A Legend from a Thousand Years Ago

As she ate grapes and strolled to aid digestion, Kiana finally seemed to remember something and asked.

Dimonlert was the name of the city they were currently in.

It was not peak tourist season, and Raymond was not a famous tourist city either. She had hardly seen any other foreigners here.

"No, I'm just traveling here with my sister."

Shi Hen shook his head.

Raven had been handling the tasks assigned by the organization. These past few days had practically been a vacation for him—though he wondered whether World Serpent would reimburse his expenses.

"Traveling..."

There was a hint of envy in the girl's voice.

"What about you, Kiana? You should be German, right?"

Shi Hen asked in return.

Judging purely by bloodline, all three great families of Schicksal could be considered German. After all, Vienna had served as Schicksal HQ for more than a thousand years.

"German? I don't know. I grew up in Siberia..."

Kiana spoke softly, looking somewhat downcast.

During the years she had lived with her dad, he had rarely mentioned his past, and she had no memories from before she was eight.

Sometimes, they even had to move, as though they were hiding from something.

It was not until much later, after Siegfried disappeared and she walked out of that endless snowy wilderness on her own, that she learned the place was called Siberia.

But before Shi Hen could comfort her, the gloom on the girl's face vanished. Her azure eyes regained their liveliness. "As for me, I guess I'm traveling too. Right now, I'm just saving money for the next leg of my journey."

She traveled while following the traces of Honkai. Whenever she ran out of money, she found a job. That was how she had always lived.

"By yourself?"

Shi Hen asked.

"I'm very strong!"

Kiana held her head high and puffed out her chest.

"Miss Kiana is the most amazing person I've ever met!"

Shi Hen praised her sincerely.

When she began this journey whose end she did not even know existed, Kiana had only been twelve.

Now, two years later, her footsteps had already covered more than half of Europe.

Before long, Shi Hen figured he would have to go to the Far East to find her.

Compared to that blond guy, this one was clearly much more like a traveler.

"Hehe! There are even more amazing things about me that you haven't seen yet!"

Kiana spat a grape seed far into the distance, her face full of pride.

What were a few little punks? She could easily take down Honkai Beasts as tall as a house.

Of course, that was not convenient to demonstrate, and it might frighten other people too.

"I really hope I get to see it."

Shi Hen said with a smile.

"Next time. We'll talk when there's a chance next time."

Kiana waved her hand.

Honkai Beasts were not that easy to come across.

Besides, she would rather the youth never encounter Honkai in his entire life.

"Have you thought about where you'll go next, Kiana?"

Shi Hen asked.

"The next stop..." Kiana ate grapes with a thoughtful look. "I'll probably go east."

She had searched almost all of Europe. There was no trace of that stinking old dad anywhere, so next she should try her luck in the East.

She believed that as long as she kept following the traces of Honkai, one day she would reunite with that man.

Because that was her only connection to him.

"The East... that's very far away..."

Shi Hen sighed.

Not merely in terms of distance, but more importantly, because of the cultural differences.

For a girl who was only fourteen, those were not easy obstacles to overcome.

"I'll get there eventually."

The girl's smile was brilliant, as though she would overcome every hardship and danger waiting ahead.

"Miss Kiana, you really are incredible."

Shi Hen praised her again.

Though he too had wandered for more than half a year and had traveled from Shenzhou all the way to Northern Europe, the hardships Kiana faced were still beyond Shi Hen's imagination.

Because he had cheats.

"Of course!"

The girl proudly puffed out her chest. The Kaslana family dictionary had never contained the word "modesty."

"When you reach Shenzhou, Miss Kiana, you can contact me through this email." Pulling out paper and pen, Shi Hen rapidly wrote down a string of letters and handed it to her. "When that time comes, I'll definitely treat you to the best food Shenzhou has to offer."

Looking at the neat handwriting on the palm-sized piece of paper, Kiana froze. Her eyes unconsciously grew moist.

All this time, she had set out on her journey alone, never knowing what awaited her ahead.

Yet at this moment, a friend from a distant land was inviting her, making an appointment to meet again in the future.

Never before had the girl looked forward to a particular stop on her future journey as she did now.

"Haha~ Then I won't go easy on you. I'll order a whole table full of food!"

The girl threatened viciously, tears glinting in the corners of her eyes.

"Mm, then it's a promise." The youth nodded gently, a trace of anticipation on his tender face. "When that time comes, tell me stories about your journey."

Just like in a fairy tale, two people who had met for the first time made a promise about the future.

The Legend from a Thousand Years Ago

"Yo, you're back. Not going to spend more time with your little girlfriend?"

The moment Shi Hen returned to the hotel where they were staying, a familiar voice reached his ears.

Turning around, he saw Raven sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the suite's living room. Her white bathrobe could not conceal her mature, alluring figure. Her short gray hair, barely past her ears, was still damp and hung loose, droplets of water falling onto her swan-like neck.

Without answering, Shi Hen merely looked silently into the mercenary's wine-red eyes.

Seeing the youth stare straight at her, Raven coughed softly and awkwardly looked away. "I wasn't following you. It's just that this floor is really high up."

They were staying in a luxury hotel, with high floors and enormous floor-to-ceiling windows.

Ordinary people could not see the streets below through those windows, but... Raven was a sniper.

"We're just ordinary friends."

Shi Hen tried to explain.

He had many thoughts about Kiana, but that sort of thought was not among them.

"Got it, I got it." Raven nodded with an expression that said she understood everything. "World Serpent won't interfere with the private relationships of its members."

As long as they did not leak organizational secrets.

Shi Hen pursed his lips and said darkly, "Kiana is only fourteen."

He truly could not understand what these people had in their heads.

In Shenzhou, getting caught in a puppy love relationship would get the school to call your parents.

"Aren't you only fifteen?"

Raven countered, clearly missing the point of what he meant.

Shi Hen silently rolled his eyes. He could not be bothered arguing with people whose minds were filled with dirty thoughts.

"Has there been progress with the mission?"

He poured himself a glass of water, sat opposite Raven, and asked curiously.

Over the past few days, Raven had left before dawn every day and often did not return until midnight. This was the first time he had encountered her at the hotel so early.

"Yeah, we finally have some leads." Raven rubbed her shoulder, looking exhausted. "I've been dealing with those Mafia people these past few days. What a pain."

"Oh? Do you need my help?"

Shi Hen was immediately interested.

He had really wanted to witness the style of the Sicilian Mafia.

"It has nothing to do with you."

Raven refused decisively.

She did not want the youth getting involved with those people.

"I'm a good fighter."

Shi Hen did not give up easily.

Although Raven now possessed strength on par with a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie, S-rank Valkyries... those in the know knew.

S-rank Valkyries were said to be able to fight Herrschers, but once the two sides truly started fighting, the speed at which the S-rank Valkyries went down would surpass everyone's imagination.

For instance, if Shi Hen used a serious punch on Raven right now, he would immediately have to kneel and beg her not to die.

Of course, fighters on Durandal's level were not included in that category.

Seeing the youth's relentless expression, Raven could not help rubbing her forehead and sighing. Helplessly, she said, "The Sicilian Mafia is part of the organization."

"Huh?"

Shi Hen was genuinely surprised.

Sicily was right beside the Mediterranean, while Schicksal HQ's Floating Island was in the skies above the Mediterranean. This was basically World Serpent planting an observer right on Schicksal's doorstep.

Though in terms of straight-line distance, the North African desert where World Serpent headquarters was located was not all that far from the Floating Island either.

"The leader of this generation's Sicilian Mafia is an organization executive, Orca." Quite pleased by the youth's surprise, Raven continued explaining, "Orca provides intelligence and funding to the organization, while the organization provides technology and armed support in return. It's a cooperative relationship."

Strictly speaking, Orca's partnership with World Serpent was closer to Anti-Entropy's Executor System. World Serpent did not have much authority to interfere with him.

After all, he had joined with his own capital.

That was precisely why dealing with Orca had been so troublesome. Small problems kept cropping up from time to time.

Understanding this, Raven had left Shi Hen out of her actions these past few days. She did not want the youth to be tainted by the filth of the Mafia.

Some of these people's methods made even her want to vomit.

Hearing Raven's explanation, Shi Hen nodded. "So that's how it is."

He had only joined World Serpent a few days ago. As a newcomer like him, he naturally did not have the authority to know information about the organization's executives.

"Alright, I'm going to sleep first. These past few days have exhausted me." Raven waved her hand and rose to head toward her bedroom. "You should get some rest too. We leave at midnight sharp tonight."

"What are we doing?"

Shi Hen asked.

"Big sis is taking you treasure hunting."

Raven glanced back with a smile, her expression confident and wild.