celestial Xuanyuan Sword would give it to our Schicksal?"
"Because this is..." Li Pu was about to say something.
"You have experience in the Celestial Empire, so you are a citizen of the Celestial Empire for life," Otto said. "You should understand the current Celestial Empire government, and you also know that the Xuanyuan Sword has special significance for the Celestial Empire government. Even if you are right, the Xuanyuan Sword can only be in the hands of warriors. It cannot lie under the glass in a museum as an exhibit."
"But why should the Celestial Empire government entrust the distribution of the Xuanyuan Sword to Schicksal?"
"Politics, diplomacy, alliances..." Otto said slowly, "Kallen, you're still too idealistic."
Li Pu was speechless. Yes, he had been too idealistic. Or perhaps he had forgotten something very important. This wasn't a game; it was a real world.
It's not like in a game where you get something and it's yours to use, or that once you get it, it's yours.
The distribution of weapons and equipment in this world is not exactly the same as in the game. Weapons can be acquired in several different ways: official allocation, through skill, inheritance, supply crates, and automatic retrieval.
Official allocation is exactly what it sounds like: assigning weapons and equipment to Valkyrie based on their characteristics. Strength acquisition is a system where Valkyrie within a family are ranked by combat power to obtain better weapons. Inheritance, on the other hand, involves a Valkyrie within the family who possesses a specific weapon. Older generations can pass on their weapons to the next generation.
The supply crate is easy to understand; it's the stuff the Redhead guy smuggles.
The most unique one is the ability to retrieve it on its own, which probably refers to Yae Sakura and herself as the very few exceptions.
The Holy Sword belonged to King Arthur, and now that the king has returned, he naturally has the right to wield his own weapon. No one else can voice their dissatisfaction.
The other types all involve official involvement.
For the Celestial Empire, if the Xuanyuan Sword were just an ordinary cultural relic, they would definitely try to bring it back to the country. But the Xuanyuan Sword is not only an ordinary cultural relic but also an important weapon, so the Celestial Empire is determined to obtain it and will never give up easily.
So what benefits would this bring to Otto?
Or what benefit would it bring to Schicksal? Would it just be a favor done for someone else?
"Ah... this..." Li Pu scratched his head, he really didn't understand politics.
"Perhaps you could use this as leverage," Li Pu said. "I don't think it would be useless to you, would it? The impact of the events in Changkong City might be something you could use the Xuanyuan Sword to..."
"Changkong City didn't have much of an impact." Otto interrupted Li Pu again, saying, "And the Xuanyuan Sword might not necessarily have a good impact, or it could be the best or the worst. Politics isn't that simple. The so-called unpleasantness now doesn't necessarily mean that it will affect the relationship between the Celestial Dynasty and the Mandate of Schicksal in the future. The Celestial Dynasty adheres to the principle of seeking truth from facts, and is also one of the practitioners of the principle that 'there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.'"