Miraculous Forger

"No, young man, you misunderstand. I'm Kang Ze, Kang Feng's father. We came specifically to apologize today. It's just that before we even reached the door, we heard this young lady say that no fries meant no entry, so we had no choice but to buy some first," said a burly, weathered middle-aged man in a deep voice.

"..."

Chen Li turned to look at Houraisan Kaguya.

"So, shall we get some fries?" Houraisan Kaguya tilted her head and asked.

"Hello, he's not home, sure, goodbye." After smoothly accepting the gifts, Chen Li even more smoothly answered the questions the other party had yet to ask, then saw them out.

"You're practically a heartless gift-accepting robot. You wouldn't even let them finish speaking." Houraisan Kaguya, who had watched from the side, was thoroughly enlightened.

"If you received apology gifts every day, you'd become heartless too." Chen Li's face was utterly cold.

It was like when you played a game and went to an NPC to collect an extra reward after completing a quest—did you really listen to everything they had to say?

To the stars and the Abyss...

Thank you for completing...

After collecting the reward, Chen Li did not want to hear another word.

Since they had been the ones to start the trouble and were in the wrong, being a little cold was perfectly normal.

"Do you really not want to hear what they were going to say? What if they had some original questions?"

"Impossible. Their first question would definitely be, 'Is your father at home?' Their second would definitely be, 'The child doesn't know any better; we hope you can be forgiving.'" Chen Li shook his head with absolute certainty.

"Then let's call him back and have him say it. If it differs from what you predicted, dinner is on me today."

"...Maybe next time. We'll talk after I've saved up some merit." Chen Li said.

Chen Li suddenly understood how to use Approval of Noble Morality.

Seeing them off at light speed only to call them back and make them ask the questions they had wanted to ask again was somewhat immoral. This was where merit coins could be used.

"Saving merit? Oh, I get it. Once you've saved enough merit, you can do bad things with a clear conscience, right?"

"Tch. I really want to beat you up right now, but you're not wrong." Chen Li said unhappily.

"Quick, let me see what the gift is." Houraisan Kaguya looked curiously at the box in Chen Li's hands.

"Let's see... Oh, it's actually a relic?" Chen Li felt a faint sense of surprise as he looked at the silver box nested inside the gift box.

This was why Chen Li had not dealt a killing blow to that shield warrior.

If he killed the other party, how would he collect apology gifts from the guy's parents?

"What relic?"

"Awakening Pointer."

"That sounds so cool! What does it do?" Houraisan Kaguya instantly became excited.

"It gives one random person within a hundred-meter radius insomnia."

"???" Houraisan Kaguya instantly moved away from Chen Li.

What a vicious relic.

And it was completely useless!

"It's not entirely useless. If you get hit by a sleep spell or some strange drugs, you can flee somewhere with no one within a hundred meters and use it on yourself." Chen Li seemed to see through Houraisan Kaguya's thoughts and explained.

"Can this thing be used to forge a wonder?"

"It... actually can. I've got an idea now, though it's a little unethical."

"???"

In the end, they did not order takeout, because Chen Li and Houraisan Kaguya were stuffed full from eating fries.

Kang Feng's father, who had come to apologize, was simply too earnest. Houraisan Kaguya had asked him to get some fries, so he bought every single fry in the shop, then used a special method to keep them warm and ensure their texture and temperature.

At the very least, they could not let anyone eat cold fries with warm cola. Otherwise, if the other party blew up, it would be entirely justified.

And there were enough fries to leave Chen Li and Houraisan Kaguya completely unable to eat anything else.

"No, I can still eat. I just don't want fries anymore. I want dinner." Houraisan Kaguya said, clutching her stomach.

"Alright, alright... We'll order takeout later. It can count as a late-night snack." Chen Li nodded lazily.

Fries were good, but one should not overindulge.

Near dinnertime, when Houraisan Kaguya heard some movement and put down the controller connected to the large living-room screen, she saw Chen Li looking in delighted surprise at a slightly older man and woman standing before him.

"Young master, we're back." The gentle woman of the pair said softly.

"Oh? I didn't expect your family to have maids, Chen Li. She's pretty good-looking too. The one beside her must be the butler, right?" Houraisan Kaguya tossed the controller aside, lay sprawled across the sofa, and propped up her chin.

As expected of a wealthy household—the maids were nearly as beautiful as she was.

Yet the intrigued Houraisan Kaguya failed to notice the dark expression on Chen Li's face.

"Oh my, it's my first time seeing you bring a girl home, young master." The gentle woman covered her mouth and cried out in surprise.

"You..." Chen Li was just about to speak.

"Miss, please be sure to treat the young master well from now on. He hasn't smiled at a girl in a very long time. The last time I saw him smile was last time." The stern-looking, sharp and capable man spoke to Houraisan Kaguya next.

"Eh, really?" Houraisan Kaguya replied with great interest.

Even Chen Li was angered into laughter.

"Look, the young master smiled again."

"But I don't think Chen Li looks very happy when he smiles." Houraisan Kaguya said, stroking her chin.

"That's enough, you two. Every time you see me bring someone home, you pull this routine. Girls are one thing, but why do you say this even when it's a guy, or something that isn't even human?" Once the two had entered, Chen Li slammed the door shut.

"Looks like the butler and maid in your home really want you to stop being single, Li Bao." Houraisan Kaguya said with a smile.

"This is my dad, and this is my mom." Chen Li pointed at the pair without much patience.

"Huh?" Houraisan Kaguya's mouth slowly fell open.

"Ahem. Miss, don't listen to the young master's nonsense. The young master is joking." The gentle-looking woman coughed lightly, trying to salvage their image.

"Young master, right? Go make me dinner." Chen Li pointed toward the kitchen.

"Yes, young master."

"Hey, playing around is one thing, but don't make your mother cook dinner!" The man beside them instantly lost his composure.

"You want to roleplay, yet you don't even have that much dedication?" Chen Li spread his hands.

Chen Li didn't care. He could even eat plain noodles boiled in water—why would he be afraid of dark cuisine?

"Chen Shi, what do you mean by that? What's wrong with my cooking?" Chen Li's mother no longer maintained her gentle image and glared at Father Chen in displeasure.

"I mean, how could we let you cook? What if you exhaust yourself? I'll do it! I'll cook! Whoever dares make you tired will have to answer to me!" Chen Shi slapped the shoe cabinet, then headed straight for the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Chen Li's mother eagerly sidled up to Houraisan Kaguya. How old was she this year? How did she meet her son? How long had they known each other? Did she like men or women? How long did she plan to stay here?

Questions came one after another, making Houraisan Kaguya's head spin.

The key was that Houraisan Kaguya was currently staying at Chen Li's home, so it would have been rather impolite not to answer those questions.

Even though Houraisan Kaguya repeatedly signaled for Chen Li to help her out, all she saw was Chen Li watching the commotion with a relaxed, even mildly interested expression. He had no intention of helping at all.

It was only after Chen Li's father kept bringing dish after dish of fragrant, appetizing food to the table that things finally showed signs of stopping.

"Oh, right. Kaguya, you aren't from this world, are you?" The final question from Chen Li's mother, seated beside the head of the table, instantly put Houraisan Kaguya on edge.

"Hm?"

Houraisan Kaguya was astonished that the other woman had recognized her as someone from another world.

When she had introduced herself earlier, she had only said the name "Kaguya," and she had not mentioned anything about another world.

It wasn't that Houraisan Kaguya was bragging, but whenever she went to another world, she could easily pass herself off as an ordinary person as long as she changed out of those overly distinctive clothes.

First, because "Touhou" was already past its prime. Second, because Houraisan Kaguya believed that none of the artists who drew fan art of her could capture even a tenth of her beauty.

"Hm, is that strange? Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Li Changxi, and I'm a folklorist." Chen Li's mother smiled at Houraisan Kaguya.

"A-a folklorist?" Houraisan Kaguya immediately turned to look at Chen Li beside her.

"Yes, the kind of folklorist you're thinking of." Chen Li nodded.

"I'm a law-abiding citizen." Houraisan Kaguya immediately raised both hands.

Folklorist was a codename. It referred to hunters among investigators who specialized in clearing out races from other worlds. They apparently had some method specifically for finding and hunting down travelers from other worlds.

"Alright, Mom, stop scaring her." Chen Li said casually.

"Phew, so it was just a joke."

"You're clearly a legendary folklorist."

"..." Houraisan Kaguya could barely hold herself together.

Sure enough, this world was dangerous!

"And my dad is a legendary archaeologist, so you should just come clean." Chen Li reminded her from the side.

"???"

Archaeologist was also a codename. It referred to cleaners among investigators who traveled into the past through special methods, uncovered truths hidden beneath the mists of time, and cleared anomalies from the timeline. They were especially skilled at hunting time-based ability users.

Houraisan Kaguya really couldn't hold herself together anymore.

Because she was both a traveler from another world and a time-based ability user.

"Alright, we won't scare you anymore. If the world had truly marked you as prey, we would've received word long ago. Being able to raise your profession level to Tier 2 or above means you've lived very honestly in this world and have already integrated into it. Naturally, there's no need to hunt you." Li Changxi said with a smile.

"Indeed." Chen Shi nodded.

"Your family is seriously something else. One hunter, one cleaner, and the two of you gave birth to a traveler from another world." Only after taking a while to recover did Houraisan Kaguya finally make her sarcastic remark.

"Well, perhaps it's precisely because our professions are so targeted that Xiao Li was naturally granted this profession. Xiao Li's spatial talent came from me, while his time-based talent came from his father. As for his fate-based talent... I suppose it came from fate's mockery." Li Changxi said after letting out a sigh.

"But, Xiao Li, I have some good news to tell you. Want to guess what it is?" Li Changxi then turned to Chen Li with an excited expression.

"Mom, I also have some good news to tell you. Want to guess what it is?"

"The good news is that both your father's and my personal panel levels have increased again. Once we reach Level 5, we'll be able to exercise exceptional-grade guardianship and seal your abilities." Li Changxi said happily.

"???"

"So, my precious son, what's this good news you wanted to tell me?"

"I've also found a way to seal my ability as a transmigrator—and I can even control it."

"???" by Li Changxi.

Dear precious son, do you want to hear what you're actually saying?

"..." Chen Li was left speechless.

Chen Li increasingly suspected that being toyed with by fate was his true talent.

If the world were one giant game, Chen Li would absolutely suspect that he got his inventory checked every single day.

PS: This chapter is 4,000 words long, equivalent to two normal chapters, but I couldn't be bothered to split it.

Houraisan Kaguya: What Do You Mean I'm the Bad Woman?

"So, Mom, can you put the knife down? I'm scared." After handing his Miraculous Forging Guide to his parents, Chen Li said helplessly.

His helplessness wasn't because other people would never let anyone know they had a cheat, while he had told N people within two days of getting one...

It was because Chen Li felt like his mom had been constantly thinking about how to stab him.

"Huh?" Houraisan Kaguya looked at Chen Li in surprise, then at Li Changxi.

What was going on? What were you scared of?

Your mom wouldn't stab you even if she wanted to use a knife.

Shouldn't I be the one who's scared?