Volume 3, Chapter 55: Little Fuxi and Memories' Feather

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Upon seeing the Book of Fuxi, Xia Chen was slightly taken aback.

After all, this combat marionette only appeared during event storylines and wasn't present in the main plotline. He didn't expect the Herrscher of Sentience to bring her out.

Perhaps due to prolonged loneliness, she needed someone to converse with?

Suppressing his surprise, he addressed the Herrscher of Sentience, "Long time no see."

Indeed, if considering the Herrscher of Sentience as Fu Hua, it truly had been a long time since they last met.

The Herrscher's gaze fell upon Xia Chen, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes. She sensed a familiar aura from him, distinct from their interactions on Coral Island or at Saint Freya Academy. It felt almost like she had seen him before, perhaps in a dream.

How peculiar, could she have really encountered him in her dreams?

She shook her head and directly stated, "Fixing relations is no issue for me. As long as you don't trouble me, I won't cause any problems for you."

Hearing this, Wu Jin couldn't help but sigh with relief.

Then, unexpectedly, Herrscher of Sentience extended a job offer to Xia Chen, "Hey, given Schicksal's current state, we should strike out on our own instead. Taixuan Mountain has everything we need, and if there's anything lacking, I can easily source it for us."

Wu Jin felt a sudden fear at Herrscher of Sentience's proposition.

While Shenzhou had enough resources to resist direct control by Schicksal, she was aware that both Xia Chen and Wendy were highly valued assets within the organization. If they were swayed by the Herrscher of Sentience, Durandal would likely be dispatched to Taixuan Mountain next time.

However, outright rejection also risked provoking the Herrscher's anger.

The capable individuals of Shenzhou understood well that beneath her power, the Herrschers often possessed childlike tendencies; otherwise, they wouldn't have allowed her to reside at Taixuan Mountain for so long without concern.

Fortunately, Xia Chen demonstrated more experience than Wu Jin anticipated.

"Although I'm tempted to accept your offer, one doesn't typically jump ship to a worse situation, right? Besides, my skills were taught by Schicksal. By joining Taixuan Mountain, wouldn't I become disloyal and unfaithful? Surely, you wouldn't appreciate that either," he reasoned.

If such words about loyalty were spoken to someone from modern times, they would likely burst out laughing.

However, Herrscher of Sentience had a different perspective.

Perhaps due to the unbearable pain from her 'past' memories, she placed significant importance on character and integrity.

"You have a valid point. Although Otto is no longer here, Schicksal still exists." Senti paused before continuing, "My grievances with Otto were strictly between us, but I do acknowledge Schicksal's principles. Wait until its downfall, then it won't be too late to seek me out."

Xia Chen remained silent, realizing that indeed, children can hold onto their stubbornness firmly.

Wendy, listening nearby, felt somewhat uneasy at these words. She wasn't close with Fu Hua and also identified strongly with Schicksal. Unable to remain quiet when hearing such disparagement, she responded, "That might require you to wait for quite some time."

Herrscher of Sentience, puzzled, asked Wendy, "Are you his girlfriend?"

A hint of indignation flashed across Wendy's face as she retorted, "Please don't make such unfounded jokes; Xia Chen has a reputation to uphold." Without acknowledging her own feelings, she instinctively defended Xia Chen.

However, Herrscher of Sentience replied, "You like him, don't you? You can't fool me."

Involuntarily, Wendy glanced towards Xia Chen, her expression shifting subtly.

Xia Chen inwardly sighed, realizing things had taken a sudden turn for the worse. Initially, it seemed like everything was heading towards a perfect resolution, but this unexpected slip-up occurred.

He was well aware of Wendy's complex feelings towards him. Despite their circumstances, both maintained a distance, tacitly avoiding any explicit acknowledgment of these ambiguous emotions.

It wasn't due to a lack of courage on his part; rather, openly addressing their relationship would force him to choose between cutting ties with either Ana or Wendy, leaving no middle ground.

Who among them didn't possess pride as lofty as a swan?

Yet, unexpectedly, the Herrscher of Sentience shattered the unspoken agreement they had maintained.

Xia Chen knew he could no longer avoid or be vague about this situation. After some thought, he responded, "I think there's something you need to understand. Given how exceptional I am, isn't it quite normal for someone to have feelings for me?"

Drawing upon his quick wit, he boasted, "Consider this - I'm handsome, powerful, and young. So, acknowledging such an obvious truth is unnecessary."

Wendy couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh, yet her emotions became even more complicated.

The Herrscher of Sentience nodded, "That makes sense. As the saying goes, 'gentlemen seek virtuous ladies,' and conversely, it holds true for ladies as well."

Xia Chen continued, "Moreover, what is our current goal? It's to defeat Honkai. Clearly, this isn't the time to dwell on romantic matters. Wendy and I were close comrades-in-arms, and such spontaneous feelings should be left to fate. Isn't your interference unnecessary?"

He didn't outright reject Wendy but conveyed his answer nonetheless: let the future decide.

At present, he couldn't make any promises to her. Besides, even if he did, Wendy might not want them.

She was a rational person who wouldn't betray her reason for fleeting, absurd emotions.

In truth, most people operate similarly; emotions typically influence only about 30% of their actions, while the remaining 70% rely on rational decision-making. The kind of storyline where someone disregards everything just to be with their beloved exists primarily in novels and dramas.

Human decisions inherently involve weighing multiple factors across various dimensions.

Seeing that he had successfully eased the situation, Xia Chen couldn't help but sigh in relief.

He cleared his throat and half-jokingly said, "Alright, let's go explore together next, but remember to keep some distance. If you fall for me, I won't be held responsible."

Before the Herrscher of Sentience could respond, Little Fuxi interjected from the side, "Are people nowadays so narcissistic? Making that stubborn head fall in love with you is practically harder than reversing time itself."

The Herrscher of Sentience retorted, "Don't think of me as some old fossil."

At that moment, the Memory Feather on Xia Chen trembled slightly.

Little Fuxi sensed the familiar aura of Fenghuang Down, and suddenly, a voice echoed within the machine's central control system connected to her consciousness.

"Book of Fuxi, is that you?"

"F-F...Fir...Firmwood Head?" she blurted out unconsciously.

Herrscher of Sentience couldn't help but feel puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, just craving meat-filled buns," she quickly added, turning to the Herrscher, "O great immortal, can we have meat-filled buns, please?"

"Hmph, easily swayed by mere meat buns? Fine, since I'm feeling particularly happy today." The Herrscher waved like a playful leader among children, "Let's move out. By the way, where's the bun shop?"

Xia Chen noticed Wendy's mood had visibly softened and felt a sense of relief.

"Let's go, I'll lead the way."

Some conversations with Wendy were indeed necessary, but not at this moment.

He had not forgotten his purpose.

Meanwhile, the Book of Fuxi unconsciously patted its small chest, relieved to have evaded scrutiny.

Gradually, through the Memoir Feather, it learned about the recent events.