[System Notification: Honkai World Connection Value is full. Honkai World Beacon has been sent to the character's inventory. The game <
In the middle of battling enemies, Wende heard the system's prompt in his mind, and his entire body froze on the spot.
Clang!
A razor-sharp, blade-like arm slammed viciously onto Wende's body, followed by the sharp clang of metal on metal.
The monster: "?"
Wende: "?"
Shing!
With a casual flick of his hand, Wende sent the ambushing monster to "another world." He stared at the system interface before him, lost in thought.
What was he supposed to say at a time like this? "Nice one"? Or "Fucking give me a refund"?
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly spacing out?"
Seeing Wende's distracted state, Jingliu quickly dealt with the monsters in front of her, then hurried to his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, her face filled with concern.
"I'm fine... just feeling mentally exhausted."
Wende gently took Jingliu's small hand in his own and shook his head, indicating that he was alright.
"Mentally exhausted?"
Jingliu raised an eyebrow at his words. Her crimson eyes scanned him from top to bottom. With a casual flick of her sword-finger, she skewered a thoughtless monster that had tried to ruin the atmosphere, then began to stroke her chin in contemplation.
These past two days... she hadn't made Wende "work overtime," had she? How did he get so tired?
"Sigh... Don't worry, it's nothing serious."
Gently patting Jingliu's hand, Wende gave her a reassuring smile and shook his head. He then raised his Yang Sword once more, a flash of light slashing towards the area around Stelle, clearing a path for her.
"Mm..."
Jingliu looked down at her own pale hand, where one could almost see the veins through the fair skin...
It felt like in the blink of an eye, Wende had matured a great deal. Had he experienced some kind of epiphany? It just felt like...
She clenched her hand, which still held a trace of his warmth, and the corners of her lips curved up slightly.
It felt like he had grown again. This steady and reliable feeling... was rather nice.
---o---
"Wende!"
Seeing Wende clear the way for her, Stelle waved at him excitedly.
"Ouch! Why'd you hit me...?"
Stelle held her head, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at the serious-faced Wende. She had been fighting hard, wasn't she? She wasn't slacking off... Thinking this, a hint of grievance crept into her eyes.
"Sigh. Next time, don't pull so many monsters at once. What if one day I or the others aren't here and you get hurt?"
Wende felt like he had said this many times before, but this time, he was speaking about the possibility with genuine gravity.
The matter with Wendy had carved a new fear into his heart... He was suddenly afraid that he... might truly vanish one day. For him, it might just be an unknown adventure, or simply death... These things no longer mattered much to him, not even death itself.
But the consequences of his disappearance... would be far too heavy for the people around him.
The reason he left that letter for Wendy was precisely so she wouldn't be completely consumed by grief and led astray.
When his influence reached a point where it could affect others' lives, then he had to be prepared...
"Wende..."
For some reason, Stelle's gaze became a little dazed and lost. She tugged at the hem of her clothes and lowered her head dejectedly.
"Sorry..."
"It's alright... Just try to think more about yourself next time."
Wende gently patted Stelle's back and shook his head.
"Then... can you not leave?"
Her golden eyes held a hint of pleading. As if she had foreseen something, she asked Wende in a low voice.
"As long as I am here, you will not be harmed."
Wende said to her softly.
"Then if I don't learn how to protect myself, does that mean you'll always have to protect me?"
Thump~
"Ouch!"
Stelle clutched her forehead, pouting, and glared at the smiling Wende.
Phew~
Wende blew on the wisp of green smoke rising from his knuckle and shook his head at her.
"If you're going to be this unreasonable, then I'll have to hurt you, you know."
"Mm... Then bring it on! I'll do my best to enjoy it!"
"?"
---o---
"Ah My Godfather is worried about me! He's afraid I'll get hurt! He has me in his heart! Ah!"
Playing through the main story quest of Version 1.7, Sister Guoguo began to writhe in her gaming chair again, letting out sounds that left much to the imagination.
[Where did the writers go for advanced training? The number of insane options has increased!]
[Every unhinged thing you post online might end up being written into Star Rail!]
[The Wende addiction is hitting its absolute peak today! Aaaah! Aaaah!! I can't take it anymore! I'm going completely insane!!!]
[When is little Wende getting a rerun?]
[Same question!]
---o---
"March, how is she?"
Himeko asked tentatively, looking at the dejected expression on March's face.
"Sigh..."
March heaved a deep sigh. She looked down at Stelle, who was twitching on the ground with a look of pure bliss on her face, and shook her head helplessly.
"She's a lost cause. Not even Wende's Pro Max version of the lightning rod can save her now."
"Ah, this..."
The corner of Himeko's mouth twitched. She looked over at Wende, who was gazing into the distance, his back exuding a sense of loneliness. Himeko felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.
Thankfully, the nearby monsters had all been dealt with. Although they weren't close to the Legendary Tower yet, looking at the current situation...
It was best to rest and reorganize first...
Gazing at the still-convulsing Stelle on the ground, Himeko couldn't bear to look.
"Sigh..."
"Sigh......."
Wende stared wistfully into the distance. It was the first time he had felt the pangs of longing come so unexpectedly. It was as sudden as realizing the milk candy you were chewing was actually a compressed face mask...
He was already starting to miss the gentle and obedient Wendy... Compared to Stelle, Wendy was his little angel!
As for the unhinged Stelle, Wende could only let her experience what "a father's love is like a mountain"... collapsing in a landslide.
"Miss Tingyun, what kind of illness do you think this is?"
March tugged on the very knowledgeable Tingyun's sleeve and poked the prone Stelle with a stick.
"This... This humble one is also unsure. Perhaps, maybe, probably... she has been possessed by a Suiyang?"