Black and white robes clung perfectly to the graceful figures of the two sisters. Bathed in the lingering golden light, the two sisters stood with their eyes closed, a faint halo surrounding them that gave off an air of divinity. It was no wonder they were worshipped as goddesses at the beginning of this era.
Luo Hong was ecstatic.
"Mmm..." With a soft mumble, Danzhu was the first to open her eyes. Her beautiful red orbs looked toward Luo Hong with a hint of daze. "Who... who are you?"
Having just awakened, her memories were a mess. Facing the unfamiliar Luo Hong, she fell into a state of confusion.
"Where... is this?" On the other side, Cangxuan's voice was much calmer and more rational. Her blue eyes looked at Luo Hong with a trace of wariness. She didn't care who he was yet; she wanted to know where she was. Feeling the soft bed beneath her, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
Soon, the same "world explanation" that Bronya had received echoed in their ears.
"I am Luo Hong," he said, watching their expressions shift from confusion to realization. He spread his arms with a warm smile. "Welcome to my territory, ladies!"
To be honest, he hadn't expected their consciousness to enter this world the moment he pulled them. But thinking about it, if Bronya entered through sleep, then these two—who had no physical bodies left and were essentially in an eternal slumber within Soul Steel—it made perfect sense for them to manifest here.
"Do you really... know everything?" Danzhu asked skeptically. "Do you know who we are?"
"Of course," Luo Hong replied, reciting their history as if it were common knowledge. "Danzhu and Cangxuan, originally from Mobius's laboratory. You later left Mobius because of Hua. Seeing that humanity couldn't resist the Honkai in the last era, you entered cryopreservation to execute 'Project Ember' 50,000 years later. Ultimately, you sacrificed your lives to seal Chiyou during that fierce battle."
He summarized their lives as briefly as possible, skipping the minor details.
"Just knowing who we are doesn't prove you are omniscient," Cangxuan interjected, her blue eyes sharp and analytical. She paused, then suddenly asked, "Do you know the way to defeat the Honkai?"
She stared at him, tension visible in her posture.
"And are you willing to give up everything for that answer?" Luo Hong smirked. "You want information from me, but it comes at a price. What I told you just now was to prove my reliability, not to establish that I'll answer every question for free. Young ladies, are you sure you can afford such a heavy price?"
Luo Hong interlaced his fingers and assumed a solemn expression, waiting for the sisters' response.
Gulp...
In the heavy silence, Danzhu couldn't help but swallow hard. Although she suspected Luo Hong might be bluffing, the way he looked at her made her feel as though she had been stripped bare. She had no choice but to believe him.
"What... is the price?"
Cangxuan, once worshipped as the goddess who "perceived all things," realized Luo Hong's demeanor was flawless. She had to press for details.
"First, a disclaimer—" Luo Hong smirked as he saw his prey take the bait. "Your current bodies belong to me. You should remember by now that in your original world, you had already been reduced to mere fragments of Soul Steel. Your ability to pay me is extremely limited. In fact, I could drive your bodies without your consent at all. You understand that, don't you?"
His gaze swept over them. He could see that while they were trying to stay strong, they were instinctively huddling together for warmth.
"A man of your stature... actually wants us?" The clever Danzhu caught his drift and leaned closer to her sister.
"It's not as simple as just 'wanting' us," Cangxuan muttered. Her composure remained, but her gaze grew more guarded. "He wants our voluntary cooperation."
"Exactly. Talking to smart people is so much easier." Luo Hong nodded, then suddenly shifted his tone to something more formal. "The system explained it, right? This world is a 'Lord Game.' Your bodies are my assets for facing enemies. To raise a character's level, I must 'train' them. Even if I forced you, it would technically be an 'emergency necessity' for survival. But I'm choosing to trade information with you instead. I'm being quite a gentleman, don't you think?"
"Training?" Hearing this word, Danzhu breathed a massive sigh of relief and blurted out, "Oh, that's fine! Lord, please feel free to train us as much as you like! Don't let our looks fool you; we're very durable!"
Though they weren't MANTISes, their bodies had undergone extensive modifications. They were far sturdier than ordinary girls.
"Idiot!" Cangxuan hissed, cutting off her "innocent" sister's embarrassing choice of words. "The Lord doesn't mean that kind of training... right?" She looked at Luo Hong, her pale face flushing slightly.
If Luo Hong was telling the truth, he really was being exceptionally patient with them.
"Actually," Luo Hong gave a warm, radiant smile, "it's exactly what you're thinking."
"Huh?" Danzhu froze, then her face turned beet red as she finally caught on. She wasn't exactly a sheltered maiden, but because Luo Hong had acted so serious, she had instinctively ruled out the "lewd" possibility. Or perhaps, her subconscious simply didn't want to believe it.
But since things had come to this, she could only bite the bullet. "Is that... the only way?"
"Yes." Luo Hong nodded, maintaining his smile. "To be honest, even if you refuse, I would have to force you for the sake of my own survival. Like this—"
He beckoned with both hands. To their horror, the sisters found their bodies moving against their will, stepping forward to cling to Luo Hong's arms.
One on each side. Feeling the soft, supple curves of the two sisters against his arms, Luo Hong laughed. "So, trading information is the most profitable deal you can make. Otherwise, I'm going to start 'leveling up' anyway."