246: Chapter 247 The Gift

When Warp demons are killed in the real world, their souls return to the Warp to reconstitute, and after some time, they will emerge again, alive and kicking.

Unless one possesses a trump card capable of completely erasing them from existence conceptually.

Otherwise, as long as the negative emotions of mortals persist, the Warp will only grow stronger.

"The road ahead is long and arduous..."

After sorting through his chaotic thoughts, a wave of intense fatigue washed over him.

Lin Li yawned, preparing to lean back on the bed and get some sleep first.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tall, metallic figure standing in the shadows outside the door!

"Holy shit!" Lin Li shuddered in fright and sat up straight. "Old Seven? Can't you walk without making a sound? What's going on?"

Iron Man 73 seemed to have been standing at the entrance of the main control room like a door god for a long time.

Hearing Lin Li's question, it finally took heavy, metallic steps and walked inside.

"Creator."

73 emitted a steady electronic voice,

"999 sent me an encrypted command half an hour ago. It repeatedly urged and instructed me to hand this important, special container over to you personally."

After speaking, 73 raised its mechanical arm and placed an object it was holding onto Lin Li's computer desk.

Lin Li looked down, and his already tired face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Wasn't the item in 73's hand exactly the special seed-discharging masturbator with an ergonomic silicone opening that 999 had pulled out in the fortress earlier?!

"Cough, cough..."

The corners of Lin Li's mouth twitched violently. He resisted the urge to smash this damn cup against 73's bald head,

"I get it, I get it! Just leave it there. Is there anything else? If not, hurry up and go do whatever you need to do!"

Seeing that 73 still stood frozen in place like a log after putting the item down, without leaving.

"There is also a non-urgent message."

The blue light in 73's eyes flickered,

"Sister Frannie rushed to find you immediately upon learning of your return to the base. She is currently standing alone in the clearing on the surface, waiting for you."

Hearing that Frannie had come, Lin Li's eyes lit up, and he was instantly no longer sleepy.

In this cold and cruel Warhammer Universe, having just gone through a life-and-death battle,

who could refuse a late-night rendezvous with a gorgeous beauty who was wholeheartedly concerned about him?

"Right, I remember now."

Lin Li stroked his chin solemnly, finding an excuse for himself,

"I recall Frannie explaining before that after a mortal uses a miracle, their body and soul bear a massive burden, requiring deep Stigmata restoration. I'm doing this for the sake of my health."

Lin Li rubbed his hands together and quickly stood up.

He tidied his slightly messy clothes and hair in front of the screen and strode out.

...

At this moment, it was already late at night on the surface of Shelter.

Since Outpost Planet had no satellite moon in the conventional sense,

the massive purplish-red gaseous planet hanging on the horizon reflected the star's light, illuminating this desolate night sky even brighter than a full moon night on Earth.

Under the cool, purplish-red light,

Frannie wore a tight black sister's habit that outlined her perfect curves.

She stood quietly in the open space outside Shelter's windbreak wall, tilting her snow-white neck back to gaze at the deep starry sky.

As a sister dispatched by the Mobius Sisterhood to the outpost church, Frannie's usual duties were extremely heavy.

Due to the Ecclesiarchy's severe shortage of manpower,

she not only had to take on the responsibilities of a Sister Reliquarian to guard sacred relics, but also had to double as a Sister Confessor to soothe the souls of the soldiers, among other clerical duties.

When necessary, she even had to don armor and charge at the very front lines, taking on the duties of the Battle Sisters.

Of course, as sisters who viewed the Emperor as their father, this group of fanatics was more than willing to perform hard labor for their faith.

Lin Li stepped out of the elevator without making a sound.

Leaning against the heavy metal gate of Shelter, he quietly admired Frannie's exquisite silhouette bathed in starlight for a moment before speaking softly:

"Frannie!"

Hearing this familiar voice, Frannie trembled all over.

She spun around abruptly, a smile of pleasant surprise blossoming on her beautiful face.

She bounded over lightly in a few quick steps and stopped in front of Lin Li.

Looking at Lin Li, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Frannie seemed a bit bashful, her hands nervously clasped together.

Lin Li saw the worry and conflict in her eyes at a single glance.

He smiled slightly, took a step forward of his own accord, reached out, and gently took Frannie's slightly calloused hand.

Before Lin Li could say any words of comfort, Frannie was the first to look up and speak:

"Li!"

Frannie bit her red lips, a hint of pleading in her tone,

"The next time there is a battle of this scale, please let me don my armor and stay by your side, alright?"

"I know you left me in the rear for my own safety.

But... having to just stand there, watching you face the endless swarm alone...

That agonizing wait is a hundred times more painful than facing evil!"

Since opening her heart last time,

Frannie had shed her cold exterior as a sister in front of Lin Li, becoming much closer and even starting to call him directly by his name.

Lin Li squeezed Frannie's hand, feeling the warmth of her palm, and smiled as he agreed, nodding:

"Alright, I will definitely bring you along next time. I promise I won't leave you behind alone again."

Hearing this promise, Frannie nodded vigorously.

"Speaking of which, it's perfect that you're here."

Like a magic trick, Lin Li's free hand produced an exquisite little metal box from behind his back.

"I prepared a small gift for you today."

Frannie froze, her eyes filled with surprise.

As a sister who had grown up in quiet cultivation within a convent since childhood,

Frannie had studied countless dogmas, but she was still somewhat unfamiliar and lost when it came to this kind of emotional exchange between men and women in reality.

But she knew very well in her heart.

In this precarious universe, exchanging gifts was the most direct symbol of keeping each other in mind.

Only when one constantly thought of the other would they be willing to put in the effort to prepare a gift.

A strong wave of guilt suddenly welled up in Frannie's heart.

She had clearly been constantly worrying about the man before her, and had rushed over the moment she heard of his return, yet she hadn't managed to prepare anything.

She even felt a bit anxious—would he think she lacked romantic sensibility and undervalued this relationship because of it?

But soon, when Lin Li opened the box, Frannie's stray thoughts were completely captivated by the object inside, and she could no longer tear her eyes away.

It was an exquisite pendant.

The pendant's chain was made of very fine silver metal, presenting an ancient chain-link structure, interlocking and intertwining with one another.

And hanging below the chain was an Imperial Aquila carved from some extremely high-purity red gemstone!

Under the light of the gaseous planet, this ruby Aquila glowed with a mesmerizing inner light.

But what truly shocked Frannie beyond measure was by no means just its exquisite craftsmanship.

Because as a sister who was extremely sensitive to faith, Frannie could actually clearly feel a pure, warm, and holy aura belonging to the power of the God-Emperor himself from this Aquila pendant!

An aura of this purity was a characteristic of banishing evil that was only found on top-tier sacred relics enshrined in the church's reliquaries for centuries and blessed by countless people!

Frannie's outstretched hand froze in midair, trembling slightly.

She held her breath, staring intently at this exquisite pendant.

"Oh my god..."

Frannie asked softly, her voice filled with awe,

"Li, this sacred relic... where did it come from?"

Lin Li gently placed the box in Frannie's palm and smiled:

"What ancient relic? I made this for you with my own hands at the workbench after I got back tonight."

Frannie's beautiful eyes widened, her face full of disbelief:

"By the Throne! You can actually make such an exquisitely beautiful necklace with your own hands?"

But immediately after, Frannie reacted and raised the core question:

"But... why is there a pure holy aura from the God-Emperor attached to it?"

Why was there a holy aura? Naturally, because Lin Li had secretly added a little something extra!

Just tens of minutes ago,

when Lin Li learned that Frannie was coming for a late-night rendezvous, he had used the Matter Constructor in Shelter to quickly craft this item, consuming a small scrap of adamantium and some ruby raw material used for making high-precision sniper lenses.

As for the holy aura on it,

that was naturally thanks to Lin Li utilizing Old Man Huang's blessing.

He had summoned a small ball of golden Physical Holy Fire and lightly toasted the freshly made ruby pendant over it.

As expected, that holy golden aura actually perfectly adhered to and was sealed within the gemstone, refusing to dissipate!

In fact, while crafting this necklace earlier, a brilliant idea had popped into Lin Li's head:

Since he could consecrate jewelry with holy fire,

could he also use this ability to perform assembly-line enchantments on the weapons, mechas, and Power Armor produced in the armory?!

Wouldn't that allow him to bypass the Ecclesiarchy's consecration rituals and directly mass-produce enchanted holy relic weapons that were highly effective against Warp demons?!

At this thought, Lin Li grew excited once again.

At this moment, seeing that Lin Li had not answered for a long time,

she naturally assumed that crafting such a top-tier sacred relic with a holy aura must have cost Lin Li a massive amount of precious materials.

Frannie placed the pendant back into the box and carefully handed it back to Lin Li:

"Li, it's too precious. This sacred relic should be issued to the most elite soldiers on the front lines to fight demons. I cannot accept it..."

However, Lin Li directly reached out to stop her refusal.

Without brook of argument, Lin Li took the necklace out of the box and walked up to Frannie:

"Come, turn around. I'll put it on you myself."

Frannie's cheeks began to redden.

She hesitated for a brief moment, but ultimately nodded in compliance and obediently turned around.

Lin Li leaned in close.

The distance between them was so close that in the quiet of the night, they could even clearly hear each other's intermingling breath.

Lin Li could smell the unique scent wafting from Frannie's hair—a subtle blend of incense and body fragrance.

Lin Li reached his hands around her snow-white neck, gently unfastened the silver clasp of the necklace, draped it past her delicate collarbones, and clicked it shut behind her neck.

The ruby Aquila rested quietly against Frannie's chest, emitting a faint glow.

"It suits you well."

Lin Li looked at her profile and said softly,

"You are beautiful!"

Hearing this direct compliment, Frannie's cheeks grew even redder, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She turned her head slightly, her moist eyes looking at Lin Li, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz:

"Li, come closer..."

Lin Li did not hesitate for a second.

He extended his arms, wrapped them around Frannie's slender waist, and pulled her tightly into his embrace.

Under the light of the purplish-red gaseous star,

the two embraced quietly for a long time, enjoying this hard-won peace after the great battle.

Lin Li felt the warmth and softness in his arms.

Suddenly!

Lin Li's senses, which far exceeded those of ordinary people, caught a faint, unusual sound in the wind!

"Click."

It was the crisp sound of some precision machinery operating!

Every muscle in Lin Li's body instantly tensed. He snapped his head up, scanning his surroundings like a cheetah.

His sharp gaze pierced the night, and he suddenly discovered!

In a hidden corner a few hundred meters away where the starlight could not reach, a tiny optical reflection suddenly flashed! It was the reflection of an optical lens!

Lin Li's vigilance spiked, and his hair stood on end!

"A sniper?!"

In a split second,

Lin Li did not hesitate. He grabbed Frannie's shoulders, exerted sudden force, and shielded her entirely within the blind spot behind him!