Regarding the previous talk about 'Huohuo' having a little bed-warming maid, it was purely said for a bit of fun.
She wandered around all by herself; she didn't really need anyone to warm her bed anyway. Besides, even if she truly wanted that, she could just as easily go find Acheron, Herta, or Ruan Mei.
There was no need to go out of her way just to find Celenova.
So, strictly speaking, she had initially intended to refuse.
It was just that Celenova's act of delivering herself right to the door, combined with her delicious sense of shame, was something 'Huohuo' simply couldn't resist.
But things being as they were, she might as well start by changing Celenova into a maid outfit.
With that thought in mind.
'Huohuo' lifted a finger and tapped it against Celenova's chest. A surge of Imaginary Energy spread from her fingertip, reconstructing a black-and-white maid uniform over Celenova's body.
A bit of an opening at the chest, a shorter hemline, and maybe some exposed shoulders for good measure.
Celenova's face darkened instantly.
Especially when a small collar and a bow appeared around her neck, which was as slender as white jade.
Celenova's chest heaved and trembled with rage; clearly, her state of mind was anything but calm.
Fortunately, 'Huohuo' didn't push things any further.
"Alright, that'll do for now. It's about time to head over. Do you plan on following me now, or should I settle you somewhere else first?"
"…Somewhere else."
Celenova hadn't forgotten that the entire Luofu was watching outside.
There were likely other factions lurking in the shadows as well. If she walked out looking like this, in front of everyone, her lifelong prestige would truly vanish into ash.
So, going out was absolutely out of the question.
Not even if she died!
"Fine then."
'Huohuo' shrugged. While teasing Celenova was entertaining, if she went too far all at once and drove Celenova to a point of total desperation where she just gave up on everything, what then?
That wouldn't be fun anymore.
Better to take it easy.
Slow and steady, until she got a bit more used to it.
And so, 'Huohuo' raised her hand and opened a wormhole:
"I'll settle you in the Simulated Universe Space Station for now. You're free to move around—I won't even care if you leave the station—but you are not allowed to change out of these clothes. Also, you know where the line is drawn."
"..."
Celenova nodded.
Wearing the maid outfit, she stepped through the wormhole and landed within the Space Station.
Celenova's first instinct was to take the opportunity to cause some destruction, but that impulsive urge was quickly suppressed by her rationality.
She understood what 'Huohuo' meant by "the line."
To put it plainly, she was forbidden from acting on the will of Destruction; beyond that, the other party hadn't even restricted her freedom.
Celenova casually pulled up an input terminal on the station.
She realized then that it wasn't just freedom of movement—even most of the Space Station's permissions had been opened to her.
Aside from the Simulated Universe project content, she could browse everything else at will.
For a brief moment, Celenova even felt that following such a deity might be a pretty good choice, but she quickly snapped back to alertness, secretly warning herself not to fall for the enemy's sugar-coated bullets.
This person was deliberately giving her a show of force first, then a sweet treat, just to make her think they were a good person and let her guard down.
Celenova rubbed her face.
She didn't come here to enjoy herself; she came here to lull that Bai Ming person into a false sense of security.
She had to stay vigilant against every sugar-coated bullet thrown her way.
If a shell was thrown, throw it back; as for the sugar coating, it was best not to eat it either. Who knew when she might be stealthily undermined without even realizing it?
Since the other party was still elsewhere, she might as well use the time to adapt as quickly as possible.
She'd just treat this as a change of residence for a long stay.
After sending Celenova away, 'Huohuo' returned to the battlefield.
She found that under Jing Yuan's leadership, the Cloud Knights had crushed the leaderless Antimatter Legion at a very small cost.
Complete victory was only a matter of time.
Looking at Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, she felt they even had the leisure to use this as a live combat drill to train the new generation of Cloud Knights.
Meanwhile, 'Huohuo's' sudden return to the battlefield also drew the eyes of many.
After looking left and right and seeing no sign of Celenova, a burst of intense cheering even erupted among the Cloud Knights.
Morale on the Luofu side soared.
But by the same token, it meant Huohuo's face was now etched into the hearts of countless Cloud Knights.
Though they actually knew this 'Huohuo' was likely Madam Bai Ming, who enjoyed transforming into others, the visual impact would ultimately affect memory and perception.
So, it was foreseeable.
In the coming period, the real Huohuo would experience a life of high popularity on the Luofu.
As for the real Huohuo herself.
Who, for once, was watching the battlefield outside the Luofu in real-time. By now, she couldn't even manage to wail or mutter to herself anymore.
She only felt a sense of despair.
The kind of despair where one is clearly socially anxious yet forced to bear the price of fame; it was obvious that in the near future, many strangers would likely take the initiative to strike up a conversation with her.
Just thinking about such a terrifying scene made Huohuo feel the life of a fox was bleak, and the road ahead was filled with despair and darkness.
This was great.
Forget going to Exalting Sanctum; from now on, aside from the Ten-Lords Commission grounds, she feared she'd be tormented by strangers just by walking down the street.
Tail behind her burst out laughing:
"Hahaha~ This is killing me! Now everyone on the Luofu is going to know who you are."
"I'm definitely going to die..."
Huohuo stared blankly at her other self showing off in front of the crowds.
She was so done with life that her voice didn't even tremble anymore.
It was a sense of hopeless despair that couldn't be remedied.
"I want to apply for a transfer to work on another Xianzhou ship..."
"Then go ahead and submit the application. You've been nagging about it for days but I haven't seen you apply once."
"Mr. Tail, save me!"
"You're beyond saving."
"Waaaah..."
Looking at Huohuo huddled in her chair crying, Tail thought for a moment, then suddenly cleared his throat and changed his tune:
"Cough, well, speaking of which, isn't this the perfect chance for you to build some courage? This is way more useful than staying home every day watching horror movies."
"Eh? But..."
"No buts. Besides, you wouldn't want to damage that person's reputation on the Xianzhou because of you, right?"
Tail chuckled, clearly wanting to tease Huohuo.
Of course, there might have also been a thought about helping Huohuo improve her cowardly nature.
Huohuo, however, began to seriously consider whether her social anxiety would truly damage the other's reputation.
Those passersby might mistake her for Madam Bai Ming.
If she explained herself clearly, it would be fine, but if she couldn't explain and just ran away without a word, it would definitely make some people think Madam Bai Ming was a cold and unapproachable being!
Yet, through their time together these past few days, Huohuo knew the other person was actually very gentle and easy to get along with.
Ugh...
Was she really going to be forced to train her courage?
Just the thought of talking to so many strangers made Huohuo feel afraid, but her sense of responsibility drove her; for the sake of Bai Ming's reputation, Huohuo couldn't make up her mind to run away.
Or rather, at the very least, she needed to be able to speak up smoothly when necessary instead of turning and running.
So, should she really push herself and try?
--+--
While Huohuo was still agonizing.
On the other side.
There wasn't much more to say about the battlefield outside the Luofu.
Although the Voidranger's individual combat capability was strong, the Luofu's Cloud Knights were no pushovers either.
Do you understand the weight of having your head cut off, tied back to your neck, and having it grow back on its own?
It was only when hunting the Abominations of Abundance that they tended to fall into a disadvantage because their moral baseline was higher than their opponents'.
Now that they had a different opponent, the advantage of a body blessed by Abundance was becoming apparent.
Plus, with Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan overseeing things, 'Huohuo' simply went back to rest.
As for Qingque?
She had been snatched away to the flagship by Fu Xuan, losing her chance to slack off in the rear.
'Huohuo' received Qingque's distress signal, but she took one look at Fu Xuan and only sent Qingque a comforting smile.
Then, ignoring Qingque's accusing eyes, she departed alone.
She left Qingque behind, looking like life wasn't worth living as she was pinned down by Fu Xuan at the flagship's command post, forced to learn from this rare practical experience.
By the time the Cloud Knights returned in triumph, night had already fallen.
After some thought, 'Huohuo' chose to go to Fu Xuan's home to rest.
Although she had been staying with Qingque for the past few days, considering her act of "leaving her to her fate" today, if they met tonight, she'd likely be subjected to Qingque's complaining all night long.
As for Huohuo, that girl was too shy; she wasn't comfortable living with others, and Celenova... though she said she was a bed-warming maid, there was no rush, and the look Fu Xuan gave Celenova earlier was quite obvious.
As a gentle deity, one naturally had to show a bit of favoritism toward one's own.
So after weighing her options, she went to Fu Xuan's house.
Anyway, Fu Xuan had promised her that if she needed a place to stay, her home was always open, and she had even given 'Huohuo' a key.
Thus.
When Fu Xuan finally finished her work and returned home, she found an extra person in her house.
No, she should say an extra deity.
Fu Xuan's mouth opened slightly, her expression unable to hide her surprise. She thought the other person would have taken Celenova to do... something.
After all, the other had been forced into a maid outfit, and it seemed like some sort of agreement had been reached.
Why was she at her house?
'Huohuo' walked out of the bedroom, having changed into pajamas, and waved at Fu Xuan:
"Welcome back. I thought you might not come home all night. Get some rest quickly."
"Uh... I—I'm back..."
Fu Xuan's face turned slightly red.
Regarding a deity coming to her home and welcoming her back, Fu Xuan felt a very subtle emotion.
Moreover, the other person came out of her bedroom just now, didn't she?
Did she plan on sleeping together tonight?
Fu Xuan couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
Sharing a bed with the person she admired?
That was something she hadn't seen through the Matrix of Prescience!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL