Chapter 146: Main Story Chapter 12 Begins! The Far Side of Light and Shadow!
Bronya followed behind Kevin and Pardo. Upon entering Pardo's room, she was greeted by a small cat. It was Pardo's pet, named Can—Bronya had heard Kiana mention it before, and today she finally saw the cat's true form.
"Boss Kevin, Sister Bronya, make yourselves at home! I'll go start up the computer!" Pardo greeted them casually before scurrying off. Since she was so familiar with both of them, formalities were entirely unnecessary.
Bronya and Kevin glanced at each other, still feeling a lingering sense of awkwardness between them. Bronya felt like a junior meeting a family elder, waiting to be asked if she had bought a house or gotten married yet... The metaphor wasn't quite right, but the scene was definitely stuck in an "awkward" state.
Kevin himself wasn't a particularly talkative person. Although he had his ways as a veteran in the business world, treating family and friends was naturally different from dealing with people in the market. The main issue was indeed paralyzing: who knew that the person Eden had always praised was the "Ghost Rider" girl whose license he had previously revoked?
"....You haven't been driving dangerously again, have you?" "No." "Oh." "....I don't even have a license to drive." "True."
Kevin wanted to say more. As the elder, he felt he should step up, but his first sentence only made the already awkward atmosphere even more toe-curling.
"Have you gone to retake the test?" "Still in the penalty period. I can't." "Oh." "....."
And so, they fell silent again.
Can stood there watching the two of them, its small eyes filled with confusion, completely unable to understand why these two were staring at each other without speaking.
Having finished setting up the equipment, Pardo couldn't stand the eerie atmosphere in the room any longer. She put her hands on her hips and said dissatisfactorily, "Hey, hey, Boss Kevin! You're way too bad at talking! No wonder Sister MEI always says you're a blockhead! Who chats with people like that? You're killing the conversation!"
Kevin nodded. "Sorry."
It was Pardo's turn to be flustered. "No, Boss Kevin, if you just apologize like that, what am I supposed to say! Seriously, don't keep such a stiff face. Can't you smile a bit? Otherwise, my viewers will be scared away by you!"
Kevin managed to squeeze out a smile. "Is this okay?"
Pardo felt a headache coming on. "It looks worse than a crying face.... I feel like you and Brother Kalpas should just sit at the same table." She shook her head. "So, did something happen between you and Sister Bronya before? Do you want to tell me so I can judge for you?"
Bronya quickly interrupted Pardo. "I-It's nothing, just some minor things.... Isn't it almost time for the stream? Let's start the stream quickly!" How could I ever say I was caught street racing and had my license revoked! Especially when the guy who did it is standing right there. That would be way too embarrassing!
"Wait, I'll go get something." Leaving behind those words, Kevin turned and left Pardo's room.
After Kevin left, Pardo sighed. "Sister Bronya, don't mind him. Boss Kevin is just like that.... But he's actually a very good person, very gentle to us comrades, which is why he's our boss."
Bronya didn't know if Kevin was a good person or gentle. Anyway, on the day he impounded her license during the race, he was "good" enough to chase her for eight blocks until his police car's engine nearly exploded.
A short while later, Kevin walked back in carrying a box. Pardo and Bronya looked inside; it was filled entirely with instant noodles... But on the packaging of these noodles were printed the designs of Valkyries from the Honkai Impact 3rd collaboration. Bronya even saw the Herrscher of Reason on them. There was even a spicy seafood flavor featuring Seele's new S-rank character for this version, Stygian Nymph. For some reason, Bronya felt the flavor suited her quite well...
"Look at my memory! Today we have to advertise the collab noodles between Boss Kevin and Honkai 3rd! Although Brother Su Mu will post an official announcement on his end.... bringing some traffic ourselves will definitely have an effect." Pardo also remembered the second task of today's stream.
Bronya looked at Kevin holding a giant tub of instant noodles, imagining him doing a "live sales" segment during the stream, maybe even doing a live taste test.... For some reason, she suddenly felt the contrast with Kevin's serious image was too great... It actually improved her impression of him. After all, she had thought he was a meticulous and rigid person, but now it seemed different; a company CEO doing live sales was definitely leaning into the "skits."
"Sister Bronya, help with the taste test later too! Since your popularity is so high, the advertising effect will definitely be great!" "Mhm, no problem."
Kevin took the noodles out of the box, and Pardo and Bronya helped arrange them on the table so the viewers could see the collab noodles as soon as the stream started.
"Seriously though, the design for this packaging is really good. If I saw this in a store, I'd definitely want to buy it," Pardo remarked while looking at the Herrscher of the Void version.
"Did Boss Kevin design this?" "No, Su Mu did." "Muu-meow?" Pardo froze. "Brother Su Mu can design too? Well, Pardo feels like he can do everything anyway, so it's not surprising meow."
Though surprised at first, thinking about what that guy Su Mu had accomplished, Pardo felt it was understandable. If a kitten heard something ridiculous but added "Su Mu did it," she could instantly make peace with it. It wasn't even a matter of trust anymore; it was pure superstition.
"Mhm, I actually wanted to hire him as an advertising designer for my company, but unfortunately, his heart isn't in it," Kevin sighed, his voice full of regret.
"That guy is like that," Bronya added. "In our company, the employees all think Su Mu is a total game-making maniac. Anything related to games gets him fired up.... so it's hard to imagine him in any other industry."
"He is an extraordinary person," Kevin shook his head. "To be able to choose a path you believe in and keep moving forward without being distracted by external things—that spirit is rare and precious. Not to mention his abilities are so outstanding. I've heard Elysia and the others mention Su Mu in my ear constantly lately."
"Mhm.... After all, his ability is recognized by everyone in our company." Bronya agreed.
Pardo stood by, watching the two gradually open up, but her expression slowly became peculiar. "No, while I'm happy Boss Kevin and Sister Bronya are getting along, why are you both just talking about Brother Su Mu? At first glance, I thought you were discussing a celebrity you both liked!"
While she was glad Kevin could get along with Bronya, did Brother Su Mu know you both were praising him like this? He probably had no idea. Just praising him was enough to give two people with a previous rift a common topic, thereby easing the awkward atmosphere.
"I thought Elysia was exaggerating at first, but after I investigated him, I found she wasn't making it up," Kevin continued his rigorous praise. "Pardo, you know Eden never acknowledges someone easily, yet even she speaks highly of Su Mu. So I think we aren't over-praising him; we're just seeking truth from facts."
Pardo was completely speechless. The moment you said 'seeking truth from facts,' anyone who didn't know would think you were Brother Su Mu's die-hard fan!
Fortunately, the farce didn't last much longer. As Pardo turned on the stream, a massive number of fans began to flood the room.
[Front row, front row!]
[Holy crap! Pardo brought Can to the stream today? Heavens!]
[I haven't seen Can on camera for so many days, I thought the streamer sold him. Now I'm relieved.]
[Streamer finally bothered to bring her true self to the stream?]
[LMAO, was it all shadow clones before?]
Pardo appeared on camera with Can and greeted the fans. But soon, fans noticed that there were many cups of instant noodles arranged in front of Pardo, with Honkai Impact 3rd characters printed on them! It was like they had discovered a new world!
[Holy crap! Pardo, what are those noodles?]
[I see the Duck, Kiana, and even Himeko-sensei!]
[Is there a collab between an instant noodle brand and Honkai 3rd?]
[I know that brand! Our local Arc City enterprise! I eat it all the time!]
[God! The packaging is too beautiful! I must buy and collect them immediately!]
[Wait, I've heard of collecting figurines and models, but collecting noodle wrappers? Brother, your style is wild!]
Pardo didn't rush to explain the origin of the noodles. Instead, she shifted the topic to introduce the two guests attending the stream!
[Wow! Big Duck!]
[Question: why is she called Big Duck?]
[Because of the 'Little Duck' in the game.]
[True, LMAO!]
[Big Duck's second guest appearance? But I don't see Seele today, is she too busy?]
[Hmm? Wait, who is the white-haired handsome guy next to Pardo? He looks a bit familiar?]
[Holy crap? Kevin?]
[? Who is Kevin??]
There were plenty of fanatical instant-food enthusiasts in Pardo's stream, so they naturally recognized him instantly: wasn't that the World's King of Noodle, Kevin Kaslana?
[Are those noodles... a collab between Kevin and Honkai 3rd?]
[Holy crap brothers, I just came back from the HOMU Wiki! Kevin Kaslana is a huge deal!]
[No way, Pardo actually got him on air!]
Many viewers searched Kevin's name and discovered he was a massive tycoon! He was a presence on par with Anti-Entropy's Welt Yang and Schicksal's Otto Apocalypse—an absolute overlord of the food industry! You thought he was just a Noodle King? In reality, Kevin's enterprises were far-reaching, involving essential livelihood products. A casual glance in any store would reveal various foods produced by factories under Kevin's name!
Such terrifying market penetration... left the viewers in the stream extremely shocked. They hadn't expected Pardo to invite Kevin! It was no less significant than the time Teriri invited Otto Apocalypse! Both were heavyweight figures!
"Hehe, I'll tell you a secret: Boss Kevin isn't just here to promote his new products. Actually, he's also an important character in Honkai 3rd! His previous appearance was very heavyweight, you know!"
[?]
[No, I thought Honkai 3rd was ridiculous enough having Welt and Otto....]
[Now even Kevin the giant is in? Is the game adding every famous person in reality?]
[Not necessarily! For example, my favorite Miss Robin hasn't appeared in Honkai 3rd, right?]
[Wow, are there Robin fans here too?]
[Kevin's appearance? Who exactly is he?]
For a moment, various guesses about Kevin's role flew around. Everyone felt that given Kevin's status in reality, his in-game counterpart couldn't possibly be a minor character!
[He can't be Gray Snake, can he? Gray Snake always wears a mask, right?]
[Isn't Gray Snake a robot?]
[Gray Snake doesn't even look human, right?]
[True, that guy is mysterious and half-human-half-ghost; how could he be Kevin?]
"Alright, alright, everyone stop guessing! The riddle will be revealed in the new main story soon!"
Once the Honkai 3rd maintenance ended, Pardo didn't waste any words and entered the Bridge. She quickly scanned the announcements. This new version [Stygian Bloom]opened Main Story Chapter 12: [The Far Side of Light and Shadow], and simultaneously launched the new event—"Odd Drifting"!
At the same time, new Valkyrie skins were updated. The Queen's swimsuit "Spring Sprite"! Seele's skin "Lily of the Valley"! Just seeing these two new skins made the viewers boil with excitement!
[Holy crap! The Queen is too beautiful!]
[? Did I see that right? The Queen's Spring Sprite... is obtainable for free through the event?]
[Oh my god! Giving away a skin of this quality for free? That's too good!!]
[I'm gonna grind my life away for this!!]
[Old Thief Su Mu actually knows how to be a person, hehe. I'll curse him a few times less this version! I've been 'fed' after all!]
Originally, everyone in the stream thought such a beautiful skin would cost at least 9,600 crystals to pull, like the Winter Empress. But finding out it was an event giveaway came as a huge surprise! It had to be said, Honkai 3rd skins were in a league of their own. Even F2P players couldn't control their hands... the lower brain took over the upper brain, and even wallets started auto-recharging! The brothers expressed that they were extremely satisfied!!
"Even though they're both Kiana, she looks completely different with a change in hairstyle," Bronya remarked at that moment. The aura difference between the Queen and the "Tuna" was simply too massive. When she first saw the Herrscher of the Void, Bronya almost didn't recognize Kiana's body. On second thought, it made sense; Kiana's mother, Cecilia, was an absolute beauty. But Kiana's constant twin braids acted as a sort of "beauty seal."
"Sigh, watching Sister Kiana and Sister Bronya shine in the main story makes Pardo want to appear in the game too," Pardo lamented. "I wonder what kind of character Brother Su Mu will arrange for me? Since I'm working so hard, he should give me a character with better treatment, right?"
[A character with better treatment? My assessment is: Pardo not being written to death would be a success.]
[True, look at the Trio protagonists; they're all tragic!]
[Wanting good treatment under the Old Thief's pen? 'Naive' is the only word I have!]
The viewers were well aware of Su Mu's nature. If a little cat character like Pardo was added to Honkai, they wouldn't even know how she died! Better treatment? Heh!
"Who says! Pardo believes in Brother Su Mu! Even if... even if his characters are a bit tragic...."
Pardo instinctively believed that since Su Mu had requested image rights for so many people from the Golden Courtyard, it meant they would have important roles later. Surely he wouldn't write everyone from the Golden Courtyard to their deaths? He wouldn't go that far, right? Probably? Hopefully? Right?
With a somewhat apprehensive heart, Pardo launched Main Story Chapter 12 and officially began playing.
The chapter began at night, with a conversation between Cocolia and Gray Snake. From their dialogue, Pardo learned the reason for the cooperation between the two. Gray Snake wanted to use the power of the Gem of Desire to liberate a "compatriot" trapped in the Sea of Quanta, while Cocolia wanted to rescue her daughter, Seele.
Clearly, Gray Snake's compatriot was the "Snake" trapped in the Sea by Welt. However, the existence of this "Snake" also surprised the viewers. Was this person trapped in the Sea so important to World Serpent? Important enough for Gray Snake to go to such great lengths to save him?
The name "Gray Snake" seemed to jog Kevin's memory, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. "Gray Snake? Will Jackal, Shariac, and Chen Tianwu appear later too?" He rattled off several names, the surprise on his face growing. "Aren't those my old friends from the company...."
Soon, Kevin seemed to reach a realization. "So, from just now, the 'dangerous person' trapped in the Sea of Quanta you've all been discussing.... is me?"
END OF CHAPTER
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