"I already told you, that guy was tougher-skinned than expected."
Jun An found Himeko's line of thinking quite exasperating. "Speaking of which, why are you so proactive about this sort of thing?"
Jun An noticed that, compared to Theresa's possessiveness, Himeko seemed more inclined to push Jun An towards others. She hadn't seemed to mind much regarding the Mobius situation, for instance.
Himeko replied with utmost seriousness, "As your mother... mm, your respectable, beloved mother who loves you to the bone, I naturally have to vet potential partners carefully!"
"Helia is an outstanding A-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal! Her background, status, and character are all top-tier selections by Schicksal! Even her looks are so beautiful! Marrying her would definitely be no loss, guaranteed satisfaction or your money back!"
An evil thought momentarily flashed through Jun An's mind...
"Ahem, alright, what's the real reason?"
"I realized it back on the warship. Theresa and I might not be able to handle you entirely. We need to find someone outside the Elysian Realm to help us share the pressure."
The 'battle' within the Helios – Jun An had won that one.
"You don't need to worry about things like that. Besides, it's not like I won't consider your physical condition."
Unlike Himeko and Theresa, who wouldn't stop until they were completely drained, Jun An wasn't like that. He then looked apologetically towards the slightly hesitant and uneasy Helia. "Sorry, Himeko's just got this quirk."
Among all the Valkyries, the one who mentioned sex most often was undoubtedly Himeko, whose life had been shortened by the immature Artificial Stigmata technology. She frequently advocated a philosophy of seizing pleasure while one could (carpe diem), a bad habit she hadn't dropped even now that her life wasn't in immediate danger.
Sometimes, Jun An even suspected: during the time she adopted him, if the Great Honkai Eruption hadn't brought forth a constant stream of Herrschers and Honkai Beasts, would Himeko have pinned him down long ago?
"It's alright. This is also Senior Himeko showing her approval of me."
Helia could definitely understand what Himeko was implying, her cheeks burning hot!
After all, this is the mother-in-law's approval!
Senior Himeko is the Captain's mother, and Overseer Theresa is also the Captain's mother. Her approval means Theresa approves too.
And Overseer Theresa is Lady Durandal's little aunt. That makes the Captain roughly Lady Durandal's male cousin (tangge). If I marry the Captain, wouldn't that make me Lady Durandal's older cousin's wife (biaosaozi)?
"I-if it's possible, I am willing to obey the arrangements and help Senior Himeko share the pressure!"
"Captain, you see..."
"See your head! You know the two of you aren't talking about the same thing."
Jun An decisively cut off Himeko, who looked like she was about to stir up trouble. "Alright, let's get things settled quickly. We need to head back soon."
Helia also looked somewhat disappointed. It seems the gentleman isn't interested in me. Right, he's only known me for less than an afternoon.
"Oh, right. Take this."
Jun An tossed his Xuanyuan Sword to Helia. "Consider it a first meeting gift. Just have Ai-chan handle the paperwork."
She was the protagonist of the second part, after all. Who knew what she might encounter in the future? Better give her a not-too-overpowered cheat item as support first, lest the increased difficulty gets her killed.
"Th-this... isn't this a Divine Key?!"
Helia stuttered as she caught the greatsword, which weighed over a hundred jin. Jun An had just given her the Tenth Divine Key!
Although it was a mass-produced Divine Key, considered the weakest among them all, after enduring the various great wars of the Previous Era and the ravages of the Current Era, only a few dozen had been unearthed from the Previous Era ruins.
Every single one required registration, and only veteran Valkyries like those in the Immortal Blades could requisition them – and even then, it was only a loan, requiring eventual return.
Currently, only a handful of people, including Fu Hua, possessed long-term ownership of a Xuanyuan Sword.
"I can't accept this!"
Helia quickly tried to push it back. "This gift is far too valuable!"
"This thing doesn't actually boost my combat power much, but it's different for you."
Jun An firmly pushed it back into her arms. "Just take it. Whether you can even wield it freely is another question entirely."
"...Right, let's exchange contact info too. In a while, I'll send you the complete version of the Sword of Taixu techniques. It's much better than that Valkyrie training manual."
Jun An took out his phone. Since his return was currently confidential, Jun An was using a burner account (xiaohao). "I'll teach you how to make Xuanyuan Sword take your shape... oh, I mean, understand the intent behind Sword of Taixu. I'll explain later."
Since he was giving her a cheat item, Jun An naturally planned to be thorough.
Helia, somewhat bewildered, also took out her device and dazedly added him on WeChat.
She had never imagined that a great hero like Jun An would not only gift her equipment but also actively ask for her contact information!
Helia wasn't exactly a naive young maiden anymore. She had heard whispers of such tactics – using training as a pretext to hit on someone!
And the Captain doing this... could it be because we don't know each other well yet, so he wants to get acquainted?
That makes sense too. Jumping straight to marriage and becoming Senior Durandal's sister-in-law is too fast. The process of getting to know each other is very important!
No, calm down, Helia!
Although I have the mother-in-law's approval, just in case, let's test the waters a bit more. What if he's just being genuinely kindhearted?
"Um, Captain..."
"Right, Helia, your warship should be here, correct?"
Jun An continued speaking as if to himself, "You can handle escorting these Lion Mercenary Group members back. All the merits can go on your record, is that okay? Because I have other business later, plus I really don't want to show my face or write reports."
Helia naturally didn't believe him. Who would give up merits just to avoid writing reports?!
"N-no problem!"
Helia's mind was already somewhat scrambled. "Um, uh... I guarantee mission completion!"
"Oh, good then."
Jun An immediately used his shadows to bundle up the entire group and unceremoniously dumped them on the ground.
The three MANTISes of the Lion Mercenary Group were all basically severely wounded.
The leader had been hit by his Sword of Taixu; the soul damage would likely keep him unconscious for seven or eight months, and if he didn't wake up properly, he'd become an imbecile. Chameleon had suffered heavy physical trauma and might even be in mortal danger. As for the last one (Anthony), Jun An had injected her with a portion of the just-acquired serum to prevent her from causing trouble, leaving her without the ability to resist.
The other miscellaneous Stigmata Awakener soldiers had also been beaten half to death by Jun An; Helia should basically be able to escort them back alone.
Besides, the flight time for a Schicksal warship from Africa to the European headquarters was less than a day. These individuals shouldn't be able to pull any tricks.
"Um, are you esteemed guests leaving now?"
Chief Atari approached cautiously and asked, "We've arranged a banquet. Would you perhaps stay a few more days so I can properly express my gratitude for your kindness? Also, I hoped you might tour our lands, to display our hospitality..."
Jun An had already demonstrated his power. Just having Schicksal superhumans like Jun An stand on the battlefield, even without them lifting a finger, would still massively boost her soldiers' morale.
Jun An saw through her little scheme but didn't particularly care.
He tossed the enemy chief (Snowdon) towards Atari. "Schicksal will supervise your negotiations to reach an agreement. You two work out the specific terms yourselves. As I said, I have other business."
"...Himeko, we don't have a branch office in South Africa, right?"
"Ah, no, we don't."
Himeko nodded. Since South Africa was mostly covered by Schicksal's European HQ jurisdiction, and because there was little profit, no branch had been established. They only occasionally came here for experiments.
Himeko quickly grasped Jun An's meaning. "Chief Atari, regarding cooperative matters related to Schicksal, we will send personnel over to discuss the details with you later. Would that be convenient?"
"Convenient! Extremely convenient! I will absolutely make time, no matter when!"
Atari was overjoyed. Although relying on these three demigods to reclaim her territory was impossible, establishing cooperation with Schicksal meant development would surely not be an issue!
And Schicksal happened to need to establish a branch in Africa, formerly controlled by World Serpent, precisely to prevent incidents like the World Serpent cult from recurring. Better to work with someone compliant than find someone new.
With matters settled, Jun An and Himeko bid farewell to Helia and immediately took the Helios back to the Elysian Realm.
During the trip, Himeko poked Jun An's side, her face full of gossip. "And you said you didn't like her?"
Jun An answered honestly, "Admiration and liking are two different things. Towards her, at most, I just covet her body (chan ta shenzi). Besides, she might not even be interested in me, right?"
"Captain, have you ever heard of those 'Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with Me' type novels?"
"Huh?"
"I thought you'd finally gotten the hint."
Himeko sighed regretfully, pulling the Captain into her embrace like a rag doll and kneading his face. "Forget it. This is fine too."
————
Elysian Realm
"Aponia, what did Mobius dream about? Why did she look so happy?"
Elysia, Mobius, Aponia – this strange trio had gathered together.
"Elysia, mind your own business regarding my affairs."
Mobius's slit pupils stared daggers at Aponia, seemingly warning her not to read her mind. Regrettably, her warning came too late.
Aponia looked at Mobius with a complex expression, responding with a wry smile conveyed through thought.
– Rest assured, Mobius. Having that kind of mindset is quite normal. Griseo often calls him that too, doesn't she? No need to be embarrassed...
Mobius flushed red with anger. My brain must have short-circuited from being pounded back then to use that kind of term!
And this Elysia! Fondling me while I slept was bad enough, but she actually wanted Aponia to peek into my lewd dream (O梦)! Luckily, I woke up early.
Since she couldn't prevent the mind-reading, Mobius changed tactics. "How about a transaction? Read my mind."
"Eh? Why like this?" Elysia looked slightly dissatisfied, watching the silent exchange of glances between the two.
Aponia was initially shocked, then smiled knowingly.
Mobius:
Aponia:
Mobius:
Aponia: "..."
After a moment, Mobius added:
Aponia: <...Why tell me?>
Mobius:
Aponia: <...You really do like Elysia very much.>
Mobius:
After a long silence, Aponia finally spoke aloud, "Alright. Deal."
Mobius then walked away with light, mincing steps. "Then I'll go repair my transport tool first."
Elysia watched their prolonged exchange of glances culminate in a single word, "Deal?"
Elysia pleaded with Aponia, "So, what did you two actually talk about? Please tell me, okay?"
Aponia simply stated calmly, "Nothing much. Just that Mobius wishes to return to reality, that's all. Rest assured, this time it will be in a manner harmless to everyone."