Could Acheron Have Done That on Purpose?

Of course, after being routed through the Herrscher Core, the power surging from within it was no longer so difficult to control.

Lin Shuang even raised her hand and gave it a light wave. Flames rose up, filling the air with vast clouds of icy mist.

When she swung the greatsword again, it transformed into flashing arcs of electricity.

The arcs then turned into dazzling light, and Lin Shuang even directly took on Acheron's appearance.

Acheron reached out and gave her a squeeze, discovering that Lin Shuang had merely used the principles of light to imitate her appearance, then relied on energy's properties to mimic the sensation of touch.

With just a little force, she could feel the false core beneath it.

"That's quite an interesting ability. It even recreated temperature and the feel of a physical body. Heliobus can do that?"

Acheron's understanding of Heliobus had been limited to knowing such a thing existed. She had not interacted with one much, to the point that she had not recognized it when they first encountered it.

On top of that, the Heliobus had become listless the moment it entered her body, so Acheron did not even know exactly what it was capable of.

"Mm, at its core, a Heliobus's ability is to manipulate changes in energy properties. With this greatsword, I can control that ability quite well too, but this kind of precise control is still a little taxing."

As she spoke, Lin Shuang casually swung her greatsword. Acheron then saw strange distortions and flaws appear in what should have been a perfect imitation.

"Once it starts moving, I can't keep up with everything. My brain just isn't good enough."

As Lin Shuang spoke, she canceled the illusion and returned the flames to their orange-red color, sending out waves of scorching heat.

"It's still easier to control a single energy property like this."

Though she was complaining, Lin Shuang could not hide the delight in her voice.

It was not that the ability was lacking. She herself was the problem.

A Heliobus could freely manipulate energy and alter its form. Such unrestricted power was far more useful and convenient than simple flames.

If it had been the true authority of the original Herrscher of Flames of Corruption, that would have been one thing, but the flames she possessed were ultimately just an ability imitating the visual effects.

Naturally, they could not compare to the flexibility of a Heliobus.

When she had used the Stellaron as a power source before, Lin Shuang had barely been able to create a Fragmentum, but who the hell would dare use that?

Carrying a Stellaron around was already conspicuous enough. If people learned that Lin Shuang could even make use of its abilities, that would be a disaster.

Besides, the Stellaron's power was difficult to tame in the first place. In actual use, it truly was not as comfortable or handy as the Heliobus's power.

And besides...

"By the way... could this Heliobus be some especially famous big shot? Why do I feel like this energy is endless? Its output even seems stronger than the Stellaron's?"

She had already been astonished by the immense flames when she absorbed it with the Full Load Bottle. After experiencing it firsthand, Lin Shuang discovered that this Heliobus's output was actually a notch stronger than the Stellaron's.

Acheron had actually been telling the truth.

"My mistake. I actually didn't trust you. I'll reflect on that."

Lin Shuang gave herself a moment of self-criticism.

But after hearing that, Acheron suddenly raised a hand and pinched Lin Shuang's cheek. Then, under Lin Shuang's startled gaze, she said:

"You can trust me a little more."

"Mmph..."

Acheron's fingers mercilessly stretched her cheek, pulling her mouth out of shape. Lin Shuang could not even speak properly for a moment and could only nod in acknowledgment.

Lin Shuang was a little helpless. She had no idea who Acheron had learned this from. She had not been like this at first.

Why was she getting so handsy now?

After waiting for a while and seeing no sign that Acheron intended to let go, with her even becoming more excessive and starting to knead her cheeks, Lin Shuang finally could not help but slap her hand away.

"You're pushing your luck. Why are you getting addicted to pinching my face?"

Yet Acheron did not restrain herself in the slightest. Instead, she said:

"Your face is very clean. It looks like a peach."

"Don't compare me to food. You make it sound like you might lose control and take a bite someday."

Lin Shuang glared at Acheron without much force behind it, only earning a smile from her.

"How about we look around? You can test out your new ability while we're at it."

Taking hold of Lin Shuang's left hand on her own initiative, Acheron looked around at the empty surroundings and made a suggestion.

Lin Shuang held the greatsword in one hand and turned to stare curiously at Acheron's profile.

She stared until Acheron turned her head and asked why Lin Shuang's gaze was so intense.

Only then did Lin Shuang voice the doubt in her heart.

"I just feel like you really like physical contact today. First you got close to my face, then you pinched my cheeks, held my hand..."

She counted them one by one, including how Acheron had almost immediately agreed to come back and bring something to her earlier.

Their relationship was indeed close, and Acheron's affection was certainly high, but the Acheron from the past few days had not been this... clingy.

Lin Shuang did not know how to describe it, but Acheron really did seem a little clingy today. It was not a matter of whether that was good or bad; it simply made her curious.

"Recently, my memories have not been deteriorating. I even faintly seem to be gradually recalling the past, so I have actually been remembering my emotions. These emotional fluctuations... are somewhat unfamiliar to me now."

Acheron lowered her eyes and explained her situation.

Most of the time, there was no trace to be found of her past, while her present was almost entirely connected to Lin Shuang.

Acheron did not reject the emotions gradually reviving within her heart. She was merely following where those feelings led and savoring these emotions that had been absent from her for so long.

And naturally, Lin Shuang had become the person upon whom Acheron would vent those feelings.

Lin Shuang understood, and she could roughly imagine the situation, but understanding was one thing. Having never experienced something like this herself, it was difficult for her to truly empathize.

So she chose not to say much.

She simply silently turned her hand over and held Acheron's.

"Come on, let's look around."

Lin Shuang did not rush back. After testing the Heliobus's power on this planet, the two found a place amid the ruins.

They made something to eat together, and since it was already late at night on the Xianzhou, Lin Shuang and Acheron found a campsite in the ruins and leaned against each other for a nap.

Acheron had not wanted to sleep at first.

But after watching Lin Shuang fall asleep, seeing her delicate and adorable little face, she did not know why she wanted to lean her head closer.

With her cheek pressed against Lin Shuang's hair and Lin Shuang's fragrance filling her senses, Acheron gradually relaxed and drifted off as well.

And this time, she still did not have any nightmares.

Could Acheron Have Done It on Purpose?

When Lin Shuang woke up, she found herself pressed against Acheron's chest by one of her arms at some unknown point.

Something was also pressing down on the top of her head, carrying a striking sense of weight.

Resting against something warm and soft, Lin Shuang found that Acheron had undone her relatively stiff coat, allowing Lin Shuang to easily feel the warmth of her body.

The sharp gloves and finger guards on Acheron's hands had also been removed. Those slender, fair hands were gently hooking around Lin Shuang's fingers.

It was a very strange position.

As everyone knew, while cuddling together seemed beautiful in fiction, it was actually not easy to sleep that way in reality.

Besides, they had only been leaning together when they fell asleep, yet Lin Shuang woke up tightly held in Acheron's arms.

Lin Shuang, who was lying in her arms, had it slightly better, but Acheron definitely could not have been very comfortable.

That left Lin Shuang wondering whether Acheron had done all of this on purpose.

Once that thought arose, it was hard not to want to test it.

Honestly, because she could see affection levels, Lin Shuang had a greater advantage than most people.

Target: Acheron

Affection: 86 (Trust and Favoritism)

Relationship: A married couple in name only

'Keep lying. The higher you raise her affection, the harder you'll crash when you get exposed.'

Reward: A new reward will be issued after the relationship stabilizes.

Her affection had risen by another point after Lin Shuang woke up today.

That surprised Lin Shuang. What had Acheron done after she fell asleep yesterday?

Her body was so sensitive now, yet she had not woken up even after being held like this?

With the slightest movement of her fingers, she could feel the hand covering the back of her own.

Feeling as though she had somehow gotten the short end of the stick, Lin Shuang fell silent for a moment. Then she turned her hand over, held Acheron's hand, and boldly interlaced their fingers.

Lin Shuang lowered her head to look at the back of Acheron's hand. Could this woman have taken the chance to hit her with some Nihility and put her to sleep all night...

When Acheron woke up, she released Lin Shuang as though nothing had happened. Their interlocked hands were naturally released by both of them at the same time.

It was as if what had happened during their sleep was utterly ordinary, so ordinary that there was nothing worth mentioning at all.

Lin Shuang did not say anything either. She merely silently made a note that Acheron liked physical contact.

Then, before leaving, she took the initiative to hug Acheron once more before stepping into the teleportation passage and returning to the Xianzhou.

It was morning on the Xianzhou now.

Lin Shuang played with the deck of Tarot Cards, considering how she could fool Firefly into letting her wander around Penacony more freely.

The exquisite cards seemed alive in Lin Shuang's hands, flickering in and out of sight. One moment they appeared at her fingertips, the next on the back of her hand.

With the boost from Art of Deception (Master Level).

The deck of Tarot Cards danced gracefully across her hands, becoming even more mysterious.

When she parted from Acheron, she had not let Acheron draw a card for divination.

The cards might be accurate, but Lin Shuang's interpretation was another matter.

A riddle-speaker was meant to fool people, but Acheron's affection was already nearing ninety. Besides, this girl had a poor memory to begin with, and Lin Shuang could not bear to speak in riddles to her.

So she had not told Acheron's fortune.

But just because she would not do it for Acheron did not mean Lin Shuang did not plan to find someone else.

There was still no message from Firefly. She was probably still investigating Lin Shuang.

But besides Firefly, someone else was waiting to meet her.

Lin Shuang was walking through the streets of Changle Heaven, thinking that before heading to Ruomu Pavilion, she should visit the card parlor and tease little Qingque.

Then an orange-red figure suddenly rushed over like the wind. With one hand, she dragged along a girl in yellow sleeves and arrived before Lin Shuang.

"Hello, miss! I saw you playing with cards over there just now, and your technique looked so cool! Where did you learn it?"

"Whoa—Little Gui, slow down!"

The girl behind her staggered a few steps before finding her footing, then grumbled in complaint.

Lin Shuang looked at the pair of long legs clad in black stockings before her, then at those golden eyes, and raised an eyebrow.

Guinaifen and Sushang. She had really run into them.

With a light flick of her fingers, the cards obediently fell into her palm and stacked themselves into a neat deck.

"They're just some crude little tricks. And you two are?"

Lin Shuang answered modestly. After all, Art of Deception was originally meant for cheating, so calling it something unpresentable was not wrong.

The golden-eyed girl shook her side ponytail, only then realizing that she had not introduced herself.

"Hello, hello! My name's Guinaifen. I'm a street performer and part-time streamer. I've learned loads of skills from the folks around town, but this is my first time seeing someone as skilled as you, miss!"

As she spoke, Guinaifen suddenly paused, then seemed to remember that there was another person with her. She shifted slightly, revealing Sushang's puffed-up little face.

"This is my best friend, Li Sushang of the Cloud Knights."