Under the night sky, Prometheus nodded gently.
"This isn't about whether to blame her or not."
Fu Li bent down and took some snacks from his pocket, feeding them to the bold little stray cat that had approached him.
"At the end of the day, Kiana and I were both victims in this incident. If anyone deserves blame, it's the Herrscher of Domination, the real culprit."
"But she was the one who dragged you into this."
"Only the weak draw their blades against those even weaker than themselves, Prometheus."
After watching the well-fed mother cat leave with her four kittens, he said with satisfaction, "I've never denied the legitimacy or justification of revenge. Those who kill will be killed in turn; that's wisdom passed down from our ancestors. But our ancestors also said that every grievance has its culprit and every debt has its debtor. You can't suffer a loss and then feel entitled to take revenge on everyone, can you?"
He had no desire to sit at the same table as Israel, much less become a cyber Jew.
"Still, I've got to complain about one thing."
"?"
Then the girl heard her host say in an utterly speechless tone, "I never expected that woman, at her age, to lack even this much resolve."
"...Host, are you dissatisfied that Miss Kiana wavered and hesitated during battle?"
"Do you remember what I told you? For those who enter the Honkai side, the odds of surviving alone for three years are less than one in ten." Beneath the streetlamp, Fu Li spoke softly. "And I entered the Honkai side even after being clearly told that."
The sages of Shenzhou once said: if you crave safety, you cannot gain freedom; if you want freedom, you must face danger. There are only these two paths.
The same went for strength.
Fu Li had been prepared to die from the moment he entered the Honkai side.
He could accept any kind of death.
Even if he grew stronger in the future, he would not become as afraid of death as those powerful figures sitting high above others.
He had not forgotten his original intentions.
"Host's previous remarks scored very highly with Prometheus. Prometheus's favorability toward Host has decreased slightly."
"Why only slightly—wait? Decreased?"
"Host is soul-bound to the End-of-World Assistance System. If Host dies while taking risks, the system will disappear as well." Little AI paused before continuing, "But from a personal standpoint, Host really did say something remarkable just now. Therefore, Prometheus chooses to respect Host's opinion."
At first, she had said, "Let's not even mention the danger of forcibly marrying a Divine Key in Host's current state." In truth, the reason she had asked Fu Li about his source of information was to indirectly persuade him not to be so aggressive.
Fortune was sought amid danger, and lost amid danger as well.
When seeking it, success came one time in ten; when losing it, nine times in ten.
Plotting for a Divine Key right from the start was simply too dangerous. As a reincarnator, Fu Li could have relied on the End-of-World Assistance System's assistance to proceed steadily and rise step by step.
But when he thought about it carefully, could Fu Li really reach an exceptional S-rank level comparable to the Herrscher of Domination after two years of slow, steady progress?
People said hard work could change one's fate, but could an ordinary person earning three thousand a month really save up hundreds of thousands even after working hard for a lifetime? And then get mocked by pigs riding the wave for not even being able to afford a seventy-nine-yuan eyebrow pencil? Awareness, methods, opportunities, background... which of those wasn't more important than burying your head and grinding away?
"I understand what you mean, Prometheus."
After spouting such a long speech, how could Fu Li not have seen through Little AI's thoughts?
"People have two hearts: one is greed, and the other is unwillingness to accept defeat. I'm not greedy, but I refuse to accept defeat." He said seriously, "To be fair, if the Herrscher of Domination had killed me outright back then, I wouldn't hate her. I was simply inferior. If I died, there would be nothing to say."
So what if she had been born S-rank? The Herrscher of Domination's talent was her resource. Losing to her in that regard was nothing to complain about.
"The problem is that those Babars used me as a tool to threaten others, and they wouldn't shut up the whole way!" Every time he thought of it, Fu Li became furious. "Just hearing their crooked logic made me laugh. Who am I? I'm a trash-talking prodigy with unknown morals, stronger foes bringing out greater strength, a guaranteed Heaven-Equal baseline, and no upper limit! I've never been afraid of anyone when it comes to arguing!"
"But when I was about to open my mouth and insult them back, those bastards, those bastards stuffed a ball of stockings they'd secretly swiped from Theresa's room into my mouth! Then they even babbled nonsense like, 'Theresa's jade feet—how is that not another kind of Dove foot?'"
"Pfft! Hahahahaha!!!" Prometheus finally could not hold it in any longer. Even her flat, emotionless cyber baby voice trembled unusually.
"The whole way! The entire way! I listened to their crooked logic bombard me the whole way, but because my mouth was sealed, I couldn't even argue back!" Fu Li continued muttering. "Anyway, that's one reason I'm so desperate to get Kikyo. If I don't avenge this grievance, then my fucking surname isn't Fu!"
There were two kinds of battles: one fought to protect one's life, and one fought to protect one's dignity.
Fu Li could risk his life, but he could not lose face! Even now, whenever he recalled that humiliating experience, his blood pressure shot through the roof!
Case closed. The fundamental reason he was plotting for the 12th Divine Key was simply because Mr. Fu held grudges.
Of course, that was only one reason. For some unknown reason, ever since the Far East branch rebelled against Schicksal in 2016, Herrschers had emerged one after another like dumplings dropping into a pot. Massive forces like World Serpent, capable of rivaling Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, had also surfaced, stirring up the world alongside countless inhuman monsters.
His experiences before reincarnation had already taught Fu Li that even while sitting at home, disaster could fall from the sky.
He was not some Touhou player capable of dodging every raindrop. Even if it was only so he would not die so humiliatingly in the coming age of great conflict, he absolutely could not continue waiting helplessly for death!
Besides, this time, his beginner's ten-pull had very fortunately given him a backup plan.
Name: Flying Thunder God Kunai Level: B Classification: Item/Consumable Effect: A one-time consumable, a pair of strangely shaped concealed weapons. Place one of them somewhere, and the holder of the other one, limited to a single person, can teleport to the location of the first kunai. Teleportation range: a radius of fifty kilometers. This item's teleportation effect ignores interference from skills and items below A-rank. Note: Smooth sailing is the lullaby of the weak; cutting through thorns is the anthem of the strong.
With such a precious one-time spatial item as the Flying Thunder God Kunai, Fu Li could preserve his life even if he truly lost.
If he still did not take a shot with this in hand, he would be letting himself down!
Compared to the convenience of leaving Changkong City, returning took up most of Fu Li's night.
That was mainly because he had taken a detour to an underground black market in a nearby district to buy many parts, such as a hilt, fittings, and a scabbard, for Mikazuki Munechika, which he had nicknamed Little March.
Future Fund had directly taken the sword from the Tokyo Museum. In its display state, Mikazuki had no scabbard or fittings at all, only a bare blade.
Swords were not women. Using them naked definitely felt uncomfortable. Even with women, using certain fun little accessories like stockings often felt better.
What Fu Li chose was a set modeled after the Enma Blade from a popular action game from several years ago.
White hilt wrapping paired with black ray skin, with crossed wrapping.
Genuine ray skin panels with fine grains, aged antique-bronze fittings, a black scabbard dusted with gold, and a dark teal thick sageo cord.
There was also currency exchange between the Honkai side and the real-world side. Ability users were not nonliving objects; they still needed food, drink, and all the necessities of life.
However, the exchange rate between crystals, the universal Honkai-side currency issued by Schicksal, and real-world money was absolutely brutal. Just buying this set of fittings had cost Fu Li nearly two-thirds of his little savings.
Of course, being expensive had its advantages. For example, the scabbard in Fu Li's hand was made from special iron birch derived from Honkai creatures. After being treated with the craftsmen's unique Tiangong-XII Type nano-coating, its hardness alone could even contend with D-rank blades.
With Fu Li's ambidextrous, dexterous hands, he could use it to perform a technique similar to Erren Duo.
Erren Duo: the scabbard served as a walking stick, with the blade stored within. If someone tried to snatch it away, the scabbard would slip off and the blade would emerge, allowing the bearer to defend himself. Hence the name.
In other words, a sword cane.
After leaving the black market, Fu Li found a secluded park, released Breath Concealment, removed the fox mask concealing his face, and took off all his old clothes before destroying them.
He then retrieved the backpack he had hidden there earlier, used a towel and the park's water to clean himself up as best he could, and changed into clean, fashionable new clothes.
After changing in no time, Fu Li looked at the little girl who had watched the entire process. "So? What score would you give me by your standards?"
He showed absolutely no shame at strolling around naked in front of her.
Prometheus said venomously, "I don't know how good or bad it is, but I do know that Little Great-Aunt will definitely cry when she learns the truth."
Case closed. The sword accessories and the new clothes had all been bought with the money Fu Li had diverted from the plane tickets and concert tickets.
As for the score...
After spending so much time with her host, Prometheus had noticed something strange. Setting aside the bonus points from temperament, Fu Li's facial features and proportions were only at the level of delicate and pleasant-looking. After tidying himself up, he could be called handsome, but no more than that.
Yet as time passed, this face, which should have become more tiresome the longer one looked at it, gradually filled with a harmonious beauty that even an AI like her could sense.
This definitely had nothing to do with favorability. Some people were simply born with such a quality.
At first glance, they faded into the crowd and would be utterly crushed whenever they stood beside handsome young idols.
But the longer you looked, the more impossible it became to stop. Put simply, they were incredibly easy on the eyes.
Thinking of this, Prometheus glanced at Fu Li, who was talking animatedly.
"Little Great-Aunt would cry? No, she wouldn't. Her account, the one called Pink Forehead—Pink-Haired Monster? Fairy Lady? Whatever it was, had several million followers on Bilibili alone. This little bit of money is nothing but a drop in the bucket to her."
"A scummy host who embezzles public funds and still acts righteous is trash!"
She would rather die than tell this bad man that he was the easy-on-the-eyes type!
"Besides, even though I diverted public funds, I saved her life! A few million yen versus the happiness of the rest of her life—no matter how you look at it, the latter is the better deal, right?"
Fu Li spread his arms with his back to the sunlight. At that moment, it was as though the silhouette of some unknown archbishop overlapped with his.
This time, Prometheus did not respond.
Mainly because, to be fair, she thought he was right.
Seeing Little AI's adorable head-shaking appearance, Fu Li wanted to reach out and pat her.
After his hand passed through empty air, he took Mikazuki Munechika from the Galaxy Bat under the girl's wary gaze and installed the fittings he had bought earlier one by one.
Thus, the famed Mikazuki Munechika officially evolved into the Mikazuki Enma Blade.
Unfortunately, it could neither cut space nor separate the two realms. It could not let Fu Li soar to the heavens and kill the strongest person alive with a single spatial slash.
You still need to work harder, Little March. Go do ten kilometers of cardio first!
After dealing with the equipment, he put Mikazuki back into the bat.
The Galaxy Bat's mechanics were remarkably user-friendly. Even if he took out the stored blade, as long as he did not unleash that long-charged strike, it merely paused the charging process.
Not only would it not waste the time he had already invested, but it could continue charging after being put back.
The ruins of Yae Village, where the Key of Corruption was located, lay at the selected site for Phase Two of Super Electric Technology Park in Changkong City's southern suburbs. Raiden Ryoma, the head of Massive Electric, which had initiated the project, had been caught up in a corruption scandal and gained enlightenment in prison. The company itself had fallen into stagnation, and the half-built technology park at the foot of the mountain had become forgotten as well.
That was undoubtedly beneficial to Fu Li's next move. Still, to be safe, he planned to rest until evening before heading over.
On one hand, he needed to recover after staying awake all night. On the other, he wanted to avoid any construction workers or rights defenders who might still be around.
The Third Honkai had not even happened yet. If he fought people so fiercely in broad daylight, did he think the locals were blind?
Kiana Cat's Gaze Sharpened!
After getting off the vehicle, Fu Li looked down at the land and suddenly had an idea. "Prometheus."
"I'm here, Host."
"What are the requirements for items sacrificed to our End-of-World Assistance System's lottery?"
"Determined by the system."
"Can't you reveal some details? It would make collecting them easier for me."
"Determined by the system."
"You're being a rogue!"
"If the system weren't a rogue, Host would be performing a handstand and grabbing the Earth in the next second."
The little girl indicated that her host's abacus beads were practically smacking her in the face, so he should rein himself in.
"Tch, so noisy!"
"Yes, yes, I'm noisy." Prometheus shrugged. "So for the next period of time, Host won't be able to see me."
Fu Li stopped walking. "What do you mean?"
"The system is upgrading and will temporarily enter dormancy."
The End-of-World Assistance System was a growth-type armament that evolved alongside its host. After obtaining the Human Immortal Path, Fu Li's strength had already approached C-rank. With the Demonic Blade · Unknown Fire's boost, he could briefly reach an exceptional B-rank level.
Naturally, the system had to evolve accordingly.
"I see."
Fu Li relaxed.
"Host's expression just now was very interesting."
The little AI floating in midair raised her brows and teased him in her one-of-a-kind cyber baby voice. "Could it be... that Host is reluctant to see Prometheus leave?"
Prometheus was bad!
Before you continue