Sunset, a scene that was breathtaking no matter when it was witnessed.
Watching the golden orb sink below the horizon, casting its last rays of light upon the earth, darkness slowly began to stain the world.
Witnessing this scene of yin and yang in transition, Ming Yu's heart was inevitably moved, immersed in the great power of nature.
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air broke the silence, startling the boy from his thoughts.
Reaching out, Ming Yu firmly caught the object that had come from behind him.
Taking a closer look, it was a can of beer.
Immediately after, a hearty voice rang out: "You sure know how to find a good spot, kid, running all the way up to the rooftop."
Ming Yu looked back to see a red-haired woman slowly climbing over the raised roof and appearing in his line of sight.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ming Yu said with a hint of resignation, "Long time no see, Major."
Carefully sitting down beside Ming Yu, Himeko first took a large gulp of the beer in her hand before turning her gaze to him and sighing, "I can't believe that in just half a year, the little brat from back then is almost at the same rank as me."
"It's still too early for that. In terms of military rank, I was only just promoted to Captain not long ago. Even if my Valkyrie rank has gone up, I'm still a long way from Major."
After silently complaining about Schicksal's ranking system, Ming Yu seriously corrected Himeko's words, subtly expressing his modesty at the same time.
Glancing at the tactless Ming Yu, a flicker of dissatisfaction crossed Himeko's eyes.
Who's talking about military rank with you?!
Although military rank was indeed very important, within the Valkyrie forces, especially for front-line Valkyries, the ultimate measure of strength was their Valkyrie rank. Besides, to be thinking about the position of Major so soon, are you trying to take over the Hyperion as well?
Looking at Ming Yu sipping his beer, Himeko scolded him bluntly, "When you drink, you have to drink it in big gulps. You're a grown man, stop being so fussy!"
With that, she tilted her head back and gulped down the entire can in her hand.
"Hah~ So good~"
Putting down the empty can, Himeko let out a long breath and a loud burp.
Shifting his gaze away uncomfortably, Ming Yu sighed and said, "You didn't come all this way just to drink with me, did you?"
Although he wasn't the type to pass out after one drink, his alcohol tolerance wasn't particularly high either. If Himeko was looking for a drinking partner, she probably wouldn't have sought him out.
Compared to drinking with him, Himeko was probably more interested in getting Theresa drunk and then doing as she pleased.
After a moment of contemplation, Himeko said tentatively, "About what happened this morning... Theresa had her reasons."
Clearly, Himeko was here as a mediator. Although the matter wasn't an irreconcilable conflict, it would inevitably create a rift, for both Ming Yu and Theresa.
But Theresa was the Principal, after all, and couldn't stay angry with a young man like Ming Yu forever. Sending Himeko was her way of trying to mend their relationship.
Even if she couldn't persuade Ming Yu to carry out the mission, she at least couldn't let him develop rebellious feelings towards the Far East Branch.
Seeing the faint hope in Himeko's eyes, Ming Yu sighed internally and said, "I understand. Something like this is ultimately quite sensational. No one with a normal IQ would believe it so easily."
Ming Yu already found it difficult to harbor ill feelings towards people like Theresa. Since the Principal had shown her intention to make amends, he naturally went along with it.
Moreover, with Fu Hua's promise, his worries about the trip to Jiu You had lessened considerably, so he was no longer fixated on getting more support from Theresa.
Seeing how reasonable Ming Yu was, Himeko also breathed a sigh of relief. Before coming, she had worried that Ming Yu would be difficult to talk to; after all, his behavior in the Principal's office hadn't been particularly good.
But as it turned out, her worries were unnecessary.
Noticing the concealed disappointment on Ming Yu's face, Himeko felt a pang of sympathy and quickly comforted him, "But it's not like Theresa completely ignored your warning. After careful consideration, she has already agreed to dispatch the Hyperion for this mission."
"The Hyperion..." Ming Yu murmured, his mind racing to figure out what role the battleship could play.
After carefully recalling the plot of the Xuanyuan Chapter and combining it with the information he had, Ming Yu came to the conclusion that it would be of little use.
Although the Hyperion's main cannon could pierce Chiyou's hide, those two seals might have been a deliberate lure by Chiyou, so its true power had to be taken with a grain of salt.
At the very least, the Hyperion hadn't been of much use against Benares. And facing Chiyou, who was on the same level, Ming Yu didn't think the outcome would be much different.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he hurriedly asked Himeko, "How is the interpretation of the archaeological documents on Jiu You coming along?"
"If you're talking about that silk manuscript, the main part has been fully deciphered. But some key points are still missing, like the specific location of Jiu You."
After a moment's thought, Himeko frankly revealed the Far East Branch's current situation without hiding much.
If Ming Yu intended to participate in this operation, he would find out about these things sooner or later. Besides, this information wasn't particularly top secret, so there was no need to hide it from him.
"If you were to search for Jiu You, how long do you and Theresa estimate it would take?" Nodding to show he understood, Ming Yu asked another question.
"Considering the geography of Guangzhou and the locations of recorded Honkai events in history, the estimated time could be anywhere from ten days to a month."
After careful consideration, Himeko arrived at this imprecise conclusion. The plan to conquer Jiu You was still in the preparatory stages, and even the existing documents hadn't been fully analyzed, so of course, there wouldn't be a complete operational plan.
"What if... I know where Jiu You is?" Shaking his head, Ming Yu said seriously.
"What!"
Hearing Ming Yu's words, Himeko could no longer remain calm and couldn't help but cry out.
Logically speaking, Ming Yu hadn't even seen the document, so he shouldn't know the location of Jiu You.
But both she and Theresa knew very well that Ming Yu seemed to have a special intelligence channel and knew some strange things.
But at this point, they could no longer use force against him. Although Ming Yu alone couldn't stand against the Far East Branch, not even Theresa was completely confident she could keep him here.
Besides, flipping the table like this would do them no good at all. At least so far, Ming Yu had done nothing to harm St. Freya or the Far East Branch.
Thinking of this, Himeko couldn't help but recall Ming Yu's doubts about Chiyou's strength, wondering how much credibility there was to it.
"Give me command of the Guangzhou garrison. I can find the location of Jiu You within three days and prove that this operation isn't as simple as you think!"
Holding up three fingers, Ming Yu said slowly.
For the Far East Branch, rather than waiting for the deciphering of that silk manuscript with unknown contents, and then waiting for an unknown period of preliminary reconnaissance, Ming Yu's proposal was undoubtedly a plan worth trying.
His gaze fell leisurely on the Valkyrie before him, and a wicked smile appeared on his face, half-hidden in the night.