"Please deliver a few words for me to Theresa Apocalypse of Schicksal's Far East Branch..."
"Kaslana's Inescapable Fate"
"Ah!"
On the old wooden floor, the groggy Susanna suddenly sat upright.
She frantically felt over her body. Only after discovering that weapons like Dragon Lord MK2000 were nowhere to be found did she gaze toward Yae Shrine and mutter, "Susanna, you actually succeeded..."
"You really defeated a B-rank Monster-type Honkai Beast all by yourself..."
As she spoke, the girl suddenly raised a hand to wipe away her tears and began sobbing softly.
As the daughter of a jeweler with some standing in the industry, Susanna's family naturally knew exactly what Schicksal's Valkyries were.
—A bunch of short-lived fools hoodwinked by that five-hundred-year-old monster's lofty talk of righteousness, completely unaware that they were helping a tyrant commit evil!
Susanna's father never concealed his disgust for Schicksal, much less agreed to let Susanna join Schicksal and become a Valkyrie.
Unfortunately, in the end, he could not overcome the stubbornness of his only precious daughter.
But the look in his eyes hurt Susanna deeply.
Even so, Susanna never regretted her decision.
That was simply the kind of person she was. Once she made up her mind, she would keep walking forward.
If she ran into a wall, she would smash through it with her head. If she encountered the sea, she would jump in and swim with all her might.
She believed that one day, she too would become a powerful A-rank Valkyrie—though she did not dare dream of S-rank—and make her father look at her in a new light, give her a thumbs-up, and say, "That's my daughter!"
But that was still an uncertain future. Even though she appeared sunny and lively on the surface, a mountain still weighed heavily on her heart.
And now, that mountain had been shattered.
Even with equipment helping her, she had defeated a powerful Honkai Beast above B-rank.
What could she possibly fail to do now?
She wiped away her tears and stood up.
As she pushed open the door, the pale glow of dawn spilled across her slender body, casting a long golden shadow behind her.
Like a future brimming with hope.
In another corner—
Kiana looked utterly confused. "Why did she suddenly start crying? Did your Memory Eraser malfunction?"
"I dunno! Probably not?"
Fu Li did not sound very sure either. Why was this girl crying, laughing, and bouncing around after waking up? Could she really have been possessed by a ghost?
Forget it. She had already left, so there was no point dwelling on it.
He looked at Kiana. "The gun is yours, and the rest is mine. No problem with that, right?"
Heavenly Wings (D), Escape Dagger (D), Silver Bloom Seed (C), Spirit Gathering Ring (C)—it was truly a massive haul.
"No problem." Kiana scratched the back of her head and grinned foolishly. "But can't you fly?"
"You want to mooch Heavenly Wings off me, huh?"
Fu Li could tell what she was planning without even using DIO. He could use Void Step, so he really had no use for Heavenly Wings' short-distance flight. But being displeased was another matter entirely.
So—
"No."
"Come on, don't be so stingy!" Kiana promptly sidled over. "At worst, I'll trade Photography Death for it! It's a Curio! Sure, its cooldown is a whole week, but it's super rare!"
"Just for one Heavenly Wings? The Fourth-Dimensional Skirt isn't included?"
"Of course it is!" Kiana gave him a flirtatious wink.
"Then forget it. And don't call me stingy with that male chauvinist nonsense. My gender is Attack Helicopter."
"Tch. Fine, no trade then."
The girl pouted, then immediately took out her daughter born of different fathers and mothers.
In the morning light streaming through the window, she carefully wiped down Dragon Lord MK2000 while muttering, "Too bad there's only one Dragon Lord. Otherwise, I could use the legendary ultimate technique, Nine-Headed Dragon Flash."
Demon Hunt: Nine-Headed Dragon Flash was a move that fired nine kinds of attacks at once: revolvers, pistols, rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, Magnum beam guns, Spacium beams, and more.
It was said that Gunslingers at the Vatican's Inquisition specialized in it. With one shout of "Aplupai!" there would barely be anyone left standing on the battlefield.
Yeah, just kidding.
Fu Li put away his spoils. "That's how greed works. The snake that tries to swallow an elephant will burst."
Kiana originally wanted to retort that she was not swallowing his elephant. But after thinking it over, she realized that the elephant she was swallowing really was his, so she changed her tune. "This is called having dreams! If people don't have dreams, what's the difference between them and—"
"What's the difference between them and being carefree?"
"What's the difference between them and salted fish!"
Kiana declared this with absolute conviction. Then, as she looked at the Silver Bloom Seed in Fu Li's hand, she suddenly remembered something. "I remember that thing has automatic defense, right? A C-rank automatic protective item. It can defend against attacks within a certain range without its owner giving any command."
"Yeah. What about it?"
"No, this thing has automatic defense!" The girl frowned. "Then how did your attack bypass it and directly hit Susanna?"
"Avada Kedavra Fist. Buddha Demon Emperor's ultimate art. Didn't I tell you about it already?"
"No, does a fist technique like that actually exist?!"
"Hehe~ Take a guess?"
"Guess my ass! I'm pissed!! I'm leaving!!!"
Kiana stomped her foot and turned to head outside.
Originally, she had wanted to ask what Fu Li had secretly said to Susanna while she was changing clothes. But after that interruption, she forgot all about it.
With both hands behind his head, Fu Li leisurely followed behind the girl, keeping a distance of three to five meters.
Sunlight filtered through the clouds and fell upon the handsome boy and beautiful girl. The stone path beneath their feet was spotless, reflecting the tranquility and peace unique to early morning.
Fu Li, following behind, raised the pair of cowboy jeans in his hand. "You sure you're not wearing these?"
"Not wearing them!"
Kiana replied angrily.
Her clothes had been torn to shreds during her battle with Miko Ling, leaving her with no choice but to wear Fu Li's clothes from his backpack.
The only exception was the Fourth-Dimensional Skirt. Fu Li had kindly suggested that she wear a pair of pants over it. Changkong City in early spring was hardly warm, and looking a little ugly was better than freezing.
Unfortunately, the sulking girl insisted on choosing beauty over warmth. Those long, fair, tender legs were indeed beautiful.
Whoosh~
The spring breeze cut like scissors.
"Gasp—!"
Kiana's silver hair fluttered as she sucked in a breath of cold air.
Freezing.
And that was not all.
As the two walked one in front of the other, the outline of the city gradually became clearer in their eyes, while the number of shops along the road steadily increased.
It was breakfast rush hour, and the rich aromas drifting through the streets and alleys fiercely stimulated Kiana's taste buds.
Grrrr...
She stared longingly at the steaming Xiaolongbao inside a shop, then touched her rumbling little belly.
Her hands unconsciously reached into the pockets at her sides. After searching for a while, she found nothing.
The girl swallowed and struggled forward a few more steps.
"A—Li—"
Then she turned around and drew out the words pitifully.
"Eat, eat, eat. I'm treating, I'm treating."
"Yay!!!"
This was the fate Kaslana could never escape.
"Recruiting Teammates (Double Update, Please Vote!)"
Back then, Fu Li might not have dared take on the task of feeding Kiana.
Kaslanas were famously bottomless pits. Anyone who treated them to a meal would have to fork over enough food to fill an entire ship.
Besides, birds of a feather flocked together, and poor people stuck together too. When it came to having no money, the two of them could be called a pair of fellow sufferers.
Fortunately, Fu Li still had the startup funds Little Great-Aunt had given him. Although buying the scabbard and sword fittings had used up more than half, and he had spent a bit here and there since then, there was still enough left for a few meals.
Still, compared to eating at a restaurant, Fu Li preferred going back to Kiana's place and cooking with her.
It was not like he could not cook. Eating out meant getting ripped off.
But seeing the girl's little gluttonous expression, and noticing that the shop she had set her sights on was a Shenzhou-style breakfast place, Fu Li ultimately entered after growing nostalgic for the flavors.
"Boss, start with ten buns, and a bowl of Fennel Beans."
"Ten? Who are you looking down on?!" Kiana huffed, then raised both hands in delight. "Bring twenty for this lady first! And Tofu Pudding! Spicy! Plus Soy Milk and fried dough sticks!"
Fu Li could not help grumbling, "Miss, you really don't know how expensive groceries are until you're the one paying for them!"
"Come on, it's not like I won't pay you back! You need to eat your fill before you have the strength to work!" Kiana pulled him toward an empty table.
"Exactly, the young lady is right." The waitress auntie said cheerfully. "Young man, learn from your girlfriend. How can you have the strength to work if you eat so little?"
She deliberately dragged out the word "work." People were naturally nosy.
"Who's his girlfriend? This lady certainly isn't!"
"Had a fight?"
The auntie smiled knowingly, utterly unconvinced. The clothes the girl was wearing were obviously the young man's. Could they be that intimate if they were not boyfriend and girlfriend?
Dressed like that so early in the morning—who knew what they had been doing last night!
"Really not." Fu Li denied it as well. "I can't afford a girlfriend like her. This girl's only purpose in life is making rice more expensive."
"What do you mean this lady only knows how to make rice more expensive?" Kiana slammed the table in anger. "Forget repaying kindness by tying grass in knots or holding a ring in your beak—how can you insult your most important lifesaving benefactor like this?"
"It's 'tie grass in knots and hold a ring in your beak,' not 'get sterilized and hold a ring in your beak'! Read fewer trashy novels and work on your literary skills, okay?"
The surrounding customers could not help laughing at the bickering pair. For a moment, the shop was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
At that moment, the waitress brought over their breakfast. The two silently stopped their verbal sparring and split everything evenly.
"You can eat this much?" Kiana looked deeply suspicious.
"If I can't finish it, the rest is yours."
"Fine." Kiana took the white sugar. "Do you want sugar in your Soy Milk?"
"Yes. Two spoonfuls or four."
"Why not three spoonfuls?"
"Three spoonfuls of sugar will get you four horses."
"True."
The girl nodded, then took a big bite of a freshly steamed meat bun with her cherry lips.
The rich, fragrant juices burst across her tongue, and she happily narrowed her eyes.
"Mmm, so good! Thanks, A Li!"
Before you continue