HI3: Previous Civilization

This was how Rin first met Fan.

From that day on, all three of Rin's daily meals were taken in the underground base. Compared to Sakura's cooking, the base's canteen offered a much wider variety, and it suited Rin's taste better anyway.

After that, Rin would occasionally step in front of Fan and vigorously recommend her big sister. She'd also encourage Sakura to go on the offensive, hoping her sister would snatch up the "brother-in-law" she'd handpicked. Sometimes she'd say things like:

"We're from the Far East—carving your feelings deep is our tradition."

"Don't hesitate, or you'll fail. Sis, you have to seize every opportunity to bring my brother-in-law home!"

"But don't worry—your adorable little sister will help you every step of the way."

Of course, each time she preached like this, the price was another thrashing. But she never learned better. And, by her repeated pestering, Rin did achieve some small successes in nudging her sister forward.

Rin: Sigh… (ε-(?д??))

"I swear, this family would be done for without me. My blockheaded sister finally took her first real step…"

…

As for now, Rin and Sakura were riding the elevator passageway back to the surface. Rin, clamped under Sakura's arm, let out a resigned sigh, eyeing her sister's blank expression.

"Sis, that was a perfect chance earlier. Ruoyin wasn't around, and if I'd quietly slipped away, you two could have had some time alone. But you just… sigh (ε-(?д??)). Besides, you always use beating me up as an excuse, which is kinda over the top, don't you think?"

Sakura heard her sister's complaints. Her usually icy face warmed with a subtle flush, showing how self-conscious she felt. She avoided Rin's gaze, turning her head away.

Seeing that reaction, Rin persisted softly:

"You're too shy, Sis. I've been telling you. A man chasing a woman is like climbing mountains—so tough! But a woman chasing a man is just a thin layer of gauze. If you'd just be bold and confess… well, given your looks and figure…"

At this point, Rin scanned Sakura from head to toe, hesitated, then remembered Ruoyin's flawless figure and lost a bit of confidence:

"...You probably… maybe… have a good chance…"

Silence enveloped the pair in the elevator. As it ascended, they emerged into the restroom of a supermarket—one of Dawn's properties. There were people out there who envied or resented their ventures, so a safe hidden exit was a necessity.

One after another, they exited the restroom. Sakura rushed ahead, while Rin, trailing behind, noticed her sister's brisk pace and covered her own mouth, giggling quietly. She was convinced that, with just a little more effort, she could help push her sister along.

Suddenly, Sakura halted. Rin was too distracted plotting her next move and smacked right into her sister's back. Sakura kept standing there stiffly.

"Ow!"

Rin rubbed her tender nose and complained, "Sis, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Sakura turned around, assumed a stern stance with arms akimbo, knitted her brows, and extended one hand in front of Rin. Her voice was serious:

"Rin, I just remembered something—didn't you have your final exam results posted today? Where's your report card? Hand it over, now."

"I almost let you slip away without noticing."

Rin's face grew visibly tense. She'd nearly fooled her sister this time, but apparently Sakura hadn't forgotten. Clearly, the old trick wasn't working anymore.

Trembling, Rin produced her report card, then squeezed her eyes shut, neck stiff, awaiting judgment.

Sakura's face remained impassive while she read over the grades. But after looking it through, she sighed, reached out, and patted Rin on the head.

"It's not bad at all. Better than last time—you at least passed every subject."

Hearing what amounted to praise, Rin's eyes went wide. She beamed in disbelief, an involuntary smile brightening her face.

She thought inwardly:

"Awesome! Getting that extra tutoring from Fan-nii was definitely the right move!"

Truth was, Fan had spoken to Sakura about how to handle Rin's studies—don't rely too heavily on force, try some healthy encouragement for a change, so they might see surprising results.

But inside, Fan had also sighed to himself: "I've never met a student so thickheaded."

He even understood better why the Cocoon of the End—that big eyeball—chose Rin as a potential Herrscher. If it had picked someone with a higher IQ, the first Herrscher might well have ended humanity outright.

Now, if Fan truly wanted, he could probably destroy an era. Though his newly formed Herrscher Core's power was somewhat limited, a black hole or two unleashed on present-day Earth would wipe it out. Meanwhile, the werewolf-cultivation method he distributed had led to some unexpected results—he somehow cultivated "Alien Energy."

He realized his body was a messy stew of forces: first the rotating magnetism from advanced physics, not yet at 100k or a million but at least ten thousand; then the local Herrscher Core from this world; and now an additional energy based on the Super Beast Armor setting, measured in black-hole or white-hole units. He was already at 0.8 black holes. Another 0.2, and he could theoretically assume a "combat form."

He wasn't sure why his power soared so quickly. But, well, being normal or not, that line had blurred a while ago. He wasn't some extremist like Pluto or Snow Emperor—still, if he could reach the "Nebula Form" before the full Honkai cataclysm, that'd be great. However, that was only wishful thinking. Early gains usually came fast, but powering up further required real effort. Reaching five black holes to achieve Nebula Form would be a long road.

He noticed his Alien Energy growth had begun slowing.

Yet now that he felt sufficiently able to defend himself, he started eyeing high-level missions in the system. After finishing the "welfare period" of daily quests, which had dropped from a 100 CrossOver Coin reward down to 10, and from 10 down to 1 with no extras, the freebies were meager. Still, free wool is free wool, so why not keep shaving it?

At present, Fan stuffed his System Space with weapons—artificial intelligence, survival gear, plenty of provisions. Initially, he'd planned to bring Ruoyin, but the system's clueless AI agent forbid it:

"Ruoyin already possesses genuine intelligence—she's a real living being, not an item purchased from the system. You can't take living creatures with you."

"Sigh… (ε-(?д??)) Looks like I'm going alone."

You might ask: "Couldn't he bring the store-bought robots along?"

The short answer: it might cause trouble. Those silly robots might wreak havoc in a new dimension. The existing Honkai World was chaotic enough without letting them loose somewhere else.

As for who would manage the base while he was gone, he'd leave that to Ruoyin.

He opened the System interface and scrolled to the bottom of the available missions list, ignoring the top-tier ones. Midway through, he spotted what he'd been craving: Mind Brand, Psychic Domination Device, that sort of thing. All B~A rank. Fan had no desire to tackle that yet.

So he tested the waters with a simpler quest:

Eliminate the Devourer Bugs.

World #9527's Will had detected Devourer Bugs infiltrating. The task was to seek them out and destroy them. (Note: Devourer Bugs love targeting individuals with strong destiny auras. After devouring them, they impersonate the victims, progressively consuming the entire world.) Danger rating: D~C. Reward: CrossOver Coins and a minor "World's Blessing" that slightly boosts luck.

Seeing that small luck bonus, Fan's eyes sparkled. He accepted right away.

Was he worried about leaving behind a base that might be swarmed by a future Herrscher? Absolutely not. A while back, he'd shared that "wolf-cultivation method." Maybe no one could master it to insane levels, but it should help them resist a Herrscher's mental invasion well enough.

Fan informed Ruoyin, "I'll visit another world for a few days. Don't worry; I'll be back soon."

(The system allowed up to a 1:100 time ratio for missions, so only "a few days" would pass in real time.)

He waved. "Ruoyin, see you in a few days."

While he spoke, a swirling vortex opened before him and, with a brief surge, swallowed him up. Then it compressed in a mini-explosion, vanishing on the spot.

Ruoyin lifted the hem of her dress and bowed gracefully toward the empty air. "May fortune be with you, Master."

Within the time-tunnel, a pop-up advertisement offered an "Energy Preservation Device"—exactly the cost of his leftover coins. Grimacing, he spent them. A moment later, the portal sealed.

After he vanished, Ruoyin gazed at the spot for a little while longer, then used internal commands to distribute his final instructions throughout the base. Finally, she fetched a chair and settled not far from where he'd disappeared, quietly waiting for his return.