Kaslana's Way of Survival

"What a surprise! We don't have any preparation at all!" Theresa held her head with both hands, her face full of despair. "With only one day, how are we supposed to get you a gift?!"

"So that's why you were up at dawn chopping wood—you were planning to leave." Karel's face also showed bitterness, but soon a smug expression reappeared. "But lucky for me, I saw this coming, so I've already got your gift ready!"

"Wait for me—I'll go grab it!"

With that, Karel turned and ran toward his room.

Mikhail, who had been silent until now, raised his hand and looked at Theresa a bit sheepishly. "Um... I prepared a gift in advance too."

Then Mikhail headed for his room as well.

"Oh, come to think of it, I have a gift for little Kaino too." The Priest rubbed his chin with one hand and smiled.

"Wah, waaah, so I'm the only one who didn't prepare anything?!" Theresa crouched down, clutching her head in anguish.

"Mm... don't be too sad. Tania didn't prepare anything either?" Kaino looked at Theresa with a subtle expression, pointing at Tania, who sat on a chair happily waving at him.

That kid probably hadn't figured out the situation yet.

"Saying that just makes me sadder!"

Theresa was on the verge of crying.

"Here it is, here it is! For you, Kaino—a wooden sword I made myself!"

Karel ran out of his room, holding a two-handed greatsword carved from wood.

"Hehe, I don't really get what you always mean by 'Kaslana uses twin guns among twin guns,' but the Priest said Kaslana is a knight family, so giving you a greatsword can't be wrong!"

"Ah, and here's mine—a badge I carved myself."

Mikhail walked over and handed Kaino a badge.

The badge was engraved with a greatsword, with wing-like things spreading out from both sides.

Kaino's expression turned subtle.

This was the Kaslana family crest—the form of the unleashed Judgement of Shamash... Of course, Mikhail probably didn't know that. She gave him this badge because that exact symbol hung on the orphanage wall, wanting him to always remember the place.

"Then, I'll give this to you, Kaino." Theresa stood up from the ground, looking pained as she pulled a cross with a chain from her pocket. "This is a pendant the Priest gave me before... it's yours now."

"Alright, I'll take them."

Kaino accepted the three gifts, put the Cross Necklace around his neck, pinned the badge to his clothes, and tossed the wooden sword into the Imaginary Space.

"And this is my gift to you." The Priest smiled as he pulled a box from under the table. "You're strong on your own, but having a proper weapon when you're out traveling is always better. Open it and see?"

Curious, Kaino opened the box, and his face stiffened slightly.

Inside the box lay a pair of red-and-gold twin guns—the exact same weapons Ziegfried had shown him many times when he was a child.

A God Key. Judgement of Shamash.

Chapter 11: Li Sushang

Watching yet another caravan walk away from him, Kaino silently sighed.

That was the fifth one.

Using his space-manipulating abilities to travel at breakneck speed, Kaino had reached this desert in less than a day.

Since the Priest had said the immortal's former residence was burned down, Kaino had no intention of going there to investigate further.

—Though the fact that the Priest looked exactly like someone made Kaino feel a slight resistance, he had to admit that both the Priest and that Schicksal Overseer were extremely clever people.

If not for Theresa being so sharp in the orphanage, Kaino might have proposed the theory that appearance determines intelligence.

Anyway, since the Priest had specifically mentioned the burned-down residence and suggested finding the immortal, Kaino decided to search every inch of this desert where he'd landed, scouring all of Shenzhou.

...And then he hit a wall.

When he met the first caravan and tried to ask about the Red Sparrow Immortal while hitching a ride, Kaino truly understood how painful a language barrier could be.

But fortunately, that power like the Herrscher of Reason gave him unparalleled learning and imitation abilities. So Kaino kept intercepting caravans in the desert, trying to communicate and learn the Shenzhou Language, and after they left, he followed their route forward.

Finally, after three days and annoying the fourth caravan, the good news was that Kaino had basically grasped Shenzhou Language—though his pronunciation wasn't perfect, it was indeed Shenzhou Language.

The bad news... Kaino had run out of food stored in the Imaginary Space. When he got hungry enough, he could always go back to the orphanage for more...

But Kaino felt that doing so would mean losing in some way, and losing badly.

So, holding onto a sliver of hope, Kaino waited for the fifth caravan.

And then truly understood how true the saying was: no money, no movement.

Kaino crouched on the ground, clutching his head, tearless in his pain.

As the young master of the Kaslana family, he could just swipe Ziegfried's card for anything in Schicksal—or even just show his face, and retired Valkyries would throw in extra stuff.

After arriving at the orphanage, though Kaino often went out with the Priest to deal with zombies, Honkai Beasts, and certain people who'd strayed from the path, he'd never bought anything. The Priest handled the supplies.

And the orphanage's accounts were managed by the oldest child, Theresa. Kaino only chopped wood and occasionally cleaned.

And then...

"Haha, so that's why you're stuck here?"

A brown-haired girl crouching nearby let out a laugh, staring at Kaino, who was also crouching on the ground, and couldn't stop giggling.

"Because I had absolutely no money, I snuck onto a merchant caravan's cart, and after the Golden Sands Gang intercepted us, I just went along with them until I ended up in this Black Prison... all just for a meal? Are you Raiken people always this strange?"

"Besides, if you'd just sold that strange little thing to the caravan, they would have taken you along."

The girl spoke while poking at the Nightlight Kaino had set aside.

"I didn't think of it. And as for eating... it's nothing shameful."

Using the Shenzhou Language he'd picked up from the caravan, Kaino replied as he looked up at the girl across from him.

"I've told my story. So, you—how did you end up locked in here?"

The girl wore a white robe, layered with a yellow outer garment, and a purple cape draped over her shoulders. Her face was undeniably pretty, though faint traces of blood stained both cheeks.

Her long brown hair was tied into two ponytails with a yellow ribbon. The yellow garment covered most of her upper body but left her chest exposed, which was now trembling with her laughter.

It looked rather suggestive.

Glancing at her face, which seemed about his age, and then at the Front Armor that didn't match that youthfulness, Kaino once again felt a pang of pity for his Big Auntie.

"Hey, where are you looking?"

Noticing Kaino's gaze, the girl frowned and subtly stepped back.

"Also, 'kid' in Shenzhou Language is only used for males. The corresponding term for females is 'girl'."

"So why do you deliberately leave that part exposed... but thanks, I learned a new word."

Kaino nodded, then pressed on.

"So, girl, how did you get locked in here? And by the way, I'm Kaino."

"Kai... no? You Raiken people have such strange names. I'll just call you Raiken. Oh, and I'm Li Sushang."

"As for the clothes, my master wove them for me."

"Then you've got a good master."

Kaino blinked, then smiled.

"Of course! My master is wonderful to me!"

The girl named Li Sushang nodded and began recounting her bizarre capture: "As for me? My master told me to defeat the Golden Sands Gang's leader, Old Eagle, as my first Sword Trial target. But Old Eagle has over a hundred underlings—he might not accept my duel..."

"Wait."

Cutting off Li Sushang, Kaino frowned and took a big step back. "What kind of crooked path are you and your master on? Why are you targeting the officials of Shenzhou?"

"Huh?"

Li Sushang froze for a moment, then slowly grasped Kaino's meaning. She looked at him with disbelief.

"What exactly did you learn from those caravan people... The Golden Sands Gang are bandits—they burn, kill, loot, and do every evil deed. Why would you mistake them for officials?"

This time, it was Kaino's turn to fall silent.

The caravans had always talked about the Golden Sands Gang, the Golden Sands Gang—he'd assumed they were merchants worried about getting caught by officials for illegal entry, so they kept bringing it up.

Not to mention this desert had no border line.

"Are bandits in Shenzhou so brazen that the officials just don't bother?"

After a moment, Kaino turned his head away and spoke slowly.

"This desert is on Shenzhou's border—how could they manage it?" Li Sushang sighed again. "But now I see why you ended up here... Tell me, you weren't actually waiting for them to feed you as a prisoner, were you? We're prisoners, you know."

"Go on."

Kaino sighed, then looked up at the ceiling of the Black Prison.

Of course, Kaino didn't know Shenzhou's regional quirks, and Li Sushang had never been caught before—her knowledge of the Golden Sands Gang was only hearsay. So neither of them knew that even the Golden Sands Gang's prisoners got meals.

It was just that Li Sushang had provoked Old Eagle earlier, earning herself two slaps and getting both of them cut off from food.

"So, I wanted a one-on-one duel with that Old Eagle, right? But since he has so many men, I figured I'd find a chance to meet him face-to-face and then propose the duel."

At this point, Li Sushang's face showed clear pride. "Luckily, I'm clever. I quickly thought of sneaking into the dungeon to get a one-on-one meeting with Old Eagle. And in the end, this lady succeeded."

"Then why did you come back after getting slapped twice?"

"Uh... well..."

Hearing Kaino's question, Li Sushang's expression stiffened, and her eyes darted around. "To make it look convincing, I not only handed over my Xuanyuan Sword but also took the Qi-Suppressing Powder they gave me... I thought it wouldn't work on me, since I cultivate the unique Tai Xu Sword Qi!"

"But it seems my Tai Xu Sword Qi isn't refined enough... After I provoked Old Eagle, I tried to circulate my True Qi but couldn't, so he slapped me twice and threw me back in."

Kaino narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chapter 12: Go to the Kitchen and Grab Some Food

Tai Xu Sword Qi...

Unique?

"Then you really are clever." Kaino nodded.

Setting aside that so-called Tai Xu Sword Qi, the fact that she took medicine just because someone told her to—with that level of naivety, even a Kaslana would be ashamed.

Even Kiana wasn't that easy to fool.

"Ah, thanks for the compliment... hey, wait, Raiken, are you making fun of me?"

Li Sushang was just about to nod when she suddenly sensed something off, staring wide-eyed at Kaino.

"Oh? Finally caught on this time?"

"I'm not stupid... wait, 'this time'? What exactly did you learn from those merchant caravans!"

Kaino shrugged, speaking casually: "I don't really know much about your Shenzhou martial arts or Qi-Suppressing Powder, but isn't what you call martial arts just a way of using Honkai energy? So what makes you so confident that your so-called Tai Xu Sword Qi would be exempt?"

"I've heard there's a Red Sparrow Immortal in your Shenzhou, famous even where I'm from. If that Qi-Suppressing Powder targets Honkai energy flow, then logically even that Red Sparrow Immortal shouldn't be immune, right?"

"Wow, you Raiken, don't talk nonsense when you don't understand anything. Let me explain it to you properly."

Li Sushang furrowed her brows and pouted, looking quite displeased.

"First, about Tai Xu Sword Qi... Tai Xu Sword Qi is different from ordinary martial arts. It doesn't train the body's capacity to hold True Qi; instead, it leaves no True Qi inside the body at all, since keeping True Qi stored always carries the risk of qi deviation."

"Tai Xu Sword Qi trains the speed at which one absorbs True Qi. When it's time to fight, a practitioner of Tai Xu Sword Qi can instantly absorb a large amount of True Qi from the surrounding environment and use it in battle. The Qi-Suppressing Powder is a drug that prevents the True Qi stored in the body from being used, so that's why I said it shouldn't work on me."

"Oh, and True Qi is what you call Honkai energy."

"As for the Red Sparrow Immortal, hehe, the Tai Xu Sword Qi I cultivate is an immortal technique personally passed down by Her Grace. So the Qi-Suppressing Powder definitely wouldn't work on her either!"

"Saying it like this, you should understand why I said Tai Xu Sword Qi is different, right? And you can somewhat grasp how amazing the Red Sparrow Immortal is, huh? Hmph!"

You explained it so thoroughly, how could I not understand? I understand all too well.

Looks like the Priest was absolutely right—though I still don't know if this Red Sparrow Immortal can help me get home, her technique is incredibly beneficial to me!

Sure enough, those three days of wind and sun in the desert were completely worth it.

"Since your Tai Xu Sword Qi is so powerful, then it really must be that your training is lacking. That Qi-Suppressing Powder mainly targets the Honkai... oh, True Qi inside the body, yet it still affected you."

Kaino nodded, taking the chance to jab at Li Sushang again.

"Ahaha, that's true."

Li Sushang laughed twice more, then lowered her head.