Honkai Impact 3rd experience, starting with a thousand Herrschers

"Of course, if you're really that thirsty, I can add that function to your cup to give you some pleasure, although I won't feel anything myself, just think of it as using a cup."

Cheng Xing, who was drinking water at the time, almost sprayed all the water in his mouth onto the face of the system opposite him. Who did this guy learn his personality from? Why does he look so unserious?

Oh, so that was me back when I was a shut-in. Oh well, never mind.

Recalling how she used to be completely uninhibited when interacting with friends, saying whatever came to mind, Cheng Xing helplessly banged her head against the wall.

The name Cheng Xi was also given to the system by Cheng Xing. After all, any intelligent being walking in the world needs a name.

Of course, the system also criticized the name as being a bit awful, but she didn't refuse.

"Karen...I...I..."

"Hey Otto! I found a really beautiful place outside yesterday. The stars there are so dazzling at night! Let's go check it out!"

"it is good."

The sound coming from the phone brought Cheng Xing back to his senses. He turned around and saw Cheng Xi looking at her phone with the expression of an old man staring at it like an old man on the subway.

"Why is Otto such a coward! If he had just confessed when he was a kid, there wouldn't have been so many problems when he grew up. If he had just made a quick and direct move now, there wouldn't have been any vixens around when he grew up."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xing changed from lying face down on the bed to lying on his side, and then said with a speechless look, "What are you thinking? He's never received any positive support growing up, and his inferiority complex has always been there. How could he possibly confess so quickly? Besides, even if he confessed now, what if Karen said, 'I only see you as a friend'? Wouldn't that be terrible? Maintaining the status quo is probably the best choice for Otto, at least for him right now."

"Yeah, that's exactly what you're thinking. To avoid rejection, to avoid all sorts of mundane daily life issues in the future, to avoid future arguments and separations, so you simply choose not to get married or date, right?"

At this point, Cheng Xi said with a hint of amusement on her face, "I remember you swearing to your friends that you would never get married in your life, and even said that if a woman suddenly confessed to you in the future, it must be because she was physically attracted to you and wanted to have sex with you."

"He also said that if he ever falls in love, he will definitely treat everyone to a meal at a fancy hotel and loudly announce to his friends that he is an idiot... Maybe when you go back, you'll have to treat several tables and say it several times."

"...Ha, hahahaha...I can't hear you."

Cheng Xing lay down on the bed again, burying her face in the pillow, indicating that she couldn't hear anything.

Cheng Xi smiled as she looked at Cheng Xing, who was completely buried in the ground, and thought to herself.

"It's a pity that by then I might have already left and wouldn't be able to see what happens after you go back."

Once the guy had fallen asleep and the puppets were no longer looking at them, Cheng Xi got up from the other bed.

Then her body gradually produced various colored blocks and blurry mosaics, just like an NPC in a video game suddenly having a bug.

Otto lay under the tree, looking at the numerous stars in the sky. His mood, which had been slightly relieved because he hadn't confessed his feelings today, was now much calmer.

"Maybe it's not the right time yet. Karen and I are too young. Let's wait until we're older, and then I'll be brave enough to confess... What if Karen rejects me? Will she just distance herself from me?"

Young Otto was struggling internally when everything around him began to blur. Suddenly, a strange figure appeared in front of him, a feeling that Otto couldn't find the words to describe.

If a person from the future were to appear here, they would surely see a figure whose entire body appears to be made of mosaic, standing before the young, blond child.

"Do young inventors have a wish to fulfill?"

"You! Who are you?"

The child looked somewhat frightened.

"I am a devil from hell, and my favorite thing is to make deals with others. I can see your strong desire for something, so how about we make a deal? You don't have to give me an answer so quickly, because I know you will definitely call on me at some point in the future."

[Cheng Xing, I won't stand by and watch you launch that doomed plan.]

Chapter 233: Becoming a Disciple

"Devil...do you want my soul?"

Otto clutched his little skirt tightly, looking somewhat uneasy.

"No, your soul isn't particularly precious to me. I just need you to do something for me at some point, but you're not qualified yet."

"What can an ordinary person like me do to help a devil?"

"Of course, in this vast universe, no living being can guarantee that it is omniscient and omnipotent. No matter what kind of being it is, there are always some things that it needs help from others. And it just so happens that you are the most suitable person to do this."

"Now that we have made a contract, little Otto, you can ask me two questions, and I can answer them."

After hearing this, Otto hesitated for a long time before asking, "Will Karen... be happy in the future?"

"No, she'll die young later on, because she'll be sent to the execution ground and die because of some stupid guy's stupid actions."

Upon hearing this, Otto's eyes widened instantly. He then bit his lip tightly, his face turning deathly pale. He asked with a mixture of fear and anxiety, "How can I avoid that outcome?"

"...Make a capricious decision at the right time. At that time, you should think about yourself, not others. Only by becoming selfish enough can you avoid that outcome."

Yes, if Otto had completely disregarded Karen's wishes and entered into a marriage contract with her directly at that time, then that outcome would not have occurred.

If you become greedy enough, selfish enough, and crave more things, then you won't become the Otto of the future.

Hidden from the system's view, she revealed her usual joyful smile. If she were to tell Otto everything that would happen in the future, what changes would he make?

As for the fallacies arising from the alteration of time, such things no longer need to be cared about because of the complete exposure of the sincerity of existence. In any case, it was just a small episode in a leaf, and the tree, which has already regarded Cheng Xing as part of its child, will not care.

To the tree as a whole, a world is truly insignificant.

Otto returned to his room, looking somewhat dazed. After hearing the answer to the first question, he wondered why his future self hadn't gone to save Karen. But after a little thought, he realized that the foolish one must have been himself.

In the future, Karen will do something that touches the interests of the higher-ups and be sent to the execution ground. At that time, I must have done something that caused Karen to die in an accident on that day.

“Even if it infringes on interests, given Kallen’s status as a member of the Kaslana family, and my own status as a member of the Apocalypse family, as long as I form a marriage alliance with Kallen, my father, in order to completely control the knight family, will not allow Kallen to die.”

"But if that doesn't happen in the future, it's probably because Karen has clearly rejected me... So at that time, I will definitely try to break her out of the execution ground."

"At that time, I might have joined forces with the bandits outside to storm into the city and commit arson, murder, looting, and chaos. So I might have gone to save Karen at that time. But Karen would definitely not stand idly by and watch everyone get hurt, because she is a knight! She might have sacrificed herself in the battle to protect the people."

"And was I the reason that all of this came about?"

After thinking all night, Otto drew a conclusion from the fragmented information.

He would never change his mind. From the day he saw that girl's radiant smile, he knew that his feelings would never change in his entire life.

"I! I must change that future!"

Otto's face flushed with excitement, and because he hadn't slept all night, his already weak body, coupled with such intense emotional fluctuations, finally couldn't hold on any longer, and Otto fell ill.

Fortunately, even though he wasn't highly regarded at home, Otto was still the child of the Bishop of Destiny, so he wouldn't die of illness directly and would receive the best medical care.

As for medieval medical standards... well, thankfully there are some remnants of previous civilizations here.

Cheng Xing sat behind the hotel bar, calmly observing each guest who came to drink. Although he had experienced some trouble when he first arrived, after demonstrating his power, no one was tempted to come looking for him.

After all, the upper class knew that all the nobles from the three noble families had vanished without a trace overnight.

When the current Archbishop of Destiny learned of this, he simply pretended not to know anything.

Everyone naturally abides by the rules set up in the tavern. Of course, there were a few people who were always making a lot of noise and were particularly unserious, causing trouble everywhere.

What happened to those people? All we can say is that when everyone saw ropes automatically extend from the ceiling and hang them, and the guards came over and professionally cleaned up the mess without saying a word, everyone was silenced.

In addition, the food and drinks here are indeed of good quality and inexpensive, so even ordinary people with a meager standard of living can occasionally come here to enjoy themselves, and thus they abide by the rules here.

Cheng Xing doesn't have anything he wants to do right now. He's just quietly locking onto the coordinates of this world and constantly adjusting them according to the time span. Once this journey is over, he'll return directly to that world for the final battle.

Most of the time, he would just sit behind the bar, wiping the glasses in his hands, reminiscing about the past, recalling the scenes and events he had experienced since his time travel.

Perhaps people subconsciously recall many things from the past before they die, even things that have long been forgotten.

Thinking of this, Cheng Xing smiled helplessly. He wondered why he was always reminiscing about the past, just like an old man.

At that moment, a familiar blond boy pushed open the door and walked in. Cheng Xing was somewhat surprised to see Otto all alone.

"What brings you here, little one?"

Otto took a deep breath and looked at the mysterious Eastern man in front of him, saying, "I would like to ask you to take me as your disciple."

"Ok?"

Cheng Xing's expression turned somewhat strange. He put down his glass and asked curiously, "Why would a young master from a noble family like you want to learn from a tavern owner like me?"

"To be able to open your own tavern in a foreign land and set your own rules at will, with no one daring to govern you, you must possess capital and power far exceeding that of ordinary people. And now I yearn to gain enough power and influence to do what I want... But among all the people I know, there is not a single person who can help me or teach me, so I want to ask you, boss! Please teach me how I can obtain those things!"

"...You are a very smart child. To be honest, I am just an ordinary person with some special powers. My IQ is actually not as high as yours, and there may not be much you can learn from me...I am not sure what I can teach you."

"But even so, I want to try to make some changes."

“...Alright, I am indeed somewhat interested in being your teacher. I look forward to working with you in the future... Otto Apocalypse.”

"Yes, teacher."

Looking at the child's innocent face, Cheng Xing thought about the future Archbishop of Destiny and the fact that he himself had become Otto's teacher, and felt a strange sense of complexity in his heart.

Chapter 234: Course

I don’t know when it started, but a nobleman’s child would always come to the tavern.

The child seemed to be very familiar with the owner. Every time he came, the owner would make him sit in a secluded corner and prepare some snacks and milk for him. Then the owner would leave him alone, as if he were just a familiar child who came here to freeload.

Otto is also learning the first lesson his teacher taught him: how to observe.

"Humans are inherently contradictory; what they say and the expressions they make are merely masks for their true inner emotions. When communicating, negotiating, or trading with others, you must discern whether what they are revealing truly reflects their own thoughts. Observing words and expressions is the most basic lesson we learn as human beings."

"From now on, you need to set aside 1 to 2 hours each day to come here to the tavern and observe most of the people in the tavern from the spot I've arranged for you. I don't need you to produce any results or submit any assignments; you just need to observe."

"When you feel that you can easily tell whether someone is lying, then for you, this course can be considered to have ended its basics."

Cheng Xing didn't actually know how to teach children, because he had never been a teacher and didn't have the full ability to teach a wise person.

Therefore, he believed in Otto's innate talent, guided him in a direction for growth, and allowed the child to grow step by step on his own.

At least they won't be led astray by their own casual and immature teachings.

Otto began his daily routine of going back and forth between his home and the tavern. Occasionally, he would bring Karen to the tavern with him, but Karen mostly didn't care what Otto was doing there. She just came to freeload. Perhaps she thought that Otto was there for the same reason.

Cheng Xing thought that Otto would soon start proving himself after two months of observation, given his still immature age. But unexpectedly, half a year has passed and the guy is still so calm.

Today was just another ordinary day. Cheng Xing sat behind the bar, but what was unusual was that Cheng Xi was also by his side today.

For the past six months, Cheng Xi has acted exactly like she always has. When she has nothing to do, she stays in the manor, taking out her outdated mobile phone, computer, and tablet, and indulging in games, anime, movies, and novels. However, she seems to leave for a while occasionally at night.

Cheng Xing had no intention of investigating what she had done. After all, they were close friends and he didn't need to know everything about her. Everyone has their own privacy.

Cheng Xi looked at Otto, who was sitting in the corner, calmly drinking his milk, but his eyes were fixed on everyone present. She could tell that the latter had lost some of his childishness and gained a deeper meaning.

Otto himself has also gained a lot in the past six months. He has learned to perfectly hide his emotions and calmly observe everyone present. At first, he always felt a sense of fear and shyness because of other people's gazes.

But after six months of hard work, he has become accustomed to being watched by others and to the various emotions mixed in their eyes. He has learned to hide his own feelings and to make calm and rational judgments about a person.

"Viscount Jason is lying as usual today. When he lies, he always unconsciously taps his right hand lightly on the ground and always looks directly into the other person's eyes to increase his credibility."