"Is Jingliu really... getting hooked on this game?"
Lumina couldn't help but twitch at the corner of her mouth as she read Jingliu's message.
While Lumina had introduced Jingliu to the game with the intention of drawing her in, hoping it would help her set aside her deep-seated hatred, she hadn't held much hope for it. Given Jingliu's nature, it seemed unlikely she would ever become truly immersed in something like this.
Yet the outcome far exceeded Lumina's expectations. Jingliu seemed to have genuinely become engrossed in the game...
However, Lumina suspected Jingliu's hatred remained unchanged. Centuries of resentment couldn't simply vanish because she was engrossed in a game.
Lumina decided not to dwell on it. One step at a time, she thought.
Instead of immediately addressing Jingliu's questions about character strength, Lumina first found a video on the community forums evaluating Jingliu's current performance and forwarded it to her.
[Lumina: [Video Forwarded. Current Version's Strongest Main DPS: Empress Jingliu!]]
[Jingliu: ?]
On the other end, Jingliu looked at the link Lumina sent with a hint of puzzlement.
Though still harboring a sliver of trust in Lumina, Jingliu clicked on the link.
[Jingliu: o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ]
Upon watching the video, filled with various praises for her character, Jingliu's "moe" side instantly surfaced.
[The Empress Dowager of the Current Dynasty, the Strongest Main DPS, E0S1 annihilates the heavens and earth, a must-pull character for any 'meta slave'!]
[La-la-la, I can't hear you! All will be revealed...in lunar flame!]
"Ahem..."
Though Jingliu's inner monologue was complex, her outward expression remained utterly impassive, maintaining her usual calm demeanor.
She saved the "Gameplay Intensity" video to her favorites, then swiped it away to return to her chat with Lumina. Her fingers gently tapped the screen, typing slowly and deliberately, like an elderly person typing with painstaking slowness.
[Jingliu]: In this game, the character's maximum upgrade is called... E6S5? That's the so-called 6+5, right?]
[Jingliu]: I'm currently at E0S1? If I want to get E6+S5, how do I pull for it?]
[ "Uh-oh..." ] On the other end of the line, Lumina felt a sudden sense of dread as she read Jingliu's message.
Lumina knew all too well what fate awaited the character Jingliu in the future.
Version 1.0: Top-tier Empress Dowager, fully optimized for Ice Weakness. Version 2.0: A fallen Empress Dowager stripped of all Ice Weakness, relentlessly targeted and bullied...
Seeing Jingliu's current enthusiastic demeanor, Lumina wondered what would happen if she knew that the character based on her would be buried alive in Version 2.0... Would her Mara-Struck condition flare up on the spot?
When the supremely confident Jingliu witnessed her All will be revealed...in lunar flame! and Cold River Reflects the moon abilities barely scratching the Version 2.0 monsters, she might just break down completely...
Lumina didn't dwell on it. While the different time flows suggested Jingliu's impending meltdown was imminent, what did that have to do with Lumina herself?
Lumina had no idea how long character Jingliu would last, but she knew that character Lumina, once introduced, would instantly obliterate a horde of meta slave invaders o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ, ascend to eternal meta supremacy, and secure a permanent spot in the T0 tier!
Ever-changing Main DPS and Supports, but Lumina remains eternal!
As she glanced at the message Jingliu had sent, a mischievous smile slowly curled at the corner of her lips, as if she had hatched a wicked plan.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the screen as she typed:
[Lumina: Borrow, then. You have no choice but to borrow... from me.]
[Jingliu: ?]
[Lumina: You must have noticed by now that the in-game currency for recharges is completely different from ours. It's neither Strale nor Credit Points.]
[Lumina: You have no way to obtain this recharge currency... But don't worry, I do.]
[Jingliu: Hmm... What do you want?]
Jingliu wasn't a fool. Seeing Lumina's message, she knew the other woman must want something in return.
Given Lumina's past treatment of her, Jingliu had initially wanted to ignore the message entirely.
However, her desire to obtain an E6S5 Jingliu in the game was overwhelming.
Thus, Jingliu had no choice but to humble herself before Lumina.
Although Lumina's true personality was nothing like the rumors circulating in the Cosmos, Jingliu reasoned that these rumors couldn't be entirely baseless; there must be some grain of truth to them.
Therefore, even if Lumina differed greatly from her reputation, she couldn't be too terrible...
With these thoughts in mind, Jingliu's goodwill toward Lumina slightly increased.
[Lumina: I don't need anything at all! As your bestie, how could I ever ask you for anything~?]
[Lumina: Open the recharge interface, and I'll recharge remotely for you.]
[Jingliu: ?]
Jingliu's eyes flickered with slight confusion as she read Lumina's message.
Though their time together had been brief, Jingliu had already grasped the general outline of Lumina's personality.
This message was somewhat unexpected.
At least from Jingliu's perspective, this enigmatic woman must be probing for something on her person.
But no matter. Whatever she was probing for, the first priority was to secure her E6S5 pulls.
[Jingliu: Okay]
Without further hesitation, Jingliu replied with a simple "Okay" and opened the game, navigating to the recharge interface.
Just as Jingliu was wondering how Lumina would remotely recharge her account, a massive surge of 8080 stacks of 6,480 Oneiric Shards suddenly flooded her phone screen.
[How many stacks there were, Jingliu couldn't tell. All she knew was that even after swiping down forcefully, she couldn't reach the bottom...]
[Lumina: All done! I've recharged a thousand or so pulls for now. Ask for more when you've used them all.]
[Jingliu: Alright, thank you.]
Though Jingliu didn't understand the significance of "a thousand pulls," she silently noted Lumina's act of "kindness" for future consideration.
After offering her thanks and a brief acknowledgment, she began her summoning journey.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lumina watched the large row of numbers vanish from her wallet without the slightest hint of regret.
To her, money was merely a string of digits, and she had no personal interest in it.
Besides, this money was for a super invincible beautiful girl. So, far from feeling regret, Lumina was actually somewhat excited.
Look! She accepted my money! Doesn't that mean she doesn't hate me?!
If she doesn't hate me, then doesn't that mean...
"Ahem, ahem."
Realizing that her current behavior was akin to the "simping" behavior she'd seen online, Lumina quickly cleared her throat and snapped herself back to reality.
"I wonder if Jingliu's luck is blessed or cursed..."
If Jingliu pulls all guaranteed characters but they're all off-banner, would her Mara-Struck form erupt on the spot?
The thought of Jingliu getting tilted from a bad pull, rage-quitting and throwing her phone, brought a faint smile to Lumina's eyes.
Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~
Just as Lumina was entertaining this thought, the notification for the Special Group rang again.
Hmm? Is Jingliu pulling so quickly? Lumina glanced at her screen and saw the message was from Jingliu. A flicker of confusion crossed her brow.
Intrigued, Lumina tapped open the message.
Instantly... a blinding golden light filled her vision.
[Jingliu: Does this mean I got five in one pull? [Image.jpg](Gacha Pull: Five Jinglius in a Ten-Pull)]
[Lumina: ???]
Staring at the absurdly lucky gacha pull, Lumina slowly typed out a string of question marks.
"So... the one who's actually losing it here is me..."
Lumina couldn't help but sigh inwardly...