"Dust-kun couldn't possibly have developed some improper thoughts about that little girl just now, could he?" Indeed, Feng Chen's expression looked rather strange at the moment. That half-smiling, half-crying expression could easily frighten people.
"No. I just feel like she misunderstood something." He hadn't known these three for very long. All he had done was throw them a bag full of food and save them twice. Besides, if the system hadn't given him those quests, he probably wouldn't have bothered getting involved.
This time, Sakura didn't say anything, answering him with silence.
"Sakura?" He knew Sakura couldn't have died or fainted over something this minor. The only explanation was that she had fallen asleep.
"That makes sense. Today really has been a little exhausting."
He knew he couldn't stay here any longer. The warship called the Hyperion had just landed, and to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, he had to get far away.
"Sorry for the trouble." He carried Yae Sakura in a Princess Carry and used the stigma ability Wind of Serenity to swiftly leave the scene.
Along the way, he noticed Yae Sakura frown from time to time, then relax again. Perhaps she was having a nightmare, or maybe she had remembered something painful.
"System, what exactly is wrong with her?"
"Just now, the Herrscher of Erosion began seizing control of her body once again."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You didn't ask."
"Can I help her?"
"You can, but this system advises you not to. Your consciousness is nowhere near as powerful as Yae Sakura's or the Herrscher of Erosion's. If you fail after entering, you won't be able to get out."
"How long does this usually last?"
"A longer episode may last more than a week. A shorter one may only take an hour."
Feng Chen hesitated only briefly before making his decision.
"Let me go in. I want to help her."
"So this is humanity... Forget it. Do as you please."
After reactivating the second title he had switched off, Feng Chen found a house that was still more or less intact. There wasn't much furniture inside, though. It was probably newly built, since it didn't even have a bed. After placing Yae Sakura somewhere relatively stable, Feng Chen put his hand against her forehead.
The next second, both Feng Chen and Yae Sakura vanished.
Although he hadn't seen Yae Sakura aboard the ship, Feng Chen could clearly sense that she had entered the Sakura Cycle with him.
"System, why did I bring her in with me?"
"If no one protects her outside, she will be in danger. Because the host entered the Sakura Cycle with his physical body, the title has little effect on the outside world, and she will still be attacked by enemies."
"Couldn't you have given me another way?"
"There was one originally, but you have already entered."
It seemed he had been tricked by the system yet again. More importantly, after entering, Yae Sakura seemed to have returned to her original position—the miko of Yae Village.
"Do I still have to go to Yae Village...? But, system, when is this?"
"It is four years after Yae Sakura became a miko, and also the time when Kallen Kaslana came to Yae Village."
"Then isn't that... the time we left?"
"It is three days after we left. Look at the shore."
Sure enough, the golden little cross he had left by the shore when they departed was gone. Someone had probably taken it.
Feng Chen followed the route he had taken last time and arrived at Yae Village.
He had found his way there entirely by feel. Since he had brought Yae Sakura in, he should have been able to find her as well.
Inside one of the houses in Yae Village, the village elders were "counseling" Yae Sakura, trying to make her offer Kallen as the sacrifice for this ritual.
They constantly pressured Yae Sakura with reasons such as "silver hair is a symbol of the devil" and "the monsters outside the village only appeared because this outsider came here."
The scene reminded Yae Sakura of what had happened four years earlier.
"I won't live much longer anyway. It would be a good thing to make some contribution to the village."
Yae Sakura said nothing. After the meeting ended, she walked back to her little house.
Kallen, who was still recovering from her injuries, was sitting outside the house. She had recovered considerably. At the very least, she no longer had any trouble fighting ordinary Honkai Beasts.
"Kallen, why are you up and walking around?"
She wanted to force Kallen back beneath the covers, but found Kallen staring absentmindedly at a little cross.
"What is this...?"
"An old friend of mine."
"All right, hurry back inside and lie down. Stop looking at it." She dragged Kallen back indoors. No matter how much Kallen resisted and struggled, it was useless.
"She is Kallen Kaslana?"
With her silver hair and deep blue eyes, she did look quite similar to Kiana Kaslana. It wasn't difficult to guess the relationship between them.
"System, where is the Herrscher of Erosion now?"
"Host, please don't be anxious. When Yae Sakura reaches the most vulnerable point in her heart, the Herrscher of Erosion will emerge."
"The most vulnerable point... Kallen Kaslana's death?"
"No. Kallen Kaslana did not die in Yae Village. She was executed by the Schicksal Church."
"This... Were there many S-rank Valkyries five hundred years ago?"
"Not many. S-rank Valkyries were extremely rare."
"Then why was she executed?"
"At the time, Schicksal believed that Kallen Kaslana had gone mad, simply because she had fallen in love with a Herrscher."
"Then, system, can I go back five hundred years?"
"I am sorry, but no. Five hundred years ago is too distant. If the host returned to that time, he would likely become trapped in the 'river of time.' Even if he emerged, there would be no guarantee which era the host would end up in. If the host returned to the previous human civilization era, given the technology of that time, it would not be difficult to discover that the host was an immature Herrscher."
The system said no more, because Feng Chen already understood. Going back five hundred years would mean nine chances of death out of ten, and he couldn't guarantee that the outcome five hundred years ago could be changed.
After all, humans were far too complicated. Even if Kallen hadn't betrayed Schicksal, there would still have been shortsighted people within Schicksal who wanted to eliminate her.
"You are?!"
Yae Sakura walked out of the house and saw Feng Chen standing outside from a distance.
"Yo, Sakura."
There was nothing surprising about this. Yae Sakura already knew Feng Chen, and it had been Feng Chen who brought her body inside. It was only natural that she could see him.
"Leave quickly! This place is dangerous!"
There was no point trying to persuade him. Since Feng Chen had come, he had never intended to leave.
"As long as I can save her, I don't mind dying."
As for why, it was because he also wanted to experience what it felt like to be the protagonist of a novel. Helping a girl escape her trauma and then winning her over—wasn't that a wonderful feeling? And if he could walk away with her wealth, reputation, and love, wouldn't that be perfect?
Of course, none of that was possible in the Honkai world. It was only the first day, and he had already seen two lesbian couples. Who knew whether there were any women in this world with normal orientations?
No matter what Yae Sakura said, whether she tried to hit him or curse him, Feng Chen simply refused to leave.
"All right, I have a way. I'll deal with this Herrscher of Erosion for you." He was a shut-in, but his smile was still quite sunny and infectious. Yae Sakura had no choice but to believe him. After all, she had no other options.
Before you continue