Taking a bath, dressing up, styling Kiana’s braids…
It took thirty minutes in total. It is now 7:30 AM.
“Sure you left nothing?”
“Yeah!”
Her package is noticeably larger than before. Most, if not all, are long-sleeved. They are similar to Seele’s skirt dress. There are also hoodies, t-shirts, and so on. It’s a lot.
The Kiana from before will not choose to bring much… but that changes now.
Swoosh-!
With a swipe of my spiritual consciousness, everything got transported to the dark blue storage ring. Her sorted items remained still inside the bathroom-sized space. Their time is frozen.
“If I knew there’s something like that, I would have searched for it…”
“No need to regret things. I can create something like this too.”
“Really?!”
“Really.”
“That’s uber cool!”
I savored the results of showing off. There’s a reason why there are people like Madam Herta. Only, it’s a bit tasteless for me if done frequently.
Aura farming in moderation is necessary.
Just then, a knock interrupted our conversation.
“I’ll get it.”
“Um.”
I walked over the door. The familiar set of gray drills greeted my sight.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.” Bronya replied. “Cocolia Matushka is calling you both.”
My eyes met Kiana’s. The latter nodded.
“Okay…”
*****
“I heard about your departure from Bronya.”
Inside the office, Cocolia sat across from the duo.
“How was your stay?”
“It’s very good. There are some children who learned English to speak to us…”
As usual, Shi Tian handled the main talking. Kiana knew she wasn’t that suitable for professional matters. She would answer every question bluntly. If she tries to lie, it is very noticeable.
“There are also strong aunts and uncles around.” He then added, “It should be us thanking you, Miss Cocolia.”
“Fufu. I heard about the snacks you two bring everyday. Aren’t we even?”
Surprisingly, Cocolia lowered her position. She did not want the two to feel indebted to her.
Shi Tian only gave her a smile.
“What will you do now?” She asked.
It was Kiana who answered.
“We will find my old man.”
Cocolia nodded before speaking, “I apologize for the failure. His locations are erratic, even to our side.”
She then continued to express her regret in a few words. Their meeting ended in that manner.
As soon as the two left, Cocolia gestured for Bronya to follow them. Although she was surprised, she carried out her orders.
“The seed of Kaslana and Schariac…”
Undeniably, Kiana’s value as a ‘sample’ is extremely huge. Cocolia knew about Siegfried. How could she not know about her deceased mother?
Cecilia Schariac, the wielder of the sixth Divine Key. Schicksal’s strongest Valkyrie of her time.
Kiana is born out of Schicksal’s strongest fighters. It’s inevitable to think about her future potential in regards to honkai.
Still…
‘It is best not to interfere.’
She knew there were too many people connected to Kiana. Her Sovereign is a good example. There is also Raiden Ryoma, a fellow Executor, and Siegfried Kaslana.
Also…
‘Shenzhou’s Immortal.’
Grey Serpent did not confirm nor deny the existence of Shenzhou’s Immortal. It is a discreet way of saying that Immortal “exists”. Shi Tian’s connection to centuries old Empyrean served as an invisible shield.
Finally, Cocolia is still rational. Her raison d'être is to allow children to live freely amidst the honkai. That is why she led the Radicals in the first place. Her cooperation with Grey Serpent, a dubious yet influential individual, is also rooted in it.
Later on, she turns into a full-on crazed gambler who would accept any plans even if it only has 1% chances of saving Seele.
“The tests should be implemented soon.”
*****
During these four months, I thought long and hard.
How can I stop Cocolia from doing crazy shit?
The answer’s simple.
Strength.
What can she do if I am at the middle or late stage of Foundation Establishment? I can also tip off Welt, the literal Sovereign of Anti-Entropy. By then, stopping Cocolia is a sure thing.
Yes, I can choose not to interfere and let everything play out as the game. Kiana managed to embrace the Cocoon in the end.
Still…
How can I make sure everything will play out like that?
My presence alone, even if I chose not to do anything, could trigger an entire butterfly effect. This is reality, not a game.
There’s no use thinking about it. All I have to do is to choose the best choice in the present for me and others.
Washing the dishes did not take a toll. I decided to do something else.
Using my spiritual consciousness, I sensed my dantians’ condition. All of them exuded the feeling of “breaking”.
I reached the peak of Qi Refining Realm. After the late stage is the peak stage. I stayed here for a few months, polishing the three dantians and expanding them to their utmost limits. My current cultivation speed surpassed my prior expectations.
It caused an explosive growth. My body, spiritual qi, and mind grew stronger all at once. I can defeat my early stage self with one finger at this point. That’s how exaggerated it is.
Now, I am at the peak of peak stage; basically completing the entire Qi Refining Realm. I reached the threshold for Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
Spending seven months to complete this realm showcased the power of talent and drugs... I mean spiritual plants and medicines.
“How are you so fast?”
I washed my hands. Next to me is Kiana who is still washing the dishes. We took the quota for washing dishes after breakfast. This is our final chore inside the orphanage.
“We are using the same spell.” I teased her.
“I’m doing things right!” Kiana insisted. “Is there a trick?”
Well.
She got me.
“Use your spiritual consciousness. Envelop the entire thing. It prompts the cleansing spell right away.”
“That works?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“...”
Three minutes later, Kiana finished washing and drying dozens of plates. The faucet and towel are decoration at this point. It’s just us wanting to wet the plates and personally wiping them off.
It doesn’t feel right whenever we use the cleansing spell, something like a psychological thing of sorts. The spell’s best used in grease and other dirty stuff at most.
“I got some news about your father.”
“Hum?”
“He’s last seen in the Far East.”
Kiana’s eyes lit up.
“Then we’re going there!”
Judging Siegfried and Ryoma, these two-man will make it hard for us to complete our goal.
“Oh. That’s right. Why did we need to keep it a secret?” She asked.
“Miss Cocolia?”
“Um.”
For my meetings with Anti-Entropy, only Kiana, Bronya, and Seele knew about it. It came up during my explanation every time I was gone for three hours. I asked them to keep it all to ourselves—from Cocolia and Sin Mal.
I only trusted the two to keep a secret. Sin Mal is somewhat unreliable. She doesn’t have much screen time inside the game. I can’t judge her character as good as Bronya and Seele.
“Your father… He’s friends with Anti-Entropy’s leader. Miss Cocolia is the leader of another faction.”
“A potential enemy?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
I sighed out of relief. The Tuna outgrew her paramecium allegations.
For a while, she did not say anything. It carried on until we were about to step out of the main door.
Several kids waited for us.
“B… Brotherr… and… Sizterr.”
One of the girls approached us. She is a bit tongue-tied when pronouncing English, especially in letter r.
“Thank… you.”
She handed out a drawing of sorts…
Just, wow.
It is similar to graphite pencil drawings. It depicts me and Kiana walking side-by-side. I am carrying several boxes of sweets while Kiana is eating a crepe.
Several scenes flashed in my mind.
This happened two weeks ago.
Did she… draw us based on what happened?
I can only give her a head pat.
“Thank you.”
Kiana’s eyes lit up.
“Oh! It’s beautiful!”
I looked at the kid beside me. She crouched and outright gave the girl a hug.
Looking at the dozen kids holding gifts…
We are destined to stay for a little bit longer.