The system, like a little mischievous girl who had succeeded in pulling a prank, was gloating triumphantly: "Even if you hadn't listened to me and gone on that isekai adventure, I still could've made you take off, hahahaha—"
"Then can you tell me where the hell this 5 million energy came from?"
"—Gah."
Li Bei's sincere question made the system sound like a duck being choked, its voice abruptly cutting off: "Th-There must be a reason for it, but this is just how it is. Those who understand will understand, and if you don't, I could explain it all day, and you still wouldn't get it…"
"Okay, okay, I already know you don't know."
Li Bei waved his hand dismissively, like he was shooing away a squirrel. He really shouldn't expect too much from a Hedgehog Cat system: "Anyway, the energy is already all spent."
He casually grabbed a mirror from the shelf and looked himself over again.
His body lines had become more streamlined, his skin smoother, it was like he had evolved.
And his face was something else entirely. While he was already handsome before, he had now almost reached the limit of human aesthetics. His immense charm was enough to captivate men, women, and the elderly alike.
"Damn, I'm so handsome." Li Bei said with genuine admiration, "But how am I supposed to go out looking like this?"
"Ugly Transformation Skill, a limited-time special for only 9,999 energy points."
"I have to pay to be ugly?!"
In the end, Li Bei did buy a skill that would make him less noticeable, but it wasn't the Ugly Transformation Skill. It was something more reliable.
Ordinary Person Aura – this would make Li Bei seem like a normal person. Others would simply think that Li Bei looked good, but they wouldn't be particularly impressed or shaken by his appearance.
"Speaking of which, can I bring these abilities into the next simulation?"
"Some you can, some you can't, it depends on the specific situation. But usually, it can't conflict too much with the character's persona or the world. For example, suddenly transforming into Ultraman Tiga in the Ring universe wouldn't work... But you could take out the Ultra Spark Lens and say it's a family heirloom to ward off evil."
"Great Multiplication Buddhism, Namu Tiga Ultraman Buddha, huh? And this Ultra Spark Lens is a consecrated artifact I got from the Bandai Namco?"
Li Bei shook his head speechlessly, but he also understood. After all, if every character suddenly transformed into Ultraman, that would be too ridiculous.
"Sigh, I won't create another character today. Living for over 20 years in the Honkai world was really draining. Let me just slack off for a few days on Earth first..."
But slacking off is always interrupted.
Li Bei had only been eating, sleeping, and eating again at home for seven or eight days when he started getting constant phone calls.
"Hey, what's up~"
Li Bei, who was lying in bed, yawned: "You brat, disturbing my beauty sleep."
"Beauty sleep, my foot! It's already 12 o'clock!"
A lively male voice came from the other end of the phone. It was Li Bei's friend, Gao Ming. The two had grown up together and were very close.
Unlike Li Bei, who was focused on a peaceful life, Gao Ming was a very active, real-life anime lover.
He had a sunny personality, excellent grades, was an all-around athlete, and was an absolute star at school. Countless girls adored him, and he even had a beautiful girlfriend who shared his interests.
But he was extremely obsessed with anime, knowing all sorts of manga, anime, and games by heart. He attended every large anime convention around the globe and was extremely enthusiastic about proselytizing to others.
Li Bei himself didn't really play Honkai Impact, but because Gao Ming constantly talked about various related topics by his side, he also gained a considerable understanding of the game.
"Today's Saturday, you know, right?"
"Know? Know what?" Li Bei yawned.
"Don't tell me you forgot!" Gao Ming said incredulously on the other end of the phone, "Didn't you agree last Monday to help me out on stage at the convention today? Don't mess with me, the show can't go on without you!"
Was there such a thing?
Li Bei thought about it and realized that there was, in fact, something like that.
But the day after he agreed, he encountered the system and a series of isekai adventures. Then, after living as his character for over 20 years in the Honkai world, he had completely forgotten about it.
This isn't good. I really don't want to get out of bed.
"Anyway, knowing your personality, you must have a backup plan..."
"It's different this time—" Gao Ming's voice suddenly got louder, then he quickly lowered his voice, whispering, "Me and Yueyue told the club members that we'd bring a super handsome friend over today…"
"My handsomeness isn't your capital to brag about..."
Li Bei shook his head helplessly. His uncontrollable charm was truly troublesome: "Alright, still the same old place, right?"
Speaking of which, this brat had given him the wrong information, causing him to mess things up. And he hadn't even gone after him about it yet.
What do you mean Otto was a pure love god who only loved Kallen and would never waver?
Pfft!
"Right, right, right! I sent your costume yesterday, so remember to come over quickly!"
It seemed like Gao Ming's companions on the phone had noticed him talking, so after giving a few more instructions, he quickly hung up.
Come to think of it, he had received a package before, but he hadn't opened it yet...
Oh well, let's just consider it charity, and take a trip outside for the first time in a while.
Li Bei stretched and slowly got out of bed, heading towards where the package was.
Because he had ordered so many packages before creating his character, the unopened boxes had already filled the entire storage room. Li Bei rummaged through it for a long time before finally pulling out Gao Ming's package.
When he opened the box, he found a very familiar skirt. Lihua very skillfully picked it up and put it on—
"?"
Noticing something was wrong, Li Bei looked down at the skirt in his hands, stunned.
A white undershirt, a long black skirt, and the cross symbol of the Schicksal Charity Association on the shoulder… Why did this look so familiar?
This was freaking Lihua's clothes!!
Li Bei was dumbfounded. He had made this outfit himself in the Honkai world. He had even made dozens of the same design and wore them daily, you could say it had become an integral part of Lihua's identity.
But why was this outfit here??
Li Bei quickly pulled out his phone and called Gao Ming again.
"Hey, what's wrong now? I'm helping Yueyue and her friends queue for milk tea—"
"What kind of outfit did you send me?!" Gao Ming was interrupted by Li Bei's hurried voice.
"It's from Honkai, didn't I tell you before?" Gao Ming on the other end of the phone was also confused, seemingly not understanding why Li Bei would ask such a question.
"But what's up with the character? Why did you send me this skirt?!"
"Oh, well you know, there are barely any male characters in Honkai, so to make me look a bit more handsome on stage, could you do a little crossdressing for me? I'll treat you to dinner later."
Gao Ming seemed to think that Li Bei didn't want to crossdress, so he tried to comfort him: "It just so happens that the character you're playing looks a bit like you, it's fate."
"…Can I ask what the character's name is?" Li Bei's brain was fried.
"No way, this is such an important character, I've told you so many times and you still haven't remembered?" Shocked by Li Bei's goldfish memory, Gao Ming choked for a moment, then said helplessly: "It's Lihua, you know, that origin of all evil in Honkai Impact 3rd, the sole victim of the Judgement of Shamash."