Chapter 925: Introducing Ourselves

She withdrew the hand that had been pressing on Kaluoer's head, and casually straightened the crooked yellow bow collar decoration for Kaluoer, and said, "—But since you're already here, just follow us for now. The situation in Past World Paradise is currently rather complicated; if you wander around alone you might get swallowed, or be captured by some green‑haired woman who likes conducting experiments and taken as a sample."

Kaluoer lifted her hand from her face, and her warm golden eyes shone so brightly they seemed to burn two little suns in the green light.

She snapped to attention, pressing both hands against the seams of her shorts, and gave Heimu a perfectly angled bow.

"Thank you, teacher! No, thank you, Black Curtain Lady! I'll definitely follow properly; you can have me do anything! Carry things, run errands, deliver messages, stand guard—combat might not be ready yet, but I can learn! I learn quickly! A night of intensive review and I can rank within the top thirty of the class!"

Heimu looked at Kaluoer's slightly flushed face from excitement and helplessly shook his head.

She turned, faced the others on the platform, raised both hands and clapped in midair, drawing everyone's attention again.

"Alright. Now that everyone's here, let's get to know each other. Ying—"

She tipped her chin, pointing at Ying standing beside the square pillar, "—Pursuing Fire Thirteen Yingjie, Imprint Shana."

Ying leaned forward slightly, his gray‑purple eyes lingering on Kaluoer for a moment, then nodded.

"Kesi Mo."

Heimu gestured toward the ice‑blue armored figure at the platform edge, "Pursuing Fire Thirteen Yingjie, Imprint Dawn Light. Currently in a special state."

Kesi Mo's helmet turned toward Kaluoer, the warm orange pattern flickering slowly, then succinctly emitted two words: "Hello."

Kaluoer's eyes lit up completely the moment she saw Kesi Mo.

Since Heimu had touched her head to transmit information earlier, she had been watching the ice‑blue armor standing at the platform edge, its sharply raised shoulder plates as fierce as folded blades, the cape drifting gently on the windless platform.

This design had already made her heart race once in the Painted World, and now, standing up close, her social impulse completely overrode her reserve.

"Senior Kesi Mo! Your armor is so cool! When I first saw you I wanted to say something, but the situation was too urgent. Is the shoulder‑plate design inspired by something, or is it your own original style? Are the patterns on the visor related to your Imprint? Is the warm‑orange frequency change regular or random? Does the armor feel heavy in daily wear? Can you do high‑kicks? Can you do backflips? Can you—"

Kesi Mo's helmet slowly tipped back about three degrees amid Kaluoer's rapid‑fire questioning.

She was silent for a second, then raised her armored right hand, gently pressing the tip of her index finger against the center of the warm‑orange pattern on her visor that was flashing at an awkward frequency.

Her mouth was hidden by the visor, but from the spot where her fingertip rested, it seemed she was using her armored finger to cover her mouth.

"…One by one."

Kaluoer's mouth remained open, evidently with at least eight more questions queued up in her throat.

But after seeing Kesi Mo's gesture of pressing the visor with an armored finger, she forced the remaining words down, then nodded firmly, "Alright! Then I'll ask the most important question first: Senior, does your armor have a name?"

Kesi Mo was silent for two seconds.

The warm‑orange pattern on the visor flashed three times.

"…Haven't decided yet."

"Not decided yet! No problem! I can help you brainstorm! I have plenty of ideas! What naming style do you prefer—English or Chinese? The short name should be catchy, the full name grand, preferably echoing your Imprint Dawn Light. By the way, what exactly does your Imprint do? Is the armor paired with it, or is it independent equipment? If independent, do you have other gear—like weapons? What type of weapon do you wield? Sword? Spear? Cannon? Or a transformable multifunctional composite weapon?"

Heimu stood nearby, hands in pockets, watching Kesi Mo's armored finger slowly slide off the visor and hang at her side.

The visor's warm‑orange pattern flickered in a completely chaotic rhythm.

She decided to shift the topic before Kesi Mo's processor completely crashed.

"Ge Lei Xiu. Fire-Chasing Heroic Scion, Imprint Starry Sky."

Heimu gestured toward the girl quietly leafing through a sketchbook beside the platform seat, "She doesn't talk much normally; you don't need to be overly enthusiastic, she'll come to you on her own."

Ge Lei Xiu lifted her pale‑violet eyes to glance at Kaluoer, her expression cool and gentle.

She stared at Kaluoer for about three seconds, then bowed her head to flip through the sketchbook, landing on a blank sheet, looked up at Kaluoer again, and gave a slight nod.

"Hello. Your hair color is very white; you need to leave a lot of blank space when drawing."

Her voice was soft, paused, then added, "Your legs are straight. The lines are easy to draw."

Kaluoer glanced down at the legs beneath her deep‑blue shorts that Ge Lei Xiu had praised as 'easy to draw,' then looked up at Ge Lei Xiu's unruffled face, opened her mouth, and finally let out a slightly embarrassed laugh, "Th‑thank you! Your hair looks great too! The ice‑blue is so textured! Like that very pricey ice cream!"

Ge Lei Xiu thought for a moment, then scribbled a few characters on the edge of the paper, apparently noting the 'ice cream' metaphor.

Heimu finally walked over to Hua's side.

Hua had been standing quietly beside the square pillar at the platform edge, her two‑meter‑tall muscular frame casting a huge shadow in the green light.

Her arms hung naturally at her sides, breathing steady and deep, ice‑blue eyes calmly watching Kaluoer chattering ahead, her expression a stern tranquility.

Heimu stood firm beside Hua, hands still in his pockets.

She didn't rush to speak, merely standing side‑by‑side with Hua, watching Kaluoer try to converse with Kesi Mo while posing for Ge Lei Xiu as a drawing subject—juggling two social roles, as busy as a bee lost in a flower patch.

"Hua."

Heimu's voice was pressed low, low enough that only the two of them could hear.

Hua slowly lowered her head, ice‑blue eyes meeting Heimu's dark‑purple eyes in the green light.

"Your whole—"

Heimu raised a hand, pointing at Hua's muscular, knotted physique, gesturing downwards, "If it feels uncomfortable, I can force it back."

Hua looked down at her own body.

She raised her right hand, spreading and then closing her five fingers, the coiled muscles on her arm rippling with the motion.

She looked down at her chest again, then lifted her head to look at Heimu.

"…That'll do."

"Stronger than before. Able to protect those who need protection."

She was silent for a moment, ice‑blue eyes slightly lowering, eyelashes casting two shadows on her cheek.

"Things I couldn't do before; maybe now I can."

Heimu looked at her, opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed the words again.