A Little Battle Tune.mp3
Our character Welt acts first, launching a basic attack: Gravity Suppression.
Effect: All enemy units have their Speed reduced by 60% to 70%, depending on their individual stats, and their action value is lowered.
Next, it's our characters' turn.
"Rules... are made to be broken!"
"Allow me to offer a blessing~"
"Slay them, O Divine Orb!"
"Disappear among the sea of butterflies, illusions of the past!"
"Time for the MVP screen~"
With the enemy's speed reduced, it's our turn again, and then our turn again... Battle over.
"Thank you all, my heroes, for saving a damsel in distress~"
Her voice was melodious and graceful, enough to sway the heart of anyone who heard it.
Tingyun placed her hands before her, her willowy waist swaying and hips gently swinging as she walked over on her long, snow-white legs.
"That's a nice thank you, but next time, let us say it! It's weird when you say it yourself!" March 7th couldn't help but retort.
"It's fine. Such small details aren't important."
The Stellaron-kin looked the charming and alluring foxian up and down and waved a casual hand, her gallant posture like that of a roving knight who rights wrongs wherever they go.
Her red lips pursed slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up in a small smile. Just as Tingyun was about to bow and introduce herself...
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two figures suddenly rushed forward, causing Tingyun's fox ears to twitch violently. She subconsciously stumbled back a few steps in alarm, her back hitting a shipping container as the smile on her face froze.
Similarly, the Cloud Knights, who had just breathed a sigh of relief thinking saviors had descended from the heavens, tensed up again at the sudden outburst from the two gray-haired individuals. They raised their weapons and became vigilant once more.
But when the Cloud Knights saw that their companions also looked utterly stunned, they were completely bewildered.
What was going on?
Was this group friend or foe?
"Y-You two...?"
The foxian lady's tail could be seen bristling slightly. She struggled to maintain the gentle smile on her face, looking nervously at the two gray-haired figures before her, both of whom had their heads lowered.
Tingyun was backed against the container. Stelle and Caelus each extended an arm—left and right, respectively—past her shoulders, slamming them against the container wall with a thud.
That's right, it was a classic kabedon!
Caelus felt that not a single Valkyrie in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd could compare to Stelle's tall stature. Her height, which surpassed that of most girls, was identical to Caelus's down to the last millimeter, making the kabedon look surprisingly harmonious.
The only thing slightly unusual was that both perpetrators of the kabedon had their heads lowered.
Stelle and Caelus squinted, their gazes fixed intently on the hem of Tingyun's trailing sash. As the fabric swayed, it revealed the triangle formed by the slight indentation and her tight shorts.
Within that triangular area, a peculiar golden light flickered in and out of view.
Normally, the number of crystals in a treasure chest could be judged by the intensity of its golden glow, but neither Stelle nor Caelus had ever seen light of this particular color before.
Their intuition, honed from opening hundreds of chests, told them that the crystals inside this one were absolutely, exceptionally abundant!
There was a 90% chance of it containing over a hundred crystals!
It was a treasure chest even rarer than the black-stockinged ones on Jarilo-VI.
It's just...
Stelle and Caelus tilted their heads in unison and looked at each other.
From a distance, it looked like a panty treasure chest, but upon closer inspection, it seemed less like a panty chest and more like an... abalone treasure chest.
[Lil' Caelus, what do we do?]
Stelle winked and waggled her eyebrows, and Caelus could clearly read the meaning conveyed by her expressive eyes.
Caelus twitched his brows.
[Same as always. May the best one win.]
Even at close range, he couldn't sense anything unusual, but right now, Caelus kind of wished the foxian beauty before him was a Lord Ravager.
[Alright, then bring it on, lil' Caelus!]
The Stellaron-kin was brimming with fighting spirit.
[I'm not letting you have this treasure chest!]
Their golden eyes blazed, and their gazes clashed with electric sparks.
Then, almost at the same time, they both raised their heads to look at Tingyun.
Caught in this bizarre situation, Tingyun was startled by their sudden upward glances. Their piercing stares made her recoil, pressing her entire body flat against the shipping container.
"Hey~ Surprise!"
Stelle flashed a debonair smile. At some point, she had cheekily placed a red rose between her teeth and was now waving cordially at Tingyun.
"My dear beautiful lady, there's an old saying on the Xianzhou: 'When a hero saves my life, I, a humble maiden, have no way to repay such kindness but to offer myself in marriage.' So, what do you think of me?"
As she spoke, Stelle theatrically swept back her gray bangs before speaking again in a deep, magnetic, and affectionate tone.
"?"
"??"
"???"
In an instant, the atmosphere grew tense. The silent port was filled with the sound of Alliance-style question marks, accompanied by a downpour of golden question marks from the sky.
[Welt, Express, Phone.jpg]
March 7th: (O_o)??
White Seele: ヽ(?Д?)?
Cloud Knights: Σ(′△｀)?!
Even Phantylia, who was playing the part of Tingyun, was dumbfounded, breaking character for a split second.
This gray-haired girl must be seriously crazy!
However, as a veteran actress, Phantylia quickly recovered.
Tingyun raised a sleeve to gently cover her mouth and let out a 'pfft' of laughter as if she'd been amused. Her narrow fox eyes crinkled, full of mirth.
"This benefactor of mine is quite amusing."
March 7th also snapped out of it and rushed forward to pull Stelle back. "What kind of crazy fit are you throwing now?"
"Ahem, she's got some issues up here. Don't mind her," March 7th said, pointing to her own head.
Although their friends on the Express believed in the existence of the mysterious items known as crystals, outsiders definitely wouldn't. So, it was better to pass it off as a mental problem.
Besides, when these two went wild, they were crazier than any ordinary psychiatric patient.
"My humble self is Tingyun, a delegate of the Sky-Faring Commission's merchants' guild on the Luofu. May I be so bold as to ask for the names of my esteemed benefactors?"
Tingyun merely smiled at March 7th's words, seemingly taking them as a joke, before asking her question with poise and politeness.
Her earnest attitude and formal wording made March 7th scratch her head in embarrassment. "Esteemed names and all that... you're being too polite. I'm March 7th, and this is Uncle Yang—I mean, Mr. Welt Yang."
"A pleasure, Miss Tingyun," Welt replied with a nod.
The Xianzhou information Dan Heng had provided beforehand stated that the Luofu was governed by seven commissions, with the Sky-Faring Commission overseeing navigation and trade.
It sounded like a department of transportation, but this was the Xianzhou Luofu, a hub of merchant ship activity. The Sky-Faring Commission's duties essentially meant they controlled one of the economic lifelines of the Xianzhou, a position of considerable power.
"And these are..."
"Bronya Zaychik."
"My name is Seele."
"I'm the Galactic Baseballer!" Stelle announced, the red rose still in her mouth as she shouldered her bat.
Incidentally, the red rose was a decorative item from Asta's return gift, which Stelle had stored in her dimensional inventory along with piles of other presents.
"And I am the Blazing Teens King."
Caelus performed a cool yo-yo combo to showcase his identity.
"Oh... the Baseballer and the King. Such heroic names," Tingyun praised with a light chuckle.
"Thank you all for your righteous assistance."
Tingyun spoke unhurriedly, a smile on her face, but her tone carried a hidden meaning.
"But there is one thing I don't understand. How did you all get in here? My ship was the last to dock, after which the Jade Gate was closed. The Sky-Faring Commission has completely sealed off the Starskiff Sea..."
"It's like this..."
Of course, this kind of negotiation was handled by the mature and reliable Welt.
Meanwhile, Caelus was secretly observing Tingyun's every move, wondering whether he should test her to find out her true nature.
The method for testing her was actually quite simple: launch a sneak attack when she wasn't looking and shoot her in the head.
If she dies, she's Tingyun. If she doesn't, she's Phantylia!
The only three problems were: what if he actually killed her?
What if he failed to kill her and forced Phantylia to reveal herself?
And what about the unopened treasure chest?
After serious consideration, Caelus decided this Russian-style test wouldn't work. He'd have to adapt his approach.
He'd wait for a dark and stormy night and send his Shadow Ninjas to probe her.
"So my benefactors are from the Astral Express. Alas, what unfortunate timing. An accident has occurred on the Xianzhou, and I'm afraid we cannot offer you proper hospitality."
"Whether you've come for sightseeing, medical treatment, or business, I fear you won't be able to do anything."
While Welt was talking with Tingyun, the Cloud Knight who had been healed by Seele and had guided them here regrouped with his comrades and was reporting the situation to his squad leader.
"What did you say!?"
The squad leader seemed to have heard something unbelievable and couldn't help but cry out in shock.
In the next second, Bronya and Seele felt a strong gaze fall upon them. Seele chuckled inwardly and handed control of her body over to White Seele.
Her fox ears twitched. Hearing the cry, Tingyun looked toward the sound. "Is something wrong?"
"Miss Tingyun!"
The squad leader was extremely excited and hurried over to report to Tingyun.
"The soldier who just returned to the squad had previously fallen to the Mara. He was successfully saved with the help of our benefactors. These two ladies even managed to save a soldier who was fully Mara-struck."
The squad leader, who had lifted his visor, looked at Bronya and Seele with reverence.
"What?"
"Is that true?"
"They saved someone from the Mara-struck state?"
Hearing this, the surrounding Cloud Knights were stunned silent for a moment before bursting into an uproar.
It was like someone on Earth hearing that a miracle doctor had cured terminal cancer or late-stage AIDS.
Even Tingyun's mouth fell open in surprise. Her gaze shifted to the alluring gray-haired beauty and the cute, navy-blue-haired girl.
"My two benefactors, is what this Cloud Knight brother said true?"
"It is true. However, in my opinion, it wasn't a cure, merely a postponement," Bronya said with a light laugh and a shake of her head.
"Even if it's just a postponement, I have never heard of anyone capable of saving a fully Mara-struck person. You are truly worthy of the title 'Nameless.'"
Tingyun's attitude became a few degrees more respectful as she extended an invitation:
"My esteemed benefactors, if you don't mind, you could accompany me to the Sky-Faring Commission to meet Lady Yukong as honored guests. Ah, Lady Yukong is the Helm Master of the Sky-Faring Commission."
"Very well."
Welt nodded in agreement. It was more appropriate to discuss the matter of the Stellaron directly with the higher-ups.
"Then please, follow me."
Tingyun swayed her fox tail, leading the way with a smile.
March 7th nudged Stelle and Caelus. "Why do I have a sense of deja vu? This feels a bit like the script from Jarilo-VI. We're not going to get mistaken for wanted criminals again, are we?"
"Maybe," Stelle said, still thinking about how to get to Tingyun.
"Isn't it normal for the protagonists to be wanted criminals?"
Caelus stroked his chin. Based on her appearance and behavior alone, he really couldn't see any flaws in Tingyun's performance.
If she really was a Lord Ravager, then her acting was truly superb!
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