Honkai: Star Rail, Marry Acheron First Upon Landing Chapter 39

Stepping into the Alchemy Commission behind Qingque.

Compared to the serene atmosphere of the Divination Department, the Alchemy Commission felt much livelier.

After all, with so many people on the Xianzhou, any minor ailment would naturally fall to the physicians of the Alchemy Commission.

As Lin Shuang entered, she felt numerous gazes fall upon her. Most of them were casual glances, without any obvious malice or ulterior motives.

Following Qingque, they casually joined the end of a queue for consultations.

"I'm going to find a physician to prescribe something to clear heat and relieve fire. Lin Shuang, why don't you look around? The scenery in the Alchemy Commission is quite nice too."

Considering it was Lin Shuang's first time on the Xianzhou, and the scenery in the Alchemy Commission was indeed different from other places.

Qingque suggested to Lin Shuang, while queuing, that she could wander around nearby to pass the time.

"Aren't you going to let me keep you company for a while?"

"Oh, am I that desperate for company? If you don't want to go, I don't mind either."

Qingque chuckled, and Lin Shuang no longer refused.

"Alright then, I'll look around. Contact me when you're done."

"Okay."

Qingque waved the Jade Seal in her hand, while Lin Shuang nodded and began to wander around by herself.

There were many guests from other civilizations within the Alchemy Commission. Some even had Cloud Knights monitoring them, it was unclear if it was due to their esteemed status or because they had committed a crime and were apprehended.

However, a hospital itself isn't a place that brings joy, so Lin Shuang deliberately avoided crowded areas and walked into a quieter side path.

Occasionally, she would see a charming alley or a spot with a beautiful view of the distance, and Lin Shuang would take out her phone to take pictures and send them to Acheron, along with her thoughts.

[Lin Shuang: [Image][Image][Image]]

[Lin Shuang: I visited the Divination Department and the Alchemy Commission today, but the Divination Department was more strictly regulated, so I couldn't take many photos. Here are more pictures of the Alchemy Commission for you.]

[Lin Shuang: Both places feel very aged and possess a profound historical charm, likely because they were built a long time ago. But Xianzhou inhabitants are long-lived, so perhaps what appears as historical to me is merely their younger days.]

[Lin Shuang: Thinking about it this way, it feels quite interesting.]

After sending the messages, Lin Shuang didn't bother whether Acheron saw them or not. She knew Acheron would reply once she reached a place with signal.

As she walked.

Suddenly, as she rounded a corner and arrived at a pavilion overlooking the consultation area, Lin Shuang encountered a Xianzhou woman. Judging by her attire, she seemed similar to the pharmacists of the Alchemy Commission, but more refined.

Thinking it was just a chance encounter, Lin Shuang gave a slight nod to the woman and was about to leave when the woman suddenly spoke:

"Your steps are steady, unlike an Alchemy Commission physician. If you're seeking medical attention, you've taken quite a detour. You'll need to go down the path behind me and circle around to get back."

Suddenly addressed by a pleasant voice, Lin Shuang stopped and looked closely.

Her voice matched her appearance; the woman was gentle and mature in her looks.

However, the woman's eyes seemed unfocused, as if she were gazing into the distance, even though she was looking in Lin Shuang's direction.

"Thank you, miss, for the information. But I'm just accompanying a friend. She said the scenery in the Alchemy Commission is elegant, so I decided to wander around since I had free time."

"Is that so."

The woman replied indifferently, then changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself to you yet. My name is Danshu, and I am a physician here."

Lin Shuang raised an eyebrow. The leader herself had come to see her? This was strange. Did Abundant Doses really care that much about her?

"My name is Lin Shuang. Miss Danshu, are you on break? Why have you come so far?"

"I am indeed on break, but this isn't considered far. Many physicians come here to rest. As for myself, due to health reasons, I occasionally steal a little leisure time."

Danshu's tone was gentle, but within that gentleness, Lin Shuang could sense an underlying resilience in her character.

Lin Shuang had complex feelings towards this leader of Abundant Doses, perhaps a mix of pity and resentment.

"However, it's rare to encounter an outsider here. Miss Lin, if you don't mind, why not sit for a while and chat to pass the time?"

"Since you've invited me, there's no reason to refuse. I'll be honored."

Lin Shuang said, stepping towards Danshu and sitting opposite her.

Watching Danshu's somewhat unfocused eyes follow her movements, Lin Shuang couldn't help but feel curious.

At this point in time, Danshu was the leader of Abundant Doses.

Were her eyes truly unable to see, or was she merely pretending not to see them in her daily life?

She could probably see.

It was just that these eyes, which could see, could no longer behold the magnificent sights she wished to see.

Volume 1: Chapter 55 Lin Shuang: Why does the more I think about it, the more I feel like I should join Abundant Doses?

"Would you like some tea?"

Danshu gestured to the tea set in front of her.

"This tea comes from Fanghu. General Fubo is said to be quite fond of it. While the rumors might be exaggerated, the tea itself is genuinely good."

She rambled on about the tea leaves before her, as if merely making small talk.

Lin Shuang nodded without hesitation. "Then thank you for your kindness, Miss Danshu."

"It's just a cup of tea," Danshu said, waving a hand. She elegantly rose and poured Lin Shuang a steaming cup of tea.

Lin Shuang quickly stood up to accept the cup, then asked, "Miss Danshu, your eyes..."

"I can hear your heartbeat accelerating. You seem a little nervous?"

Suddenly displaying senses far beyond the ordinary, Danshu made Lin Shuang pause. Perhaps she intended to steer the conversation. So, Lin Shuang played along. "Hear?"

"When one sense is lost, the others are forced to become more acute. And your scent is obvious, and quite unique. So I couldn't help but call out to you."

"Is that so?"

Lin Shuang lifted the teacup to her lips and took a sip, but didn't drink it down.

"Your footsteps are strong yet light and leisurely. It's rather unlike an outsider who's traveled across the stars to reach the Xianzhou. What do you think of the Xianzhou, in your eyes?"

Testing my attitude?

Lin Shuang raised an eyebrow.

"It's quite different from what the outside world says, but the pace of life is leisurely. For me, it's a suitable place for a long stay."

"Is that so? I hope you enjoy your time on the Xianzhou."

After saying this, Danshu fell silent, seemingly having no further desire to converse.

Lin Shuang was curious, but then she thought that not much could be done in the Alchemy Commission anyway. Danshu probably just intended to make initial contact before making further arrangements.

With that in mind, Lin Shuang suddenly stood up. Right in front of Danshu, she picked up her chair and moved it from across from Danshu to sit beside her.

Then she asked, "I don't know much about Xianzhou natives. Is physical disability a difficult condition to cure for Xianzhou people?"

Lin Shuang knew the reason, of course, but to deepen the conversation, posing this question, which she should not have known the answer to, was a good choice.

"For Xianzhou natives, it's not physical disability that's difficult to cure, but 'innate disability.' Those like myself are called 'Heavenly Defects'."

Danshu spoke without looking away, briefly explaining the existence of 'Heavenly Defects' to Lin Shuang.

"Immortals are different from mortals. The physical condition of an immortal is determined from birth. Appearance, intellect, physique... these are permanently fixed from birth. Mortals can compensate for defects through skills or surgery, but for Xianzhou natives, it's often beyond remedy."

"Repairing defects through external means leads to extremely severe rejection reactions, until the foreign object is expelled and the body returns to its incomplete state."

Danshu's simple explanation, however, sounded far more impactful to Lin Shuang than any text in a game.

"I see."

As Lin Shuang responded, she subtly flicked her hand, and a few folded pieces of paper appeared. The texture felt identical to the paper of the secret orders carried by those she had encountered from Abundant Doses before.

Without reading the contents, she couldn't be sure if she had taken the right thing, but sitting with Danshu now made it inconvenient to check directly. After all, it was hard to say whether she could see or not. Moreover, Danshu's senses were sharp. If Lin Shuang hadn't acquired that Art of Deception skill, she wouldn't have dared to steal anything from Danshu. Of course, for Lin Shuang, it wouldn't matter even if she were discovered. That's why Lin Shuang took such a risk.

However, to be honest, it was still uncertain whether this move would yield any useful information. Lin Shuang was primarily curious about the Great Annihilation Lord's thoughts on Tingyun and herself after their plan concerning Tingyun failed, and what Abundant Doses' stance was.

"I'm going to look over there."

After saying this to Danshu, Lin Shuang turned her back, walked around a corner, and looked into the distance. Once out of Danshu's line of sight, she carefully opened the papers.

The style of the paper was indeed the same, but the content was somewhat sparse. Part of it was a report from Abundant Doses to Danshu, stating that they had discovered Lin Shuang and Qingque had gone to the Alchemy Commission. Another part was an order from Danshu. However, the secret order only contained half the content, mentioning Danshu's intention to contact Lin Shuang. It said nothing about Tingyun or Phantylia.

Not much information... With just this content, the evidence to have the Cloud Knights apprehend Danshu seemed insufficient.

That's right, important intel would normally be destroyed immediately, so how could it be kept on hand.

Still, it's a bit of a shame.

The intel wasn't extensive, and from this first meeting, Danshu seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally letting Lin Shuang understand the Heavenly Defect.

Was she trying to recruit me?

Lin Shuang couldn't help but try to think about the matter from the perspective of Abundant Doses, considering what kind of image her appearance presented to them.

She had ruined Abundant Doses' plans, and possibly even the terms of their deal with Phantylia, a Great Annihilation Lord.

Yet, Abundant Doses didn't hate her to the bone; they even seemed to have thoughts of peaceful contact.

When she thought about it carefully, from Abundant Doses' point of view, she and Tingyun were merely chance acquaintances, and their relationship shouldn't have been too deep.

The reason she stood with the Xianzhou was simply going with the flow.

Considering Acheron's situation as well, it was impossible in such a short time for Lin Shuang to completely stand with the Xianzhou and advance or retreat together.

Setting aside her gamer's bias towards the Xianzhou and its playable characters.

She should have maintained a superficially friendly relationship with the Xianzhou, and nothing more.

After carefully reviewing everything, Lin Shuang realized that she, as an outsider, might indeed be someone Abundant Doses could try to recruit.

Especially since Lin Shuang wasn't a Xianzhou native and didn't possess the secret to immortality.

And here's the problem.

While Acheron's origins were unclear, at least the recorded accounts of her deeds indicated that Acheron's age was definitely not that of a short-lived being.

Furthermore, the close relationship and interactions displayed by Lin Shuang and Acheron after boarding the Xianzhou...

All pointed to their closeness.

The intimate relationship between a short-lived being and someone with a long lifespan.