Testing Each Other (Continued)

The phone did not undergo any new changes because of Cocolia's touch, which made her breathe a slight sigh of relief.

However, when Cocolia opened this strange phone, she discovered that it was even more rudimentary than the phones currently produced in Belobog, which had already been simplified countless times from communicators used centuries ago—

There was actually only an extremely basic messaging app inside, without even system settings or any other software that would allow a user to better understand the device.

Still, this gave Cocolia a vague realization—

Someone wanted to establish contact with her through this method?

But... making it so mysterious, were they really not afraid that she would throw it away out of suspicion?

And besides, did someone capable of physically turning a phone into an Invitation Letter really need to play such tricks with her?

With question after question in her mind, Cocolia looked at the profile picture of the only friend in the messaging app's contact list—a handsome young man with white hair and blue eyes. After thinking for a moment, she chose not to question him harshly and asked in a fairly polite tone:

"Hello, may I ask who you are?"

Although this matter was riddled with suspicious details no matter how Cocolia looked at it, the other party had been able to turn a phone into that Invitation Letter and deliver it into her study. That alone gave him the qualifications to speak with her as an equal.

Cocolia did not have to wait long before a reply popped up on the messaging interface—

"Hello, friend from an unknown place. I am delighted to be able to speak with you across infinitely distant time and space."

"..."

Looking at the message that had appeared on the phone, Cocolia could not help frowning—

Although Belobog's civilization had declined day by day under eight hundred years of the Cold Wave, it had once been a civilization connected to the stars. It was not truly a civilization that could only huddle in one corner of the surface.

And as the heir to the Great Guardian, the young Cocolia had naturally received the finest education. After assuming office, she had also been qualified to examine all of Belobog's archives.

Therefore, Cocolia knew that other civilizations existed beyond the heavens.

Still, someone who did not belong to this starry sky had sent a phone into her study from afar... This was no laughing matter.

Yet Cocolia likewise did not believe that someone possessing the technology to turn a phone into an Invitation Letter would deliberately come all this way just to toy with her.

As she pondered who exactly had done this, Cocolia's hands did not stop moving as she continued typing:

"A friend from beyond the stars?

But as far as I know, the star routes have been severed for centuries, and news of visitors from the stars exists only in ancient records.

Moreover, you disguised the phone as an Invitation Letter and sent it into my study, yet you speak as though this were nothing. Do you not find that somewhat hypocritical?"

With the situation still unclear, Cocolia could not allow herself to appear too weak. At the very least, she could not let the other party think she was easy to bully.

On the other side, Gwen looked at the reply from this person, whose profile picture was still blank, and his expression turned rather strange—

A phone?

Wasn't the Chat Group supposed to bind directly to the soul?

Why had it appeared in the form of a phone?

Or was binding to the soul exclusive to him, while other people only received something like a phone?

If so, didn't that mean usage rights could be transferred?

In an instant, Gwen thought of many things, but none of it affected his typing speed—

"Perhaps this news will make you feel deceived, but that is simply the truth—

You and I, who do not stand beneath the same stars—or rather, do not exist in the same world—are communicating at this very moment in synchronized time.

As for how I delivered the Invitation Letter into your study, and why it transformed into a form familiar to you, please consider it the power of a miracle for now..."

As Gwen conversed with this friend of unknown identity, he suddenly felt that the group chat function being broken might not be such a bad thing after all—

At the very least, Gwen did not have to rack his brains over how to phrase things so several people would not pick apart every flaw in his words.

In the novels he had read in his previous life, protagonists often fooled their group members within two or three chapters and a few thousand words. But that was ultimately something that only happened in novels, and only when they held an enormous information advantage.

Here, however, Gwen's counterpart had a blank profile picture, no displayed name or nickname, and revealed not the slightest information. Gwen had no information advantage whatsoever. Wanting to gain trust quickly was nothing but a fool's dream.

And that was only one person. If there were several people in the same group chat...

Gwen did not consider himself particularly eloquent, nor did he think he possessed the ability to fool several guarded strangers at once when they could communicate with each other and verify everything.

After all, he, Gwen, merely looked somewhat like Otto. He did not have Otto's thick skin or silver tongue, capable of saying one thing to people and another to ghosts.

Thinking about it that way, Gwen was no longer quite so depressed about his Chat Group's group chat function being broken.

Feeling a little more relaxed, Gwen waited for the other party's response while continuing to analyze the information hidden in her words—

"She knows about visitors from the stars... From that description, it sounds like a situation similar to Jarilo-VI in Honkai: Star Rail, or Earth in Sacred Ruins—once highly advanced and closely connected to the stars, then cut off from them for unknown reasons.

And star routes... That term appears far too often. It exists in the Star Rail world, and it is also frequently used in many games or novels with settings that expand into the cosmos... It does not have much reference value..."

Just as Gwen was trying to determine the other party's identity, she replied again. This time, however, her tone had softened considerably and no longer seemed as forceful as before—

"A miracle?"

Looking at the words spoken by the stranger on her phone, Cocolia let out a long sigh.

As the Great Guardian who oversaw the entire situation, Cocolia was perhaps the person who understood Belobog's current circumstances best—

If no miracle descended, Belobog would almost certainly fall into silence once Earth Marrow reserves were exhausted in a few years.

But a sigh was just a sigh. Cocolia had absolutely no intention of sharing Belobog's internal and external troubles with this stranger. She merely typed slowly:

"Thank you for the miracle you have sent, unknown being.

However, please forgive me, but that alone is not enough for me to trust you."

"That is understandable, unknown friend."

Gwen was not surprised by the vigilance she displayed, nor was he in a hurry to force the issue. He simply replied,

"If our positions were reversed, I would be just as wary.

But I believe time will prove that we are not enemies..."

His growth in strength had not yet reached a bottleneck, and in the current Honkai world, Gwen could still improve relatively quickly. Therefore, he was not in a hurry to seek new opportunities or battlefields.

Compared to quickly gaining some benefit from this friend, the stranger's appearance itself had already given Gwen tremendous encouragement—

At the very least, it confirmed that his cheat was not completely useless.

"..."

In Belobog, Cocolia raised an eyebrow as she looked at Gwen's words—

From Gwen's initial response, Cocolia could tell that he had likely expected this conversation.

Yet when Cocolia hinted at something, Gwen did not respond. Unsure whether he had failed to understand or simply refused to take the bait, Cocolia's probing attempt fell through. Still, she quietly relaxed a little—

If this truly were some conspiracy aimed at her, the other party should have seized the opening and pressed forward by now.

However, while Cocolia was thinking, several messages suddenly appeared one after another on the phone, leaving her nearly overwhelmed.

After giving them a quick look, Cocolia discovered that the other party seemed to be introducing the functions of this miracle.

Although she could tell that he himself was uncertain what functions his miracle possessed, Cocolia still tried to find them one by one and offered some feedback as appropriate.

And as Gwen looked at the feedback Cocolia provided, he began summarizing what happened after an Invitation Letter was opened.

Although the other party might have held some things back, Gwen still obtained valuable information that could serve as reference—

"It turns into a phone... or some form of communication familiar to the person who opens it?

For now, uncertain...

Functions... The status panel does not seem to exist... Is that unique to me?

The shop exists, but there are no fixed Invitation Letters, only limited-time products... Does it share refresh times and shop contents with me?

There is only a friends list and no group chat interface... Does she simply not have one?

Or... because she only opened the Invitation Letter, her method of use remains an external connection that can be seized and transferred, rather than a deep binding like mine?"

As Cocolia looked at the dazzling array of products in the shop, a faint light appeared in her magnificent violet eyes.

If all these things were real, Cocolia would be willing to believe that this was a miracle from the far side of the stars.

Though she still had doubts about everything, the possibility that this was a scam was becoming smaller and smaller in Cocolia's mind. Naturally, she did not mind extending a little goodwill—

"Thank you, friend from afar. May the Amber King's radiance illuminate the road before you."

"!"

Seeing that honorific, Gwen felt as though his heart had skipped a beat—

What?

The Amber King?

All for the Amber King?

Although Gwen believed there was a high chance that other worlds contained beings who used the same title, he could not help associating it with the Amber King who might exist within the same setting as him.

The friends pulled in by the system's Invitation Letters seemed to be from the same world as him. To Gwen, that was not good news.

As he processed that possibility, Gwen swiftly replied:

"May the flames guide your path, friend from beyond the stars."

Although he desperately wanted to confirm whether this Amber King was the oldest Aeon he had in mind, Gwen restrained himself and ended the conversation—

Their initial exchange had basically reached its end. Continuing any longer would inevitably make the other party wary again.

There was still plenty of time. No need to rush...

Yet although he comforted himself that way, a sense of urgency inevitably rose within Gwen's heart—

If things were truly as he imagined, and some Invitation Letters had landed in the Honkai world he inhabited—or the larger Honkai: Star Rail setting—then they might draw the attention of certain great existences, such as Aha, Aha, and Aha.

Smack~

Gwen slapped his forehead, forcing himself to stop dwelling on thoughts that would only make him anxious. He tried to steady his emotions—

"The Invitation Letters have already been sent. Worrying now is useless.

I should focus on improving myself.

If I gain strength that does not fear Aeons, then it will not matter even if they notice me..."

Though he comforted himself that way, the urgency in Gwen's heart did not lessen in the slightest—

If the stage expanded to encompass the entire universe, then Gwen's current strength was nowhere near enough.

Driven by his suddenly intensified desire for strength, Gwen took out two Light Shadow Stones and began his training for the night.

Beneath the blanket, the fiery red Light Shadow Stone seemed to sense the anxiety in Gwen's heart. Its glow flickered slowly, like a quietly kindling flame.

Yet beneath the earthy yellow radiance, as heavy and steady as the land itself, that flicker of flame was extinguished before it could even ignite.

As energy flowed between Gwen and the Light Shadow Stones, the faint urgency in his heart merged into that heaviness and became the driving force that pushed him forward...

Three days later, Gwen followed the navigation's directions and arrived at the location Amber had sent him.

As the navigation ended, Gwen looked up at the gate ahead and revealed an unsurprised expression—

"Next, we should be able to meet the other members of the Caslana family in this world. Is there anything you want to say?"

Sensing the many auras within the courtyard before him, Gwen smiled as he asked Kevin, who shared his field of vision.

"...

Just do what you should do..."

Kevin, who had originally only wanted to watch quietly, had no choice but to answer Gwen.

"Although I do not like that whole 'a hero's son must be a hero' mentality, when the moment comes, I still cannot help hoping that a hero's descendants will not turn out to be the kind of people one despises..."

Murmuring silently to himself, Gwen let out a soft breath and stepped into the manor belonging to the Caslana family...