Chapter 109
Before the arrival of the staff team, K422 and Theresa naturally had to have several discussions.
Unlike Theresa, who planned to leave everything to her staff, K422 at least needed to understand the predicament that Schicksal was currently facing.
Then, I first came up with a solution myself, and then compared it with the solutions provided by my staff.
Of course, doing so will also slow down the rate at which she becomes stronger.
However, in order to protect the Schicksal, such a price must be paid.
K422 didn't know whether the other branches would follow their policies once she and Theresa officially took charge of the Schicksal.
It should be noted that even when Otto was in power, some branches outwardly complied but inwardly defied him.
Even if K422 has a certain appeal among the Valkyrie, she cannot influence the decisions of the branch managers through the Valkyrie.
"Theresa, you'd better urge your staff."
K422 was also hesitant about whether to ask Welt for help.
After all, she really had no experience managing a huge organization, and in fact, she had also approached Amber.
But Amber has apparently disappeared along with Otto.
"I... I understand, but my secretary took two days off to be with her child."
"Theresa, you can have that secretary bring her whole family to Schicksal. We'll provide food and lodging. The air in Europe is delicious, and there are plenty of places to visit..."
K422 has started to seriously spout nonsense.
She has only been out of the house twice in her life, one of which was a trip to Russia a few days ago.
Secondly, there are the cities near the Mediterranean Sea.
As for the so-called delicious Europe air, the floating islands of the Schicksal Headquarters are located over the Mediterranean Sea, which is also considered Europe territory. However, the air flowing in the Floating Island is purified using the most advanced air filters.
So... how could it not be delicious?
Theresa rolled her eyes, feeling helpless about K422's occasional nonsensical pronouncements.
"Oh, True Kiana is awake."
Kiana, you're awake?
True Kiana, lying on the sofa with her head resting on K422's lap, blinked.
"Xiao Er, thank you..."
"It's okay. If you really want to thank me, you can call me 'sister'."
K422 grinned mischievously, but True Kiana grabbed K422's hand and started kissing it.
"Alright, stop biting. It's not like we're in a consciousness space. You can bully me there, but biting me like this in real life, aren't you afraid of ruining your teeth?"
K422 withdrew his hand and patted True Kiana's forehead a few times.
"Alright, Theresa, True Kiana is awake now, so let's not discuss those topics anymore. I remember Otto said that he brought back all the gifts that Mom prepared for you, so True Kiana, you should go and open them."
As she spoke, she pointed to a pile of gift boxes tied with exquisite ribbons in the corner of the room.
"Is this a gift that my mother prepared for me?"
"Yes, Kiana, this is Cecilia prepared for you. When you were born, she kept imagining what you would look like when you grew up, and she bought a lot of things for you."
Theresa knew, of course, where those gifts came from.
In fact, she also prepared gifts every year. Although she didn't prepare gifts for True Kiana like Cecilia did, the gifts Theresa bought for True Kiana in recent years were all kept in the Far East.
"... Can I really dismantle it?"
True Kiana's swaying gaze fell on K422.
"Of course, this is your gift, the best gift your mother has prepared for you."
Although Cecilia's identity as Cecilia's daughter has been acknowledged by Cecilia's consciousness within the Black Abyss White Flower, the birthday gifts in that pile of gift boxes right now belong only to True Kiana.
"Take it apart, Kiana," Theresa encouraged.
With the encouragement of the two, True Kiana naturally opened the gift boxes one by one, carefully taking out the birthday gifts inside each time. Even if it was just the most ordinary crystal ball ornament, she treated it as a treasure.
A gift when I was three, a gift when I was four...
Soon, True Kiana found a beautiful dress in a huge gift box, along with a greeting card:
My dearest Kiana, ever since the day you were born, I couldn't help but imagine what you would look like when you grow up. Before I knew it, I had even ordered your birthday dress for when you grow up >w< Oh dear, I really can't wait to give this dress to you in person.
—Yours truly, Cecilia.
This gift was for her sixteenth birthday, and it's clearly not something that True Kiana can wear now.
But True Kiana hugged the beautiful white dress tightly and finally broke down in tears.
"Mommy, Mommy!!"
True Kiana's calls went unanswered. K422 frowned, blaming herself for not bringing Black Abyss White Flower along.
Perhaps because the Schicksal Headquarters is very safe, K422 is not worried about what might happen if the Black Abyss White Flower falls into the room.
Hearing True Kiana's heart-wrenching cries, K422 could only silently hug her.
True Kiana kept crying and shouting.
Before long, it turned into soft sobs.
Her sobs concealed her resentment.
She had no desire for her mother to participate in the Second Eruption War.
In the consciousness space, True Kiana talked a lot with K422 about Cecilia, including Cecilia's ending.
Thinking of her mother participating in the Second Eruption War and ultimately perishing together with the Second Herrscher.
Her life took a dramatic turn after her mother died.
117. So what exactly do these two characters mean?
K422 smiled when she saw the birthday card.
"Great, this dress... can finally get into True Kiana's hands..."
In a flash, she seemed to see Cecilia holding the newborn True Kiana, poking her chubby cheeks and smiling, imagining what her daughter would be like when she grew up... She also worried that her daughter might be spoiled by Siegfried, or that she might meet someone she liked at school.
In this world filled with Honkai, Cecilia longs for her daughter's peaceful and happy life.
True Kiana's heart-wrenching cries caused Theresa to weep as well.
K422 gave a helpless smile.
After muttering Crybaby, she slowly stepped aside, keeping her envy to herself.
After a long while, True Kiana, having regained her composure, put down her dress and quickly gave her a hug.
"Xiao Er, thank you..."
K422 felt a little uncomfortable being hugged tightly by True Kiana.
After all, this young lady either used the word "beast" to insult her or started talking nonsense without any reason.
When she can't bite them, she's especially prone to becoming withdrawn, and in the end, she has to be the one to coax her. K422 often suggests that the two of them switch roles and she become the eldest of the three sisters.
K422 didn't want to ask for gratitude from True Kiana. She patted True Kiana -True Kiana's head, telling her to let go of her.
"I'm the older sister... okay, since I'm the younger sister, this gift was prepared by Mom for you, so as the younger sister, I have to deliver it to you."
Although True Kiana let go of her, K422 felt that if she said the wrong thing, she could easily be bitten hard again.
"Too late!"
True Kiana angrily bit her cheek hard.
"???"
K422 was a little confused as she watched True Kiana, who had bitten her, blush and back away.
Doesn't this count as her being taken advantage of by her own older sister? Her own sister wouldn't even spare her, a cute little sister! What a beast!!
K422's eyes lit up, and he immediately wanted to retort with "beast."
But seeing how happy True Kiana was, they really couldn't bear to ruin the atmosphere.
Incidentally, Theresa was still crying on the sidelines.
"True Kiana, although I can't give you true freedom yet, and this world isn't friendly to us, some powers are essential for achieving true peace..."
"I support you. Xiao Er has always been the smartest. You're right."
True Kiana nodded.
However, her face was still flushed, and she seemed somewhat at a loss.
"Nonsense, do you think I'd rely on you and your Xiao San? I'll prepare a communicator for you later too. Remember to call for help if you encounter danger. It's very close to the Schicksal Headquarters, and I'll also send a secret unit over..."
K422 rolled his eyes at True Kiana, took out his personal terminal, manipulated it a couple of times, and then a secret passage suddenly appeared on the ground.
"Tsk, that bastard bishop actually turned our house into an underground shelter!"
Although this underground shelter is designed to withstand nuclear bomb-level attacks and was originally prepared by Otto for True Kiana, K422 is still very unhappy.
No matter what Otto did, good or bad, it wouldn't affect his bad impression of him; in fact, it would only get worse.
For example, Otto's scheme against her this time was so thorough that K422 wrote it down 100 times in her mental notebook.
After entering the underground shelter, K422 inspected the facilities inside.
"True Kiana, stay here for now. Although it's an illegal modification, it's fully functional. It even has equipment for synthesizing food... and there's also an automated vegetable garden." K422 was initially worried about how to provide True Kiana with meals.
"OK."
True Kiana replied with a smile.
At this moment, the flame of hatred in her heart had long since flickered like a candle in the wind.
True Kiana knew she was just being held in solitary confinement in a different place. The underground shelter was fully equipped. After all, compared to her home upstairs, this shelter was more like her prison. However, unlike before, this prison had many more facilities.
One of these is a special communication channel that can be used to connect to the personal terminals owned by K422.
"That damned bishop..."
Clearly, some runaway bastard bishop even figured this out perfectly.
With such an underground shelter, K422 naturally doesn't need to worry about True Kiana's safety and can even send several True Kiana troops to protect her.
The underground shelter has a large food reserve and a happy little ranch where several chickens and rabbits are raised using automated management... and the living rooms are clearly prepared for the Valkyrie of the secret force.
The device for synthesizing food completely eliminates True Kiana's worries about meals.
"This kind of meticulously controlled environment is even more terrifying than a closed room..."
Both K422 and True Kiana knew that this was a prison.
However, compared to the past environment, it is now far superior to what True Kiana could have imagined. At least True Kiana is happy to live in such an environment. Above the underground shelter is her own home, and she can leave the underground shelter at any time to rest in her own home.
"That guy is truly a bastard," K422 couldn't help but curse.
Transforming the basement of True Kiana's house into this state is clearly not something that can be done in just a few months; obviously, this place was originally one of the places where True Kiana was imprisoned.
Even if Siegfried returns, he would never imagine that his daughter is being imprisoned in the basement of this house.
After more than six years of confinement in a closed room, True Kiana had no complaints about the environment.
Even though you can occasionally return to your home to rest, living in this underground shelter is still like being in prison.
Even if the prison environment is a little better and has a different meaning for True Kiana, it is still a prison.
However, the more than six years of confinement stand in stark contrast to the current environment.
I doubt that if Otto let True Kiana choose for herself, True Kiana wouldn't refuse to be locked up in such a place.
"Xiao Er, it's already very good."
"Don't be satisfied so easily! I'll buy a better and bigger house later—no, I can afford one right now!"
K422 pursed his lips and gestured with his index finger and thumb.
She had an expression that said, "She has the card, she can do whatever she wants."
After returning from the underground shelter, K422 naturally selected a few pretty young ladies to accompany True Kiana through her underground life. Even though she could rest at home from time to time, she would still have to live in the underground shelter most of the time, since the defense level of this place was still too low.