Chapter 31: Special Item: Star-Binding Myriad Forms

Chapter 31: Special Item: Star-Binding Myriad Forms

“Whoa! So Chen Xing and Tendou actually met when they were little?!”

“Aww, they’re both so cute~”

“Fated encounter!”

Inside the Ember Organization’s dormitory in Stellaris, Tendou sat frozen in front of the glowing screen.

The footage showed a young version of himself bumping into little Chen Xing inside a run-down supermarket.

His face went completely blank—because he had no memory of this ever happening.

But it only took him a few seconds to figure out why.

Without a doubt, this was the production team adding new “backstory” for him.

Originally, Stellaris didn’t even have a character called Masamune Tendou.

And the point at which Tendou had transmigrated into this world was when he was ten years old—

Two years ago, when he first arrived at the Ember Base.

Everything before that? A complete void.

If it had been a normal transmigration, he might’ve just assumed he’d lost his memories from before age ten.

But once he got the Popularity System and realized this was an anime world, he immediately understood—

That “amnesia” wasn’t a bug.

It was intentional blank space, left there for future lore expansion.

He even remembered asking the system back then what that “Exclusive Character Background Modification Permission” for the top-ranked character actually did.

The system’s reply: “It will manifest in a reasonable way that doesn’t break the worldline.”

And the only thing that fit that description... was his empty childhood.

A blank canvas, perfect for the writers to paint on without it looking out of place.

Still, while Tendou had anticipated the devs might one day fill in that gap as his popularity rose, he hadn’t expected them to throw other main characters into the mix too.

Wasn’t this basically digging a hole for him?!

Sure, the system let him peek ahead at future plotlines from the original script—but that didn’t include the hidden pasts that never made it into the broadcast!

Like right now. He had no idea he’d ever met Chen Xing as a kid.

For a moment, Tendou just sat there, quietly realizing that Stellaris really was a world ruled by popularity.

If your popularity soared, the production team would find a way to boost you even further.

Even if you weren’t the protagonist, they’d rewrite the story to make you shine.

They’d even have major characters support your backstory, just to raise your appeal.

Like this “childhood encounter” between him and Chen Xing—

The current #1 in popularity meets the #2.

Even an idiot could see how much hype that would generate.

Tendou sighed, muttering under his breath, “Come on… it was one thing when I gave myself extra screen time, but now even the devs are adding scenes for me?”

“What, are they trying to turn me into the face of Season 1? Seriously, this world is so damn shallow—it really is all about popularity.”

Still, despite all his complaining, he didn’t actually mind the devs’ move.

If anything, it worked out perfectly for him.

Not only did it strengthen his “born genius” persona, but it also guaranteed more screen time in the anime.

The devs got their views. He got his popularity. Win-win.

And through this flashback—plus the earlier one that featured only him—Tendou had finally pieced together the secret behind the “Exclusive Character Background Modification Permission.”

And more importantly, the hidden bonus it carried.

If his guess was right… Then once he used that permission to give himself Overclocked Computation, things were going to get very interesting.

To make the appearance of that new ability seem “narratively justified”, the production team would, of course, pull the same stunt again—adding another exclusive flashback episode just for him.

Which meant, by using his “Exclusive Character Background Modification Permission,” he wouldn’t just get a broken-tier Machina Type ability, but also a personal, tailor-made subplot to go with it.

A win. A massive win. An absolutely ridiculous, universe-shattering win.

Grinning to himself, Tendou immediately shut off the dimensional screen in front of him.

Now that his and Chen Xing’s flashback had wrapped up, the next segment would just be that one-sided minigame where he crushed her without effort.

And since he already knew exactly how that played out, there was no point watching it again.

Right now, there was something else he cared about far more.

[Name: Star-Binding Myriad Forms]

[Type: Cultivation Item]

[Effect 1 – Star-Binding] When worn, suppresses one’s own Star Energy to greatly increase cultivation efficiency. (Only effective below 1000 Star Energy.)

[Effect 2 – Myriad Forms] The Users can freely choose the item’s appearance (limited to daily wear).

[Cost: 150,000 Popularity Points]

Star-Binding Myriad Forms—a special item Tendou had had his eye on for a long time.

It didn’t offer any direct combat boost, but it could drastically accelerate his cultivation speed.

With it, he’d be able to push his Star Energy to over 900 points within half a year— reaching the limit of a first-order Starbearer.

It was a crucial piece in his grand fireworks plan.

[You have spent 150,000 Popularity Points to obtain the Special Item: Star-Binding Myriad Forms.]

[Item has been delivered through a reasonable in-world method. Please check your surroundings.]

Unlike the “Substitute Death Bracelet,” which had simply materialized in his hand, this time the system chose a different delivery method.

Ding-dong!

A sharp knock sounded at the dorm door.

Tendou immediately stood, stepping down from the bed to open it.

Outside stood a member of the Ember Organization, carrying a sleek metallic case.

“This is…?”

Tendou eyed the box, feigning mild confusion.

“The Doctor asked me to deliver this to you,” the man said in a flat tone.

“He said it’ll aid your Star Energy cultivation.”

At that, Tendou instantly understood what was inside.

So this was what the system meant by “reasonable delivery.”

A little too reasonable, in fact.

He couldn’t help but laugh internally as he accepted the box.

The courier gave a curt nod, then turned and left without another word—the very image of a soulless delivery bot.

A true tool man.

Back inside, Tendou placed the metal case on his desk and slowly unlatched it.

With a soft hiss, the lid lifted—and a pool of silvery-white liquid shimmered within, glowing faintly under the room’s dim light.

[Special Item: Star-Binding Myriad Forms has been received. Enjoy your experience!]

Tendou pressed his palm against the cool, fluid surface.

In an instant, the silver-white liquid rippled—responding to his will, shifting shape like mercury under his touch—until it finally solidified into a sleek, black eyepatch.

A faint smile tugged at Tendou’s lips.

“Heh~ one step closer into becoming Gojo”

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