The midday sun coated the Kanas scenic area in a layer of flowing gold leaf. The sky was high and clear, with wisps of cloud scattered like shredded white gauze on a blue canvas.
The Altai Mountains were outlined with a clear and gentle stroke, while Friendship Peak in the distance gleamed like polished silver, the perennial snow on its summit reflecting sharp, cold glints of light.
Amidst this breathtaking scenery, a low moan of boundless agony echoed. "It hurts..."
"That Kiana... she should have some—Sir, are you alright?!"
Fuli, who had rushed to the hotel entrance, was shocked to see Dr. Zhou on the ground, butt in the air, in a tragic state.
Why was the client attacked? Did our investigation of the lake monster offend someone? Why didn't I sense any enemies? How did they manage such a precise assassination?
Countless thoughts collided in the boy's mind. His hand on the Sparrow's Song at his waist tensed slightly. In an instant, the detection-specialized "Frozen River Reflecting the Moon" from his Instant Blade technique spread out, a three-dimensional map covering a radius of several hundred meters slowly unfolding before his eyes, determined not to miss a single clue.
Siegfried was startled at first, but quickly relaxed.
The "Embalming Technique (B)" he was using could mask his presence, including from the naked eye and scans. Normally, even experts of the same level or slightly higher couldn't see through it.
Considering Siegfried was among the top-tier S-ranks, if Fuli could actually detect something was amiss, the Hyperion could go straight to the UN's Disaster Containment Initiative and submit an "Application for Promotion to Medium-Sized Organization."
Why?
Because if Fuli was S-rank, they'd meet the prerequisite for a medium-sized organization's combat power: a single S-rank individual.
But just in case, the man pretended not to notice anything and struggled to help the groaning Dr. Zhou up from the ground.
"No need to overreact, young man. I'm... I'm fine! Just an old ailment acting up."
The old man barely managed to stand, the sharp pain in his nether regions causing him to suck in cold air through his teeth.
If moles were places kissed by someone in a past life, then Dr. Zhou must have had his "dragon" serviced many times, to the point where even a taxi ride over a mountain pass could cause his hemorrhoids to flare up so spectacularly.
"I..."
Fuli, learning the truth, was speechless. The half-drawn Sparrow's Song also fell silent.
Just then, the remaining three from the car arrived.
Fu Hua's expression was rather dark. After she had spoken, the duo on the moon had shamelessly cut off contact again, leaving her feeling frustrated and pent-up.
Fuli, having disguised his longsword, walked over. "Are you in a bad mood, cousin? If something's wrong, we can all talk about it."
She can't possibly say she's unhappy because those two are playing favorites with you.
Looking at the boy's clean, concerned face, the girl sighed.
"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head and changing the subject. "Let's go book the rooms. It's almost peak tourist season; we should hurry."
...
There's something to be said about the words of the powerful often becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.
The hotel receptionist, a woman whose beauty had aged gracefully, had an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, we only have one honeymoon suite left."
A honeymoon suite, also known as a king-size room, a couple's room, or a husband-and-wife room.
"Bend the rules a little, Xiao Wang."
Dr. Zhou, who just moments ago looked like he was at death's door, now sauntered over with a rose between his teeth, a blush on his old face. "Look, the combined age of these three kids isn't even as old as the two of us. Even if they share a room, nothing's going to happen."
"But the hotel has rules."
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible!"
"You're not the one who'll be responsible if something happens, you old coot. Of course you don't care!"
"It's fine! I'll take responsibility with you!"
"Class Monitor, what's with those two?" Kiana whispered to Fu Hua, seeing the old man's fawning expression.
"Isn't it obvious? The client is pursuing that lady," Bronya retorted. "What is this, an old man's second spring?"
"No." Fu Hua rubbed her forehead, looking like she was about to say something difficult. "According to my investigation, Dr. Zhou just has a thing for widows."
"Ah, this." Kiana was stunned.
Fuli, observing them, deduced, "From the way they're bickering, they seem to have known each other for a while."
Fu Hua explained, "To investigate the lake monster, the doctor has been renting room 301 in this hotel ever since he retired. He's been here for two and a half years. It would be strange if he wasn't familiar with Ms. Wang, the receptionist."
"Oh." The boy nodded in understanding and then shot a look at Kiana and Bronya.
They were the ones who needed a room, not Dr. Zhou. Even though he seemed more than willing to lead the charge, the main players had to be the ones directly involved.
Kiana stepped forward first, saying magnanimously, "There's no need to argue, you two. A honeymoon suite, right? It's actually just right for the three of us!"
She threw her arms around Fuli's, pressing her face against his cheek, her eyes curving into crescents. "This is my husband! We were engaged when we were very young!"
Under the counter, her stocking-clad foot kicked Bronya. "And this is our daughter!"
The girl said expressionlessly, "Yes. It's only been a few years since Bronya's one-month-old celebration."
Her reluctance was palpable.
"Who are you kidding!" the receptionist thought, You think this is a 2D world?
Just as she was about to deliver a powerful rebuttal...
"Meow~"
A cute meow was heard.
Fuli looked down and saw a chubby orange cat had appeared at his feet. It was rubbing its head against his pant leg and purring, looking utterly adorable.
He bent down and picked the cat up. It showed none of the usual feline aloofness, snuggling and even exposing its soft belly without any hesitation, as if to say, "From now on, you're no longer a catless loner."
Ms. Wang was surprised. "Da Ju! Behave yourself, come back here!"
She called several times before the orange cat reluctantly jumped out of Fuli's arms and sat on the counter, wagging its tail, looking like a living Maneki-neko.
The receptionist rummaged under the counter and handed Fuli a lint roller for all the cat hair.
"That's strange," she said, confused. "Da Ju is never this clingy."
"I know, right!" Dr. Zhou chimed in, his old face a mixture of flattery and grievance. "I've been here for over two years, and that little—that cat still poops on my doorstep every day!"
Serves you right for having designs on its owner! Fu Hua rolled her eyes.
Fuli, staring at the cat, was lost in thought. He turned to the dutiful receptionist. "Ma'am, three years ago, did you run a convenience store next to a high school in Linchuan, Jiangxi Province?"
The receptionist was taken aback, then smiled. "You were a student at that high school? I came back in '11. But even if we're acquaintances, you three kids can't just bend the rules."
"I wasn't a student there," the boy said, pointing to the orange cat, which had once again sidled up to him. "Did a little boy in a raincoat give you this cat during the Linchuan flood?"
Ms. Wang was shocked. She raised her eyes and studied Fuli's face carefully.
After a moment, she slapped her thigh in realization. "It's you! Our reliable 'Little Knight'."
The rest of the check-in process was smooth sailing. The receptionist, who had been so firm just moments ago, was now not only completely convinced that nothing would happen with the three of them sharing a room, but her enthusiastic demeanor also made Dr. Zhou quite jealous.
It wasn't until they had the key that Kiana, as if waking from a dream, looked at Fuli, who now had a cat on his shoulder.
"Ah Li, you knew each other before?"
Fu Hua and Bronya also shot him inconspicuous glances, clearly wanting to get in on this story.
"It's nothing," the boy said casually, stroking the cat. "When the flood hit Linchuan, I went over to volunteer."
"One time, on my way back, I rescued a dying little orange kitten from the water."
"Back at the base, we volunteers were staying in a high school classroom. The army medic took one look at the kitten and shook his head, saying it was a lost cause and I should bury it."
"I couldn't bear to, so I took the kitten to the convenience store outside the school. I bought a basin to wash it with warm water, and then bought some milk and sausage to feed it, hoping it would live."
"That's when the convenience store employee, Ms. Wang, who was still in Linchuan at the time, saw me and said, 'Why don't you let me raise this poor little kitten? If it survives, it can be the store's lucky cat.' So I gave the kitten to her."
"During the flood relief efforts, whenever I had a break, I'd go to the convenience store to buy food and check on her."
"I just never expected that not only would the little guy survive, but it would also travel halfway across Shenzhou with its owner and settle down here in Xinjiang."
Kiana was stunned. "So, that cat..."
"That's right, it's Da Ju," Ms. Wang said with a smile. "You don't know, little girl, but when your little boyfriend came as a volunteer, the soldiers almost sent him back. The thirteen-year-old was just a little thing at first, running around helping out. But later, he got the hang of it and would wear an oversized raincoat, driving a speedboat into the villages to rescue people, muttering something about 'upholding the knightly spirit of the Kaslanas.' Before we knew it, we were all calling him our cute Little Knight."
"The 'cute' is unnecessary, and so is the 'little'!" Fuli quickly added. Though thinking back on it now was embarrassing, he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.
One of the most satisfying things in Shenzhou was having your good deeds coincidentally discovered by others. It was an East Asian cultural thing.
"Not everyone was there to help like I was," he said, pouting as he fed Da Ju a cat treat. "I remember the most ridiculous thing I saw was someone who would cry over any dead body they found, claiming it was a relative, then search the body, take whatever they found, and move on to the next one."
"Human nature can be terrifying, can't it?"
Kiana made a face at Da Ju.
"Meow—"
The cat was unimpressed. This, perhaps, was a case of like repelling like.
The girl wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, she was as happy as if she had done the good deed herself.
Ah Li became a knight upholding the Kaslana will because of his promise to 'me'.
"Hehe~" At this thought, Kiana was as happy as if she had eaten honey.
...
After getting the room key, the three of them went upstairs, while the others waited below.
They had been staying here for a while, so they had their own rooms.
As for why the girls didn't just share with Fu Hua, it was a matter of personal boundaries.
Put yourself in their shoes: who would be comfortable being suddenly asked to sleep with someone else, even if they said they didn't mind?
"I'm talking about you, idiot Ah Li!"
"Dammit!"
Mr. Fu, who had originally planned to have Kiana and Bronya stay in the honeymoon suite while he "sacrificed" himself and shared with Cousin Hua, was not happy.
Since it wasn't a large hotel, the suite was simply decorated: two beds, one wide and one narrow, and a separate bathroom. The bathroom glass was frosted to obscure the view.
"Why would a couple's room have this!" Kiana clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
Fuli was shocked. "Why are you the one who's dissatisfied? Shouldn't I be the one who's unhappy that I can't peek at a beautiful girl showering?"
That's because I use my spatial abilities to peek at you showering whenever I'm bored, of course!
Kiana would die before she'd say something so perverted.
"Let's check for hidden cameras!" she whispered in their ears.
"Uwaaaaah!!!"
Then, before they could react, she clutched her chest and fell onto the bed, her body twitching as if she were having a heart attack.
Fuli froze for a second, then frantically threw himself over her. "What's wrong, Kiana?! Urgh! I... I can't breathe! Help! Somebody help us!"
He then clutched his own chest and collapsed on the floor, soon falling silent.
Bronya, who had been shocked at first but quickly figured out what they were doing: (ᗜ˰ᗜ)
—Did Onii-chan and idiot Kiana not consider that the kind of person who would install hidden cameras wouldn't care if they were dead or alive?
Sigh. So tired.
A stream of data flashed through her gray eyes. Confirming that there were no surveillance devices in the room, the girl went to a corner, sat down, and took out her phone to start a game.
Fuli and Kiana, ignored, weren't embarrassed at all. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and continued their antics.
A little while later, the three, having had their fun, went downstairs to meet up with Fu Hua, who was alone.
"Where are the other two?"
How dare they leave my cousin here all by herself! Death penalty! Death penalty!
"They went to rent a car," the girl said, pushing up her decorative glasses.
"Oh," Fuli nodded, then asked, "Are we going to check out the site now?"
"Yes," Fu Hua said. "Kanas Lake is a 5A-level scenic reserve, so it's bustling even on non-holidays. Fortunately, most people gather at a few famous spots like Camel Neck Bay and Sleeping Dragon Bay. They won't venture into other areas without a local guide."
"And we're going to the central forest area, which has little tourist value."
Fuli glanced at Bronya. The girl silently raised her arm. On her slender right index finger, a silver ring with a dragon head design gleamed.
For Mei's birthday two or three months ago (Volume 3, Chapter 15), after they defeated the rampaging three-headed sea serpent god, Mei had used the organ that controlled water currents within its body to create this C-rank item, the "Water Dragon's Chant."
Anyone equipped with it could freely manipulate surrounding liquids; all liquid within a hundred-meter radius could be controlled by this item.
With this in hand, even if it took a bit more time, flipping Kanas Lake—which was only 188.5 meters at its deepest—completely upside down wouldn't be a problem.
Under such circumstances, no lake monster could possibly hide.
Of course, they had to be careful not to be discovered.
Otherwise, before they figured out the lake monster, they'd become the new local legend, and that—
Fuli, Kiana, and Bronya exchanged glances.
That... actually sounds kind of fun?
Imagine tourists boating on the lake, suddenly seeing a Wuling Hongguang drive past underwater.
Seeing the three of them getting eager, a weary Fu Hua warned, "Don't cause any extra trouble."
The higher-ups in Shenzhou's supernatural bureaus would show Celestial Master Phoenix an incredible amount of deference, but the junior agents at the ground level were unlikely to give Fu Hua the same courtesy.
Phoenix's identity was known to very few, even among the top brass. If some hot-headed junior agents mistook a Schicksal Valkyrie for someone trying to stir up trouble, they might not hold back.
If things blew up, she, as the elder, would be the one to lose face.
"Yes, ma'am!" x3
The three of them raised their hands obediently.
It was just that the "Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!" written all over their faces made it utterly impossible for anyone to feel at ease.
Considering the trio's personalities, Fu Hua seriously doubted how much of an effect her warning would have.
Teenagers. Even dogs can't stand them.
...