[19 years old: You have died]
[Lifespan: 19 Years]
[Click to View Life Summary]
Seeing this final text, the tension Ji An had been holding finally eased.
In its final life, the pangolin had lived a peaceful 19 years. On the brink of death, it finally remembered its mission and, by chance, encountered a kind soul who helped it fulfill its promise.
This kind of storybook-perfect happy ending was something he hadn't expected to see. Perhaps it was a stroke of divine mercy?
Suddenly, Ji An frowned.
"That's odd. Why would Zhongli have this scale in his possession, and even call it a memento from an old acquaintance? The timeline just doesn't add up."
He thought for a moment but couldn't puzzle it out, deciding to ask Zhongli about it when he had the chance.
"The sky is getting dark. I should finish up here and head back."
He tapped [View Life Summary].
[Overall Rating: Perfect]
[Life Summary: For you, a thousand times over]
[You have received the simulation reward: Rockbore Pangolin's Heartscale]
[You have obtained exclusive character bond: [My Heart Is Not a Stone]]
Ji An first examined the 'Rockbore Pangolin's Heartscale'. It was a talent-like buff.
Effect: Blocks fatal damage 3 times.
His eyes lit up. An excellent item! This is a huge win! With this buff, it meant three extra lives!
His gaze then shifted to the exclusive character bond.
[My Heart Is Not a Stone]: 'Big rock, how will you ever repay what you owe me?'
"Ugh, so that's what the pangolin said?" Ji An couldn't help but tease.
But to be fair, what the pangolin did for the big rock was a grace akin to rebirth. This friendship carried the weight of a hundred lifetimes. The big rock truly owed the pangolin more than could ever be repaid.
[Ding! Perfect evaluation achieved in this instance. Received additional reward from 'Wind from a Distant Ancient Land': Upgrade Module: Mind Link]
[Upgrade Module: Mind Link has been installed onto the Initial Model Ruin Hunter (Princess)]
Influenced by his previous choice, the system directly granted a reward related to 'Wind from a Distant Ancient Land'.
"Mind Link? Could it be...?"
Seeing the system prompt, Ji An was momentarily stunned.
Suddenly, a voice sounded in his mind.
'Chirp chirp.'
"Herloxia?!" Ji An exclaimed in his mind, surprised and delighted.
'Chirp,' came Herloxia's response in his head.
The 'Mind Link Module' reward was truly an unexpected joy for Ji An.
Previously, when he had to go to Liyue Harbor, he'd had to part with Herloxia, leaving it to wait in a remote ruin. Being separated meant not only losing a powerful bodyguard but also leaving it alone, which had always filled Ji An with a sense of guilt.
With the 'Mind Link Module,' Ji An could now converse with Herloxia anytime in his mind and even share its visual perspective.
"Herrloxia, what are you doing? Let me see!" Ji An said happily, completely unaware he sounded like a dad making a video call to his daughter.
"Chirp chirp."
Upon receiving the response, Ji An activated the shared vision.
The next moment, his perspective shifted to Herloxia's.
"Chirp! Chirp, chirp chirp...!"
A chorus of noisy, chattering sounds filled his "ears," giving him a headache. This time, the source wasn't Herloxia.
"Huh?"
Seeing the scene before him, Ji An was taken aback. "Herloxia, are these... birds you're keeping?"
A dozen or so fluffy little finches—yellow, green, and white—were hopping all over Herloxia's metallic body. They seemed completely at ease and unafraid, showing remarkable affection.
"Chirp!" Herloxia's red eye flickered.
Hmm...
What was going on?
Since when did Herloxia keep pets?
What did this signify...? Keeping pets was an advanced emotional behavior typically associated with humans. Compared to when they first met, Herloxia's emotional spectrum seemed to be becoming more and more human-like.
Well, it's hard to say for sure. Maybe he was misinterpreting Herloxia's intentions?
After a moment's thought, Ji An tested the waters: "Herloxia, wouldn't raising wild boars be better? Finches don't have much meat. Not enough to eat."
"...Chirp."
Hearing this, Herloxia's head drooped, looking utterly dejected.
"No, no, we won't eat them! I was just joking!" Seeing its reaction, Ji An felt a pang of guilt and hurried to comfort it.
"Chirp!" Herloxia's eye brightened again.
Its reactions are so easy to read... Ji An sighed with a wry smile.
After some consideration, he shared his location with Herloxia, instructing it to move near Tianqiu Valley and stand by. Since they were about to explore the ruins and anything could happen, having Herloxia nearby would give him much more confidence.
Exiting the shared vision,
Ji An noted the deepening night and headed back towards the camp.
...
Under the night sky,
the campfire was already blazing.
From a distance, Ji An saw a petite figure pacing anxiously back and forth in front of the fire.
As he approached, the figure spotted him. "Wah! Xiao An!"
Before Ji An could react, the figure pounced, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Wuwu... Master Lu said you had something to do and told me not to bother you, but you were gone for so long!"
"Ahem, Director Hu Tao, calm down, calm down!" He struggled to peel the koala-like Hu Tao off himself, offering an apologetic look to the rest of the investigation team. "I was delayed by some matters. Sorry for worrying everyone."
Master Lu Ban chuckled. "We were fine. It was Director Hu who was so worried about you that she ended up making the rest of us nervous too."
Xiangling said, "You're late, Ji An! I made Rock Slime Mushroom Soup earlier, but they devoured it all. Didn't save any for you."
Guoba: "♪"
Ji An offered an awkward smile.
Master Lu pointed at the stele. "Three-quarters of the Light-Guiding Mechanism's seal has been deactivated. All we need is tomorrow's dawn light to fully open the ruin. That's when I'll need your assistance."
Ji An nodded naturally.
"Oh, right. Remember the underground rumbling I mentioned earlier?" Master Lu Ban said, pointing to a box-shaped device with a metal listening horn attached, sitting beside Lu Xian. "It kept bothering me, so I used this sound transmitter to listen in. I heard a large number of heavy footsteps. Without a doubt, it's those missing Ruin Guards."
"So, there really is something inside the ruins drawing them in."
"But..." At this point, Master Lu suddenly frowned. "When I listened a second and third time, those footsteps were getting fewer and fewer."
"You mean..." Ji An pondered.
Ruin Guards don't attack each other, yet their numbers were decreasing. That implied something else, something even more powerful, was destroying them.
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