Valerius's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for Hu Tao, who was standing right behind Bronya, to catch every word.
She immediately grew curious.
What kind of city did Bronya pick, for Valerius to tell her to "leave others some dignity"?
Could it really be that broken?
Her gaze slid past Bronya and toward the city models laid out before them.
"Angels… not my thing."
"Titans—pretty imposing, but still no."
"Hydras? Ugh, ugly."
"…Hm?"
Her eyes suddenly locked onto one particular city.
The Necropolis.
"Ohhh—what's this?"
Hu Tao's interest flared instantly.
An entire city of undead creatures? Skeletons, ghosts, necromancy—sure, it screamed villain, but that didn't matter.
She liked it.
Turning around, she tugged at Xiangling's sleeve.
"Xiangling, let's pick this one—the Necropolis."
"Huh?!"
Xiangling glanced at the city, then visibly recoiled. "Do I have to? That place looks creepy. I kinda like the one with elves…"
"Nope, trust me. This one's definitely strong."
"I'm not picking it," Xiangling said firmly, shaking her head. "It's way too spooky."
"Tch, fine."
Hu Tao gave up persuading her, but her own decision was already made.
This city is it.
Soon, it was Hu Tao's turn.
She stepped forward without hesitation and grabbed the Necropolis model in one smooth motion.
"I choose this."
Valerius raised an eyebrow.
Oh? She knows what she's doing.
He casually opened her status panel.
[Specialty: Skeletons]
[Skills]
[Basic Necromancy: After battle, 10% of fallen enemy units are converted into Skeletons and added to your army]
[Basic Wisdom: Allows learning Tier 1–2 spells]
[Basic Logistics: Hero movement speed +10%]
"…Huh?"
Hu Tao stared at the panel, then deflated on the spot.
"Skeletons? That's it?"
She pouted openly. "I saw other people's specialties—at worst they had Tier 5 units. Why do I get a Tier 1 unit specialty?"
To her, Tier 1 units were nothing but disposable cannon fodder.
If she'd had a choice, she'd much rather have gotten a Dread Knight specialty.
No reason—Dread Knights were just cool.
Drip matters.
"—PFFFT!"
Valerius nearly choked on air.
You're disappointed… by THIS?!
If there was anyone here whose build could be called terrifying, it was Hu Tao—no contest.
Even counting future players, it was unlikely anyone would surpass this setup.
As a veteran Heroes of Might and Magic III player, Valerius knew exactly what a Skeleton specialty meant for the Necropolis.
Once Hu Tao leveled up a bit, her Skeletons would scale to the stats of Tier 5 units.
But that wasn't even the scariest part.
The truly broken part?
Skeleton speed +1.
In HoMM3, speed was king.
"Strike first" wasn't a slogan—it was the law of the battlefield.
With enough Skeletons moving fast enough, entire armies could be erased before they even got a turn.
Valerius glanced mournfully at the Honkai players still chatting around Bronya.
If Hu Tao wasn't eliminated early…
The final battle would be nothing short of a massacre.
"This is boring."
Hu Tao, unaware of the impending doom she represented, turned away in disappointment and walked back to the crowd.
Next up was Xiangling.
Valerius was actually a bit curious. Rumor had it that her luck could rival even Klee's.
Yet, to his surprise, Xiangling didn't hesitate at all—she walked straight up and chose the Rampart.
"…She actually picked that?"
Valerius clicked his tongue. "That's a rough choice."
Guess her luck isn't as legendary as advertised.
Players continued stepping forward one after another, selecting their cities.
After a long while, only one person remained.
Valerius's lips curved almost imperceptibly as his gaze settled on the fox-eared woman with the long, flowing tail.
"So she's still hiding," he murmured.
Tingyun stepped forward and, among all the options, fixed her eyes on the lava-wreathed city.
"I'll take this one," she said sweetly.
Inferno.
A faction few chose, given how unapologetically villainous it looked.
Seeing Tingyun select it, Valerius nearly laughed out loud.
"Miss Tingyun," he asked casually, "why Inferno?"
Her eyes darted slightly before she smiled, perfectly composed.
"I'm not well-versed in warfare," she replied gently. "So I thought I'd choose something that looks… powerful."
"…Heh."
Valerius said nothing more.
'Powerful,' huh?
If she knew Inferno's reputation, she'd know it was also called the faction that suffers.
"By the way," Valerius added lightly, "I don't recall seeing you speak much in the livestream."
"Oh my~" Tingyun laughed softly. "I'm merely insignificant. How could I dare to speak so freely?"
Her expression was flawless—utter sincerity.
Sure, Valerius thought.
You're only quiet because the name above your head would say 'Phantylia' if you spoke.
"Since you seem promising," Valerius leaned closer, lowering his voice near her ear,
"I'll teach you a powerful Inferno tactic—off the books. Interested?"
Tingyun's eyes lit up instantly.
There's such a thing?!
She'd wanted to get close to Valerius for a long time, but circumstances on the Xianzhou made it inconvenient. She'd been planning to lure him somewhere isolated later.
Then Aha showed up.
She'd nearly been scared out of her wits.
Luckily, she hadn't acted yet—or she might not even know how she died.
Now Valerius was offering her advice himself.
"Then I thank you in advance, sir," she said sweetly, listening intently.
Valerius nodded, looking very much like a teacher guiding a promising student.
"Remember this well," he said solemnly.
"Inferno's ultimate strategy is—if you're winning, rush out Fire Daddy."
"…And if we're losing?" Tingyun asked carefully.
"If you're losing," Valerius replied calmly,
"then stall… and wait for Fire Daddy."
Tingyun fell silent.
So… it's just one strategy, no matter what?
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