---o---
Making orphans have a mental breakdown due to mother-related attacks didn't actually generate any crystals. However, the reason geniuses are geniuses is that they often do things that aren't entirely rational as a result of certain experiences.
For example... attempting to touch the greatest taboo—resurrection.
And the shockwave sent through the world when a genius of that caliber touches upon such a domain was the very reason Chen Li was now able to obtain Miracle Crystals.
Chen Li didn't know who among them, after being broken down by "Mom's Punishment," had conceived such a heretical idea. Nor did he know if they could truly reach the promised land called [Resurrection]. But he could offer a little help.
Although Chen Li felt it was a tiny bit despicable to use [Mom's Tablecloth] to trigger the [Orphan Killer] effect, break the spirit of those who had lost their parents, and then take the opportunity to market his own resurrection Curio... it was a really good fit.
Ah, whatever. If it's unethical, it's unethical.
It's not like he was the one who took their mothers away.
So...
[Family, friends! Are you still grieving the loss of your parents? Are you still in pain from the sudden departure of your beloved relatives and friends? Your chance is here! Your chance is here! The Revival Games officially begin today! Click the link below to watch an ad and obtain Resurrection Card Fragments. Synthesize a complete Resurrection Card to nominate someone for the Revival Games!]
[Let's say it again, what's our slogan! The grand stage for revival. If you want to live, you've got to play!]
[Resurrection Cards, limited-time flash sale! Not 998, not even 98! Just watch a 30-second ad to get a Resurrection Card Fragment!]
[The Resurrection Card, an essential item for home, travel, and adventuring. Prepare one for yourself, for your family. You can't lose out, you can't get scammed.]
[P.S.: Ad space for rent.]
That's right. The true form of the [The Revival Games] Curio was a link, one written in Source Text, that let anyone know its purpose with a single glance. And as the organizer, Chen Li could even watch the tournament through this link, or even broadcast it.
However, probably because this one-star Curio had cost fewer crystals to make, Chen Li didn't have the authority to rig the matches. He couldn't pick an easier opponent for his favored contestants.
He took a casual look and found that the Curio's description wasn't exaggerating. He could indeed see the phantoms of endless worlds in the spectator stands.
There were so many, far too many.
For instance, there was a tall, smiling black man holding a basketball; a white man with a famously open mind; a short, treacherous-looking alien dwarf with a tail and two horns on his head; a blindfolded, silver-haired young man constantly clutching his waist; and even someone dragging a fiery red greatsword...
"Hmm? What the hell, isn't that Himeko? She's not dead yet, is she?" Chen Li was taken aback when he saw one of the contestants in the stands.
As far as he knew, Himeko from the world of Honkai Impact 3rd shouldn't be dead yet. So characters who are fated to die in the future are also added to the contestant pool, huh?
Thinking about it, if he hadn't intervened, Himeko could have smiled and said her goodbyes at any moment. So, in a way, she was already gone. He just wondered if her phantom would disappear from the stands now that he had gotten involved.
All in all, winning the Revival Games was purely a matter of luck. With so many strange and bizarre creatures, not even an Aeon of Long, the Permanence could guarantee a win.
---o---
[Celestial Jade Master]: That's so despicable, Curio Forger! To create a Curio like this without a single word. And right after you made the tablecloth that lets our moms punish us.
[Runaway Princess from the Bamboo Forest...]: I'm not interested in reviving my mom. I just want to know how to kill her.
[Eternally 17-Year-Old Beauty]: Such a loving mother and filial daughter, everyone.
[Green Twisty Snake]: Is this Curio of yours legit?
[Dad]: Guaranteed, absolutely guaranteed! But you need to be careful when watching the ads. Watch out for them getting stuck in your head.
[Dad]: Don't ask me how an ad gets stuck in your head. That's what the Curio description says. I've never seen it happen myself.
[Peerless and Supreme Herta]: You little brat, you let us use the tablecloth and then specifically warned us not to waste food. You weren't waiting for us with this, were you? I have to say...
[Life Cultivation Master]: ...You succeeded. So, are there any precautions we need to take when using this Curio? I've learned my lesson. Please let me off the hook.
Ruan Mei would never say such words out loud, but she now felt that listening to the Curio Forger's instructions when using his creations was a very good habit.
[Mechanical Aristocrat]: Logic dictates: a powerful Relic may also possess powerful side effects. Please use it with caution to prevent impacting the cosmic order.
[Dad]: Relax. After you collect the fragments and synthesize a complete card, you still need my stamp to let your chosen candidate participate. On my end, at least, people like Emperor Rupert are banned from competing.
[Dad]: There are no other precautions. Just be careful about the ads. If anything comical or absurd happens, notify me immediately!
[Celestial Jade Master]: Notify you for what?
[Dad]: To tell me to hurry over and watch the show, of course! My [Elation's 20-Sided Die] hasn't accumulated enough Elation points yet.
[Unknown Singer]: ...
---o---
Aside from the members Chen Li had pulled into the group, other "friends" who hadn't been added but also weren't blocked saw the pinned announcement on their Friends Circle terminals and quickly contacted him.
[Jing Yuan]: Bro, what are you planning now?
[Jing Yuan]: Bro, answer me, bro.
[Jing Yuan]: ...At least don't cause trouble on the Luofu, please? This is the request of a lifetime.
As the Divine Foresight, Jing Yuan was usually decisive and calm, but he felt that whenever Chen Li was involved, he couldn't remain calm at all.
[Fu Xuan]: What's this message about? What's going on?
[Dad]: Don't ask. If you have to ask, I suggest you collect more fragments. Anyway, Jing Yuan knows where I live and hasn't made a move against me, which proves I have no ill will towards the Xianzhou. So just watch more ads.
[Fu Xuan]: ...Is this Curio of yours legit?
[Dad]: Hey, when did I say this was a Curio?
[Fu Xuan]: I just remembered I have something to do. I'll be taking my leave.
"Hilarious. It seems our Master Diviner also has someone she wants to revive. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten so flustered that she blurted out what Jing Yuan had privately warned her about," Chen Li said, badmouthing the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission while sitting in her very own archives. He didn't think for a second that Jing Yuan would keep Fu Xuan completely in the dark about this.
Besides those who messaged him privately, there were also people he messaged himself.
Like Guinaifen.
Chen Li couldn't tell her anything about the Curio, but he urged her to watch ads diligently and collect the fragments. He also told her to contact him immediately if she noticed anything strange about herself.
As for people like Elder Taoran and Danshu, who were on his block list, they couldn't see the announcement at all.
"Sigh, being a double agent is so tiring," Chen Li sighed. It was even more tiring when said double agent had his own agenda and was planning a big event that neither side knew about.
"And I don't know why, but how come no one has come to me about renting ad space? I was being serious."
Seeing everyone discussing whether the resurrection Curio was real and what precautions were needed, but not a single person approaching him for a business partnership, made Chen Li even more tired.
If he didn't take any extra steps, that 30-second ad slot would play random commercials. Even if Jing Yuan had come to discuss it, a Cloud Knights recruitment ad would have been fine. Who knows, maybe a few of the Genius Society members in the group would have gotten fired up and joined the Xianzhou Cloud Knights on a whim.
Now that he had a resurrection-type Curio, it was time to find more clients!
"I hope the Miracle Commissions can bring me a few requests for resurrection," Chen Li said as he casually tossed out two crystals.
He had always felt that the demand for resurrection miracles should be quite high, but he hadn't encountered a single one until now, which was highly unscientific.
[Revive, My Love]: Help Otto revive his fiancée Kallen.Client: Otto Reward: 30 ~ 150 Crystals Risk: Low ~ High
When Chen Li saw this commission, his face darkened.
I was looking for resurrection-related miracle commissions from non-Honkai worlds! Who told you to find one from a Honkai world?
If it was Otto, couldn't he just go find him himself? He could even extort some money from him in the process.
But when he saw the next commission, he couldn't help but laugh.
[Revive, My Dearest Friend]: Help Kallen revive her dearest friend Yae Sakura.Client: Kallen Reward: 10 ~ 30 Crystals Risk: Low ~ Medium
If only one resurrection commission from a Honkai world had come his way, Chen Li might have been a bit annoyed, since he could have just approached them directly.
But with both of these commissions showing up together, he couldn't feel annoyed at all.
Kallen's commission reward was smaller, which indicated that Yae Sakura's resurrection wasn't a particularly world-shattering miracle. Kallen's resurrection, however, would have a massive impact on Otto.
Although Kallen's commission description said "dearest friend," the line between "dearest friend" and "beloved" is a thin one.
Chen Li might be too lazy to watch an ordinary show, but a show like this? He had to see it.
"Speaking of which... the fact that Kallen can issue this Miracle Commission means her time period is after Yae Sakura's death but before her own. If I establish a connection with Kallen, does that mean I can travel 500 years into the past?"
"Hmm... Miracle, what do you think?"
[My Lord, I believe there is something fishy about this matter.]
A string of text, complex beyond memory, appeared before Chen Li.
---o---