After that battle, the Luofu seemed set on a period of rest and recovery.
The Luofu stopped campaigning, but the woman in military dress never rested.
She came home only rarely.
And when she did, she never stayed long.
Most of the time she only checked on what Jingliu and Felutina had accomplished, offered a few pointers, and left again.
People told Felutina she was away carrying out missions.
The title of Sword Champion of the Luofu meant more than simply being the finest blade.
To claim that seat, one needed accomplishments that ordinary people would not even dare imagine.
The woman in military dress had given nearly her whole life to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, life for Felutina and Jingliu gradually settled into calm.
Sword practice, sword practice, sword practice.
Trips out into the streets, eating and drinking and messing around with Jingliu.
Baiyun dropped by now and then, bringing little gifts for the two of them.
And so the days passed, one after another.
Roughly a year went by.
Felutina noticed that the system’s [Main story will unlock in two days] had finally changed to [Main story will unlock in one day], and the weight hanging over her at last came off.
Maybe it was because the ones handing out her Popularity Points were all viewers outside the game.
Lofty high-dimensional narrators were as good as heaven itself, and a day in heaven was a year in the mortal world.
Of course, Felutina didn’t have to sit around waiting two whole years either.
One tap of the button and she could open the story arc directly, the same way she had during Interstellar Journey.
Thankfully, that left her plenty of time to prepare.
The Popularity Points earned from Interstellar Journey had finally settled at 30,000.
After the loan was deducted she still sat at -70,000, and a red exclamation mark pointed toward the Act One main story.
Felutina’s guess was that if she didn’t pay off the loan during the Act One main story, she would be shelved.
…In games like this, a character nobody favored could be deleted outright and no one would notice.
Even if someone brought it up, the subject would sink without a trace soon enough.
Brutal competition, really.
Felutina decided she had better get ready fast.
She put away her sword and stretched, lazy and unhurried, planning to go back for a bath and then drag Jingliu out to dinner.
“…Felutina.”
The voice of the woman in military dress came from behind her without warning, sounding tired.
“You’re back, Master.
Would you like some tea, or would you rather rest a while?” Felutina spun around, a warm smile spreading across her face.
“No need.
I’m leaving again soon.” The woman in military dress shook her head.
She looked at Felutina, and her already grave expression took on an edge of severity.
“…Is something about to happen?”
“You’re as sharp as ever.” The woman in military dress shook her head again.
“Fitting, I suppose.
You and Jingliu both surpass the Cloud Knights’ finest officers now.
Neither of you has a ceiling I can see.”
She paused, seemingly weighing how to begin.
After all, these were the first disciples she had ever taken.
“Jingliu’s talent exceeds my own.
She is certain to stand higher one day than I stand now.
You don’t match Jingliu, but you’re no lesser than me, and you understand people better than she does.”
“…”
Why did that sound like she was settling her affairs?
A bad feeling stirred in Felutina.
“I imagine you’ve already guessed.” The woman in military dress gave her no room to answer, pausing only a moment before continuing.
“I’m old.
My strength no longer answers my will.
Before long I may well die on the battlefield.”
“…Don’t say things like that, Master.
It’s bad luck.”
“It isn’t superstition.
It’s my death omen.” The woman in military dress shook her head.
The Xianzhou Luofu had six Commissions, and one of them was the Divination Commission, which employed the crystalline computer technology known as the Jade Abacus.
It was responsible for divining the future, processing and preserving information, plotting flight courses, and devising strategy.
It could glimpse only a sliver of what was to come, but that sliver stated plainly that the Sword Champion of the Luofu would fall in battle.
“Then if you don’t go to war, you won’t die, right?”
“Then the war would simply unfold again on my own doorstep.” The corner of the woman’s mouth lifted, and she answered with quiet pride.
“Besides, as Sword Champion of the Luofu, dying on the battlefield may be the only ending that truly belongs to me.”
“I don’t accept that.” Felutina shook her head.
She had never believed in fate, and she didn’t want this master she’d stumbled into losing her life like this.
The woman had saved her, after all.
Felutina remembered clearly that the woman in military dress existed only as a single passing line in Jingliu’s backstory.
The previous Sword Champion was destined to die.
She left behind no small number of achievements, and yet, like the countless people who accomplish nothing at all, not even her name survived in the histories.
Even if Felutina did nothing, the plot would proceed unchanged, every beat falling exactly where it was written.
But that would be far too boring.
“Your refusal changes nothing.
Too much in this world never goes the way we wish.” The woman in military dress raised a hand and patted Felutina lightly on the shoulder.
“This is the last lesson I have to teach you and Jingliu — you must live on.
Like veiling clouds that curtain the sky, guard and shelter the Xianzhou!”
There was an apology buried in her words.
Since taking these two little ones as disciples, she had hardly taught them anything properly, and here she was making grand speeches.
But perhaps this was the best ending available.
“…”
Felutina didn’t answer.
She was thinking.
If she wanted to change the story, she couldn’t do it at her current level.
Not a chance.
Surpassing the Cloud Knights’ finest officers sounded impressive, but that was all it was.
Whether she and Jingliu together could even beat their master was an open question.
Her comprehension still wasn’t enough.
She couldn’t match Jingliu, and if even Jingliu had never overturned that fated death, what hope did she have as she was now?
If she wanted to grow stronger, she had exactly one option.
The Popularity System.
Felutina drew a deep breath and turned toward the woman in military dress.
“You should wear an expression with more feeling in it.
That’s how a girl your age ought to look,” the woman in military dress said flatly, hands clasped behind her back, already returned to her usual detachment.
“I’m sorry, Master.” Felutina bowed slightly, without warning.
“Hm?”
“I’m going to run away from home for a while.
Please pass that along to Jingliu for me.”
“Absolutely not.” The woman in military dress frowned.
This was not how she had expected the conversation to go, and she thought that Felutina’s problem-child nature had finally shown itself.
She reached out to seize Felutina before anything else.
Her hand closed on empty air.
“…Felutina?”
She called the girl’s name, but the vast courtyard gave back nothing except her own voice.
The girl who had come home from the battlefield and still smiled while comforting others was gone.
She had left no trace at all.
As though she had never existed.
…
[Star Rail Act One main story, Herta Space Station arc — commencing.]
[Bonus Reward: one Status Card.]
[Status Card: single use only.
The host may place herself into any state she chooses.]
[Current broadcast mode: Live.]
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