Kiana soon followed my gaze before looking at me. Her eyes contained a hint of… disbelief?
"What?"
"Is she your type?"
She sneakily pointed towards Himeko. Her outfit alone stands out from this village. Even if there are tourists, her demeanor is one of a kind.
Not to mention she's currently wearing a battlesuit underneath her jacket. Its tight-fitting design highlighted her curves.
Her mature aura added the icing on her lethal face card.
This world, really.
How could she not have someone in thirty years?
The heavens are blind, and so are its people.
"Honestly? Yes."
"You really like the older ones?!"
"Like? Yes. But not so far as being interested in them…"
After defending myself, I managed to calm her down. The fuss we made did attract Himeko's gaze to our side, although briefly.
Soon, we walked past her.
My spiritual consciousness did a quick scan on her. The battlesuit she wore has a mini honkai reactor that fueled it. It is kept 'inactive', or so I assumed. There's not a single bit of honkai energy that leaked out of it.
Another honkai reading is found on her back, presumably her artificial stigmata.
Finally, there is her physical body. Various parts of her body are corroded with purple light. They exist in microscopic sizes. It seems to be hindering some bodily functions.
That's all I could see.
The spiritual consciousness receded as swiftly as it came. Himeko paused for a while before resuming walking.
My sight returned back to the front… before I noticed Kiana's silence.
"Fu…"
Seven months.
That's how long we are together. Yet, I still can't understand her sometimes. I thought she would be obvious, but nope.
A ridiculous thought entered my mind.
Could it be…
Does she like me?
But, seven months. She treated me like a close friend. Nothing more, nothing less. She made me feel like I am sharing a room with another guy… except it's actually a cute Tuna.
Kiana did not have Seele's shyness nor Mei's elegance. I am so stupid I only noticed Seele's crush when we left.
I am the type who will realize someone likes me ten years later.
My thoughts soon spiralled down this abyss.
*****
Five hours of fruitless search.
That describes what Himeko went through. As soon as she received Theresa's summons, she finished her drinks and got dispatched to Shenzhou.
Theresa emphasized how it was a reconnaissance mission. She also passed on the information of the two similar incidents as it.
Schicksal already developed a certain interest in these "honkai vacuum" events.
Unfortunately, Himeko found nothing of use except a burnt section of a nearby forest.
It was very strange. The black scorch marks present on the remaining trees and the ground suggested it came from fires or lightning. It corroborated with the weather report from earlier.
For some unknown reasons, lightning struck down an entire kilometer of the forest. Aside from the lack of honkai energy and destructive damages, there was nothing else.
The place was later cordoned and left to the forensics.
"This reminds me. I met a Kaslana during the mission."
"Hm?"
Theresa shot a look at her. It looked funny due to her oversized principal chair and desk.
"She looks a lot like you."
"Like me?"
Theresa was born in 1972. She is already forty years old. Her child-like appearance did cause other people to look at her differently.
It isn't an exaggeration she is an aunt to a generation of the House Apocalypse.
She seemingly recalled something bad. Her expression turned downcast.
Himeko noticed this. She swiftly changed the subject.
"When will the headquarters give us a pay raise?"
"You are always thinking about that?!"
"What else should I be thinking of?"
"Well…"
*****
"America. Russia. Shenzhou. Tsk, tsk."
The man gave the report a glance before tossing it aside. His hands maintained a tight grip on the console. He locked in as the screen showed Kallen Fantasy.
Otto's mind is now focused on defeating the super evil pink-haired fox.
Somebody just happened to arrive at this sight.
"Just in time, Amber." His eyes remained glued to the screen. "I finished the paperworks."
"...Understood."
One word stopped the Overseer's assistant—Amber—from nagging.
"Notify my good friend in Shenzhou. Take her to the place where the vacuum appeared."
"Understood."
"One more thing. How's the reception for Kallen Fantasy VIII?"
"Good."
Otto's pettiness was satisfied. Knowing there are people who continuously beat up the pink-haired fox made him smile.
"I will be leaving, Overseer."
Soon, only the sound of buttons and Kallen Fantasy remained.
*****
A new toy on Christmas night.
That's how it feels exploring my capabilities as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Enhanced body, stronger spiritual qi, more potent spiritual consciousness…
They are only the most basic upgrades.
The [Xiutian Art] remained the same. The mysterious space gathers the "Gift of Tao". The Experience Potions.
The [Ten Directions Body Art] created a mysterious space that allows me to permanently store the attacks, unlike before. It can be charged to become stronger or be used in cultivation.
Finally, the previous small success of [Xinhai Wuji Heart Sutra] I achieved gave me the 'Encompassing Eye'. Everything in my sight can be appraised and analyzed. The only downside is its mental consumption. The more complex and numerous they were, the greater the burden.
I don't know now, but I have a feeling it can be sustained further.
Other than my main cultivation techniques, my spells also ushered in upgrades… though I haven't tested them yet.
From the thrice a week visit to the Salt Lake, it turned into once every two weeks. Fighting simulated honkai beasts felt meaningless later on.
Looking at Kiana who is meditating on top of the bed…
Well, the Tuna fulfilled her words. She stopped watching videos online two months ago. Seele and Bronya motivated her very well.
Foundation Establishment…
Thinking about the honkai energy inside her body, I knew I had to research about it more. Spiritual qi and honkai energy did not intersect during Qi Refining Realm, but it's different in Foundation Establishment. Spiritual qi circulates inside the physical body.
At least, I need to know how the two react when mixed. This is where Anti-Entropy comes into fray.
I'd be damned if I need to get honkai-related resources on my own. That takes too much time.
I laid my back to the couch.
Pore circulation allows someone to meditate in any position. The small success of [Xiutian Art] allows one to only enter a meditative state once. Sessions will no longer be divided every forty minutes. The next session will automatically continue. That means I can cultivate while sleeping, granted I sleep while sitting.
Since I reached Foundation Establishment, I can now cultivate in whatever position I want.
Truly, the greatest convenience so far.
Thus ended my first day as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
******
A/N: This ends the twice a day updates. I am going back to uni. I will be staying there for six days a week. I can only sustain one chapters a day at that point.
PS: I will be raising the threshold for bonus chapters. 500 Powerstones gives 1 Bonus Chapter. Feel free to dump your stones in this fic so you'll see me juggling through uni and writing lmao