On the contrary, if Honkai really did occur in the future, his chances of survival would be far greater staying near protagonists like Kiana. As long as he did not court death, did not try to be a hero, and knew when to lie low, it would be much safer than running around on his own.
Of course, Mo Yi could also start moving away from Changkong City right now because of that possibility. But such a choice involved many things to consider.
The first was how hard it was to leave one's hometown. To Chinese people, "home" was both a tangible place, such as the house one lived in, and an abstract concept that carried countless beautiful or sorrowful memories.
Either way, "home" was undoubtedly the most important thing to Chinese people. A person might spend their entire life burning themselves out for the sake of home.
Besides that, Mo Yi also had to consider the cost of moving. Unless he sold the house his parents had left behind, there was no way he could buy a new home in another city.
No matter what, this was a choice he had to consider carefully before making up his mind.
And in their short time together, Mo Yi had learned from Kiana that she was also a Cultivator, and even a registered E-class cultivator. He had long been interested in matters concerning the Cultivator Association, but he had never had any way to learn about them before.
Now that Kiana had practically delivered herself to his doorstep, she was the perfect source of information. With her innocent, simple-minded appearance, it would not be difficult at all to fish for information from her.
After comforting himself like that, Mo Yi felt that he had not let her stay because he was softhearted, but because of other practical benefits.
A good person? There was no way I, Mo Yi, could ever be a good person! Only by being a neither-good-nor-bad Justice Partner driven by interest could I maintain my way of life.
Before long, Mo Yi led Kiana into the supermarket.
Mo Yi pointed toward the checkout area and said:
"Kiana, is there anything you need to buy? If there is, go ahead and get it. We can meet back here later."
"I don't need anything—"
Kiana shook her head and said:
"I'll just follow you—"
"Alright—"
Although having someone follow him around the supermarket felt a little strange, and Mo Yi, who had long been used to being alone, was not quite accustomed to it, Kiana had said so herself. He simply picked up a basket and, with practiced familiarity, headed to the ingredients section to choose what he wanted.
Mo Yi habitually picked up the beef and pork he liked. Just as he was about to put them in his basket, he suddenly remembered that he was no longer alone today. He had promised to treat her to a meal as a celebration.
That meant he had to consider her tastes. After all, different people had different preferences and taboos, and some people did not eat beef or pork.
Mo Yi turned to look at Kiana beside him, only to find her staring at the ingredients around them with a strange look, muttering things like, "I really want to eat meat..." under her breath. "Hey, Kiana, do you eat pork and beef?"
"Are there any foods you don't eat?"
"Huh—"
Pulled out of her daydream by Mo Yi's words, Kiana first showed an incredulous expression, then nodded wildly in delight. "Mo Yi, are you saying we're having beef and pork later?"
"That's great! Other than green peppers, I'll eat anything—"
Feeling the blazing gaze in Kiana's eyes—though its target was not him, but the pork and beef packages in his hands—Mo Yi asked curiously, "Don't tell me you haven't had any in a long time?"
It was already 9021. Kiana, could you really be doing so badly that you could not even afford meat?
"Cough, cough—"
Kiana also realized that she seemed to have embarrassed herself. She turned her face away, forcing herself not to look at the ingredients in Mo Yi's basket, and explained awkwardly, "I used to have no fixed place to live. I worked while traveling until I came to Changkong City. Then renting a place and all that cost me a lot of money."
"Once I get settled down and take on some Cultivator Association jobs, I'll have money soon enough."
"Then, once I have money, I'll treat you to a big meal, Mo Yi."
After hearing Kiana's explanation, Mo Yi did not choose to ask why she had "worked while traveling to Changkong City," or questions like, "What about your family?"
After all, they were strangers who had only just met. Such probing questions were clearly inappropriate.
Besides, according to Mo Yi's vague memories, Kiana's background in the Honkai World seemed to be the standard protagonist backstory. In short, it was tragic.
Her mother had died fighting the Honkai shortly after she was born.
He remembered that in Honkai Impact 2, she had come to Changkong City to search for her missing father. That was not too bad, a typical hot-blooded protagonist's opening.
By Honkai Impact 3rd, that Kiana had even turned out to be merely a clone, not even the real Kiana. Everything she thought she possessed was not hers, but belonged to the real Kiana. Even her name was a borrowed fake.
Thinking of that, Mo Yi could not help looking at Kiana, who was promising that once she got rich, she would not forget him and would treat him to a feast someday, with a hint of pity in his eyes.
Maybe I should treat this silly, straightforward girl better in the future? Treat her to a few more meals?
"Since this is our first meal together, if there's anything you want to eat, feel free to make a suggestion."
"Really?"
Hearing that, Kiana swallowed and said:
"How about we have an all-beef feast tonight?!"
Mo Yi: "..."
I was just being polite. Do you really have to be so straightforward? Beef is much more expensive than pork, damn it!
An all-beef feast? Looking at you, I'm afraid you could eat an entire month's rent in one meal.
"Cough, cough—"
Mo Yi put on a serious expression and said:
"Girls shouldn't eat so much meat. You'll gain weight easily."
With that, he took two more packages of beef from the shelf and headed toward the vegetable section.
You can have beef, but if you want to eat beef as your staple food, this Captain cannot afford to support a Valkyrie like you.
"Eat more vegetables and less meat. That's the secret to maintaining your figure."
Watching Mo Yi shake his head and mutter to himself, Kiana wrinkled her nose in displeasure, then quietly laughed and murmured, "Such a stubborn guy—"
Kiana had endured countless hardships while searching for her missing father. If she were really as foolish as Mo Yi imagined, she would have been sold off to Africa to mine long ago.
Though Kiana thought simply, when interacting with others, she could always tell whether they harbored malice or goodwill toward her. That was why she had managed to get by safely until now.
As she watched Mo Yi's back gradually recede, basket in hand, Kiana suddenly thought of her father. He had taken her grocery shopping too, then used all kinds of health-related excuses to be stingy and refuse to buy her enough beef to fill her up.
At that moment, Kiana seemed to see Mo Yi's silhouette overlap with her father's.
"They're obviously nothing alike."
After muttering that, Kiana realized she was falling behind and was about to lose him. She hurriedly jogged after him, shouting, "Don't walk so fast, Mo Yi—"
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