"I think it might be a boost brought by The Hunt's Path's Destiny Power?"
After giving Hoshimi Miyabi some basic explanations, the fox-eared girl fell into thought.
People with Hollow Adaptability also possessed physical abilities far beyond ordinary people. Some could develop formidable combat power through nothing more than normal training.
HAND and the Hollow Research Association believed that Aether could improve the physique of a small number of adaptable people. In that regard, it was very similar to the Destiny Power you mentioned.
It was said that an organization called the Praise Assembly was secretly researching ways to let ordinary people wield the power granted by Aether.
The Praise Assembly, huh? He knew them all too well.
They were the major villains revealed so far in the ZZZ storyline.
Jiang Lianqiu clenched his fist and could indeed sense that something extra had appeared inside his body.
The Hunt's Path Destiny Power he had confirmed during his earlier training was still growing bit by bit. It seemed that even without activating Five Senses Linked with Su Shang, he could still gain benefits from the Honkai: Star Rail Universe through their Mental Link.
But aside from that, there was another unfamiliar power from Hoshimi Miyabi.
"Miss Ya, does Aether exist in areas outside the Hollows on your side as well?"
It does, but its concentration is extremely low. Sometimes it cannot even be detected. As long as nothing unexpected happens, it will not affect people without adaptability.
Then there was no problem. It seemed that while training alongside Hoshimi Miyabi, Aether had also reached him through the channel created by their shared senses.
Su Shang had given him Destiny Power, and Hoshimi Miyabi had now added Aether to his body. Was he going to become some kind of all-rounder who knew a little of everything in the future?
As he pondered this, Jiang Lianqiu heard Hoshimi Miyabi speak again.
Qiu, can I ask you to keep training with me from now on?
"I can, but did something happen?"
Jiang Lianqiu could sense that Hoshimi Miyabi seemed to be experiencing some sort of... confusion? Surprise? In any case, her emotions were incredibly complicated.
I do not know. But when we swung our swords together just now, I felt something very unfamiliar, something I had never experienced before.
Inside her family dojo, Hoshimi Miyabi swung her sword once more.
Her speed had become faster, and her precision had improved as well. Logically, such a huge improvement should not have been possible.
Jiang Lianqiu: "...?"
A bold guess formed in his mind.
"Miss Ya, don't tell me you have Destiny Power too?"
Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head in confusion.
I do not know. I have never encountered it before, so I cannot be certain.
It is also difficult for me to describe this feeling.
"Wait a moment!" Jiang Lianqiu hurriedly said. "I'll ask Shang Shang!"
After informing Hoshimi Miyabi, Jiang Lianqiu quickly closed the shared channel and contacted Su Shang.
Qiu Zi, Qiu Zi! You finally contacted me! Listen, listen! I ran into an incredible opportunity just now!
The moment they connected, Jiang Lianqiu heard Su Shang's chirpy, lark-like voice.
Pacing around her room, Su Shang spoke at lightning speed. "I was meditating really hard, you know. At first, I just couldn't enter that state no matter what, but then my body suddenly started feeling strange. It was like something warm was burrowing all over inside me!"
"Then look!"
Taking out her greatsword, Su Shang tried to... swing it one-handed!
"See? See? I couldn't even hold it steady with one hand before, but this time I didn't lose my balance—whoa, whoa? Ah!"
Bang!
Su Shang fell again, landing face-down on the floor. Her skirt flipped up over her back, revealing those cursed safety shorts.
The girl scrambled up, dusty and disheveled, rubbing her forehead with an awkward laugh. "Alright, I guess it wasn't some incredible opportunity after all."
Um, Shang Shang...
"What is it, Qiu Zi?"
Sitting on the floor with her sword in her arms, Su Shang tilted her head and widened her eyes.
Here's the situation...
By the time Jiang Lianqiu finished explaining, Su Shang's little mouth had opened wide enough to fit an egg.
I suspect that, with me at the center, everyone connected like you, me, and Miss Ya shares the benefits each person brings.
After a long pause, Su Shang exclaimed in delight, "Does that mean I can become stronger just by lying down without training at all!?"
You want to take all the benefits without doing any work, huh?
"Hehe~" Su Shang rubbed the back of her head and grinned foolishly. "It feels like you're my incredible opportunity, Qiu Zi. Like one of those old grandpas hidden inside a Jade Amulet in storybooks."
"Oh, right! I've already received my transfer orders. I'll be going to the Luofu Xianzhou before long!"
After that, Jiang Lianqiu contacted Hoshimi Miyabi separately.
Taking both sides into account, he finally confirmed that his guess had been correct.
Centered around him, the channels formed by the Mental Links Su Shang and Hoshimi Miyabi had each established with him allowed any one of the three to share a portion of the power gained through training under the specific systems of their respective worlds—Destiny Power and Aether—with the other two.
This did not mean that part of the growth Su Shang or Hoshimi Miyabi should have received was deducted and divided among the others. Rather, with the person training serving as the point of contact, an additional portion of power traveled through Jiang Lianqiu to everyone else, himself included.
When only Su Shang and Jiang Lianqiu had Five Senses Linked before, the effect had not been obvious. But perhaps because another person had joined, or perhaps because Jiang Lianqiu's own mental strength had improved during this period, once Hoshimi Miyabi successfully connected, the effect became impossible to ignore.
Looking at it this way, Jiang Lianqiu seemed to be benefiting the most. After all, his current world possessed neither Aether Energy nor any so-called Destiny Power.
"So I'm the one who could theoretically slack off completely and freeload off the results of your training!"
Once that final conclusion was laid bare, Jiang Lianqiu could only hope that the more people linked to him mentally and through shared senses, the better.
That said, he had no intention of entering full slacker mode and living a wonderful life where beautiful girls trained while he stood nearby and freeloaded his way to strength.
After all, the test results had also proven something else—passively receiving power was far less efficient than training actively himself.
Several days passed in a flash.
During that time, Jiang Lianqiu came to deeply understand what a true training maniac was.
Because she had taken leave and did not need to report to the Sixth Division, Hoshimi Miyabi spent every moment at home aside from eating and sleeping on training.
Aside from swordsmanship, she was especially enthusiastic about the bizarre training of maintaining a normal daily life while the alien gentleman in her head actively interfered with her.
The youngest Void Hunter in New Ailidou displayed an incredibly terrifying talent. Even as Jiang Lianqiu gradually increased the amount of attention he focused on her according to her condition, Hoshimi Miyabi had stumbled her way from falling every few steps at first to appearing almost completely normal on the surface.
This proved something else once again: habits really were terrifying things.
Dragged along by Hoshimi Miyabi, Jiang Lianqiu also went through several days of what could only be called demonic training.
He had no complaints about it. The sense of progress he could tangibly feel after each day's training was faint, but it undoubtedly existed. It was like seeing a game's progress bar genuinely move forward—no matter how slowly it grew, it filled him with motivation.
"But Master, you have worked far too hard these past few days." Belfast finally voiced her protest that day. "While you must not relax too much, you should also strike a balance between work and rest."
"So please take a proper rest today. It just so happens to be Saturday!"
And so, after many days of training at the Starport, Jiang Lianqiu finally returned to Earth.
Following Jiang Lianqiu's perspective, Hoshimi Miyabi saw human society in this world for the first time.
There were no Hollow disasters, no Yi Hai, and no monsters—at least none that appeared beyond human comprehension. All of this only strengthened Hoshimi Miyabi's resolve to train.
One day, I will also cut down all evil in the world and make my world like Qiu's.
Please don't...
Jiang Lianqiu sat in a chair, leisurely watching the long line in front of him.
Who knows how many gods and ghosts are hidden beneath the surface on my side, even ones I don't know about?
"Would you like some coffee, Mr. Jiang?"
A respectful voice rang out.
The speaker was a short-haired working woman dressed in professional attire.
Machida Sonoko offered Jiang Lianqiu a coffee with both hands, her expression somewhat nervous.
It had merely been bought from a roadside dessert shop. Calling it coffee was generous—it was more like milk tea. She had no idea whether this young master, accustomed to luxury, would like it...
As she thought this, Machida Sonoko saw Jiang Lianqiu accept the coffee she offered.
The instant their fingertips accidentally touched, Machida Sonoko felt as if static electricity had pricked her, leaving a tingling sensation in her heart.
"Thank you." Jiang Lianqiu smiled and nodded, then glanced at Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was signing copies for fans lining up to buy the second volume of her new book. "How much longer will it take?"
"Based on past experience, it should take another two hours."
Two more hours, on top of the two that had already passed. This signing event for the second volume had begun in the afternoon and would continue until evening.
He had initially wanted to ask whether a rest period would be arranged, but seeing Utaha Kasumigaoka's serious expression, he chose not to bring it up.
The first volume's sales had been dismal, but the second volume's release signing had become exceptionally popular due to the considerable promotional campaign.
This was not something Jiang Lianqiu had arranged. After Utaha Kasumigaoka's mental strength evolved, her writing skills had improved by leaps and bounds as well. When Machida Sonoko received the second volume, revised after Utaha Kasumigaoka had worked tirelessly on it for days, she had been utterly amazed.
The dedicated editor immediately gave it a strong recommendation to the president of Fushikawa Library, securing promotional resources far beyond the original scale.
Quite a few otaku who had come after hearing the news immediately decided to follow tradition and buy three copies after reading the sample: one to use, one to collect, and one to spread the word.
Sales of the first volume also surged along with it. Utaha Kasumigaoka was currently exhilarated, so even if they asked her to rest, she would not have wanted to.
"Miss Machida, you haven't encountered anything strange lately, have you?" Jiang Lianqiu took a small sip of coffee and casually asked.
"Huh? No, I haven't?" Machida Sonoko did not understand what Jiang Lianqiu meant.
Jiang Lianqiu lowered his gaze and fell into thought.
Earlier, he had instructed a Mech Servant to place a mental suggestion on Machida Sonoko. It ensured that she would not forget what had happened that day, while also making certain she would never mention anything related to the Yellow Seal Holy Emblem to irrelevant people.
But if Machida Sonoko encountered someone similar to a member of the Carcosa Cult again, she would relay processed information to them in the way Jiang Lianqiu wanted.
Yet unfortunately, after all this time, Machida Sonoko remained completely normal, just like the spy Mech Servant that had disguised itself as her colleague Yamada.
"Where is the problem...?"
Jiang Lianqiu did not believe that an organization born after the fall of Western Rome and continuing to this day would fail to make further moves after learning news related to The King in Yellow Chant.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh! So that's what happened afterward!"
"Sayuka is so cute!"
"The new illustrator is actually Kashiwagi Eri!?"
"Teacher Kashiwagi has gone legit!?"
While Jiang Lianqiu was pondering the issue in the rest area near the signing event, he suddenly heard a group of otaku who had just bought the second volume eagerly flipping through it and discussing it.
"Hmph!" The little girl seated beside him smugly shook her head, her golden twin tails brushing lightly across the back of his hand. "With me on the job, even if that Gloomy Girl wrote toilet paper, it would still sell like crazy based on the illustrations alone!"
With her now-sharpened senses, Utaha Kasumigaoka naturally heard Eriri's words. During a break in signing, she looked back and glared at Eriri, who immediately glared right back without the slightest restraint.
Generally speaking, once a light novel's publication had been confirmed, its illustrator would not be changed midway. But Eriri, whose technical skills had likewise improved dramatically and who had wanted an opportunity to transition from doujin artist to legitimate illustrator, had convinced Fushikawa Library with her work.
"Aren't you two always at odds? You actually cooperated on something like this?"
Jiang Lianqiu had only learned about this now and looked at Eriri in surprise.
Eriri shot him a quick glare and muttered quietly, "And whose fault is it that we're at odds... Besides, there's a secret behind this!"
"A secret? You're keeping secrets from me now?" Jiang Lianqiu gently pinched Eriri's cheek. "Talk. If you don't..."
Whimpering miserably, Eriri broke free from Jiang Lianqiu's hand and repeatedly bumped her head against his chest. Then she looked around. Only after seeing Machida Sonoko go over to help Utaha Kasumigaoka and confirming that no one was nearby did she crook a finger at him, signaling for him to lower his head.
As Jiang Lianqiu leaned down, Eriri breathed softly into his ear. The unique fragrance of a girl her age made his heart itch as though a cat's claws were scratching at it.
"It's a test, a test~"
"A test?"
"Mm-hmm, a test! We asked the Headless Woman how we could continue training our abilities, and then we received a pile of materials we couldn't understand at all."
Jiang Lianqiu knew about this. During the days he had been training at the Starport, the two of them had visited a few times as well.
Before you continue