Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

Cheng Xing stood on the deck and heard a long-lost sound.

[Long time no see. Looks like you're captain again.]

His tone seemed to be filled with a strange sarcasm.

"Long time no see, it seems your injury has healed."

[Thanks to you! At least it's no longer affecting normal operation, so a full repair will still take some time, but it's functioning normally for now. By the way, you're getting closer and closer to my initial requirements, and closer and closer to having complete control over the power of concepts... I'm afraid it won't be long before we have to say goodbye.]

"goodbye?"

[Yes, now that things have come to this, I won't hide anything from you anymore. I chose you, starting a story, and the story will naturally have an ending. When you grasp the concept, when you completely grasp a concept, that will be the end of the story.]

[I initially thought that since you were synchronizing with a thousand Herrschers for the first time, your understanding of concepts would lean more towards domination, clones, or other strange ideas. However, I didn't expect that after activating the alternative conditions while on the verge of death, you would synchronize as Fiddlesticks, causing your concept of fear to become increasingly familiar.]

[You've even managed to divide the power of fear, creating another version of yourself to achieve your goals... You're getting closer and closer to truly mastering fear... When you can completely rid your heart of the last remaining fears, you will have truly mastered fear.]

[When that time comes, my duties as a system will come to an end. So I'm saying goodbye in advance, so that we won't not even have a chance to say goodbye later, right?]

Cheng Xing was speechless at this moment. He recalled his first time traveling through time and finding himself in that bathroom, feeling lost and helpless.

She recalled the despair and helplessness she felt after discovering she had transmigrated to a broken world, and the excitement and joy she felt after learning she had a system.

I recalled the time when my mind was affected, and how I felt inexplicably saddened despite having power.

He recalled the scene of being killed by the Herrscher of Thunder.

Many past events and memories inexplicably flooded his mind at this moment. He also recalled the time when he had various exchanges and complaints with the system.

Without the system, I wouldn't be who I am today. Without the system, I wouldn't have transmigrated. If I hadn't transmigrated, I'd probably be a recent college graduate, clueless about what to do and lost in this world.

Unlike now, I've experienced so many wonderful adventures, met many companions, and met my loved ones.

Although the word "lovers" is indeed very despicable.

"What will you do after this story ends?"

[I don't know. Perhaps I'll immediately assign him to another host to help him grasp the concept, or perhaps I'll mentor a junior system, allowing some failed systems to learn from my experience. Or maybe I'll modify my own computational program to become a completely new cheat code, helping others achieve a new goal… Who knows? So what do you plan to do after all this is over?]

"...Go home, take everyone I love home to meet my parents. That's all I can think of right now, even just going home is very difficult."

[Cheng Xing, this is probably the last simulation, isn't it?]

"Yes, this is probably the last time. In this simulation, no matter what time period I am, I can find the signpost to go back. And when I go back, that will be the time when the final battle begins."

[And according to your previous plans and arrangements, you will surely achieve my requirements in the very end, and the story will come to a close... Hmm, I'm still a little reluctant to see it end, but all good things must come to an end, and no adventure can be without a conclusion.]

[Ah, I've become a bit strange too. Maybe I've learned some emotions from you. I've gone from simply looking for fun to becoming more sentimental. Ugh, it makes me angry just thinking about it. You really made me lose my temper before! You lied to me in that world, and even caused such a big mess! I used to just want to have some fun, but now I'm acting really weird.]

I wonder if I'll be laughed at when I get back.

[I've said too much already, so let's begin our final simulation... This time, I won't use any fancy, high-sounding terms you wouldn't understand anyway. I'll just tell you the result directly.]

"On its way, to the storyline of Karen and Otto."

The last voice was an extremely soft female voice, a voice that was unfamiliar yet had a very familiar tone.

Upon hearing this sound, anyone can imagine this scene.

It was an endless grassland, a precious companion that wasn't particularly beautiful, yet made you feel a sense of warmth, as if you had grown up with it since childhood.

This is the kind of girl who gave you her usual smile.

"Cheng Xing, keep it up!"

"Yes, thank you."

Chapter 231: The Final Simulation

"Have you heard? The owners of that newly opened tavern are both from China."

"Really? Why would you leave your hometown and come all this way?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're here to spread their culture and knowledge. But those newly launched Chinese wines are really good. Shall we go have some later?"

"Of course, no problem. But have you forgotten that there's a dance party at your house tonight?"

"Oh! I almost forgot, thank you for reminding me, my dear friend."

Kim Bum's child walked along the road, looking somewhat uneasy at the white-haired girl leading the way, and said, "Karen, are we really going there? I heard that place is quite chaotic, it's not really appropriate for two little kids like us to go there."

"I'm really curious about what the people of Shenzhou are like, and why they came to our side. I'm really curious! Don't worry, Otto! As a knight of the Kaslana family, I will definitely protect you!"

Looking at the girl's bright smile, Otto could only sigh helplessly and follow closely behind her.

Two children arrived, and surprisingly, the tavern was not as dirty and noisy as described in the stories and novels.

There were no drunken adults arguing and shouting, no gamblers indulging in gambling and roaring, and no thugs who looked like they were just idlers and would obviously cause trouble.

The atmosphere here is very quiet. Even when people talk, they keep their voices low and slow, trying not to disturb others. Everyone, even the common people, abides by the rules here, which is really incredible.

The moment you step into this shop, it's as if some inexplicable force influences everyone's mind, making everyone more civilized and polite.

Incidentally, this shop has a very strange rule: anyone who hasn't bathed in a week is not allowed to enter the tavern... and this rule is clearly posted, yet no one comes to cause trouble.

When the two children entered the tavern, the patrons instinctively looked over, some with surprise.

"Do you two children need any help?"

The two children followed the gaze and saw a man who looked distinctly different from the others. His skin was yellowish, his hair was pure white, and his eyes were clear and bright. He was standing behind the bar, smiling at the two of them.

“Hello, boss! I am Karen Kaslana, and this is my good friend Otto Apocalypse. I heard that there is a tavern here run by people from China, so I came to check it out.”

Karen seemed very outgoing, while Otto was somewhat shy and shrank behind her, avoiding everyone's gaze.

The owner pointed to the seats in front of the bar, indicating that the two children should sit down. Then he took out two glasses of milk from behind and placed them on the bar, saying to the two children, "Now that you've satisfied your curiosity, drink this glass of milk and go home. Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol."

Karen looked at the pure white liquid in the transparent glass in front of her, and without thinking much, picked up the glass and gulped down the milk inside.

Otto stared at the transparent glass. As far as he knew, even the best quality glass that could be made so far could not be this transparent.

Moreover, a glass cup of this quality would be very valuable if sold on the market. Nobles would certainly not mind paying a high price to acquire a beautiful cup for themselves and display it at home.

My own father and brothers would definitely do that.

But this valuable cup is something that every customer can use. Doesn't he worry about it being stolen?

While Otto was curious, he couldn't help but start to take a closer look at the boss who always had a gentle smile on his face.

Just then, a dignified woman walked out from a wooden door behind the bar.

The woman was dressed in clothing from the Central Plains, holding a folding fan in her hand, with a snow-white animal skin draped over her shoulders, and a strange decoration on the bridge of her nose—a black, round object that obscured her eyes. Wouldn't that affect her vision?

The woman's hair was jet black and tied up, which, according to Otto's knowledge from family books, seemed to signify that she was already married in China.

In other words, this is the boss's wife.

"Cheng Xing, isn't it a bit strange to sell milk in a bar? How about we add Coke, Sprite, and Fanta... or maybe AD calcium milk?"

Otto looked bewildered because the woman was speaking Chinese.

Upon hearing this, the boss turned around, glanced at the scene helplessly, and said, "Hey, you're going even further than me."

"It's fine anyway, no one can come knocking on your door for copyright fees right now. If someone does dare to come, you can just kick them out. Right now, nobody is your match."

Although he couldn't understand the meaning behind their words, Otto thought that the boss and his wife both had very pleasant voices. The boss's voice always sounded so calm and gentle, like a priest who could listen to others' teachings and gently point out and guide them.

The proprietress's voice always sounds very warm and familiar, and it always reminds people of the first girl who made their heart flutter in their lives.

Thinking of this, Otto blushed slightly and glanced at Karen beside him. However, Karen didn't notice Otto's gaze at all. Instead, she raised her empty cup to the shopkeeper and said with a smile, "Boss! Another cup!"

The shop owner smiled helplessly, then took the milk container and poured Karen another glass of milk.

The proprietress watched Karen drink her milk and Otto shyly gaze at the girl beside him. Her eyes flickered slightly, then a mischievous smile appeared on her face. She took a bag of cookies from the cabinet behind her, placed it on the table, and said with a smile, "Little one, would you like some cookies?"

"miss you!"

Karen shouted loudly without any hesitation.

"Then tell your sister, besides your family, who is the most important and favorite person of the opposite sex to you?"

"It's Otto!"

Karen answered without any hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Otto's face immediately turned incredibly red, and he stretched out his hands to cover his burning face.

Cheng Xing looked helplessly at her smiling face and said, "So this is how you find fun now?"

Don't you find it interesting?

"System..." Cheng Xi said with a smile.

"You, you... don't go too far."

"Hey!"

Chapter 232: The System's Choice

At night, in Cheng Xing's bedroom, looking at Cheng Xi sitting opposite him, holding her phone, cracking sunflower seeds and grinning foolishly, Cheng Xing felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"It's right that you feel familiar with me. I myself created my personality based on your personality and how you act. Even my human body in the outside world is a feminized body created with your body as the model."

"So what I mainly want to ask is, why did you create a body for yourself to play with at this time?"

Cheng Xing still can't understand why his system suddenly turned into a human and had to spend this last simulation with him.

Cheng Xi put down the sunflower seeds and phone in her hand, raised her hands, and looked directly at Cheng Xing with the posture of a commander, saying, "Please, I am one of the first batch of systems. After a period of learning after leaving the factory, I came directly to assist the host. I haven't experienced any entertainment life yet. Anyway, this is the last simulation with you."

"Take advantage of this opportunity to experience life as much as possible. Who knows, my host might not even be human anymore in the future."

"Could you talk about the systems from your time, or some of your past stories?"

"There's not much to say, just some boring stories. As for the systems from the same batch as me, I don't know how they are now, we don't keep in touch... Of course, I'm here in this simulation in a human body for other reasons, but I won't tell you what they are. Who told you to lie to me and hide things from me before, making me so anxious? This time I'll let you experience it too."

Cheng Xi stopped talking to Cheng Xing and then took out her phone to look at something intently.

Cheng Xing rolled his eyes speechlessly, then lay down on the bed.

Although on the surface they are husband and wife, nothing actually happened between Cheng Xing and the system. When the system appeared in a human body, it told Cheng Xing that although the body it created was human, it could not be exactly the same as a human, which was a limitation.

To prevent some systems from simply abandoning their hosts and creating their own bodies to operate independently, no matter what kind of creature a system tries to imitate or what kind of body it creates for itself, that body will inevitably be imperfect and will not possess the various physiological functions of a normal organism. It may not even be able to taste food, feel pain, or react to various external stimuli.

It's just a machine with flesh and blood.