I'm playing Honkai Impact 3

Page 1015

Qiong leaned close to the saintess's exotic, elven ear and whispered something in a voice that Xia Die could hear.

"How can you be so eager to recruit someone you've just met, know their name, and not even have a clear understanding of their background?"

"Aren't you afraid that behind his aloof and distant exterior lies the heart of a succubus who will devour me completely?"

"This... I'm sorry, I was a little too hasty."

Upon hearing Dora's first words, Tirispius also felt that she might have been too hasty.

The second sentence made her look helpless.

This is even more outrageous than the other party directly agreeing to join the Fire Chasing Journey.

"I'm sorry, he usually makes nonsensical jokes, please don't take them to heart."

Tirispie, like a wise and helpful wife, promptly apologized to Qiong.

"...Was it a joke? It's okay."

Qiong looked at Xia Die, who seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief.

Why does this girl seem surprisingly a bit naive?

They seem easy to fool.

"So, you're actually a native of Aidiria?"

"Ah."

"Could you tell us about the history of Aidiria? We are very interested in this period of history."

Qiong acted like a tourist visiting a scenic spot, which made Xia Die look at him with a bit more surprise.

An eccentric person.

"Yes... but I rarely interact with people and am not very good at communication... I hope you won't mind."

"Then you have a very clear understanding of yourself."

Qiong seemed oblivious to the humility and aloofness in the other person's words, and instead gave a thumbs up.

Tirispeius: "?"

"Pfft! You said I don't know how to talk, but you're just as sarcastic and rude as I am!"

On March 7th, he stood with his hands on his hips and complained.

Xia Die seemed unconcerned by Qiong's frankness. She tilted her head slightly and looked at the outline of the ruined city in the wind and snow.

"In the long golden age, almost everyone enjoyed the pleasures of longevity on the warm earth. A very few people grew tired of the stagnant alternation of day and night and were determined to find the way back to life."

"Eleusis, the leader of the ascetics, led them northward and settled in the desolate northern wilderness, where they built a solemn city-state—where snow fell all year round, and the people called it Aidiria."

The Golden Age.

The reason why Qiong was interested in this wretched place called Aidiria was because of that Golden Age.

In that era, there was no concept of death.

Historical records are vague about the end of the Golden Age, but one theory has been widely circulated.

The first dead of Onphalus came from Aedria, a country from which someone received the blessing of death from Senatos.

It seemed like it had been a long time since she had spoken so much with anyone, and Xia Die was initially a little unaccustomed to it.

However, as she continued speaking, her speech became more fluent.

Qiong, Tirispius, and March 7 learned many stories of Aederia from the Butterfly.

Although the Aedrians believe in death, they are the people who cherish life the most in the entire Onphalus region.

The warriors here are extremely brave; they would be among the top ten or even a hundred warriors in the outside world.

Despite being built in a barren and frigid place, and possessing formidable military power, it has never invaded the rich lands of the south.

All the wars fought were wars of national defense.

Qiong noticed that as Xia Die walked and talked, she even paid attention to a small flower in the crack of the bluestone slab, and deliberately avoided the flower with her steps.

"The story is fascinating."

Qiong stopped in his tracks, his golden eyes looking directly into Xia Die's dark purple pupils with a smile.

"how about you?"

"You know so much about Aidiria. You weren't just an ordinary resident there back then, were you?"

As she asked this question, Qiong quickened her pace and approached Xia Die.

Subtly establishing social distance while speaking allows one to control the atmosphere.

also……

"Please be careful, Your Excellency, don't get too close... I'm sorry, this is just for safety reasons, it's not because I have any complaints about you."

The butterfly is exceptionally sensitive to physical distance; when Qiong gets within a meter, it retreats rapidly like a startled butterfly.

"Oh? Safe?"

Qiong's face showed no embarrassment at being rejected, only curiosity.

"What do you mean by that?"

“I…I am the Holy Maiden of Aidiria, the War Charioteer.”

"The Holy Maiden who oversees the battle!?"

Tirispius whispered.

“I have read in ancient books that only ascetics who have experienced the trials of the world and have a deep respect for life and death are qualified to have their souls returned to the underworld through the saintess.”

“The Audreys revered the saint as a goddess.”

She never expected to see it with her own eyes.

Upon hearing Tirispius's slightly respectful praise, Xia Die fell silent, shaking her head after a long while.

“I… am cursed with the Touch of Death, which causes any life that my fingertips touch to wither and disappear.”

"what?"

March 7th opened her eyes wide in surprise and covered her mouth with both hands.

"This……"

The fact that she could only touch the dome and couldn't interact with other people and objects in her meme state frustrated her.

How terrible it would be if touching anything would cause death!

"You mean, everyone who comes into contact with you will die?"

Qiong understood.

The personality profile of Xia Die was completed instantly.

"Yes."

The girl's answer was concise and cold; beneath her politeness lay a high wall built by a thousand years of loneliness.

Tirispius also fell silent.

Bearing such a curse, one can imagine how lonely the girl's past must have been, without even a single person she could touch.

I have never felt the warmth of skin.

"What about plants?"

Qiong asked.

"It will wither and die in an instant, just like before."

The image of countless flowers withering at her fingertips flashed through her mind, and Xia Die's hand, clad in long purple gloves, trembled for a moment.

"Can't we even use gloves to isolate ourselves?"

On March 7th, the clever little brain begins to work.

"Wouldn't that eliminate direct contact?"

"Of course not, otherwise would she be so troubled?"

Qiong gave the answer "March 7th" without even asking Xia Die.

Qiong's act of speaking to the air made Xia Die tilt her head in confusion.

Tirispyos, on the other hand, was already used to the way Sora communicated with her "imaginary companions".

"I see. You've hit the jackpot today."

After making eye contact with Xia Die for two seconds, Qiong put on a sunny and cheerful smile, like a big boy.

"Your Excellency, what do you mean by that?"

Xia Die's eyes were filled with confusion.

"Let's play it safe first."

Qiong placed the purple Rubik's Cube from above her head into March 7's hand. To Xia Die's astonishment, it shrank into a small brown mouse in the light.

"Your Excellency?"

Xia Die stared blankly at this scene.

People turned into rats?

Then, something terrifying happened.

The brown mouse actually ran towards her.

"No!"

"do not want!"

Please don't do this!

Xia Die instinctively retreated, her previously calm face now showing obvious fear.

Xia Die closed her eyes tightly, covered her face, unable to bear watching the scene of life withering away.

then.

The feeling of her cheek being pulled made Xia Die freeze.

Warm, cozy.

A kind of warmth I had never felt before, a vibrant warmth belonging to life, came clearly from my shoulders and cheeks.

With delicate, butterfly-like eyelashes fluttering, Xia Die slowly opened her eyes, looking blankly and incredulously at the little brown mouse standing on her shoulder and poking her cheek.

He was so lifelike, full of energy, and always smiling.

There wasn't a single trace of the dark purple spots that symbolize death on its body.

"Your Excellency, you..."

Xiaodie's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, filled with bewilderment and immense shock.

She watched as the little mouse hopped twice on her shoulder, as if confirming something.

The thoughtful look on his face gradually turned into a firm judgment.

then.

In the light, Qiong returned to her original form and took Xia Die's hand, which was wearing a purple glove.

Before Xia Die could react in time, Qiong deftly removed her cold glove, revealing her pale, slender fingers that had never touched anyone before.

His warm, broad palm pressed tightly against hers, their fingers intertwined.

Qiong looked at the girl's unfocused purple starry eyes, which were wide open in extreme shock, and smiled brightly.

"Hi~ How are you feeling??"

He speaks with musical notes.

Are you convinced or not?

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