Honkai: Star Rail, Marry Acheron Upon Landing

"Are you okay..."

"Shut up!! Get lost!"

A child who usually got along well tried to show concern, but was cursed away by the child king who had lost his composure.

This unseemly display was seen by everyone.

Then, Lin Shuang said:

"Now, you have to choose two of yourselves to stay here. Only then can the rest leave. Don't expect the Cloud Knights to come to your rescue. They haven't come for so long, they clearly can't break through this fire."

"Impossible—!"

"My Dad will definitely come to save me!"

The children were still talking tough, but through the power of Suiyang, Lin Shuang could clearly sense that these children were already filled with fear and dread.

Volume 1: Chapter 68 - Who Exactly is Persuading Whom?

Lin Shuang merely attempted to imitate Acheron's aura, and it was enough to intimidate these children.

Two of them wet themselves on the spot, completely losing all dignity.

She had no intention of caring about the children's mutual attacks and betrayals.

Human nature is inherently evil. During childhood, before a complete moral compass is formed, once naked malice begins to surface, it can be even more terrifying than that of many adults.

This is because a child's malice is not related to personal gain, but solely to whether it can please themselves.

Besides, these children weren't exactly good kids either; they had plenty of bad deeds under their belts.

Once the spark was lit, Lin Shuang wouldn't need to put in any more effort.

The fire and darkness that only existed in the eyes of these children were, of course, merely an illusion conjured by Lin Shuang. Otherwise, such a large fire would inevitably attract the Cloud Knights.

Of course, Lin Shuang felt that these children might very well go and report her after they returned.

However, if the Cloud Knights did come looking for trouble, Lin Shuang wouldn't mind playing the card of abusing her authority.

Lin Shuang glanced to the side. Danshu, who couldn't see the illusion, had already taken the girl's hand and carefully hopped down the steps.

"Thank you, big sister."

The girl couldn't see, but she knew Lin Shuang had helped her, so she earnestly bowed to Lin Shuang.

Lin Shuang smiled and raised her hand to pat the little girl's hair.

So cute.

Compared to this side, the bullies had completely fallen apart.

The ringleader was pushed out first. Humiliated, he was instead subjected to harsh accusations from everyone else.

And once this mutual blaming started, there was no turning back.

Ultimately, everyone was criticized in turn. Those with weaker psychological resilience began to wail uncontrollably.

Under the environment Lin Shuang had deliberately created, these children would likely have a very deep psychological scar from today.

What was even more ruthless was that Lin Shuang had deliberately blocked the transmission of sound waves, canceling them out by inducing air vibrations.

Then, by controlling the light, she created visual interference, making it impossible for passersby to even notice the abnormality here.

These children, until they completely broke apart and chose two scapegoats, had effectively ruined each other.

She no longer paid attention to these brats.

Lin Shuang watched from the side as Danshu sternly admonished the girl with rather strict words, and then thoughtfully placed medicine in her palm.

After the two of them escorted the little girl home, Danshu suddenly spoke:

"Little friend Lin, you made a move just now, didn't you? Although I didn't see it, I could sense a slight discordance. If a passing Cloud Knight weren't so reliant on their eyes, they would likely have noticed something was amiss, just like myself and that child."

Lin Shuang didn't reply, only watching the children flee in a panic, thinking they had seized an opportunity, and let out a light laugh.

"Even on a prosperous Xianzhou, such things are unavoidable, aren't they?"

"Yes... For those like us who are Heavenly Defects, we inevitably suffer bullying when we're young. Even after enduring hardships and reaching high positions, we are still powerless against many things."

Danshu sighed deeply.

Lin Shuang could feel that Danshu was genuinely lamenting her own powerlessness at this moment.

"An era of war and an era of peace are different. Xianzhou cannot remain unchanged. Miss Danshu, if you have the will, you should go to the Department of Civil Affairs to prescribe medicine for the people's hearts, instead of staying in the Alchemy Commission."

For the Xianzhou Luofu, docking here to recuperate and recover was only a recent development.

The conduct during wartime naturally differed from that of peacetime. However, for long-lived beings, the scale of time was always somewhat different.

Systems, laws, and even moral standards varied.

Yet, the Luofu's docking was temporary, and the threat had never truly receded.

It was likely that the General of the Luofu hadn't even considered such matters, especially since the Department of Civil Affairs had not yet split or reorganized its functions.

Lin Shuang's scalp tingled just thinking about it.

"Oh?"

Danshu was taken aback by Lin Shuang's statement, which completely disrupted her rhythm.

She had originally intended to use the Heavenly Defect to bring up the topic of Abundance and try to persuade her first. Who knew Lin Shuang would veer off into such a tangent.

More importantly, Danshu had joined the Alchemy Commission precisely to try and heal the Heavenly Defect, and had never even considered the Department of Civil Affairs as an option.

Lin Shuang saw Danshu's surprised expression, which was within her expectations.

With this in mind, Lin Shuang suddenly flipped her hand, and an exquisite card landed in her grasp. Lin Shuang simply shuffled the order a bit, then spread them out and offered them to Danshu.

"Miss Danshu, I once obtained a set of cards that can glimpse fate. Would you be interested in drawing one?"

"Heh heh~ Since when did my young friend Lin start acting like someone from the Divination Department, all mystical and cryptic. Alright then, let me draw one."

Danshu chuckled softly, covering her mouth, as if merely to humor Lin Shuang. She casually reached out and pointed to a card, picking it up.

Flipping it over, the Hierophant card faced her. In other words...

The Hierophant, reversed.

The meaning of the Hierophant card represented faith, belief, spiritual guidance, support, and help.

Danshu gently caressed the card. On the gilded surface, every pattern had a subtle texture. Her fingers traced the card, finally resting on the words 'The Hierophant'.

"'The Hierophant', correct? Young friend Lin, would you be willing to interpret this card for me?"

Lin Shuang blinked. The reversed Hierophant signified the transmission of incorrect information, communication barriers, blind comfort, and ineffective help. It also carried meanings of unfulfilled wishes, being exploited, and being abandoned.

It likely represented both Danshu's present and foreshadowed her future and end.

Lin Shuang wasn't particularly skilled at interpreting cards, but when combined with Danshu's in-game storyline and lore, many connections could be made.

Her bleak childhood, finding salvation after joining the Alchemy Commission, but that salvation also vanished, making Danshu deeply resent The Hunt, which was supposed to help the Xianzhou.

Incorrect information, communication barriers...

And the future ending where she would be shattered by the Trailblaze's plan and discarded by Phantylia.

"...The card isn't very good. Perhaps you've experienced some communication barriers, received or are about to receive some incorrect information or conclusions. This could lead to you being exploited, or even abandoned."

Lin Shuang chose a few symbolic meanings and spoke them word by word. Danshu's expression gradually turned cold as Lin Shuang spoke.

"..."

She didn't know if Lin Shuang's actions today were accidental or deliberate, whether these words were genuinely divined or a subtle warning.

Could it be that she had already figured out who her collaborator in the Abundant Doses was?

Danshu suddenly realized that the situation, which she was supposed to be leading and persuading Lin Shuang, was becoming unclear.

Had Lin Shuang seen through her? Was she warning Danshu in return?

After a long silence, Danshu suddenly said:

"Young friend Lin, could you explain it to me in detail?"

However, Lin Shuang merely shook her head slightly:

"I am merely glimpsing a hazy corner of fate through the cards. Over-interpretation can be counterproductive. Miss Danshu may need rational scrutiny and guidance."

"...Then I shall accept your good wishes, young friend Lin."

Danshu fell silent. Who was persuading whom here?

Volume 1: Chapter 69 - Must Find a Way to Give Acheron a Chance to Shine

Lin Shuang felt that the Tarot card set she'd obtained from the lottery seemed quite useful.

Both her own divination and the one for Danshu had been accurate.

After parting ways with Danshu at Ruomu Pavilion, Lin Shuang strolled through the streets, contemplating her next plan.

She wondered what the Abundant Doses would think of Phantylia after she had scared Danshu with the divination this time.

This was just the beginning; she still needed to put in more effort to dig up this secret.

The power of the Suiyang brought by Acheron was even more useful than Lin Shuang had imagined, which naturally led Lin Shuang to set her sights on Phantylia.

Although she hadn't wanted Acheron to confront Phantylia before.

The main reason was that Acheron always seemed a bit dazed, and Lin Shuang worried she might just charge in alone with her sword.

That wouldn't do. It had nothing to do with strength; Lin Shuang simply couldn't rest easy.

If she could lure Phantylia out now, with Jing Yuan and the Divine Might as backup on the Xianzhou, Lin Shuang could take the opportunity to strike Phantylia.

With the power of Acheron's blade, she could probably swallow half of Phantylia's power.

Acheron's single strike, combined with the Divine Might, should be enough to heavily injure Phantylia when she wasn't using Jianmu.

Yes.

Then, after Phantylia was severely wounded by her and Jing Yuan, she could ask Acheron for help in capturing her.

That would also satisfy Acheron's desire to contribute!

After all, sometimes accepting the kindness of others is also a form of goodwill.

Acheron is currently in a stage where her emotions are gradually recovering, so she can't keep rejecting people's kindness.

Although Acheron's strength is considerable, she's a bit clumsy when it comes to expressing her feelings.

She always felt a sense of the other person wanting to pick stars and the moon for her.

Just catching one Suiyang and rushing back to see her made Lin Shuang somewhat understand Acheron's mindset.

Even based solely on Lin Shuang's word, Acheron believed the information about the Suiyang.

Honestly, this actually made Lin Shuang quite worried; how could this person be so naive, believing everything she said?

To the point where Lin Shuang felt that even if she had rejected Acheron's proposal back then, Acheron would likely still have targeted other major Suiyangs later.

The main reason was that Lin Shuang didn't really want Acheron to go all out.

Acheron's power came from The Nihility, and the more she used it, the more she would be tainted by The Nihility. Although the side effects were currently suppressed, who could guarantee that as The Nihility's shadow deepened, the accompanying ring would remain effective forever?

So, she had to do some maneuvering behind the scenes.

Having Acheron attack a Phantylia who had been greatly weakened would be much safer.

At that time, she could stay by Acheron's side and cheer her on with peace of mind.

Therefore, if Phantylia wasn't significantly weakened beforehand, Lin Shuang wouldn't dare to let Acheron confront a full-powered Emanator with peace of mind.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

If Acheron were to get into trouble, Lin Shuang would regret it immensely.

But she couldn't say these things in front of Acheron, so she had to secretly make some moves behind her back.

As for Danshu, she'd try to poach her first.