Chapter 215

Patiently correcting Kiana's mistakes, Fu Hua felt as if they had returned to their days at St. Freya, where she was Kiana's Class President and it was her duty to correct her problems. Now, she felt like she was doing the same thing. Fu Hua and Kiana smiled at each other, and the barriers between them seemed to have disappeared. It was a past worth remembering, and now, it was equally worth cherishing.

"Just like the special training you're giving me now."

Kiana nodded. She wasn't stupid, or in some ways she was actually quite clever. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to wander around alone for so long without getting hurt before entering St. Freya Academy. During her time at St. Freya, she was just too lazy to think. Anyway, with Mei around, she could just be a Kiana. But now she couldn't continue like this. She had to take responsibility.

"Yes, time is short. Superior martial arts techniques can be practiced while walking, sitting, or lying down, so the results are more significant."

"But what if I forget everything I learned in my dream after I wake up? I'm not bragging, but I easily forget things from my dreams. Once I had a really interesting dream, but I forgot it again just as I ran to Shen Gonglin's room to tell him. It's really a headache."

Kiana thought of this possibility and started to worry again. This kind of thing really could happen. Once you wake up, you will forget most of what happened in your dream. If that's the case, then Fu Hua's guidance to her will be completely useless. Is there any way to avoid this outcome?

"... So that's why you fell asleep in Shen Gonglin's bed that morning. We thought you were planning a night raid... Also, don't worry about that. Although everything in your dreams is an illusion, the physical reactions from continuous practice will be etched into your memory. Rest time is over, I'm going to continue, Kiana."

A mystery has finally been solved. It turns out that the idiot slept in his bed because he wanted to tell Shen Gonglin's dream. Fu Hua thought they had gotten together back then, but it seems she was the one who started it first. Once she understood this, Fu Hua felt her mood improve. She raised her hands and assumed a fighting stance again. The rest time was over, and it was time to continue training.

"Come on, I'm ready."

Kiana's expression hardened. She would no longer complain about the hardships and exhaustion; all of this was for their future.

On the outskirts of Sky City, aboard Rita's flagship, the Eos, a maid gracefully returned to the warship. Accompanied by Chiora, also known as Raven, she gave a general tour of the Shencheng Medicine industrial zone. Because Ciora was always by her side, Rita didn't have much opportunity to explore the more secluded areas. However, this harvest had already exceeded Rita's expectations. The more secretive matters, she would have to investigate herself.

"Vice Captain, you're back. I've finished screening the materials submitted by Shencheng Medicine. Although the materials are numerous and complex, they've all been sorted out now."

Seeing Rita return, Alvit quickly ran up to greet her. At the same time, the other members of the Immortal Blade squad who were waiting on the warship also gathered around. Unlike their captain Durandal, who was busy rushing to various front lines all day, the team members were actually more familiar with Rita. After all, it was easy to feel good about such an elegant and perfect maid.

Chapter 211

Upon seeing Rita return, the remaining members of the Immortal Blade team immediately sat up straight. This strongest Valkyrie squad under Schicksal regarded Rita as their idol, after all, she was one of the few S-rank Valkyrie in Schicksal. Almost everyone dreamed of carrying out missions with her, as such opportunities were extremely rare. Rita usually carried out secret missions alone, and the number of times she led a team on missions like this was extremely limited. The Schicksal most perfect woman in Schicksal, who could remember the names of all the Valkyrie in headquarters, Rita Roseweisse, the vice-captain of the Immortal Blade, was the goal that many Valkyrie aspired to be.

"Everyone seems to be in good spirits, but it's not time for you to go into battle yet. Relax a little. You can get serious when it's time to fight. Also, Alvit, tell me your conclusion."

Looking at her teammates, Rita gently told them to relax. These lovely girls always unconsciously tensed up when they saw her and Durandal. Rita didn't want them to be so serious; being tense all the time was exhausting. Although Rita was the vice-captain, she clearly prioritized her role as a maid over her position, wanting them to feel comfortable and relaxed. This was also Rita's wish.

As expected of the vice-captain, she effortlessly put everyone at ease. If she didn't know her true nature, she would probably be very touched. On the surface, she seems like a gentle maid to the core, but Alvit knows what a cunning soul lies hidden beneath that perfect maid exterior. Seeing Rita's unintentional glance, Alvit shuddered. The captain and vice-captain are both quite shrewd.

"Yes, Vice Captain. The data provided by Shencheng Medicine contains nearly four thousand medical records related to Honkai energy leaks that occurred in the city over the past five months, which are filed under the thirty-five disaster events."

Not forgetting her role as an informant, Alvit truthfully reported the intelligence she had gathered to Rita. She cherished her current job quite a bit. Having finally been transferred back from Siberia, she felt she had to work diligently. Although the vice-captain might force her to write some strange things, Alvit was also Valkyrie, and she wanted to contribute to the fight against the Honkai. After all, this was her job.

"That's an astonishing number. Are there any clues among them related to K423?"

Rita pondered for a moment. If the Honkai occurred, it would mean casualties. However, the more than four thousand medical records were still beyond the maid's expectations. But now was not the time to worry about such things. The problem was whether Kiana's whereabouts were among these four thousand records. Otto's mission was to bring her back to Schicksal Headquarters, and Shen Gonglin had not given any contrary orders. So Rita stood there thinking about how to carry out the orders. In any case, she had to find Kiana first.

"In the records from two months ago, a large number of Honkai Beast appeared on an overpass in the southern city. A victim witnessed a girl fighting with Honkai Beast. Although the diagnosis was post-traumatic stress disorder, I don't think it was a hallucination. Someone must have seen her!"

Alvit shared her thoughts. As the second-best information processor in the entire Immortal Blade, finding clues in the slightest hints was her specialty. Her intuition told her that there must be something fishy hidden in this message, which might be K423's information.

By the way, Rita is the number one information processor in Immortal Blade. She is a true all-rounder and is recognized as the perfect Valkyrie in Schicksal.

"Well done, Alvit. Are there any other similar leads?"

Rita gave a small compliment to Alvit, who truly lived up to her reputation as a reliable "tool" in Immortal Blade. Alvit could indeed share some of the work, and with her around, she didn't have to investigate herself. Having a reliable assistant was indeed very important. Rita had always strived to become Shen Gonglin's most reliable and perfect maid, so seeing Alvit diligently carrying out her duties made Rita quite gratified.

"That's it. I searched the medical records against K423's physical characteristics, but found nothing. This means she hasn't been to any hospitals or similar places during this period. There are no medical records, no shopping records, and even the city's surveillance cameras can't find her. Is this guy invisible?"

Alvit shook her head. Kiana's features were quite distinctive; she was a beautiful white-haired girl. Anyone who saw her would definitely remember her, since there were many people who had a particular fondness for white hair. It seemed that many people in Shenzhou liked this type, so if she appeared, there would definitely be a record. Alvit had seen Kiana before when she went to St. Freya for treatment because she had taken too many birth control pills. She was indeed a young and beautiful girl, almost as beautiful as the vice-captain. If someone saw her, there would definitely be some clues.

"Don't worry, she can evade surveillance cameras and pretend to be an ordinary person, but as long as she remains in this city, she can't escape everyone's gaze. Someone will always remember her, and might even take a picture of her. The clues you've filtered out have already proven this."

Rita comforted her somewhat dejected subordinates. She had anticipated this outcome, and she also had a plan. In this city, Rita knew a very convenient method for dealing with intelligence. Using this method, they should be able to easily find clues about Kiana.

"Ah, but such tiny pieces of information are scattered in every corner of the internet. If we want to retrieve, classify, and filter them properly, it will probably take us several months."

Alvit looked somewhat troubled. She had considered this method, but the workload was simply too great. After all, this wasn't the Schicksal Headquarters, where the support of the entire headquarters made information processing relatively easy. Right now, it was just her and the vice-captain here; the rest of her teammates were all brutes. It was clearly impossible to expect them to do such delicate work. If it were just the two of them, they probably wouldn't be able to finish it even if they worked themselves to death.

Chapter 212 The Valkyrie Tea Party

"I see, "Rita said, resting her chin on her hand. Her rose-colored eyes darted around as she considered a solution. Her experience in Sky City had given her inspiration. There used to be a professional in that city when it came to intelligence gathering, although that person was dead... No, Rita wasn't even sure if she had really killed him. That person's legacy could be of great help in the current situation.

"Alvit, did you know that there's supposedly an intelligence black market in this city that monitors every detail of the information flowing through the city's network? If we're looking for clues, I'll go there and take a look. As for the rest of you in the Immortal Blade, stay on standby and cherish your rest time. I have a feeling that we'll all be busy soon."

Having made up her mind, Rita turned to leave again. She still preferred to carry out missions alone. It wasn't that the others in the Immortal Blade were a burden; it was just Rita's personal habit. In order to obtain information, Rita felt it was necessary to revisit the old place. Mr. Gray Serpent was dead, but what he left behind was still very valuable, and now was the time to use it.

"Yes!"

The entire Immortal Blade team saluted Rita, and the maid returned the salute before gracefully leaving the Eos. After seeing her leave, the team members who were still a little nervous finally relaxed. Although Rita was always very calm and eloquent, her status was what it was, and none of them would really treat her as a harmless maid.

"Phew... That scared me to death. When the vice captain came back just now, I hadn't even put my shoes on properly. They were so uncomfortable."

After Rita left, the Immortal Blade members, who had been standing straight, immediately sat down. Although they were the most elite unit in Schicksal, they were essentially just teenage girls. They were all very excited about going on a field mission, especially since they were coming with Rita. This was a miracle of survival in Schicksal! Each S-rank was an existence that was unattainable for all the Valkyrie. It was truly an honor.

"The vice-captain has such a great figure, she's so good at swaying. Even though it's just a normal walk, it looks like she's walking on a red carpet. The vice-captain is truly amazing. In this respect, Durandal is probably not as good as Miss Rita."

One of the team members leaned against the window, watching Rita's departing figure. The maid's steps were still extremely elegant under the night sky. Just looking at her back made the girls envious. She was beautiful, had a good figure, a good personality, spoke nicely, and was strong. This must be the legendary perfect woman, right?

As for Durandal, although she is very strong, she is too mysterious. Even the members of the Immortal Blade don't know much about her. The maid is more approachable. Although they are all girls, several members of the Immortal Blade had their eyes sparkling with admiration when they saw Rita's back.

There are quite a few eccentric characters in the entire Schicksal.

"I feel the same way... Alvit, you're closer to the captain and vice-captain, so tell me, who's more charming between them?"

Being on standby is equivalent to having nothing to do, and it's obviously impossible to keep these energetic Valkyrie quiet. So they all gathered around Alvit. She's on good terms with the two captains, so she must know more. The captain and vice-captain, these two top Valkyrie of Schicksal, must have a lot of interesting things going on in their daily lives.

"What are those two stinky fish... Uh, no, slip of the tongue, actually I feel that the most charming one is still Shen Gonglin. Do you know why the vice-captain walks like this now... like this? Let me tell you, she specially learned this, and all of this is for Shen Gonglin."

Enjoying the atmosphere, the forgetful Alvit and her companions huddled together and whispered among themselves. If we're talking about charm, then Shen Gonglin is definitely more attractive. Wasn't it because of something that Durandal was so angry about that she sent herself to Siberia to grow potatoes for several months? And Rita did the same thing. They were both doing it for Shen Gonglin!

"Eh, Shen Gonglin... you mean that S-rank who defected with Lady Theresa? I heard he used to be in a relationship with Lady Durandal, is that right? How come he's now involved with Miss Rita?"

A Valkyrie, somewhat out of touch with the news, asked rather cluelessly, "Why is Shen Gonglin being dragged into this again? And why is everyone looking at me like that, like I'm some clueless country bumpkin? I'm always training and don't have time to pay attention to these things. What, does everyone already know about this?"

"What boyfriend and girlfriend? Don't listen to these rumors and nonsense. There's no such thing at all. It's just that Durandal has a crush on someone... Do you know that there was an intrusion at headquarters a while ago? It's said that Shen Gonglin secretly hid in the bishop's room and when he came in, she smeared cake on his face and then ran away. The entire Schicksal was on high alert. Do you know where she ended up hiding?"

A Valkyrie, who clearly knew more, was mysteriously sharing this information with her colleagues. She had friends in the garrison, which was why she knew such secrets—information that couldn't be found online.

"How should I say it? How should I say it?"

Now everyone was intrigued. A group of girls gathered around, excitedly watching the Valkyrie. She kept them in suspense for a moment, then slammed her hand on the table, her face full of excitement.

"He was hiding in Durandal's bedroom! I heard from my friends in the guard that they all saw Shen Gonglin. Lady Durandal had just finished taking a bath, and Shen Gonglin was with him. Durandal was clearly protecting him, and in the end, the guard could only pretend they didn't see anything. Tell me, isn't that enough proof that Lady Durandal likes Shen Gonglin...? Tsk, it must be because they had a little conflict during the War of Schicksal. But I think they can make up in the end. After all, who can resist a girl like Durandal? I certainly can't."

The Valkyrie helplessly shrugged, suddenly feeling like her idol was getting married. How annoying!

Chapter 213

Hiss... So that's how it is. They're already living together to that extent? In that case, their relationship is indeed quite intriguing. As we all know, Durandal is a very serious, even somewhat rigid person, yet she's willing to abuse her power for Shen Gonglin. That proves a lot. Isn't that love? It seems even Durandal isn't entirely immune to the ways of the world. Even she can be blinded by love. This kind of Lady Durandal... I really want to get a little closer to them.

"No, no, weren't we just talking about Miss Rita? If Shen Gonglin and Durandal have this kind of relationship, then what about Miss Rita?"

Everyone gasped in surprise, and one of them finally realized that she was a fan of Durandal and Rita. If Durandal liked Shen Gonglin so much, what would happen to Rita? Wouldn't that mean Rita could be hers?

I'm a little excited.

"Hmm... If Durandal is currently trying to win back her ex-girlfriend and mend their relationship, then Miss Rita must be the current girlfriend in the throes of new love. Did you know that Miss Rita's account information on the forum has changed? Look at this title, Rin-sama's personal maid... Isn't that enough to prove anything? Even if Durandal and Shen Gonglin in the future, Miss Rita will probably still have the upper hand over Lady Durandal. After all, she was here first. During the War of Schicksal, she stood on Shen Gonglin's side without hesitation. Tsk tsk, with that kind of affection, she's definitely the rightful girlfriend."

The girls gathered together, opened their personal terminals, and entered the Valkyrie forum. Alvit created an account so they could take a good look at the exclusive title Rita had changed for herself using administrator privileges. Although Durandal was the captain, it seemed that Miss Rita had the upper hand in this matter.

"Let me see, let me see... Hmm, it really is true! Alvit, your account privileges are so high. This kind of thing should be hidden, right? You seem to be able to see the search history. Let me see what Lady Durandal usually searches for."

The girls of the Immortal Blade were immediately excited by this bombshell announcement. They then realized that Alvit's account was also a senior administrator, which allowed them to see many things they couldn't normally access. Ignoring Alvit's attempts to stop them, the group of girls huddled together, looking at the screen and clicking on Durandal's account. They were filled with curiosity, wondering if Lady Durandal had any search history and what she usually looked at.

"No, no, this is immoral, you can't look..."

Alvit pretended to stop her, but she was actually quite interested. Everyone is curious about what Durandal would search for.

[Help! How can I salvage the relationship after upsetting my boyfriend?]

What gift would be appropriate to express my apology?

Does gifting yourself to your boyfriend really work?

If I punched myself unconscious, would I be strong or weak?

Gift-packing tips: How to wrap yourself up to look delicious and tempting.

What if the paid meals aren't enough?

What size gift box should I buy to fit one person?

Such search records appeared before everyone's eyes, and for a moment everyone fell silent. They never expected that the heroic Durandal would be so silly and cute in private. It turns out that even the goddess would search for such stupid questions. It feels Durandal's idol image has completely collapsed. She... she's quite hardworking, isn't she?

"I never imagined Durandal would be this kind of person... Keep this a secret! No one is allowed to tell anyone about this. Anyone who does will die!"

Satisfied, the Valkyrie exited Durandal's account index. They exchanged glances, nodded seriously, and then took their oaths. This thing was like Pandora's box, attracting their interest. They had already looked at Lady Durandal's index records, so it should be interesting to see Miss Rita's as well.

The girls all opened another account without prior arrangement. Durandal's account was so interesting, so they believed Miss Rita would also be quite interesting.

Is snooping on someone's privacy a criminal offense?

How should a supervisor reasonably handle a subordinate who has made a mistake?

How can a murder scene be staged to appear as a homicide?

[Alvit, I'm watching you.]

These words caught the attention of the Valkyrie, who immediately widened their eyes and quickly shut down their computers. Meanwhile, Alvit was on the verge of tears. No, this time it really wasn't her fault! She couldn't take the blame!

Looking at the message notification on her terminal, Rita, who had gone alone to the Gray Serpent stronghold, wore a faint smile. Those girls must be terrified by now. How could a qualified maid make such a mistake? Her account privileges were even higher than Alvit's; she could make them see whatever she wanted. This was a kind of cunning maid tactic—teasing her subordinates in her spare time was a good way to relax. But now that she'd had her fun, it was time to get back to work.

Focusing her attention on the matter at hand, Rita walked through the deserted industrial area, the former stronghold of Gray Serpent. The rooms were empty, and it was easy to imagine that no one had come here since Gray Serpent "died" and the humanoid machines were taken away by Mei and the others. However, Rita wasn't looking for anyone; all she wanted to use were the machines here.

There was no one in the room, only the hum of the machine. Every moment, countless requests were sent from every corner of the world, all seeking the cheapest and most precious thing in the world—information—in this black market for intelligence.

Although Gray Serpent was "dead," the industrial chain he left behind still existed and continued to operate as usual. Rita recalled the figure that had fallen under her scythe, and a sense of absurdity suddenly arose in her heart. Had she really killed him? Rita was becoming increasingly uncertain. It was truly absurd. However, now was not the time to worry about such things. What Rita needed to do now was something else.

Chapter 214 More Important Things

"Permissions unlocked, humanoid robot retrieval module embedded."

Rita took out a mobile terminal and plugged it into the huge machine in front of her. This way, she could trick the machine into thinking that a humanoid machine was searching for information. Rita had already planned this before coming to Sky City. Looking at the data flashing on the screen in front of her, the maid rested her chin on her hand and thought seriously about where to start looking.

Based on the information that Alvit had previously obtained, a victim had witnessed Kiana's figure at the location where the Honkai had occurred. In addition, there seemed to be an urban legend in this city called the Lone Ranger. After a brief consideration, Rita determined that this was the target she should be searching for.

Slender fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard. Almost instantly, the massive information machine began to operate. What would have taken human search several months, was presented to Rita almost immediately by this quantum computer. All the locations where the Honkai had occurred over the past few months were listed on a map, along with all the related online rumors, photos, and information. Where there are people, there is communication; where there is communication, there is information. What Rita needed to do now was to find what she wanted from this information.

"Found you, Miss K423."

Rita's rose-colored eyes keenly spotted a familiar figure among the pile of intelligence. In terms of intelligence processing and speed reading, Rita was undoubtedly the best in the Immortal Blade, even Alvit had to rank behind her. Looking at the white figure under the moonlight in the photo, Rita's lips curled into a slight smile. The mission, she had found the place to start.

[Alvit, you mentioned before that Sky City has experienced frequent Honkai Beast attacks in the past two months?]

Having found her target, Rita quickly made contact with Alvit and the others who were waiting on the Eos. After a burst of noise, Alvit's timid voice finally rang out. The information officer looked at her seemingly indifferent teammates with tears in her eyes. Why was she being made to face the vice-captain alone at a time like this? She was scared.

Yes, there have been a total of thirty-five recorded instances of Honkai, concentrated around Sky City, which has therefore been placed under martial law.

It seems like it's not about questioning or reprimanding her, but about official business. This puts Alvit at ease; as long as they're not here to cause her trouble, that's good.

[It's like there's something in this city attracting Honkai Beast... I understand, Alvit. I need you to be on high alert for disaster warnings in Sky City at all times. If any Honkai Beast appear, the Immortal Blade team members must immediately set off for the scene.]

Despite giving such an order, Alvit was slightly puzzled. Although eliminating the Honkai was a matter of course for the Valkyrie, that wasn't their mission this time. Their objective was to find a way to bring the Herrscher of the Void back, not to help defend the city.

[Eh, does that mean the entire operation to capture K423 is suspended? We won't be able to explain this to His Holiness the Bishop...]

"Don't worry, I have my own plan. According to the intelligence I've gathered, there are multiple reports of K423 being spotted at the scene of the Honkai Beast, and someone even took a picture of her back... In other words, as long as we keep an eye on where the Honkai Beast appear, we have a chance to capture K423. Do you understand now?"

Rita began to explain, and when Alvit understood Rita's plan, her eyes lit up. As expected of the vice-captain, she had already thought of a mission strategy just by arriving in Sky City. That's right, this way, it's indeed very likely that we can catch her.

I understand! So... what we need to do now is patiently wait for the next disaster to happen?

Alvit nodded seriously. Now that there was a plan, all that was needed was to execute it strictly and wait for the next Honkai to occur. The Immortal Blade was ready!

In this city, there's no patience required to wait for disaster.

Rita spoke softly, gazing at the city under the night sky outside the window. She had a premonition that her mission target would appear soon. But was the appearance of the Honkai Beast really because of her? Rita shook her head, unsure of the answer. She would find out once she met her.

Ugh... I'm so tired. My body isn't tired at all, but the mental exhaustion is real. Thankfully, the Class President said this kind of fatigue is like a dream and it will quickly disappear after I wake up... Wait, why does my body feel so tired too? Where are my hands? Why can't I feel my hands anymore?

As the sun rose, Kiana, who had been training in her dreams all night, finally opened her eyes. Her heterochromatic pupils stared blankly at the ceiling. It should be a familiar room, but why did it feel a little unfamiliar? Kiana tried to sit up, but she couldn't feel her arms anymore. What was going on? Where had her Power of Kings gone?

Kiana turned her head and saw that this was the reason. This kid was sleeping quite comfortably. Was it so nice to sleep with his head on my arm?

Beside Kiana, Shen Gonglin, who was also covered by a blanket, was fast asleep. This guy was a restless sleeper, clinging to Kiana like a koala, with his arm under his head as a pillow. The lack of blood circulation all night had left Kiana feeling numb. What a sweet burden! How long had it been since she had slept with Shen Gonglin?