Chapter 289

Fu Hua smiled upon hearing this, Bronya and Kiana held hands tightly. They were right; it was time to go home.

"Take this with you, and this too... Kiana, you're strong, so you can take this. I think this is made of redwood... Bronya, you take this. Don't touch this dress, I'll hold it."

Inside the Taixu Temple, Shen Gonglin was directing Bronya and Kiana to move things. They were about to return to the Hyperion, and Shen Gonglin Tai Xu Temple. Now that he had help, he thought he could take all of these things back with him, even if they were just for decoration.

"Shen Gonglin, why are you moving this stuff... and that outfit, you still haven't given up?"

Beside Shen Gonglin, Fu Hua watched Shen Gonglin directing the move with a wry smile. Next to her, Bronya was carefully moving the mahogany bed out of her bedroom, manipulating the Heavy-duty Rabbit. She couldn't understand what special hobby Shen Gonglin had. And now Shen Gonglin -Yun Mo robe in his hand. As soon as Fu Hua saw him like that, she knew what he was up to.

This guy still wants me to wear it for him, it's so embarrassing.

"These are all good things, they should all be considered antiques, right? They can even be used as dowry later. And I Class President you seem to like pickled vegetables, so I had Kiana bring all the Spring Immortals from the cellar. Also, I sleep very comfortably in this bed, so it's best to take it with you."

Holding a statue of the Immortal Chiyuan in one hand and clutching the Yun Mo Daoist Robe in the other, Shen Gonglin began to look around the room for anything else she could move. After all, this was the Class President's former home, and in Shen Gonglin's eyes, it was no different from her own home. Why should she care about moving things from her own home?

"Dowry... Oh, so that's what you mean. Then bring this box too. In Shenzhou, it's customary to include a box, bedding, and a comb in the dowry. I'll carry all of these myself."

Fu Hua glanced at Kiana and Bronya cautiously, relieved to find that they weren't paying attention. Fu Hua then adjusted her glasses and joined the moving team. "So that's what Shen Gonglin was planning," she thought. "If only she had said so earlier, I would have been more able to help."

Also, she doesn't really like eating pickled vegetables. She used to eat them because she was a simple and abstinent person and didn't have that need, but now, Fu Hua feels that if she can eat better, she should treat herself to something delicious, since she does have desires now.

Chapter Ninety-Five

Why does it seem like the Class President is even planning to bulldoze the land?

Watching Fu Hua get more and more enthusiastic about moving things, Shen Gonglin Class President was reluctant to leave this place filled with her memories. Kiana and Bronya had been completely used as laborers, while Shen Gonglin had secretly slipped away after seeing that the Class President was in the mood. After all, this girl was used to being lazy, and she wouldn't obediently help if she could run away. Besides, she also had things to do.

[Hello, is this Schicksal? Is this Schicksal? This is Shen Gonglin, the S-rank fugitive from Schicksal. Please respond if you receive this message.]

There were communication devices on Helios that could be used to contact people. Shen Gonglin dialed the contact Hi Fu that a certain maid had forced her to memorize. She hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye when she was taken directly from Schicksal Headquarters by the High Talisman. Now that things were finally resolved, she couldn't let her worry.

[Lord Rin! Is that you? Where are you? What's going on?]

Rita's voice came through the communicator, and the video call connected amidst a brief burst of noise. Rita's face appeared before Shen Gonglin. Judging from the background, the maid seemed to still be in the hospital. That made sense; she was injured on Coral Island before returning to Schicksal. I wonder how she is doing now.

[I'm at Mount Tai Xu. Anyway, a lot has happened. I'll tell you about it later. Rita, how are you? I only had time to give you the most basic treatment. How are you now?]

Seeing the maid made Shen Gonglin feel a little relieved. During the time he was taken away by the Hi Fu, he had been worried about Rita. Although Shen Gonglin carefree, he would also care about those who cared about him. Rita had been very good to him, and judging from her current expression, she should be alright.

"I'm fine. Durandal forced me to stay in the hospital to recuperate, but it's almost time for me to be discharged. I'm so happy you're alright... Lady Durandal would be so happy to know. Rin-sama, have you been in contact with Durandal?"

The camera zoomed out a bit, Shen Gonglin finally saw the maid's full appearance. She was sitting on the hospital bed. The extreme hypothermia had severely damaged her body, but she had recovered a lot after this period of recuperation. Fortunately, she had avoided the medical department when Hi Fu caused havoc in the Schicksal Mandate, otherwise she wouldn't have had such good conditions to recuperate so quickly. The maid then steered the conversation to Durandal, knowing that Durandal was also worried about Shen Gonglin's condition and hadn't stopped investigating Shen Gonglin's information for a moment.

[Not yet, I only remember your contact information, Rita ... By the way, what's the current situation with Schicksal? You all already know, right? The one who caused the Schicksal in Schicksal was Herrscher, not the Class President. I saw that Schicksal was quite badly damaged back then. Is Durandal busy renovating and rebuilding now?]

Shen Gonglin began to Fu Hua's name, saying that it was all the Herrscher's doing and had nothing to do with her. She believed that Rita should know what she meant by this.

"Oh, so it's a problem with the Herrscher. Headquarters has already made a deduction. Since it was the Herrscher who did it, the arrest warrant for Ms. Fu Hua can be withdrawn. I will withdraw it personally after she is discharged from the hospital. Also, the Bishop is currently out of contact, Schicksal temporarily under the control of Durandal. Withdrawing an arrest warrant is quite convenient. Moreover, Lady Rin, I have restored your Schicksal benefits. The wages owed during the arrest period will be gradually deposited into your card, as well as my Valkyrie allowance. Please check your account."

Rita, lying on her sickbed, smiled as she spoke these words. As a clever maid, she naturally knew what Shen Gonglin meant. After Hi Fu caused Schicksal, she became Schicksal's number one wanted person. However, now the maid was casually preparing to withdraw the wanted notice against her. After all, Bishop Otto was no longer alive, and Schicksal was now in the hands of Durandal. Rita didn't care about such petty tricks at all; it was just a matter of a word.

So Shen Gonglin only contacted me? I'm a little happy about that.

"... Rita, you should cover this up a bit. This isn't like something you would do."

However, just as Rita finished speaking, a somewhat complaining voice rang out from outside the door, and a golden figure appeared in the ward. Durandal walked in carrying flowers, and as soon as she arrived, she heard Rita talking to someone. As a result, she overheard Rita preparing to abuse her power for personal gain. Was this still her maid? Why did she seem a bit scheming?

Although Rita seems to have always had this kind of personality.

"Durandal, I was just making the right arrangements. After all, it was the Herrscher's doing, so what does it have to do with Miss Fu Hua?"

Even when her boss found out, Rita's smile remained unchanged, because she knew that she wasn't the only one who wanted to do this. She had simply spoken out about what Durandal also wanted to do. When Otto was around, she might have been able to hide it a little, but now that Otto was gone and Durandal was in charge, what was there to be afraid of?

They control the entire Schicksal; what is there to fear?

"Even so, you can't be so obvious... Sigh, never mind, Shen Gonglin, it's been a long time."

There's nothing we can do about this increasingly outrageous maid. It seems like she's trying to transfer Schicksal's assets to Shen Gonglin whenever she gets the chance. This isn't just turning her back on us; she's still in Schicksal, probably just an undercover agent.

Sigh, Durandal also wants to be an undercover agent.

Just imagine, if Durandal, the current supreme ruler of Schicksal, is an undercover agent... I've said it before, this lousy organization Schicksal is doomed to fail sooner or later.

[...Long time no see, Durandal, have you eaten yet?]

Durandal greeted Shen Gonglin on the screen, and Shen Gonglin also waved back stiffly. After all, unlike Rita, his relationship with Durandal was quite special. At the time, Shen Gonglin had planned to break off his friendship with Durandal, and then the two fought side by side for a long time... In short, he was still quite embarrassed to see Durandal now.

This feeling is like sleeping in the same bed with my ex-girlfriend again. Shen Gonglin feels so strange.

"You ate... Shen Gonglin, is that all you say when you see me?"

She answered Durandal, then looked at Shen Gonglin on the screen with a mix of amusement and helplessness. Was this what he wanted to say to her?

Chapter 96 Straight men and straight women

Seeing her makes me want to say these things... If I don't say Shen Gonglin, I really don't know what to say.

Durandal's situation is a bit special. He has normal and good relationships with other girls, but Durandal is the only one who is different. Before, Shen Gonglin really thought about never having to see her again. After all, this guy is actually very petty. The shadow of a failed confession can keep him from getting over it for several years, let alone what happened with Durandal.

However, although he intended to never see her again, reality wouldn't allow it. For various reasons, he came into contact with Durandal again, and during these interactions, Durandal consistently took good care of him. Whether it was hiding in her room to cover his escape during Schicksal's mission or fighting side-by-side on Coral Island, Shen Gonglin remembered all of this. But if he were to continue interacting with Durandal as usual...

"You ate... What did you eat?"

On the other end of the communication line, Shen Gonglin was scratching his head in frustration. He genuinely didn't know what to say to Durandal. He desperately hoped the communication would end so he wouldn't have to endure this awkward interaction with Durandal anymore. However, the communication, which was usually interrupted, was working perfectly today. Not only his voice, but even Shen Gonglin's appearance was accurately conveyed. Talking to Durandal like this was so awkward.

"You ate a jianbing guozi... Did you eat one? What did you eat?"

Although the topic was awkward, Durandal still responded honestly to Shen Gonglin. Actually, the girl was also nervous. You might not be able to tell from her serious face, but Rita, sitting on the hospital bed, could see the clues. She and Durandal had known each other for a long time, and from her angle, she could see Durandal earlobes. The maid sighed slightly. She herself felt awkward about their current situation.

Shen Gonglin is acting strangely, and Durandal is a straight woman. This kind of "Have you eaten?" conversation is really making Rita speechless. It seems that she, the world's number one maid, has to step in. If she doesn't liven things up for them, they might just kill the conversation.

Also, isn't Durandal's answer a little too down-to-earth? It's not that jianbing guozi is bad, it just seems a little bit out of place for Lady Durandal's current image. Speaking of which, Durandal seems to really like eating it. She even had Alvit buy it for her before. Should she learn how to make jianbing guozi herself?

"Alright, Rin-sama, you probably have other questions you want to ask, right? If you just wanted to chat, you would have called me back in the evening."

Rita interrupted the extremely awkward conversation. It seemed that Durandal was still not used to this way of communicating with people. Rita took the initiative to steer the conversation back on track. The fact that Shen Gonglin was able to contact her so leisurely at this moment proved that Miss Fu Hua's problems had been resolved.

Thinking back to the tyrannical Fu Hua who had run rampant in Schicksal, Rita shook her head. Although she had been recuperating in the hospital recently, she had actually been keeping an eye on intelligence from all sides. World Serpent had also suffered, but it seemed that the situation had been brought under control by Shen Gonglin.

[There is indeed something I need to tell you... Schicksal should have already detected the Herrscher event, right? But you're probably busy rebuilding Schicksal and haven't had time to deal with it. The Herrscher that appeared this time is the Herrscher of Consciousness, a new Herrscher born from the body left behind by the Class President during the Honkai. But don't worry, the Herrscher issue has been resolved, and World Serpent shouldn't be making any major moves for a while, so if nothing unexpected happens, things should be quite peaceful during this period.]

Finally free from the incredibly awkward conversation with Durandal, Shen Gonglin shared his information with her. He had heard that Durandal was temporarily taking over the command of the Valkyrie of Schicksal, which was why he decided to share the information. During this peaceful period, Durandal should be able to smoothly complete the handover of Schicksal's duties. If it were still Otto, he wouldn't have done this.

Regardless, Durandal's relationship with him was much closer than his own with Otto. Since she was in charge of Schicksal, she probably wouldn't cause them any trouble. Therefore, Shen Gonglin felt that this level of information sharing was still necessary.

"I see... I sensed it when I fought her. She wasn't Fu Hua, she was Herrscher. That explains it... You're right, this period has indeed been a rare period of peace... So, you... you want to come to Schicksal... cough cough, no, I didn't mean to invite you to Schicksal, it's..."

The first part of her speech was quite normal, but as she continued, Durandal's words seemed to change. Now that she was the commander-in-chief of Schicksal, she could no longer continue to hunt Shen Gonglin and the others. She noticed that Shen Gonglin had been traveling around a lot and seemed to have lost weight. Back on Coral Island, she had thought of bringing him back to Schicksal to help him recover, but something unexpected happened. But now, was there a chance?

She blurted it out unconsciously, and then Durandal regretted it, wondering if she had been too unreserved.

Sigh, this person is really useless; I still have to do it myself.

Rita, lying on the hospital bed, glanced at Durandal speechlessly. This girl was so anxious that she was about to tear the hem of her skirt. How could she still have the tsundere attribute? This attribute is not popular now. Moreover, she is a blonde. This attribute is too dangerous. If both of them are tsundere, then something big is going to happen.

"Lord Rin, would you like to come and inspect Schicksal? It would also be a good opportunity to meet Miss Anna. Miss Anna often talks about you, and she would be very happy to see you."

Rita used Anna as a shield. After the Coral Island incident, they brought Anna back to Schicksal Headquarters. Although Shen Gonglin had dealt with all of Anna's problems and Mei had taken away the Herrscher Core, Anna was still Herrscher Mei. Given what happened on Coral Island, Schicksal couldn't just let her run wild. Bringing her back to Schicksal for observation for a period of time was necessary.

Shen Gonglin knew about this before, but because Durandal and Rita were there, he wasn't worried that Anna would be bullied. But now that Rita brought it up, Shen Gonglin suddenly remembered Anna's situation.

Oh right, and Anna too! How could I have forgotten about her?

Chapter Ninety-Seven

[By the way, what about Anna? How is she doing? What are your plans for her?]

Rita's reminder reminded Shen Gonglin of Anna's situation. The girl had been quite attached to her, and had followed her advice to return to Schicksal Headquarters together. Then, she was taken away by Hi Fu. She was all alone at Schicksal Headquarters, unfamiliar with the place. Surely no one would bully her, right?

"If Miss Anna knew how much you care about her, Lord Rin, she would be very touched. As for Miss Anna's situation, you don't need to worry, Lord Rin. Although many Valkyrie know the inside story, and many of Valkyrie have some issues with their attitude towards Miss Anna, with Lady Durandal and me here, everything will be fine. As for Miss Anna herself... please rest assured, Miss Anna has always been an outstanding Valkyrie, whether in terms of strength or mindset, there are no problems."

Rita said meaningfully, showing concern... This wicked maid was clearly being sarcastic. Shen Gonglin didn't seem to care, but she mentioned Anna's current situation, something Shen Gonglin had anticipated. After all, Rin was a former Herrscher, and in the Valkyrie' traditional education, Herrscher were their enemies. Therefore, she was bound to face some hostility from the Valkyrie at headquarters. However, as Rita said, with her and Durandal there, they would do their best to help Anna.

"Rita is right. Valkyrie Anna Saniyat is an excellent warrior. You don't need to worry about her. She's currently helping out in the logistics department and will come to the hospital for regular check-ups. If the check-ups are all normal, she should regain her A-rank Valkyrie certification... We'll see what she wants then. If she doesn't want to go to the front lines, I'll arrange for her to work as a logistics Valkyrie."

Durandal spoke up, assuring Valkyrie Schicksal there would be no problems, whether within Schicksal or Schicksal the Congress. Although Durandal was young, she had no problem handling these matters. Even with Otto's current situation unclear, she could still manage Schicksal. This girl had the quality of being able to do whatever she wanted.

Okay, I understand.

Upon hearing this, Shen Gonglin nods thoughtfully. Anna's situation makes him think of many things. Even with Durandal and Rita protecting her in Schicksal, she would still be in that situation. And on Anti-Entropy's side, Kiana's situation probably isn't much better than Anna's.

Thinking about it carefully, the two girls' situations are indeed similar, but strictly speaking, Kiana's situation is more serious. During the War of Schicksal and the destruction caused by the Herrscher of the Void, that girl may have been laughing and joking, but she was probably under a lot of pressure. As for the Schicksal Valkyrie, she still had Durandal and Rita to keep her in check, but now in Anti-Entropy, is there anyone who can speak up for Kiana?

Maybe this girl was bullied while I was away, but now that I'm back, someone will stand up for her.

"Shen Gonglin, we're back... What are you doing? You didn't even help the Class President move, you're such a lazybones!"

After hanging up the call, Shen Gonglin walked out of Helios thoughtfully. He then ran into Kiana, who was carrying an octagonal table. The girl grinned at Shen Gonglin, who was slacking off, and looked at her cute, sunny face. Shen Gonglin couldn't help but smile. No matter what, she was still the same cute Kiana in his eyes. If she had any problems, he would help her solve them.

"Come on, come on, let's move them together... But why is the Class President moving this thing? Has Anti-Entropy become so poor that it doesn't even have a table? And that over there... is that a sewing machine?"

Helping Kiana carry the table, Shen Gonglin looked curiously at the warehouse of the Helios. It was now filled with things that had been moved out of the Tai Xu Temple. One item caught Shen Gonglin's attention: a sewing machine. Having never seen one in person, Shen Gonglin was very curious. So the Tai Xu Temple had this kind of thing. Just imagining the Class President operating a sewing machine was kind of cool.

"It's a sewing machine... The Class President specifically told me to be careful when moving it over, saying that there used to be a traditional custom in Shenzhou that a wedding requires four major items or something. Shen Gonglin, what are the four major items? And a wedding... Shen Gonglin, is the Class President thinking something weird? Nothing strange has happened between you two lately, has it?"

Kiana wasn't quite sure what was going on, but the word "marriage" bothered her. She braced herself on the table, leaning closer to Shen Gonglin. She knew Shen Gonglin and the Class President had been at the hotel together, and that she and Bronya had discovered many things they shouldn't have. But it was probably the Herrscher who did it, so Kiana, though feeling aggrieved, hadn't said anything. But now...

Now the Class President is inexplicably talking about marriage. Seriously, Bronya is one thing, after all, she's just a silly little Shen Gonglin, and there's no way Rin would marry her right now. But what's with the Class President? Kiana just can't connect the Class President with marriage.

How come that fairy-like girl with an ethereal aura is also thinking about marriage just like me? Honestly, she's always eyeing her own pig at home, Bronya, the Class President, and all the others I know and don't know. It's so infuriating!

How can this guy be so attractive to women? Mei seems to be eyeing him too. Just thinking about it gives Kiana a headache. That idiot, Shen Gonglin!

"Strange thing... what do you mean?"

Shen Gonglin's eyes started darting around. Of course, she couldn't reveal what had happened between herself and the Class President... or rather, Hi Fu. And now that Kiana was questioning her like this, looking at Kiana's face as she approached, Shen Gonglin knew that it was time for her to persuade her.

"It's... um!"

Kiana approached Shen Gonglin, trying to intimidate him, but Shen Gonglin simply leaned in closer. Kiana's eyes widened as she looked at Shen Gonglin pressed against her. How could this guy be so direct and so proactive... Shen Gonglin, didn't he give her any time to prepare?

Although she was shocked, Kiana didn't panic too much. After all, that was the kind of relationship she and Shen Gonglin had. If he wanted to kiss her, she... she didn't care.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Transfer My Money Too

"I hung up... Durandal, could you please help me with the discharge procedures? There are still some procedures to complete. I'm ready to participate in the daily work of Valkyrie."

With a touch of reluctance, Rita put down her phone, composed herself, and got out of bed. The girl stretched by the window, surprised that Shen Gonglin had called her. This immediately put Rita in a good mood. It felt really good; it seemed that Shen Gonglin truly considered her one of her own.

The rest period is over, and this is the time when Durandal needs my help. She now has to command the entire great Schicksal, so I must assist her properly.

"Participating in daily work is fine, but Rita, you wouldn't just transfer all the money from your Schicksal account to Shen Gonglin's account, would you? I heard it just now."

With her adjutant by her side, Durandal relaxed. She joked with Rita as they stood by the window, looking at the scenery outside. The headquarters, which had been damaged by the Herrscher of Consciousness, was being repaired as quickly as possible and was expected to be restored to its previous state soon. With the bishop missing, the entire burden of Schicksal fell on Durandal's shoulders. Although she could accept it, she still felt tired, especially with a treacherous maid who was always watching her.

Durandal is exhausted.

"Durandal need not worry, I would never do such a thing. I would only transfer my Valkyrie allowance, after all, everything a maid has belongs to her master."

Rita smiled, knowing that Durandal was joking. Seeing that she still had the leisure to joke, she knew that Durandal was in a good mood. It must be because of Shen Gonglin's phone call. Although it wasn't specifically for Durandal, it still helped to ease the tension between them. If possible, Rita would like to let the two of them get along peacefully.

Of course, it would be best if we could just get along.

"... You're really good to him... When you transfer the money to him, please transfer my allowance to him as well... Don't misunderstand, I just think I don't need the money. I don't need it for anything except buying a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe), so I might as well keep it with Shen Gonglin."

Durandal remained silent for a moment. After leaving those words, she turned and walked out of the ward to help Rita with the paperwork. Although this didn't prove anything, it was still a token of her goodwill.

"... As you wish, Durandal."

Rita smiled as she watched Durandal's retreating figure. In any case, this should be a good thing for Shen Gonglin.

"We're approaching the salt lake and are expected to arrive at the Anti-Entropy Salt Lake Base in twenty minutes. We've already notified the Headmaster... Kiana, are you listening to Bronya?"

On the Helios, Bronya, who had switched the warship to autopilot, turned to look at Kiana. The perceptive girl sensed that something was going on. Ever since boarding the ship, she had felt that Kiana was acting strangely. Not only was she constantly distracted, but she was also maintaining a posture like Commander Ikari. What was going on? Kiana wasn't usually such a serious and gloomy person.

Bronya's intuition told her that something was amiss. The girl's gray eyes swept between Shen Gonglin and Kiana, and she felt as if she was the only one being kept in the dark.

"Hmm... Hmm? Yes, I was listening to Bronya... What were you saying again?"

Kiana, who had been lost in thought, panicked when Bronya suddenly called her. She covered her mouth with both hands, worried that the silly little Bronya would notice something was wrong.

Kiana had been kissed by Shen Gonglin for a long time, her lips were swollen from being bitten. If the Class President and Bronya saw this, they would definitely understand what had happened. So Kiana kept covering her mouth. The flustered girl didn't pay attention to what Bronya was saying. It was all Shen Gonglin's fault. Why could he pretend that nothing had happened?

As Kiana spoke, she glared angrily at Shen Gonglin, who was currently busy mediating the conflict between the new residents and the original residents and had no time to deal with Kiana's situation.

Hi Fu wasn't exactly a peaceful person, and the elf girl was just as much of a troublemaker. The two women almost came to blows while she was inside her consciousness, and all the angel Icarus could do was watch the show. As soon as she immersed herself in her consciousness, Shen Gonglin felt like her head was about to explode. If one woman was equal to five hundred ducks, then the two of them were like a thousand ducks arguing endlessly inside her head.