I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

[But you didn't think that much about it, because you had a familiar feeling again, like you had met Aponia before, and even had a good relationship with her.]

[This feeling is slightly different from when you first met Sakura. There's no overly obvious "liking" in her, but rather a feeling that "she should be my companion."]

So, you didn't resist her feelings; you just smiled, responded politely, and proactively, slightly, closed the distance between you.

Your actions startled Aponia for a moment, but she quickly smiled happily, gently persuading the children who had gathered around to leave. Then she led you into the "sanatorium," found a quiet place to talk to you, and asked if you had come here for something.

[...Yes, you, not all of you. From the moment you entered the "sanatorium" until she asked her question, Aponia's gaze remained fixed on you, never wavering, as if your status in her heart was infinitely high, and the figures of others were completely faded from her sight.]

[Aponia's actions caused the onlookers' lips to twitch, and even Sakura's gaze towards you carried a hint of resentment, leaving you feeling helpless...]

[You then ask Aponia if she has recently taken in a special patient—one whose body develops purple markings and whose emotions gradually become more volatile. Aponia naturally agrees.]

[You asked some more questions, which Aponia answered one by one. Judging from her expression, she didn't seem to be lying. Moreover, Li Neng was there from time to time, providing information to corroborate her words.]

Finally, you confirmed that Aponia truly only gathered these patients here out of kindness, simply because she wanted to take them in and had no one to care for them. She had no other intentions... and you breathed a sigh of relief.

So you told Aponia your real idea—you wanted to arrange for the patients to be taken away to receive safer isolation and care. At the same time, you also planned to have Aponia talk to the "Firemoths" to see if this place could also be turned into a "Firemoths" shelter.

[After all, according to Aponia, she often finds refugees in the vicinity. If the "Firemoth" sets up a shelter here, it can also promptly detect wandering patients and prevent them from turning into monsters and causing even greater destruction.]

[Aponia readily agreed...and her attitude was so compliant, as if she would agree to anything you said, which gave one a rather subtle feeling.]

Fortunately, you've achieved your goal... You've contacted the "Fire Moths," hoping they'll send someone to take over the patients here and prevent a collapse due to overcrowding.

[At the same time, out of respect for you, "Moth Chasing the Flame" verbally agreed to your request to set up a rescue point here, but the details need to be investigated on-site.]

[If nothing unexpected happens, Aponia will also become a member of "Fire Moths" in the future, as the head of the rescue station.]

Chapter Thirty-Eight: I will watch over you as promised, forever (4835)

To care for the "Honkai Disease" patients in the "Sanatorium" and prevent their condition from worsening, you and Sakura have temporarily settled in the "Sanatorium." Meanwhile, Li and Yin have gone back to handle some matters. After all, before the "Fire Moths" arrive, they need to "appease" the other residents of Twilight Street and let them know that blind xenophobia is not an option.

Not long after, the "Moths of Fire" arrived and, with the help of Oak and Silver, successfully entered Twilight Street.

This surprised the "Moth Chasing the Flame" group, since Twilight Street was notoriously xenophobic. Any outsider here was either absorbed by gangs or used by them. It was extremely difficult for outsiders to live a good life here, let alone build a powerful enough force that could even suppress other gangs at one point.

However, Li and Yin succeeded, and even quite easily established a candy factory here. Sales were quite good, solving the employment problem for many people in Twilight Street, and thus gaining the support of many locals in Twilight Street.

[If you really ask about this, Li and Yin also feel it's quite strange. Anyway, from some time... probably after you parted ways after graduating from high school, from that time on, they started to have unexpectedly "smooth sailing" in everything they did. They didn't exactly "make a killing," but at least they didn't "lose money."]

Leaving aside Li, Yin herself smoothly inherited the family business after returning to the Far East, becoming the "head of the family," and in her subsequent choices, she never allowed the family to suffer losses.

Later, when the disaster that affected the entire Far East broke out, Yin felt that she was going to die several times, but she miraculously survived each time. Although her family's influence was severely damaged, it was not completely wiped out, which gave her the opportunity to find Li.

Later, due to the frequent disasters (i.e., the Honkai), Li and Yin were forced to constantly relocate their bases. When they were finally forced to develop their power in Twilight Street, they actually made great progress, so much so that they began to wonder if it was a script that had been arranged by someone else.

Although all these things happened after we parted ways, this strange "good luck" only started after we separated, so both Li and Yin had a vague feeling that it must be related to you... However, this guess was too far-fetched, so the two of them eventually gave up this overly superstitious idea amidst laughter.

The "Moths of Fire" didn't care about any of that, nor did they care how Li and Yin had done it. All they needed to know was that they now had enough power in Twilight Street... That way, they might be able to control this extremely xenophobic "chaotic place" to some extent, and further acquire some rare resources, such as... materials for human experimentation.

However, upon arriving at the "sanatorium," the members of "Moths of Flame" were surprised again... because they saw Qian Jie carrying things and keenly sensed that Qian Jie was a very dangerous and powerful person.

He immediately questioned Li and Yin, and learned about the few times Qian Jie had intervened... The result was without a doubt: every time Qian Jie attacked, he crushed the troublemakers, and if Aponia hadn't intervened, Qian Jie might have killed them outright...

"That guy is inhuman when he fights"—that's what Li and Yin said.

[And this is precisely the answer that the "Fire Moths" hoped to find... After experiencing the monstrous research abilities of Mebius and May, the phenomenal mischief and creative abilities of Velvet, the freakish physical attributes of Kevin and Alicia, and your fairytale-like singing voice, the "Fire Moths" have discovered that there are always some "special people" in the world, and their "characteristics" can help the "Fire Moths" to better strengthen their power and fight against the Honkai.]

[And now, Qianjie is also very likely a "special person," and should be similar to Kevin and Alicia, possessing very strange physical qualities, making him a born warrior... and this is what the "Fire Moth" desperately craves.]

Although it hasn't been confirmed yet, the people from "Moth Chasing the Flame" are pretty sure, based on their intuition, that Qian Jie is indeed that kind of person... Moreover, they've heard that Qian Jie is currently working as a porter at the "Sanatorium," so in a sense, he's also affiliated with the "Sanatorium"... Based on this alone, "Moth Chasing the Flame" should set up a rescue station here to gain the right to transfer Qian Jie.

[As long as Qianjie can join "Fire-Chasing Moth," "Fire-Chasing Moth" has countless ways to send him to the battlefield, make him a warrior, and contribute to humanity's fight against the Honkai.]

Therefore, the "Moths of Flames" quickly changed their minds and decided that as long as the situation here met the standards, they would agree to establish a relief station here, while also bringing in the influence of Ri and Gin. The reason given was that Twilight Street was extremely xenophobic, and as fellow "outsiders," they needed to look after each other.

[At most, we'll give them some more concessions, which will gain us the support of another force. If things go smoothly, "Moths of Fire" will have officially planted a nail in Twilight Street, and maybe then they can even get rid of this "chaotic place."]

So the discussion that followed went exceptionally smoothly, so smoothly that it made you a little suspicious... But fortunately, "Fire Moth" was willing to make a contract, and this place was able to be converted into a rescue station. As a result, the children living here also benefited and their lives improved considerably.

[And Aponia naturally became the deputy head of the rescue center...]

[Naturally, as a rescue station for the "Fire Moths," it's necessary for the "Fire Moths" to send people to manage it. After all, these are patients suffering from "Honkai Disease," and if they are not careful or handled improperly, there is a high possibility that Honkai will break out.]

[Aponia, however, seemed unconcerned. After thanking the "Fire-Chasing Moths," she expressed her gratitude to you with great seriousness, surprising everyone.]

"Thank you for changing all of this," Aponia said, placing her hand gently on her chest, lifting her head to look at you with joyful eyes, and speaking softly, "I... will watch over you as promised, forever."

These ambiguous words, which even seemed to carry a certain subtext, plunged the surroundings into a deathly silence. Under the subtle and astonished gazes of the crowd, Aponia slowly bowed slightly to you, then politely nodded to the others, before disappearing from their sight.

As for the strange and subtle looks in the eyes of others, Aponia seemed unconcerned. It seemed... just as she had said, her gaze was fixed solely on you.

[...I never expected this nun to be so bold—I wonder who said that, it made the already awkward atmosphere even more awkward.]

You glanced speechlessly in the direction the sound came from, then looked back at Sakura... Sakura, unusually, looked away after meeting your gaze, and her face didn't flush with shyness as usual... Clearly, she was slightly unhappy.

[After all, it's only been a few days, right? That nun dared to say such things; Sakura doesn't even want to think about what will happen next.]

However, faced with your figure quietly approaching, and your hand being gently taken by you, Sakura did not resist. She simply moved away from you a little distance away, but then, as if reluctant to leave, she moved back closer, even closer to you than before.

Meanwhile, the others who witnessed all this squinted, silently enjoying your "lovey-dovey" antics... It seems the rumors circulating online about you being a "womanizer" aren't unfounded after all... Looks like you're not a perfect person after all~ And won't two-timing lead to some kind of disaster?

However, thinking back on it carefully, Eden and Sakura seem to have a pretty good relationship. They used to work together a lot, to the point that Sakura almost became Eden's exclusive model... Since the two girls are so close and have such a good relationship, you can still maintain this kind of relationship with them...

[Tsk tsk tsk, either you're too skilled, having both girls completely manipulated, or the two girls have reached some kind of consensus and are willing to accept this delicate relationship... But judging from your appearance, the former possibility can be completely ruled out. You're such a dull "record player," you can't possibly be that kind of high-level "player."]

More importantly, while Eden pursues romance, he's not purely love-struck. Plus, given his musical family background, if they really wanted to investigate, they could easily uncover your problems; you simply can't hide it.

So it's only possible that the two girls next to you reached some kind of agreement... How come he suddenly seems so enviable?

[But in any case, things on Aponia's side are sorted out. If we negotiate a little more with Thousand Calamities, the "Fire Moth" will gain another powerful warrior... probably.]

[But how can you, as "outsiders," run rampant in Twilight Street...? Where does that leave the face of the local gangs?]

So, unsurprisingly, at the end of this exceptionally smooth journey, we encountered a small obstacle.

Just like a straightforward, heartwarming story that has finally reached its first hurdle, this sudden upheaval is unexpected, yet also perfectly logical.

[Li and Yin had long known about the other gangs' dissatisfaction with them, so they anticipated their trouble and were prepared for a bloodbath... Their only regret was that you, this sheltered "record player," had been dragged into this mess... But it doesn't matter, it's time for a gentle, even somewhat weak, guy like you to see some blood.]

However, when Li and Yin said this to you and told you to hide well, the "Fire Moth" members and Ying smiled without saying a word, leaving Li and Yin stunned.

[And you nodded gently, obediently accepting their instructions... then skillfully found a secluded spot to hide, your movements so swift and decisive they were astonishing.]

At this moment, Li and Yin realized that you, this "record player," are no longer the same as before... Under the baptism of the disaster called "Honkai," you now clearly understand where someone like you, with little combat capability, should go and what to do in actual combat.

Li and Yin shook their heads and smiled wryly, sighing with the air of older siblings, marveling that their "record player" had finally grown up and was almost unrecognizable.

Meanwhile, the "Moth Chaser" crew member pressed a hidden button on the suitcase, while Sakura slowly drew her katana from her waist.

Then, everyone watched in disbelief as the suitcase transformed into a strangely shaped, aesthetically pleasing "cannon," its flowing energy radiating dazzling light. Sakura, holding the ice-blue katana, felt her body temperature plummet, and even faint snowflakes could be seen appearing on her skin.

This fantastical weapon, reminiscent of something out of a novel, deeply shocked everyone. This was exactly the effect that "Fire-Chasing Moth" and Sakura wanted; they quickly activated the weapon and swung its blade.

[You bunch of stagnant folks in Twilight Street, try out the latest weapon developed by Velvi!!!]

[A blinding plasma descended upon the crowd, instantly rendering countless people incapable of resistance. Cold icicles flew out with the swung blades, piercing the bodies of the crowd, causing them to drop their weapons and staining their clothes with blood... Fortunately, both of them had set the power to its lowest setting; otherwise, this attack would have likely killed many people. After all, this thing was originally designed to deal with Honkai Beasts, not to be used against humans.]

This weapon, seemingly straight out of a movie, momentarily stunned the attackers, their initial aggressive attitude turning into fear and timidity... And when the plasma glowed again, even brighter than before, their attitude instantly turned to terror, and they all fled in panic.

[Then, the members of "Moth Chaser" proudly introduced the weapon in their hands to Li and Yin—an experimental weapon created by the great engineer Velvet, inspired by the "Third Herrscher"... Considering that Li and Yin did not know what a "Herrscher" was, it can be simply understood as a weapon similar to a plasma cannon.]

[The weapon in Sakura's hand is also made by Velvet, the "Ice Bloom" which can control low temperatures and ice to a certain extent.]

While these two weapons aren't considered standard weaponry in "The Fire Moth," they're not exactly rare either.

[Hmm? Why would the "Fire Moths" bring such a weapon in? Well, it's because they're aware that entering a place as xenophobic as Twilight Street will inevitably lead to some conflict... To avoid these unnecessary conflicts, bringing out a highly intimidating weapon that the others don't know about is enough to make them disperse out of fear and apprehension.]

[Another reason is that it was arranged by Vilvi specifically. After all, she had been to Twilight Street before and was worried that you and Sakura might be bullied there, so she brought out a new creation with enough power and intimidating appearance!]

[Li and Yin were stunned for a moment, but they eventually understood. It seemed that you and Ying had joined a remarkable organization, and this time... they had been semi-forced into getting involved, since members of "Fire Moth" had approached them about cooperation... and they had agreed.]

But thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem so bad. After all, the "Fire Moths" are currently saving all of human civilization; they're an organization that's saving the world!

Li and Yin exchanged a glance, then smiled helplessly, muttered a few complaints, and then stopped caring about it.

[And what about the rest of us... those who were injured and unable to leave? We'll leave that to Li and Yin. You and Ying will leave with the "Fire Moth" crew, since this vacation is coming to an end.]

On your way out, you heard the sounds of fighting again, and then the maniacal laughter of Qian Jie.

Following the sound, they found that the fleeing people were blocked by Qian Jie alone. Amidst Qian Jie's unrestrained laughter, countless people were beaten and thrown far away like sandbags. Occasionally, a few crisp cracking sounds of bones could be heard.

Upon seeing your arrival, Qianjie immediately abandoned his other targets and turned his gaze to you. His fighting spirit began to boil, and hostility began to spread... but it was then dispelled by a casual remark from Aponia, which provoked another angry roar from Qianjie.

[After questioning, it turns out that Aponia noticed the other gangs' hostility towards you, so she sent Qianjie to help you... but in reality, you don't need it.]

However, you guys don't seem to care about this at all; on the contrary, you're quite happy... especially the members of "Moth Chasing the Flame," because this time he's certain that Thousand Calamities is the "special person" he's been looking for.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, you and Sakura bid them farewell and left Twilight Street.

With that, the arrangements for Aponia and the others were finalized.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Talented Dusk Street (5296)

After fulfilling your promise to Oak and Silver, you returned to the "Firemoth." After continuing to follow up on the situation in Aponia and confirming the completion of the "Firemoth" rescue station, you felt a little relieved and resumed your original path.

While maintaining the facade of the "bard" project, you also act as a "taunting puppet" when necessary, heading to the Honkai outbreak site. Occasionally, you also return to the "Firemoth" base to assist Mebius and the others in their research.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Mebius and Mei tried, they were ultimately unable to replicate your "characteristics." Even if they perfectly replicated the frequency of your singing, they couldn't achieve the same effect of "soothing" the Honkai Beasts.

[Midway through, Mebius even considered that since your singing could affect Honkai energy to some extent, could Honkai energy also affect your singing to some extent? If a method could be found, it might even make the "effect" of your singing stronger... However, this suggestion was ultimately rejected by both Mebius and Me.]

[Simply because it's too dangerous, and according to Möbius's plan, this method would very likely require you to come into contact with Honkai energy... If he accidentally kills you, his precious "guinea pig," how can Möbius continue his research?]

After repeatedly confirming that your "trait" cannot be replicated for the time being, "Fire Moth" has temporarily put aside its research on you, and instead instructed Velvi to research as many personal devices as possible that could allow your singing voice to travel further, in order to expand the scope of your "trait" as much as possible.

You feel a little regretful... If only this "trait" could be copied, if only this "trait" could be made stronger, then perhaps more people could be saved? — You often think this.

...Never mind, let's not dwell on these annoying things and talk about something happy instead~

For example, some interesting things happened during the time when "Fire Moths" were converting the "Sanatorium" into a rescue station after you left Twilight Street.

[Initially, it was the local gangs who rudely came to cause trouble, several times a day. There were also many people loitering around, monitoring your "sanatorium" renovation activities, and taking every opportunity to come over and say random things, looking like they had ill intentions... Oh no, you were the ones who were "coming in".]

However, this was of no use to "Fire Moth". After discovering this, they immediately transported a batch of equipment over, allowing Li and Yin to drive away those annoying guys. This was also part of the cooperation. At the same time, "Fire Moth" insisted on taking Qian Jie along on the mission. Obviously, "Fire Moth" intended to use this opportunity to observe whether Qian Jie was the "special person".

As for the final result... Li and Yin led their team behind, watching Qian Jie charge into the territories of various gangs like a wild boar, laughing maniacally and excitedly as he brutally beat up the gang members. His terrifying fighting power sent chills down everyone's spine.

With the weapons provided by "Fire Moth," the other gangs in Twilight Street quickly fell silent, either choosing to cooperate with Li and his group or tacitly approving of "Fire Moth's" actions.

[Sigh, anyway, Li and his gang have some support from the people of Twilight Street, so let's just say he's half a Twilight Street member. And the converted "sanatorium" is also considered "property" under Li's name. Rounding it off, Twilight Street is still Twilight Street, and no "outsiders" are taking up space here... The surviving gang comforted themselves with this thought.]

In short, they chickened out.