The twilight hung three inches above the horizon, dyeing the wispy clouds into molten iron. Boiling golden-red magma flowed along the cracks in the cloud layer, falling into the deep blue sea and condensing into fragmented spots of light.
Whether considering personal safety or the stars faintly appearing on the horizon, Fuli and his group couldn't possibly let Asta leave at this time.
"Stay for a meal and rest on the ship tonight."
Mei closed her thick book, pushed up her glasses, and made the final decision.
"Sorry for the intrusion."
Asta bowed apologetically, then couldn't help but ask, "If possible, I'd like to visit the medical bay to see Arlan."
The butler boy's injuries were severe. The data sent back indicated he had regained consciousness but still needed to rest in the medical pod for several hours.
"No problem."
Mei snapped her fingers. "My assistant will take you there."
"Yes, yes, that's me!"
The Saintess, dropping down from the ceiling, smiled beautifully. Even though Asta had seen it multiple times, that peerless beauty at the pinnacle of human aesthetics still made her dizzy.
"Sorry to trouble you, Sister Amber—uh, Miss Kallen."
As an A-series clone created with [Kallen Kaslana]'s genes, Amber had served as the Overseer's secretary for decades.
When Asta first visited Schicksal, she was received by Amber. Having dealt with her for several years, it was natural to slip up upon seeing Kallen, who looked so similar.
"It's okay, it's okay. Compared to these problem children of mine, a smart and sensible girl like Asta is super likable to Big Sis!"
After speaking, she glared fiercely at Fuli and the others, causing the boys and girls to look away guiltily.
"Pfft!"
The lively interaction between them made Asta, who had few friends growing up, extremely envious. Just as she was about to get up, she remembered something.
"By the way, I'd like to ask for your help in dealing with this."
With a flip of her hand, the Eternal Gyrfalcon, sealed in an amber-like solid, was taken out and placed on the coffee table.
Switching from the pitch-black spatial storage to the brightly lit bridge, the sudden light stimulated the little falcon's keen senses, causing it to hop around in its prison as if panting.
"This is the culprit that attracted the Kheshig Army—no, the real culprit stuffed this little guy into my spatial storage, using it to lure the Kheshig troops over."
As the most favored race of the Eternal Heaven, the Eternal Gyrfalcon itself didn't possess earth-shattering brute strength.
This species' power could only be described as unique. They possessed several terrifyingly potent talents:
Unconditional short-range teleportation allowed the Eternal Gyrfalcon to shuttle freely through the world;
Long-range coordinate movement via feathers had a significant cooldown but could save their lives at critical moments;
Their agile and majestic bodies could disrupt enemy energy-based attacks just by flapping their wings; additionally, the Eternal Gyrfalcon possessed an extremely powerful psychic ability—Dream of the Eternal Heaven.
By activating this ability, they could summon powerful nearby friendly units to aid in battle.
Asta pointed to the amber-like substance encasing the little falcon. "This is called a Mind Stone, a precious crystal with dual attributes of data and matter. Its characteristic of requiring data input to change parameters makes it extremely difficult to process, but for the same reason, once the method is mastered, it is very convenient."
"The person who edited it input three parameters: [Prohibit Spatial Movement], [Concealment], and [Allow Living Creatures to Live Safely in Spatial Equipment]. This trapped the Gyrfalcon inside, unable to escape. The desperate little guy had to activate its psychic ability, calling the Kheshig troops to help it break free."
"And now, I want to transfer the right to deal with it to you all!"
Asta closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and pushed the little falcon forward. "Whether you adopt it or release it is up to you. I won't raise any objections!"
It would be unreasonable for the girl not to hate this thing. If Fuli and his group hadn't descended from the sky, both she and Arlan would have died in the Gluttony's Blood Feast unleashed by the Kheshig Army.
The problem was, she also knew this little guy was a victim. Torn between love and hate, she decided to act as if it didn't exist.
Good stuff. How about keeping it as a pet?
Fuli gave Bronya a look, receiving a slight nod from the Silver Wolf of the Urals.
As the saying goes, the orthodox Rome is Eastern Rome, the Third Rome is Russia, the orthodox Russia is Tsarist Russia, and the orthodox Tsarist Russia is the Golden Horde.
The girl grew up in Russia, which had long historical ties with the Golden Horde. There was even a theory that one head of the double-headed eagle on the Russian coat of arms represented the Golden Horde.
And the Golden Horde was one of the four great Mongol Khanates. Rounding up, Bronya, this little Russian girl, had inheritance rights to the Mongol Empire!
Mei had no objections. She was already raising Kurikara, so she had no reason to refuse others raising small pets.
Kiana scratched the back of her head. "Um, about that."
Fuli raised an eyebrow. "What? You want it too?"
The white-haired dumpling said sheepishly, "I think, before we decide on our own, shouldn't we ask for the person's... the bird's opinion?"
"True."
The boy drew Sparrow Talk from his waist. With the absolutely sharp Instant Slash: Suffering Yaksha, he shattered the Mind Stone imprisoning the Gyrfalcon.
Formed Mind Stones were exceptionally sturdy, but no matter how sturdy, they couldn't stop the Ideal Fluid wrapped around the blade.
Speaking of which, didn't Wendy from the Oceania Branch awaken the Stigmata of Wind?
I should visit her sometime. Using the identity of her mentor Theresa's fiancé.
Fuli thought, his hand unconsciously stroking the gem-shaped Jizo Mitama.
It had been nearly four months since the Third Eruption. He had a premonition that the First Rated Power of the Divine Key was almost finished gestating.
What effect will it have? They say the style of an unfinished Divine Key will constantly gravitate towards the user's style. In my case, it must be the straightforward, macho type!
The big boy nodded solemnly.
Meanwhile, having witnessed its cage being sliced in two, the Gyrfalcon, who thought it was about to become a prisoner, froze. Forgetting to flap its wings and run, a pair of immature yet extraordinarily spirited eagle eyes sized up the contemplative human before it.
Snapping back to reality, Fuli spoke, "You should be able to understand us. Stay, and you'll enjoy room and board plus five social insurances and one housing fund. If you want to leave, we won't force you—uh, it's gone."
Before he finished speaking, the space in front of him was empty.
"Alright."
He took a bottle of Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water from the fridge and downed it in one gulp, not minding too much. "Seems like Sosu and the Cat Cakes won't be welcoming their new partner."
Just as he was about to throw away the empty bottle, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.
"Goo goo goo!"
"Wait, what kind of Gyrfalcon makes that sound?"
The boy reached out and teased the little falcon that had returned. "So, planning to find a new home?"
"Goo goo goo!"
"I don't understand Smida. Can you speak human?"
"What kind of bird speaks human?"
Mei glanced warily at the Snake Grass Water in Fuli's hand and voiced the information read via electromagnetic induction: "The little guy says being a pet is out of the question, never in this life. The Eternal Gyrfalcon is a race that yearns for freedom. Give me liberty or give me death!"
Kiana wondered, "Then why did it come back?"
"Goo goo goo!"
"The little guy says it's not called 'it.' Please call it 'The Great Isis Prey.'"
"Think I haven't played Dungeon & Fighter?"
Fuli retorted, "So what did the knock-off Little Yi come back for?"
"Back to discuss cooperation."
Mei honestly relayed the Gyrfalcon's thoughts. "See those feathers on the ground? Little Yi says it can scatter them around the world as coordinates. When needed, we pay a fee, and it teleports us there."
In the current Honkai World, short-range teleportation abilities of dozens or hundreds of meters weren't particularly rare. But once that distance increased, the danger level skyrocketed.
Why? Because the Earth's magnetic field, meshing with numerous Bubble Universes, was too chaotic. Long-distance teleportation had a huge probability of accidents.
Only a very few individuals like Tribios could achieve stable, long-range, multi-unit teleportation. The Eternal Gyrfalcon's racial talent allowed them to do the same, without erroring out halfway and leaving the user sliced into 2.5 pieces by dimensional forces.
As for Little Yi's motive for cooperating with Hyperion—
"Freedom is free, but enjoying freedom requires a huge sum of money."
Bronya was concise.
When there was coordinate movement work, it would put in some effort. When there wasn't, it would soar freely between heaven and earth. When hungry, it would come back to gorge itself. When sick, someone would help treat it.
What kind of life was this? This was a godlike life!
With these conditions, who would want to live a precarious daily life, skimming the sea surface just to catch a fish, possibly getting caught as bait again?
The experience of the Kekexili wolf proved that the King's Way and Hegemon's Way were inferior to the National Highway. Eating the "system rice" (government/stable job benefits) wasn't better than anything?
Exactly! Eat off Bro, sleep off Bro, whine when bored, shrink behind Bro when in trouble. Isn't this a billion times better than working like a dog for Mama Cocolia?
Little Yi and Bronya exchanged glances, instantly capturing a look of mutual understanding in each other's eyes.
"Cooperation, huh? No problem."
Fuli shook Little Yi's wing. "Then I look forward to working with you, Hyperion's Logistics King."
Currently, it might not be used much, just making deliveries easier.
In the future, as the organization grew bigger and stronger, there would be many uses. For example, facilitating the commute for permanent personnel in various branches—like Yae Sakura, Aponia, Cecilia, Shigure Kira—to return to headquarters, sitting on King Fuli's "Promotion Device," exercising while reporting the situation to him.
"Ah, this..."
Asta almost watched herself into stupor.
Signing a logistics contract with the Eternal Gyrfalcon clan—such a promising project was something the Corporation had always pushed for.
Why hadn't they succeeded even once until now? Wasn't it because these Honkai derivatives were too proud, refusing to lower their haughty heads even in death?
Hiss hiss~
The small red dragon coiled around Mei's wrist yawned, casting a look at the Gyrfalcon squatting on Fuli's shoulder that said, 'At least you know the times.'
One could only say that if the Corporation could also raise a Judgment-class Honkai Beast—a Herrscher's companion—as a pet, the Gyrfalcon clan would naturally put down their pride and rush over eagerly.
"Miss Asta?"
"Ah, yes, sorry."
Snapping back to reality, Asta smiled apologetically at Kallen who called her. Suppressing her complex emotions, she prepared to go with her to the medical bay where Arlan was.
Taking two steps, she realized the Saintess was still standing in place, and cast a confused look at her.
"Detected unknown spatial fluctuations opening inside the ship. Preliminary deduction is someone attempting long-range projection of a space-time gate."
Kallen ignored her and looked at Fuli. "The fluctuation is similar to the one that transported you and Mei here earlier. Should I grant login permission?"
"Trianne's portal?"
The boy understood instantly. "Open it. It's not an enemy."
"OK!"
Kallen snapped her fingers, and a spatial gate, isolated by a gravitational field, appeared on the bridge.
"To dare block the arrival of this Academy Principal—Little Li, you've got some nerve!"
The person hadn't arrived, but the voice came first.
The World's Cutest was still angry about Fuli's heartless act of eating her clean and refusing to acknowledge it last night. Just after finishing her meeting, she ran over furiously to bring this scum who ate meal replacements to justice.
"It's Auntie! Auntie, long time no see!"
Kiana's eyes lit up. With a charmingly naive smile, she pounced on the petite figure that had just arrived on the bridge.
"Wait! Uwah!"
Theresa, reacting half a beat too slow, was tackled to the ground by her niece. The back of her head hit the hard metal floor—doped with trace amounts of Honkai energy—with a loud BANG!
The spatial gate closed at that moment. Whether it was an illusion or not, Fuli felt he glimpsed a familiar, slender gray figure behind the gate.
Unfortunately, the gate closed too fast. Before he could confirm carefully, the ripples in the air vanished without a trace.
"Head... head hurts."
Seeing stars, Theresa fumbled her way to the sofa. Just as she was about to cup a cup of black tea to drink and recover, she caught a glimpse of a pink silhouette out of the corner of her eye.
"Isn't this the Young Miss of the Interastral Peace Corporation?"
She spoke sarcastically, "Instead of managing myriad affairs at the headquarters in Switzerland, what do you intend by running to someone else's territory?"
Theresa wasn't very familiar with Asta, the new Senator of the Elder Council. They had met a few times and would greet each other, that was all.
Generally speaking, even if she was still angry, the Academy Principal wasn't the type to take her temper out on outsiders.
The reason she was being sarcastic here was mainly due to a sudden premonition of bad luck rising in her heart.
Asta's response confirmed Theresa's premonition. The girl covered her lips with her hand, chuckling as she answered, "Just discussing normal business with everyone on the Hyperion. On the contrary, Ms. Theresa, I didn't expect you to have kept such an unprecedented treasure hidden all this time. Three full months of trade volume, acquired at near-cost prices... presumably, you've already made a fortune, haven't you?"
The smell of gunpowder from the Shuraba (carnage) field shot up instantly!
Clang! Theresa slammed down her teacup, answering with a fake smile, "Our Apocalypse family affairs aren't for outsiders to judge."
That brat Fuli is my designated fiancé! I even gave him my first-first-first kiss last night! What we discuss is none of your business, you little yellow-haired girl!
"I'm just heartbroken."
Asta wiped away fake tears, then pretended to inadvertently take out the acquired Light Cone. "Sitting on thousands of gold and silver mountains, yet suffering because the trade channels are blocked by an extremely jealous 'fiancée,' forced to live a tight life watching someone else's mood."
Good things should be shared, right? How unethical is it to close the door and eat alone?
"By the way, Lord Fuli."
The Young Miss changed the subject. "If Hyperion has any munitions products for export in the future, I hereby represent the Corporation to accept all orders."
She winked her left eye playfully. "Unlike a certain black-hearted Branch Head, Asta here pays normal market prices. Guaranteed honest trade~"
"You!"
Realizing Asta was digging up her roots, Theresa turned her head to look at Fuli. Her eyes contained three parts anger, three parts grievance, three parts disappointment, and one part guilt—a distinct pie chart.
In terms of financial power, the Far East Branch was far inferior to the Corporation. Moreover, St. Freya had been pouring massive amounts of funding into the improvement and harmlessness of artificial Stigmata. The Academy Principal was so poor she almost couldn't afford the latest Homu Adventure.
In the past, Theresa barely covered the deficit by running to Grandpa to act spoiled and roll around. These past few months, she had finally managed to maintain a surplus by reselling Hyperion's products. If the supply cut off...
Okay, the girl knew that suppressing prices crazily all the time seemed unethical, but... but she had no choice (guilty conscience)!
And if Hyperion agreed to merge into St. Freya, wouldn't all problems be solved? Consider it Fuli's dowry for marrying into the Apocalypse family!
In exchange, this Academy Principal would just give Schicksal to you as a betrothal gift later!
Anyway, after Grandpa dies, the entire Schicksal—from the three S-Rank Valkyries down to every brick and tile of the major branches—will be mine. Then, if you want to play with S-Rank Valkyries, you can play with S-Rank Valkyries. If you want to play with St. Freya students, you can play—wait, that's not allowed, but the British Princess is okay to play with!
...Clearly, she was so angry she was confused; even such outrageous thoughts were popping up.
However, this also showed just how important "keeping the Valkyries healthy" was in Theresa's heart. To go to such lengths for it was truly pathetic yet respectable.
As the object of their gazes, Fuli spread his hands calmly. "I didn't say I'd cut off trade with St. Freya."
Like he said, one must know gratitude.
Theresa was the one who withstood pressure from the Elder Council to protect him. It was this little radish who provided the first transaction volume when Hyperion was established.
Knowing these wet-behind-the-ears brats held massive wealth that could be quickly liquidated, she didn't forcefully seize it. Cutting off Hyperion's trade channels with the outside world in the early stages was mostly for protection.
Facing this "wife of chaff and grain" (faithful wife who shared hardships) who stayed by his side when he was weakest, if Fuli forgot Theresa, the old love, just because he had Asta, the new flame, he would truly be putting tape over the USD—shameless.
"So rest assured, Academy Principal."
Placing his hands on the girl's petite shoulders, Fuli stared at the small face that was 70% similar to Kiana's and made a promise. "Aside from goods like Light Cones that have been bought out, St. Freya gets a 30% discount on everything else."
"Only 30%?"
Theresa purred in her throat like a kitten, her big watery eyes full of grievance.
It used to be half-price!
Asta's voice floated over lightly. "If Ms. Theresa isn't satisfied, I can also sign a contract with Lord Fuli to 'unilaterally buy out all of Hyperion's goods'."
Don't ask. Asking means I'm rich and willful.
"Dammit!"
The white-haired dumpling gritted her teeth, thinking, Wait until this Academy Principal becomes the Overseer of Schicksal. The first thing I'll do is find a way to abolish your Corporation's right to issue currency!
Jealousy makes me unrecognizable!
...
Since they had to entertain the honored guest Asta, and Theresa had arrived unexpectedly, dinner had to be something good.
Fuli and Kiana put their heads together, and the duo went to the Fuli Well located on Mount Taixu.
Compared to the beautiful but lifeless scenery before, this place was now filled with pigs, cows, sheep, and various other small animals.
This was a concept Fuli had when the Well was first established. Raise some small animals and plant some vegetables at the foot of Mount Taixu. As the animals and plants grew, the rich energy dissipating in the air would be inadvertently absorbed into their bodies, greatly enhancing the nutrition and deliciousness of the vegetables/meat.
"Asta is a descendant of the Sultans, right?"
Fuli stroked his chin. "People from there shouldn't eat pork, right?"
Kiana held her head and pouted. "I don't think she cares about that."
"Just in case."
The boy paced in front of a little lamb grazing with its head down. "Decided! Tonight we eat roast whole lamb!"
His smile was particularly bright and sunny, to the point of revealing a unique kind of perversion.
"Don't!"
Kiana hurriedly blocked him, shielding the unlucky fellow destined for the dinner plate behind her. "Won't your conscience hurt if you eat it? Look, Ah-Li, this little guy is so cute!"
The girl, who often came to Mount Taixu to train, had watched this batch of small animals grow up day by day. She couldn't bear it.
Fuli understood. At times like this, a little stimulation was needed.
"Indeed cute."
So he said, "What I love is the look of its most exquisite ribs, roasted and arranged on a plate with parsley."
Grumble~
A strange sound rang out.
Fuli looked towards the source. Unsurprisingly, it came from Kiana's toned, excellent-feeling abdomen.
"Who—who told you to describe it so temptingly!"
The girl stomped her small foot in annoyance, bright red flushes appearing on her cheeks.
She looked back hesitantly, then gritted her teeth. "I have some feelings for it. Give me a reason to be at peace with it."
"How about this."
Fuli squatted halfway, facing the grazing lamb. "Should the human race be exterminated?"
"Baa~"
"Good."
He nodded solemnly. "This sheep is rebellious and has a death wish. It must be killed!"
Today it dares to eat grass, tomorrow it will dare to eat people!
Kiana had an old retort stuck in her throat, unable to spit it out. Watching Fuli use the Shadow-Trailing Sword to hoist the little lamb up, she suddenly asked, "Is it okay to sell the Light Cones to the Corporation just like that?"
"Think I sold them too cheap?"
"Impossible! I—I... Oh, Ah-Li, you definitely know what this young lady is thinking!"
"Worried that future enemies might possess Light Cones?"
How could Fuli not know what the white-haired girl, who had once made him dream day and night, was thinking?
"Rest assured."
He patted her head. "Recall my interaction with Asta earlier."
"She jumped straight into your arms and let you take huge advantage of her?"
Kiana narrowed her eyes, puffed up her cheeks, her tone unfriendly. "How did the Corporate Young Miss taste?"
The boy laughed and cried. "Think further back. Why did she suddenly lose control and jump into my arms?"
"Because the Light Cone left her body directly—Oh! I get it!"
"Exactly."
Light Cones: stable, efficient, zero time cost, plug-and-play, reusable by different individuals, zero entry threshold, capable of multiple tag combinations, highly liquid. Almost the most perfect creation God bestowed upon humanity.
But even such a Light Cone had a weakness.
Its only flaw was named [Fuli].
Whenever, wherever, as long as the person wearing the Light Cone appeared before Fuli, he could ignore the power gap, ignore any prerequisites, and reclaim it as his own.
"That's good, that's good."
Kiana felt relieved, but immediately raised her guard again. "Does Asta know about this?"
"Don't underestimate her IQ, my Princess."
Fuli bent his finger and flicked her delicate nose tip. "If it were truly flawless, she might not have been willing to pay such a huge price for it. Let's go."
Covering her nose, the silly Tuna asked, "Go? Where to?"
"Yan Shiluo's spatial equipment is in my hands. Don't you want to know what treasures he hid?"
"Yes, yes, yes! This young lady has good luck, let me do it, let me do it!"
The girl stepped lightly, chattering around the black-haired boy like a lark.
The skylight from the top of Mount Taixu spilled onto their shoulders. The scene appeared so well-matched, so beautiful that one couldn't bear to disturb it.
...