After a great deal of coaxing and pleading, Shu finally managed to swindle... obtain enough Contribution Points from SeaofQuantaMoonFishCat to pay for their meal just before it was time to pay.
Rather than "enough to pay," it was more like Kiana had given him a surprisingly high amount.
Shu still remembered Mei saying that five Contribution Points could buy a full meal with meat and vegetables in the Fire Moth cafeteria. Kiana had transferred him a full 50...
Could Kiana have transferred him meal money based on her own standards?
The team's funds were still frozen.
For Kiana to take out so many Contribution Points at once... Shu suddenly felt that the fifty points were as heavy as a mountain, laden with a profound debt of gratitude that he could never repay.
Maybe after the team's funds were unfrozen, he should let Kiana manage his share for a while, as a way of making up for the fifty... sixty... Contribution Points he'd borrowed today.
---||---
Although the cafeteria at the frontline base was small, it was surprisingly crowded.
In the extreme environment after the Great Honkai, the importance of certain things had been greatly elevated.
The desire for a hot meal was the greatest happiness people pursued at the moment. Before Fire Moth appeared, who hadn't survived on dry biscuits or cold canned food?
Now that Fire Moth was leading the way, a vibrant scene of life and growth was unfolding before them. What was wrong with wanting a hot meal?
Accepting the 50 Contribution Points generously donated by Kiana, Shu and Susannah lined up at the back of the queue.
At the same time, Bianka, who had just gotten in line, suddenly felt a familiar presence. It made her subconsciously turn her head, and her eyes met a pair of azure-blue, yet cold, eyes.
Shu: "..."
Bianka: "..."
Taking a slow, silent deep breath, the corner of Shu's eye twitched imperceptibly.
Although her body was smaller, Shu could still tell at a glance who the little girl in front of him was.
Bianka... why does she look like this? Or was the person in front of him just a very dedicated cosplayer of Bianka?
"Bianka, what's wrong?" Azhar, who was in front of Bianka, noticed her strange behavior. She turned around and saw Shu's face, which stood out even in a crowd.
The features were almost identical to Mr. Siegfried's... Azhar knew this one! A Kaslana!
Wait, wasn't Bianka a Kaslana? That meant the person behind them... could be one of Bianka's relatives?
After a moment's hesitation, the ten-year-old Azhar looked at the "Shu" who appeared to be in his early twenties and spoke in a slightly forced, higher-pitched voice.
"Hello, Uncle."
Unc—
Shu's vision suddenly went dark. He almost couldn't exhale the deep breath he had just taken.
Did Kevin look that old, or was it now socially acceptable to call a twenty-year-old an "uncle"?
Rita also turned around at this moment. She was slightly surprised to see Shu and Susannah behind them, but she quickly composed herself.
She was one of the few who knew the true identity of the white-haired young man in front of her—the captain of the First Exploration Team, Shu.
Coming to Sapphire City this time was also a mission entrusted by the Overseer. Bringing Bianka and Azhar along was a choice Rita had made after weighing the benefits.
But his current state... was that the Mosquito's Breath from Future City?
Rita pondered, her expression unchanged, as if she didn't know Shu at all.
Azhar's address, which had made Shu's vision go dark, made Bianka's eyes light up. The sense of familiarity she felt from Shu had been confusing her, and with Azhar's prompt, Bianka immediately followed suit.
"Uncle!"
"Ahem..." Shu couldn't help but let out a light cough. "Actually, I..."
"He's actually very young... W-wait?! It's Lady Rita!" Susannah, who had popped her head out from behind Shu, was about to defend him when her eyes lit up and she almost cried out.
If it weren't for the two times she had suffered social suicide on the train, Susannah would have definitely shouted this time.
Forcibly suppressing her excitement, Susannah looked at Rita, at a loss for words. "Lady Rita, what are you doing here?"
Before Rita could think of an answer, Susannah had already answered for her.
"Oh! I get it!" Seeing that familiar "aha!" expression, Shu sighed inwardly.
"Lady Rita must be on a secret mission, right...?" Susannah lowered her voice and whispered to Rita with great relish.
Rita just smiled and didn't answer.
But in Susannah's eyes, this was a confirmation that she had guessed correctly. The others watched as a pink hue crept up Susannah's cheeks.
"It really is a secret mission... A mission that requires Lady Rita's presence must be a very important one..." In front of everyone, Susannah once again entered a state of self-absorbed muttering.
No, actually, the mission is just to check on the situation of Lord Shu, who is traveling incognito.
"This must be Lady Durandal!" Susannah looked down at the small Bianka, the admiration in her voice making Bianka feel a little uncomfortable.
"To be able to disguise yourself as such a cute little child~ Hmm~ so cute!"
This time, Rita nodded in agreement. Bianka smiled shyly at Susannah.
This was the first time someone had called her cute to her face... Was that really a compliment a qualified warrior should receive?
But it was a compliment nonetheless. Bianka straightened up slightly and said "thank you" to Susannah with her slightly chubby face tilted up.
It was as if a pink arrow had shot through Susannah's heart, making her breathing heavy.
After a moment, Susannah's gaze fell on the last person, Azhar.
Azhar's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be... that I'll receive this big sister's praise too?
"It's... uh..." Susannah was stumped.
She felt that the child in front of her was very familiar, but she had searched through all the legendary exploration team members she had memorized and couldn't find a similar figure.
Of course Susannah couldn't find her. Azhar hadn't even officially joined the Immortal Blades yet, so it was impossible for her to have the identity of a legendary exploration team member.
Azhar's excitement instantly died down. She lowered her head and slowly squatted down, looking like a burnt-out, black-and-white photograph.
"It's Azhar, the one who took the Herrscher Core in the battle a few days ago. It's a pleasure to meet you."