This washing took a long time again.
Asta’s hands, face, and even strands of her hair were stained with quite a bit of the lingering gunpowder smoke, making it troublesome to clean.
More importantly, she needed this time alone to settle her chaotic emotions.
The girl stared blankly at her disheveled reflection in the mirror.
Her delicate, exquisite face was dotted with white gunpowder residue, and even the pink strands of her hair had sticky threads formed from her hair being flung about.
The originally pure and refined girl now carried an indescribably seductive and alluring charm.
Where was even a trace of the demeanor and appearance of the normally opulent princess?
Asta, oh Asta, how have you become so degenerate?
As she washed her face and hair, the girl inwardly scolded herself for being so shameless.
What made her even more panicked was that, at this moment, her heart was filled only with endless shame and regret.
Yet, toward Lin Li, the instigator, she couldn’t muster any feelings of disgust.
Clearly, he had guided her into doing such embarrassing things like a demon, yet she didn’t really dislike him.
She had even slowly grown accustomed to him treating her this way.
For a moment, the girl couldn’t figure out what was happening to herself.
After about half an hour, Asta finally emerged from the bathroom, her mind filled with complicated thoughts.
Lin Li outside had already finished cleaning up.
He had recently unlocked some new skills unique to himself, which became available after Asta appeared in this world, such as Cleanse and Recovery.
Cleanse allows for a complete cleaning within a certain range with a single click, restoring everything to its original pristine state.
Lin Li tested it, and currently, the range he can clean is a circular area with a radius of three meters centered around him.
So, in fact, he could have helped Asta clean the gunpowder residue off her earlier.
However, considering she needed some time alone, Lin Li chose not to do so.
Recovery is another miraculous skill.
It can instantly restore a target to full condition.
For example, after Lin Li fired his gun earlier, using the Recovery skill would immediately refresh him, allowing him to regain his energy and composure.
Moreover, this skill can be used on others as well.
However, Recovery is not unlimited.
It has a cooldown time of three hours and can store up to three charges.
For instance, if three charges are currently stored, Lin Li can use Recovery three times consecutively without any cooldown.
After three hours, he can use it a fourth time.
If he doesn’t continue using it, the charges will fully replenish to three after nine hours.
All the skills he acquires come with an experience bar for upgrading, and experience points are earned by completing quests.
During Asta’s previous two visits, she came and went in a hurry, leaving Lin Li no opportunity to carefully observe her status.
However, while enjoying Asta’s “fire-extinguishing” service earlier, Lin Li took the chance to study her Information Panel.
He noticed that the previously empty Quest section had changed, and a new quest had appeared.
Quest Content: Accompany Asta to watch the stars for one hour.
Quest Reward: Asta’s Bond Level +5, Skill Experience 100 points.
Currently, the growth of Bond Levels for recruited members mainly comes from two sources: one is the various intimate interactions between Lin Li and them, and the other is quest rewards.
Last time, when Asta took the initiative to kiss him, her Favorability Level increased by ten points.
This time, after helping Lin Li “extinguish the fire,” her Bond Level also increased by ten points, bringing it to a total of 30 points.
“All cleaned up?” Lin Li greeted the graceful and charming girl with a warm smile.
“Mm!”
Logically, Asta should have been displeased with Lin Li, but when she saw his smile, her previously complicated and indescribable emotions inexplicably calmed down.
Unconsciously, Lin Li had already secured a place in her heart—and a rather significant one at that.
This was largely due to Lin Li repeatedly testing and pushing the boundaries of the girl’s comfort zone through intimate actions.
As she gradually grew accustomed to his various intimate gestures, Lin Li’s presence naturally became etched into her heart.
Just like at this moment—
“Come on, let’s go out for a walk!” Lin Li extended his arm toward Asta.
The girl pursed her lips, glanced at Lin Li, hesitated slightly, but still reached out and linked her arm with his.
Not only did Asta link arms with Lin Li, but she also subconsciously leaned her weight against him.
The two of them looked like a young couple strolling together, gently leaning against each other.
“Where…
are we going?” Asta’s emotions had calmed considerably, having moved past the intense shame and embarrassment from earlier.
“You’re the station chief of the Herta Space Station, so be my guide for once.
Any interesting places you can recommend?”
“I am the station chief, but you’re the master of this world—far more impressive than a mere station chief like me,” Asta replied with a hint of resentment in her tone.
When had this guy ever treated her as the station chief?
“Come with me, I’ll take you stargazing!” The girl tightened her grip slightly, guiding Lin Li in a new direction.
At the mention of stargazing, Asta’s eyes sparkled with a brilliant light.
She had loved the stars since childhood, dreaming of becoming an astronomer.
Her privileged background gave her the means to explore the cosmos, but as she grew older, her family dismissed this dream as frivolous.
It wasn’tt until Lady Herta brought her to the space station that she could freely pursue her passion.
The station housed many astronomical telescopes for observing the stars, all funded by her.
Her favorite one was placed right in her office.
Asta’s office was spacious but not lavish, mostly filled with instruments and equipment, such as this sizable telescope.
She led Lin Li to the telescope and began operating it with practiced ease.
Lin Li glanced up at the enormous telescope, a faint smile crossing his lips as a flicker of nostalgia and longing passed through his eyes.
He knew this telescope all too well!
When he first arrived in this world, his favorite pastime had been positioning Asta on this very telescope.
If not for the daily reset, the telescope would have likely malfunctioned long ago from being soaked in their fluids.
He stole a glance at the pink-haired girl focused on adjusting the equipment, feeling a surge of anticipation and expectation.
The NPC version of Asta was still too rigid and dull.
How much more interesting it would be once he fully captured her heart and body, and she willingly climbed onto the telescope herself!
“It’s all set up, Lin Li!
Come take a look.
This stellar cloud core is what a star looks like before it’s born.
The center is the ‘stellar embryo’—we might even witness the birth of a star!”
In her area of expertise, she grew animated, temporarily setting aside her complicated emotions as she began earnestly explaining the concepts to Lin Li.
Lin Li naturally didn’t spoil the mood by telling her that everything here reset at midnight every day, and witnessing a star’s birth was impossible.
He smiled, leaning in to peer through the telescope, sharing in the boundless allure of the vast cosmos with her while listening to Professor Asta’s astronomy lesson.