Theresa's expression changed in an instant. "You and Cecilia..."
A New Base
"Theresa actually thought I was a junior Cecilia had trained? She should at least look at my age."
On his way to Himeko's dorm, Qin Mo recalled what had just happened. Seeing that Qin Mo knew so many inside details, Theresa had suspected that he and Cecilia were acquainted, and that after Cecilia's death, he had inherited her will and traveled the world to gather powers for St. Freya Academy that could "fulfill" Cecilia's aspirations.
Naturally, Qin Mo did not give her a clear answer.
However, Theresa seemed to have filled in plenty on her own—some tragic tale of deep-seated hatred, resentment toward Otto for killing Cecilia that made him unwilling to let Otto know, concealing his identity to find Cecilia's daughter, and so on.
She did not force Qin Mo to answer. Instead, she let him leave for Himeko's dorm.
"Two missions are done. I only need fifty more for two ten-pulls."
The missions to escape Chang Kong City and join St. Freya Academy had already been completed. Only the final base mission remained.
When Qin Mo arrived at Himeko's dorm, he discovered that the third mission could also be completed, but he did not confirm it. He figured that this completion would designate Himeko's dorm as the base.
Choosing this place as the base would definitely only give the guaranteed minimum reward.
"Ahhh! Qin Mo! Come help!"
Kiana, buried beneath a pile of trash, shouted at Qin Mo.
"So why are you cleaning?"
Qin Mo walked over and pulled Kiana out from under the garbage.
Mei emerged from the kitchen as well, her head wrapped in a scarf, a mask over her face, and an apron around her body. "Didn't the principal tell us we'd be living here from now on? It's just too filthy."
"Well, I've always lived here alone, so I never cleaned up a lot of things. I didn't expect anyone else to move in."
Himeko said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Bronya thinks Idiot Kiana will only get in the way here."
Bronya also poked her head out beside Mei and looked at the garbage scattered all over the floor.
"Ah, about that, I've already discussed it with Theresa. In a few days, we can move into a new big house."
"Ahhh!! Then didn't this young lady suffer for nothing?"
The moment Kiana heard that, she immediately cried out.
"Idiot Kiana, it'll be a few days from now. We still have to sleep here tonight. If we don't clean up, we won't have anywhere to sleep."
Mei smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, we've already come this far."
Himeko, however, found it strange. "Theresa is actually letting you live elsewhere? Where? Doesn't she need to supervise you?"
"The house isn't built yet. I think when the time comes, Instructor Himeko will probably want to come along too. Oh, no, we'll be colleagues from now on, so I should call you Senior Himeko."
"Huh?"
It took Qin Mo more than ten minutes to explain to the four of them that he was going to become a teacher at St. Freya Academy and had acquired a villa through a deal.
"Is this Ripple you mentioned really that powerful?"
"Do you want to experience it? I think Theresa will probably ask you to learn it later too, Senior Himeko. After all, you're a Valkyrie as well."
Himeko put down the feather duster in her hand. "You can experience it too? Don't you have to learn it gradually?"
"Ah, Ripple is rather special. There's a shortcut method, but it still depends on personal talent. People with poor talent can't learn it even with the shortcut."
Himeko nodded. "Then let's try it."
"Okay! Me, me! I'll teach you, Auntie Himeko."
The moment Kiana finished speaking, Himeko pressed down on her head. "It's Big! Sis! Himeko!"
"And Kiana, you clearly don't have good intentions. Let Qin Mo do it."
"Idiot Kiana wanted to trick Big Sis Himeko."
Bronya immediately came over to add her attack, never missing a chance to mock Kiana.
"Hmph! Bronya's the idiot! Didn't I poke you several times?"
Watching Kiana start bickering with Bronya, Himeko broke out in a cold sweat. She really had wanted to mess with her.
"Alright, what do I need to do?"
Himeko looked at Qin Mo and asked.
"Just stand still."
Once Himeko was in position, Qin Mo suddenly struck, driving his fingers into her lungs.
"Puhah!"
After another familiar process, Himeko finally recovered. "This is... Ripple?"
Looking at the intermittent ripples across her body, Himeko frowned. "Why does it seem like it's about to disappear?"
"That means your talent isn't very good. It's probably because your body isn't in great shape, but as long as you practice diligently, you can still cultivate it."
Himeko was somewhat unconvinced by Qin Mo's words. "My body isn't in great shape? I'm an A-rank Valkyrie."
"You're all bark and no bite. Your body has already been wrecked by your stigmata, hasn't it? Don't you often feel pain too?"
"..."
Himeko could not say anything, because it was the truth.
"What! Instructor Himeko, is your body okay?"
"Ahahaha, it's fine, it's fine. Valkyries get hurt all the time. It's normal."
Qin Mo shook his head. He could understand that Himeko did not want others to worry.
"In any case, the reason I teach Ripple is to deal with situations like this. Ripple can ease pain, nourish the body, prolong life, and preserve youth."
"It can preserve youth too!!"
As expected, no matter how much he said, none of it worked as well on women as the words "preserve youth."
"But come to think of it, this Ripple probably can't resist Honkai corrosion, right?"
Himeko suddenly asked.
"That's right. Why?"
"I noticed it before and kept wanting to ask. Your Honkai sickness."
She pointed at Qin Mo's neck. When they had met in Chang Kong City, there had still been purple markings there, but now they had completely disappeared.
"Oh, you mean this? Didn't I say I was fine? It's probably just a problem with my physique. There's no way to make others recover like this."
"According to Bronya's analysis, this is highly unreasonable. Bronya recommends a full physical examination."
Bronya came over as well. It was her first time hearing of Honkai sickness healing on its own.
"I don't think that's necessary. Alright, are you not planning to sleep tonight? Aren't you going to clean? It's already noon. Can we even have lunch here?"
Qin Mo quickly changed the subject.
"Now that you mention it, that's true. The kitchen can't be used at all right now."
Mei said worriedly. If the kitchen could be used, she could still cook.
"Ahahaha, I'll treat you all to a meal at the cafeteria."
There was no other choice. The group followed Himeko toward the cafeteria. Just as the door closed and shadows once again covered the room, three-dimensional shadows appeared throughout it.
They gradually transformed into several figures dressed entirely in black.
The True Ability of Heaven's Gate
"The cafeteria food is so much worse than Mei's. Mei's food is still the best."
On the way back, Kiana could not help saying.
"According to Bronya's observations, Kiana ate the most just now."
"Th-th-that's because cleaning is exhausting!"
Kiana hurriedly explained, "Mei, you have to believe me. I still think the food you make is the best."
"Alright, alright, I believe Kiana."
Mei said with an amused smile as she comforted Kiana.
"Huh, Mei's cooking is that good? Then I'm in for a treat later."
After lunch, the group returned to the dorm entrance.
"Alright, now that we've eaten, we need to clean properly this afternoon."
Though it was her own room, Himeko's head hurt just thinking about cleaning. The trash in this dorm had not accumulated over just a day or two. Who knew how many years it had been piling up?
So naturally, the cleaning would...
"Eh, eh, eehhh!!!"
The moment Himeko opened the door, she let out a cry of surprise.
"What is it? What is it?"
Kiana, Mei, and Bronya poked their little heads out from behind Himeko and saw a spotless room.
"Who cleaned the room?"
"I don't know. We were only gone for a little while, and it was cleaned this thoroughly. One person probably couldn't have done it."
"According to Bronya's analysis, fully cleaning the room within the one hour we spent eating would require at least ten professionals."
Qin Mo looked at the astonished four without saying anything, only sighing inwardly.
The Shadow Legion was really useful.
The Ninja Corps was the most human-like division of the Shadow Legion. They were highly agile and could turn into shadows to enter corners humans could not reach, making them perfect for cleaning!
When Qin Mo had obtained the Fire Demon, he had tried using the dark energy within it to draw upon the power of the Nika Mask. The result had been a success.
However, he could only use it while maintaining the Fire Demon form.
The advantage was that he would not suffer the mask's negative effects, nor did he need to use his own shadow to generate the Shadow Legion. Qin Mo had also wanted to try using the Fire Demon's power to control Honkai Energy, but he had failed.
"Ah! It's so blinding! It's actually reflecting light!"
The people who entered the room inspected various places. As expected of Kiana, the first place she chose to inspect was the refrigerator, only to find that it had been polished until it gleamed.
"There isn't even a speck of dust in the cracks of the cabinets."
Mei lightly wiped a finger through one of the gaps, but nothing stuck to it.
"Bronya's side is the same. Even beneath the table legs has been cleaned. It's impossible for nonprofessionals to clean this perfectly."
Heavy Tank Bunny gently set the table in its hands back into place.
"I checked. None of the valuables are missing either."
Himeko went into the bedroom and came out holding a can of beer. Leaning against the door, she said, "Forget it, let's not worry about it. It looks like a good thing for now."
"Yeah, yeah. Otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken the few of us to clean it all."
"If I'd known we didn't need to clean, I would've taken you to pick up your textbooks and uniforms right after lunch."
Himeko drained the beer in one gulp. "It's not too late now. Let's go!"
"Then you go ahead. I still have some things to deal with."
Picking up textbooks and uniforms meant nothing to Qin Mo, because he was not a student but a teacher. Teachers at St. Freya Academy did not have standardized uniforms.
"Ah, right. You're not a student. I nearly forgot."
After the others left, Qin Mo entered the bedroom and closed his eyes, examining the system panel within his consciousness.
Although the possibility of surveillance was low, Qin Mo did not want to risk being discovered.
Before you continue