Let Kafka teach you how to play with bondage

Lin Shuang loved playing with Silver Wolf.

Yet, she had never played an offline game with her before.

She felt completely at ease with Kafka, so much so that she hadn't even had the chance to ask what was so special about the ring Kafka had given her.

Thinking of this, Lin Shuang turned her head and looked at the small silver-haired girl beside her, hands on her hips.

"Tsk, I was planning on gaming with you, but I guess it'll have to wait until next time."

"Seriously? I don't see you for a few days, and you start nagging already?"

Silver Wolf's blunt remark made Lin Shuang pause. The teasing dissipated the strange emotions lingering in the air, and with a quick rub of her face, she donned her usual grin.

"Alright, forget about that. You're about to leave, so why don't you help me locate the Herta Doll before you go?"

"Hah? Didn't you just say you didn't need it?"

"That was then, this is now! Situations change!"

Lin Shuang was clearly being unreasonable but carried herself with absolute confidence, emphasizing that she wasn't trying to be difficult—just practical.

But Silver Wolf merely shrugged. "Not happening."

"Huh? There's actually something Silver Wolf can't locate?"

"The Herta Puppet network is an independent system. At least, I haven't seen it on the way here. Unless I completely invade and take over the entire space station, then conduct a full scan... but obviously, I don't have the time."

Silver Wolf's reasoning was solid—mainly because time was running out.

It wasn't yet time for the crew of the Astral Express to arrive.

And she wasn't about to go insane and hijack the entire space station, because if she did, the antimatter legion would tear it to shreds.

"Tch. Fine."

Although disappointed, Lin Shuang accepted Silver Wolf's words without much fuss.

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she turned to Kafka and asked, "By the way... does this make me an accomplice in some evil scheme now?"

She raised her hand, indicating the ring she had received.

Kafka chuckled at her question.

"If you don't mind, then of course."

She then turned away, waving over her shoulder as she walked toward the portal Silver Wolf had opened.

"See you next time, honey. Hope you like your new outfit."

"See you next time."

…

Watching Kafka and Silver Wolf disappear from the space station, Lin Shuang absentmindedly toyed with the ring on her finger before glancing at the unconscious figure lying in the corner.

Stelle was still out cold, unmoving.

Then, a familiar system window popped up:

[Target: Kafka]

[Favorability: 69 (Slightly Concerned)]

[Relationship: Accomplice]

["As expected of a mother—she may seem dangerous, but beneath that exterior, she's full of love and tenderness for her friends."]

["Of course, this kind of gentleness mixed with danger is the perfect formula for creating rebellious children."]

[Reward: 1 Green Card Draw]

The moment Kafka acknowledged their connection, the system updated Lin Shuang's status. And with that, the previously pending rewards were finally issued.

Since there was no one else around—aside from the still-slumbering Stelle—Lin Shuang casually activated the draw.

A familiar green glow flickered before her eyes.

No high-level rewards this time.

[Silk Manipulation]

["I already gave you a ring, so why not put it to use? Kafka can even teach you a thing or two about proper bondage."]

["Ring transformation included—after all, it'd be inconvenient otherwise."]

Lin Shuang couldn't help but wonder if this lottery system had some kind of hidden screening function.

Otherwise, why would she receive a silk manipulation skill right after getting a ring? The timing was too perfect.

As the knowledge of silk manipulation techniques flooded her mind, Lin Shuang refocused on the ring.

She wasn't sure if this was due to the system's modifications or if it had always been this way, but the ring Kafka gifted her had now become a tool for silk manipulation.

Both the Herrscher Core and the Permanence could be smoothly channeled into it, transforming into special silk threads.

Lin Shuang lifted her left hand and gave a small wave.

Blue-green flames flickered to life as delicate threads extended outward, weaving through the air around her.

Fiery liquid coursed through the silk strands. Anything caught within them would be scorched by her flames.

With another flick of her fingers, the threads retracted as if they had never been there in the first place.

Satisfied, Lin Shuang traced her fingers over the ring.

A solid control ability—very nice.

"Come to think of it… the Doomsday Beast is technically a dragon, right?"

For some reason, her mind drifted to the Doomsday Beast.

It looked like a dragon, sounded like a dragon, and even had dragon-like abilities.

So there was nothing wrong with treating it as a dragon, right?

"If I combine silk manipulation with my riding skill… could I catch it and use it as a mount?"

Among all the giant beasts in the world of Star Rail, the only ones Lin Shuang remembered were the Doomsday Beast and those massive bugs.

The Vidyadhara didn't count.

The bugs were too ugly, but the Doomsday Beast? Now that was a handsome creature.

Lin Shuang absentmindedly played with the ring.

According to its lore, the Doomsday beast might not be able to destroy a star, but it could definitely wipe out the surface of a planet.

Would she be able to control it?

Well… there was only one way to find out.

"For now, let's check out the Wind Glider and the room with the relic fragments."

She had initially planned to investigate earlier, but Silver Wolf had dragged her away to play with that score-ranking gun…

Only for Silver Wolf to lose interest and run off before even asking about Lin Shuang's score.

What a letdown.

Lin Shuang quickly left the cabin, having no intention of waiting around for San Yueqi and Dan Heng.

They'd meet up later anyway.

As she walked, her phone vibrated a few times before a familiar 8-bit sound effect rang out.

The tiny Silver Wolf reappeared, carrying her mini Prometheus.

"Yo! Back already? So, tell me, what was your score on the fixed-point gun?"

As soon as she appeared, Silver Wolf floated onto Lin Shuang's shoulder, her voice filled with expectation.

"…Why are you here again?"

"Tsk, who was it that didn't want me to leave earlier? And now you're pretending not to know me?"

"Hah? Don't make stuff up! That's slander!"

Lin Shuang instinctively shot back, refusing to back down.

"So? What was your score? I bet it wasn't even passing."

"Oh, I'll have you know—the scoring gun couldn't even determine my score."

"Tch, boring."

Silver Wolf immediately lost interest. If the system couldn't even register it, then what was the point? She had been hoping to score herself a solid 110 just to mess with Lin Shuang.

Why did this girl always break the rules?

"So, where are we headed now?"

"Checking out another rare item collection room, then meeting someone."

"Oh? Anything interesting?"

"Not interesting. Just… meaningful."