Gurgle... gurgle...
The instant noodles tumbling in the pot released a mouth-watering aroma, whetting one's appetite.
Li Xuan threw a whole sausage into the pot, and the smell of the food grew even richer. Looking at the instant noodles and sausage, Li Xuan felt as if he had returned to his pre-transmigration otaku life; everything was so familiar.
Except for the pink-haired girl with fox ears crouching by the pot, her chin propped on her hands and her eyes sparkling.
"Want some?" Li Xuan asked politely. Although he thought she might refuse, she had saved his life. Otherwise, he would have been digested into poop by now.
Ever since this girl, who could be human or youkai, had helped him take down the Honkai Beast, she had been following him around. In response to his thanks and questions, she remained a woman of few words. At least he had managed to learn her name: Yae Sakura.
As for the fox ears, hehe, Li Xuan had already accepted something as crazy as transmigrating into the Honkai world, what else couldn't he accept? He just wanted to say: WHO ELSE?!!
Ah, why are my eyes filled with the vicissitudes of life?!
"...Yes," the girl named Yae Sakura said.
Huh?! Li Xuan, who had been zoning out, snapped back to reality, looking at Yae Sakura with some surprise. Y-you want what?
"...I want to try the cuisine of a later era," Yae Sakura said with a deadpan expression.
In the end, the fox-eared girl held a bowl of Laotan Pickled Cabbage Beef Noodles and slurped it down with great enjoyment, showing none of her earlier ice-queen demeanor.
"...The taste of home," Yae Sakura said, licking the soup from the corner of her mouth.
"..." Lady, is your hometown a dedicated instant noodle factory? Li Xuan felt the prestige of her hometown plummet instantly.
Under Yae Sakura's gaze, Li Xuan picked up another bowl of noodles, ready to eat. After all, food is essential. He hadn't eaten all day, and after fighting that monster, he was so hungry his stomach was touching his back.
Clang!
Yae Sakura suddenly drew the sword she carried and slashed at the dumbfounded Li Xuan.
"..."
The bright blade, tinged with a pinkish glow, stopped just a centimeter from Li Xuan's nose. Impaled on its tip was the corpse of a mutated mosquito. Li Xuan's hands holding the bowl were warm, but his back was covered in a cold sweat. That slash had almost ruined his face.
The insects in this city had undergone minor mutations to survive; most had died from the Honkai energy. The mosquitoes had become smaller but much more aggressive. Unlike the long-lived Honkai Beasts and Honkai Zombies, their lifespans were even shorter.
He had witnessed her swordsmanship firsthand. On the way back, she killed Honkai Zombies as casually as if she were grocery shopping, with clean and efficient movements. In front of her, Honkai Zombies were like harmless cats and dogs. As for Honkai Beasts, they were at best slightly larger wolves that she could take down with a little flourish of her blade.
But if you're going to show off your sword skills, don't use a mosquito! Just swatting it with your hand would have been much cozier under the lights. Why resort to swords and blades? The whole scene instantly turned into a murder scene. Li Xuan silently complained in his heart.
"Yae Sakura, I'm going to bed first. Make yourself at home," Li Xuan said with a weak smile after finishing his noodles. He didn't wait for her reply and quickly slipped into his room.
"..." Yae Sakura silently watched Li Xuan walk into the room without saying a word.
Phew. Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief, feeling like he had just escaped with his life. He was actually quite helpless. She had saved him, so he couldn't just kick her out; that would be incredibly rude.
Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, Li Xuan thought.
His fingers fiddled with the silver ring, and the Gate of Vows appeared out of thin air in his right hand. Although he had nearly been killed by the Honkai Beast this time, the rewards were substantial. He had accumulated a total of two hundred and eighty Crystals. The Gate of Vows only required sixty Crystals for the first use, but from the second time onwards, it required two hundred and eighty.
Li Xuan carefully placed the Crystals onto the mirror-like surface of the gate, watching as the surface rippled and consumed them. He was filled with anticipation. After consuming two hundred and eighty Crystals, the Gate of Vows began to slowly glow with a golden light. Li Xuan leaned in closer, curious.
Suddenly, a golden beam of light shot up from the Gate of Vows, passed through the ceiling, and soared into the sky, seemingly piercing through heaven and earth. Li Xuan was blinded by the sudden golden light, completely unable to open his eyes.
Not far from Nagazora City, a massive battleship hovered in the sky over a thousand meters high.
"Academy Principal, a Honkai energy fluctuation similar to a Herrscher has been detected in Nagazora City!" a young girl in a crisp military uniform reported to the small figure in front of her.
At the same time, in an abandoned house. "Mei-senpai, ah~ open wide, let me feed you." The silver-haired girl, Kiana, said.
"That's alright, Kiana, I can do it myse—" Mei, dodging the attempt to be fed, turned her head and suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, Mei-senpai?" Kiana asked, puzzled by Mei's sudden look of horror. She followed Mei's gaze and saw a golden beam of light piercing the heavens in the distance outside the window. "Wh-what's that?" The girl was dumbfounded.
"This fluctuation is much stronger than last time," a black fox-like figure appeared behind Yae Sakura. It was unclear if she was speaking to the girl or to herself. "...Mmm."
(End of Chapter)