Time backtracks slightly, just before that "Holy crap" explosion echoed through the Lower District.
In a corner of the temporary small workshop, Stella rubbed her hands, then nervously and expectantly rubbed the golden laurel crown on her head that seemed to bring good luck (though past experiences like falling into pits or being kicked by Aeons made its effectiveness questionable).
"Phew... Stellaron dealt with, crisis averted, time to take stock of the loot... oh no, I mean check my 'labor compensation'!"
She muttered to herself, summoning the summoning system panel that only she could see.
Her gaze went straight to the top right corner—stellar jade reserves!
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... exactly three thousand!"
Stella's eyes lit up.
"I remember getting a large sum for completing the 'Resolve Stellaron Crisis' phase mission, plus the 'emotional energy' conversion collected in bits and pieces along the way... not bad, not bad!"
She quickly did mental math: "The 20% off coupon still has twenty pulls left... ten pulls at the original price is 1600, 1280 after the discount... three thousand is just enough for two ten-pulls! It can even trigger the fifty-pull pity mechanism for at least one four-star character! Perfect!"
Although she really wanted a golden five-star, Stella knew her Schrödinger's luck—sometimes god-tier pit, sometimes bizarre.
A guaranteed four-star is a sure win!
"Come on! Ritual time! Breathe on it! Straighten the laurel crown!"
She pretentiously breathed onto the void, straightened the laurel crown on her head, and clicked the "Ten-pull Summon" button with a (self-proclaimed) pious expression.
Starlight flowed on the system panel, as if an invisible wheel began to spin.
The first ten-pull results appeared quickly:
Two blue lights jumped out first—[Bailu's stellar jade], [Clara's stellar jade].
"Oh? stellar jade? Good stuff!"
Stella's spirits rose, and she immediately used these two stellar jades.
On the system panel, the avatars representing [Bailu] and [Clara] flashed with light.
[Bailu]'s level soared from LV.30 to LV.40!
[Clara] rose from LV.29 to LV.39.
"A good start! Upgrading old characters is worth it too!"
Stella nodded with satisfaction. Even though no new characters appeared, strengthening veterans was a solid improvement.
While the feeling (illusion) was still there, she clicked the second ten-pull without hesitation!
Starlight gathered again, and this time, it seemed to flicker a bit longer...
First pull: Green light—[March 7th's stellar jade].
"Uh... March 7th's?"
Stella scratched her head. Well, it's fine, a little boost for the lively photographer lady.
Second pull: Gray light—a pile of upgrade materials.
"Paving the way! It's all paving the way!"
Stella comforted herself.
Third to fifth pulls: Three consecutive gray-green lights, all basic materials.
Stella's heart sank bit by bit... Was the only useful thing going to be the pity? Please no!
Sixth pull!
A striking purple light suddenly burst forth! Like a violet blooming in the night sky!
"Purple! The pity is here!"
Stella instantly clenched her fists.
The purple light condensed, turning into an unruly man—
[Mydei]! Level displayed: LV.1/80!
"A new four-star! [Mydei]! He looks like he can really fight!"
Stella was excited, but her eyes were fixed on the remaining four chances.
Seventh pull!
Another purple light! No hesitation!
In the purple light, a mature female figure wearing an elegant coat, holding a long blade, with a mysterious smile on her lips slowly emerged—
[Kafka]! Level was also LV.1/80!
"Double purple?! There's such a good thing?!"
Stella's breath hitched, her eyes widening.
Eighth pull!
This time it was blue light... but as the blue light faded, a familiar figure with sharp eyes and a scythe appeared—a three-star character, [Seele], level LV.1/70.
"Seele is here too? Even though she's only three stars..."
Stella was already a bit numb. Did this card pool take the wrong medicine today?
Ninth pull!
Green light—a two-star character, [Qingque], level LV.1/60.
A girl holding mahjong tiles who looked a bit lazy.
"Qingque? That's fine too,"
Stella said, her heart racing wildly because of the last chance.
Tenth pull—the final pull!
"Purple! Purple! Purple! One more!" Stella couldn't help but mutter softly.
As if hearing her call, or perhaps the final mercy of the card pool, the tenth light—was another brilliant purple!
In the purple light, a young swordsman in white as pure as snow, with a long sword on his back and clear yet sharp sword intent in his eyes, condensed—
[Yanqing]! Level LV.1/80!
"Thr... Triple purple?!!"
Stella froze for a second, then unparalleled ecstasy crashed through her rationality like a volcanic eruption!
"HO—LY—CRAP—!!!!!!"
That sharp explosion, loud enough to shake the roof and scare away the birds, echoed through Stellaron Town!
It contained shock, disbelief, and the wild joy of hitting a lottery jackpot!
Although there was no golden light symbolizing the highest rarity, triple four-stars! Plus the two stellar jades from the previous ten-pull, the harvest from these twenty pulls was simply incredibly rich!
[Mydei], [Kafka], and [Yanqing], three freshly-baked four-star combatants; though they needed to be trained from scratch, their potential was huge!
Not to mention the additions of [Seele] and [Qingque]!
Stella looked at the character list on the system panel that had instantly filled up, feeling as if she had become rich overnight!
"[Bailu] LV.40, [Clara] LV.39, plus the newly obtained [Mydei], [Kafka], and [Yanqing] who are only level 1 but have a cap as high as 80... plus the original [Little Herta], [Jing Yuan], and others, as well as the LV.40 [Phainon]..."
She counted on her fingers, her eyes getting brighter as she counted. Finally, she couldn't help but put her hands on her hips (almost hitting the tools piled nearby) and let out a satisfied "Hahaha" to the sky:
"This lady is now strong and well-equipped! A luxurious lineup! Basically, those ordinary enemies and small bosses are no longer a threat! Wahahaha!"
She even started to get carried away, fantasizing about a "beautiful" future:
"If it really doesn't work... hehe."
She chuckled sneakily and rubbed her chin.
"If I really run into a tough nut I can't crack, I'll... just rush up and blow up with it! Then let the system panel activate that 'Ultimate Escort Protocol'!"
She seemed to already see the image of enemies wetting their pants in fear of the suddenly descending Aeon's pressure, and couldn't help but feel even more proud: "Let them see what it means to have'strong backing'! What 'Aeon's Great Power (Substitute Version)' means! Although the price is being bedridden for a month... I can't lose in terms of momentum!"
Completely forgetting [Little Herta]'s terrifying description of "unable to take care of oneself," at this moment, Stella was immersed in her fantasy of being "invincible," smiling so wide her teeth showed, and that golden laurel crown was shaking happily on her head.
Until the lingering sound of that overexcited "Holy crap" faded, she finally calmed down a bit, but a silly smile still hung on her face as she began to happily plan which new character to train first and how to show off this "epic" gacha result to her companions.