Kiana wolfed down Mei's cooking, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster's. She was utterly adorable, just as expected of the ultimate, invincible, ridiculously gorgeous Kiana.
"Captain, this was all your fault! Why did you go breaking branches off the Imaginary Tree?" Kiana swallowed that huge mouthful and glared resentfully at Zhang Wei, practically one finger away from poking him in the chest.
Even with Finality's immense power, and though she did not fear the Imaginary Tree, Zhang Wei's actions still left her utterly shocked. He had actually dared to set his sights on something like the Imaginary Tree. There probably was not anyone crazier than him.
Who knew how many worlds were carried upon a single branch of the Imaginary Tree? Other than the Sea of Quantum, the Imaginary Tree had probably never encountered anything so utterly deranged. If the Hyperion had not yet reached its peak, it would not have been able to withstand even the slightest injury from the Imaginary Tree.
"Hehe~" Zhang Wei gave a mischievous smile, the same kind Venti used. As far as he remembered, it was best used at times like this.
Zhang Wei's perfunctory response immediately sent Kiana's blood pressure soaring. In a rage, she burst out in Far Eastern: "Hehe, what do you mean, hehe?!"
"Alright, Kiana. The Captain must have had his reasons for doing this!" Mei stepped in as the peacemaker. She was more than used to this sort of thing.
Kiana planted her hands on her hips and glared furiously at Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei merely smiled helplessly. He had only wanted to test whether the Imaginary Tree possessed self-awareness. Who would have thought it would attack him outright? If the Hyperion had not been strong enough, he would probably have been sunk into the Sea of Quantum by now.
Even so, after enduring the Imaginary Tree's pursuit for three years, the Hyperion had suffered rather serious damage. The fact that it could still keep sailing was proof of how incredible it was—it had directly shaken off the Imaginary Tree. Any other ship, let alone lasting three years, would have been sunk in an instant.
Three years! He had only broken off one branch. It was growing so lushly; regular pruning was good for growth. Did it really need to chase him for that long?
It was only because his current strength was still growing and he still had a long way to go. Otherwise, he could have uprooted the entire tree.
"Still, little Captain, you should hurry up and get more Valkyries aboard. Otherwise, when will the Hyperion ever reach its peak?" Ai Yi looked seriously into Zhang Wei's red eyes.
Zhang Wei nodded lightly. His Hyperion was somewhat unusual. The more Valkyries came aboard, the more functions it could unlock, such as traveling through time. Aside from himself and Ai Yi, only four Valkyries had boarded so far, and they all came from the world of Honkai Academy.
They were Kiana, Raiden Mei, Hōraiji Kyūshō, Himeko, and Jana.
The others all had their own work, so they had not joined the journey. As for why Himeko was nowhere to be seen, she was still nursing a hangover. It was perfectly normal for her not to eat with them. Meanwhile, Jiu Xiao was playing video games in her room, a chuuni otaku girl who wanted to save the world, while Jana had been turned into an otaku girl by Jiu Xiao.
At least ten Valkyries needed to board before the Hyperion could unlock most of its functions. That was still far off, but achieving it would be easy enough. It was not as though they needed to be Valkyries from specific miHoYo worlds; anyone who met the criteria could board.
"Captain, do other worlds have Meis too? Double the happiness?" Kiana covered her round belly, her sapphire eyes sparkling.
Though she liked the Captain, nobody said she was not allowed to have feelings for Mei too. Just thinking about the Meis in other worlds made her drool. Ssshhaaa... that would mean several times the happiness.
Mei blushed and lightly tapped Kiana on the head. Double the happiness? How embarrassing.
"Yes, Ai Yi. Let's go to the world of Honkai Impact 3rd next. It should be easy to find Valkyries there!" Zhang Wei said as he looked at Ai Yi.
Although they were not limited to the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, the Valkyries there held a special sentimental value to them, so naturally they wanted to invite them first.
"Understood, little Captain. The coordinates have been entered. At the Hyperion's current speed, it will take one year," Ai Yi said.
There were too few Valkyries aboard, so many of the Hyperion's functions remained locked. Coupled with the damage it had sustained while being pursued by the Imaginary Tree, a year of travel was already quite fast.
Zhang Wei nodded calmly. One year was truly brief to him, and with Kiana and the others around to play "games" with, he would not have any boring moments.
"The world of Honkai Impact 3rd... Is the Honkai there severe too?" Kiana asked curiously. She only showed this sweet, innocent side of herself around familiar people like the Captain and Mei. In front of outsiders, she was very mature, because she had experienced too much—especially the Honkai of Honkai Academy. If not for the Captain and the others' companionship, she might not even still be herself.
"Let me think about how to explain it." Zhang Wei put on a white military cap and began searching through the information about Honkai Impact 3rd in his mind, then started reading through it from the beginning. Before this, he had only known a few things on the surface.
The stream of data in his mind was like a library. Whenever he wanted something, he had to slowly look it up himself; it was not as though he knew everything instantly.
Kiana and Mei did not rush him. Mei even used the pots and pans to prepare afternoon tea and snacks, while Kiana rested her hands beneath her delicate chin and stared dreamily at Zhang Wei.
By evening, Zhang Wei's consciousness returned to reality. Kiana had fallen asleep against Mei's shoulder, looking as adorable as a little kitten. Clear drool trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she smacked her lips as though dreaming of a lavish feast.
"Kiana, wake up. It's time for dinner!"
Mei's eye twitched. Kiana's drool had dripped onto her shoulder, soaking a patch of her clothes.
"Wake up already!" Mei pinched Kiana's ear, looking helpless, though she did not use much force. Her touch was so gentle that it was more like a caress.
"What time is it, Mei? Let me sleep a little longer!"
Kiana rubbed her eyes, her voice lazy and mellifluous enough to make anyone's ears melt.
"Didn't you want to ask about Honkai Impact 3rd, Kiana?"
Zhang Wei stared expressionlessly at Kiana. Having reviewed the events of Honkai Impact 3rd, and after experiencing Honkai Academy, he had reached one conclusion: that was a heaven-mode instance. Honkai Academy, on the other hand, was truly hell difficulty. There were clearly so many similar people, yet their different paths truly made one lament the unfairness of fate.
If he did not have the Hyperion as his trump card, with Otto and all those other enemies in that world, who knew how many times he would have died? The peak powerhouses of that world were also extraordinarily terrifying. For example, Observer Kevin—Zhang Wei estimated that Kevin could probably blow the Tree Sea apart.
And Kevin was connected to Kiana, while being extremely hostile toward him. It was probably like someone's precious cabbage getting snatched away by a pig.
He was certain that either Kiana or Raiden Mei could crush Kevin in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd. Unfortunately, Wendy had not come along this time. Otherwise, they could let her get a good look at her counterpart. She would probably be too ashamed to show her face.
"Oh, right. Captain, just give me the short version. I'm hungry!" With Mei's wake-up service, Kiana had completely lost her drowsiness. However, her stomach was now growling, and she wanted to eat Mei's food.
"Alright, I really can't do anything with you..." Zhang Wei covered his face and began giving a brief introduction. Mei watched this warmly. Go ahead, keep spoiling her.
PS: For the time being, this is the Honkai world. Afterward, it may be Genshin or Star Rail, depending on the situation; the order is not fixed. As for other worlds, that can wait.
Before you continue