Kiana Affection Mission - [Where Did Dad Go?] (4K)

Did an unawakened Herrscher count as a Herrscher?

If he beat Raiden Mei up right now, would that count as completing the achievement?

But looking at the gentleness in Raiden Mei's eyes, Chen Luo felt that he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Raiden Mei was a gentle girl. She treated everyone that way.

The world repaid Raiden Mei with pain, yet Raiden Mei repaid those around her with song.

Mind you, not the world, but the people around her.

In the original story, Raiden Mei cared less about the world than about Kiana, who had saved her when she had fallen into despair.

It was just that the plot now seemed to have deviated ever so slightly...

"Kiana's Favorability Quest—Where Did Dad Go? (4K)"

"Most standalone buildings at Chiba Academy have backup power supplies. Even if they lose their external energy supply for one reason or another, normal operation can still be maintained," Raiden Mei explained.

"Most of the students at Chiba Academy come from wealthy or influential families, so people often held tea parties around campus at noon. The library was one such place, which is why it has all this stuff. The anti-theft measures were quite good, so those Militants apparently failed to damage this place. Before... no, for certain reasons, I also had a key to this place."

As the daughter of ME Company's president, Raiden Mei's father's company had funded the construction of the entire Chiba Academy.

So before Raiden Mei's father had been imprisoned over an economic case, Raiden Mei, as the "Thunder Queen," naturally possessed such a key.

Even after Raiden Mei had been ostracized for various reasons, the key had never been taken back. And those rich girls, out of the last scraps of courtesy, had not changed the locks on these hidden storerooms.

"Mm, as expected of an aristocratic school," Chen Luo praised Chiba Academy.

Though some buildings at Chen Luo's school seemed to have similar functions, his school had never experienced an apocalyptic crisis, so he wasn't entirely sure.

Incidentally, Raiden Mei's tea was quite tasty.

Her skill was probably about on par with Chen Luo's tea-making mastery.

Raiden Mei and the others had long since barricaded the library entrance, allowing them to enjoy a rare half hour of leisure.

During that half hour, Chen Luo noticed that Raiden Mei and Kiana's relationship was gradually growing closer.

What made Chen Luo rather frustrated was that although Raiden Mei's discount had already reached 7.5, he still had not completed Raiden Mei's quest.

As expected of a three-star quest. It really was difficult.

"Alright, next we need to figure out how to leave Chiba Academy and head outside." After lunch, Chen Luo directly flipped the table over and spread out a map.

"Where did you get such a detailed map?" Kiana looked at Chen Luo in surprise.

"Aren't you supposed to be a traveler from a Different World? Don't tell me you're an impostor?" Kiana eyed Chen Luo suspiciously.

Over this period, the three of them had gained a rough understanding of one another.

"Then what do you think this is, if not magic?" A ball of water slowly formed in Chen Luo's hand before he distributed it among the three of them.

They had to wash their hands after eating, lest their hands slip while holding a gun later.

"Alright, this looks like magic no matter how I look at it." Even Kiana had to admit that Chen Luo really did seem like a traveler from a Different World.

It was just that this traveler from a Different World knew a little too much about this world.

"If possible, could we go to the TV station first?" Kiana pointed toward Changkong City TV Station, which was quite far from Chiba Academy.

"Of course, if that isn't possible, I can go by myself. But then we'd have to split up, and I can't drag you two down," Kiana added.

"Could you tell us why you want to go there? Going by the TV station doesn't seem like the fastest way out," Raiden Mei asked.

That was putting it mildly, because it was an enormous detour.

In fact, under apocalyptic survival conditions, Kiana's deliberate detour was practically no different from seeking death.

"I came to Chiba Academy to find my dad. That stupid dad of mine vanished out of nowhere. I followed his trail to Changkong City and enrolled at Chiba Academy. Now that a major Honkai outbreak has happened in Changkong City, I thought it would be more convenient to use the city TV station's broadcast to find someone. Of course, it's just a selfish little request. You can completely ignore it if you want." Kiana looked apologetically at Chen Luo and Raiden Mei.

Ding! You have a new commission!

Where Did Dad Go?: Help Kiana reach Changkong City TV Station and use the city broadcast to find Siegfried Kaslana.

Reward: 200 Primogems + Kiana's Favorability +20

Difficulty: Two Stars

This Kiana really had nothing to her name. She couldn't offer anything except her own favorability.

"Of course we can. I'll help you." Seeing Kiana looking at her with hopeful eyes, Raiden Mei felt something stir in her heart.

She seemed to see another version of herself. Wasn't her own father in the same situation?

"Um... A-Luo, what do you think?" Only after readily agreeing did Raiden Mei remember there was someone else beside her.

"Of course I have no objections. I descended before you in response to your wish, Mei. Since you need something, I'll naturally give it my all. Kiana, pure maiden, when your wish becomes strong enough, I will naturally appear and do everything in my power to fulfill it."

"...You're so weird, but... thanks." After hearing Chen Luo's words, Kiana awkwardly scratched her head.

"Then, A-Luo, will you grant any wish?" Raiden Mei asked from the side.

"Of course not. I'm not some all-powerful wishing machine. I won't accept commissions from evil people. I have principles too," Chen Luo said.

"But speaking of which, Kiana, is your full name Kiana Kaslana?" Chen Luo turned to look at Kiana.

"Huh? How did you know?" Kiana was startled.

After all, from the beginning until now, Kiana had only mentioned her given name and never her surname.

"Well, how should I put this? There's a commission from an Auntie who misses her beloved niece... In short, Kiana, your Auntie wants you to come home for dinner."

Chen Luo felt that it was necessary to gradually explain this commission now. Otherwise, if he slipped up when they met, it would be even harder to handle.

"Ah? Since when did I have an Auntie?"

"You're asking me? How would I know? Anyway, I know there's a wish like that. Kiana Kaslana, daughter of Siegfried Kaslana, heir to a family gun-fighting technique—that's you, right?"

"That's me, but I've really never heard that I have an Auntie?" Kiana was thoroughly confused.

"Alright, don't overthink it. I accepted this wish when I came to this world, and I even met your Auntie, but I had no idea where you were. Then I received Mei's wish and descended upon Changkong City, only to run into you by sheer coincidence. All I can say is that this is fate's arrangement."

"The three of us were destined to meet."

After quite some effort, Chen Luo successfully sorted out the logic.

Chen Luo didn't actually want to lie, but the key was that he needed to protect Raiden Mei's fragile heart.

"So Kiana has other family in this world? That's wonderful." Raiden Mei did not find anything strange about it. Instead, she was happy for Kiana.

After all, she had already accepted something as outrageous as a traveler from a Different World. What else was there that she couldn't accept?

"Auntie..."

"Alright, next comes the final and most important task before we set off." Chen Luo's expression became increasingly solemn.

"What task?" Seeing Chen Luo's serious expression, Raiden Mei unconsciously sat up straighter.

"Giving our squad a name," Chen Luo declared solemnly.

"..."

"How about the Traveler Thunder Queen White-Haired Dumpling Squad?" Chen Luo suggested.

"What kind of ridiculous name is that?" Upon hearing that name, which was riddled with things to criticize, Kiana even forgot to complain about Chen Luo's bizarre thought process.

"Me, Traveler. Mei, Thunder Queen. You, White-Haired Dumpling." Chen Luo explained the team name to Raiden Mei and Kiana.

"But that name is way too long! And why are you first? Also, I'm not a White-Haired Dumpling!" Kiana protested.

"Kiana, have you heard the saying, 'He who feeds you is your parent'? I can provide food, so I'm the captain."

With a sweep of Chen Luo's hand, countless fragrant, prepared dishes appeared on the table, only to be instantly put away again.

"Well? Any objections now?" Chen Luo asked.

"No objections." Kiana wiped away the drool that had just trickled down.

"What about you, Mei?"

"I don't have any objections either, but isn't that team name too long?" Raiden Mei shook her head.

"Then we'll just call it the Traveler Squad in everyday use." Chen Luo made the final decision.

Though Kiana protested a little, Chen Luo bought her off with a bottle of juice, while Mei seemed not to care much about these things.

Ding! Squad successfully established. Please name the squad.

The Talent Panel popped up.

Chen Luo had discovered this party function during lunch. Perhaps it had only appeared after the event was activated.

The effect was that after forming a squad, whenever squad members killed Honkai Beasts or Militants, Chen Luo could receive half the rewards.

This greatly increased Chen Luo's farming speed and efficiency.

After all, no matter how fast Chen Luo's hands were, once they escaped Chiba Academy, he could not possibly kill every Militant they encountered along the way by himself.

All in all, this party quest had appeared at exactly the right time.

"Little Herrscher Squad." Chen Luo confirmed the name.

Among the four people in this group, three were Herrschers. If it wasn't called the Little Herrscher Squad, what else should it be called?

That was right, the Herrscher of Knowledge counted as a squad member too.

"Oh right, Kiana, what kind of gun do you like using? Pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, or what?" As they were about to leave the library, Chen Luo asked.

"???"

Bang! A deafening gunshot echoed through Chiba Academy as a Militant that had broken through the encirclement and entered was blasted into two pieces by a shotgun.

Seeing that Militants were already able to break through Chen Luo's blockade, Raiden Mei, pistol in her left hand and sword in her right, also became serious.

"I'm just saying, A-Luo, since you have all these guns, why are you using a bow? These guns have been specially modified, right? Their firepower is huge." Kiana complained while holding a shotgun, with a pistol hanging at her waist.

Kiana had originally thought that Chen Luo used a bow because he had no firearms. Who would have thought he had such a massive stockpile of guns?

"Hah, guns aren't as useful as a bow for me, especially for long-range precision shots like this." Chen Luo said.

The Divine Arrow Technique inherited from Venti, combined with Wind Element power and the Elf Bow, had power approaching that of a four-star weapon. It was far stronger than firearms.

Moreover, Chen Luo could now fire up to three arrows at once. That was triple the efficiency.

Also, some Militants and Honkai Beasts had defenses that firearms simply could not penetrate.

However, the guns in Kiana and the others' hands were exceptions. Their firearms had been enchanted—not by Chen Luo, but by Liu Wenxuan.

Liu Wenxuan also worked as a blacksmith. In the Dark World and the Abyss Channel, military firearms did too little damage against enemies, so they naturally had to be enchanted.

"And why didn't you give Mei a gun too?"

"Didn't I give Mei a pistol?"

"What can a pistol do? Its power isn't enough. And that sword gets in the way of shooting." Kiana said.

"What do you know? That sword is more expensive than the guns in your hands. It's my most important sword, meant to protect Mei. Besides, Mei doesn't really know how to use guns. The two of us can handle ranged combat while she handles close combat. Isn't that fine?"

"This sword is important?" Raiden Mei tightened her grip around the sword in her hand.

"Of course it's important. Holy shit, it's a Honkai Beast! A Tank-class Honkai Beast!" Just after Chen Heng answered Raiden Mei, he spotted an enormous Honkai Beast charging in from the distance, nearly two stories tall.

"A Honkai Beast? Run!" Seeing such a huge Honkai Beast, Kiana instinctively shouted.

A Tank-class Honkai Beast was not something ordinary people could defeat.

"What are you afraid of? This time, I'll show you the true power of the Elf Bow." Chen Luo sneered and remained where he stood.

Chen Luo had always used ordinary attacks before. This time, he would show them a charged attack.

He drew the bowstring to its limit but did not release it. Just as Kiana and the others wondered why Chen Luo had not fired, countless gusts of wind began to gather. Turquoise Wind Element energy, seemingly tangible, converged upon Chen Luo's arrow.

Raiden Mei could clearly sense that the Vision Chen Luo had given her and that she wore on her body was trembling slightly. The gathering gale made both Mei and Kiana struggle to keep their footing.

"This is the true... Divine Arrow Technique."

Chen Luo released the bowstring.

What shot from Chen Luo's Elf Bow was no longer an arrow, but a gale that seemed to possess physical form. The Wind Element gathered around the arrow frantically shredded everything around it.

After steadying herself, Kiana looked up—and was left with nothing but shock.