The Past. / A Warning and Some Parting Advice.

"Let's go, Kiana is already looking this way."

Gwen did not refuse, but simply smiled and nodded, then led Siegfried back to the three of them.

However, while Gwen and Siegfried were chatting, Raiden Ryoma finished lecturing his daughter and looked at Gwen with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze—

Although Mei did not express her feelings, the shrewd and experienced Raiden Ryoma suddenly remembered his worries about his daughter when he was in prison, and wanted to test her feelings.

Although Raiden Mei has grown somewhat, how could she be a match for her own father? Unbeknownst to her, she was probed into some thoughts that she herself might not even be aware of.

"I discussed the handover of the Heavenly Fire Judgment with your father. After we return, I will persuade Archbishop of Schicksal Otto of Destiny to drop the arrest warrant for your father, allowing him to recuperate properly..."

Although Gwen sensed something strange about Raiden Ryoma's gaze, he didn't know why, and simply smiled and explained to Kiana.

"Hey old man, do you want to come back with us?"

Kiana, who seemed to be in better spirits, immediately brightened up upon hearing this and looked at Siegfried beside Gwen.

"Silly girl, I have things to do, so I won't be going back yet."

Seeing Kiana, who seemed a bit more spirited, Siegfried became even more determined not to stay with her and started thinking of excuses to decline.

Before Kiana could pout and complain to Siegfried, Gwen spoke up to explain:

"Kiana, although I am quite confident that you can get your father's arrest warrant to be dropped, it will still take some time."

Besides, it wouldn't be good for him to go back right after the arrest warrant was lifted.

"...Oh well..."

Seeing Gwen also siding with her stinky father, Kiana pouted, but ultimately didn't say anything to complain. Instead, she stepped forward to help her father straighten his clothes, telling him to drink less and smoke less. For a moment, the relationship between the father and daughter seemed to have been somehow reversed.

Siegfried simply smiled and responded to his daughter's incessant chatter, occasionally cracking a joke that drew a playful punch from Kiana, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere between father and daughter.

Gwen smiled and took a few steps back, but instead of going straight for Raiden Ryoma, he took out his phone—

Gwen remembered that they were not far from St. Freya. He was worried that if they were talking and the Valkyrie St. Freya came to check on them, they might be discovered. If Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma were recognized, it would be troublesome.

He made a phone call, shifting the blame to Otto for the equipment he was supposed to test. He was met with a few complaints from the busy Theresa, and then hung up on by Gwen after a few words of concern.

Having resolved his concerns, he then approached the father and daughter.

"Has Uncle finished giving Mei instructions?"

"Yes, Mei has grown a lot in the past six months, so there are some things I don't need to remind her of anymore."

Seeing Gwyn approaching with a confident and composed demeanor despite being barefoot, Gwen 'Raiden Ryoma serious face broke into a smile.

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you a lot, young friend, for helping Mei a lot."

If Cocolia actually succeeds in her plan... Mei's future is probably unimaginable.

"I just did what I could."

Gwen exchanged a polite remark and then began chatting with Raiden Ryoma.

However, after chatting for a while, Gwen felt that Raiden Ryoma's focus seemed a bit off—

He paid no attention to Raiden Mei's treatment after joining Schicksal, nor did he ask how to solve the problems Mei might encounter. Instead, he became concerned about Gwen's personal situation.

Subconsciously, Gwen glanced at Raiden Mei, only to meet the girl's equally bewildered gaze.

Realizing that Mei hadn't confessed her feelings on her own initiative, Gwen, after slightly activating his Third Order Gene Lock, also realized that it was probably Raiden Ryoma who had noticed Mei's vague affection for him.

However, while Gwen didn't deny having ulterior motives towards Mei, it was clearly not something he could discuss in front of Raiden Ryoma at this moment. He quickly ended the conversation, adopting a serious expression.

"Uncle Lei Dian, we are about to part ways, and I have a question I would like to ask you."

"What is it?"

Raiden Ryoma watched as Gwen stealthily approached his daughter, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart—

Is this kid planning to finalize things right now?

296

Chapter 296 Past Events.

From an objective standpoint, Raiden Ryoma must admit that Gwen is excellent.

At such a young age, his strength has already surpassed that of the older generation of powerhouses, Siegfried, placing him among the world's best.

And it is even more commendable that he can remain humble and polite after achieving such success.

Furthermore, Gwen helped his daughter, who had fallen into Cocolia's scheme, while he was in prison. Even though Gwen was Schicksal one, it made it difficult for Raiden Ryoma to feel hostile towards him.

However, once this perspective is filtered, Raiden Ryoma finds Gwen quite displeasing.

Although he, Raiden Ryoma, wasn't a doting father, he was willing to illegally raise funds to build a Titan Unit for his daughter's self-defense. However, he still couldn't stand the sight of this brat who wanted to lay a hand on the cabbages in his own field.

However, despite feeling quite annoyed, Raiden Ryoma did not interrupt Gwen, but simply waited quietly for him to continue, pondering how to respond.

Originally, in Raiden Ryoma's vague arrangements for his daughter, he was to find her a son-in-law she liked to live with her family. After all, although ME Company had a portion of Anti-Entropy shares, it was mainly Raiden Family property, and someone had to inherit it.

But now it seems that this plan is going to fall through.

Furthermore, as a leading figure of Schicksal's new generation, Gwen's relationship with his daughter would likely trigger numerous chain reactions...

As Raiden Ryoma pondered the various possible influencing factors, Gwen did not ask the question directly as he had expected, but instead looked at the girl beside Raiden Ryoma—

"Mei, you don't mind if I ask that question before you do, do you?"

"Um?"

Raiden Mei, still somewhat lost in thought about parting from her father again, blinked upon hearing this, not immediately understanding what Gwen was saying.

Seeing this, Gwen continued to remind him.

"That thing you don't really want to ask, but it's probably been bothering you all along... something that happened when you were a child."

"..."

In an instant, Raiden Mei understood what Gwen was talking about. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, Mei just pursed her lips and nodded, her gaze towards her father beside her filled with a complex emotion.

"..."

Upon hearing Gwen's words, Raiden Ryoma instantly snapped back to reality, realizing he might have misunderstood. He looked at Gwen, wondering what he wanted to ask.

"Uncle Longma, I want to know..."

What circumstances forced you to Conquest Gem into Mei's body?

With the consent of the person involved, Gwen asked the question.

"To this day, none of the three Herrscher Gem in Schicksal's possession have been used in a successful human fusion experiment."

In this process, all volunteers failed.

"Well..."

Upon hearing this question, Raiden Ryoma looked at Gwen in surprise, then at his daughter beside him, noticing her slightly forced pursed lips, yet still trying to appear strong as she looked at him.

After a long silence, Raiden Ryoma sighed, realizing the source of the strange look in his daughter's eyes. A bitter smile crossed his face, and under Raiden Mei's complex gaze—a mixture of heartache, doubt, and inquiry—he slowly said:

"By now, Mei, you should have some understanding of the Honkai, and you should have also heard of the Innate Stigmata— "

In 2004, due to my negligence, Mei was kidnapped. Although she was eventually rescued, she suffered some lasting effects.

Seemingly due to the stimulation from being kidnapped, Mei's originally hidden innate Stigmata appeared and showed signs of activation.

Without a doubt, the awakening of innate Stigmata will inevitably bring powerful strength.

Mei's Stigmata are even more so; even just the signs of awakening are enough to affect the surrounding environment.

However, for Mei at that time, this power was not a gift from heaven but a deadly poison—

Mei's young body simply cannot withstand such overwhelming power, so it is necessary to slow down its awakening process and give Mei time to grow to a level where she can control this power.

However, since Anti-Entropy doesn't have many cases of naturally awakened Stigmata, and it doesn't have the same training system and experience as Schicksal, I can only let Mei rest under the Alliance Leader's instructions and try to slow down the speed of Stigmata awakening.

However, despite trying various methods, the awakening progress of the Stigmata continued to increase day by day, and Mei's condition worsened. The abnormal magnetic field had begun to affect her endocrine stability, and if it continued, it would directly threaten her life.

Even after I invited the Alliance Leader and two doctors to conduct the most thorough examination on Mei, we were still helpless in this situation.

Finally, the Alliance Leader proposed a risky plan: to find a powerful external object to suppress the awakening Stigmata on Mei's body and slow down its awakening process.

After several failures, Dr. Einstein proposed using the Conquest Gem—

As a superior being with the same type of power, the Conquest Gem has a high chance of suppressing Mei's innate Stigmata and successfully eliminating the various symptoms that had already appeared.

This is dangerous, but I have no other choice.

Ultimately, the experiment succeeded. Conquest Gem eliminated the effects of Mei's innate Stigmata, but it also merged with Mei, causing Mei to no longer exhibit any power.

Because I was worried that it would stimulate the Stigmata and Conquest Gem within Mei's body, I have been avoiding Mei Honkai these years. I plan to wait until she goes to university and her body has fully developed before letting her try to get involved in related fields.

Only...

Well..."

Finally, Raiden Ryoma let out a long sigh—

You son of a bitch Cocolia, why don't you just die... why didn't you die sooner!

Just as Raiden Ryoma was gritting his teeth at the already lifeless Cocolia, the figure beside him had already buried his face in his arms—

"Dad..."

Burying her head in her father's arms, Raiden Mei no longer showed any of her usual strength. She sobbed like a helpless and weak girl, her previous exploration and doubt completely replaced by regret and emotion.

Even though Raiden Ryoma spoke of it as if it were nothing, Raiden Mei could still imagine how anxious and desperate her father must have been when her life hung by a thread, and how much pressure he must have put on him to agree to that insane plan and Conquest Gem into her body.

All doubts and heartache vanished, leaving Raiden Mei with only overwhelming emotion and the image of her father, who had once again become radiant.

297

Chapter 297 Reminders and Instructions.

Raiden Ryoma didn't say anything to persuade her, but gently patted his daughter's back, just like he used to coax an infant in swaddling clothes.

Meanwhile, Gwen smiled as he witnessed this scene.

Whether there was appropriate embellishment or unspoken considerations involved, it no longer matters at this moment. Mei has gained a father who has always loved her, and that is enough.

At that moment, Raiden Ryoma looked at Gwen beside him and gave him a kind smile.

Although the question was asked by Gwen, Raiden Ryoma, who had connections in both business and politics, could tell that Gwyn was trying to steer the answer in a more acceptable direction.

Therefore, this so-called questioning is by no means a provocation, but rather a way to remove this abscess that may become infected and inflamed in the future, so as to prevent the future from going in a worse direction.

Soon after, as the overwhelming emotion that had been flowing through her heart subsided, Raiden Mei quickly left her long-lost father's embrace. Her eyes were red as she wiped away the tears on her face, trying to regain her composure. However, her efforts were thwarted by the harmless laughter of Gwen and Raiden Ryoma, and she could only glare at the two of them angrily.

"Father!"

"Cough cough..."

Threatened by his daughter Raiden Ryoma coughed twice, stopped laughing, and looked at Gwen, who was only a few steps away. His smile held a gentleness and closeness that he hadn't shown before.

"Thank you, Gwen."

"If you hadn't brought this up here, I probably wouldn't have known Mei would be troubled by it until I died."

As he spoke, the Raiden Ryoma gave a perfectly standard ninety-degree bow, which startled Gwen, who quickly helped him up.

"You're too kind, Uncle Longma."

I simply did something on Mei that she couldn't do herself.

"No, if it weren't for what you did today, I'm afraid Mei would live with resentment for the rest of her life."

You deserve this thank you.

Although he was helped up, Raiden Ryoma still insisted on thanking him, leaving no room for doubt.

"In that case, I will not refuse any longer."

Seeing this, Gwen no longer held back.

"That's how it should be."

Raiden Ryoma smiled and nodded, then suddenly looked Gwen up and down as if he had thought of something, which made Gwen look a little puzzled.

"Since you call me uncle, then I'll take advantage of my seniority today—"

Gwen, while humility is certainly an excellent quality, you should accept the praise and goodwill that come with doing good deeds.