---o---
Dad: Your Majesty is peerless! Your Majesty is brilliant beyond compare! Your Majesty is overflowing with talent!
Herrscher of the Void (Sirin): Alright, that's enough praise.
Dad: Since Your Majesty insists, I will cease speaking my heartfelt truths. But please remember, Your Majesty, no matter who in this world betrays you, I will never betray you. You can trust me with all your heart!
Herrscher of the Void (Sirin): Really?
Dad: Of course.
Herrscher of the Void (Sirin): Then... can I have another piece of chocolate?
Dad: Of course you can, but... how about a cup of instant noodles to go with it?
Herrscher of the Void (Sirin): ...Mm.
Dad: I will do my utmost to fulfill any request Your Majesty has. Although feeding you consumes a great deal of energy, you must never underestimate the bond between us!
Herrscher of the Void (Sirin): ...
---o---
"Phew... I've finally managed to talk this Herrscher of the Void into a daze," Chen Li breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he soon began to worry about something else.
What am I supposed to do with the scissors?
The scissors he had spent so much to forge were now useless. They were meant to sever the bond between the Previous Era and the Current Era, transforming their relationship from past-and-future to parallel timelines. But regardless of which Sirin he encountered, he would have had to get to the Current Era first.
"My friend, this was a complete and utter loss!"
Seeing his remaining balance of only 41 crystals, Chen Li knew that this high-stakes gamble had failed. He had been all set to go all-in on the Current Era of Honkai Impact 3rd, planning to rake in a huge wave of crystals and maybe even get a few Miracle Cards to complete his novice quests. But instead, he was told that this Sirin was the Herrscher consciousness inside Kiana?
Theoretically, it wasn't wrong, but this was a devastating defeat, my brothers!
What was the difference between this and playing Honkai: Star Rail during the Spring Festival? You face a choice between a guaranteed 100 Stellar Jades daily, or a lottery with a chance to win 500,000, but also the possibility of getting only 600 or 50. And then you stubbornly choose the lottery every day, only to open your rewards after seven days and see nothing but 50s?
Theoretically, as long as you hit the second prize of 600 Jades on any of the seven days, you'd come out ahead of the guaranteed daily reward, but... there are always those poor unlucky souls who only get 50s.
The sky has fallen! The laws of probability... have ceased to exist!
"It's fine, don't panic. I can still travel to the Honkai world and use a Miracle Card to challenge the Herrscher of the Void." Chen Li quickly ate one of Cirno's wings to calm himself down.
Literally calming himself down.
Although he didn't know how Yakumo Yukari had managed it, Chen Li had woken up this morning to find a red envelope. Opening it, he found 99 of ⑨'s wings inside.
Since every six wings represented one completely de-winged Cirno, just how many Cirnos had been consumed to produce 99 wings?
Still, there was one thing Chen Li was truly curious about. He had left two Curios and countless weapons in the Previous Era. Did they really not have even the slightest impact on the Second Eruption?
How could Mobius be so useless?
Or was it that with the Herrscher of Finality acting as the great "book-balancing sage," any shenanigans he pulled in the Previous Era would be easily wiped clean? So, until he made a truly subversive impact, the plot of the Current Era would proceed as usual?
According to Miracle, any impact he made on the Previous Era would result in real-time updates in the Current Era.
For example, if Chen Li had injected a "yellow hair gene" into Kevin's child back in the Previous Era, the Kaslana family in Honkai Impact 3rd would have turned from a clan of white-haired dumplings into a clan of yellow-haired dumplings. And if he then went back to the Previous Era and injected a "purple hair gene" after the yellow one, he would find that the Kaslana family in HI3 had all become purple-haired dumplings.
Another example: if Chen Li were to appear in front of Fu Hua in the Current Era right now, she would at most have only heard of him, not met him, because up to this point, he had never met Fu Hua in the Previous Era.
Things he hadn't done would not happen.
Although that statement was as much of a truism as "people die when they are killed," it was the simple truth.
So, as things stood...
"First things first, I'll turn this Herrscher of the Void into a helpless shut-in." Chen Li snapped his fingers.
Currently, he couldn't get any information from the Herrscher of the Void about what stage Kiana was in. However, while feeding her, he had heard her mention that Kiana was currently wandering. Seeing her without enough food or warm clothes made the Herrscher herself feel happier when she ate.
Therefore, Chen Li suspected the timeline was likely after Kiana had traveled the world searching for her father, Siegfried, but before she enrolled in St. Freya Academy.
If he could just be a bit more diligent and turn the Herrscher of the Void into a shut-in who only knew how to stay at home before Otto started his scheming, he might be able to change the future.
"Kaguya, Kaguya, let me ask you something. How did you go from a magnificent Moon Princess to the helpless, game-addicted shut-in you are today?"
Considering he had no personal experience in becoming a shut-in, Chen Li went upstairs to find Kaguya Houraisan.
The moment he pushed open her door and asked the question, the only answer he received was a fist.
Thump, thump. Two punches from Kaguya Houraisan taught Chen Li that a girl's privacy is not to be trifled with.
"Are you being polite? What do you mean, 'helpless shut-in'?! Aren't I just being a substitute grinder for you?" Kaguya said with a dark expression.
"Oh, right. That's true. In that case, do you have any methods for turning someone else into a shut-in? Could you teach me?" Chen Li pressed on.
"This... who are you trying to turn into a shut-in? I knew it, you brat! You have dishonorable intentions towards me! You want to turn me into a helpless shut-in so I can never escape your grasp, right?" Kaguya looked at Chen Li with disgust.
"Don't misunderstand... would I even need to do anything to turn you into one?"
"...Are you here just to pick a fight?"
"No. Listen to me. Didn't I get a commission to make scissors for Sirin yesterday? Well, I just successfully forged the Curio." As he spoke, Chen Li took out a small pair of scissors. The [Myriad Phenomena Severance] was forged from Soul Steel, as Honkai energy paired better with it. Thus, the scissors were imbued with the ability to change size at will.
"What's its effect?" Kaguya asked casually.
"It can cut anything," Chen Li said.
"Sounds pretty impressive. So if you used this Curio to cut your Friends Circle, would it succeed in cutting it, or would the Friends Circle successfully protect you at the cost of one friend?" Kaguya posed a rather tricky question.
"..." Chen Li stared blankly at the ceiling.
Good question!
"Wait, that's not the issue. What I meant to say is that I just spoke with Sirin, but it wasn't the Sirin I was expecting."
"Then which Sirin was it?"
"The Herrscher of the Void consciousness inside Kiana."
"Holy crap, that Sirin?"
"Yes, yes, I had the exact same expression as you when I found out."
"So what did you do?"
"I disguised myself as another of the Herrscher of the Void's retainers, claiming I had waited for her for a full cycle just to rekindle our old bond."
"...Chen Li, take my advice."
"What is it?"
When Chen Li saw Kaguya temporarily put down her game, he knew she was about to get serious.
"Forget about all that other stuff for now. First, forge yourself a Curio to prevent yourself from being hacked to death by women. Seriously, with the rate you're deceiving people's emotions, you'll be dismembered by some girl sooner or later," Kaguya said with grave sincerity.
"How is that possible? I always treat people with sincerity, okay?"
"Ah, yes, yes, of course. So, you want to turn the Herrscher of the Void inside Kiana's consciousness into a helpless shut-in, right? Like that Spirit of the Spring, who's always a gag character whenever she appears."
"Exactly! You're right, I can just raise her like the Spirit of the Spring! So what should I do first?" Chen Li's eyes lit up.
"Go to the docks and get some fries."
"I'm being serious."
"I am too. Go to the docks and get some fries. Fries with ketchup are simply invincible, okay?" Kaguya said.
"Alright then..."
"Oh, right. And remember, if you really want to turn the Herrscher of the Void into a shut-in who can't live without you, you have to learn what 'training' is."
"...Kaguya, don't you think your choice of topics is getting a little dangerous?" Chen Li was starting to lose his composure.
"For example, first you must deepen her impression of you. A girl like the Herrscher of the Void, who has been starved of affection since childhood, has zero resistance to a kind and caring man. And it just so happens you've already won her trust. Although simps never win, people starved for affection are an exception," Kaguya lectured fluently.
"Uhm..."
"Second is psychological validation. Right now, she's trapped in Kiana's consciousness, and you are the only one who can communicate with her. This is a unique advantage. You need to indoctrinate her with the idea that Kiana has the whole world, while all she has is you."
"Ah, this..."
"Third, you must make her body remember you, or at least make her stomach remember you. That poor Herrscher of the Void, what good food has she ever eaten? A single piece of chocolate could make her remember you for a lifetime. But simply feeding her is not enough. You have to add a little suggestion. For example, you tell her that when you call her 'Your Majesty,' she needs to reply first, so you can be sure she isn't asleep and you won't disturb her by giving her food."
"Over time, the Herrscher of the Void will form a habit. When you call her 'Your Majesty,' she will subconsciously want to eat, and thus remember your kindness. Ever heard of Pavlov's dog? Use that method on her."
"Wait, Kaguya, you..."
"Hey, don't interrupt, I'm not done yet. Finally, you must plant a suggestion in her mind: 'I am the only person you can trust. You cannot leave me. If you leave me, the whole world will hurt you...' If conditions permit, it's best to cool off a bit after the honeymoon phase. Then let her take the initiative to talk to you, thereby gaining the upper hand."
"That doesn't sound right."
"It's perfectly right, what's not right about it? This is how it's done in all the galgames. Oh, and if you're still not confident, you can use something addictive to control her. Make it so she can't get enough."
"What kind of games have you been playing? What galgame does that?"
"The kind with training."
"Damn it!"
Kaguya, can't you play some normal games?!
"Hey, that's right. That was the last and most important step. Very good, you have graduated." Kaguya patted Chen Li's shoulder with a look of satisfaction.
"???"
When Chen Li typed out three question marks, it wasn't because he had a problem—it was because the other party did.