North American Debut

The words of emotion suddenly stopped.

Kiana blinked as if she understood something.

Aside from not going to Changkong City, which Anqi was unwilling to approach, wasn't this route from Siberia to the Far East exactly the same route she had taken when she was wandering and drifting?

This time, however, she was no longer alone, nor did she have to worry about hunger, cold, or wind and rain, nor did she harbor any doubts or fears of abandonment. The route was the same, but this time, she felt so at ease and content.

"Anqi, thank you."

Kiana scratched her face, feeling a strange burning sensation. Her heart pounded inexplicably, and she lowered her head, blushing.

No matter how Kaslana is, she is still a naive and innocent girl at an early age.

Girls are creatures that have no resistance to romance.

I'll take you through life again, but this time, I'll protect you—isn't that a bit too sophisticated?

"You're welcome. Just study hard, make progress every day, eat less junk food, and go to bed on time. As long as you don't cause me any trouble, that's enough to repay me."

"Hey! Am I usually that bad?"

"And most importantly, remember to tell me if you encounter any trouble. Don't hide away and cry alone."

Anqi turned her head and shifted her gaze from the window to Kiana's face. Her pink, glossy lips curved slightly upward, revealing a serene and charming smile that seemed to have a touch of allure.

Kiana felt her cheeks burning even hotter, so she lowered her head and gave a barely audible "Mmm." Then, seeing Anqi turn her head to look at the scenery outside the window again, Kiana reached out without thinking and hugged the unsuspecting little girl tightly in her arms.

Kiana?

"Hehe! Don't move, let me hug you!"

"We're almost at the academy, are you ever going to stop? Fine, I really can't do anything with you."

"I knew Anqi was the best to me~~"

The white-haired girl, with a bright and cheerful smile, waved to everyone and led the well-behaved and quiet blonde girl off the plane.

When this happened, Himeko and Raiden Mei exchanged a glance unconsciously among the people who came to pick them up at the airport.

Although they didn't know why, they felt as if something bad had happened.

Himeko.

Anqi stood in front of Himeko, looked up, stood on tiptoe, and spread her arms.

When Anqi saw the graceful and tall red-haired beauty again, she seemed thinner than a month ago. Her resolute and courageous demeanor remained unchanged, but she had gained a touch of fragility and sorrow. Anqi knew why she looked so haggard, but there was nothing she could do but feel sorry for her.

Himeko laughed, raised her hand, patted Anqi's head, and then pulled the girl into her arms.

Himeko: "You seem to have grown a little taller. Anyway, welcome home, Anqi."

Raiden Mei: "Welcome home, Anqi. We missed you."

Bronya: "Welcome, you must be tired from your journey, Anqi."

Theresa: "Hmph, you actually skipped a month of class, this headmistress is really... But oh well, as long as you had fun, welcome back, little Anqi!"

The group chatted and laughed around Anqi.

Anqi smiled and pulled out small gift boxes from somewhere, placing them in the hands of the group.

Then, the atmosphere became even warmer and more lively.

Kiana, empty-handed, stood in a deserted corner, pointing at herself, her watery eyes filled with a big question mark.

No, what about me?

Why doesn't anyone care about me?

I'm such a big Kiana standing here, and nobody can see me?!

The few people who stayed behind in St. Freya prepared a welcoming ceremony with great care, and warmly welcomed Anqi back.

After dinner, it was time for the classic communal bathing session.

This time, Theresa, who always refused such activities on the grounds of maintaining her dignity, made an exception and joined in, splashing around happily in the pool.

Fu Hua arrived late.

"Hey, Fu Hua, you're finally here! I thought you weren't coming back today!"

"Teacher Himeko, and everyone else, I'm so sorry. The secret orders from headquarters came very suddenly, and I really didn't have time to say goodbye to you all."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's good that everyone's back. Anqi and Kiana just arrived recently."

Himeko sat in the water with Anqi in her arms, her smile bright. Seeing everyone gathered under the eaves again after a month had instantly lifted her spirits.

Theresa splashed to the edge of the pool and said to Fu Hua was turning on the shower:

"What mission did headquarters send you on? Why so urgently, and why didn't even I receive any prior notice?"

Theresa was somewhat frustrated. She had originally planned to ask Fu Hua for advice on how to smoothly resolve Anqi's problem. However, Fu Hua had vanished without a trace, leaving only an emergency mission order. She had no idea where Fu Hua had gone or when he would return, which greatly worried Theresa.

Fortunately, Anqi seemed normal when she came back.

But it's like a guillotine hanging high up, only temporarily not falling, which is really worrying and frustrating.

Fu Hua casually stated the reason she had already prepared, saying:

"Well, it's a classified mission, I can't reveal it. But it's also my A... cough, the headmaster should receive the notification in the next couple of days."

Anqi has already been promoted to A-rank, so it's not quite right that Fu Hua, her mentor, is still at B-Rank. Therefore, Otto decided to turn this "classified mission" into Fu Hua's A-rank assessment mission, and naturally issue her an A-rank promotion order. Fu Hua only received the notification when they were almost back at St. Freya.

Fu Hua had intended to casually mention this matter, but when the words were about to come out, she remembered the significance of A-level privileges to Anqi, and immediately dared not bring it up again.

For her, this lightning bolt was even more troublesome than the one on Kiana.

After all, she could fight back against the Herrscher of the Void iron fists, and Kiana herself is a tough and resilient character, so there's no need to feel too sorry for her. But how could Fu Hua bring herself to hurt her well-behaved and adorable little apprentice? And from beginning to end, Anqi is the most innocent and pitiful child!

"What? You only said half of what you meant. You're not concise at all."

Theresa complained, completely oblivious to Fu Hua's distress.

Anqi ignored Fu Hua's abruptly stopped words, maintaining her usual obedient and emotionless expression, blinking her eyes as she enjoyed Himeko's soft waves while frantically freezing the scenes before her in her mind.

This is incredible!

Mei seems to have grown a little more; the floating fat deposits are becoming more rounded and eye-catching.

Bronya has also developed, but it's in the back, and she's very voluptuous.

Theresa rarely appears here, and her flawless, milky-white skin is exceptionally alluring.

Master hadn't changed much; she remained as beautiful and refined as ever, with jade-like bones and icy skin. Standing beneath the water, she looked just like a fairy bathing in a painting, and the budding lotus blossoms were a delight to behold.

Of course, Himeko is still the best!

Anqi snuggled back a little and, nestled in Himeko's gentle embrace, comfortably closed her eyes.

"Beast!"

"Truly a beast!"

"That's utterly disgusting!"

On the edge of the tarmac at the East Sea Base, Cocolia and Ninti turned their heads and stared expressionlessly at Kuerla, who had disrupted their formation.

Kuerla coughed lightly.

"Hey! We're all on the same side, we know exactly what she's thinking, no need to be so formal."

As we talked, the roar of engines and the howling of the wind came from nearby.

The special plane from the North America headquarters landed slowly.

Cocolia casually took out her phone and sent a message to the Gray Serpent in the distance.

I'm about to depart with Ninti, leaving the East Sea Base vulnerable. Remember the conditions you promised me.

[Received. While you and Ninti were in North America, the base was secretly protected by the World Serpent, preventing Otto from extending his influence into the East China Sea. Thank you for your trust. Regarding the development cooperation on Abyss City, we hope you will give it serious consideration.]

That's for later. This is compensation for your recklessness that caused the plan to spiral out of control. How you handle it depends on your performance.

I understand. Have a safe journey.

The Gray Serpent was very polite in his words.

He was certainly not truly honest and harmless, much less afraid of Cocolia.

The turmoil in the East China Sea had just subsided, and now there are any major moves. Gray Serpent is worried that Schicksal's Anti-Entropy might be forced to cooperate against it, which would be very troublesome.

To minimize unnecessary resistance, it's best to proceed cautiously regarding the Abyss City matter. If things truly become unmanageable, it won't be too late to ask Skyfire to intervene and reason with them. Feeling confident that he possessed the most substantial truth within his own domain, Gray Serpent was completely at ease and in control.

There were people inside the Cocolia Serpent, so they were fully aware of the Gray Serpent's thoughts. She sneered, then looked up at the landing plane, but couldn't help wanting to wipe her drool.

'Hehehe! My little darling Seele, Mommy's here! You're such a cutie, you were born to be cuddled by Mommy, you can't escape it! hiahiahiahia!'

Beside them, Ninti and Kuerla tacitly shifted their feet, keeping their distance from this guy who was increasingly resembling a strange aunt.

Chapter 216 North America Debut

"Dr. Tesla, my position as an executor was earned through battle. In terms of intellect and scientific research, ten of me tied together couldn't match a single hair of yours. But in terms of physical strength, I suggest you put on your armor gloves before you try to fight me."

At the entrance to the North America base, Cocolia spoke humbly with a smile.

In reality, thanks to their innate intelligence, the gift of the Jackal, and the advantage of multiple lines of thought, Anqi and her ilk are probably not much worse than Tesla in terms of scientific research capabilities. Cocolia was indeed being modest.

Seeing Tesla straining with his face turned red, Cocolia smiled and began to exert herself to avoid injuring one of the precious human brains.

"Ah!!!"

In ten seconds, Cocolia greeted Welt and Dr. Einstein with a friendly smile and shook hands.

Tesla, clutching his reddened right hand with his left, squatted on the ground, gasping for breath in pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

The two old friends exchanged a glance, feeling helpless but also compelled to speak well of Tesla.

Welt: "Tesla meant no harm, please try not to take it to heart."

Einstein: "That's just Dr. Tesla's personality, please forgive him."

Yes, she's lived for more than half a century and is still so loud and boisterous. Tesla is already like this, so why not just go along with her?

Cocolia smiled without saying a word and decided to entrust the task of being a good person to her "precious daughter".

Ninti ran over, her little face filled with worry.

"Sister Frederica, are you alright?"

"It's okay! It's okay! I'm perfectly fine!"

Even if it hurts, Tesla has to stand up straight in front of Cocolia, his rival who has taken over Ninti's life, and in front of Ninti's worried little eyes.

The sound squeezed out through gritted teeth while enduring pain is hardly convincing.

"Don't be afraid, Sister Frederica. Ninti will blow on it and it won't hurt anymore, hoo~ hoo~~"

A delicate and adorable little girl held Tesla's tiny hands, earnestly blowing away her pain, her long, golden hair shimmering like an angel in the sunlight.

This scene brought a tender smile to the faces of Welt and Einstein, who were watching from the sidelines. How much more so for Tesla, who was directly involved?

Tesla QAQ: "My dear Ninti!"

A few minutes later, Tesla, holding Ninti in her arms, strode ahead with a proud look on her face, as if she had really won the show of force just now, and even gave Cocolia a smug little look.

"Sigh." ×3

No one will hold a grudge against Tesla for minor rudeness in everyday life.

Just like everyone in St. Freya, no one would hold Kiana's recklessness against her.

All they can do is get used to it and smile.

"So, has the Abyss City project officially started? What's the progress? What difficulties are we facing right now?"

"Those are relics left by Previous Civilization, located in the deep sea. Development costs are extremely high, and we must avoid destruction and guard against potential risks. After all, it involves unstable space, so there are quite a few troubles, but overall it has gone smoothly. We will be able to safely enter that special area in a few days. This is the main reason why we invited you here."

"Very good. I am indeed very interested in the research on Abyss City. I appreciate it for remembering to notify me as soon as possible. Also, was that guy sitting on the rooftop in a daze Siegfried?"

Cocolia pointed to the white-haired man on the roof of the warehouse building next door.