Author Notes:
Welp, it's another bit of GSS! Right of the bat, I can say for sure that I wasn't feeling too hot writing the new chapter. Mostly because I keep finding myself trying Ein's shoes, feeling the stark differences between a quite 'normal' world and something that is pure 40K-verse.
Those moments were pure whiplashes that even I, just a normal scribe, were left dizzy. Maybe because I put too much of myself in everything, but damn, I have no proper way to express it. Dramatic, is it not? But it's what I truly experienced.
That said, it's but a chill chapter, so don't forget to chill yourself, sit back, and enjoy it over a mug of recaf.
The Emperor protects.
https://www.patr-eon.com/Heartbreak117
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After a period of introduction and sharing information about the System, I soon came to learn that the Belkan Imperialis Chatroom now has a few newcomers, who are basically Master Hua and her immediate friends and first disciple. Apparently, the System takes it upon itself to invite all of them to the Chatroom, which gives them all a convenient tool of communication, no matter where they are. Similarly, it allows them a way to keep in touch with me and the Emperor, and to view my livestream whenever they're free. That said, what Master Hua and the others get is like a lite version of the System. They only have access to the usual inventory, status panel, and the Chatroom and its associated perks. And when we get to the part where the System actually negotiated with Master Hua on my behalf, I am told that the System showed them a version of their future, one with dire consequences had they not been lucky enough to come across the System and its offering. In exchange for the knowledge about the future, Master Hua must teach me her martial arts. Rejecting the offer means the System will wipe the knowledge from their mind, thus leading things in Master Hua's world back to their destined future. Obviously, such a future wasn't appealing to Master Hua because, other than her, Fuxi, Nuwa, and Xuanyuan would perish in a desperate battle. Having acquainted myself with all of them at this point, I can see why Master Hua is adamant about rejecting such an outcome. When Master Hua explains to me about the threat that this world faces, the Honkai, I find myself committing to one particular resolve.
"I will share with you all the rewards I can get from my Daily Logins. If you see anything that can help you without raising the threat level of the Honkai, then don't hesitate to tell me, sisters."
In the vision of the future, Master Hua and the others learned that the Honkai scales with the level of civilizations, always being one step ahead of the curve. Their original plan was to immediately implement the technologies and knowledge of the Previous Era of civilization in the current nascent one, which ultimately resulted in the spawning of a monster that could wipe out entire continents, something which would undoubtedly be too much for just one Master Hua and the budding nations of this world to contend with. As such, the Emperor concludes that, instead of focusing on empowering an entire civilization, it's much more feasible to strengthen only a select few, someone as Master Hua and Xuanyuan. And yes, while the Emperor introduced Herself via video call, a livestream of her own. Suffice to say, she has made an unforgettable impression, especially on Xuanyuan, who sees the Emperor as the epitome of beauty and grace. Not that anyone will disagree with her, honestly, but that's beside the point.
With Master Hua accepting me as her second disciple, the Emperor and I all agree that we will share whatever we can with Master Hua's side, whether it's the rewards from the System or specific technologies and armaments from the Emperor Herself. Fuxi and Nuwa perk up at the more technical aspects of the agreed-upon deal, but Master Hua and Xuanyuan seem much more interested in the martial knowledge of the Emperor. So, while Master Hua trains me, she will, in turn, be receiving the Wisdom of the Emperor Herself, something that people will be killing for, no doubt. As for why the Emperor can't just teach me, it's more because most of what she knows isn't very compatible with my squishy baseline human standards. I can only submit myself under the Emperor's tutelage when I graduate from Master Hua's entry lessons.
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Stepping inside the abode of Jingwei, a title which Master Hua is best known for by the common populace of the land of Shenzou, all because Nuwa is an avid enjoyer of fine culture, I am greeted with a well-furnished, but simply adorned home. The home, or mansion, is styled in the aesthetic of Ancient China, which is the current Shenzhou in this world. It has multiple personal quarters, a roomy kitchen, a lab, a forge, a dojo and its associated training areas, a couple of beautiful courtyards with a small pond, a hot spring, and finally, a large common area. There's also an underground bunker, apparently, which is built into the mountain itself, where Master Hua stashes the items from the Previous Era. And for those who still don't know by now, the Previous Era was wiped out by the Honkai menace, with Master Hua, the others, and the seedlings of humankind went under cryosleep to make it into the Current Era, where they now stand to rebuild a new human civilization. Only, the Honkai still loom over their head, ready to once again eliminate any vestige of humanity when the time comes.
Obviously, this really doesn't sit well with any of us, not me, and especially not the Emperor. It brings a smile to my face when Master Hua relaxes her tense shoulders when the Emperor pledges to help when the needs arise. Although with what Master Hua and the others know about the Imperium, they make it clear that they will not accept intrusive help, which is perfectly understandable for the Emperor and me. After all, who would want to experience the current version of the Imperium? Even those who are living in it right now find it hard to stomach and only begrudgingly get used to it so they can slowly turn everything back to the way it should be.
But I digress once again... Can you blame me, though? Walking down the well-kept path of Master Hua's home and seeing actually 'normal' things... These are all experiences and feelings that will take me some time to accept and reacquaint myself with. Perhaps sensing the complexity inside me, Master Hua and the others stay silent as they lead ahead. So used to the atmosphere of war and pollution of the 40K universe, I forget what it's like to be somewhere that is at peace and clean of impurity. I can't help but sigh forlornly, wishing that Mama and the rest back home could experience something like this at least once in their life.
When my feet take me to the edge of the crystal clear surface of the pond in the front courtyard, I stop for a moment to see the cool spring water cascading down the rock fountain. Believe it or not, this is the first time I have seen something like this in this second life of mine. I can't help but take a moment to appreciate the clear, natural sound that the spring makes.
"Ein." Master Hua rests a calming hand on my shoulder, sensing that I am falling behind, so she approaches me out of concern. "Are you alright?"
I really should get used to addressing her as sister or just her name in my mind, though, according to her wish.
"Sister Hua, I am just appreciating the view." I turn back to look at the refreshing pond. "Ain't nothing quite like this back home. The sea on Cadia isn't forgiving, and the lakes that we have are nowhere near this clean."
"... It sounds like a tough place. Cadia, I mean." Hua comments, not sure what else to say, by the look of it.
I smile wryly. A tinge of pride creeps into my voice as I say. "Cadia is a tough place, but it gives birth to tough people, soldiers on our very first breath. If anything, you need not fear me unable to follow any training regime you can cook up, sister Hua."
To my bold declaration, which is not at all without basis, Hua smiles with an intrigued gaze. "Knowing that you have something like Debuff Immunity, I am eager to see just how far you can progress under my teaching, Ein."
I nod, quite enthusiastic myself at the prospect of learning something new. "Speaking of Debuff Immunity, there's something I need to try which will concern all of you."
"We can do that once you're done settling in." Hua gives me a lookover from top to bottom. "Let's head inside; the others should have brought out the refreshments already... And you could use a warm dip in the spring, Ein."
Since there was no shower available on Installation 08, the best I could do was wipe myself off with a wet towel, which did little to clean my body off the dust and blood splatters. I literally look like I just went through No Man's Land.
"Sorry that I got the floor dirty." I say with a chuckle as I am led inside the living room after I left my boots outside on the veranda.
"Do not worry about it, Ein. We have Roombas for this." Hua looks at me with a small smile, gesturing to a corner of the living room where, indeed, a Roomba is at its charging station.
I have no idea how to react to a classical building using a futuristic Roomba, to be honest. "... That's nice."
Sitting by the marble table in the living room, Xuanyan waves at us with a cheery expression, with Fuxi and Nuwa nowhere to be found. Xuanyan then hops out of her chair, skipping over and holding her hands out. "Little sis, do you mind if I take care of your equipment for you?"
Xuanyan then looks to the side. "The storage room is just down that wing."
Hua nods as well. "Do you need help taking them off, Ein?"
Feeling that I can trust them, I shake my head with a smile. "Oh no, I can do it myself. It's best if sister Hua and Xuanyan do not touch the filth on my body. But... Do you all mind if I retain one of my weapons? It's a force of habit at this point."
Hua smiles kindly. "You can do what you want, Ein."
"Thank you, sister Hua." I give her a grateful look. It's always good to have a Laspistol on hand. "Senior sister, can you lead me to the storage area for these?"
Before Xuanyan can reply, however, Fuxi and Nuwa return, each carrying either a tray of tea or aromatic homemade dumplings.
"Ein~! We bring you some treats!" Nuwa cheerily says, holding up a large plate of Shenzour Baozi.
Fuxi nods along. "Once you regain some of your energy, you can go and freshen yourself up. I can only imagine just how bad you must be feeling after all the fighting."
Hua adds as well. "You can entrust your clothes to us for cleaning."
"And seeing that you are quite similar in size to me, I think my attire can fit you quite well, little sis!" Xuanyan says, excited at the prospect of dressing me up in her clothes, before unhesitatingly grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me from behind. "Come! Come! We must get you out of this depressing look and into something befitting of a disciple of Jingwei, a disciple of Mount Taixuan!"
Seeing me being pushed away with a wry expression, the remaining three in the room chuckle aloud. Honestly, I can see myself fitting quite well in the dynamic of this family of theirs.
[Emperor of Man: Other than training, don't forget to live and enjoy as well, Ein. Cherish this opportunity]
That's a given, Emperor, and thank you for suggesting that I take the plunge when I could.