Chapter 62 - Calculated by the Hour

"Alright."

Jun An didn't refuse this freebie. Since Fu Hua was going to deal with Moriarty anyway, Jun An naturally wouldn't be an exception.

Besides, Moriarty was wearing the skin of his grandpa Otto, so beating him up would be even more stress-relieving.

"Moriarty... let's calculate the price. I'll exchange it for two days of your hard labor—I mean after this current deal is concluded."

Jun An wasn't some black-hearted merchant, after all. He naturally knew that once he helped deal with Sa, there would be no reason to keep 'playing games' with Vita.

Although he was a bit tired of her now, factoring in the element of 'sage mode', what if?

What if one day he wanted to research the bodily structure of Venusians again? Her body was the only Venusian flesh remaining in the world.

Sa had long since undergone spiritual ascension, and they were enemies besides. The seven Little Vitas were essentially created by mixing genes from the Ark's gene bank with Vita's genes; they could only be considered half-Venusian, and they couldn't grow up.

What if his thirst for knowledge flared up one day? Jun An had to plan an escape route.

"Two days?"

Vita paused. Only two days?

She couldn't help but curse internally, Moriarty's life is really cheap, only worth two days...

Of course, Jun An wouldn't be that stupid, so he added supplementary clauses, "Calculated by the hour. Anything less than half an hour doesn't count as a full hour."

"You're being a bit brazen with this free ride."

Even Vita couldn't help but comment on Jun An's little scheme. "But for my dear sisters, deal~."

"Alright now, Righteousness, Prescience, can you let us pass?"

Vita smiled at the two Little Vitas deceived by Moriarty. "We're going to deal with that self-proclaimed clever guy."

"Wait, is there some misunderstanding here?"

Prescience Vita immediately said, "Although Moriarty definitely has his own selfish motives, it's also a fact that he helped us repel the Honkai Beasts! If he hadn't provided a clear method, we wouldn't even be able to resist the invasion of these Honkai Beasts."

"Oh dear, you're like newly hatched chicks. Whoever shows you kindness is a good person."

Vita sighed helplessly, her mood somewhat unhappy. "And the 'clear method' you mentioned, are you referring to these Paradise Sentinels? Or are you planning to rely on just these few Paradise Sentinels to deal with Sa?"

"Ah, children who have never seen a god, you are still too naive. You can't even properly control the Paradise Sentinels in your hands, how could you possibly stand against Sa?"

"But we really have no other choice."

Prescience Vita (Blue) said, "When facing such a powerful enemy, the Paradise Sentinels are our only way to protect Froth. Besides, Sister Vita, the Sa you speak of is indeed the enemy we must vanquish."

"Moriarty has already told us the truth. Sister Orange, Sister Cyan, come over here. Let Moriarty help you restore your memories, then you'll understand the meaning of that phrase."

Prescience Vita extended a hand towards the Orange and Cyan Vitas. "Moriarty said, 'The world remains constant, yet people live in falsehood.' To welcome back the truth, protect the residents of Froth, and fulfill our duties as city agents, all seven of us are indispensable."

Accumulation (Orange) and Harmony (Cyan) looked towards Vita. To them, the current situation was simply too chaotic.

Vita just smiled at their pleading gazes. "This is still something you should decide for yourselves. After all, you are the city agents. You can't be like them and completely trust one person's side of the story. Of course, the 'someone' here naturally includes me."

Regarding Vita's statement, Jun An's evaluation was, "Ao Jiao types often end up as loser dogs."

"None of your business." Vita looked at the two Little Vitas, Orange and Cyan. "Well? Make your choice quickly. After all, the crisis on Froth is still ongoing."

"I, I choose to trust Sister Vita and Sister Fu Hua!"

Harmony said, "After all, Sister Fu Hua once said that Moriarty is a bad person skilled at manipulating people's hearts. I think we should maintain necessary vigilance towards him."

Seeing Harmony make her choice, Accumulation immediately followed. "Then I also choose Sister Vita! Sister Vita is our family, after all. She would never harm us!"

Vita nodded with satisfaction. "That's more like it."

"Ah, I knew it."

Prescience Vita (Blue) shook her head helplessly and exchanged a glance with Righteousness Vita (Red) beside her. Righteousness (Red) looked somewhat hesitant.

Righteousness (Red): "Can't we talk about this more? If we explain things clearly to Sister Vita and the others..."

"No. Sister Vita knows about Sa, proving she isn't unaware of the severity of this matter."

Prescience Vita said, "I also agree with the idea that Sister Vita won't harm us, but didn't we discuss this at the Vita gathering? The opponent has the ability to tamper with memories, so normal communication might not work... In that case, there's only one way."

Before this, they had already held a Vita gathering, and decisions at the Vita gathering were made by majority rule. Even with two Vitas siding with Fu Hua now, it was still five versus two.

Righteousness Vita (Red) understood this principle and could only lower her head. "Then you be careful. Definitely don't hurt Sister Vita!"

Prescience Vita sighed internally and signaled the Paradise Sentinels forward. "Don't worry. As long as you come back with Red and me, we won't harm you. And once you understand the truth and recall your true memories, you will surely understand us too."

Looking at the gathering Paradise Sentinels, Vita couldn't help but sigh. "Just as expected, little birds who have never left their cage, so eager to use their new toys."

"Captain, I'll leave the battle to you. You know, it's inconvenient for me to fight right now."

Vita still had the toy inserted; she really didn't want to be embarrassed in front of the other Little Vitas again like just now.

"Mm, alright. Just a bit more effort flipping my hand."

With a wave of Jun An's hand, the dozen or so Paradise Sentinels, each seven or eight times taller than him, were instantly frozen solid. With another clench of his fist, only two remained; the rest were completely shattered into ice dust.

"I left two for you, just in case you get attacked by Honkai Beasts on your way back, then Vita would blame me."

Jun An looked at the astonished gazes of the Red and Blue Vitas. "Well? Still think standing over there is better? Ah, relax, this isn't a threat. I won't harm you or anyone on Froth either. After all, Vita has paid the price for your ignorance and self-righteousness."

Jun An specifically added the last sentence to prevent misunderstanding.

Of course, Jun An actually quite enjoyed being seen as the final boss villain, because that feeling was truly satisfying.

Righteousness (Red)'s eyes widened. Staring at the remaining two Paradise Sentinels and the ice fragments on the ground, she swallowed hard. "How could this be... wiped out in an instant."

Prescience Vita (Blue) was also in disbelief. "Not only that, even resurrection..."

The Paradise Sentinels were essentially a mechanism to protect Froth. Even if shattered by Honkai Beasts, they could regenerate. But under Jun An, they were directly frozen into fragments smaller than sand, completely "dead."

Vita declared victoriously, "See? My helper here is much stronger than the Moriarty you speak of. If you still plan to continue, I won't even leave these last two for you~"

Righteousness (Red) and Prescience (Blue) didn't doubt the truth of Vita's words in the slightest. Jun An was indeed terrifyingly strong.

"Well? Which side do you choose?"

Vita continued, "If you still insist on your original viewpoint, I can have Little Accumulation and Little Harmony give you the keys. You only came here for those, right?"

"Not entirely."

Prescience Vita (Blue) said, "We were also worried about Sister Orange and Sister Cyan's safety. But ensuring the Holy Relic can be activated at any time is indeed our duty as city agents. After all, the Honkai Beast situation is getting worse. If we can't repel them in time, activating the Holy Relic is our only option."

Vita didn't insist. "Alright then. Little Accumulation, Little Harmony, just consider it as placing a bet on that side too. Give them the keys."

After receiving the keys from the other two Vitas, Prescience Vita sighed in relief but immediately stepped forward. "Captain... may I call you that?"

Prescience Vita noticed everyone called Jun An that, and Jun An nodded. "Yes, no problem. Is there anything else?"

"I can see Sister Vita trusts you very much. Although I don't know if this has anything to do with brainwashing, I hope you treat her well."

Prescience Vita (Blue) said, "Also, Sister Vita, regarding your warning, I will pay more attention to Moriarty. Our choices are too few, so we must place bets on that side as well. I hope you can understand."

Righteousness (Red) glanced reluctantly at her family. "Don't worry, we will definitely resolve this crisis!"

With that, Prescience (Blue) and Righteousness (Red) left directly.

Jun An understood the decision made by Prescience Vita (Blue). After all, from their perspective, the unknown enemy, the impending disaster threatening to destroy Froth, the mastermind Sa behind it all, and even the outsider Fu Hua who could crush Honkai Beast heads with one hand—these were all threats.

Faced with so many threats, the power of the seven city agents was far too weak, contrasting sharply with their duty to protect Froth.

And the Holy Relic was their only truly reliable support.

But Jun An had something close to a semi-omniscient perspective, knowing that the so-called Holy Relic was, frankly speaking, a one-click reset button designed by Sa for Froth. If activated, the entire place would be finished.

Precisely because of this, Jun An grew even more suspicious. "Vita, you know the danger of activating the Holy Relic, right?"

"Mm, of course."

Vita nodded. "After all, lessons taught by experience are always better than lessons taught by people."

"I can just ask you for help then, right, Captain~? If you find it troublesome, you can raise the price. Won't it be fine if I just work for you for two more days? For my lovely sisters, I won't be stingy at all."

"Alright, that makes it three days' price." Jun An felt quite helpless about this, but as long as the price was right, everything was negotiable.

After all, it was only forty-eight hours initially. Although there was the rule that less than half an hour didn't count as an hour, allowing Jun An to constantly exploit Vita for free...

But what if he accidentally used it all up? After all, during the process, no one could guarantee their mind would remain clear the entire time. Besides, after resting for a day now, Jun An's sessions lasted much longer than half an hour each time.

"Three days, is that really enough?"

Vita's tone was meaningful. "This is about saving Froth, such a troublesome matter. Or perhaps... you're actually quite fond of me? Lord Captain~"

"Then five days?"

Honestly, Jun An's attitude towards Vita was just about tasting something new. He'd eaten too much 'takeout'; he was afraid those at home would have opinions.

"Then it's a deal~"

"..."

I keep getting the feeling I walked right into Vita's trap. That can't be right, can it? She wouldn't deliberately stir up such a huge mess just for some sex, would she?