Chapter 190: Is Mei Going to Cook for World Serpent? Pfft, Making a Deal!
Kiana looked at Benares before her and smiled slightly. ["See? It doesn't plan to attack us."]Raiden Mei watched this scene with a shocked expression. ["It actually obeys your orders?"]
["Mhm... I can't really say why, but I feel like if we just leave this fellow alone, it might end up doing something dangerous. Since it's willing to listen, that's for the best."]
["Kiana... it keeps following you. I don't think it wants to leave. Should we... take it back to the Helios?"]
["Ah... oops, I didn't think of that. But that red-headed twin-tailed doctor... she should be pretty easy to talk to, right?"]
Benares, this Honkai beast, clearly possessed its own self-awareness. It had followed its own will all the way to Nagazora. And its goal, most likely, was to protect its Queen. Such a loyal Honkai beast left the viewers in the livestream quite surprised.
[Raven said before that Benares is different from other beasts that gather around Kiana because of the Honkai. It has its own consciousness and spontaneously wants to protect her...]
[Is Benares treating Kiana as the Herrscher of the Void?]
[Mhm... in a sense, Kiana is the Herrscher of the Void.]
[For some reason, I feel like Bella is like a puppy, actually kind of cute...]
[True, reminds me of the event plot with the Winter Empress and Bella the Good Boy! Hahaha! 'Bella the Good Boy' is literally a dog's name!]
[I want to be the Queen's cat, but the Queen likes dogs. I don't know why I'm crying, even though I'm neither a cat nor a dog...]
[Here we go again with the 'Lords of Frenzied Flame' weirdos! I can't take it!]
However... In a certain high-skill Abyss/Battlefield streamer's room, Silver Wolf watched the comments praising Benares's cuteness and almost smashed her controller. "Benares is cute? Where the hell is this thing even remotely close to being cute!!"
[Do you like my Battlefield Bella flying every day, kid?]
[I'll never forget the streamer's classic line—'Bella, why the f* are you flying again!']
[LMAO, the streamer starts with zero manners! Perfectly enunciated saltiness!]
Many viewers were long-time fans of Silver Wolf and knew exactly how Bella had tortured her in the competitive modes. The phrase "Bella, why the f* are you flying" had become a legendary meme among competitive players because the moment you saw Bella take flight, your blood pressure would skyrocket.
[Still not as bad as Heimdall. Do you like my 'Red-line Boy'?]
[Uh, isn't Heimdall a direct one-shot for my Fu Hua? The Immortal is invincible, okay!]
[My SP is full, watch your mouth!]
Back in Elysia's livestream. In the game, Kiana and Mei had returned to the transport ship, bringing Benares along. ["I said, stray cats and dogs are one thing, but I've never heard of someone picking up a Honkai beast on the street and bringing it home!"]
["First a cyborg, then a refugee girl, and now a Judgment-class Honkai beast... I guess next time you'll just bring a World Serpent executive home for a party?"]
After settling Kiana in, Raiden Mei went alone to face the red-headed twin-tailed doctor to receive her scolding. ["...Forget it, I'm not angry, just unexpected."]
["But in a sense, it's a good thing Kiana could tame it. It's one less troublesome enemy. Let it follow the Helios for now."]
Is it possible? Just a possibility... The viewers in the chat were chuckling. What if Raven is actually a member of World Serpent? However, the "Anti-Entropy Telegraph Operator" didn't spew any censored words this time, which left everyone a bit "disappointed." Honestly, if it were them seeing Kiana bring back such a massive Judgment-class beast, their first reaction wouldn't be speechlessness—it would be a blunt: "Holy crap?!" They'd get the shock out of their system first before thinking of anything else.
Putting Benares aside for a moment, Tesla switched the topic and took Raiden Mei to the conference room. There, Einstein informed Mei of some unfortunate news via communication. After discussion, they decided to move Kiana immediately to the Baffin Bay base near the Arctic Ocean and set up security. Anti-Entropy would protect her from danger and prevent the worst from happening... while keeping the risk level to a minimum.
Kiana's condition was severe; the Herrscher Cores were constantly devouring her body. The cores still contained Sirin's consciousness. To stop the situation from worsening, she had to be completely eliminated. However, aside from Kiana herself, no one could interfere with this process. This meant Einstein and the others could not change the status quo. she and Tesla had considered many methods but abandoned them all because they couldn't solve the problem at its root. To put it bluntly, there was no way to cure Kiana, or even alleviate her symptoms.
["How can this be... Are we just supposed to stand by and watch her...?"]
["Dr. Einstein, please think again! I'll do anything... even if it's just to buy her a little more time, I'm willing to do anything...!"]What responded to Mei was Einstein's silence. And that silence was the answer. ["Is there... really no way at all?"]Einstein apologized to Mei; all they could do now was believe in Kiana while searching desperately for a way to save her. But if things took a turn for the worst... they had to prepare for the most pessimistic outcome. Einstein didn't answer. But Mei had an answer in her heart.
Just then, a communication interrupted them. Tesla told Raiden Mei that Sora had come to see her. Sora told Mei that Raven had returned and was planning to take the children from the shelter out of Nagazora. she had prepared a new home outside and wanted to take them there for a while. Sora, thinking of Kiana and Mei, had sneaked out to see them one last time before leaving. Although Sora was enthusiastic, Mei's heart was occupied by the grim news, leaving her unable to respond properly.
Sora noticed Mei's anomaly. However, the kind girl gave Mei a "Teru Teru Bozu" doll she had made herself. she hoped Mei's wish would also come true. ["You and the Doctor are good people, the best to us after Teacher. I won't forget you!"]
[Mei took the doll. The scraps of cloth were carefully sewn into a human shape, with a tiny face showing a playful smile.]
[she suddenly felt she was being rude.]
Raiden Mei offered to walk Sora back. After returning Sora to the Roost, Sora suggested to Mei that if Kiana was unhappy, she should cook curry for her. If Kiana ate a meal Mei prepared personally, she would surely be happy. Raven's arrival interrupted them. Sora waved goodbye and vanished into the depths of the shanties.
["she really likes you. That child kept muttering about saying goodbye, and she slipped away the moment I wasn't looking."]
["Where are you taking the children?"]
["Don't look at me with that suspicious face. Relax, it's a safe place."]Facing the still-wary Mei, Raven smiled slightly. ["I've always wanted to take them out, and I finally found the chance... Ah, speaking of which, I should thank you."]
["They used to be afraid of the outside world, of others' gazes, of unfamiliar environments."]
["But you changed their minds. You let them know there is kindness and warmth from strangers in this world."]
["You filled the hole... that the Herrscher left in their hearts."]
["I hope they never know the truth."]
Raiden Mei fell silent. she knew exactly whose hole that was—who the Herrscher was and who had turned Nagazora into this. At that moment, Raven suddenly brought up Kiana's condition. ["Raiden Mei, World Serpent wants to make a deal with you... Don't you want to save that girl? Schicksal can't do it, Anti-Entropy can't do it... but World Serpent can."]
["If you're interested in my proposal, return here alone in two hours."]
["I have some private business to attend to first, so excuse me."]Raven turned and left, the heavy iron door slamming shut, locking Mei out. ["Keep this as a secret between us, don't tell anyone."]
["—The Great Lord of World Serpent will be waiting for your arrival at that time."]
The deal Raven proposed and her parting words made Elysia look puzzled. "Kevin is coming to Nagazora too? What is he doing here? Did he come specifically for Mei??" Elysia seemed to smell a fresh trail of gossip.
Kiana nodded: "Mhm... Mei and Dr. MEI look very similar. They are cousins, after all." This wasn't a secret; the famous scientist MEI and Raiden Mei were cousins. As for why they looked so alike—before answering that, one might as well explain why Yae Sakura and Sakura looked identical without being related. The answer is "special fate"; asking further is just rude.
[Japanese netizen Elysia, please calm down!]
[Wait, what is this 'Substitute Literature' trope??]
[Is this 'Late Wife's Memoir' part 2?]
[LMAO, I feel like Otto and Kevin would actually get along. They could sit together and just reminisce about their dead wives, right?]
[Wouldn't Siegfried fit in too?]
[Welt is a bit out of sync here. He's the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, but he's falling behind in this trend?]
[But we know very little about Old Yang's past, right? Hey! conveniently, Honkai 3rd has launched a new visual novel Anti-Entropy! Come explore with me!]
[Even the bullet chat is doing ads now?]
"No, I wasn't finished! Why are your heads full of weird thoughts!" Elysia's eyes widened innocently. "How could Kevin be that kind of person? If nothing else, he was deeply devoted to MEI! I know him well!" "I guess the reason he's looking for Mei must be to achieve some goal! He's definitely doing it to fight the Honkai! He might just be using Mei!"
Kiana pouted in dissatisfaction. "But this makes me angry. Raven seems to be giving Mei a choice, but she isn't really giving one at all! she knows Mei's personality; she knows Mei would never just sit and wait for death. Mei will definitely make the deal with World Serpent!"
Su Mu nodded. Kiana was right. Raiden Mei had no choice. For her, even if there was only a sliver of hope, she was willing to bet everything for it!
[I still don't get it. Why does World Serpent want to help Mei? Do they want her to cook for them?]
[???]
['Go cook'—is the food in World Serpent really that bad?]
[Actually, it's not that bad. Look at Raven and Jackal... they're pretty 'big' (talented) after all!]
[Gray Snake: You're right, but Gray Snake is a... forgot the first part, forgot the second part.]
[Zero-point test paper, huh? Get outta here!]
The scene returned to the Helios. Tesla and Einstein finally had a formal meeting with Kiana. Although they tried to keep her calm, Kiana told them she knew her body well. At first, it just felt a bit sluggish, but gradually the pain vanished. Now, mysterious injuries kept appearing on her body, and she didn't know where they came from.
Before leaving Nagazora, Kiana had one thing she wanted to do. Nagazora was currently facing a crisis; she had felt it the moment she arrived. Initially, Tesla thought it was because of the Herrscher of the Void's influence, but it wasn't. It wasn't Kiana, but something else causing the Nagazora anomaly!
Kiana wanted to stop Nagazora from erupting again. she proposed using her own body to absorb all the Honkai energy in the city! Einstein warned Kiana that she could not use her powers anymore; Anti-Entropy would handle Nagazora. But Kiana said if things reached an irreversible state, she...
The discussion was interrupted by Einstein. Later, Kiana requested that after she was settled, she wanted to stay away from her companions. she didn't want them to be in danger because of her again.
["So... if I turn into that monster again, they'll definitely not abandon me. They'll protect me at any cost..."]
["When that happens... how many more people who care about me will I kill?"]
["I... I can't let that happen again!"]
Kiana's voice was full of pain and sadness. Her sobbing tone sent a shock through the audience; they felt as if their hearts were breaking! Su Mu's previous-life voice actress's performance here truly pushed the plot to a new height. That infectious emotion was replicated here, further enhanced by superior tech, making players feel truly immersed!
["This is between me and Sirin. I must settle it with her."]
["But I don't want them involved in this anymore..."]
["I don't want to see the people around me get hurt ever again."]
On the other side of the wall behind Kiana, Raiden Mei leaned against the surface, silent tears sliding from her eyes. she had heard everything. A massive sense of helplessness enveloped her. she realized she still couldn't do anything. she couldn't save Kiana... she didn't even have a way to ease her symptoms.
In that moment, Raven's words echoed in her mind. World Serpent— Aside from collaborating with them, she seemingly had no other choice.
END OF CHAPTER
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