Trying... Not to Make You Sad.

The auction was held in a remote suburb where a period of Honkai had occurred, causing casualties, and the area had become increasingly sparsely populated since then.

Due to the sparse population and economic recession, the government's security measures here are barely adequate and are largely ignored.

This has led to many hyena-like characters gravitating towards such places. As time goes by, ordinary people gradually leave, leaving behind mostly those involved in certain events.

This is one of the gray areas of this country.

Unless something major goes wrong, those in power will usually turn a blind eye.

It's fair to say that this location was quite suitable for an auction that was already considered abnormal in its nature.

The two had been there for over an hour. After dropping them off nearby, Wraith waited in the area, preparing for their next trip to the auction.

Otherwise, it would be too undignified for a rich heiress worth hundreds of millions to be pushed to an auction in a wheelchair.

It is already 2:34 pm.

The site visit went very smoothly.

The process was so simple that it was exactly what the two of them expected.

Su Qing'an entered the building directly in front of the security personnel. Compared to Rita's stealth skills, his level was now even more fantastical. He made such a terrifying maneuver as to move through the crowds and into the subconscious of everyone present, as natural as the wind blowing around a street corner.

This technique is beyond the realm of common sense for ordinary people.

With the aid of [momentum], the boy strolled through the building as if it were empty, taking in almost every corner.

The presence of the terrain prevented him from using electronic devices to record the terrain and various details here, so he carried in his drawing board and a pencil, looking at him like an art student sketching in a park looking for materials to copy.

The map-drawing skills she learned on her own at the St. Freya Academy and the sketching foundation she learned on the train played a significant role, allowing her to control the perfect fluidity of every State of Still Water.

His exceptional physical condition ensured the speed at which he could draw.

Its terrifying spatial sensing and computing power ensured measurement-like precision.

The boy's steps barely paused for long; the frequency of his movements changed as he approached the surveillance equipment, and in the brief moment when the surveillance screen went blank, his figure had already disappeared.

Actually, if possible, finding the large number of weapons lost by Schicksal and defeating the enemy beforehand would be enough to complete the mission; there's no need to follow the proper procedure of honestly obtaining the invitation and attending the auction.

After Fu Hua and Su Qing'an reunited at their agreed-upon locations and exchanged information, they discovered that neither of them had seen any weapons.

The number of weapons lost by Schicksal cannot be easily concealed, so there is only one answer.

That means the weapon isn't here.

Su Qing'an also noticed something strange: although the security personnel inside were densely packed, their professionalism was not even as good as that of ordinary soldiers, and they even seemed somewhat lax.

Even after searching through all the rooms, he could only conclude that apart from security personnel and some unrelated staff, the mastermind behind it all was not in this building.

As things stand, attending an auction is the fastest way to find weapons.

Unless the other party's method of accumulating wealth is a complete scheme of getting something for nothing, the whereabouts of the weapon will inevitably appear at the auction, and the elixir, which is almost certainly a fake, will also arrive as promised and reveal its true form.

Both were curious about what the other's unique "advertisement" would be.

What kind of "advertisement" could make them so certain that these wealthy elites would eagerly become suckers?

If it were just a regular magic trick that made everyone look like fools, then this mission would be very easy.

Fu Hua carefully examined the drawing the boy handed her, then looked up and said:

"I found other people's surveillance cameras inside. It seems there aren't many idiots in this world after all."

Su Qing'an was not surprised. He said:

"One of the items that attracted people to the auction was the weapon of Schicksal, and those who dared to covet these weapons were rarely good people. Unlike these people who came for the so-called medicine, I wouldn't be surprised by what these people did. Rather than honestly buying with money, I think some of them prefer a more direct approach."

Fu Hua smiled and said:

"It's possible that a dogfight will break out before we even make a move, but that's fine too. Someone will test the waters to find out who the other party is. Regardless of their success or failure, it's a good thing for us."

The girl's expression turned serious, and she spoke in a tone that Su Qing'an had never heard before:

"Su Qing'an, the battles ahead may be the first time you face a situation where you are targeted by firearms. I know this will be difficult for you, but I hope you can protect yourself without using Artificial Stigmata."

"May I?"

Su Qing'an fell silent. It was rare for him to show such childish awkwardness in front of Fu Hua. The young man naturally understood that the other party meant well and was worried, but his stubborn pride and sense of powerlessness were still struggling with these factors, making it difficult for him to answer for a moment.

Even now, without Artificial Stigmata, Su Qing'an is not weak, but a sudden stray bullet or other factors can still easily take his life.

Without Valkyrie armor, without a clear view of the battlefield, and without the use of Artificial Stigmata, the requirement was essentially to let Su Qing'an stay out of the way and let Fu Hua deal with all the enemies on her own.

More than stubbornness or pride, perhaps the inability to fight alongside the other person was the reason Su Qing'an found it hard to accept.

Fu Hua chuckled and gently ruffled the boy's hair with her slender hand. The emerald green in her eyes softened, like a lake ruffled by a spring breeze, the ripples spreading slowly and gently.

She gazed intently into the boy's somewhat evasive eyes, and asked softly again:

"May I?"

Su Qing'an helplessly let the other person's hand touch her hair; this was too much of a violation.

He simply couldn't utter a single word of refusal.

Finally, the boy could only nod and say:

"I understand. I won't use Artificial Stigmata. I know the importance of cherishing my body, Hua."

"It's not that I'm not afraid of death."

The moment the word "death" escaped his lips, a cool fingertip gently touched Su Qing'an's forehead. He stared blankly at the beautiful face so close to his own.

The girl smiled and said:

"Don't think you don't have much time left to live and then act recklessly. Only children have that kind of self-destructive thinking, right?"

"Su Qing'an, you're very mature now. You should understand that nothing in this world is absolute. Actually, before I taught you that day, I also thought you absolutely wouldn't be able to learn [Thousand Stars]."

"Even with Artificial Stigmata, you only barely met the very minimum standard, but you still succeeded, right?"

"So nothing is impossible? Does being Artificial Stigmata Erosion necessarily mean death?"

"Perhaps, but I will help you, so until you find that method, cherishing yourself is something you must always do."

Su Qing'an was speechless for a moment. He wondered if Hua was the kind of person who would say such naive things.

Impossible is impossible, and unachievable is unachievable. He learned [Thousand Stars] simply because his Soul Essence transcends that of ordinary people; it is not a miracle in itself.

The matter of Artificial Stigmata Erosion is completely different; his extraordinary abilities cannot play any role in this regard.

But perhaps unlike what Nishikujo Sara and Theresa imagined, she might not be able to live for ten years.

Ever since he first overdrawn his life force using Artificial Stigmata, his back would gradually become hot in the dead of night. The burning pain in his nerves would spread to his spine along with the heat of the Stigmata, seep into his skin, and finally spread throughout his body. The immense torment that tormented his consciousness destroyed all his dreams.

Time and time again.

Time and time again.

As the frequency of Artificial Stigmata increased, the frequency of this symptom also gradually increased, from appearing randomly at times during the month to now appearing once a week.

This made Su Qing'an realize that her situation could not be judged based on St. Freya's past experience.

The hope for a cure is even slimmer.

To put it bluntly, the reason for transplanting Artificial Stigmata is that the Great Honkai energy cycle created after the Void Sword Qi's realm was improved caused the body to be unable to withstand the erosion of Honkai Energy, and the existence of Artificial Stigmata transferred this contradiction to the body being Artificial Stigmata Erosion.

This is essentially a delayed death sentence.

The only way to truly save him is to strengthen his Honkai Energy resistance.

Even within the limited plot information Su Qing'an knew, he had no idea what could possibly increase humanity's resistance to Honkai Energy.

This is enough to explain a lot.

Moreover, the realm of Void Sword Qi is still accumulating and advancing. Once Clear Mirror Realm, the even larger cycle of Honkai Energy will completely kill him.

Too many unfortunate realities made it difficult for him to live much longer.

But... but even though he knew it was impossible, and even though he had become accustomed to the principle that if he didn't have expectations, he wouldn't be disappointed or sad.

But when the girl in front of him said that, Su Qing'an was very happy, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a slight expectation.

He wasn't usually someone who was easily moved, but if you had to ask why, the reason was that the girl in front of him was too special to him.

He was so special that even if it was just a false, illusory, casually uttered lie, he would gladly accept it.

If it were you, I wouldn't be sad even if my expectations were not met.

Su Qing'an looked at her fair face and said softly:

"I will."

Even if it's just for you, I'll try harder, try to live in this world, try to find a way to redeem myself, and try to fulfill this expectation of mine.

I'll try my best... so you won't feel sad.