14. Xia Ling: Theresa, I'm Not Lying / 15. Theresa: I Can't Exactly Tie Kiana Up Too, Can I?

"Where did you hide my stupid Theresa?!"

"Changing the subject won't work," Theresa said with a victor's smile. "The reason I've become so perceptive is thanks to someone who's been hurting me in all sorts of ways every day."

Now that things have come to this, it seems Theresa isn't planning to let herself off easily.

Xia Ling felt that if she wanted to win over Theresa, she might only be able to...

"Theresa ~"

With an extremely sweet voice, Xia Ling hugged Theresa tightly and pressed herself against her, rubbing her cheek against Theresa's.

"Please, please, please don't lock me in the basement, okay? I really have very important things to do..."

"Just let me stay one more day. After that, you can do whatever you want."

"Ugh..." Theresa suddenly covered her nose, her face flushing red.

There was no way she could resist Xia Ling's soft, coquettish way of hugging her, and what's more, her pleas for mercy were quite stimulating.

Although reason told her that if she delayed any longer and gave in, Xia Ling might offer even more tempting terms, Theresa was afraid that she might get carried away and do something to this little vixen.

After all, Mei and Tesla are still outside; that would be incredibly embarrassing.

"You, you're committing a foul..."

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't want to go to the basement!"

At this moment, Xia Ling reversed the balance of power in a strange way.

"No, stop rubbing, it's itchy..."

Theresa, her face flushed, pushed Xia Ling away. "I... I understand, but you must promise that someone will accompany you during the next operation."

"And we can't let one of us slip away again!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, definitely."

Xia Ling nodded quickly.

"And... you said it yourself." Theresa suddenly revealed a mischievous smile, "After that, I can do whatever I want, okay?"

Xia Ling's nodding motion suddenly froze.

Chapter Fourteen Xia Ling: Theresa, I didn't lie.

"Hey, Xia Ling, are you done on your end?"

Bella, who was enjoying the breeze on the deck, sensed someone approaching and turned around.

"Let's just say it's over for now."

Xia Ling recalled Theresa's words, and the smile on her face suddenly became forced.

Not only is the matter over, but she's probably finished too.

Shouldn't I have asked Highmore for advice sooner...?

"Hmm... I don't quite understand, but this should also be proof that we have a good relationship?"

Bella tilted her head; she could sense that the girl didn't seem discouraged at all.

"It's alright, Bella, you'll understand eventually."

Floating to Bella's side, Xia Ling asked, "Have you gone to see Kiana?"

"Not yet. Dr. Tesla said her health condition is still unstable and wouldn't let me in."

"Sigh... this fool, he always ends up covered in scars without you even noticing."

"Forget about this, Bella, feel this power."

Xia Ling raised her hand, Kishinuma appeared in her hand. At the same time, Bella felt a strange power flowing continuously from the sword towards her, and trying to erode her.

"This is... I'm sorry, Xia Ling, I don't think I can resist this power."

"I'm not trying to get you into a fight... I'm just letting you get used to this feeling of being corrupted."

Xia Ling retrieved the Kishinuma and said, "Remember the plan we discussed before? Tonight, I will use this Divine Key to create a dream, and I will pull you into the dream as well. Get used to it first, and remember not to resist."

"So this is the Kishinuma you mentioned, Xia Ling."

Bella nodded. "But Xia Ling, does that plan really not need to be changed again...?"

"No need, it would be pointless to change it." Xia Ling shook her head decisively. "Given Sirin's current state, to completely overwhelm her hatred, we would need even stronger emotions."

"Although Sirin may become withdrawn for a while due to the strong impact, it's still better than her current situation."

"Speaking of the current situation... the two masters are still sharing one body. Even if the Queen's own problems are resolved, she will still be bound to Lady Kiana."

"Xia Ling, if I could grasp the core of the Herrscher of Death, would I be able to reshape a body for Her Majesty?"

"No, absolutely not." Xia Ling's tone suddenly became serious. "Bella, I've told you before that you still hold an unparalleled place in Sirin's heart, so you are the last person who can take this kind of risk."

"During the Second Honkai Outbreak, your so-called use of the core was just that – use. To create a body large enough to contain Sirin, you have to 'ascend'."

"There has never been a precedent of Honkai Beast transforming into Herrscher, so you absolutely cannot take this risk."

"As for Sirin's health... if she is truly willing to repent and take responsibility for what she did before, then I will personally handle her health issues."

"Okay..." Seeing Xia Ling's seriousness, Bella stopped thinking about it. Although they hadn't known each other for long, she could tell that Xia Ling was genuinely concerned for Kiana and Sirin.

Given this, although she was eager to protect her master, she would never disrupt Xia Ling's plans with her own speculations.

"Anyway, just go to Kiana's room tonight. It's best to go secretly. I didn't tell Theresa and the others about this operation, since it would be troublesome to explain."

"Yes, I understand."

Bella nodded.

Just then, Xia Ling's communicator suddenly rang.

"Xia Ling?" Theresa's voice came from the other end of the call, "Where are you now?"

"I'm on deck, and Bella is here too." Hearing Theresa's slightly erratic breathing, Xia Ling asked curiously, "What happened?"

"Bella's here too? That's perfect. Kiana's already awake, so you two can come over together."

Kiana is awake?

Xia Ling's spirits lifted. A long time had passed since she started treating Bella. Although the original work didn't mention how long Kiana had been unconscious, the passage of time had made her a little irritable.

"Is it in the medical room? I'll be right there."

As she spoke, Xia Ling grabbed Bella's hand, and with the activation of her ability, the two of them disappeared from the spot at the same time.

Looking at Xia Ling, who had appeared beside her the moment she hung up the call, Theresa couldn't help but sigh, "Spatial abilities are really convenient..."

"No, this isn't the time to talk about that." Patting her forehead, Theresa's expression instantly turned serious. "Ain just spoke with us, and unfortunately, Anti-Entropy has no solution for Kiana's problem at the moment."

"Ain and the others have already set off from the Salt Lake Base and should arrive soon. As for Kiana... if there's really no other way, their suggestion is to take Kiana to the Baffin Bay base in the Arctic Ocean and ensure her safety."

"This plan... they're not entirely confident either, are they?"

"Well, our research in the spiritual field is very limited. Solving Kiana and Sirin's problems is the primary challenge, let alone further addressing the core erosion issue."

"As for whether surgery can be used to try and remove the core... the Doctor's assessment is that the risks are too great. Forcibly removing the core requires surgery, and if the Sirin personality within Kiana shows any resistance during the surgery..."

"The result was predictable."

"... I understand, but I'll go check on Kiana first."

Xia Ling patted Theresa's head and said with a smile, "Don't worry too much, there will always be a way."

"... Xia Ling, are you trying to take another risk?"

Theresa was silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Xia Ling's sleeve.

"No, I do know some other information, but I really have no intention of taking any risks this time."

Xia Ling's eyes were exceptionally sincere.

"Okay, I believe you."

Theresa ultimately said nothing.

"But you're not allowed to lie to me."

"Don't worry... I really didn't lie to you. The reason I insisted on waiting until tomorrow is because I need to collect another payment tomorrow. Besides, didn't I promise you that I would never act alone no matter what I do?"

After revealing some information to temporarily dispel Theresa's doubts, Xia Ling led Bella toward Kiana's room.

As soon as Xia Ling entered, she heard Kiana and Tesla arguing.

"Dr. Tesla, I just wanted to do what I could. Given my current state, absorbing more Honkai Energy wouldn't cause any problems..."

"It won't cause a *****!" Tesla continued speaking fluently in telegram, "Even if you really are a Herrscher, it's impossible for you to absorb so much Honkai Energy and still be unharmed, not to mention that if there's even the slightest problem with your current state, your remaining time will be reduced exponentially."

"Anyway, I absolutely will not... Hey, Xia Ling, you're here?"

Upon hearing Tesla's words, Kiana instinctively looked towards the door.

Chapter Fifteen Theresa: I can't exactly tie Kiana up too, can I?

"What, I heard there's some silly kid whose injuries haven't even healed yet, and he's already thinking about being a hero again?"

"Sister Xia Ling..." Kiana's expression darkened upon seeing Xia Ling, and she no longer mentioned absorbing the Honkai Energy of Changkong City.

"Are you alright...?"

"It's okay, I'm perfectly fine. I told you not to worry about it, but you obviously didn't listen to me."

Xia Ling walked straight over and patted Kiana's head in an annoyed tone.

"But you, I haven't been away from you for long, and you've already gotten yourself into this state."

"I really have to stay by your side and watch over you. Looking at you now, I can't even imagine what you would have become if I hadn't gone to Changkong City to pick you up."

"Hmph, it will definitely be worse than it is now. These idiots who hurt themselves to save others are all the same." Tesla crossed his arms and said, "Xia Ling, don't laugh either. I'm talking about you too."

"Forget it, just looking at you two makes me angry. You two talk first. I'm going to find Ain to investigate what's going on in Changkong City right now. I have a feeling that I've seen this situation in Changkong City before."

Seeing the two men wearing almost identical smirks, Tesla snorted and walked out of the room.

"Tell me, what happened to you after you were arrested?"

Xia Ling floated to Kiana's side, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at the battered white fur ball.

"Hmm, after being taken away by Durandal..."

Kiana began to slowly recount her experiences, and because there was no external interference, this part of the story was basically the same as the original work.

"So, what's really eroding your body now isn't actually the core of the Herrscher of the Void?"

"That's right. The erosion of the Herrscher of the Void Core alone is basically the same as when I was in Changkong City, and it's even weakened a bit because of my physical condition."

"The main ones are the other two cores..."

"If that's the case..." Xia Ling didn't say more, but changed the subject. "By the way, Kiana, guess... who I picked up in Changkong City?"

"Hey, did you find this?"

Before Kiana could react to what Xia Ling was saying, a gray figure rushed in.

"Lady Kiana!"

"Huh? You, who are you?"

Kiana was completely bewildered as she looked at the gray-haired figure hugging her.

She originally wanted to push the girl away, but a deep sense of familiarity made her unable to bring herself to do it.

She could even sense that the long-dormant Sirin within her body seemed to be stirring.

"She is Bella, you should have seen her in Sirin's memories, and of course, there is another name you may be more familiar with."

"The Second Herrscher's Companion Honkai Beast - Benares."

"When you were unconscious in Changkong City, it was thanks to Bella that you were secretly protected."

"So that's how it is... I thought I was just lucky." Kiana said a little embarrassedly, "Thank you, Bella. Choosing to stay in the West District, where there are many Honkai Beasts, must have caused you a lot of trouble."

"Protecting Lady Kiana is my duty!"

Hearing the familiar address again, Bella's eyes welled up with tears, and she hugged Kiana even tighter.