204 So much for turning over a new leaf
Anime shows like "Cooking with Valkyrie" showcase amazing food that's become incredibly popular. Some restaurants even draw big crowds by offering the same dishes and desserts seen in these shows!
Thanks to the recent idol competition, the game Honkai Impact III has exploded in popularity. Fans in China are especially thrilled that Fu Hua won and can't wait for the special story arc about her character, Red Kite Immortal.
Everyone remembers how Mei gently took care of others as the "rice cooker" of the competition, and that image has really stuck with players.
But in reality, if you actually know Mei at this point in the story...
"KI ~ A ~ NA! Dinner's ready! Come and get it!"
Mei skillfully unties her apron and sets it aside, her other hand balancing the freshly made dishes with practiced ease.
Mei's face had a slight chill to it as she spoke to Kiana, who was engrossed in her TV show. Lately, Kiana hadn't been her usual clingy self – there were way fewer hugs and playful touches. Plus, all that recent voice acting work had Mei feeling a bit off.
And now this "Cooking with Valkyrie" show, making it look like cooking was the only thing Mei did... A wave of unexplained annoyance washed over her.
"Is it just me, or has Mei become, like, totally different?" Kiana mumbled under her breath.
But under the pressure of the powerful Herrscher(Mei), she did not dare say a word.
Mei used to always have that warm smile, but now there was a coolness to her. It made Kiana hesitate before getting close, a nagging feeling that she'd get lectured if she did.
It was so weird. Did growing those extra horns really change her that much? Because... honestly, Kiana kinda do not like this version of Mei!
"Ugh, is it impossible to have both horns and a sweet personality?" Kiana grumbled to herself. "Don't worry, once I get used to this, Mei and I will figure out how to get rid of them together."
While her thoughts raced, Mei's hands didn't slow down one bit in the kitchen.
Even with Himeko's dorm getting more crowded lately, dinnertime always seemed to bring a chaotic kind of energy that Everyone secretly enjoyed.
Bronya shot Mei a quick look but said nothing, just focusing on her food.
After double-checking with Boss Luo Mo that this new side of Mei was normal, she had no plans to get mixed up in whatever they had going on. Bronya had her own problems to deal with!
For example, in this scene now,
"Seriously, Rozaliya? Everyone knows you're dying for a slice of cherry pie, just quit trying to steal my blueberry cake!"
"Aww, Liliya, don't be a scrooge. Just one little taste!" Rozaliya swiped a piece of Liliya's cake, and even though she got caught, she wasn't sorry. Instead, she started arguing with her.
Seele tried her best to calm them down, but her soft voice just wasn't cutting through the twin's noisy squabbling. "Uh-huh, Rozaliya, Liliya, don't start making trouble here."
[Seele, step aside.]
[Let me handle this. I'll whip them into shape.] An angry voice echoed in Seele's mind, ready to take over.
"ENOUGH!" Bronya slammed her hand on the table, the force making the dishes rattle. "Both of you, behave! " It was time to show these two troublemakers the true meaning of a big sister's authority.
Bronya's stern glare was enough to make the rambunctious vodka girl shrink back into her seat. Head lowered, They seemed to focus on her food at last.
This was their everyday life in the villa – happy and chaotic, with everyone together, bickering over the silliest of things.
But today, Fu Hua was missing. She'd gone to Cheng Lixue's hospital room early in the morning, armed with book of Fuxi. She hadn't done much except watch over Cheng Lixue quietly.
Fu Hua always carried a flicker of guilt when it came to Cheng Lixue.
It was a nagging, self-imposed burden that weighed on her heart. Sometimes she'd wonder if things would be better if Cheng Lixue had never met her, had never become her student. It seemed like a streak of bad luck followed Fu Hua, and those closest to her often got caught in the fallout.
In the quiet hush of St. Freya Academy's infirmary, a breeze danced through the open window, gently swaying the pale blue curtains.
On the pristine hospital bed, a girl slept fitfully, a faint frown on her face as if troubled by a nightmare.
At the foot of the bed, another figure slumbered – Fu Hua, having put aside her heavy thoughts for a moment, leaned forward on the bed and drifted into a light nap.
The girl's eyelashes fluttered, a flicker of pain crossing her sleeping face.
Her dream had turned back the clock to her childhood, to a time when her master held a spoon out to her, a spoonful of some green, bitter medicine hovering near her lips.
Yet, the master wore a gentle smile, and the girl trusted her completely.
She couldn't help but swallow, even while a strange unease settled within her. After all, this was the person she trusted above all others.
"Cheng Lixue, I brought different medicine this time."
The moment the juice touched her lips, a surge of dark energy pulsed through her, jolting her completely awake. She sprang to her feet, eyes wide.
"Whoa!" Cheng Lixue gasped, finally snapping out of the nightmare. A frantic search of the room confirmed it – no sign of those dreaded green bottles! Relief washed over her.
At this moment, she realized that she was awake and that it was just a dream.
It's just, Master... Cheng Lixue's eyes dimmed for a moment. Even if it wasn't a good dream, she still wanted to take another look at Fu Hua's face.
Just then, an odd heaviness settled over her legs, like something was pressing down on them...
She looked down to see soft, light-gray hair spilling across the blanket. The oversized, red-framed glasses seemed out of place, nearly hiding the girl's delicate features. She wore a simple, plain training uniform, the kind that couldn't bring out any of the girl's vibrancy.
—— But this outfit seems to be Fu Hua's favorite. In the academy, she always wears this outfit and becomes the monitor among her classmates.
A familiar face, but an outfit she'd never seen before, Still, Cheng Lixue recognized her in an instant. This was her master, the one she'd missed with aching intensity all these years. No one could ever take her place in Cheng Lixue's heart.
Her hand reached out, gently brushing against Fu Hua's face, almost afraid to believe this was real. Her fingers trembled – was it sickness, or the sheer force of the emotion?
But when she got close to her face, she hesitated again. Finally, she withdrew her hand, a small, almost sad smile curving her lips.
—— She has never seen the master look like this, with the tiredness and defenseless posture on her brows. Cheng Lixue didn't want to disturb this rare moment of peace for the woman she so admired.
Waking up last time had been a blur, a hazy memory of agreeing to follow her master. It all felt like a fever dream, the kind she longed for but never quite believed in.
Now, the realization hit her like a wave: this was real. She had been brought back from the burning chaos of the battlefield, from bone-chilling cold, from her final moments during the Second Honkai Eruption.
Somehow, she wasn't afraid, wasn't consumed by worry over the state of the world. With her master here, surely everything would be alright.
As for herself, her body was weak, many parts ached slightly, and the bitter taste in her mouth was difficult to get rid of, but her life was once again in her hands, so real that she wanted to keep it.
What now? What was she supposed to do?
Cheng Lixue realized she'd resigned herself to death on the battlefield.
All those regrets, all those unfulfilled desires had bubbled up... and yet now, faced with a second chance, she felt utterly lost. It was like setting down a heavy burden after carrying it so long, only to find your hands empty, searching for something else to hold.
She didn't even know how much time had passed since she'd been... asleep? Whatever word you used for her state of being.
With her most important person by her side, all the worries and anxieties seemed to fade away.
The weight of her past – the expectations, the battles, the fear – they didn't seem so overwhelming anymore, Just gazing at her master's face brought a wave of peace unlike anything she'd felt in a long time.
She stretched out on the crisp white sheets, a deep sigh of relief escaping her lips. The warmth of the sunlight spilled across half the room, the moving shadow of a tree dancing across the foot of her bed. A gentle breeze tickled her ear, a comforting sensation.
Cheng Lixue tried to lift a hand, maybe to run her fingers through her hair.
Instead, she found her arms heavy as lead, her limbs numb. Even her hair felt sticky, matted – a harsh reminder that cleanliness was a luxury right now.
She couldn't help but scold; if she let the master see her current appearance, then the impression she would leave would be a bit bad.
She quickly dropped her hand from her tangled hair, surveying the rest of her body with a frown. She couldn't seem to move, and her legs felt oddly distant.
Just as she was steeling herself to meet her master's gaze, she realized a familiar figure was standing beside the bed. Short gray hair a bit tousled, red-rimmed glasses unable to completely hide the complex emotions in those eyes.
"Cheng Lixue," her master's voice was strained, tinged with a mix of relief and worry, "are you awake?"
"Yes, Master. It's been... a while," Cheng Lixue managed a smile, her usual respect shining through. "I'll spare your trouble this time."
It dawned on her then that her master must truly care for her, to stay so vigilantly by her bedside.
All those duties as a Valkyrie... Cheng Lixue had fulfilled them back on the battlefield. Being injured like this meant she could finally linger beside her master, like she had as a child. Of course, as long as her master didn't send her away...
"Well, there's a lot you need to know about what's happened..."
Fu Hua sat down closer to the bed, a thoughtful frown on her face as she considered where to begin.
One spoke with earnest care, the other listened intently, fighting against the exhaustion in her body.
"Wow, Master really has changed," Cheng Lixue's thoughts drifted as she listened.
"I don't remember her ever talking this much before. And those glasses... they don't quite suit her, not like the old stern look she used to have." She couldn't help but peek at her master's face, noticing every little change with quiet fascination.
...
Well, look who finally decided to show up! Luo Mo, back in the office today.
Surprise, surprise, he's actually working instead of chasing his next big payout. Apparently, he wants to stay in the loop about the company, make sure everyone still remembers who the boss is.
As for the upcoming story arc, honestly, he's not too excited. Sure, the modeling team did their homework – went all the way to Nagazora City to capture some authentic scenes.
Speaking of Nagazora, that place is still half in ruins. They've been struggling with reconstruction, especially with stray Honkai Beasts still wandering the area. Schicksal's got the whole place blocked off.
Funny how our modeling team got in, huh? Maybe it helps to have a Schicksal Valkyrie on the payroll...
Luo Mo sat at his desk, sifting through system reports and organizing his thoughts.
[Congratulations to the host Side Story: "The First Idol War" has been completed.]
[Congratulations to the host for the extra chapter: "Cooking with Valkyrie" has been completed.]
[Due to the special nature of this module, positions are not counted, and the number of crystals is halved.]
[Number of crystals: 14521]
Although I don't know why, [Valkyrie's dining table] anime is also included in the event. Maybe it's because the plot characters are relatively involved...
He wasn't sure why "Cooking with Valkyrie" even counted towards the event – maybe enough characters were involved somehow? Still, even with the crystal cut, Luo Mo wasn't complaining. That project was practically outsourced anyway.
Overall, the crystal haul from the event seemed disappointing.
The idol competition and "Cooking with Valkyrie" had sucked up a lot of resources.
He clicked around, frowning as he realized just how much smaller the rewards were for regular chapters compared to the main story.
Honestly, the main storyline has a terrible return on investment. It's a massive resource drain, and adding more people to it barely moves the needle!
It's way smarter for us to have some teams focus on these smaller offshoot stories. More content overall means a wider audience, which is a win-win.
Luo Mo knows he has to keep the game exciting. Even though Schicksal and Anti-Entropy control most of the market, they need to make sure they're giving players enough to keep them hooked.
Well-planned events don't just attract new players – they get the old-timers excited again. Plus, these events can sneakily set the stage for the big upcoming plot points. Talk about getting the most out of your efforts!
Is all this effort even worth it? Now every player under the sun demands an animated cutscene, like it's some requirement to prove if your company actually delivers.
Most importantly, Luo Mo's been pushing this whole "warm and healing" image for the game. He can't go against his own branding now, can he?
Hey, cut him some slack! He's put on tons of those feel-good events. His reputation's totally built on heartwarming endings and reunions – hardly a dark plot in sight!
"Boss, we are ready. The most important short film of [Sinner's Elegy/Lament of the Fallen] in the main storyline has also been completed, and production on 'Honkai of Nations' and 'Strange Drifting' is done too."
Su Lu stepped out of the office, looking sharp in her secretary outfit. New glasses perched on her nose – probably trying to hide those dark circles, Luo Mo noticed.
He just glanced at her and said nothing. So much for turning over a new leaf... Well, whatever, that wasn't the priority right now.
If Su Lu could read his mind, she'd probably roll her eyes. Yeah, right, how can this game be so sickeningly sweet? She finally understood Luo Mo's sinister plan. All that hype for Mei's character was just a setup for a major downer later on.
Wait a second... was Kongming's storyline risky too? Su Lu pondered this silently, but kept on with her report, professional as always.
"Boss, you're serious about this? A Raven Stigmata piece for every main story chapter cleared? And players only get the Azure Empyrean BattleSuit after clearing the 'Shenzhou' arc AND giving the game a five-star rating?"
Luo Mo shot Su Lu a look that was half-amused, half-exasperated. He tapped the desk impatiently.
"Su Lu… we have to keep our promises. It's how we kept players hooked after the idol competition. Don't get fixated on short-term spending – player retention is king!"
"Haha." Su Luo smiled stiffly.
Was she ever worried about the company making money? Her salary stayed the same either way. It's just... this place was feeling more and more shady, That boss of theirs was practically sprinting down the villainous path.
Right now, Luo Mo had one thing on his mind.
If Kongming's whole storyline was part of Theresa's reward package, wouldn't that feel a bit unbalanced? After all, Theresa only placed third in the whole idol competition...
...Then again, should he even link Kongming and Theresa together? Maybe it's time for Theresa to get her own special reward.
Of course, with Raven in second place, that made things tricky...
Wait, hang on. Maybe the Raven's upcoming appearance in the main story could be considered her reward? Though, knowing Raven, she'd probably hate that idea!
