Xingtie: Can’t you just let me focus on completing the commissions?

"Without someone of sufficient influence to endorse us, entering the Upper City would at best allow us to be tourists, and at worst, we might become prisoners."

"...But wasn't the lower city area sealed off?"

Miss March 7th fell into deep thought. After pondering for a moment, Miss Ah Xing suddenly pulled out her beloved baseball bat, smiled slightly at Old Sambo, and made a cute yet sarcastic "clamping" sound.

"Our dear Mr. Sambo must have a way, right?"

"...It's too tight, please be normal."

"What? Brother Shirou, he actually called me a clip."

"Promise me that next time you pull out your baseball bat, you'll use it for truly effective persuasion. You can't change someone's mind with words alone."

Chapter 022: The Wild Pink Fat Woman Has Been Refreshed! (2/4)

Old Sambo naturally had a way to get into the lower city.

Otherwise, how much money could one make by swindling and cheating in the upper district?

The Silvermane Iron Guards are no pushovers. Although they are portrayed as somewhat rigid and inflexible in the game's storyline, they are still a regular army with both civil and military officials.

It's not too difficult to find a few civil servants who can handle cases. Even if they can't arrest Sambo himself, they can still disrupt his transactions and crack down on his channels.

so,.

Old Sangbo wholeheartedly shifted his business focus from the upper district to the lower district. Although there wasn't much profit to be made in the lower district, it was more stable.

"After the Lower District's upward mobility channels were shut down by the Upper District, and after a brief period of internal strife, it now has some management organizations in the form of community groups."

"Although they cannot openly represent the Silvermane Iron Guard, the vast majority of miners and vagrants still obey the management of these organizations."

"The largest of these gangs is called 'Earthfire,' and the people we'll be meeting later are from Earthfire."

Passing through the deep tunnel, descending from the surface to the underground, it felt as if one had instantly gone from a cold winter day to a sweltering summer day. Upon reaching a more spacious area, one could see a strange town constructed from a jumble of buildings and minerals that shimmered with a "golden" hue.

"Earth Marrow," that stuff is essential for Beloberg to withstand the cold waves, and it's also the main type of ore mined in the area.

Pointing to the oddly shaped gilded ore, Sambo explained,

"This is the only thing of value in the entire Lower City. After the channels were closed a few years ago, this thing is now worth almost as much as gold."

"Gold? 'Earth Marrow' can sustain life, but can you eat gold? Only those mentally unstable big shots up there would like such impractical stones."

Upon hearing Sambo's introduction, the contact from the lower city suddenly emerged from around the corner of a narrow alley. She appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years old and wore a strange leather armor that was very thin and light. She stood in front of everyone, her somewhat messy long hair slightly covering her face, but the exposed features alone were enough to be described as "beautiful." Although her expression was very cold and aloof, she unexpectedly possessed the cool and aloof temperament of an ice queen.

Sharp-tongued, long, straight black hair, flat-chested, ice queen...

Emiya looked at the girl who suddenly appeared and thought of a certain model worker from Soubu High School whom he had met in a previous everyday world.

"Isn't this Miss Seele? I am truly honored that you have come to make contact with me today."

"Stop it."

The aloof young woman walked up to Sangbo, carefully observed everyone for a moment, and then suddenly chuckled.

"You little rascal, you've been taken care of by these guys, haven't you? You're not usually this well-behaved."

"However, the people who control you... don't have the rigid demeanor of the Silvermane Iron Guards."

Her gaze swept over everyone, and she slowly channeled imaginary energy within her body, like a female leopard poised to pounce. If Emiya and his group made any move that she perceived as aggressive, she would not hesitate to launch a counterattack.

"food."

Emiya gazed at the girl who seemed ready to launch an attack at any moment, and uttered a sentence that was enough to shatter her mental defenses.

“I can bring you enough food to fill the whole town.”

"...Why should I trust you?"

An uncontrollable tremor emanated from the girl's voice. Rationally, she shouldn't believe the nonsense of this person she had just met, but... what if there was even a one in ten thousand chance that it was true?

"Projection, start."

The man raised his hand, uttering syllables she couldn't understand. Then, without warning, a strange cylindrical object materialized in her sight and landed heavily at her feet.

"The 'Endless Rice Bag'—as long as you have enough imaginary energy, rice can flow out of it continuously."

Tawara Tota, the founder of Japanese martial arts during the Heian period, may not be considered a strong Heroic Spirit, but the Noble Phantasm derived from his life stories is not to be underestimated. Legend has it that he was given a treasure by the dragon gods in the lake, which can produce an endless supply of rice. What Emiya is projecting at this moment is this legendary "Endless Rice Bag".

"Can imaginary numbers be used?"

Seele, who had come from humble beginnings, did not understand what imaginary energy was, nor did she understand what destiny was. There were many people in the universe like her who did not know what the Star God was, but who embarked on their destiny through their will. After Emiya casually explained a few words to her, she couldn't wait to frantically pour all the imaginary energy she could control into the Endless Rice Bag.

Immediately, the rice bag burst open, like a dam bursting, and white rice gushed out like a long-accumulated flood. In just two or three breaths, the rice overflowing from the bag reached above the girl's knees. She stared blankly at the rice that was above her knees for a long time...

Suddenly, she grabbed a handful of raw rice and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation. Feeling the dry, hard, and strange texture, tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's real...real food."

She looked at the expanse of white as far as her eye could see. The color, which should have been as cold as the snowfield outside, now appeared unusually vivid in her pupils.

While the girl was still immersed in the surprise brought by the endless rice bag, Mr. Emiya quickly took out his phone and took pictures of her from multiple angles. He hadn't forgotten the task that Himeko had entrusted to him, but right now there was only Seele, so the impact was obviously not big enough. He had to take pictures of the entire Blue Sea group before he could go and loot Welt Old Deng's gold coins.

“Seele, Cocolia, Bronya, and Natasha.”

"It's a pity Huang Quan isn't here... Wait, raising the threshold too high in one go doesn't seem to be good for a gradual, long-term approach."

Emiya was also calculating his own gains, then glanced at the emotional value gains generated by the endless rice bags, and a pleased expression immediately appeared on his face.

"230 points... plus what I gained over the past few days on the space station..."

Looking at the total number 1148, Mr. Emiya smiled even more happily, with the feeling of a farmer reaping a bountiful harvest.

"I'll do the pull when I've saved up for fifty pulls."

As he closed the system interface and looked at Seele again, about to say something, suddenly, a strange connection formed between him without warning, and at the same time, a vibrant voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me? Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me? This is the special channel of Alicia, a girl as cute as a flower!!"

Wild pink fat ladies have respawned!!!

Chapter 023: I really like one of the words of the Exile. (3/4)

"Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me? Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me? This is the special channel of Alicia, a girl as cute as a flower!!"

The beautiful young girl tapped on the broken fragments of the Godfall Sword, muttering to herself.

"Strange, why isn't there a response?"

"Does it mean it's no longer effective?"

"Ellie, don't worry, maybe the other party can't find the time to reply to you right now."

Sitting opposite the beautiful young woman, the world-renowned pop star chuckled as she soothed her best friend's emotions.

Even if you dial the other party's phone number, you need to wait for them to agree to the call. Please wait a little while.

"My good Eden, this could be a third kind of encounter! I might become the first Earthling to make friends with aliens?!"

"Therefore, we should be more patient and wait for their reply, Ellie... Perhaps, the unknown existence over there can become our turning point in the fight against the Honkai."

"Eden! They replied! They replied to me!"

What did he reply?

"...He asked me whether I was Alicia of the Fire Moth or Alicia of the Paradise of the Past."

Alicia tilted her head in confusion, looking at her best friend as if seeking an answer. After a moment of silence, the latter's expression suddenly turned serious.

"Does he know our origins, and even our future?"

……

Upon entering Rock Town, Seele temporarily arranged for them to stay at an inn, while she herself took the projected Endless Rice Bag to find the true leader of the Earthfire.

How to face Emiya and his group next is something that even Seele understands is not something that she, an ordinary member of the Earthfire who is only good at fighting, can decide.

On March 7th, Shiki and Aki went on an adventure to various parts of Rock Town. Teacher Danheng also planned to inquire about the local situation. After the rest of the train crew left, Emiya quickly returned to his room and began to use his Nen ability to connect with the first beacon that had contacted him.

"Alicia, is that right? I want to ask you, are you still the Alicia who was a member of the Fire Moth, or the Alicia who has already entered the Paradise of the Past?"

"...What is the Paradise of the Past?"

"An electronic space manufactured by Vilvi to store the memory of the Thirteen Heroes of Fire Chaser."

"I've never heard of Vilvi manufacturing such a thing. Do you mean you know about our future?"

"You can think of it as me seeing a script that has been performed normally. In that script, fewer than ten people from your entire civilization will survive to the next generation. Before the final trial, you will all copy your memories to the Paradise of the Past as nourishment to be passed on to the next generation."

Upon hearing the message from Emiya, even an optimistic girl like Alicia found it hard to accept. She remained silent for a long time before looking at her best friend, opening and closing her lips, and finally organizing her thoughts to explain what Emiya had said.

Upon hearing this, the latter's expression grew even more serious, and after a long while, he spoke in a deep voice.

“Ellie, this matter can no longer be hidden by the two of us. Perhaps we need more information to verify the truth of what the other party said. At the same time, we need more people to discuss how to communicate with them.”

"...Should we tell the higher-ups at Fire-Chasing Moth?"

Although the girl, who has experienced all walks of life, still believes in the goodness of the world, she is not entirely unaware of the darkness of some politicians. To be honest... she doesn't really trust the upper echelons of the Moth Chaser.

Eden noticed Alicia's hesitation, and after a moment's thought, he gave her his answer.

“We can discuss this with Dr. Velvi. Since the other party claims that Dr. Velvi ultimately established the Paradise of the Past and stored the memories of thirteen heroes, it means that Dr. Velvi is likely credible. At the same time, we can also test Dr. Velvi through the Paradise of the Past project. If she approves of this idea, perhaps... it is also a way to verify what the other party said.”

"Also, Ellie, you can ask the other party what they need. Free things are often the most expensive. If the other party really has a need and we can meet it, then it's an equal transaction."

She was once a world-renowned superstar. If it weren't for the fire that destroyed most of Australia, she would probably still be active on major music platforms today.

As such an outstanding singer, she naturally couldn't be completely ignorant of certain things. Capitalists in the entertainment industry are essentially no different from politicians. She absolutely does not believe in gifts given without reason. Only when there is a genuine connection of interests between the two parties can it be considered that a preliminary relationship of trust has been established.

"...Eden, do you think it's possible that the other person read our script and became a fan?"

Facing her best friend, who viewed the situation with extreme pragmatism, the girl, as delicate as a falling flower, suddenly smiled. A glimmer of hope flickered in her eyes as she softly murmured...

“If everything we have is a grand performance, with me and you, Eden, and everyone from the Moths of Fire, I don’t believe that the other side, knowing all this, would be indifferent to the performance we present.”

Hearing Alicia's words, the songstress paused slightly, then burst into laughter.

“Sounds like something you would say, Ellie.”

"In that case, do what you think is right. I will support you no matter what."

"This is my good Eden."

After giving her best friend a beaming hug, Alicia tapped the fragments of the Godfall Sword again and spoke.

"Friend from afar, may I ask your name?"

Upon hearing her reply, the person on the other end paused for only a few seconds before responding.

"I am Shirou Emiya, an unnamed traveler on a journey of 'exploration,' a masked fool walking the path of 'pleasure.' In the near future, through the connection between the swords in your hands and me, you will eventually reach the cosmos where I now reside, traverse the imaginary tidal zone of the solar system, and arrive at this even more vast galaxy."

“Alisia, I look forward to meeting you and the Thirteen Heroes of the Fire Chaser. It would be a great pity if your fate were to end on that small planet.”

"Furthermore, our communication time is currently limited. Once the connection between the Godfall Sword and this side is more stable, you can use the 'login phrase' to enter the 'space' I created to meet me. I've already prepared the 'login phrase' for you; please write it down."

"Oh? Is it a cute line?"

"Hmm, it suits you perfectly... The login phrase is, 'I am Ayaka Kamisato's dog' —!"

"……ah?".

Chapter 024: Just tell me if the program is running or not. (4/4)

I really like Alicia... Pshaw.

I really like one of Ying's quotes.

I am Ayaka Kamisato's dog!

"It's a pity that I can only speak during the preview live stream, otherwise, Alicia would definitely be able to enjoy even more fun."

With a single utterance, she captured half of Mount Sumeru; a single line about a nimble dog in the mountains completely established Xie Ying's art style.

Although the mother's behavior should not be interpreted as a role issue.

Unfortunately, the camera is mute, and the only place where it can speak is during the preview live tea party.