The more Qingque thought about it, the worse it seemed. She opened her mouth to warn them, but the words were swallowed back just as they reached her lips.
She acutely caught Fu Xuan's demeanor. It didn't look like the mental imbalance after touching the Heirloom Seal of the Realm. It wasn't much different from the trace of stubbornness that usually lingered between her brows. So, she felt relieved and went back to being her transparent little self.
"Your Excellency, regarding today's matter—"
Before Fu Xuan could finish speaking, Fuli, gazing at the horizon, said lazily, "Spare the mood-killing talk. It's late at night, isn't it nice to just enjoy the sea breeze?"
He casually extended his index finger, the tip carrying an imperceptible silver glow, and tapped it against the third eye swirling with starlight on the girl's forehead.
An invisible force flowed like spring water through Fu Xuan's petite body. She clearly felt that the restriction binding her power like shackles quietly disintegrated, melting away like ice and snow.
—Amatsu-mikaboshi: Four Rays of Rain: A binding form of the Setsuna Blade. It must hit the enemy's main body to take effect, temporarily suppressing all energy activity within the target. It can stack up to four layers.
Considering the possibility of her going berserk again after waking up was definitely not zero, Mei had originally planned to take more severe precautionary measures on the unconscious Fu Xuan. But she was stopped by the combined efforts of Fuli and Kiana. After compromising, they chose this relatively gentle method of restraint.
"I heard that within the territory of the Xianzhou Luofu, there is a super-massive ocean called the Scalegorge Waterscape." The big boy turned his head enthusiastically, the deep waves rolling beneath his feet. "Many Dragonborn led by the Vidyadhara live there. Is it very lively every day?"
"Not just Dragonborn, there are also Dragon Species."
Fu Xuan instinctively picked up the conversation, her delicate little face showing undisguised disgust. "And rather than saying it's lively, it's better to say it's raucous! Humanoid Dragonborn are fine, but those single-minded Dragon Species only know how to fight for territory, brawl, and reproduce all day long! It gets to the point where This Seat has to specially deploy Cloud Knights to watch over them, afraid they'll accidentally cause some Luofu-scale mess again!"
She counted on her fingers, her tone full of helplessness.
Dragonborn: Vidyadhara like Lingsha and Bailu; generally refers to humanoid inheritors of the Dragon race with intelligence.
Dragon Species: Non-humanoid draconic creatures. For example, in the previously mentioned "Seven Heavens World Bubble," the Seraphim, Satan, Angels, Dragons, and Great Serpents living in the Sixth Heaven (Jupiter Heaven).
As a nation with the Dragon as its totem, the Taixuan Front's relationship with the Dragon race is far closer than Schicksal's.
They even incorporate intelligent Dragonborn groups like the Vidyadhara into their national system, holding important positions in government departments. This is unlike Schicksal, which merely dispatches Knight Orders to sign contracts with the Dragon Species penned in the Jupiter Heaven, treating them as tools that provide power.
Once this chatterbox was opened, it was like a burst dam. Perhaps because she finally found someone to confide in, or perhaps the young body affected her thinking, amidst the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the rocks, Fu Xuan poured out the pent-up frustrations in her heart all at once, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
Beside them, Qingque was trembling with fear. Is this something a lowly Master Diviner like me should be listening to?
Fuli was also a bit embarrassed. At least half the things the General complained about could be linked to the Third Eruption.
Although World Bubbles like the Luofu are attached to the planet's surface, the parts that don't overlap are still wrapped in the Sea of Quanta.
A Great Eruption damages Earth's spatial barriers. Facing strangely shaped invaders like Imaginary Constructs, Borisin, Wingweavers, and Heliobi, the first to suffer the bad luck are people like them.
"That is how things are. Therefore," Fu Xuan's tone suddenly shifted, her golden eyes locking onto Fuli burningly, "regarding the Third Eruption, as someone who experienced it personally, does Your Excellency know any inside information?"
Fuli really wanted to say he did. The problem was that he had indeed made a deal with Cocolia back then.
That woman sent over an aerospace battleship and a large amount of looted ME Corp equipment in exchange for their group keeping tight-lipped about the matter.
Villains can naturally ignore agreements at will, but as a gentleman of upright character—
"You can focus your investigation on Cocolia of Anti-Entropy. I think she is inextricably linked to this matter!"
And so, "Little Fuli" sold that woman out without hesitation, showing not a trace of guilt on his face, even seeming a bit eager.
Hilarious. I swallowed my anger before because I lacked strength and couldn't handle that crazy woman throwing a fit.
With the current Hyperion, if I can't beat you, can't I run away?
Of course, the premise was that Anti-Entropy didn't deploy their two ultimate celestial suppression weapons—Arahato Unit 1 and Unit 2.
But those things required the approval of the Sovereign (Welt) and half the Executors to activate, so it wasn't a big problem.
Just in case, he added, "This is just my personal opinion, for your reference only."
Meaning: Don't push me to the front stage.
"Cocolia..."
Fu Xuan looked thoughtful. "Actually, we suspected long ago that she was related to the occurrence of the Third Eruption. The reason we haven't acted yet is—"
"Running for President, right?"
Regarding this development that didn't exist in the previous loop, Fuli also rubbed his forehead.
Don't look at how the President of North America gets assassinated every few days in history, or the dark jokes about Ford-brand battering rams and "open-mindedness."
That was North America and Anti-Entropy's internal struggle, a family matter. The moment an outsider dared to intervene, those startled birds would immediately abandon all prejudices and unite against the foreign threat.
"But speaking of Anti-Entropy, under the command of the Hyperion, there are two figures with deep ties to them," Fu Xuan crossed her arms, her tone playful. "Raiden Mei aside, Cocolia's daughter... Hmph, isn't Your Excellency afraid that one midnight, someone might chop off your head to claim credit?"
"I don't have the bad habit of abusing subordinates." Fuli curled his lips. "And stop trying to sow discord among the Hyperion members. We've all been through life and death together; we're the kind who can entrust our backs to each other."
Entrust backs!
Knowing full well what Fuli meant, Qingque's mind still immediately took the highway to the gutter.
Fu Xuan was relentless. "Based on less than half a year?"
Fuli emphasized, "The quality of relationships between people shouldn't be calculated by the accumulation of time."
"That is truly a pity."
The young woman's regret was palpable.
So the General is really trying to poach Little Brother Fuli, huh?
Qingque saw through Fu Xuan's thoughts sharply.
No wonder. Reaching the Critical-Class in half a year, with outstanding combat power—this potential was visibly astonishing.
What's more, he was a pure-blooded Shenzhou person and a compatible candidate for the "Primeval Lord of Heaven" divine seat. Any General of the Taixuan Front seeing him would be thrilled and try every means to scoop him into their own bowl.
For this, what harm was there in paying a small price?
Like marrying off a granddaughter like Yunli, marrying off a Master Diviner like Qingque, or... marrying off the General herself?
"But it was just winning one battle. Please don't get too carried away, Your Excellency."
Seeing that poaching was unsuccessful, Fu Xuan reverted to her lofty, tsundere demeanor.
"The treaty ultimately restricted This Seat's strength, and This Seat also held back during the battle. Otherwise, the moment Origin Strike: Star Shatter was launched, Your Excellency's head would have already been separated from your body."
These words sounded like she was trying to save face, but coming from her mouth, coupled with that "matter-of-fact" expression, it actually felt incredibly reasonable.
"I understand."
Fuli understood this too. If Fu Xuan's initial goal hadn't been to cut him in half but to inject Origin Strike: Star Shatter into his body and detonate it, heaven knows what would have happened next.
That aside, in his conversation with Qingque afterward, the pretty and lively Master Diviner patted her chest full of confidence, saying that in her prime, the General could simultaneously control eight Origin Strike: Star Shatters with ease. Coupled with formidable exotic arts like Qimen Dunjia, she was simply boundlessly strong.
For Fuli, this was a strange new world he hadn't touched in the previous loop.
Back then, when he was dragged into the Theater of Domination, he was only an A-Rank Limit-Breaker, lacking experience fighting powerhouses above the Critical-Class level.
If Fu Xuan could casually pull out an Origin Strike: Star Shatter that could not be interfered with, perceived, or defended against... what about the other S-Ranks?
Not to mention anything else, the "Trio" (Kiana, Mei, Bronya) of the previous loop were beautiful and cute in front of him, but what kind of terrifying pressure would they exert in front of enemies?
The journey of resting on past laurels ends here.
A complex emotion surged in the boy's heart, letting the sea breeze mess up his bangs.
"What? Struck down by This Seat's true strength?"
A slightly nasal, childish voice sounded in his ear, carrying an imperceptible trace of smugness.
"Not at all." Fuli's mouth twitched, showing Kiana's signature heartless smile. "No matter what, the one who won the battle against Your Majesty earlier was me."
"You! You are not allowed to call This Seat that again!"
Fu Xuan instantly bristled. Her small face flushed bright red, pointing at him in exasperation, as if hit in the face by a massive chunk of dark history.
"Sister Kallen should still have the battle recording, right?" Someone with bad intentions tilted his head in thought. "I'll have her copy one for me later. That's precious footage of the Hyperion King's first victory over the Luofu Emperor! I have to admire it a hundred times every morning when I wake up! Eh?"
"Wuu wuu wuu! This Seat will bite you to death!"
Hanging on his arm, Fu Xuan's speech was slurred as she bit him.
To break through that damn Gold Cloth, she even coated the inside of her mouth with a miniature layer of Origin Strike: Star Shatter.
"Ow, ow, ow! Easy, easy!"
Jumping three feet high, Fuli ran all over the deck shaking his arm, but he just couldn't shake off the stubbornly clinging little General.
By this time, the sky had brightened. The newborn morning sun flowed out slowly from the horizon like molten gold.
Ten thousand rays of golden light instantly spilled over the Hyperion's silver-white hull, coating the deck, railings, and the two chasing each other in a warm and dazzling layer of thin gold.
"Should I say, as expected of a predestined marriage?"
Leaning against the railing watching this scene, a smile played on Qingque's lips. "And it looks like the Master Div—she seems exceptionally fond of Little Brother Fuli."
As the saying goes: when one person does it, it's called cringe; when two people do it, it's called a mutual run towards each other.
The more she looked, the more she felt these two had the look of a married couple. They wouldn't even have to struggle over whose surname the child would take in the future.
Fuli's original surname was Fu (符), and even after changing it to Fuli (浮), they sounded exactly the same.
"Wait!"
Thinking of "Fu," the girl's expression changed slightly.
She remembered that the relationship between Celestial Immortal Phoenix and Fuli was also quite close. If this pairing really succeeded... would that count as the General cuckolding the Marshal, or... the other way around?
Even after staying up all night, Fu Xuan was still full of energy.
Since the reception room had been turned into ruins by the berserk Emperor, after enjoying the hearty breakfast provided by the Cat-Cakes, the group moved the negotiation location to Mei's ME Corp.
The ostensible reason was that it was convenient to display samples; the real reason was that Lady Mei was too lazy to move things.
Fu Xuan sat upright on a soft, high-tech sofa. She crossed her white-pantyhose-clad legs patterned with the Big Dipper, full of imposing presence.
Wearing sunglasses, Qingque stood like a loyal guard, hands folded in front of her, forcibly resisting the urge to yawn as she stood solemnly behind her.
"Before we get to the main topic, let us first discuss the compensation for This Seat's prior rudeness."
Smack!
Fu Xuan slapped the table. Her petite body leaned forward, her smile fierce, cute, and domineering. "This Seat has decided to hand over the cultivation method of Origin Strike: Star Shatter to you all. Would everyone on the Hyperion be satisfied with this compensation?"
Bronya, who had been sharpening her knife preparing to slaughter them on the price, was dumbfounded on the spot. In the contingency plans she had made earlier, the best possible result was exchanging for an A-Rank Mech.
Never underestimate that thing. As an ultimate war machine combining attack, defense, perception, and energy output, as long as the pilot was excellent enough, the top-tier mechs could absolutely unleash powerful combat capabilities approaching the Critical-Class level.
This was also the real reason why Anti-Entropy, which only became independent in the 1950s, could rise amidst Schicksal's step-by-step targeting, and even turn the tables for a period, going tit-for-tat with Schicksal while concurrently suppressing the Taixuan Front.
As a price, its manufacturing cost was extremely expensive. Even the "Big Five" UN nations didn't possess many, and on the dark web, they were priceless with no market.
The current Hyperion—not counting Kurikara, who couldn't be revealed to the public, and setting aside Mei, who claimed, "I am just a scientist and don't have strong power like you guys"—had a total of one Critical-Class (Fuli), and two A-Rank Limit-Breakers (Kiana and Bronya).
Even adding Kallen, who commanded the aerospace battleship, and the Cat-Cakes used for combat, they were still two to three Critical-Class combat powers short of being promoted to a Medium-sized Organization.
Therefore, Bronya had thought of exchanging for a Mech to fill the gap in high-end combat power. But Fu Xuan actually slapped the cultivation method of Origin Strike: Star Shatter directly on the table?
"Sister! You are my real sister!"
Didn't you see Fuli already hugging her? His eyes were so blazing hot he wished he could strip off those white pantyhose and kiss them fiercely!
"Mom!!!"
This Kiana was even more embarrassing, actually wanting to acknowledge a loli as her mother.
Hilarious. If you really let me pilot a Gundam, what's the harm in being Char Aznable a few dozen times?
Fortunately, as the Chief Financial Officer, Bronya still retained a shred of calmness.
She ordered Project Bunny to forcibly drag her embarrassing older brother and the brain-dead paramecium back from her side. She took a deep breath, her gaze sharp. "Then General, what is the price?"
Entering business mode, Fu Xuan slowly straightened out her wrinkled white pantyhose. Without answering, she smiled and pushed over a quaint jade tablet engraved with the mark of the Big Dipper.
Stepping forward at the right time, Qingque adjusted her sunglasses and announced in an emotionless, deadpan voice: "Following the edict of General Miao Jian, the bearer of this token may exchange it for one A-Rank Mech or individual armament from the Luofu Armory."
"Tsk!"
Bronya gritted her teeth.
Origin Strike: Star Shatter clearly had cultivation problems. Once chosen, they would definitely fall into the trap the other party had set in advance.
But letting her give it up was truly unwilling.
Not only her; the eyes of Fuli and Kiana beside her also burned with desire. Even deep in Mei's seemingly calm purple eyes, a trace of fluctuation flashed.
The air in the laboratory seemed to freeze instantly. Only the low hum of instruments operating could be heard.
The pungent smell of chemicals mixed with metal coolant heavily oppressed every breath.
After a long internal struggle, the young woman finally made her decision.
Her voice carried an imperceptible tremble:
"We choose—"
"Choose? What are you choosing?"
Opposite her, Fu Xuan seemed to have heard something strange. "Both of these are compensation for everyone!"
She tilted her head in apparent confusion, but the corners of her eyes held a perfectly timed teasing look. "Could you have misunderstood This Seat, thinking you had to choose one or the other between these two things?"