There is an old saying in Shenzhou: Murder and arson earn a gold belt; repairing bridges and roads leaves no corpse. (Meaning: Evil deeds bring wealth and status, while good deeds go unrewarded and unnoticed.)
Since they had already sent Yan Shiluo to the afterlife, it was only natural to do the good deed thoroughly and accept his inheritance with a smile.
"Eh?"
Kiana, rubbing her hands impatiently, suddenly realized something. Her magnificent eyes, reminiscent of the Void Drifter, shifted to the boy beside her. "Yan Shiluo was clearly killed by Genesis. Why is his spatial device in your hands?"
"This shows I have superior looting skills."
Fuli spouted nonsense effortlessly. "You don't know this, but the reason I was kicked out of the party last time was because my teammates complained I picked up loot too fast, leaving not even a sip of soup for them."
"What skills? It was obviously Sister Kallen who secretly gave it to you."
Kiana muttered, jealousy permeating her words.
"Well, of course, she has to give it to me, the Boss."
Fuli put his hands on his hips and hummed triumphantly.
Letting these guys make secret agreements behind his back? That would be a precursor to being stripped of power!
If they dared to strip his power today, he dared not imagine what they would do tomorrow!
"Yes, yes, yes, my Great King of Hyperion!"
The girl rolled her eyes at him charmingly, then snatched the spatial device that originally belonged to Yan Shiluo—a small item resembling a capsule—with lightning speed.
The field of spatial equipment held immense benefits, and major powers couldn't help but participate.
For example, Anti-Entropy's Quantum Ladder technology used large particle accelerators to quantize physical items and store them in a data domain.
Executors like Cocolia relied on this to carry large numbers of Titans and other mechanical creations, earning the nickname "the hundred-thousand-strong army in suits."
The capsule in Kiana's hand was a storage capsule developed by Schicksal. This technology could convert matter into atomic coding programs stored in a small capsule. You just had to press it and throw it on the ground. It was reusable and a very convenient spatial item.
"I choose you!"
She threw the capsule onto the ground. With a BOOM, a book, an egg, a short sword, a shattered small bell, and a ball of ever-changing golden flame appeared.
The book cover read Jade Divine Art, which was the cultivation method Yan Shiluo practiced.
A technique capable of stably cultivating to the Critical Class was top-tier even in the Honkai side. Unfortunately, learning this thing was equivalent to announcing to everyone, "Hey, hey, hey! I killed Yan Shiluo! All you little brats who had connections with him, come seek revenge! I'm waiting for you on Shenyang Street!"
He wasn't afraid, per se; he just didn't want to create too much slaughter for no reason.
"I'll make a copy later and sell it to Theresa. I feel like Himeko-nee would be interested in this."
Fuli made a decision.
Kiana pouted. "I thought you would make a bunch of Light Cones with Jade Divine Art and sell them to piss off those people from the Sacred Fire Cult."
After all, Asta was selling the Light Cones under the Corporation's name. Even if something happened, it wouldn't lead back to Hyperion.
"Why are you, Kiana-cat, so bad?"
Fuli pointed at her as if meeting Kiana for the first time.
"Since they sent Yan Shiluo to clean up, it means the mastermind behind the cruise ship incident is inextricably linked to the Sacred Fire Cult."
Recalling the tragedy she witnessed just hours ago, the kind-hearted girl gritted her teeth. "Even if we can't take revenge directly, disgusting them is excellent too."
"They didn't offend you personally. Even if there's revenge to be had, it's Asta's turn. Besides, a cultivation method isn't a skill. Learning it is troublesome, and it might conflict with the Peerless Nine Turns I'm cultivating now..."
Fuli's words came to an abrupt halt as his crimson eyes looked Kiana's exquisite, curvy figure up and down.
The rude gaze annoyed her into raising a small fist to hit him. Dodging, he continued, "How about you try learning this technique? There might be a pleasant surprise!"
Fuli could never forget the end of the previous cycle, the blazing white knight slaughtering everything in the Theater of Domination, draped in flames:
A scorching red greatsword stabbed into the ground. The girl with ice-blue eyes rested her hand on the hilt. Her snow-white hair was tied in a high ponytail with a few strands of red mixed in, swaying in the wind from afar. Behind her hung a tattered red cloak, like leaping flames, spreading burning wings behind her back.
That tension-filled form was almost the embodiment of the word [Valkyrie]. Leaving aside the fact that she stabbed him through the heart with her final strike, the design was very beautiful and would look great to take out for a walk!
"Learn it? This young lady won't learn this!"
Kiana refused, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "What's there to learn from a defeated opponent's technique? If I'm going to learn, I must learn the most powerful kind!"
That green flame was ugly as hell!
She didn't want a big lump of green hovering behind her head all day; it looked like she was being cuckolded (wearing a green hat)!
"The most powerful..."
Fuli pondered. "That would be Cousin Hua's Edge of Taixuan."
The girl's expression lit up. "Edge of Taixuan? Is that the name of the technique? It sounds very impressive!"
"Of course. Just as adding a 'Quantum' prefix to sci-fi categories makes them inexplicably high-end, adding the word 'Taixu' (Great Void) makes Shenzhou-style skills profound and unfathomable."
"Taixu Aphrodisiac Powder?"
"?"
"Taixu Wooden Donkey Ride? Ah, ow, ow, ow! I won't talk nonsense anymore! Ah-Li, Ah-Li, let go (˃д˂)!"
"What on earth goes on in that head of yours usually?!"
Fuli didn't stop drilling her temples with his knuckles. "I told you not to log into those messy websites and look at unhealthy things! I'll tell Kallen to build a firewall for Hyperion's network later. We'll reference Shenzhou for the blocked content!"
"Don't ban everything!"
The white-haired dumpling waved her arms and shouted, "We're all adults here! We have our own judgment!"
Fuli said sternly, "Who was the one wanting to give a 'Golden Middle Finger' to Mei as a birthday present earlier?!"
To put it nicely, that thing was a small toy to enhance friendship between companions. To put it bluntly, with its god-tier function of high-frequency vibration twenty times per second, the audience in front of the screen would smile knowingly just thinking about its use!
What? You didn't understand?
That means you're a good child. The job of defiling your pure soul is left to the paragraph comments!
But speaking of which, resisting until now without admitting defeat... was Kiana sexually frustrated?
The more Fuli thought about it, the more he felt he hit the truth.
Look at the people on Hyperion. Although Bronya had reached the legal marriage age in Russia, her development was still lacking. Kallen was an AI and didn't need to consider such things. And Mei... seeing how she wished she could bury herself in Massive Electric (ME Corp) for forty-eight hours a day, she probably wouldn't consider such things either.
Only Kiana, at the age of budding romance, with a youthful body, hanging out with him—a high-quality male (shameless)—all day. Even if she didn't have thoughts in her heart, her body needed some relief, right?
Fine. I'll sacrifice my body to balance the girl's hormonal imbalance.
Who asked me to be the leader? To be a leader, you have to keep your subordinates' bodies and minds in a perfect state to be exploited at all times!
Concluding his deduction, Fuli let go, spread his arms, and lay on the ground in a starfish shape.
"Come on, Kiana!"
He closed his eyes and shouted loudly, "Don't pity me just because I'm a delicate flower! Unleash your unreleased true self upon me to your heart's content!"
Kiana: "Huh?"
"You didn't pounce immediately. Are you shy? True, dinner is in about an hour. That's not enough time for us to 'do' anything."
The boy rolled over onto his stomach, propping his chin up with his elbows and giving terrible advice. "How about this? I'll leave the door unlocked for you at 11 PM tonight. Remember to avoid Kallen and Mei across the hall when you come. Oh, and after dinner, ask Miss Sadako to bring a few boxes of 'little raincoats' (condoms). The organization is currently in a development phase. As a core elite, you can't get pregnant with a baby. At least wait until I screw over the Herrscher of Finality."
The current Fuli didn't know that "screw" could also be a verb here.
And the route wasn't just him screwing over Finality; being screwed over by Finality wasn't impossible either.
Leaving aside future events, what about the current Kiana?
How did she react to Fuli's crazy talk?
"Someone previously told Mei that he would get a girlfriend once he reached the Sequence level."
The big white cat purred, her eyes unfriendly. "How come when it's my turn, it becomes 'after defeating the Herrscher of Finality'?"
Yes, not only did she fully understand the words above, but she also extrapolated!
"That's different. A girlfriend is a girlfriend, having a baby is having a ba—hiss!"
Mid-sentence, the boy suddenly realized:
These two terms don't seem to conflict in modern society, do they?
Nowadays, there are plenty of unmarried parents. Although there are risks of being accused of rape or not getting the betrothal gift back, with his relationship with Kiana, why worry about that?
—Wait! What exactly is my relationship with Kiana now?
Coming to his senses, he jerked his head up, meeting the girl's gaze.
There was reproach, annoyance, expectation, shyness, joy, and a trace of something that seemed hidden for a long time, or perhaps intentionally or unintentionally ignored by him...
"Ah-Li."
Taking advantage of the boy's joke, which was 90% teasing, Kiana tucked her white hair behind her ear.
Pulling down her loose collar slightly, she spoke in a seemingly casual tone, "Since we've already reached this point in the conversation, why don't we just—"
Crack!
The sound of something shattering echoed in Kiana's ears, whose attention was entirely on the boy.
She didn't hear it. She wanted to continue speaking.
Fuli heard it.
He turned his head immediately.
"Ah, it's Yan Shiluo's egg."
He said it in a monotone voice.
"It's the egg found in Yan Shiluo's storage capsule!"
Kiana said flusteredly, as if the previous scene hadn't happened at all. "What to do, what to do? Did we accidentally step on its shell?"
"Why panic? If it's really broken, we'll just have an extra dish of steamed egg custard tonight."
Fuli was very calm.
"Yay! This young lady loves steamed egg custard with rice the most!"
Cheering, the girl ran over to pick up the egg.
"Woo, woof!"
A furry, pale yellow little head broke out of the shell. Balancing a piece of broken eggshell on its head, its shiny black eyes stared expectantly at the white-haired dumpling who leaned in close.
"Eh? A puppy?"
"It's a Hellhound."
Noticing the faint scales under the little guy's neck, Fuli said.
This dog breed wasn't Cerberus from Greek mythology, but a biological weapon artificially created by a laboratory in the extreme north. It was claimed that you only needed to send it to an enemy stronghold, and you could go receive the stronghold the next day—if you could endure the hell inside.
"Did Yan Shiluo plan to raise it as a loyal subordinate?"
Kiana held the furiously tail-wagging puppy high. "Tsk tsk tsk, tsk tsk tsk. Eh? Why is it oviparous?"
"More convenient to absorb nutrients after leaving the mother's body, I guess."
Fuli gave an irresponsible, nonsense explanation. "I don't think it counts as raising. The name 'Hellhound' sounds scary, but developing to the level of a C-Rank Valkyrie is already considered very good. Feels more like portable rations? Have you heard of Huo Zhu Zi (Living Bead/Embryo Egg)?"
Huo Zhu Zi refers to the product where a chicken egg is about to hatch into life but hasn't fully formed.
At this time, traces of the head, wings, and feet are already inside the egg. Because the developing blastocyst looks like a living pearl under transillumination, it is called a Living Bead.
"Living Beads made from chicken eggs are exceptionally delicious, let alone a Hellhound."
Fuli shrugged. "For a Critical Class, it's normal to afford eating this stuff."
"So cruel!"
Motherly instincts kicking in, Kiana hurriedly hugged the puppy, gently patting its furry little head. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, baby."
"Awoo?"
The boy ignored their interaction and bent down to pick up the remaining three items.
One was the Divine Artifact Sword of Hong Jun. Yan Shiluo used it to control the luxury cruise ship to form a closed space, greatly strengthening the venue's structure while trapping Asta's group and the Kheshig Army inside to force them to kill each other.
Another was the Miaocheng Dharma Bell, covered in cracks. A B-Rank defensive tool, previously used to block the bombardment of Genesis. currently, it was basically half-crippled.
I'll give it to Mei-a-mon later. She should be able to repair it.
Fuli thought, then focused his gaze on the last item.
[Name: Blaze! Glory! Flame!]
[Rank: B]
[Category: Individual Armament]
[Effect: Initial form is a lance-sword composed of invisible flames, capable of changing shape according to the user's will. While holding it, the user's physical fitness and strength are permanently enhanced. When fully released, golden flames ignite, significantly boosting the wielder's combat capabilities.]
[Note: "ShineGreymon—Burst Mode!"]
"Ah-Li~"
Kiana-cat followed the scent and came over.
"You want it, right?"
"Mm-hmm!"
The girl's smile was sugary sweet. That bone-softening charm made one wish to pin her to the ground and bring her to justice right there.
"Here, take it."
Fuli tossed Blaze! Glory! Flame! at her. Flames immediately rose, enveloping Kiana in a fire tornado several meters high, obscuring her from view.
When the tornado dissipated, the stunningly beautiful girl with waist-length white hair held a lance-blade and a war sword in her hands. Her eyes were now heterochromatic—one red-gold, one azure blue.
Within the flames, a pair of pale golden wings extended from her back. Light constantly elongated and changed color on her body. Then, a cosmic starry pale purple and moonlight slowly appeared, setting her off as dreamy, beautiful, and holy, yet so inviolable.
"How's the new combat form?"
She winked her golden left eye, the corner of her mouth lifting in a mischievous arc.
"Different..."
Compared to the Valkyrie (Herrscher of Flamescion) slaughtering in the Theater of Domination in Fuli's memories, the Kiana before him lacked much of the heaviness and had much more lightness and liveliness.
He undoubtedly liked this one more—liked this pretty girl who had grown side-by-side with him all the way here.
"Hm? What's different?"
Kiana flourished her sword, her fragrant face suddenly leaning close to the boy's, their breaths mingling.
"...No, nothing."
Fuli stepped back half a pace without a trace. "How long can you maintain the fully released state?"
"It depends on the output—!"
Kiana dragged out her voice to express dissatisfaction. This idiot, would it kill him to praise her?!
"But you can go ask Mei to upgrade White Comet to make it more compatible with Blaze! Glory! Flame!."
She said excitedly, "Ah-Li, you have the new armor (Raiden Type-II Soulium Battle Suit) Mei made for you. This young lady can't fall behind!"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. You besties have a super good relationship."
Fuli put his hands on the girl's shoulders, turned her around, and pushed her out of Mount Taixu. "Since you got new equipment, then please trouble our Eldest Miss Kiana to go to the Superstring Space to clear out some monsters. We have a guest today; if we make a joke of ourselves, it won't look good on anyone's face."
Hehe, Abyss settlement tonight!
"Eh, eh, eh?"
The sudden eviction order caused Kiana to exclaim softly. After reacting, she quickly said, "This young lady goes to grind the Abyss, so what are you staying at Mount Taixu for?"
Fuli said self-righteously, "Producing Light Cones is hard work. Can't I stay to rest a bit?"
"Tsk, fine."
Soon, Kiana, ceasing her resistance, was pushed out the door.
She hopped forward two steps, then suddenly stopped.
Looking back at the closed door, a faint sigh escaped her lips:
"Rejected again."
"As expected... 'I' am still not good enough, am I?"
...