He continued questioning her. "Did the drone capture Yae Shrine?"
"Yes." Susanna answered, "At first, I thought there had been an earthquake and was glad I was in Yae Village, where the buildings were low. But then I gradually realized something was wrong, so I sent the Falcon Drone up to take a look."
"Good. Kill her, then."
Fu Li drew Little March, a harmless smile appearing on his clean, sunny face.
Kiana punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Don't make jokes like that for no reason!"
"Who said I was joking?"
"Then why did you use the Memory Eraser if you really wanted to do it?"
"Because it's efficient! Fine, I was joking."
She was a Schicksal Valkyrie reserve, and more importantly, she would be going to St. Freya for observation afterward. Fu Li could make good use of that identity.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "If your family is so rich, why insist on becoming a Valkyrie?"
Schicksal Valkyries did not have an easy job. In its early days, the profession consisted of warriors trained by Schicksal to confront the Honkai on the front lines, tasked with eliminating or capturing Dead Walkers, Honkai Beasts, and other entities born after a Honkai outbreak.
Whenever the Honkai erupted, it released enormous amounts of Honkai Energy. Ordinary people exposed to highly concentrated Honkai Energy would quickly be corroded by it and turn into Dead Walkers.
Yet some people possessed varying degrees of adaptability to Honkai Energy. They could resist its corrosion and even actively use Honkai Energy to enhance their physical abilities, allowing them to fight the Honkai.
Because women generally possessed far greater adaptability to Honkai Energy than men, especially young girls, these warriors were mostly girls.
These girls were called Valkyries. The renowned Kallen Kaslana was one of the outstanding representatives of the early Valkyries.
After the current Archbishop Otto came to power, Schicksal accelerated its research into Honkai Energy and conducted in-depth studies into methods of using it within living organisms. The Artificial Stigmata system they developed greatly improved Valkyries' efficiency in using Honkai Energy and dramatically increased the combat power of Valkyrie units.
However, due to the technology's immaturity, Artificial Stigmata also placed tremendous strain on their hosts and caused severe damage, drastically shortening Valkyries' lifespans. Otto considered Valkyries disposable consumables and cared nothing for their safety. This callous disregard for human life sparked dissatisfaction and opposition from many within the organization.
For example, the former Schicksal North American Branch declared independence under that very banner and became Anti-Entropy, remaining locked in conflict with Schicksal for more than half a century.
As the organization developed, modern Valkyries' duties expanded enormously. Public security assistance, logistical supply, intelligence investigations, infiltration, and even assassinations all became part of their work.
Simply put, any mission involving the protection of Schicksal's interests that required combat strength might be assigned to Valkyries.
But when Fu Li mentioned Valkyries, Susanna suddenly perked up. Though she was clearly under hypnosis, she somehow seized Fu Li's hand and endlessly told him about her dream.
In short, an ordinary passing Valkyrie had once saved her life, inspiring her to become a Valkyrie herself.
Tests showed that she had quite good Honkai Energy adaptability. After obtaining reserve status, she began touring Schicksal training bases across the continents, hoping to choose the school best suited to her.
Of course, all of that depended on her jewelry merchant father, who had only a tiny little bit of wealth. Fu Li could not help wanting to sing, "We're not the same~"
He glanced at the idle Kiana beside him and suddenly had an idea. "Susanna, you're traveling alone. Didn't your family give you anything to protect yourself?"
"Of course!"
The girl said it as though it were only natural, then began pulling all sorts of items from her tiny pocket one after another.
Jackpot, little sis!
There was an Escape Dagger that could teleport ten meters but required a one-minute cooldown; a C-rank portable defensive shield, the Silver Bloom Seed; a Spirit Gathering Ring made from three-point crystals that could store Honkai Energy; and Heavenly Wings, which could sprout a pair of wings from her back and allow short-distance flight. It was practically the limit of what money could buy in the real world.
Yet that was only part of it. The truly valuable item had already been snatched up by the quick-eyed Kiana and cradled in her arms.
The Dragon Lord MK2000 plasma sniper rifle—a C-rank weapon made in the style of a flintlock pistol. Blue solid crystals were embedded in its body, turning red when it fired plasma beams. Its power could be adjusted according to the user's needs.
It required charging before use, and the charging time varied depending on the desired power.
At minimum power, it rivaled a small high-explosive round, with a damage radius of twenty-five meters and a firing rate of one shot per second. At maximum power, it equaled a medium high-explosive bomb, with a damage radius of fifty meters and a firing rate of one shot every ten seconds.
Its maximum range reached five hundred meters, making it suitable for mid- to close-range group combat.
Note: How is this not a sniper rifle? It has a scope, fires single shots, and hits hard. This damn thing is a sniper rifle!
"Waaah, my long-lost sister from another father and mother! Mommy finally found you~"
Kiana stroked the Dragon Lord MK2000, which God knew whether it should be classified as a sniper rifle, while her pupils gradually twisted into peach-pink hearts.
"Want to kill someone and steal their goods, then?" Fu Li's seductive voice sounded beside the girl's ear at just the right time. "Look, your dual pistols were destroyed in the earlier fight, and now you've immediately gotten something stronger. Isn't this heaven's guidance?"
In the empty moonlit house, the warm, moist breath by her ear made Kiana shudder.
She shook her head uncomfortably, then fixed her eyes on the handsome boy wearing a devilish smile.
Gulp!
She swallowed hard.
This was a C-rank weapon! And it was even a firearm, the category Kiana was best at using!
She had traveled all the way from Northern Europe, scrimping and saving until she finally got a pair of D-rank dual pistols, only for Miko Ling to chop them apart as easily as cutting vegetables!
As the inheritor of the Kaslana Gun Kata, she did not even own a decent gun.
Was that reasonable?
Was there any justice in that?
Was there any law in that?
"Th-That wouldn't be right, would it?"
The girl sat on the ground in a duck-sitting posture, her rose-colored lips trembling as she timidly avoided meeting Fu Li's eyes.
Her beautiful sapphire eyes were instead opened wide, making her look exactly like a pitiful little deer swayed by a demon's temptation, on the verge of falling into the abyss and letting him toy with her body and soul.
Looking down at her, Fu Li snorted. "Why didn't you think it was wrong when you went to the US Military Base to steal bullets?"
"Th-That's different!" The little lamb gathered her courage to resist the big bad wolf. "Robbing the US Military Base is robbing the rich to help the poor. Robbing Susanna is burglary and theft!"
"Just tell me whether you want it or not!"
"I do, I do! I want it!" The girl ultimately could not resist the temptation. Hugging her flintlock-style Dragon Lord MK2000, she scooted closer to Fu Li and fawned over him. "A Li, A Li~ Help me, please~ I know you'll definitely have a way~~~"
When there was nothing going on, he was a creep. When she needed something, he was A Li.
So arrogant at first, so respectful afterward. The thought was hilarious!
Fu Li glared at her. "What if I say I don't? Are you going to bid farewell to your daughter from another father and mother at Cambridge again?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Be clearer. Is it impossible that Fu Li has no solution, or impossible that Kiana can part with Dragon Lord MK2000?"
The white-haired little blob fell silent this time. She lifted her delicate little face, looking pitiful, pouting and sniffling. She was unbearably cute.
Fu Li laughed at her reaction. "There is indeed a way."
"Yay!" Kiana cheered, spun around once on the spot, then impatiently asked, "So what's the way?"
"Doesn't Susanna want to become a Valkyrie? We'll trade her credit for it."
Fu Li activated the Memory Eraser's memory implantation function and walked over to the vacant-eyed Susanna.
"Susanna."
"I am here, Master."
"...Why did that title suddenly appear? Forget it. Remember everything I say next."
"Yes."
"Because you did not tell the driver in advance to wait, you were stranded alone at the ruins of Yae Village, far from the city."
"Because I did not tell the driver in advance to wait, I was stranded alone at the ruins of Yae Village, far from the city."
"As the moon slowly rose, hungry and freezing, you huddled in a corner of an old house, on the verge of tears. The chilly wind howled around you, and the rustling branches inevitably made you think of the ghost stories widespread in East Asia."
"I really am afraid of ghosts."
"I figured someone with your personality would be scared too... Terrified, you suddenly remembered an abandoned Yae Shrine on the nearby mountain. The Inari God worshipped there was a very efficacious deity in the Far East."
"Afraid of ghosts, you timidly looked out at the deepening night. Recalling all kinds of scenes from horror stories and movies, you finally gathered your courage and set out toward the shrine."
"I'm amazing."
"Yes, yes, yes, Susanna is incredible!"
"Continue."
"Okay, huh?"
Fu Li stopped narrating and examined the vacant-eyed Susanna for a few moments.
Only after confirming that the Memory Eraser was still taking effect did he continue suspiciously.
"Though the mountain path was rugged, you used Heavenly Wings' flight ability to successfully reach Yae Shrine halfway up the mountain."
"The moment you entered the front courtyard, you saw a huge Sessho-seki."
"You looked relieved, hurried over, pressed your palms together, and began to pray."
"It doesn't cost anything, so you might as well believe a little. What if it answered?—That was what you thought, and then the Sessho-seki before you began shaking violently."
"A monster that had been causing trouble was indeed sealed here, and you happened to be wearing the Spirit Gathering Ring that stored Honkai Energy."
"The monster drained all the Honkai Energy from the Spirit Gathering Ring in one gulp, broke through the seal, and appeared before you as a four-tailed fox-shaped Honkai Beast!"
Wow! Golden legend!
"You ran, it chased. If it caught you, it would hehehee with you."
"Having gone hundreds of years without food, the Demon Fox wanted to eat a tender little girl like you and finally have a proper meal."
"Of course, you refused, so you used Heavenly Wings to keep it occupied."
"And that Demon Fox truly had some tricks. It fired Flame Burst cannons without pause, seemingly intending to vent all the fury it had accumulated from being sealed for centuries."
"Fortunately, you had the defensive Silver Bloom Seed and the Escape Dagger's teleportation ability. Combined with your innate talent... luck, yes, your innate good luck, you narrowly dodged every one of the most fatal attacks by mere inches!"
"Quack! Like a demon-slaying lord descended from heaven, truly a heavenly fiend among mortals!"
"Susanna! You're awesome!" Kiana clenched her little fists against her chest, glowing with admiration.
Fu Li, whose train of thought had been interrupted, said unhappily, "You're the person involved, so get out of the way! Can't you see I'm making this up on the spot?"
"Ahem, anyway, after depleting most of the Honkai Beast's internal energy, you raised the fully charged Dragon Lord MK2000! Risking your life! From four hundred and ninety-nine meters away, you unleashed a barrage at it!"
"This was already the limit of what you could do! The Escape Dagger, Silver Bloom Seed, and Heavenly Wings had all been destroyed in the battle just now! Even Dragon Lord MK2000 had overheated and was on the verge of exploding!"
Mm-hmm! If they put it that way, Susanna would not get suspicious even if all her things were gone!
Kiana grinned and gave Fu Li a thumbs-up.
"Fortunately! Heaven still favored you, its most beloved child!" Fu Li swung a fist, his words ringing with force. "Though you lost every item in your hands, at the very last moment, you still slew this B-rank Demon Fox!"
The destructive power caused by a B-rank going all out was naturally terrifying. Combined with the Dragon Lord MK2000's fifty-meter damage radius after charging for ten seconds, it was reasonable enough for the place to end up like this after such a violent bombardment.
Still, Fu Li had held something back and did not let Miko Ling's true strength come to light.
He also concealed the Key of Corruption's existence, turning the Demon Fox into an ordinary mutated Honkai Beast.
Susanna was a Valkyrie reserve. A reserve, put plainly, was just an ordinary person who had received basic training.
She did not even have Honkai Energy in her body, or the Memory Eraser would never have worked on her.
There was still the tiniest possibility that someone like Susanna could defeat a B-rank using equipment given by her wealthy father. Defeating an A-rank was truly nothing but a dream.
"That's basically the situation."
After roughly describing the story, Fu Li lowered his head to think for a moment, then added a few small details for Susanna.
He was not afraid of anyone seeing through it. After all, the battle described in this story was more or less what had actually happened.
Besides, people would sooner or later learn that a battle had taken place here. Rather than let them follow the clues back to him, it was better to conveniently push someone out as a shield.
That was assuming those people would still have time to care about such trivial matters after the Third Honkai.
Fu Li clapped his hands happily.
And after receiving the credit for eliminating the Demon Fox, Susanna would surely receive a higher starting point and attract the attention of important figures after joining Schicksal.
As for whether she could turn those resources into actual strength, that depended on whether she was willing to work hard.
Besides that.
"Susanna, you're going to St. Freya next to look into it, right?"
"Yes."
Fu Li glanced at Kiana, who had finally been unable to resist running into the next room to change clothes, then leaned close to Susanna's ear and softly said:
Before you continue