Since Raven had taken leave to go back and check on her island, the task of picking up Ji Lin from St. Freya Academy fell to Gray Serpent. Unlike the efficient Raven, Gray Serpent began taking detours after collecting Ji Lin. The process had been so easy that he suspected Ji Lin was bait set by Destiny to track down World Serpent's headquarters. Being naturally cautious, he turned a one-day trip into a two-day journey.
"No wonder you only just arrived," Danzhu pouted after hearing Ji Lin's explanation. "I thought something had happened to you." According to their calculations, Ji Lin should have arrived yesterday; she'd feared Otto might have intercepted her.
"It's understandable," Cangxuan added, her icy blue eyes shimmering with intelligence. "I would have been suspicious too. Though... it might have been better if Otto had made a move."
Like Luo Hong, she felt they had too little information. If Otto continued to do nothing, they really ought to be worried. That villain must be brewing something big!
"Our current priority is to restore Jingwei's (Fu Hua's) memories as quickly as possible," Ji Lin suggested, clutching the Xuanyuan Sword. "She has a cooperative relationship with Otto. We might be able to discover his goals through her."
The situation was becoming increasingly blurred, and she felt a faint sense of unease. Moreover, even with a reconstructed body, she could feel the gap between herself and the top-tier combatants of this era. While she was happy to play along with the twins' "theatrics," she primarily wanted to hone her skills by battling the strongest warriors of the Previous Era in the Elysian Realm. She wanted to become stronger.
"True," Danzhu smiled. "Then let's proceed as planned. But before that—" She scanned Ji Lin up and down with a grin. "It's not quite appropriate for you to keep wearing that."
"Let's get you into some new clothes first." Ji Lin was still wearing her ornate ancient robes. They're beautiful, but they don't look like training gear at all!
Under Danzhu's arrangements, Ji Lin changed into a JK (School Girl) uniform. Despite her aura being that of a refined, classical beauty, the sailor suit didn't look out of place on her. It simply proved that beautiful people look good in anything. Furthermore, Danzhu took away her golden hair ornaments, tying her long, flowing hair into a ponytail to make fighting easier.
At this moment, she looked like a bright, youthful high school girl. No one would guess she was the hero who once saved the early civilization of this era.
"Mm~ Not bad!" Danzhu exclaimed with satisfaction, watching Ji Lin as she kept nervously tugging at her skirt. "That skirt is plenty long, and you have safety shorts underneath, so you don't need to worry about anything showing."
The skirt almost reached her knees, which was indeed quite long. But—
"T-that's not the issue..." Having only ever worn traditional undergarments, Ji Lin found modern lingerie... unfamiliar. While it was comfortable, she wasn't used to it! More importantly, the light, airy outfit felt too "cute," making her feel out of place.
"Does this outfit really... suit me?"
"How could it not?" Danzhu shook her head vigorously. "I guarantee it's a perfect fit. Right, Sister?" She turned to Cangxuan, who was also in the dressing room. "If that guy Luo Hong saw this, his eyes would probably pop out of his head!"
"Don't make him out to be such a caricature," Cangxuan said matter-of-factly. "That guy is a man of action. He wouldn't waste time staring; he'd just go for it."
Doing it while admiring—that was Luo Hong's style.
"Ugh..." Hearing Cangxuan's bluntness, Ji Lin's face went from a light pink to a deep crimson.
"Tch, true enough," Danzhu admitted. After all, the first time they met Luo Hong, he hadn't given them much time to think at all. He just went for it! Luo Hong was always very honest about his desires.
"Anyway—" Danzhu placed her hands on Ji Lin's shoulders, looking her in the eye. "You look amazing in this. You should have more confidence in yourself!"
"Mm..." Ji Lin nodded slightly. "Then let it be so."Truth be told, despite her resolve, her mind was now completely preoccupied with the words the twins, Cangxuan and Danzhu, had shared earlier. Furthermore, she was uncertain whether she would remain in this outfit once she entered the dreamscape tonight. If she did... would the Lord truly behave as they had described?
Fortunately, there were still over a dozen hours before it was time for sleep. For now, she needed to focus her energy on the mission to enter the Elysian Realm. Soon enough, she composed herself and, as the successor of the Xuanyuan Sword, stepped into the realm.
Evening, a courtyard at St. Freya Academy.
"Master Fu Hua, I wonder if the black tea I brewed is to your liking?"
Standing at Fu Hua's side, Rita spoke softly after gracefully pouring a cup of tea.
"Thank you for the hospitality, Miss Rita." Fu Hua thanked her before taking a polite sip. "Miss Rita's skill is extraordinary. The aroma is rich and the taste is exquisite." She wasn't merely being polite; she was stating the simple truth.
"I am glad you enjoy it." Though a smile graced Rita's face, there wasn't a hint of arrogance in her demeanor; she remained perfectly humble.
"Miss Rita, please, sit." Seeing that Rita was about to continue with the pleasantries, Fu Hua adjusted her glasses and said seriously, "Is Overseer Otto about to order a general offensive?"
In recent days, she had caught wind of certain rumors. More importantly, Theresa's frequent movements made it seem as though Otto was poised to strike. The atmosphere was heavy, like the lull before a storm—all that was missing was a single spark to ignite the conflict.
"A 'general offensive' is hardly necessary." Rita shook her head, sitting down opposite Fu Hua as requested. "St. Freya is merely a branch; it does not require the full might of Destiny. Furthermore, since I arrived at the academy, the Overseer hasn't assigned me any further tasks, as if he has forgotten about me entirely."
She rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat dejected. However, she wasn't lying to Fu Hua. Her only current mission was to monitor Kiana daily.
"Is that so?" Seeing that Rita didn't seem to be lying, Fu Hua frowned, finding it even harder to decipher Otto's intentions.
"The Overseer's thoughts are not for us to guess." Rita poured a cup for herself and took an elegant sip before continuing. "We need only wait for his orders. Or rather—" She paused, a glint flashing in her wine-red eyes. "Has Master Fu Hua developed feelings for them?"
"There are feelings, naturally." Faced with Rita's question, Fu Hua nodded without any intention of hiding it. "However, since I have an agreement with Overseer Otto, I will not go back on my word. I will not allow my emotions to interfere with the mission."
She had promised someone to protect Shenzhou. In her current broken state, she could only rely on Otto.
"Then that is for the best." A smile blossomed on Rita's charming face once more. "After all, I have no desire to be Master Fu Hua's enemy."
"Miss Rita is being too modest," Fu Hua said seriously, taking another sip of tea. "Your strength may not necessarily be inferior to mine."
"One knows one's own limits." Rita smiled and pushed a plate of cookies toward her. "Please, have some cookies, Master Fu Hua. Otherwise, if the 'medicine' takes effect too soon, I would be quite impolite."
"As I thought." Fu Hua took a cookie and ate it.
The tea was indeed "spiked." In fact, the moment she drank it, she had sensed something was wrong. It wasn't the taste, but rather her absolute mastery over her own body; she could feel a slight, creeping sluggishness.
"Master Fu Hua is truly gentle—drinking the tea even while knowing it was problematic." Rita ate a cookie as well, using herself as bait by drinking her own specially prepared "sleeping tea."
"It is the foundation of mutual trust, after all." Fu Hua stood up. "I shall treat it as Miss Rita's way of helping me sleep. To be honest, I haven't been sleeping well lately."
Realizing she couldn't glean any more information from Rita, she prepared to leave. Though the location was secluded, there was always a chance a student might stumble upon them. If they were seen, it would only fuel more rumors about her and Rita.
"If I could help you, then I have at least done one good deed." Rita didn't hesitate to play along. Seizing the topic, she asked, "Speaking of sleep, I wonder how much Master Fu Hua knows about that 'Lord Luo Hong' from the dreamscape?"
"Luo Hong?" At the mention of the name, Fu Hua felt a slight headache coming on. After a thorough investigation, she had confirmed that the man left no trace in this world. In other words, Theresa and the others truly had a remarkable "dream." More importantly, during her training sessions with Mei, she could feel Mei's genuine progress. This was a power that allowed one to train within a dream. She strongly suspected his true identity was—
"If I am not mistaken, he should be... the Herrscher of Sentience!"
Though she had warned Theresa and the others to be cautious, she had temporarily relaxed after seeing that he had no intention of harming them and was genuinely helping Mei. Of course, if she ever met Luo Hong herself, she would not show mercy. While she was no longer in a state where she felt compelled to slay every "demon" on sight, she would at least neutralize a Herrscher.
"The Herrscher of Sentience?" Rita looked thoughtful. She nodded and smiled. "That is indeed a plausible guess. However, for him to sneak into St. Freya so undetectably, taking the consciousness of Master Theresa and the others every night right under our noses... he is truly impressive."
In other words, she didn't think that was the complete truth. At the very least, her careful inspection of Theresa's room hadn't revealed even a trace of Honkai energy. If she hadn't seen Theresa's odd behavior with her own eyes, she wouldn't even be sure Luo Hong existed. Before coming here, she had assumed "Luo Hong" was a diversion created by the academy.
"The Herrscher of Sentience deals with consciousness; they aren't that easy to observe," Fu Hua replied. "But I will investigate. Rest assured." With that, she left the courtyard.
"Truly formidable..." Once Fu Hua was out of sight, Rita's tense posture finally relaxed. To be honest, Fu Hua looked like she was full of openings, yet Rita felt that if she were to strike, she would be the one to lose. She had been on edge throughout the entire conversation. While she had known Fu Hua in the past, Fu Hua had been with Theresa for so long that the possibility of "defection" couldn't be ruled out.
Even Rita herself felt her heart softening during her time here; she even hoped Otto wouldn't send her any more missions. This really is a wonderful place. She stood up and looked around the academy. "If only Master Durandal were here too." It felt almost perfect.
Luo Hong's Territory.
Currently, the four people at the game table had their faces covered in "O"s, "X"s, and even "Cheng" (tally marks). The innocent Seele didn't quite understand the meaning of that last symbol. Since they couldn't gamble with money, they used symbols on their faces instead.
"Oh?" Sensing someone's arrival, Luo Hong's expression turned peculiar. He summoned the Fu Xuan NPC. "Seele, you guys play for a bit. I'll be right back." He then teleported away.
"Ah... this..." Watching Luo Hong leave and the Fu Xuan NPC take his place, Qingque felt her heart skip a beat. Playing Celestial Jade with the Master Diviner felt like a mountain of pressure was crushing her.
Fortunately, she was a master of self-adjustment—Wait, this is the perfect time to draw a turtle on Master Fu Xuan's face! The thought actually filled her with excitement.
As the game continued, she noticed Seele seemed a bit distracted. "It's okay," she smiled, seeing Seele's concern. "That guy probably saw someone new arrive and rushed off to meet them. He'll likely bring a new friend back soon." Knowing Luo Hong, that was almost certainly the case.
"N-no... Seele isn't worried about Brother Luo Hong." Her voice lacked conviction. She quickly added, "I was just wondering... Big Sis Bronya hasn't 'logged on' for a whole day. Can she handle the mental strain?"
In their time, it was already the second day. Qingque had only just "logged on" herself.
"The CEO is busy trying to save you, so naturally she's giving it her all. Don't worry too much." Veliona played her tiles with a calm expression, though she too felt a twinge of concern. She just wasn't as transparent as Seele.
"About that... you really don't need to worry," Qingque chimed in. "After Luo Hong refreshes the state of our bodies here, our physical bodies outside are synced up too.""So all those minor hidden ailments are gone, and you wake up feeling more refreshed than ever. Going a day or two without sleep isn't a problem at all."
In truth, Qingque only felt mentally weary; her body and spirit were in perfect condition. But if it had been her past self facing the mountain of work Fu Xuan assigned, she would have long since buckled under the pressure and quit. I might be a corporate slave, but you can't use me like this, can you? To avoid falling into Mara-struck status a few years early, she definitely would have resigned in a heartbeat!
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Seele let out a small sigh of relief. At the same time, she felt a surge of anticipation for reuniting with Bronya in the real world.
"Then Seele can rest easy."
"Now then—" Qingque's lips curled into a teasing smirk. "Is little Seele starting to worry about what her Brother Luo Hong is up to?"
After spending last night together, she had grown quite close to the two Seeles. Thus, she could throw out teases like this quite naturally.
"Ugh!" As expected, Seele immediately pursed her crimson lips. After a long pause, she stammered, "I-I am a little curious."
"You'll find out soon enough. For now, let's just focus on the game."
Qingque had no intention of suggesting Seele go look for him. She was terrified of ruining whatever "good business" Luo Hong was currently attending to—if she did, she'd be the one in deep trouble. Right now, her priority was to keep Seele calm so she could claim credit from Luo Hong later.
"Mm..." Seele nodded. Though she tried her best to focus, her mind kept drifting away every now and then.
Meanwhile, the man she was worrying about was currently...
"The person who 'logged on' is actually..." Luo Hong's expression turned peculiar as he looked at the curvaceous, graceful young woman before him. "Hua?"
In the status of the "Jingwei" NPC, it now displayed [Logged On: Hua].
"Who are you?" Facing the man who had suddenly appeared before her, Jingwei... or rather, Hua, showed clear signs of wariness. "Do you know me?"
"Of course I do." Luo Hong snapped his fingers, transporting Hua from the beach to a cafe. (The Jingwei NPC usually loved watching the sea.) "Your original self in the outside world is my wife."
"What?" A visible "earthquake" shook Hua's eyes. "P-please don't make such jokes..."
Despite her words, she couldn't find a trace of a lie in his tone. After all—all Valkyries are my wives! With such a conviction, Luo Hong naturally didn't feel like he was lying.
"I understand this is a huge shock to you. But that was the choice of your original self; you don't need to worry about it." He gave a gentle laugh and introduced himself. "My name is Luo Hong, the Lord of this realm. You likely heard the system's explanation when you entered, so I won't repeat it. But since your original self is my wife, I'll answer one question for you—you can ask anything."
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Honkai Mod:Everyone is an NPC! (160 Chapters, Ongoing)
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He looked at Hua with a warm, affectionate gaze, his eyes full of deep emotion.
"..." Faced with that look, Hua instinctively averted her eyes, unable to meet his gaze. I-is he my husb... no, my original self's husband? Without a doubt, she wanted to probe further into that topic. But she felt that if she did, she might suffer an even greater shock.
"May I ask why I am here?" She took the coffee Luo Hong conjured. Under the stimulation of the bitter taste, she calmed down slightly. "One second ago, I should have been in the Elysian Realm, right? Or is this... also a place similar to the Elysian Realm?"
If she were just a copy of data, she could understand that.
"No," Luo Hong shook his head solemnly. "This is a real world, but it is not the Honkai world. You are here because your consciousness has entered this body. As for the Elysian Realm... I imagine your 'data' is still there, just in a temporary state of hibernation."
"I see... thank you for the answer." Hua nodded, then suddenly realized something. "Did I ask too much? What is the price for information here?" Having regained her composure, she realized she had been impolite; Luo Hong had only promised her one question.
"It's fine," Luo Hong smiled. "Just being able to talk to you again... no, that's not right, you aren't her. Anyway, being able to converse with Hua again makes me very happy. Let that be the 'price'."
He gazed at her with profound affection once more.
"..." Hua could only respond with silence. She had truly never experienced anything like this. But under his prolonged gaze, her face began to flush. A strange emotion she had never felt before began to sprout in her heart, spreading throughout her body.
"Forgive me... I must have startled you." Seeing her silence, Luo Hong's eyes filled with apology. "It's been so long since I've seen her... since I've seen Hua. I lost my composure. Please forgive me."
"N-no..." Hua shook her head. "Given your relationship with my original self, it... it's only natural. But is she—"
"She's alive," Luo Hong cut her off. He then took on a look of suppressed grief. "But because of Fenghuang Down, she has forgotten me."
"Is that so?" Hearing this, Hua managed to connect the dots. While Fenghuang Down was powerful, the price was steep; it required memories as fuel to unleash its full power. So... my original self forgot him? How tragic. No wonder he looks at me that way.
Thinking this, she relaxed considerably and allowed Luo Hong to look at her as he pleased.
"Then... what about this body?" In truth, she had felt uncomfortable the moment she arrived. The two "lumps of fat" on her chest felt incredibly cumbersome, making it difficult to maintain her balance as she used to, and even increasing air resistance.
"That's because of the preg—" As if realizing he'd misspoke, Luo Hong quickly cut himself off and said instead, "I mean, because of exercise."
"Exercise?" Hua obviously didn't buy that. "After I underwent the 'SWARA' (Divine Sound) experiment, my body began developing to adapt to Honkai energy. No matter how much I exercise, it shouldn't... develop like this. You... you're lying, aren't you?"
She looked at Luo Hong with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Err..." Like a child caught in a lie, Luo Hong appeared flustered. But since she had spotted the "hole" in his story, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I won't hide it from you anymore. The reason is exactly what you're thinking."
"Exactly what I'm thinking?" Hua tilted her head, recalling his slip of the tongue. 'That's because of the preg—'... 'Preg'... did he mean 'Pregnancy'? Only that could be related to these two masses on her chest! Her scarlet eyes widened, her face turned bright red, and a faint wisp of steam seemed to rise from her head.
"So..." After a long while, she looked at him with a complex gaze, but quickly looked away when their eyes met. Even someone as composed as her had limits!
"It failed." Seeing that she understood, Luo Hong was secretly delighted, but he shook his head with a look of helplessness. "After all, there was too much Honkai energy in your body. It wasn't good for the child."
"I see..." Hua didn't know whether to be happy or sad. In her distracted state, she didn't even notice that Luo Hong had stopped saying "your original self."
"But there's hope now." Luo Hong pumped a fist excitedly. "After my adjustments, this body is perfectly suited. There are no hidden injuries. You can definitely give birth to a healthy baby."
"Ugh!" Hearing him say it so bluntly, Hua's face turned even redder. This time, actual steam rose from her head. Luo Hong's words had effectively fried her brain's CPU.
"Wait... I phrased that poorly too." As if ignoring her state, Luo Hong continued to himself, "It's impossible to get pregnant in this world of mine anyway.""But if you take this body back to reality, then... no, I can't even get out of here right now."
Luo Hong shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. "Sigh... it seems the heavens just won't grant our wishes."
Seeing how genuine Luo Hong appeared, Hua became even more convinced of his story. After a moment of thought, she parted her crimson lips and asked, "Then... is there anything I can do?"
"You?" Luo Hong acted as if he were snapping out of a trance, then chuckled softly. "How could I possibly trouble you?"
"She and I are one and the same," Hua said, her expression solemn. She tried her best to remain composed to suppress the strange emotions stirring in her heart. "If there is anything I can help with, please do not hesitate to speak. Besides, I inadvertently asked you many questions just now; it is time I paid some kind of price."
"Is that so?" Luo Hong rubbed his chin, muttering to himself, "The physical stats are all fine now, but we haven't performed a 'stamina' test yet... no, I shouldn't bother her with something like that."
To be fair, he was muttering quite softly, but there was no way it would escape Hua's sharp ears.
"A stamina test?" Hearing this, Hua stood up and volunteered. "Then let me help you with the test! After all, this is my body as well; there shouldn't be any issues if I'm the one using it."
Upon hearing "stamina test," she naturally assumed it was something like Dr. Mobius's experiments—a test of the body's physical limits and strength.
However—
"Umm... are you sure?" Luo Hong looked at her with a peculiar expression and said tentatively, "When I say 'stamina' test... I mean a test for nurturing a new life."
"Ah...?" Hua froze in place, her mouth slightly agape. The snowy skin visible beneath her feathered robes flushed deep red, and her body began to radiate an incredible amount of heat.
"Heh, I won't trouble you with that then." Luo Hong chuckled and waved his hand. "I have friends waiting for me. Why don't you come over and play for a while? We don't need to mention this again."
Truthfully, he didn't want to "consume" Hua using only deception. Teasing her with a fake story was fine, but if things actually went that far, the nature of the act would change. He'd rather just use hypnosis from the start.
Therefore, he chose to skip the topic and led Hua to the game table. He did this intentionally; knowing Hua's personality, leaving the topic unresolved would cause it to take root in her mind, fermenting until it eventually exploded into intense emotion.
Sure enough, just as he predicted, the more he avoided the subject, the more Hua fixated on it. Standing behind Luo Hong, she watched his back, her mind racing. She clearly hadn't recovered from the previous conversation and was falling deeper into the trap.
The Elysian Realm.
"Is this... Jingwei?"
After entering the Elysian Realm, Ji Lin's first stop was naturally to see her old friend, Hua. However, she couldn't believe her eyes. Upon arriving at Hua's room, she saw the person lying on the bed was actually "Jingwei." She almost thought she had entered the wrong room—even though Jingwei was also Hua.
Furthermore, upon entering the realm, she naturally "encountered" Elysia.
"So cute!" Elysia's eyes sparkled as she looked at the sleeping Hua. She immediately went over, poking and pinching here and there. She especially made sure to "take care" of those two extra masses of fat on Hua's chest. After all, in five thousand years, she had never felt such softness on Hua.
"Err..." Seeing her old friend being treated this way, Ji Lin wanted to say something, but seeing that Elysia was such a beautiful and charming girl, she found it hard to speak up. Even Ji Lin herself had been "cuddled" quite a bit when she first met Elysia. Unlike Mei's later story, Ji Lin had been introduced by the twins, so Elysia treated her as one of her own from the start—and she definitely didn't hold back on the skinship!
Besides, if Elysia could find a way to touch Mei's horns, she certainly wasn't going to show mercy to a defenseless Hua in her Jingwei form.
"Ji Lin, do you know why this happened?" Elysia finally turned around and asked after she'd had her fun.
"Mm," Ji Lin nodded. "It's likely that Hua's consciousness has entered the Lord's world. In his world, only the Jingwei-form Hua exists, so the Hua here changed to match."
As she explained, Elysia grew visibly more excited. "That man really does have the power to revive us, doesn't he?"
Though Elysia had already seen the twins and Ji Lin, they were beings with real consciousness, whereas she and the others were technically just data. But after her physical contact with Hua just now, she was certain that Hua was currently a physical entity. In other words, Luo Hong had turned a piece of data into a real person. What kind of miracle was that?
"Yes," Ji Lin nodded again. "The Lord said that as long as he 'summons' you in that world, he can revive you. However... men are excluded."
"I can understand that." Elysia had already heard the reasons from the twins, and she didn't mind. If some people could be revived, how could she dare ask for more? I'm... looking forward to meeting you more and more!
The Elysian Realm Backend.
"Tch!" Danzhu clicked her tongue, her long white legs crossed and resting on the control console. She looked dissatisfied. "I wonder how that guy is treating Hua." She was watching everything in the realm through the backend monitors.
"Then go get some sleep," Cangxuan said from the other side, occupied with work. The memories she had extracted from Hua's memory-body were too vast; even for her, it would take a long time to sift through and find the useful parts. If she simply dumped everything into the real Fu Hua's mind, it would cause significant harm.
The main issue was that they couldn't wait for Fu Hua to enter Luo Hong's world naturally. Aside from the uncertainty of when he would summon her, even veterans like Kiana and Himeko hadn't entered his world yet! Therefore, Cangxuan had to use technical means to help Fu Hua remember her relationship with them from the Previous Era first. Only then would she believe them when they brought up the Ji Lin era.
"Is that... okay?" Danzhu said hesitantly, though she already started lowering her legs. Yesterday, she and Cangxuan had been too busy copying Hua's memories to sleep. Naturally, she hadn't seen Luo Hong yet.
"If you miss him, just go in. It's fine." Cangxuan didn't even look up; she knew exactly what her sister was thinking.
"I-I don't miss that guy!" Danzhu crossed her arms, disagreeing vehemently. "I'm just worried Hua will be tricked by him!"
"That's true too," Cangxuan replied, choosing not to push further. "Then go into the dream and see if she's been tricked."
"Err... okay." After a bit of fidgeting, Danzhu agreed to the plan. After waking up the newly rested Klein to take over, she found a place to lie down and quickly drifted into sleep.
"That girl..." Cangxuan whispered as she looked at the exhausted yet resigned Klein. "She could have woken up the Book of Fuxi for the shift, but she chose the fastest way just to see him... and she says she doesn't miss him?"
She pursed her lips and smiled openly. "To be honest... I miss him too." If the situation weren't so urgent, she would have slept too. Fortunately, Hua's memory-body periodically reset its memories to a certain point, so the data wasn't a full fifty thousand years' worth; otherwise, she really wouldn't be able to organize it. Her task should be finished in half a day.
Luo Hong's Territory.
"Oh?" Luo Hong, who was currently guiding Hua on how to play her tiles from behind her, let out a surprised sound.
"What is it?" Qingque asked curiously. "Another new person?"
"Not exactly." Luo Hong laughed. "I just didn't expect the day would come when one of those twins would enter alone." He quickly guessed the reason; with Hua here, the sisters outside must be anxious.
"Twins?" Qingque froze for a moment, then realized. "You mean the sisters, Cangxuan and Danzhu?"
Hua, who was sitting there, didn't wait for Luo Hong to answer. She turned around with a look of shock and anticipation. "Is it... the Cangxuan and Danzhu I know?" Because they had focused on setting a trap for Mobius, the twins had only met Elysia and hadn't seen Hua yet. Naturally, Hua was now quite excited."Mm."
Luo Hong nodded with a smile. "It's them."
"However, only Danzhu has 'logged on' for now. I imagine Cangxuan is still busy with something." With a snap of his fingers, he teleported Danzhu—who had been frantically searching the world for him—directly to their location.
"Hua, you haven't been tricked by him, have you?" The moment she arrived at Hua's side, Danzhu shot a wary look at Luo Hong.
"Tricked?" Hua froze for a second, then shook her head. "I didn't sense any lies in his words."
At least, not when she was focusing. However, Luo Hong had subsequently thrown out one shocking topic after another, leaving her no time to discern truth from fiction. Once she had accepted the first "fact" he presented, she found herself compelled to believe everything that followed.
"I see... that's good then." Hearing this, Danzhu finally relaxed. Most importantly, she didn't see that familiar look of lingering desire in Hua's eyes—the one she and her sister shared. In other words, Hua hadn't been "eaten" by Luo Hong yet.
She let out a secret sigh of relief. It was only then that she noticed the two Seeles at the game table. Looking at the innocent Seele, she couldn't help but worry: Did my sudden arrival just ruin his 'good business'? The thought made her feel a mix of nervousness and... anticipation.