A starving beast had leaped into the sheep pen.
Perhaps even this metaphor couldn't quite capture the scene unfolding before them.
After all, limited by the lack of years spent surfing the web, the current era's Teacher Tiri wouldn't yet scribble something like "Teacher Tiri is always here~" in her personal signature like some ancient millennial netizen.
This "taciturn" Saintess rummaged through her mind for half a day, scraping together every word she could find, only to land on one ultimate crowd-pleaser.
But Mr. Yi Zhen was different.
His mind immediately spat out descriptions that perfectly matched the battlefield.
Yes!
A Gundam, towering over the earth—!
The three of us together, unbeatable in a single clash—!
How dare these people defy us, armed with the power of a Gundam—!
Before, they'd only stormed bandit camps back and forth, dealing with mere rabble that couldn't showcase this tigress's true strength.
Now it was perfect.
Blocking their path was a proper regular army. Even if the classical era of today lacked strict professional soldiers in the modern sense, these militias formed from local folk were already a rare elite force compared to most ragtag mobs.
And then...
The result? The regular army got wrecked too. Yi Zhen glanced down the main street of Janusapolis, where the soldiers now lay scattered every which way, all out cold.
You could only say the young ones had fire in their veins—even the cold stone pavement made for such a peaceful nap.
At the street's end, to avoid accidental kills, the Senexios Gundam had thoughtfully removed its spearhead. Relying solely on her monstrous strength and that bare polearm shaft, she unleashed a one-woman massacre mode through the crowd.
Witnessing this spectacle, Mr. Yi Zhen could only sigh endlessly. Back in the day, Chen Daozai had turned twenty bucks into thirty-seven million; now, after three months of legwork, Yi Zhen had earned himself a humanoid Gundam. Pretty reasonable, right?
"The three of us are just too strong."
Hearing Yi Zhen's words, the Saintess fell silent for a moment. She wasn't sure what to say, feeling like she didn't quite fit in with these two soon-to-be companions.
One spouted weird lines.
The other charged ahead like a spearhead.
Should she make some changes to blend into this group?
She thought about it, but the Saintess named Tirixipios had spent her past twenty years with almost zero friends— even more pitiful than Little Butterfly in the future.
All her knowledge came from books and her mother's tales.
But...
Recalling her mother's words now, she had no idea how to put them into practice.
So, after hesitating a bit, the friendless Saintess turned to Yi Zhen and asked,
"Lord Yi Zhen, what do you think... is the way to make true friends? Or rather, how should one get along with them?"
"How to get along with friends? Obviously by snarking sarcastically, backstabbing, and sweet-talking them into calling you 'righteous father.'"
Huh?
The Saintess's mind blanked for a second, but Yi Zhen burst out laughing.
"That's a joke for after you're close... Well, if I had to pick one, it's still that line: Never let your passionate heart fade. Show compassion to the weak, help each other out, and all within the four seas become friends. Even if betrayed a thousand times by that bond, never give up lightly."
"I can't say I'd stick around after a betrayal, but I really admire whoever came up with that."
"If you want to take the first step, try believing in them first. Introduce yourself."
"For example, once this is over, how about calling Senexios 'dear Senexios'?"
"'Dear'?"
The Saintess arched her delicate brows, lost in thought. Moments later, she suddenly grabbed the young man's hand beside her. Her deep blue eyes swirled with a mix of gentle warmth and fiery passion as she gazed deep into his.
Then, a smile blending mature allure and childlike innocence bloomed on her exquisite face. In a soft voice, she said,
"Dear Yi Zhen, like this?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's the vibe!"
"Then, can you and I..."
She took a deep breath, then shouted as if expending every ounce of strength,
"Team up for a lifetime Fire Chasing Journey?!"
Huh?
Hold up, sister, you switch up like that?
You even dropped an "Ikkun"...
Of course—
He'd say yes!
Who'd turn down a deal like this? Accept it, and her favorability shoots to seventy or eighty at least. Play it right, and this tempting beauty is in the bag.
Sure, she'd shatter into a thousand lolis later, but right now, she was a super fiery redhead bombshell!
Anyone rejecting this? No way, right? No way, right? No way, right?!
"Then it's a lifetime under one quilt! We gotta team up for a lifetime Fire Chasing Journey! Liars have to swallow a thousand needles!"
"Deal!"
Excitement lit up both their faces, genuine joy swelling for this "touching" friendship.
...
One person conquering a city.
In this era, it was like dragging myth into reality.
Of course, even a millennium later, few could achieve such a feat.
Though the Omphalos Region's matching system was still imperfect, Senexios was obviously the type to rocket straight to the top of the Abyss rankings.
Those below her weren't just one stat off or failing to learn burst—in fact, they were all cliff-level gaps away.
If you had to find someone numerically comparable, it'd be future combat demigods like Hessyin, Xiadie, Maidemos, and Bai E.
But in this era, the Earthfolk were still holed up in the mountains. That fated forge-wielding pioneer partner of Huangdi's wasn't hammering away in some forgotten corner yet.
Before Senexios the superhuman, who in this age dared claim invincibility? Who dared speak of unde feat?!
After she swept away nearly all of Janusapolis's old nobility, the entire city fell silent, trembling on the ground, awaiting their new master's decree.
The former Saintess stepped forward, facing the bewildered and terrified masses. She drew a deep breath and proclaimed loudly,
"I am Tirixipios, Golden-Blooded Progeny, the Voice of Janus."
"Believers, people: Today, I have inherited the mission of the Portal and the Path. The Twelve Titans who uphold heaven and earth, the master of the Portal, has passed. Henceforth, I shall be the messenger guiding you lost souls."
"The gods have foreseen my end. I shall shatter into a thousand pieces, withering in foreign soil."
"Thus, I shall heed the prophecy, journeying to foreign lands—to distant Laton, Oherma, Dolos—spreading word to all tormented by the Black Tide."
"The Golden-Blooded Progeny who seize the gods' Fire Seeds shall supplant the gods, propping up heaven and earth anew, ushering a fresh dawn to our homeland."
Hearing the Saintess's declaration, the people exchanged glances. After a long silence, a scholar staggered to his feet, trembling as he asked her,
"But your companions slaughtered all the nobles. The temple priests' blood stains the steps."
"If you leave us too, where do we go from here?"
"Demigod of the Portal, grant us guidance, enlighten us fools."
The Saintess paused at his words. Then, the youth behind her suddenly pressed close to her lithe form and whispered softly,
"Tell them."
"I'll stay here."