*BANG!*
Robin's bedroom door suddenly burst open without warning!
Lucian, wearing a loose bathrobe, rushed in at lightning speed, worried that his little bird and Acheron might have gotten into a fight.
However, the instant he saw what was happening inside, his movements froze completely.
Under the soft glow of the light, two beautiful figures seared themselves into his eyes.
Robin, like a startled little rabbit, spun around in panic.
At this moment, she wore a sheer, delicate babydoll negligee trimmed in violet, its bodice made of intricate white lace, supported by thin, ribbon-adorned straps.
A small violet bow rested at the center, while below the lace, a skirt of transparent chiffon floated lightly, barely concealing the matching minimal lingerie underneath, giving the entire outfit an airy, intimate lightness and making her pale skin look even whiter than snow.
Such an outfit barely covered her beautiful body, casting soft, hazy shadows beneath the light.
Robin had her hands instinctively crossed over her chest, while her gentle, bashful eyes, which usually brimmed with tenderness, were now wide open, filled with embarrassment and panic.
It was only natural, for this was her first time wearing an indecent outfit like this—it felt even more embarrassing than being naked.
Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out—she simply stood frozen in place as a breathtaking blush spread from her ears down her neck, coloring her bare shoulders and collarbones with a soft, rosy hue.
And standing beside her was Acheron, who was unexpectedly dressed in an outfit meant for the same kind of 'purpose,' though it was not the same babydoll negligee.
Lucian's gaze shifted toward Acheron with difficulty.
Now, the tall, purple-haired beauty was wrapped in a carefully arranged set of dark lace—with the bra, panties, and gartered lingerie trimmed with sheer patterns and faint ribbons, elegant rather than crude, while thigh-high stockings completed the silhouette.
A black choker with a faintly gleaming pendant rested at her throat, while two silk-black long gloves added an alluring visual tension—an outfit that felt intimate, controlled, and quietly provocative, all without a single word being spoken.
However, unlike Robin, Acheron's posture was the complete opposite.
Like a proud pine standing alone in a snowfield, she stood straight, arms relaxed at her sides, as the outfit showcased every curve of her slender waist, outlining her elegant yet powerful body.
On Acheron, the outfit strangely didn't look indecent at all, but instead carried a deadly sort of sexiness and beauty reminiscent of battle armor forged with care.
As always, Lucian's lucky pervert trait worked its magic again.
Acheron was bound to pay for watching him naked sooner or later—and now, not even an hour since then, the debt plus interest had been collected.
"You—!"
Acheron's pupils widened slightly, clearly not expecting Lucian to suddenly barge in like this.
She felt a sudden urge to draw her sword and slash the man standing in the doorway, but thankfully, reason still held her back—she couldn't just attack blindly.
However, she couldn't let him see her in this condition either, especially not while wearing such a ridiculous, indecent outfit.
In the end, after a single, frantic second of thought, Acheron grabbed the bedsheet, gave it a sharp pull, and threw it forward, making it float in midair as if supported by an invisible force, completely blocking Lucian's line of sight.
At last, there was a tiny sense of safety.
"Don't look right now!"
Robin exclaimed while covering her chest, her voice several pitches higher than usual.
"Alright, I'll wait in the living room."
Lucian replied calmly while raising both his hands, then turned around and walked away.
Given the situation, he could now declare the danger to be over since the two women hadn't fought.
It was he, the one who came to break up the fight, who ended up getting hit—the visual impact was nothing short of utter destruction.
A rush of heat shot from his feet straight to his head, making his ears ring.
Two contrasting yet equally stunning beauties wrapped in provocatively sexy outfits—that was far beyond the limit.
Could he handle it?
Of course, he could, though it needed some effort.
In the living room, Lucian sat on the sofa with his arms crossed, still unable to get the image out of his mind.
In the entire world of Honkai Star Rail, he must have been the only one blessed enough to see Acheron dressed like that directly with his own eyes.
Even losing ten years of his life would've been worth that one glimpse.
A few minutes later, the two women, having changed back into their normal clothes, came downstairs together and sat across from Lucian.
Acheron, however, rested her hand on her sword's hilt, looking like she might actually attack.
"You saw my body, I saw yours—we're even now."
Lucian reasoned with a calm expression, sounding natural and reasonable.
"You're an Emanator of Elation," Acheron responded coldly, her gaze sharpened. "Now that I think about it, you must be in cahoots with the Aeon of Elation, playing some vulgar prank on me."
Ever since meeting Lucian, she had sensed the powerful energy of the Elation Path within his body.
Such powerful energy was something only Emanators possessed, so even with half a brain, she could guess that he had close ties with Aha, considering that he was THEIR Emanator.
Given that, and considering Elation was known as a 'not-so-proper' Path, her 'accidental' walk into the bathroom, and Lucian's sudden intrusion into the bedroom couldn't possibly be coincidences.
"What do you mean by prank?" Robin asked curiously. "Aren't you his girlfriend? Why do you sound upset?"
Let alone being seen in that indecent outfit, even being seen naked by one's man wasn't that big of a deal, so why did Acheron get so worked up?
"Girlfriend?" Acheron raised her eyebrows and turned to Robin in confusion. "No, I'm not. Today's the first time I've even met him."
Upon hearing this, Robin quickly turned her head to Lucian in surprise.
Lucian looked back at her, equally confused, as if to say: 'Since when was Acheron my girlfriend?'
"..."
Silence fell over the living room, until—
"SO EMBARRASSING—!!!"
Robin's mortified shriek echoed faintly through the silent air before she dove straight into Lucian's arms to hide, like an ostrich burying its head in the ground.
Lucian looked down at the young woman in his embrace.
Her delicate face was now red enough to drip blood, and she looked ready to bury herself completely into the folds of his damp bathrobe, while her red ears trembled pitifully with every shaky breath.
He couldn't help but reach out and gently poke her burning ear.
"Silly bird, did you misunderstand?"
"Ugh... I thought she was your girlfriend... here to have your baby..."
At Lucian's question, Robin whimpered into his chest, burying her face even deeper as her shoulders began to shake slightly.
It was so humiliating!
Utterly humiliating!
She had actually put on a melodramatic 'main wife catching the mistress' act in front of a stranger—and had even shouted, 'I came first, wait your turn!'
'God, just kill me now!'
Robin screamed madly in her heart.
Lucian, at the same time, was half laughing and half helpless as he held the soft, overheated woman in his arms, for there was no way Acheron would ever come here to 'have a baby' with him.
How in the world had their first meeting turned into such an absurd misunderstanding?
Still, for Robin to mistake Acheron like that and then try on those 'spicy outfits' together afterward meant that, aside from her mother, she clearly didn't mind sharing him with other women.
Lucian looked up at Acheron, then spoke up.
"Believe it or not, that was purely an accident. My conscience is clear. Besides, you weren't really planning to attack me, so why put on the act?"
"Habit," Acheron replied bluntly. "I saw the innocence in your eyes—you truly didn't mean it."
As a Self-Annihilator, as well as an Emanator of Nihility, she could see through deceptions and glimpse hidden truths, after all.
Lucian nodded calmly, then his expression turned serious, losing his usual lazy playfulness.
"You came to me because Tiernan's been resurrected—you wanna know how. You think I have a way to counter the Nihility, don't you?"
"Yes," Acheron replied, nodding calmly. "So, do you?"
"Well, I can alter the fates of those touched by IX the Nihility..." Lucian replied confidently and casually, nodding in return. "And Tiernan's resurrection is the result of it."
Hearing this, Acheron's eyes brightened slightly.
"What's the price?"
"Serve me for three years," Lucian said while raising his hand, showing three fingers. "Within those three years, I'll make your wish come true. Fair deal, don't you think?"
As he spoke, the mischief that usually danced in his eyes was replaced by something else—a divine, unquestionable confidence.
Acheron looked straight into his eyes, and for the first time in ages, her still heart rippled faintly, just like a tiny stone dropped into an ancient lake.
One should know that she had wandered too long, searched too long.
Yes, Lucian's words were somewhat pretentious, yet somehow, they stirred a faint sense of hope in her heart.
Wasn't that very hope the reason she came here in the first place?
"..."
Just like that, the living room fell silent again.
Robin stole a glance at Acheron, her small hand unconsciously gripping Lucian's bathrobe even tighter. Even though she was still a little humiliated over the earlier misunderstanding, she would always, without hesitation, support Lucian's choices.
Finally, a few moments later, Acheron gave a slow nod.
"Alright..." Acheron said slowly, her voice clear and steady. "I'll serve you for three years within the bounds of my own principles. But if you deceive me..."
Needless to say, the rest were the usual threatening words one would expect to hear in such a vow.
Lucian only gave a calm smile.
He had a hunch that the Godly Script System would give him Acheron's script sooner or later—not because it was merely a simple hunch, but because, from the scripts he had obtained previously, he felt that although it claimed to distribute random scripts, the System seemed to be prioritizing a script that would benefit him the most at the time.
For example, he had obtained Fu Xuan's script when he was caught up in a scandal involving her, and later obtained Robin's script when he became deeply entangled in her kidnapping mess because of Aha.
Of course, this was nothing more than his own random guess.
Regardless, once he obtained Acheron's script, she would naturally become his follower, so revenge was not even something worth placing on the table.
Besides, he possessed various conceptual abilities that could render her terrifying power completely meaningless when used against him.
Yes, the Nihility could erase the effects of other Paths into nothingness, but when facing the conceptual abilities of the Godly Script System, it could do nothing except beg for mercy.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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