"Indeed." Bai Yan nodded.
"Xiao Yan is willing to protect a..."
Raiden Mei turned her head and stared fixedly at Bai Yan.
In her eyes, since he knew so much, he should also have known what Changkong City had become because of her, a Herrscher.
Yet Bai Yan had stepped forward and faced that terrifying opponent.
At that moment, Bai Yan understood where the issue lay.
He had seen Durandal's condition at the time and knew she could coordinate with him at any moment.
She had also noticed him secretly picking up the greatsword and immediately understood what she needed to do.
But Raiden Mei did not know that. She thought Bai Yan had acted purely on instinct.
There was a misunderstanding, but Bai Yan had no intention of correcting it.
"Becoming a Herrscher wasn't Mei's wish, and after spending time with you, I feel like there's nothing wrong with Mei at all. You're just a gentle, beautiful girl!"
At that, Bai Yan leaned closer with a mysterious expression.
"I heard from Kiana that Mei used to be called Queen at Chiba Academy? Was what I saw that day actually the real side of Mei?"
Raiden Mei recalled what she had done out of jealousy that day and could not help blushing.
"N-no, it wasn't..."
Taking the opportunity, Bai Yan quietly wrapped an arm around Raiden Mei's waist, his mood brightening considerably.
"Oh? Really?"
Raiden Mei did not refuse and allowed Bai Yan to do as he pleased.
"Thank you for today. From now on... mm."
Bai Yan understood. From now on, they would all be sisters.
"Then, Mei, do you want to stay tonight?"
"N-no," Raiden Mei shot to her feet like a startled cat, her face even redder than before. "I'll be going now. Get some rest. Good night."
With that, she slipped away as though fleeing for her life.
"She's still too easily embarrassed. Just like me, she's straight." Bai Yan shook his head and lit a mosquito coil.
Hyperdimensional Space.
Jingliu remained seated quietly atop a massive boulder, watching Bai Yan practice and offering guidance from time to time.
"You've improved greatly. Twenty minutes have passed today, yet the Hyperdimensional Space has not ended. It seems your strength has increased considerably."
Bai Yan sheathed his sword, formed a sword gesture with two fingers, and stood at ease as he looked up at Jingliu.
"It's been extended to half an hour now. That's all thanks to Master's teachings."
"You really do love flattering people." Jingliu smiled.
Then she said, "Has something unusual happened on your side? You've seemed rather tired lately."
"It's not a major matter. The branch of the organization I belong to was recently ambushed by a group of people and suffered heavy losses, so the person in charge wants to settle the score."
"Sounds like there's been an actual battle."
"I just went through one. The opponent was very strong, probably on the same level as my mission target in terms of strength."
He meant Sirin. Kiana did not have that kind of power.
"Oh? How did you handle it?" Jingliu raised a brow.
"I prepared Luoshen Transformation in advance, then used One Sword Startling Swan to buy time for the strongest person on our side to act."
Reassured, Jingliu nodded. "You handled it well. And your companion worked with you seamlessly—an old friend?"
"We were in the same orphanage as children."
Hearing that, she smiled meaningfully.
She already had a basic understanding of what kind of person her disciple was. From their earlier conversations, she also knew that the combat personnel in Bai Yan's organization were primarily Valkyries.
It was not difficult to guess what sort of "companion" this was.
"Have you given any thought to weapons?" Jingliu changed the subject.
She was very concerned about Bai Yan's combat strength now. It concerned the special medicine for her "illness."
All she could provide Bai Yan at present was swordsmanship and experience. She could not simply have someone forge him a weapon; otherwise, she would already have found a way to send him a divine weapon.
"No. Those incredible weapons don't have much to do with me."
Jingliu perked up at once.
"Oh? What kind of weapons?"
"Divine Keys. They possess all kinds of abilities and are incredibly powerful."
"Where are they?"
"In the enemy's hands. When the battle begins this time, I'll see if I can fish one out amid the chaos."
"...Be careful."
Bai Yan could hear the lack of optimism in her tone.
There was nothing he could do about that. By Jingliu's standards, he really was too weak.
As for Divine Keys, the first thing he thought of was Seven Thunders of Retribution. It was certainly powerful, but it was prone to mood swings, and its weapon spirit was rather sensitive.
In terms of form, Phoenix Incineration suited Bai Yan better, but he could not handle that thing. Without a holy-body-level bloodline like Kaslana's, one simply could not withstand the backlash.
Xuanyuan Sword was not bad either, but he could not get his hands on one.
Still, Raven, the frequent user of Seven Thunders of Retribution, was relatively easier to deal with...
"Xiao Yan, do you have any ideas regarding the advancement of your authority over the Hyperdimensional Space?"
"My current guess is that the extent of my authority is determined by my strength, but lately, I've felt that the growth of my power has been a little strange."
"Is that so? Then let's test it first."
After testing it, Jingliu stated that the amplification from Luoshen Transformation had not changed in the slightest, nor had Bai Yan's own strength increased.
The good news was that Bai Yan's swordsmanship had improved considerably.
At Jingliu's level, the moment she opened her mouth, she began saying things Bai Yan could not understand.
Fortunately, Bai Yan enjoyed asking about details. After a round of questions, he reached a conclusion.
In terms of swordsmanship, he could now be considered Late Stage Sharp Sword, nearing completion and about to enter the Ziwei Soft Sword stage.
After ending that night's meeting, Bai Yan received another message from Anna.
She had lost to Fu Hua during the day and started feeling down that night. Since she was the only one on the team who had lost a match, she came to Bai Yan for comfort.
Bai Yan stepped in and cheered her up within five minutes.
He told her that Fu Hua was the ace among aces of the Far East, so losing to her was nothing to be ashamed of. Anna would always be the cutest sweetheart in his heart.
He needed to encourage Anna more, lest her mentality collapse during the Fifth Honkai Eruption.
It was all for the beauty of the world. It had nothing to do with personal matters.
A few days later.
Ever since Theresa had acquired a temporary secretary, her days had become increasingly carefree.
She had almost forgotten about getting revenge.
It was not until a new batch of equipment was delivered early to the Far East Branch that she remembered the painful experience of that day.
"Ah, so soon? It's only been two days!"
Schicksal express delivery, worldwide delivery guaranteed. (Limited to the Bishop's granddaughter. Actual conditions may vary for everyone else.)
Theresa sprang up from the sofa and rushed toward the warehouse at a brisk pace.
Rita followed calmly behind her.
The technicians were moving equipment, while Himeko had already begun registering the first batch of replacements.
"Principal, you're here? It seems the Bishop thinks highly of us. This equipment is exactly the same as what we lost, and they even upgraded the propulsion module I've been wanting to replace."
Theresa fell into thought.
Could Grandpa really be satisfied with our branch's performance?
"Lady Theresa," Rita said softly from behind her, "Lady Durandal gave the Fifth Squad a very favorable evaluation. She also said that the match's outcome could not be the sole point of reference, because the assessment team's strength itself was at the very top of Schicksal. The Bishop also places greater importance on actual performance."
Theresa suddenly understood and accepted that explanation.
That afternoon, Bai Yan received the order for the Fifth Squad to assemble.
When he arrived, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya were all present.
He quietly glanced at the female superior behind Theresa and roughly understood what this was about.
"Ahem." Theresa cleared her throat. "Bai Yan will lead this operation. The mission target is in Singapore..."
After the previous incident, Cocolia of Anti-Entropy had taken the opportunity to seize the Gem of Desire. She had now decided to conduct experiments somewhere in Southeast Asia.
She really refused to give up.
Perhaps Cocolia also believed that a Herrscher had to possess a core.
The Fifth Squad's mission this time was to gather intelligence. If conditions allowed, they could choose to recover the gem.
Rita had recommended Bai Yan as the team leader. As for Fu Hua, it was not that she had no mission; she had merely accepted an assignment from Otto.
For a mere reconnaissance mission, four people were more than enough.
A frontline defender, a close-range executioner, fire support, and a tactical adviser—their roles were exceptionally well-rounded.
Kiana rubbed her fists together. This was the group's first mission since arriving at the Far East Branch, and she was a little excited.
Mei simply hoped that nothing would go wrong, while Bai Yan could not tell what Bronya was thinking.
Himeko was not entirely at ease about any of them. On the day of departure, she repeatedly reminded them of the precautions they needed to take, and Kiana quickly grew impatient.
Fortunately, Bai Yan promised to stay in contact at all times, and only then did Himeko feel at ease enough to let them leave.
The four disguised themselves as tourists—though it was not actually useful—and took a civilian flight to their destination.
Their equipment was delivered to them through special channels at the same time they arrived.
Bronya was unfamiliar with the hot sea breeze of the equator and quickly developed a mild case of acclimatization sickness.
Bai Yan simply switched into vacation mode and had them check into a hotel to rest first.
Two to a room: Bai Yan and Bronya in one, Kiana and Mei in the other.
It would make it easier for them to look after one another.
That was when a problem arose: how was he supposed to meet Jingliu tonight?
Skip her medicine for a day...
Better not. He needed to think of another way.
Yet as night fell, Bai Yan still had not found an opportunity to be alone.
So he came up with a helplessly terrible idea.
He took Kiana out to eat something spicy.
Mei followed because she was worried, and Bronya naturally could not be left behind, so all four of them went out for spicy food together.
Bai Yan restrained himself somewhat and did not eat too much, stopping while he was ahead.
That way, he could use diarrhea as an excuse to hide in the bathroom that night.
Kiana ate the most.
When she occupied the bathroom ahead of time, Bai Yan felt there might have been a problem with his room assignments.
Before you continue