Although Chu Lian had left plenty of hints and traces behind, unfortunately, by the next day, Blue Roses still had not come looking for her. Only she and Hare Menjou lay on the bed she had set up among the tangled tree branches, sleeping until the sun was high in the sky before finally getting up.
"Yawn... well, after calculating everything, I didn't expect them not to come up. That's my mistake." Chu Lian shook her head. There was no way to calculate this. Whether they chose to look for her or not wasn't something she could decide. It depended on them, not on her.
Her intention had been for Blue Roses to find her so she could arrange the next steps of her plan. If they couldn't even trace her whereabouts, then everything would fall through.
"Forget it. It's not a big deal. I saved them yesterday. They probably thought this place was too dangerous and retreated," Chu Lian said with a faint smile as she looked at Hare Menjou still sleeping beside her. "Even if they don't come, it doesn't matter. If they cooperate, they'll benefit. If they don't, I won't lose anything. I just hope that the next time we meet, it won't be as enemies."
"Still, I didn't expect there to be transmigrators. A Japanese high schooler, a Chinese transmigrator, an American drifter... none of them are easy to deal with." Thinking of the man who had called himself Liu Chu last night, she recalled a few things.
"The world of Overlord has been traversed many times, so its world barrier is fragile. It's not surprising that transmigrators show up here. I wonder if there will be other transmigrators in the main world. If there are, how should I deal with them? What a complicated problem." She could kill that transmigrator in this world without hesitation. In her own world, she wouldn't be soft-hearted either.
But the question was—would she even know who the transmigrators were? In these dungeon worlds, it was easier. Those who clung to delusional fantasies usually exposed themselves quickly. Like Liu Chu, who didn't follow the original storyline and instead developed elsewhere—wouldn't he act arrogantly in front of original characters too?
However, some transmigrators preferred to quietly accumulate advantages, secretly pushing events forward only when they believed the time was right. By the end, they might cause enormous disruptions to her quests and plans.
For such dangerous types, Chu Lian truly couldn't think of a way to suppress them in advance. Unless the main world was a very special world—so difficult for outsiders to reach that she wouldn't have to worry about it at all.
"You don't need to worry about that," Ayase's sleepy voice sounded as she sat up from the sofa in the spatial space, stretching lazily. "You were able to reach the main world because of the system. Without the system's ability, entering the main world is impossible. Those who want to freely appear there can't do so unless they've reached the Transcendence Realm."
"Inori and the others were able to reach the main world because of the system's guiding force. It allowed them to find a direction through which they could break in. That's how they arrived."
"So there's no need to worry. The spatial barrier of the main world may not be particularly strong, but it's far from fragile."
"So unless someone reaches a certain level of strength, or has something like a system to help them, they can't enter the main world?" If that was true, Chu Lian could finally relax. The main world was, in a sense, her root. No one would want others lurking nearby.
"Mm. Most so-called transmigrators are passively sent to other worlds for various reasons. Maybe they have some so-called mission. Maybe they happened to meet certain conditions. Or maybe it was just a momentary mistake by some consciousness that caused it. In the end, they're outsiders. They'll always carry traits that mark them as such."
Ayase's words left Chu Lian somewhat puzzled. By that logic, wasn't she the same?
"You were actively drawn into the main world by the system. And it was Chu Lian who willingly made you become 'Chu Lian,' fusing body and soul into one. That's how you became someone of the main world. Otherwise, why do you think I exchanged a Loli Heart for you? Do you really think it was just to turn you into a loli?"
"Without the Loli Heart, your behavior and demeanor would have had too low a compatibility with that body. The world's consciousness would instinctively reject you. Only when your soul gained the same childishness as that body could you perfectly merge, remain undetected, and be acknowledged by the world's consciousness."
"Before you had the Loli Heart, didn't I constantly suppress you and stop you from doing whatever you wanted? That was because if you went too far, the world's consciousness would notice. And once that happened, it would have been troublesome. Of course, without the system desperately covering for you, you would've been discovered long ago. In the end, if you're not originally from a world, it's hard to be acknowledged by it."
"That applies to you, and it applies to Inori as well. But she was luckier than you. She directly formed a contract with you, and the world's consciousness defaulted her as part of you—essentially as life belonging to the main world. That's why she's been allowed to stay there."
"That's why I keep emphasizing the importance of World Affinity. As a Spacetime Traveling Merchant, you have at least A-rank World Affinity in any world. That means, like most of the world's favored individuals, you won't easily be obstructed in whatever you do. Of course, remember this—outsiders can never compare to those born there. If you go too far, you'll still be rejected."
"Mm. But if your World Affinity reaches S-rank, then many of these concerns are just talk."
"You're probably the most popular among Spacetime Traveling Merchants. Most merchants only have C-rank World Affinity. The extreme cases might reach A-rank. S-rank isn't nonexistent, but it's as rare as a phoenix feather or qilin horn, and usually only in specific worlds."
"Maybe that's still a bit abstract. Let me put it simply. In most worlds, unless you're some overpowered chosen one or a reincarnated supreme being, the protagonist's World Affinity is S-rank. Most supporting characters are A-rank. Even those who are disliked still have B-rank. So now, do you understand what S-rank means?"
Ayase leisurely sipped her red wine as she laid out these truths one by one. After digesting it all, Chu Lian summarized in three points: "Being a transmigrator isn't easy. I'm basically the protagonist in every world. And Ayase exchanged the Loli Heart for me on her own initiative—for my sake."
Still, she felt that something was slightly off, yet she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
Forget it. As long as her current situation was safe and the main world remained intact, that was enough.
If she encountered transmigrators in the future, she could simply crush them on sight and prevent them from acting recklessly.
"All right, aren't you setting off yet? If you keep delaying, the Slane Theocracy's forces stationed outside will be withdrawing completely," Ayase reminded her, frowning slightly when she saw Chu Lian still lost in thought over their earlier discussion.
"Ah, right. I should go take care of my own matters. As for transmigrators... I'll think about that later. After all, technically speaking, I'm one too. Probably." Chu Lian snapped out of it. Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, she dismissed the lingering thoughts and gently woke the girl beside her. "Hare, I'm heading out. Go rest inside my spiritual space for now. I'll keep the link open so you can see what's happening outside."
The girl was roused from her lazy slumber, still a little dazed. But being gentle by nature, she asked no questions. She simply nodded softly and transformed into a stream of light, disappearing into Chu Lian's body.
"All right. No need to check the snow mountain anymore. There are already enough troublesome matters here. Better not stir up additional problems for now." Chu Lian stood, stepped down onto the thick tree branch beneath the bed, glanced around at her surroundings, then sighed and put the bed away.
"Mm. Shiroha said that if I want to find the sea, I just need to fly into the sky and look out over the horizon. But if I want to locate the Slane Theocracy's forces outside... how should I go about it?"
As she pondered, her fingers unconsciously reached for the bell at her neck. She gave it a light tap, listening to its clear chime.
"The IS armor is conceptual technology. It should have its own built-in functions, right? A standard IS unit is only A-rank. Mine is S-rank. There should be something more special about it."
As she spoke, she poured magic power into the bell.
Ring ring ring—
The chime grew urgent. Moments later, boundless white light erupted into the sky. In a blinding flash, Chu Lian's clothing transformed instantly.
It was a pure white external armor of exquisite design. Twelve pairs of wings unfurled behind her back. Faint white motes of light floated around the armor's surface, which was engraved with pale golden rune-like patterns. It looked less like equipment and more like a magnificent work of art.
A silver-white spear and a beam sword hovered crossed behind her, energy flowing along their surfaces, silently declaring that they were far from fragile decorations.
Her slender legs were now wrapped in white lace thigh-high stockings. The eight-centimeter heels she had been wearing were replaced by ten-centimeter silver-white high heels.
With the open-toed heels accentuating her form, her figure appeared even more elongated, her movements carrying an almost swaying elegance.
Her tight-fitting qipao had transformed into a white sailor uniform. The skirt, already short before, was now even shorter. If she wasn't careful and moved too vigorously, her white panties would easily be exposed.
Fortunately, though the white sailor top only contained a small bra, at least she didn't have to worry about accidentally revealing something critical.
Still, while the material quality was excellent, it wouldn't withstand excessively intense combat. If she wasn't careful, she might end up having her clothes burst apart mid-battle and inadvertently offering fan service. That was something she definitely needed to watch out for.
"Wow, Lian, your equipment looks amazing. It's just..." Hare's voice echoed from within her spiritual space. She gasped in admiration at the change in Chu Lian's attire, though she trailed off before finishing her sentence.
"I know, it's too revealing. But there's no helping it. This is the standard configuration. It can't be altered. I have no idea which bastard designed a conceptual armament that seems tailor-made to show off legs, but... it really is powerful." Chu Lian ground her teeth slightly as she spoke. She supposed she should be grateful it wasn't garter stockings.
"After Seraph is activated, please note: it will consume 100 MP per second. If MP is insufficient, it will automatically cease active operation and switch to sleep mode, consuming 10 MP per second. Once reverted to inactive form, consumption will return to zero. Please act according to circumstances."
The bell at her neck had vanished, replaced by a blue diamond-shaped crystal. When Chu Lian touched it, it emitted the mechanical notification, informing her of the consumption rate.
"Got it..." Chu Lian exhaled softly. Then, in a low voice, she murmured, "Seraph... activate."
Energy particles gathered beneath the twelve pairs of wings. Pressing down hard with her feet, Chu Lian shot into the sky at a speed approaching supersonic velocity.