---o---
"Cough, cough... Chen Li, why are you so hard?" Sushang clutched her chest, feeling like she couldn't catch her breath.
"I was about to ask you the same thing! Why are you so hard?" Chen Li, who had just taken a hammer to the chest, complained right back.
The biggest difference between the Sushang from Honkai: Star Rail and the Sushang from Honkai Impact is that the Honkai Impact version is, as they say, "magnanimous of heart," while the Star Rail version fits Chen Li's stereotype of a young girl perfectly.
"You! Cough, cough, Dragon Lady, I think I'm dying! Heal me, quick!"
"Oh, coming, coming."
Compared to Chen Li, who had actually taken the hammer, it was Sushang, who had been the cushion underneath, who had taken the brunt of the blow. Because of the Friends Circle, Chen Li was truly as hard as a boulder—an unbreakable one at that. Sushang's plan to drag him down with her had clearly been a miscalculation.
"How are you feeling?" Chen Li asked, approaching Guinaifen.
"Thank you," Guinaifen said, a little dejected but also seeming to want more. Although being emotionally broken by her 'mother' didn't feel good, on the other hand, it was better than not having a mother at all.
Chen Li, however, looked at the phantom that had dissolved into motes of light after Guinaifen sincerely repented for ever wasting food again, and he had to hold his tongue.
"Mom's Punishment" would manifest a person's mother. Theoretically, no one other than the person being punished should be able to see this figure, but Chen Li, the forger, was clearly an exception.
Right now, Guinaifen was wondering if, the next time she saw her mother, she could get her to not say such soul-crushing things. Or perhaps, if she just wore earplugs, her mother's words couldn't pierce her heart, and she wouldn't break down. She could see her mom without the emotional damage. I, Guinaifen, am a genius!
Chen Li, on the other hand, was wondering if Guinaifen's line of thinking counted as malicious bug exploitation. To think you could find a bug in my Curio... you're even better at this than I, the forger, am.
"As thanks, I want to give you a very special autograph," Guinaifen said to Chen Li after recovering for a long while.
"What kind of autograph?"
"You'll know soon enough. But... can I use this tablecloth again next time? I can perform 'Shatter a Boulder on the Chest' for you again."
"No!" That wasn't Chen Li speaking, but Sushang.
"Well, I have other amazing skills, like catching a bullet with my bare hands or eating noodles while doing a handstand!" Guinaifen said with her hands on her hips.
"Oh, really? I want to see you catch a bullet!" Chen Li nodded eagerly. He really, really wanted to see that.
"Excellent! Then next time, I'll perform eating noodles while doing a handstand!" But Guinaifen didn't seem to listen to a word he said. It appeared she was also quite afraid of dying.
"So you're just using me for free food and entertainment, is that it? Fine. If you want to borrow the Curio, feel free to find me anytime—assuming you can find me."
As he spoke, Chen Li gave Guinaifen a Friends Circle terminal. Although her combat power wasn't high, as a named playable character, she was qualified to be one of Chen Li's bonds. At the very least, she had just provided him with nearly 50 Starstones; spending five to make her a terminal was a net profit.
Sushang was an even better investment, so Chen Li gave her a terminal as well. However, both of their terminals were the most basic mobile phone versions, not the virtual panels.
This was intentional.
Want the supreme VIP virtual panel? Then you'll have to slowly upgrade. This was a decision Chen Li had made to promote consumer spending among the members of his Friends Circle.
For now, though, Guinaifen and Sushang could only add friends by adding their terminal accounts; they couldn't join the main Curio group yet. After all, Chen Li's identity as a Curio Forger hadn't been exposed on the Xianzhou.
In other words, Guinaifen and Sushang were his newly acquired spare tires. And when it came to spare tires, the more, the merrier.
"Is that why my contact name is 'Spare Tire'?" Guinaifen fell into thought after adding Chen Li on the Friends Circle and seeing the special nickname he had assigned her.
"So what does 'Spare Tire' mean?" Sushang popped her head over, asking curiously.
"I don't know," Guinaifen said, shaking her head blankly.
"On other planets, cars have tires. If even one of the four tires blows out, the car can't run properly. That's when you need a spare tire. It's usually kept in the trunk, and its whole purpose is to be there for a timely replacement when a tire is damaged. So, a 'spare tire' means a friend who can help you in a critical moment," Chen Li explained with a straight face.
"Oh, so we're already that close? Here, this is your special autograph. No need to thank me. We'll be going now."
After handing the special autograph to Chen Li, Guinaifen pulled Sushang away.
Chen Li stared at the bronze gong in his hand, which bore Guinaifen's signature, and fell into deep thought. He had thought she was going to give him a pair of her signature black stockings or a garter ring. Tsk, he got his hopes up for nothing.
"Did Guinaifen just trade her meal ticket for your meal ticket?" Bailu quipped from the side.
"Maybe... Speaking of which, can you hurry up? I'm on a tight schedule," Chen Li said, turning to the planner beside him.
"..." The ad planner for the Aetherium Wars mini-game gave Chen Li a resentful look.
"So I've been meaning to ask, who is this person next to you? He seems to have been following you for a long time," Bailu said, looking at the game planner curiously.
In fact, the planner had been challenging Chen Li, forfeiting, and watching ads the entire time Chen Li was running his "Try Not to Cry Challenge." Although his absurd behavior had earned him some strange looks, it was completely overshadowed by the even more absurd challenge, so it was perfectly fine.
Thanks to the planner's efforts, Chen Li would be able to successfully obtain the [Advertisement] Entry in about two more hours.
"He's a good-for-nothing, little one. Don't ever be like him in the future," Chen Li said, patting Bailu's shoulder.
"Do you believe that I'll quit right now?" the planner said, unable to bear it any longer.
"Do you believe that I'll expose you on the Aetherium Wars online forum right now?" Chen Li was completely unfazed.
"Guh!" The planner instantly conceded.
Chen Li had not an ounce of pity for a planner who would add a feature to an ad that immediately redirects you to the app store the moment your line of sight moves. Truly unethical.
"You know, I always feel like you're just lazing around all day. Are you really that idle?" Bailu asked, completely puzzled.
"Just eat your pastry. Be careful not to waste it, or your mother will come and scold you," Chen Li said casually.
"I don't have a mother."
"Then watch out for your past life popping out to scold you."
"Hey, that actually sounds kind of interesting."
"What the—don't you dare!"
Chen Li was momentarily stunned when he saw Bailu immediately toss her pastry onto the ground after hearing his words. Even with all the experience he'd gained from running the "Try Not to Cry Challenge," he had never seen a situation like Bailu's.
Besides, wasn't Bailu's past life the infamous Baiheng?
It was too late for Chen Li to stop her. The pastry had already hit the ground; the food was wasted.
Watching the gentle, elegant, and vibrant figure appear before him—a figure that looked like a grown-up version of Bailu—Chen Li felt the urge to summon Jingliu right then and there. But then he remembered Jingliu couldn't see... so never mind.
Speaking of which, if Jingliu were to receive "Mom's Punishment," who would appear? The master who was only mentioned in her background story?
"Waaah!"
Thirty seconds later, Bailu let out a loud wail and burst into tears.
Chen Li helplessly covered his forehead. He had no idea how to comfort her, because Baiheng hadn't said anything harsh after appearing. She hadn't said anything at all.
Baiheng remained silent, merely looking at Bailu with a gentle and nostalgic gaze.
And then... that was enough to make Bailu cry.
"You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. Understand now?" Chen Li transferred the usage rights of the [Elation's 20-Sided Die] to Bailu and tossed it to her. The ownership of all Curios remained with him, but he could transfer the right to use them.
Following Chen Li's instruction, Bailu rolled the die, and the feelings of grievance, regret, frustration, and pain dissipated from her one by one.
Beep beep.
A notification sounded from Chen Li's Friends Circle terminal. He took a look and saw that his personal ATM, big spender, and spare tire, Danshu, had sent him a message.
Seeing the message, Chen Li's eyes lit up.
Another sucker was ready to be fleeced!
---o---
"...Dad, the Vidyadhara Elder is just ahead."
The scene changed, and Chen Li was now deep inside the Alchemy Commission.
With Danshu leading the way, it wasn't long before a Vidyadhara with only a single dragon horn on his head appeared before them.
"You are the Emissary of Abundance?" The Vidyadhara Elder looked at Chen Li suspiciously, seeing nothing divine about him.
"Elder Taoran?" Chen Li didn't answer his question.
"Do you not know how to respect your elders, you whelp?" Taoran said bluntly.
Ever since he had heard that his partners had a new Emissary of Abundance among them, Taoran had been suspicious of the emissary's origins, which was why he had risked this meeting.
Taoran was an Elder from the time of Dan Feng. After the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, in order to sustain the Vidyadhara of the Luofu in the absence of a High Elder, he dabbled in the Transmutation Arcanum, intending to transform other lifeforms into Vidyadhara to increase their numbers. He had turned himself into a monstrous being with only one dragon horn and even colluded with the Denizens of Abundance, participating in the Stellaron crisis.
As a high-ranking Elder, Taoran saw himself as an equal partner to the Denizens of Abundance and naturally wouldn't be overly polite.
"Heh."
Chen Li said nothing, simply taking out the Divine Item of Abundance again and revealing its true form.
A terrifying pressure instantly descended upon the scene. The Divine Item, now resembling a sky-piercing tree, radiated endless divine power. With every breath it seemed to take, everyone present felt as if their bodies and souls were being baptized.
"E-Enough! Take it back, quickly!" Elder Taoran knelt on the ground, clutching his chest tightly, his breathing ragged. He felt as if he was about to grow a second heart.
Chen Li looked down at the Vidyadhara and assassins who had all fallen to their knees before him. These assassins had been using Cloud-Hymn magic to conceal themselves nearby, but now they could no longer maintain the spell and were revealed.
"Heh." Chen Li placed his hand back on the Divine Item, returning it to the form of a meter-long ear of wheat. The Aeon of Abundance was colossal in size, and the true form of even a single ear of wheat from its person was boundlessly vast; its usual form was merely a sealed state.
"Speak. Why did you wish to see me? Surely it wasn't just to verify if I am real?" Chen Li looked down at the slowly rising Elder Taoran, his words dripping with contempt.
"I wish... to form a partnership with you, Emissary," Elder Taoran said with a smile, unbothered by the disdain in Chen Li's tone.
"What kind of partnership?"
"Have you... heard of the Transmutation Arcanum?"
"Interesting... Continue," Chen Li gestured.
"I wish to cooperate with you, to combine the power of Abundance with the Transmutation Arcanum to transform other lifeforms into Vidyadhara. If we succeed, I will become the greatest Elder in the history of the Vidyadhara race! And you will gain the friendship and bountiful gifts of our entire race."
As he spoke of this, Elder Taoran's voice was tinged with fanaticism.
He didn't actually think there was anything wrong with Dan Feng using the Transmutation Arcanum to try and revive Baiheng by turning her into a Vidyadhara. If one had to find fault, it was that he had failed!
Taoran simply despised Dan Feng. It was purely personal, with not a single objective factor mixed in.