Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't.
But!
Considering the difference between worlds and galaxies, the customs of Earth in her previous life were definitely not the same as those in the galaxy.
There was no way Acheron would have any knowledge of the marriage rituals Lin Shuang knew.
Even if they happened to overlap, Lin Shuang could explain it away by saying, "Different species attach different meanings to rituals."
As long as she avoided saying certain keywords and got Acheron to cooperate in holding a marriage ceremony, it might be easier than forming some sort of companion or best-friend relationship with her.
After all, a marriage required a ceremony before they could be considered husband and wife.
In other words, as long as they held the ceremony, they could become a couple in name even if their affection level was insufficient!
Even if the system deemed it cheating and downgraded the reward, she was at least guaranteed one pull.
And if she succeeded, it would be like turning a bicycle into a motorcycle!
So Lin Shuang decided—
She would marry Acheron directly!
Acheron, Would You Mind Cooperating with Me in a Ceremony?
Lin Shuang followed Acheron through a field of ruins.
Toppled signboards, shattered roads, and high-rises already overgrown with vines.
The traces of a once-civilized society had now completely become ruins.
It was Lin Shuang's first time personally witnessing what a civilization on the path to extinction looked like.
"Acheron, why did you come here? For the Stellaron?"
Watching Acheron use her scabbard once again to effortlessly cut down those monsters like chopping vegetables, Lin Shuang asked curiously.
"No. I was merely passing through and happened to encounter the Stellaron. The route was blocked, so I made a temporary landing. I originally intended to take a look, but I did not expect this civilization to have already perished completely."
Acheron's tone was calm, as though all this was as casual to her as stepping outside for lunch.
Then, Acheron suddenly turned to look at the girl beside her, who appeared to possess no strength beyond a somewhat sturdy body.
"I had intended to leave earlier, but then I encountered you. Your body is too weak. If you wish to leave this place, you will need a spacecraft."
Acheron could cross the obstruction caused by the Stellaron alone, but Lin Shuang could not. At the very least, she needed a spacecraft for protection.
Since Acheron had encountered her and extended a hand earlier, she naturally intended to see things through.
Hearing this, Lin Shuang's emotions became somewhat complicated.
"Then you're my lifesaver. If I had ended up here alone, I really wouldn't have survived."
"Mm."
Acheron gave a slight nod, though it was impossible to tell whether she was affirming the first half of that statement or the latter half.
But just then, the system promptly gave a notification:
Formed relationship with Acheron: Lifesaver Though the relationship is special, it remains far from the system's objective. Novice Mission completion is insufficient. Reward: one White Card draw. Use the White Card draw?
Seeing the system prompt, Lin Shuang blinked.
She thought she understood what this system meant now.
If it wanted her to become a player, then intimate emotional relationships were what earned points.
There were four draw grades—white, green, purple, and gold. Becoming ordinary friends might even earn her a Green Card.
But Lin Shuang did not care.
She had only been testing it in the first place. She had not expected it to actually trigger.
Though it was only the lowest-tier draw, it was still a draw.
And based on the probabilities, even a White Card draw had an extremely low chance of yielding a high-tier reward. It was simply a matter of luck.
Draw!
Lin Shuang chose to draw without hesitation.
Then, a flash of white light passed through her vision, and a card appeared before her.
Storage Card: An utterly ordinary? Storage Card. Unlimited capacity, but it can only store one item and cannot store living beings.
"Don't even think about it. Even if you tie things together, they still won't be judged as 'one item.' But there's another question: are The Aeon of Knowledge and IX considered living beings?"
Reading the card description, Lin Shuang could not help twitching her lips. A White Card that wanted to store Aeons... why didn't it just fly to the heavens?
Still, her very first draw had been a complete dud.
Lin Shuang sighed inwardly. Sure enough, she was hopelessly unlucky. Even after becoming a beautiful girl, she was still this unlucky.
Just then, Acheron suddenly spoke.
"What is wrong? Are you worried?"
Hearing Acheron's voice, Lin Shuang pulled her attention back and met the concerned gaze Acheron cast down at her.
A thought suddenly came to her, and she said,
"No, I was only wondering whether I'm causing you too much trouble. Taking me beyond the Stellaron's area of influence probably won't be easy, right?"
"It will not. It is only a small matter."
As she spoke, Acheron paused, then added,
"I do not mean that you are weak. It is simply that this is indeed effortless for me."
Lin Shuang was helpless. She knew what was what, and though the truth stung a little, she still smiled and nodded.
"I know. But I still want to obtain some power, at least enough that I won't hold you back."
Acheron actually wanted to say that, in such a short time, even if Lin Shuang swallowed the Stellaron, it would be difficult for her to claim she was no longer holding anyone back.
But after thinking about it, she did not deny the girl's words.
Seeing that Acheron neither agreed nor disagreed, Lin Shuang took the opportunity to ask,
"Acheron, would you mind cooperating with me in a ceremony? To you, it would absolutely be nothing more than a formality. It won't involve any power, and if you feel anything is wrong, you can stop at any time."
Lin Shuang carefully chose her words, concealing terms that might reveal the meaning of marriage and replacing them with neutral language.
As for why, that had to do with the Synesthesia Beacon.
As a translation system that directly read mental activity, the Synesthesia Beacon could translate the meaning of speech with perfect precision.
In other words, even if Acheron did not understand the meaning of "marriage," or even if her homeland had no concept of marriage at all—
Under the influence of the Synesthesia Beacon, Acheron would still immediately understand the intimate relationship represented by "marriage."
"Just a formality? Then what does it mean to you?"
Acheron stared at Lin Shuang. Having traveled the galaxy alone, she could vaguely sense Lin Shuang's emotions. The other girl seemed to have some ulterior motive, but she did not intend to harm her?
"Mm, I can gain some power through the ceremony. This is a ritual that exists in my homeland. Normally, it should be performed by people from the same homeland. The ritual only works for people like us; to outsiders, it is merely a formality."
Lin Shuang did not think she had much talent for lying, so she simply told the truth.
Holding the ceremony really could let her gain power through drawing cards. Marriage ceremonies really only existed in her homeland. And she would definitely only marry Earthlings, while Earth's marriage laws naturally had no binding force whatsoever on aliens.
Just tell her whether that description was wrong.
"But the conditions here are rather simple, and I don't know whether a simplified version of the ceremony will still work. So I wanted to ask you for help, Acheron."
The only problem was that Lin Shuang did not remember a complete marriage ceremony, whether Chinese or Western. She only remembered a few of the key steps.
She did not know whether the system would recognize it.
After speaking, Lin Shuang's gaze shifted slightly, moving from Acheron's face to her chest.
No matter how one put it, Acheron's figure was truly stunning. Her perfect curves were enough to make one drool.
Acheron looked at the white-haired girl, who seemed rather uneasy. She had never rejected chance encounters amid the sea of stars, and she had confidence in her own strength.
So she spoke.
"All right. How should I cooperate?"
"You agreed?"
Lin Shuang raised her head, surprise and delight on her face. Acheron looked at her expression and nodded.
Having received confirmation, Lin Shuang immediately began looking around. As an alien civilization, its creations naturally had a different style, but since they were all artificial objects, she should still be able to find some similar things.
"The ceremony is simple, but it needs a little preparation beforehand. Can I look around nearby for anything useful?"
"I will accompany you."
Acheron gripped her sword and had no intention of letting Lin Shuang act alone.
This planet was filled with Fragmentum creatures. Nowhere was safe except by her side.
Keep It Simple, Bowing to Heaven and Earth to Become Married!
Finding supplies was not much of a problem.
Before long, Lin Shuang had prepared everything in an empty house.
For example, fuel and a basin for Crossing the Brazier, items for Bowing to Heaven and Earth, cups for Crossing Cups, and drinkable water.
Of course, she had done her best to recreate everything from memory. As for whether it was accurate, Lin Shuang was not certain.
Near the end of her preparations, Lin Shuang suddenly asked,
"Acheron, can you accept red clothes and having red cloth placed over your head?"
"Red clothing and cloth?"
Acheron looked at the old red clothes and fabric in Lin Shuang's hands and seemed to imagine herself wearing them. She thought Lin Shuang was asking about taboos.
"There are no taboos."
Hearing that, Lin Shuang quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because of the white-and-red color scheme Acheron took on after transforming, Lin Shuang had been somewhat worried.
It probably would not happen, but it would be bad if these red things happened to stir up some thoughts.
"But does covering one's vision with red cloth have any special meaning?"
Acheron reached out and took the red clothes and fabric Lin Shuang had found, asking curiously.
"Mm... in my homeland, red is an auspicious color. Covering the vision is mainly meant to help people focus."
Lin Shuang did not look at Acheron. It was half true and half false; in truth, even she could not remember what meaning or customs the red bridal veil had.
"Mm."
Acheron nodded. There had been some lies mixed into Lin Shuang's words.
But most of it should be true.
Then what sort of meaning did this ceremony represent?
While she pondered, Lin Shuang had already completed the final preparations.
She lit the brazier and put on a red outer garment herself.
"We should change into red clothes... First, we'll cross over this fire together, then..."
"All right. Just lead me through it."
Acheron casually draped the red garment over herself as though she were wearing a large cloak.
Lin Shuang looked more or less the same.
There was no helping it. Finding red fabric at all was already good enough; she could hardly expect it to be the right size or style.
Just as Lin Shuang raised her hands, spread out the cloth, and was about to place it over Acheron's head, Acheron suddenly looked directly into Lin Shuang's eyes and asked:
Before you continue