Mom? Seele!

"This was given to you by someone else."

"Lin Li" watched her look around, genuinely wanting to return the money and belongings, and felt her anger rise.

Why was this child so foolish? Shouldn't she have inherited Bronya's clever little brain instead?

"Even so, you should say thank you."

Lin Li said earnestly.

"..."

"Lin Li" was speechless.

This child's values might have been far more upright than she had imagined.

Come to think of it, she had inherited the original body's courage and nerve, while the cowardice left behind, combined with Seele's good-girl genes and this body that was barely over ten years old...

It was not surprising that this kind of personality had formed.

"Go buy something to eat. Your stomach has been empty for a long time."

Since force did not work, "Lin Li" could only coax her gently.

She might have been a little foolish, but Lin Li looked far too adorable right now. Seeing her like this made "Lin Li" ache inside.

She did not know whether that Max same-sex attraction effect worked on her too.

Maybe it was just an illusion. After all, she was herself—how could she possibly be interested in herself? She simply could not bear to watch any longer.

"Um... I'll help out somewhere. That way, I should be able to eat something by noon."

Lin Li thought it over. Although she was starving, she could not use this money. She had to return it.

"I..."

"Lin Li" suddenly had the urge to slaughter everyone on this street.

Like Seele, Lin Li had a stigmata on her chest. She simply could not use it proficiently yet. Meanwhile, "Lin Li" was practically the embodiment of the stigmata itself, able to skillfully wield the crimson claws and scythe inherited from Seele.

She was based on Black Seele, yet in terms of control, she far surpassed Black Seele.

"Lin Li" could only watch her mournfully as she went from shop to shop asking for work.

Based on her appearance alone, no shop would refuse her. They all said they could provide her with food for free, but Lin Li had almost no way to help them, so she refused every offer.

It was not until a cake shop said she could help package orders that Lin Li stayed after confirming she could be useful.

"She possesses power that could change everything, yet she uses it for something like this. Ridiculous."

Watching the obedient girl's adorable, serious expression, "Lin Li" rested her chin on her hand and scoffed.

"Hm?"

"Lin Li" sensed a dangerous presence outside the door.

"Hello, do you have bitter melon-flavored cake here?"

Theresa was a little irritated. She had searched all morning without seeing her target. It was clearly only a small area, yet the search had been unexpectedly difficult.

"Yes, we do."

Hearing Theresa's request, Lin Li glanced at the cake list. It was strange, but they really did have bitter melon-flavored cake.

"Are you this shop's child? You're so cute."

Theresa sat in a chair, propping her chin up with one hand as she looked at the girl before her in surprise.

It was the first time she had seen such a beautiful little girl. It felt as though she shone a degree brighter than everything around her, drawing Theresa's gaze to her without fail.

"Ah, if only our Kiana were as cute and well-behaved as you."

Theresa sighed.

"Thank you."

Faced with Theresa's praise, Lin Li merely gave a small smile before packaging the cake and handing it over.

As Lin Li placed the cake inside, Theresa happened to catch sight of the markings on her chest.

"A stigmata..."

Theresa murmured.

"This woman..."

"Lin Li" kept her eyes fixed on Theresa. The instant Theresa made a suspicious move, she would seize control of the body.

"A stigmata awakener? She should be the one, then. Were those two human traffickers?"

Theresa pieced together the general situation.

She had found nothing after searching for so long, only to gain an unexpected harvest while buying a cake.

"Little sister, would you like to come with me to St. Freya Academy? There are lots of cute little ones like you there."

The shop owner, who had initially been wary upon hearing Theresa's words, relaxed after hearing the name St. Freya Academy.

This place in the Far East had suffered many attacks. Though no one knew exactly how St. Freya Academy trained its Valkyries, its reputation in the surrounding area was exceptionally good.

"I'll think about it..."

Lin Li looked expectantly at "Lin Li."

"If you want to go, then go. If you want to see your mother, then see her. We'll see whether she recognizes you."

The moment "Lin Li" saw that expectant expression, she knew what Lin Li was thinking.

But she also knew that no amount of persuasion would change her mind.

First, Lin Li herself had no mother. Second, she was now heavily influenced by her body's instincts and naturally had a strong dependence on her parent.

Given the situation, she would probably throw herself at her mother the moment she saw her.

With that thought flashing through her mind, "Lin Li" covered her face.

"What am I worried about?"

"Am I... afraid she'll be taken away from me?"

She suddenly realized that perhaps Lin Li was not the only one being influenced.

Mom? Seele!

"Send a team to continue investigating. I'll take her back to the academy first."

Although Theresa had roughly confirmed that Lin Li was the person she was looking for, she still cautiously chose to have people continue the investigation.

A stigmata awakener was threatened and forcibly activated the stigmata's power...

Theresa thought to herself.

She felt not the slightest sympathy for those two men carrying a full set of tools for their crime.

Especially when it came to child traffickers. Two ill-intentioned men facing a little girl—who could they blame if they were killed instead?

If the stigmata had not activated, it was hard to say who the victim would have been.

No matter how she looked at it, Lin Li had acted in self-defense.

"A natural stigmata awakener... If she isn't one of Grandfather's people, she could become an outstanding Valkyrie..."

In fact, within Schicksal, the only people with natural stigmata were the Kaslana and Schariac Families. Most other Valkyries had artificial stigmata implanted into them.

Natural stigmata offered advantages far beyond artificially implanted ones. They were less affected by Honkai corrosion and allowed their wielders to better bring out their strength.

"She's just too young, this child..."

Theresa glanced at the adorable, quiet, well-behaved girl and nodded softly.

A child barely over ten truly was not suited for Valkyrie training. At the very least, she would have to wait until she was around Kiana and the others' age, fourteen or fifteen.

"How strange."

The moment Theresa took her hand, she felt all sorts of hormone levels in her body rising. She also kept wanting to sneak glances at her from the corner of her eye.

"Mm-hm..."

Lin Li did not notice Theresa's change in expression. She softly hummed a cheerful tune, looking forward to their upcoming meeting.

St. Freya Academy

"That idiot Kiana fell asleep in class again."

Bronya, pretending to listen attentively, watched Himeko accurately strike the white-haired girl in the forehead with a piece of chalk and complained inwardly.

She had finished the academy's textbook material in only a few days. She spent the remaining time either slacking off or playing games when she could, which was rather boring.

"Headmaster Theresa."

Theresa suddenly appeared at the classroom window. Bronya was a little curious, but then she froze.

Because following behind Theresa was a girl with shoulder-length short hair, black with a bluish sheen.

"Seele..."

The instant she saw that girl's back, uncontrollable waves surged through Bronya's heart, making even her body tremble.

"No, why would Seele be here..."

Bronya's silver-gray eyes flickered faintly. She fought down the urge to go to Theresa's office, constantly reassuring herself.

"This is unbearable."

The already boring class now seemed even more tedious in Bronya's eyes. The remaining twenty short minutes felt like years.

"Would you like something to drink? I have bitter melon juice..."

After bringing Lin Li to her office, Theresa asked.

"No, thank you... I'm not very thirsty."

At the mention of bitter melon juice, even Lin Li could not help shrinking her little head back.

"All right, then. I'll pour you a glass of water."

Theresa nodded and handed her a cup of water.

"Oh, right. I heard people on the street say you've been wandering around looking for something. What are you looking for, Lin Li? Where are your parents?"

Judging by her name, she seemed to be from Shenzhou, but her appearance did not quite suggest that.

"I... I'm looking for my mother."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Li decided to tell the truth.

"Looking for your mother? Can you tell me about your parents? I can help you contact them."

Theresa said this because, judging by Lin Li's appearance, such a lovely and delicate little girl could not possibly have no one to care for her. Even in an orphanage, she would surely have been doted on. No one could simply leave her wandering outside.

"I don't have a father."

Lin Li gently shook her head.

"Um... well..."

Theresa suddenly felt a little guilty.

"Then what about your mother? Where is she now? In Shenzhou?"

"I don't know. I only know that Mother should come to St. Freya Academy."

Lin Li shook her head.

She only knew that Bronya would come to St. Freya Academy. She did not know whether Bronya was already there.

"Is she a Valkyrie too?"

Theresa was somewhat surprised.