"Good fortune's coming wishing you good fortune may good fortune bring joy and love?"
"Good fortune's coming our good fortune's coming riding good fortune, may we prosper across all four seas?"
It took him a full twenty minutes to shower. Caelus changed into a brand-new outfit that a master back on the Xianzhou had personally blessed for him.
He set the soaked, sun-dried, already-brewed tea leaves into the incense burner, lit them together with a specially made incense stick, and let the room fill with a strange, heady fragrance.
Hm?
Oh no.
Had he accidentally mixed in some novelty aphrodisiac incense?
Well. Should be fine. Probably.
Sincerity moves the spirits!
Caelus combed his hair into a mature, dignified style. At a glance, he looked every inch the handsome, worldly young man wreathed in a faint sacred aura — practically a monk of destiny.
"Timing of Heaven."
Caelus checked the date Qingque had sent him, slowly closed his eyes, and emptied his mind of all distraction, holding the pose of a transcendent being — waiting, amid the turning of stars and sun and moon, for that unfathomable instant when [Schicksal] itself would descend.
"Advantage of Earth."
Caelus arranged his cyber-gacha ritual array — a cross, paper talismans, a blessed Buddha statue... it cost nothing to believe in a little of everything, after all.
"Harmony of Man."
Ruan-Caelus sat nestled in Caelus's arms.
Meeting Ruan Mei in the Simulated Universe had been pure luck, which meant Ruan Mei herself was practically the embodiment of luck.
Caelus took a great big bite of Ruan-rice.
"When every auspicious sign has gathered as one, I shall dye the blue heavens with my fortune."
"I sacrifice my little brother's mighty thunder-fate, in exchange for a single miraculous pull."
Pointless effort?
Mysticism?
Superstition?
No, no, no — in a world where gods and demons truly existed, who cared about science?
Life needed a sense of ritual, and so did gacha pulls.
The more respect you showed to Luck, the more Luck would favor you in return.
Time trickled by, drop by drop, until the minute and second hands both landed on a certain mark, and Caelus's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open.
This — right now — was the peak moment of fortune!
"My turn! Draw!"
Caelus's will shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, instantly locking onto the floating interface in his mind — onto that enticing blue [Ten-Pull Wish] button.
His will came down.
2499 minus 1600.
There weren't many chances to trigger the big quests aboard the Express, but the occasional daily quest still popped up.
Not to mention the monthly card that gave 30 Crystals a day — just from that alone, seven days would net 210 Crystals.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
Radiant shooting stars, trailing streaks of light, came howling in from the far edge of space and time.
They tore through the void's darkness, carrying a heart-pounding whistle as they cut through the air.
Ching—!
A blazing, brilliant golden light — burning like molten metal, though not the metal itself — suddenly pierced through the blue sky and white clouds.
"Woohoo! Jackpot!!"
His serene, monk-like pose shattered in an instant. Caelus clutched tightly to the ravishing beauty in his arms, who had begun to sync with him in her own excitement.
"Ruan Mei, my superhero!"
Caelus didn't rush to tap that dazzling golden light.
Since luck had arrived and the gold card was in hand, why not treat it like unwrapping a gift, layer by layer — opening each shooting star one by one, savoring the thrill of the blind box.
First shooting star: three-star, HOMEI Chest.
Second shooting star: three-star, Twin Soul Shard.
Nothing worth mentioning there. His will slid toward the third star, the one glowing purple, and Caelus paused just slightly.
[Item: Eat My Salted Fish Cannon! (Pistol · Hand Cannon)]
[Rank: ★★★★]
[Effect:
Power of the Salted Fish: On hit, inflicts the Salted-Fish state on the enemy, reducing their damage dealt by 30% and increasing damage taken by 30%, for a duration based on the target's willpower.
Infinite Curing: Infinite ammo, plus a small boost to the weapon's base attack power.
Note: A European mole disguised as a fish — eat my cannon!]
"Oh? Now that's interesting."
Caelus examined the oddly shaped weapon in his hand.
The barrel was literally shaped like a wind-dried salted fish — and its fish-eye seemed to carry a faintly mocking glint.
"The stats aren't top-tier, but hey, infinite ammo — and this design..."
He hefted it, the corner of his mouth curling up.
"Distinctively ugly. I love it."
After playing with it and admiring it for a good while, Caelus finally moved on.
The next shooting star, glowing purple.
[Item: Character Card — Raiden Mei.]
[Rank: ★★★★]
"A character card, huh."
Caelus wasn't especially thrilled.
He already had more bodies than he had active battle slots for — even after stepping onto the Path of Propagation, which had boosted not just his propagation abilities but also given his willpower a solid upgrade, he should be breaking through to four active slots any moment now.
Still not enough, though!
Besides, it wasn't a bad thing to hand a body over to a 'stand-in' pilot from time to time.
It was a great way to deepen the bond, build up the relationship... and slack off a little too~
Rather than pull a brand-new character card, it was more practical to pull a powerful armor for a character he already had and unlock an Eidolon — a vertical power boost that actually mattered.
Then again.
Why did the character card's name only say Raiden Mei?
Where was the armor name?
Was it Truant, Assault, Truant, Truant — or was it Herrscher of Thunder, Origin?
The confusion vanished the moment Caelus tapped the star and her figure materialized before him.
The silhouette that filled his vision had a face of flawless, elegant refinement, lotus-smooth legs both plump and long, entirely sheathed in 30-denier black stockings that traced a breathtaking curve.
A black camisole clung to her crystalline, ice-pale skin, forming a striking contrast against a white off-shoulder top embroidered with delicate silver patterns — one that carried an almost aggressive sense of high fashion — and together they set off the proud, snow-soft peaks rising at her chest all the more strikingly.
A few light strokes of blue-violet, plus feathered accents adorning her chest, gave the whole ensemble a fashionable touch while still radiating an air of mysterious nobility.
"M-Mei... Auntie Mei?"
Caelus took a small breath and leaned back tactically.
The woman standing before him was, alongside Li Sushang, one of the two supreme deities who had ruled the Honkai Impact 3rd fanart tag for years running!
"But wait... didn't Honkai Impact 3rd only ever release the armor for younger Mei?"
Caelus voiced the key question without even thinking.
[Doesn't A Post-Honkai Odyssey count as part of the Honkai series? Just tell me — is Raiden Mei a playable character or not?]
The System's voice rang out, brimming with righteous confidence.
Caelus's gaze locked firmly onto the mature Auntie Mei before him, who exuded the ripe, seductive fragrance of a peach at its sweetest, and nodded firmly.
"Fair point!"
Absolutely flawless logic!
"And with this, I've finally unlocked the achievement for completing the original trio!"
Caelus let out a soft breath.
Later tonight, maybe it was time for an original trio party.
Li Sushang on his left hand, Auntie Mei on his right, and young Kiana-baby riding on top.
Even though Caelus's resistance to cute girls had been tempered to a formidable degree by now, that image still stirred a few ripples in his chest.
But the moment he thought about power level, that little spark of excitement cooled off just a bit.
The crux of the matter was this: while her combat experience and technique had been honed through a hundred battles, her very life essence had likewise been drained by the siphoning effect of the Herrscher of Finality's authority — leaving her strength roughly on par with Li Sushang, six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Whether in raw strength or in how well-endowed her prior armor was~
Just like with the White Comet, none of it would produce any qualitative change to Caelus's current power — it all came down to whether the stand-in AI piloting her was the young, inexperienced Mei, or the true, mature Auntie Mei.
If it was the latter, she couldn't serve as a main damage-dealer, but she'd make a fine support or strategist.
If it was the former, well — she'd probably just end up joining White Comet on warehouse-keeper duty in the... ahem, Valkyrie storage room, where nobody dared bother them.
No, this wouldn't do!
He couldn't let the little head take control from the big head.
Little head. Big head.
Come on, you two — pull yourselves together!
Caelus composed himself and tapped the next shooting star.
[Item: Character Card — Raiden Mei · Assault]
[Rank: ★★★★]
"What the— a double pull on Mei's card!?"
Caelus leaned back tactically again, so far this time he nearly lost his balance, and ended up just going with it and executing a clean backflip to land steadily.
The instant his feet touched down, a critical question hit him, and he immediately turned to the System.
"System, does this count as a separate character, or an Eidolon?"
[Same person, obviously it's an Eidolon.]
Bronie and Bronya were fundamentally different individuals, which was why they counted as separate bodies.
Caelus stared at the Eidolon Auntie Mei had just unlocked.
[Assault Soul Blade: Boundless Blade Sovereign]
Whoa, that name... truly worthy of Mei!
Caelus's brow twitched, and he immediately pressed on with the real question. "So... what about her physical form?"
Between youthful, energetic young Mei and mature, alluring Auntie Mei, surely any man would pick the latter without hesitation.
But Caelus, no longer some child, upheld the time-honored virtue of wanting everything.
[You can switch between them freely.]
The System's answer was concise and perfect, like heavenly music.
"Nice! Great design!"
Caelus gave a genuine thumbs-up to the empty air.
That feature was absurdly considerate!
Unlocking one Eidolon gave the Valkyrie a serious boost, from basic six-stat values all the way up to Herrscher authority.
The Authority of Thunder, once a fragile, one-time trump card that left her drained after a single burst, had now recovered to the strength and control of the moment a Herrscher first awakened.
And to think — Assault was just an ordinary four-star armor!
The value of this single Eidolon was practically equal to pulling the Herrscher of Thunder herself outright, with her base stats reinforced on top.
As for the Authority of Origin, it remained barely perceptible — it looked like he'd need to pull the actual Herrscher of Origin, or unlock more Eidolons, before that would ever unseal.
"Alright! Here comes the main event!"
Caelus rubbed his hands together, practically vibrating with anticipation, his gaze fixed entirely on the single, most dazzling golden star.
His will touched it. The golden light exploded outward.
[Weapon: Demonblade - Annihilation Blade]
[Rank: ★★★★★★]
[Description:
Delusion Annihilation: This blade is neither gold nor iron — it is an instrument that severs thought itself. Wherever its edge falls, it can cut away the wild delusions, malice, and obsessions growing in a target's heart. But the wielder's own mind must remain equally clear, or else they risk being consumed by the Annihilation dwelling within the blade.
Sever Gods and Demons Alike: In pursuit of the ultimate realm — the severing of both existence and non-existence — why should one cling to a blade with a fixed form?
The Annihilation Blade is the physical manifestation of that ideal.
Its edge ignores conventional physical and energy defenses alike, striking directly at the essence of existence.]
"...Demonblade - Annihilation Blade?"
Caelus blinked.
Such an unfamiliar name — he'd never even heard of this weapon before.
He checked its origin. Unsurprisingly, it came from Houkai Gakuen 2.
But...
"Why has the whole style of these weapon skill descriptions changed?"
Anyone unfamiliar with the context might mistake it for some high-fantasy epic.
[Ah, well, weapons above a certain rank get really hard to describe purely with numbers, you know. Want me to rewrite you a game-style version instead? The stats can't be fully quantified otherwise.]
"Let's see it."
Even though Caelus could already tell from the flavor text just how strong the Annihilation Blade was, there was no harm in looking anyway.
[There. Done.]
[Delusion Annihilation: Hold to charge, release a blade-qi slash. On hit, 60% chance to clear one of the enemy's skills (Thought-Severing effect), with a cap depending on the user.
Sever Gods and Demons Alike: Increases critical hit rate by 240%. Each thought severed from the opponent increases the power of every subsequent slash by 300% of the weapon's base attack, along with armor-piercing, shield-breaking, buff-reduction, anomaly-specific bonus damage, and a fixed portion of true damage.]
"..."
It was, admittedly, a lot clearer this way. It's just that...
Staring at the weapon's effects, Caelus fell silent.
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