As Ryoma listened, he couldn't help but down two bottles of wine himself. He looked at Siegfried and said, "So, if that girl was sent by Otto, then she'll end up just like you, becoming a sacrifice for Kiana's final awakening?"
"Mm... I suppose so... I should have died a long time ago. Cecilia and my daughter are waiting for me on the other side. The only things keeping me from dying now are the Kiana I have with me and defeating the Honkai. Rather than letting Kiana eventually become a Herrscher and be killed, I'd rather trust Otto and take a gamble. If we fail, it's just me taking Kiana to see Cecilia and 'Kiana'. But if we succeed, Kiana will control her own power, no longer having to worry about the Herrscher personality erupting at any moment, and she'll have the strength to survive in this damn world. And I'll be able to go see Cecilia with peace of mind."
"That's too cruel for Kiana. Even if it succeeds, she'll live her whole life in the shadow of you dead people." (In the game, Kiana lived in Himeko's shadow until she became the Herrscher of Flamescion.)
"Sigh, this world has never been kind. All I know is how to fight, fight... but in the end, I couldn't protect anyone... It might be cruel, but as long as Kiana can survive, that's enough. Being alive is always better than being dead."
Ryoma shook his head helplessly. He didn't have any better ideas either. It wasn't his problem anyway; it's not like he was going to become a sacrifice for a Herrscher. Ah, no, to put it nicely, let's call it a 'humanity anchor.' I'll go back and ask Welt, see if he has any better ideas. (Mei: Yeah, yeah, Dad, I'll go sacrifice myself first.)
"You know I'll report this to Welt as soon as I get back, right?"
"Mm, you're part of Anti-Entropy, after all. Go ahead and tell Welt. He'll know what to do." (Welt: Actually, not only do I know about this plan, but six years from now, I'll also gift your daughter a Moonlight Throne.)
"By the way, what happened to your arm?" Ryoma curiously poked Siegfried's severed arm with a wine bottle, earning a glare from him.
"A sliver of Sirin's hatred for me might have been passed down. The Herrscher of the Void's personality holds a deep resentment towards me. Being near Kiana stimulates the Herrscher to awaken. Kiana lost control once. I hesitated then, and she tore off one of my arms."
"Tsk, tsk, so touching. Like father, like daughter. My Mei is so well-behaved. I should go back and forge a good sword for Mei, so she'll be safer in the future. By the way, come to Anti-Entropy. I'll build you a mechanical arm."
"We'll see about that later. I still have to protect Kiana. Once I'm sure she's safe, I'll come find you."
"Alright..."
Much later, Ryoma left in his aircraft. Siegfried stood there, silently drinking. He took out his phone, thinking of calling Otto to confirm, but then gave up on the idea.
————————
Well into the morning, Kiana, a terrible sleeper, was clinging to Ryn like a koala. Ryn wasn't much better, and he was hugging Kiana back. The rule was, whoever woke up first, the other was in for it.
Unfortunately for Kiana, Ryn woke up first. He looked at Kiana, then at his own arms and legs. Ryn stealthily retracted them, then quietly got out of bed and slipped away.
The moment Ryn left the room, Kiana opened her eyes and stretched lazily. (The Kaslana waist, a deadly blade, I'd lick it, I'd lick it.)
Kiana had been awake for a while, but when she felt herself hugging Ryn, she didn't dare to wake up, forcing herself to lie still until Ryn woke up and left.
That morning, both of them tacitly said nothing. After washing up, they shouldered their packed luggage and prepared to set off in search of Siegfried.
With no destination, they followed the main road, going wherever it led. Whenever they came across a village or town, Kiana would be filled with novelty and joy, wandering here and there. In the end, after finding no trace of Siegfried, they would set off on their journey once more.
Since they had no destination, they didn't prepare a map. Ryn was thinking that since neither he nor Kiana had money, maybe he should take her somewhere to work for travel expenses.
When Kiana heard the word 'money,' she pulled a black card out of her backpack.
"This is the card Dad left me. He said with this card, I'll never have to worry about money. I just have to swipe it to pay for things."
"Oh? How much money is on it? I wonder how long it will last us."
"What do you mean, how much? I just remember Dad saying it has no limit and I can swipe it as much as I want. It's the exclusive black card for the head of the Kaslana family. Hehehe, my stinky old dad is the head of the Kaslana family, which makes me a young lady, you know."
Ryn practically fell to his knees before Kiana. He then held the black card as if it were a precious treasure. From now on, this thing was his real father. Who could refuse a black card with no limit and no repayments?
Siberia is vast. Ryn and Kiana walked for a whole day and only came across three populated places. It was already eight or nine at night when they finally reached another town. The good news was that there was a commercial street. The bad news was that most of the shops were closed.
Ryn excitedly pulled Kiana along, searching everywhere for a hotel to stay in. Luckily, most places didn't require ID for checking in these days, otherwise, the two unregistered individuals, Kiana and Ryn, would have been in trouble.
"Miss, two standard rooms, please," Ryn said to the lady at the counter with a smile, holding Kiana's hand.
The receptionist looked at Ryn and Kiana and asked, "Sisters? How old are you? Where are your parents?"
"Um... we're brother and sister. I'm the older brother, I'm 15, and she's 12. Our parents are outside, sleeping in the car. They told us to stay in the hotel."
"Little brother, you're so handsome, and your voice is so pleasant, you even had me mistaken. How about this, I'll give you one room with a large bed. That way, you can save a lot of money."
"Okay, thank you, Miss."
"By the way, Miss, is there anywhere to eat around here? We saw that many shops were closed when we arrived."
"Our hotel also provides dining services. There's a menu in the room. You can use the phone next to the nightstand to call the front desk and order directly."
"Okay, thank you, Miss."
"Such a sweet talker. Here is your room number. The stairs are over there."
"Okay, goodbye, Miss."
"Goodbye."
With that, Ryn pulled Kiana away. Kiana looked at the two of them, both smiling. It felt so strange. Everything he said was a lie, yet it made the receptionist so happy. But before they came in, Ryn had told him to handle everything and for her not to speak.
Once in the room, Kiana didn't even take off her backpack before throwing herself onto the large bed, burying her face deep in the quilt.
"Mmm, Ryn, this is so soft and comfortable. It just smells a little weird."
"It's probably the smell of disinfectant, or maybe it hasn't been changed in a while. Put on some pajamas and make do. I'm going to take a shower first."