Someone in the Multiverse, Transformed into Fu Hua at the Start Chapter 18

Knowing that Fu Hua wouldn't leave her, Amber's mood instantly soared. With Navigator's reassurance, she felt she could safely pull from Fu Hua's gacha pool.

Still, erring on the side of caution, she asked, "My next world won't be extremely difficult, will it? Will there be a crisis I can't handle now? Speaking of which, why did the Main Control Consciousness send me to this world in the first place?"

[The host's first three worlds, and the gacha pools for those worlds, have been set by the Main Control Consciousness]

[Both worlds and pools were chosen by the Main Control Consciousness with 'ease' as the core principle. Even if the host only uses the free ten-pull in the first three worlds and does nothing else, you can still survive safely. However, without gaining Recognition, you will be unable to travel to the next world]

[Moreover, the worlds chosen by the Main Control Consciousness are extremely easy to gain Recognition in]

"Ah... really?"

Amber scratched her head. She hadn't expected the Main Control Consciousness to arrange things this way... but it suited her just fine.

Doing nothing and surviving to the end? That was amazing, wasn't it?

Everything being laid out for her felt incredibly reassuring, and her desire to pull the Core of the Herrscher of Reason grew even stronger.

Navigator had apparently learned awkward flattery from someone. Once she pulled the Core of the Herrscher of Reason and opened the Imaginary Space, she'd have to make the system understand that it wasn't her inability to unleash the Herrscher's full power, but Mana holding her back.

Navigator: ...Fine

After stewing over that thought with great indignation, Amber asked, "Is there a pity system for this gacha? I don't even have a full set of Border Stigmata yet, and... the Core of the Herrscher of Reason feels really hard to get..."

Then, thinking of something else, she added, "Oh, right—does the Core of the Herrscher of Reason have Xiao Shi inside? I want Xiao Shi from after the moon battle."

Quite the demanding request.

Navigator's electronic voice remained flat: [There is no pity system for the gacha. The items the host draws are determined by the Main Control Consciousness. Navigator only serves as a guide AI to help the host understand the system and cannot influence the timing of the items drawn.]

So that meant she couldn't decide which version of Xiao Shi she got?

Amber was a bit disappointed. She already needed Fu Hua to worry about her; if she ended up with a newly-born Xiao Shi, wouldn't Fu Hua break down?

But after thinking it over, it probably didn't matter. Fu Hua had lived long enough to figure something out.

Besides, the fight with the Feathered Serpent God had given both Fu Hua and Amber a sense of urgency. Some rules in this world were far more inescapable than those in the Honkai universe. If they kept using Mana, they might run into another opponent like the Feathered Serpent God that they couldn't handle.

So they needed more options.

Having found a convenient excuse for her actions, Amber waved her hand mentally. "Navigator! Pull the gacha!"

[Confirming gacha pull]

[Please draw your cards]

Her last pull had given her considerable confidence. Looking at her Recognition, Amber decided to stick with the quality-over-quantity approach. Instead of pulling a bunch of decent and useful items, it was better to pull one or two incredibly powerful ones.

"All in!"

Watching her Recognition plummet to zero, Amber stared at the gacha interface with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. The very first item made her breath catch—

"Core of the Herrscher of Reason!?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Got it in one shot!? Is this my destiny!?"

Last time, an investment of four or five thousand had netted her Feathered Dust and the extremely useful severe-injury Curio 'Noisy Superior.' Now she had another incredible start.

Amber's mood was joyful and expectant. She felt this haul might be even more surprising.

Navigator: [The host is celebrating too early]

[Star Stone x2987891]

...?

Amber froze. That many Star Stones? Would she even use them? Still, it was nice—she could give some to Ishtar later. As expected of an investment of over seven thousand Recognition—this blew the total Star Stones from her first two pulls out of the water by several times!

Her excitement mounting, Amber waited for the next item to pop up. But the screen remained still for a long time.

?

"Navigator? Did it freeze?"

[Identical items have been automatically consolidated. Host, your gacha pull is complete]

???

"Huh?"

The excitement and joy froze on Amber's face. She re-read Navigator's words several times, unwilling to admit the truth through self-deception.

After a long pause, she finally snapped out of it. "...Navigator... is there a way to spend Star Stones? ...Come to think of it, I still have some Weapon Resonance..."

[The Main Control Consciousness is asleep. The shop and additional functions are temporarily unavailable]

Navigator's words made Amber's vision go dark, but she quickly adjusted her mindset.

The Core of the Herrscher of Reason was already a huge win... In fact, wasn't that the whole reason she'd pulled from this pool? Think about it—even if she'd gotten other good stuff, like a Divine Key, or even a Five-Star Curio or a Blessing, would it really have made her happier than getting the Core of the Herrscher of Reason?

After consoling herself over her dashed expectations, Amber equipped the Core of the Herrscher of Reason.

"Xiao Shi! Come out and put on a show for Fu Hua!"

Here it comes, here it comes. This is really tough, folks. This thing isn't over yet. I'll mention it when I post the vote later—I won't put it in the author's notes. Not just to explain, but because I need to vent too.

Probably only one chapter today. I'm really bleeding out. I should be making the most of being on the recommendation list, but my family ruined it all. qaq

Chapter 38: Xiao Shi: I'll Fight the Feathered Serpent God!

Amber didn't bother to lower her voice around Fu Hua—partly to give her a heads-up so she wouldn't be startled by a third person suddenly appearing in Feathered Dust, and partly to immediately flaunt her "lucky streak."

Even though she'd pulled nothing but the core, she had pulled the core.

If she didn't say it, how would Fu Hua know she'd basically come up empty?

But a few seconds after her words fell, nothing changed inside Feathered Dust—only Fu Hua's confused gaze could be felt.

"..." Where was Xiao Shi?

The Navigator's mechanical voice considerately chimed in: [The Herrscher of Reason core is classified as a 'weapon' under the system's judgment. The host's current equipped weapon is 'Hundred Birds Ask Heaven.' Do you wish to switch weapons?]

'Navigator... next time, just switch it directly...'

Feeling embarrassed at losing face, Amber's cheeks flushed as she murmured inwardly: 'Switch it.'

As if to emphasize the weapon-switching effect, the previously hidden Hundred Birds Ask Heaven reappeared in Amber's hand, then dissolved into blue specks of light.

But soon, crimson light particles gathered in Amber's palm, finally coalescing into... a red brick.

Amber: ...

Fu Hua: ...

"Hey, I was wondering where I'd ended up, but look closely—isn't this the same old place?"

Just as the two were at a loss for words, a third figure appeared in this blank white world. The familiar outfit, the familiar gray hair with white streaks, and those familiar crimson eyes—Amber and Fu Hua recognized her identity at a glance.

"Xiao Shi!" Amber exclaimed in delight.

"Hey hey! Don't get chummy with me first!"

Looking at the black-haired girl before her who bore some resemblance to Shier, the Herrscher of Reason made a stop gesture, then turned to Fu Hua: "Old fossil, what's this about? Is she your new disciple? How is my core under her control?"

Fu Hua: ...

She opened her mouth, momentarily unsure how to explain, and could only say: "The situation here is a bit complicated. I'll use Feathered Dust to explain it to you."

"Feathered Dust? Fine, Feathered Dust again."

The Herrscher of Reason crossed her arms, first savoring the long-unfelt surge of power within her body, then stopped rushing, simply waiting for Fu Hua to work.

She'd actually felt a fair bit of crisis just now—after all, while a Herrscher doesn't strictly need their core, losing it would absolutely cripple them. The moment she came to, her core was in someone else's hands; she'd almost thought the Herrscher of Domination had come back to life.

Fortunately, realizing she was inside Feathered Dust, with the old fossil nearby, and that the one controlling her core seemed to bear no ill will, she gradually calmed down.

But this old fossil felt a bit different to her—maybe because... she looked more relaxed than ever before? Though her clumsy way with words was the same as always—no, actually, it had even regressed.

Thinking this, the Herrscher of Reason loosened some of her mental defenses, allowing Feathered Dust's power to enter her memories.

Herrscher of Reason: Fuck.

"Wait, where the hell did this drop me? Is this still Honkai Impact 3rd?" She quoted directly from the classics: "So, I'm a transmigrator now too?"

Then she looked at Amber, flashing a healthy grin again: "Not bad! The great Lady Herrscher of Reason doesn't mind lending some power to my junior disciple! Since I've got nothing else to do after leaving Honkai Impact 3rd anyway, and following you definitely means more fun."

"Mm-hmm!"

Amber nodded directly, a maternal smile spreading across her face.

"Don't let the fanworks get to your head! Don't actually think I'm going to be your mom!"

The Herrscher of Reason's expression turned exasperated: "Besides, a little girl like you—don't make that face, it makes me uncomfortable! And I'm technically your senior master—at least show some respect to your elder, alright?"

"We don't have a master-disciple relationship," Fu Hua reminded from the side.

"Oh, old fossil, you're not really some lone star fated to be alone—why do you have to care about such mystical nonsense? Look, is Kiana fine?" The Herrscher girl waved her hand. Having suddenly gained a junior disciple, she was in a good mood and didn't want to argue with a blockhead.

Hearing this, Amber looked at Fu Hua, hope flickering in her eyes.

She didn't really believe in that mystical stuff either, but since Fu Hua seemed to care about it, she'd never brought it up.

But in her heart, she had always regarded Fu Hua as her master.

"..."

Both of their attitudes were clear—even Fu Hua could see they were waiting for her answer.

Though everyone called her wooden and emotionally unintelligent, she really didn't think she was that bad. It was just that some things mattered more than others; sometimes she had to set aside emotional matters to prioritize other things. When there was no difficult choice to make, she wasn't rigid.

In truth, she hadn't established a master-disciple relationship from the start not just because of that mystical fate, but partly because... she didn't want to leave too many attachments.

She hadn't intended to have such a close relationship with Amber—only planned to lend a hand when necessary.

But... she wasn't as cold-hearted as she imagined herself to be. Or rather, with her memories fully restored without side effects, having digested them all, she now saw everything in a new light.

Seeing Fu Hua's long silence, Amber felt a little disappointed, but didn't take it too hard.

Even without that verbal acknowledgment, their interactions had already elevated reality above words.

Thinking this, she smiled and was about to speak, when she saw the silent immortal turn to look at her.

"Perhaps... as you say."

Fu Hua's gaze was brighter than ever before, giving Amber an unprecedented feeling of being watched, as if she were standing under a bank of spotlights, granting her a sense of... being valued like never before.

"Amber and I are already master and disciple."

The immortal's tone was plain, but the sincerity within it was audible, making even Amber, who hadn't taken this matter very seriously, feel her heartbeat quicken and her breath unconsciously catch.

"It was a lapse in my consideration, so I failed to say it sooner." She didn't stop speaking. "I'm sorry."

"...Ah..." It took a few seconds after Fu Hua's voice fell for Amber to belatedly realize she had finished speaking. Earlier, she could still shout "paper wife" right in front of her, but now she didn't know what to say.

"Truly, like master, like disciple."

The Herrscher of Reason pressed her forehead and sighed, then spread her hands and said, "Alright, you two aren't going to go through some formal apprenticeship ceremony, are you? It's already the modern era. Let's set this aside for now."

As she spoke, she walked over to Amber, took the brick from her hand, and, using the Feathered Dust permissions Fu Hua had granted her, easily transformed the brick into something else—a longsword appeared in her hand.

This longsword had a golden crossguard, a black grip, and a blade that shifted from black to red from the spine to the tip—it was the sword she was most comfortable with.

"Instead of that, let your martial aunt help you get payback. That so-called Feathered Serpent God, right? Watch how easily your martial aunt takes her down!"

No cuts! No way I'm cutting!

My family stuff won't be over for a while, but I'm not planning to deal with it anymore. I handled it once, and the next day it proved to be a waste of effort. I've got my own things to do—can't keep getting involved.

There's more coming later. I'll start making it up tomorrow, but I really want to take a proper day off. I feel mentally drained.

Chapter 39: The Death of Gilgamesh!

"...But Quetzalcoatl is already a teammate. There's no need to fight, right?"

Amber thought that when Fu Hua used Feathered Dust, the memories hadn't been fully provided, so she reminded her.

She was still a bit dazed, and her tone sounded somewhat listless.

"Hey!"