Cough cough cough
Mei, choking on the black smoke mixed with the smell of gunpowder, covered her mouth and nose with her hands and pushed open the window.
The breeze blowing in from outside dispersed the smoke and dust lingering throughout the room.
Kiana, Theresa, Himeko, Fu Hua—except for Bronya, who reacted in time and summoned Project Bunny—were all coughing at that moment.
Looking around, everyone's face looked like that of a little cat, black and white with soot.
Breathing in the fresh air, Kiana, feeling reborn, let out a sigh of relief and then complained, "How can this stupid box explode?!"
As the one who opened it, Fu Hua also looked innocent at that moment.
She hadn't expected the box to explode upon being opened.
Fortunately, the explosion didn't seem to have any real killing power.
Although the sound was loud and there was a lot of smoke, no one was injured.
In addition, the box didn't seem to bring only a thunderous bang.
There was also...
A shiny silver dollar lying on the ground.
"Is this considered the unboxed item?"
With some doubt, Fu Hua checked the properties of the silver dollar.
[Shiny Ocean]
[The currency of a certain era in Shenzhou, with high collectible value]
Effect: When an enemy aims a gun at you, they automatically enter a state where they cannot fire.
If you say, "I bet there are no bullets in your gun," you may take the enemy's gun and shoot unconditionally.
With bullets: Owner of this currency automatically obtains the gun of the opponent.
Without bullets: The enemy enters a weakened state.
Note: The Era has not changed.
"?"
Looking at the silver dollar's properties, a giant question mark popped into Fu Hua's mind.
She recognized this currency—after all, she had spent a long time in Shenzhou.
But the properties were… strange.
"It's bad luck for a gun user to run into this."
As a battle-hardened warrior, Himeko made a slightly gloating remark after reading the silver dollar's effects.
"Most people who rely on guns are basically helpless in close combat. If they run into Fu Hua with this coin, they can't fire. Plus, there's the unconditional gun grab...
This thing is really a gun killer."
"This thing should be aimed at Grandpa…"
Theresa wasn't thinking about battle tactics but recalled the question in the Q&A space earlier.
She tried to picture the situation Fu Hua had been facing in the image.
Then Fu Hua said, "I bet there are no bullets in your gun."
As a result, Otto, who wanted to fire, couldn't shoot and had his gun taken directly by Fu Hua.
Hmm… if you think about it, could this be considered a change of era?
"…Even without a gun, Otto could've easily killed me in that heavily injured state."
Fu Hua understood this very clearly and shook her head slightly.
Whether or not she died by Otto's hands had nothing to do with him using Shamash.
If he wanted, Otto could've simply switched to another Divine Key—like Abyss Flower—to kill her.
Of course, if the disarming effect of this coin could cut off Otto's connection to Void Archives, then maybe, just maybe, it could have caught him off guard.
But it would only be a surprise. Nothing more.
"Next is your turn, Bronya."
As those words were said, everyone's eyes turned to Bronya.
After Fu Hua's explosive surprise box, Bronya's Houm box was the only unopened reward.
Prepared for this, Bronya nodded slightly.
She opened the Houm reward box.
Golden light burst forth.
A diamond-shaped orb surrounded by a glowing blue ring rolled out.
[Convergence of Fate]
[This is the seed of hope that lights up the starry sky. No matter how far apart, those destined to meet will reunite under the guidance of the Stone's glow.]
[A special item from another world, capable of binding fate.]
Effect 1: Summon the stars (not in service area)
Note: May you meet important people again.
The item's properties were clearly revealed.
But…
Judging by those properties…
It seemed kind of useless?
Looking at the only effect listed—"not in the service area"—Theresa couldn't help but complain, "What the hell do you mean 'not in the service area'?!"
Does that mean it's useless unless you're in another world?
Then what's the point of this item?!
Bronya remained calm and wasn't discouraged at all by what appeared to be junk.
Her gray eyes gazed quietly at the blue glow of Convergence of Fate, and a faint trace of joy could be seen.
Perhaps this was junk.
But judging by its appearance alone, Bronya was quite satisfied with it as an ornament.
Besides, the item description and its final message aligned with her own wishes.
After rescuing Seele from that place in the future, Bronya planned to give this to her as a gift.
She believed Seele would definitely like it.
Watching Bronya playing with the orb, Theresa let out a sigh with affection in her eyes.
"Well, at least it's pretty."
With all the boxes opened, Theresa didn't keep Kiana and the others in her office any longer.
"You all can go now. I have something to discuss with Himeko."
Naturally, Kiana and the others had no objections.
Fu Hua, however, stayed behind.
"I need to return to Shenzhou."
Seeing the puzzled look on Theresa's face, Fu Hua stated her purpose directly.
"You're going to awaken the ELF?"
Theresa could easily guess what Fu Hua planned to do—after all, she had been there during the earlier discussion.
She didn't object and nodded. "No problem. I'll have Himeko help you make the arrangements later."
"But you'll have to deal with grandpa yourself."
Since Fu Hua had come here as an undercover agent, Theresa believed Otto wouldn't be unprepared. Leaving her post without reason would definitely attract his attention.
"Yeah." Fu Hua nodded. She had already considered that.
Otto couldn't interfere with her too much anyway.
Her obedience to Otto was only part of their agreement.
Though it might feel unequal, the deal between Fu Hua and Otto was, in essence, balanced.
Apart from what Otto specifically requested or ordered, even if she carried it out, he couldn't control her. At most, he could only give a warning.
After Fu Hua left, only Himeko and Theresa remained in the office.
Having obtained so much critical information—and a few special rewards—from the Q&A space, they now had to begin discussing future plans and arrangements.