"Can I obtain points by freeloading off my own clones?"
Following An Xiu's inquiry, the System took a noticeably longer time to respond. Clearly, the AI was crunching the ethical implications of intra-self freeloading.
Fortunately, after a moment, the definitive answer echoed in his ears.
[Ding! Analysis complete... If the clone lacks self-awareness and is controlled manually by the Host or via System AI, points cannot be obtained. However, if the clone possesses self-awareness and the Host engages in 'soft rice' behavior with said clone, points can be granted.]
"Nice!"
With the System's confirmation, An Xiu felt a wave of relief and excitement.
Since the clones were 100% loyal to him, he could hug them, lean on them, and rely on them however he pleased. If he could live off his own clones, why would he ever bother going out and exhausting himself trying to find a woman to take care of him?
Of course, this only applied to beautiful female clones—though it's not like An Xiu would ever manifest an ugly clone to serve as his sugar mama anyway.
With all prerequisites confirmed, Anxiu immediately purchased the two discounted items from the store: Quantum State and Herrscher of Death/Rebirth Authority. Then, without hesitation, he opened the Avatar Fabrication interface.
"System, manifest clone."
Holding the powers of Quantumization and the Herrscher of Rebirth, An Xiu already knew exactly who he wanted to bring to life.
Seele!
Not the Seele from the Star Rail universe, and certainly not the "500,000 Mark" Seele. He wanted the girl from Honkai Impact 3rd—the one from Cocolia's Orphanage with a natural Stigma and a dual personality: Seele Vollerei.
Accompanied by the glow of the system's manifestation, a petite figure slowly appeared before An Xiu.
She had soft, blue-tinted short hair styled in a cute bob. She wore a blue and white dress, with slender, snow-white legs encased in deep blue stockings. Her fair skin held a faint, rosy glow, and a red Stigma marked her chest. Her azure eyes darted around with a hint of confusion and unease—until they landed on An Xiu. A sweet smile broke across her face.
"Big Brother An Xiu."
Hearing the girl's soft call, An Xiu took a deep breath, feeling a sense of absolute comfort wash over him.
Clones manifested through the system possessed the personality and memories of the original character; they were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. However, they also shared An Xiu's memories, meaning they knew the plot and were mentally linked to him in every situation.
Add to that the absolute loyalty and the fact that she would never betray him—she was the perfect companion that usually only existed in dreams.
For Anxiu—a man who'd never held a girlfriend's hand in his past life, who'd graduated straight into wage-slave drudgery—this moment hit harder than he'd expected. How could he not be excited now?
But there was one final step: granting Seele the abilities he bought so she would have the power to let him live an easy life.
"Seele, I'm going to give you some powers—and to the other Seele as well. No matter what happens next, don't be afraid."
Seele nodded obediently. "Mm, Seele will try her best not to be scared. And the other me... she says only children get scared of things like this."
"Actually, I don't think there's anything to fear. Here we go, Seele."
Using the system interface, An Xiu bestowed the power of Quantumization upon Seele. He then split the Authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth into two parts: Creation and Decay. He gave the power of Creation to Seele, while the power of Decay was granted to "Veliona"—the Stigma consciousness and Seele's second personality.
Since the two Seeles were essentially one entity, they could both use either power freely, unless they chose to manifest as two separate bodies.
"Alright, Seele, it's done. Do you feel anything special?" An Xiu asked, closing the interface.
"Mm... I feel a very powerful energy inside my body."
The Herrscher Authority wasn't just a skill—it came with a torrent of energy. In the Honkai world, that meant Honkai Energy. But since the system adapted these powers, here in the Jujutsu world, that energy manifested as pure, overwhelming cursed energy.
This massive power surged into Seele's body, centered on her Stigmata—growing by the second.
It was easy to foresee that over time, the total amount of Cursed Energy within her would become terrifying.
"Good. The power from my memories... it's back."
As the Cursed Energy continued to pour in, another figure appeared beside Seele. Her physical appearance was identical, but her outfit and hair color were the exact opposite—dominated by black and red. Her expression and aura were also entirely different.
If Seele felt gentle, soft, and approachable—the kind of girl who inspired instant affection—then the other Seele (Veliona) felt sharp, dominant, and intimidating.
Floating in mid-air as if weightless, like a ghost, she was surrounded by a terrifying aura of black-and-red Cursed Energy. Anyone who didn't know better would likely be scared half to death just by the sight of her.
Veliona hadn't appeared for no reason. With a casual wave of her hand, a ripple of black-red Cursed Energy surged out. Instantly, a piercing wail echoed through the room.
In the corner of the apartment, a tall figure—invisible to ordinary people—was instantly shredded and obliterated by the Cursed Energy. Only a small fragment of its body remained, writhing on the floor because Veliona had intentionally left it alive.
Meanwhile, Seele stepped forward lightly and placed a hand on An Xiu. A surge of Cursed Energy carrying the power of Creation flowed into his body. His vision shifted, allowing him to see the mangled remains of the deformed monster struggling in the corner.
"This... must be a Cursed Spirit of this world."
Ordinary people couldn't see them; only Jujutsu Sorcerers could. An Xiu had been a regular human until Seele's help allowed him to perceive the enemy.
"Probably drawn here by the surge of energy during materialization," Black Seele mused, hovering above the twitching remains. "How revolting."
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Since you've seen it, I'll make it disappear."
Black-red energy swallowed the fragment. In an instant, not even dust remained.
"Big Brother An Xiu is just a normal person right now. It's too dangerous if you can't see the Curses."
"But it's okay. Seele... will help Big Brother."
While Veliona was busy obliterating the Curse, Seele hadn't been idle. The Cursed Energy she injected into An Xiu—carrying the essence of Creation—didn't dissipate. Under her precise control, she used the power of Creation to fundamentally integrate with and reconstruct An Xiu's body.
An Xiu could feel his body becoming stronger, his senses also grew sharper. And deep within, something seemed to awaken—
—It was Cursed Energy!
Thanks to Seele's help, he'd not only gained perception of curses—he'd gained the power to wield them himself. And the amount... was far from trivial.