Some time later, cleanup crews were clearing the debris-strewn streets and evacuating the shaken residents to designated shelters for those affected by otherworldly incidents.
Lihua had offered to help with the evacuation but was politely redirected by Officer Zhang and Wang Chui.
"Such powerful monsters, defeated so easily..." Officer Zhang still struggled to believe this petite young woman had effortlessly vanquished creatures that had cost them dearly.
Is this the power of an otherworlder?
Despite his astonishment, he didn't forget his manners, expressing his profound gratitude to Lihua.
"It was my duty," Lihua said humbly. If I had arrived sooner, perhaps more lives could have been saved. "When I defeated the Minotauros, they dropped some crystals. Are those the magic stones you mentioned? I sense a strange power within them. Perhaps you could research them and find a way to utilize them."
"May we take your spoils?" Shen Hua asked cautiously. While the magic stones held research value, offending Lihua wasn't worth the risk.
"Of course. If you can develop weapons to counter these monsters, that would be ideal." Lihua nodded. The stones held no significance for her.
Besides, she could tell the authorities were eager to obtain them, hesitant to ask only out of fear of upsetting her.
She was currently their sole point of contact with another world, and a powerful combatant—at least, the Judgment of Shamash was.
While she found their excessive politeness slightly odd, she wasn't bothered. Overly familiar behavior would be far more annoying.
If they had demanded the Judgment of Shamash for research, even her good-natured persona would be irked.
But this politeness is a bit… boring. Li Bei decided to shift his focus away from Lihua for now.
"With Lihua and the Tomato Devil on Earth, does that mean other anime characters will cross over too?" Gao Ming asked Li Bei and Liu Yue in the car ride home. "Like, could our waifu dreams come true with Yukino Yukinoshita or Mai Sakurajima showing up?"
"Instead of slice-of-life waifus, I'd worry about more dangerous things crossing over," Liu Yue retorted. "Like Godzilla or Gomora. We'd be screwed. Even nukes might not kill them."
"Look on the bright side, maybe Ultraman will show up too. Let him handle it," Li Bei said nonchalantly. If Ultraman doesn't come, I'll just make some soup. "Worst case scenario, they level a few cities and destroy those houses people spent their life savings and their parents' retirement funds on. Wonder if insurance would cover that?"
"No worries, as long as you don't buy a house, that won't happen to you," Liu Yue said with a smirk.
"Is insurance coverage really the issue right now?!" Gao Ming groaned, exasperated by his companions' lack of concern.
Earth is more dangerous than I anticipated. I need to increase my power quickly.
Back home, Li Bei sank comfortably into his sofa, pulling out the Chainsaw Man manga while contemplating creating his second character.
Unexpectedly, the system chimed in, its usual ditzy voice asking, "So, dear host, what tier of character are you aiming for?"
"???"
Character tiers? Like a $9.99, $19.99, $29.99 package deal?
"Creating characters in other worlds requires energy expenditure. Your first character was a freebie, a newbie bonus." the system explained. "Now that you're on track, there's an energy cost."
"The character's tier depends on the energy invested. More energy means a stronger character with a better background, possibly closer ties to the Child of Destiny. Those Children of Destiny offer huge energy returns after you raise their favorability. Like Otto and Kallen, they were the Children of Destiny—uh, Children of Destiny-esses? Hmm..."
"Anyway, if you invest, say, a few tens of millions of energy points, you might become Xiao Huohuo's mom! Then you just sit back, watch your kid grow stronger, and profit!"
Li Bei, initially prepared to complain about the system's stinginess, paused. If a few tens of millions guarantees a quick win, it might be worth it. But…
"What if I invest tens of millions, and the character ends up in a low-power world? Like, not Xiao Huohuo's world, but Tang San's? Even the strongest being in that world isn't that impressive."
"Uh, world assignment is random, so..." The system sounded flustered, clearly caught off guard.
"Typical of a system from Ciweimao. Never fails to disappoint." Li Bei sighed, shaking his head. I actually entertained that ridiculous proposition for a second. Shameful.
"Let's spend 100,000 energy points for a character this time. Let's see what kind of splash that makes."
"100,000 points should get you a character with a decent background, some inherent advantages, like Lihua's Kaslana bloodline," the system predicted. "Remember to maintain a good persona. To boost your favorability on Earth, consistency is key. People don't like flip-flopping characters, like how Eren went from Chad Eren to Yeagerist to… well, a clown."
"Thanks for the reminder, but it wasn't necessary." Li Bei grinned confidently. "Not everyone's Isayama."
(End of Volume I: Dreams Fade in the Honkai)