I'm Not a Flame-Chaser - Chapter 584

... A treasured heirloom?

Lin hadn't expected such a thing to exist. Before he could even express his opinion, the enraged proprietress pulled out a remote control from somewhere, pressed a button on the sky, and... the ground began to rumble.

In the very center of the garden where they were, right in front of the proprietress's stall, a circular hole appeared in the ground. Then, a platform slowly rose up, displaying its "goods" to Lin and Seele.

"A... robot?" Seele stared at the humanoid mechanical creation with suspicion.

"Titan! That's a Titan! What robot?!" the landlady shouted angrily.

This robotic humanoid, which appeared to be more than half destroyed, was supporting itself on the ground with only one metal arm remaining. Its filth and rust-red shell made it look like a wounded warrior who had died on the battlefield.

Lin stared blankly at the mechanical humanoid called "Titan." Its single, dim eye had lost all power, but he imagined it emitting azure, particle-like light the moment it was activated.

Why do you think it's azure blue?

"Isn't this still garbage? Just because a bunch of garbage is made into one big piece of garbage doesn't mean it's not garbage anymore!"

"How could this be junk! It still works, I promise it still works!"

At that moment, Seele, who was angrily criticizing the landlady, caught a glimpse of the man staring blankly at Titan.

"Then let's take this one, okay, Brother Lin?"

Lin looked down and saw a bright smile that gave off an invisible pressure. He waved his arm.

"... You're holding me too tightly."

"Ah... I'm sorry..."

In an instant, the girl with the wild, inwardly dyed hair turned back into a soft, cotton candy-like figure. She shyly and hastily let go of Lin's arm, lowered her head, and took a few steps back.

... She really is a strange girl.

New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 94 Acquaintances

"How is it? Does it work?"

"... It can be started, but most of its functions are broken."

The girl with dyed inner highlights stood in front of the hatch that couldn't be closed, cautiously peeking out to look at the black-haired man sitting in the pilot's seat, adjusting various functions and parameters. Half of his face was illuminated by fluorescence, while the other half was shrouded in shadow as he skillfully performed a soft reboot of the Titan.

"Brother Lin, have you... driven this before?" Seele blushed and asked nervously in a low voice, thinking about what "she" had just done.

"...have no idea."

"Have no idea..."

"It can be started with difficulty, but the weapons and bullets are gone, and most of the functions are completely unusable." Lin pressed the start button, and a large bunch of garbled characters, as if they had been pasted on, appeared on the screen.

[Cabin air pressure not up to standard]

[Component verification initiated... failed]

Neural Connection failure

No driver detected.

"The machine's creators installed a system that connects to the pilot's nervous system, allowing the pilot to directly control the Titan through their nerves, making it as agile as a human. However, this system is also damaged, so it's currently operating at its lowest power." Lin pushed the control stick, and the Titan's only right forearm bent inward, much to Seele's surprise.

However, that's all that can be done. According to the information Lin Cong Titan's system database, this mechanical behemoth could even perform a one-handed handstand on the spot through Neural Connection, but right now Lin is just roughly copying what he's doing by pushing the lever.

Seele looked at the composed Lin in amazement. "Amazing..."

More than Titan, Lin was actually more interested in the information about the Great Elf Tournament that he got from the landlady.

"Information about the match? How would I know!"

"..."

"Oh... right! I'm the item supplier for the competition, how could I not know some inside information that others don't? Ahem, young friend, listen carefully, first of all... this competition is about you guys trying to grab seven Poké Ball... What? You know? Ahem, well..."

"Tell me about the characteristics of the contestants you've seen."

"How can this be? I'm a century-old brand, how can I just give you other customers' information like that..."

"I'll pay more."

"It doesn't hurt to tell your handsome young friend about him; you'll meet him sooner or later anyway..."

The proprietress, who spoke in a cryptic manner and seemed somewhat like a con artist, eventually succumbed to Lin's barrage of additional payments. The money she used to pay wasn't the money that Lin and Seele didn't have, but rather... her emotions.

She placed her hand on Lin's wrist as if taking his pulse, and after a while, stared at him with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

"You... you're alive, right? Not a zombie, are you? Not a living dead, are you?"

"...no."

Then she suspiciously placed her hand on Seele's wrist. This time she was not disappointed. She happily took something from Seele, and Seele seemed to be fine.

Then she told Lin about the characteristics of the contestants she had seen.

"First of all, um... I remember there was a ninja wearing a mask who came and went without a trace and never visited my shop."

... So it turns out you've never bought anything before, so you just shared the information without any hesitation.

"Then, there were a few girls who were rather short."

"How short."

"A little shorter than her."

The landlady still harbored resentment over Seele's merciless verbal attacks, and pointed directly at Seele, saying...

Lin glanced at Seele. This girl had a rather peculiar characteristic: she wasn't tall, but her figure was exceptionally tall, making people think she was quite tall at first glance. However, Lin estimated that she was only a little under 1.5 meters tall.

Shorter than Seele, and there's more than one... that's quite rare.

"Finally, I remember that besides you, I only saw one other man, and he was also a child."

The proprietress provided only this much. Lin formed a clear picture in his mind: a group of children, no more than 1.5 meters tall, were fighting fiercely in Changkong City with weapons capable of blowing up half the city.

If this competition were a TV show, then Lin would have to question the organizers' quirks.

So far, they have only met Yae Kasumi of the Rider Tanuki Squad. She has no ill intentions towards the Riding Fish Team and they can communicate with each other. However, her teammates may not share the same views as her. After all, considering that the two members of the Riding Fish Team were complete strangers before forming a team, other teams may also be composed of strangers, and it is normal for them to have different opinions.

After Lin and Seele hid their Titan in the crevice of a building that had been broken in half, they patiently waited for the sun to set and then discussed the current situation.

"Brother Lin, what do you think is the purpose of holding this competition?"

"... According to the rules set, it is entirely for the purpose of 'watching' and 'conflict', so the organizer's purpose is either to broadcast it as a program or to have an interest in watching people fight to the death in the octagon."

"Oh... so you think it's true that seven Poké Ball can grant wishes?"

"... Maybe."

"Possible?"

The scope of fulfilling wishes is too broad, and there is no omnipotent wish-granting machine that can grant all wishes. The whole world operates within its own rules, and even making a wish for the disappearance of the Quantum Sea is absolutely impossible.

But that doesn't mean there aren't "wishing machines that aren't so all-powerful."

If Lin's guess is correct, those seven Poké Ball should be the Aether Anchor of this World Bubble. The energy contained in the Aether Anchor can indeed do many extraordinary things.

Do you have any wishes you want to fulfill?

Lin leaned against the dusty wall and glanced sideways at the girl with the inlaid highlights who was gazing at the sunset in a daze. Her tranquil sea-blue eyes seemed to hide confusion and melancholy.

"Hmm... If I could, I would like to see the people who are important to me again. I want to... leave."

"Leave where?"

There was no answer, but Lin didn't press for an answer either. He listened intently to the sounds around him. When there was no battle, the city was as quiet as a dead city. Even the birdsong and cicada chirping seemed to have entered another space, as if they didn't exist at all.

"————Whoosh."

Lin Wuran straightened up, his expression cold as he tried to remind Seele, but the girl with the dyed hair also looked at him at that moment.

"... hide."

Lin said something to her, then quietly and quickly went to the hidden corner and observed the situation outside through the gap.

... It has to be said that surprises and unexpected situations occurred one after another after Lin entered this World Bubble.

He saw an acquaintance.

New Testament: Afterword of the Dirac Sea: Chapter 95 The Attack

Lin had considered encountering someone he knew in this utterly bizarre competition, but when that person actually appeared in front of him, it felt somewhat like finding an oasis in the desert.

"Rustle..."

The echo of breathable sneakers crunching on the gravel reverberated through the twilight streets, the hem of a sheer jacket swayed in the breeze, and bright, slightly wavy cherry-colored hair danced alongside a mechanical-looking tail.

Her aloof blue eyes were the same as Lin's when they first met in the World Bubble, except that she no longer bore the scars and unintentional vulnerability of that time. It was unclear whether she had hidden them away or had completely healed her inner wounds.

Having someone familiar always brings a lot of peace of mind. Lin breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when another person walked up to her, making her pause and swallow the words she was about to say.

Ninja, Yae Kasumi.

She approached the cool girl with cherry-pink hair and said to her, "I couldn't find it with the merchant."

"Hmm... He is indeed very clever; he may have already noticed." The girl glanced around, her eyes sweeping over the gap where Lin was hiding. He shrank back slightly, so she wouldn't notice. "Let's keep looking."

"Keep looking?" Yae Kasumi frowned as she looked at the girl. "They don't have any Poké Ball on them. Didn't you say that they were indeed new recruits?"

"Precisely because they have just joined, we need to take care of them before they can react. As for the other teams... they will come looking for us when we have Poké Ball. We can take care of them all at once."

The girl coldly pulled her right hand, and Lin saw that she was holding her weapon, "Dream of the Sleeping Beauty," which was taller than her. However, due to the angle, he hadn't seen her carrying the giant sword with murderous intent.

Based on the type of gamer, she is definitely a speedrunner. According to Lin's understanding of her, she would probably try to smash the building in the center of Changkong City to pieces instead of obediently fighting with others for seven Poké Ball.

"Clatter."

A broken stone rolled down from above and landed at the girl's feet.

The two were silent for half a second, then turned their heads at the same time, their sharp eyes fixed on the inconspicuous gap.

They didn't check this place earlier, but thinking about it carefully, isn't it an easy place for someone to hide?

The girl gave Yae Kasumi a wink, and the skilled ninja vanished silently from her side. Then, carrying her sword, she walked step by step to the crevice. After glancing at the shape of the ruins, she knew that it had been built by humans.

Lin held his breath and slowly backed away. Behind him, Seele looked at him in confusion, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he made a gesture as he backed away, as if he were sitting on a Titan.

The girl raised the sharp blade with both hands without expression, and then smashed it down hard into the crack without hesitation!

"Bang!"

It exploded, but not by the girl splitting it open. Before her blade fell, the ruins had already broken open from the inside out. She changed her posture from splitting to defending, blocking the rubble rushing towards her.

"Laugh--"

The noise of the engine starting up vibrated her eardrums. Holding her sword, she saw the mechanical behemoth slowly rising into the air, and the man sitting in the cockpit in the very center with the girl in his lap.

"Forest."

Delta.

Delta gave a cold laugh, a chilling smile on her pretty face that sent shivers down one's spine. She smiled and said to Lin in the sky, "Yae Kasumi is talking about you, huh? Since we know each other, why don't we cooperate?"

Lin lowered her head, her expression even more indifferent, and met her gaze across the distance. "No need."

Lin's fingers deftly input commands on the control lever with as many as twenty buttons. The magazines on the Titan's legs opened, and the Titan's last remaining smoke grenades were fired from the magazines and exploded in the air.

"Bang!"

Large amounts of white smoke fell from the sky like rain, obscuring Delta's face, who remained motionless. Her figure was gradually covered by the smoke, yet she didn't even bother to move a step.

"Drop--"

Lin instantly took in all the monitor screens and data displays in the cockpit, and naturally pushed the control stick, ignoring the crimson error data that was shocking and blinding to Seele. Titan turned around and dodged a bolt of lightning from behind.

Mid-air, Yae Kasumi wielded twin blades crackling with lightning, her mask reflecting the electric light. She seemed somewhat incredulous that her sudden, unannounced attack had been so easily dodged. But before she could fall, she sheathed the two short blades and drew kunai from behind her back. Like bullets from a machine gun, a terrifying number of kunai shot from her hands, tearing through the air in an instant and reaching right in front of Titan.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The seemingly ordinary kunai could easily cut through metal. Even though Lin had prepared in advance and manipulated Titan to dodge, the machine was still hit by several kunai. The electric current caused even more damage to its already broken functions.

At that very moment, another figure broke through the thick smoke and arrived. The substances that looked like "paint" stretched out a bright rainbow behind her. Lin knew that it was the effect of the "fluorescent protein reagent" in her weapon, which could unleash her power all at once. The girl rose from the ground like a missile and rushed towards the Titan who could not dodge in time, with a slightly excited expression on her face.

In Seele's pupils, Delta's figure gradually magnified. A figure appeared in her mind, but the other person was much more optimistic than this one. Seeing the giant blade that was about to reach her in an instant, she lowered her head in fear, her body trembling.

Just then, a strong and powerful arm pulled her into a protective embrace, and then a loud clang was heard as the Titan's fuselage trembled violently.

Amidst the swirling winds, Seele looked up with a bewildered expression and saw a cold profile of a man illuminated by the brilliance of the twilight, the glow of the Titans, and the reflection in his pupils.

With a forceful pull, the blade formed from Honkai Energy shattered. He violently flung Delta away, then rapidly controlled the Titan to ascend. He paused for a moment, watching Delta reach out to him as if about to fall into an abyss, before controlling the Titan to fly in the opposite direction.

Above Changkong City, a half-crippled mechanical humanoid swayed with azure light as it traversed most of the city.