[Elixir of Love · Vigor Enhancement (Medicine)]
[Upon consumption, the target will experience a significant increase in favor toward the player for a certain duration. At low initial favor, favor returns to baseline upon expiration and may drop sharply afterward. At high initial favor, favor is highly likely to be retained. Growth magnitude and duration vary based on intelligence and willpower.]
[This medicine additionally provides vigor enhancement: immediately restores substantial energy upon use, with energy recovery speed dramatically increased for the following ten hours.]
In most games, there exists one entity that stands utterly apart from every other character.
The player.
Beyond the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements—nothing describes such an existence better.
That's precisely why this potion registered as a "Failure Potion."
It was designed to target the player!
Even when Guinaifen threw them, the two Frost Sickles ultimately fixated on Liu Bai.
Of course, even if the player's special status didn't apply here, it wouldn't have mattered much. Whether the final target ended up being Guinaifen or Liu Bai made little difference in this particular case.
Still, normal people rarely used such drugs on Dead Soldiers.
Liu Bai himself had only tried it back then because… well, they looked pretty good. Super-short skirts, long pale legs—seemed a shame not to experiment.
And, unsurprisingly, it worked.
As Honkai-infected zombie-like entities, Dead Soldiers retained a degree of intelligence—enough to follow basic commands—but it barely surpassed that of pack animals like dogs or wolves.
Willpower? Zombies weren't exactly known for strong resolve.
Even a few splashed drops reaching their mouths could hold them for over ten minutes.
"Ah… ah…"
The two Frost Sickles pressed close, nuzzling against Liu Bai.
[Frost Sickle 1 has become a companion]
[Frost Sickle 2 has become a companion]
[Honkai Faction Favor Unlocked]
[Current Favor: -100 to -99 (To the Death)]
"Huh?"
Liu Bai blinked at the notification.
Honkai faction favor? That never existed before.
Was this a new condition added for joining the Honkai camp?
The standard way to join was simple: get infected once, then play shifted to something like a zombie-mode shooter.
Normally… if Honkai faction favor climbed too high… didn't that lead to becoming a Herrscher?
But he hadn't joined the Honkai faction yet—and the wording made it sound like Herrschers were born into it!
Hm… no point overthinking. Extra favor paths were always welcome.
A faint smile curved Liu Bai's lips.
"These… can I have them?"
He pointed at the massive scythes in the Frost Sickles' hands.
The Dead Soldier girls tilted their heads, as though pondering.
Liu Bai pointed again, then mimed gripping something.
"Ah! Ah!"
Understanding dawned. Without hesitation, both girls handed over their frost-radiating scythes.
[Frost Great Sickle (Weapon / Material)]
[Weapon wielded by advanced mutated Dead Soldier 'Frost Sickle.' Continuously emits chilling air. Even fragments are highly valuable; a complete scythe is priceless.]
Market price: 500,000g starting.
Yes—this was Liu Bai's crooked money-making route!
Next, he pointed at their clothing and mimed removing his own.
"What are you doing?!"
Guinaifen's face flushed crimson. She swung her waist-drum stick, bonking Liu Bai on the head.
"Even if they're monsters now, they're still—"
"Thirty thousand for their clothes."
"…"
Guinaifen wanted to lecture him: money isn't everything, merchants need morals.
But… thirty thousand.
She'd seen the vending machine prices earlier. Food alone cost a fortune here—currency felt even sturdier than credits.
Guinaifen thought: if someone offered 30,000 credits for the clothes on her back…
…She'd sell in a heartbeat. Only an idiot wouldn't.
"But still—you can't just make girls—well, girl-looking monsters—strip right in front of us!"
"Ah—! Ah!"
The two Frost Sickles bared their teeth at Guinaifen in clear threat. Without the scythes in Liu Bai's hands, they might have already attacked.
"Wah!" Guinaifen jumped. "Okay… I get it's weird to care about monster gender…"
"No problem. It just means your worldview is still normal." Liu Bai patted her shoulder comfortingly, then resumed the undressing mime toward the girls.
Before long, both Frost Sickles caught on and began removing their clothes.
Guinaifen: "…"
She'd hung out plenty with the Luofu street crowd after moving there, but those were always proper hangouts—never watching someone of the opposite sex strip alongside another opposite-sex friend!
Her "hanging out" maintained impeccable distance!
Guinaifen turned around silently.
Being thick-skinned as a performer and thick-skinned as an innocent maiden were two different things.
[Frost Dead Soldier Garb (Armor / Material)]
[Tough clothing constructed from frost-attribute Honkai energy. Extremely cold-resistant, heat-vulnerable. Highly valuable.]
[Frost-Emitting Underwear]
[Minimal fabric, yet carries stronger frost power and durability than the outer garb. As undergarments, they carry no odor—though coverage is minimal, offering almost zero defense. Not recommended for female wearers.]
"What did you even pick up—!"
Guinaifen spun back, hands over her eyes, peeking through fingers at the items in Liu Bai's hands—making her even more embarrassed.
"…I don't know why these drop either."
Liu Bai sounded genuinely puzzled. Normally, materials stopped at the outer garb.
"But Dead Soldier underwear being three-point style… cough. Anyway, just think of them as drops from mara-struck. Problem solved, right?"
"I… I'll try."
Framed that way, Guinaifen reconsidered. If mara-struck or Abundance folk were standing naked in front of her, would she blush?
No—she'd whack them with a stick!
—Though normal people also wouldn't strip mara-struck or Abundance folk in the first place!
"Ah, boss—behind you."
"Behind?"
Liu Bai's expression shifted at the warning.
Had the potion worn off already?
No way—it hadn't even been ten minutes!
Guinaifen stared past him, face twisting into something even stranger. "Careful… these two… um, monster ladies… look like they're about to pin you down?"
"Huh?"