Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 8: Uluru Town
Uluru Town was a residential town adjacent to a port city. It was full of everyday life, had relatively well-developed infrastructure, and offered everything one might need for daily living.
Although the two towns were only a day or two apart, Uluru Town and Mond Town, separated by several mountains, presented completely different landscapes.
Sigurd and Kiana arrived at dusk.
Before entering town, Sigurd and Kiana changed into clean clothes and each shouldered a backpack containing the things they needed to bring. The donkey cart and the remaining supplies they had prepared for emergencies in the snowy mountains were all hidden in a snow-white forest outside town.
Traveling light was the best way to avoid drawing attention.
"Sig, where are we going first?"
"Take care of food and lodging, then find a map."
Sigurd surveyed the streets and casually answered Kiana's question.
Kiana's bright, watery eyes darted around. It was rare for her to see a town with such a strong sense of civilization, and she was itching to explore every corner.
There must be lots of delicious food!
Kiana unconsciously licked her lips.
Sigurd glanced at her. He didn't even need to ask to have a pretty good idea what she was thinking.
He really envied this girl's carefree thought process. Meanwhile, he was worrying about the fact that neither of them had identification documents. He had no idea how strictly the local hotels and inns checked the identities of their guests.
Half an hour later, Sigurd sat on the inn's sofa, listening to Kiana happily bouncing around on the bedroom bed, and fell into despair.
"Right. Although the standard of living is completely different, Mond is so close and both towns belong to the same administrative district. It makes sense that their government administration would be at a similar level."
As a matter of fact, Uluru Town's relatively modern residential environment was largely thanks to the nearby port city. Quite a few working-class people from the city had simply chosen to settle here. That was all.
So when they checked into the inn, the receptionist was merely curious about why two children were staying there alone. Beyond that, there was no additional scrutiny. She took their money and handed them the keys.
"Woohoo! This bed is amazing! It's soft, and it doesn't stink! I can finally get a good night's sleep!"
"Can't you sleep soundly anywhere?"
"What are you talking about? The quality of a bed is closely related to the quality of sleep! Tonight, I'm going to make up for all the sleep I failed to get properly over the past few days!"
Kiana said a bunch of inexplicable things and didn't forget to laugh heartily afterward.
Sigurd was genuinely impressed by her relentlessly optimistic attitude.
"Sig, I've discovered a problem!"
While Sigurd was lost in thought, Kiana, barefoot, suddenly appeared in front of him. She looked completely serious as she spoke.
They were standing very close. Kiana's breath carried a peculiar warmth that Sigurd could feel on his face.
Without changing his expression, Sigurd leaned back slightly to create some distance.
"What problem?"
"We forgot to bring that pile of US dollars! We don't have much money left now!"
"..."
Sigurd rolled his eyes.
"I thought you'd discovered something important. That's it? You don't seriously think currency from across the ocean can circulate normally here, do you? And even if it could, we just took out those bad guys two days ago. Spending US dollars in this nearby town right afterward wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous, would it?"
Kiana blinked and slapped her palm.
"So you deliberately left it behind?"
"Mm."
"But…"
Kiana pulled a small stack of local bills out of her backpack, spread them into a fan, and waved them in front of Sigurd.
"You paid for the room, and now this is all we have left! There's not much left at all! Really!"
"That's not something you need to worry about. I'll figure something out," Sigurd replied calmly.
The local currency they had taken from the dead wasn't a huge amount, but it wasn't insignificant either. They had just paid for ten days at the inn, and with the money Kiana was holding, they had roughly enough for living expenses.
Ten days was plenty of time to find a way to use that pile of US dollars properly. Sigurd was quite confident about that.
"But what if someone steals all that money while it's left outside?"
"Then we'll earn more."
To be honest, with his super-brain capabilities and the Honkai Energy in his body, money really wasn't something Sigurd needed to worry about.
Kiana: "Fine, I guess."
Having resolved the issue, Kiana put her money back into her backpack. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she grabbed Sigurd's hand.
"Oh, right! Sig, let's go take a bath! You can help me wash my hair!"
"Didn't I tell you that you're not supposed to take all your clothes off in front of a boy!?"
With each word emphasized separately, Sigurd had already grabbed Kiana's soft cheeks and started pulling them apart.
"Ah! It hurts, it hurts! Let go, let go!"
"Learn your lesson!"
"Uwaaah!!"
Five minutes later, Kiana sat properly on her knees on the floor, her head lowered. She looked as though she were silently shedding tears.
Sigurd sat with one leg crossed over the other. His expression remained unchanged, but he was beginning to have second thoughts.
Was I too harsh?
Thinking about it carefully, she had only been in this world for a few years. Being too strict with her probably wasn't a good idea.
Sniffle…
Sniffle…
"Alright, stop crying. I'll help you find the best cake around here tomorrow."
"Is this really about the cake? We're friends, aren't we?! What's the harm in helping me wash my hair?! Why… why are you treating me like this?! Sig, you're so mean!"
The girl spoke with her head lowered.
However, Sigurd keenly sensed something was off. He reached out and lifted Kiana's head before she could react.
As expected, not only were there no tears, but she was even snickering.
"You're getting pretty creative, huh? Now you're even pretending to cry to get compensation from me?"
"Um… well… you can't go back on your promise about the cake!"
Smack!
Sigurd gently tapped Kiana on the head and sighed.
"Fine. Go take a bath yourself."
"Can't you really help me wash my hair? It's so long, and washing it myself is such a hassle!"
"Then cut it off."
"But then I won't be pretty anymore!"
"…Why are you so troublesome?"
"Sig, you big idiot! You'll never find a wife acting like this!"
Kiana made a face at him, then scampered off into the bathroom.
Sigurd remained seated, shaking his head helplessly.
Half an hour later, a little girl with damp hair emerged, wrapped in an excessively oversized bathrobe that dragged halfway across the floor. She approached Sigurd, holding a towel.
"Here. Dry my hair."
"You should do it yourself… Never mind. I suppose it really is difficult to dry it yourself."
Ignoring the large expanse of white skin exposed by the bathrobe, Sigurd shook his head and resigned himself to drying Kiana's hair.
Having transmigrated into the world of Honkai, and only just gotten used to his new circumstances, the first thing he had to do was take care of a mischievous, single-minded little girl. This transmigration…
"Ah-choo!"
Apparently tickled by her own hair, Kiana suddenly sneezed and instinctively shook her head like a little dog fresh out of a bath.
"Stop moving around and sit still!"
Sigurd hurriedly held her in place so he could continue drying her hair.
This transmigration… well, perhaps it wasn't so bad after all.
As Sigurd went about his task, he sighed helplessly. Yet he failed to notice that the corners of his mouth had quietly curled upward.