The dark clouds roiled like ink across the sky. A fine curtain of rain shrouded the street in a hazy mist. Bean-sized raindrops splattered on the courtyard's bluestone slabs, flowing along the uneven texture into winding streams that rushed toward the drains by the roadside.
"The mission to investigate the truth of the Kanas Lake monster—are you all still planning to continue?"
A white baseball cap with a black triangular logo, a pure white sweatshirt with dark trim, and matching sweatpants.
As a five-thousand-year-old living fossil, even though Fu Hua didn't deliberately dress up, her attire, combined with her dignified and elegant appearance, was still incredibly stylish.
A tactical belt outlined the girl's sharp figure. Her hair, as if tempered by moonlight, was tied into a neat high ponytail. Her cobalt-blue eyes stared intently at the group, the ends of her hair flicking in sharp arcs with her movements, glinting in harmony with her golden geometric earrings.
Being stared at so directly by her, both Bronya and Kiana looked away uncomfortably.
Only Fuli.
"Cousin is so cool! Cousin is so badass! If I were a girl, I'd definitely marry you and be your sweet little wife for life!"
He vigorously waved eight glow sticks he'd gotten from somewhere, wedged between his fingers, cheering with all his might.
Rounding up, that means I'm my cousin's sweet little wife!
A weary Fu Hua rubbed her forehead. "Be serious."
"Okay!"
He was the very picture of obedience.
The girl tried to regain her previous cold demeanor, only to find that, like her Heart of Taixu Sword, which had shattered five hundred years ago, it was gone for good.
She sighed helplessly. "You've all seen the situation. This mission is clearly beyond our capabilities."
A colony of Honkai beasts with several Emperor-class and numerous A-rank individuals... All in all, they could rival the forces under some of Anti-Entropy's non-combat executives.
With the two powerhouses, Mei (Kurikara) and Kallen (Hyperion), benched, how could the new trio, led by Fuli, possibly stand against them?
"That's not necessarily true."
Bronya spoke calmly. "Idiot Kiana's father, Siegfried Kaslana, the wielder of the Key of Destruction, is nearby. Bronya doesn't understand why he's chosen to hide his identity and not meet his daughter, but he is undoubtedly our ally."
"Mmm, mmm!" Kiana nodded like a garlic-pounding pestle.
Given her personality, she would have normally planted a foot on the table, tilted her chin up, and declared, "With my old man around, it's just a few lake monsters! Watch me f— them all up!"
The reason she was quiet this time was that she remembered her previous mistake and didn't want to be too boisterous in front of Fuli, whose parents were missing.
"Fine. Even if Mr. Siegfried can hold off the enemy's Emperor-class, what about the rest?" Fu Hua's brow arched slightly. "More A-rank Honkai beasts than we can count on both hands. Can we really handle them?"
"We can!" Fuli leaned back in his chair and said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The girl was stunned. Damn, it's true!
She had been watching her non-blood-related little cousin during the battle. Not only had he held off dozens of lake monsters in a military formation by himself, but he had also used his exquisite swordsmanship to severely injure many of them, forcing them to rely on the shared life force of the formation to survive.
In Fu Hua's eyes, such a performance had already surpassed many powerful Critical-level Valkyries, almost on par with Murata Himeko wielding the Vermilion Knight and clad in the Ever-Burning Flames.
With her, Kiana, and Bronya working together, maybe it really wasn't a problem?
To be fair, Fuli's combat power wasn't as outrageous as Fu Hua imagined. It was mainly that his combination of tags was particularly suited for this type of battle.
The fragment of the Lance of the Finality nullified all attacks at or below the Critical level, and anything above that was weakened by ninety percent by the invincible Golden Armor.
The combination of Sparrow's Song, which allowed him to move through angles less than 120 degrees, and Void Dash enabled him to weave through the massive enemies with ease. If his energy ran low, he could activate the Human-Immortal Path to devour the enemy's remains and replenish his Honkai energy. And even if an accident did happen, the Shedding Scales Rebirth trait could bring him back from the dead.
Fu Hua muttered to herself, "I'm suddenly starting to suspect that the enemy retreated not just because they were wary of Siegfried's Judgment of Shamash..."
A handsome face immediately leaned in. "What did you say, cousin?"
"Nothing."
She pressed her open palm against Fuli's face, and amidst his muffled "mms," the girl looked at Dr. Zhou, the person in question. "What is your opinion?"
Her cautious nature still made her uneasy.
If the client canceled the mission, there was no reason for them to continue investigating.
"Huh?"
Dr. Zhou, coming to his senses, held out the prayer beads he was fiddling with. "Want to try? I had 24 gallstones removed in surgery. One was sent for testing, two small ones were discarded, and the rest were polished into these prayer beads. They feel nice."
Fu Hua, who had almost subconsciously reached for them, had a slight change of expression, her half-raised hand turning into a gesture of refusal. "N-no, thank you."
What kind of lunatic makes prayer beads out of gallstones!
She cursed inwardly and said, "You witnessed what happened at the lake. To be blunt, although the Kanas Lake incident is not yet beyond our capabilities, it has certainly exceeded the clearance level of what you are allowed to know."
"Exceeded my clearance level? What does that mean?"
"Even if we solve the mystery hidden in this lake, after the incident is over, the official Shenzhou departments will find you and erase this part of your memory."
This was undoubtedly cruel. Dr. Zhou had spent nearly half his life chasing this answer, alienating his friends and divorcing his wife.
And now Fu Hua was telling him: So what if you learn the truth you've dreamed of? When the time comes, you'll still have nothing. You'll still be a liar in the eyes of your friends and family. You'll still wander around Kanas Lake in a daze, until you die with a heart full of sorrow. Everything you've done will have been in vain.
Because this time, there would be no secrets left between this sky and this lake.
WHOOSH—!
A sudden gust of wind swept past, rattling the umbrellas above their heads.
The dense raindrops merged into a continuous rustle, like the soft whispers of silkworms munching on mulberry leaves.
Dr. Zhou's fist, resting on the table, clenched and then slowly relaxed. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Little ones, since you've accepted the mission I posted, you must have seen the requirements on it, right?"
Bronya nodded.
Kiana leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Was there? Didn't the Hyperion go through Mei's father's channels?"
"When I checked the mission on the dark web earlier, Bronya memorized the content."
They had originally planned to kill two birds with one stone, but then they found that the mission had already been accepted by Fu Hua.
Even so, the girl had still memorized the mission requirements.
For no other reason than that they were rare.
As a third-party platform, Schicksal's dark web was structured similarly to an online shopping site. When posting a mission, the client had to upload the full payment.
Schicksal would hold onto these funds and release them directly once the mission taker met the completion criteria.
That's right, without the client's secondary approval.
This created a problem: the client's rights during the mission could not be guaranteed.
Schicksal didn't care about that. The people who took missions on the platform were either Valkyries or organization-related personnel. Ensuring these people didn't make a trip for nothing was what was important.
As for the client? You could just write more requirements, like "protect my safety at all times" or "reward canceled upon my death."
Anything too outrageous wouldn't get through. The super AI Ella was specifically in charge of reviewing these.
Anything too simple wouldn't get through either, to prevent people from farming missions for performance.
Not happy? Then post on another platform!
But be warned, those mercenaries who live on the edge are not Valkyries who believe in "fighting for a better world." Killing the client on a whim... a simple "you'll have to pay more for that!" would be enough.
It was a case of picking the best of a bad bunch.
And the reason Bronya said Dr. Zhou's mission requirements were rare was precisely because his contract did not include the clause "protect the client at all costs."
"I know my little pension won't be much in your eyes, but if I save for a few more years, these old bones won't be able to support me running around anymore," Dr. Zhou chuckled lightly. "To get someone to help sooner, some sacrifices had to be made."
In other words, from the very beginning, the old man had been prepared to die on the path to discovering the truth.
"Miss Fu said that even if the truth is revealed, someone will come to erase my memory of it afterward. Knowing my personality, it's very likely I'll end up dying stubbornly and alone by Kanas Lake."
"But so what? Haven't I already found the answer I've strived for my whole life?" His eyes burned. "So what if they delete this part of my memory? Can it change the fact that it has already happened?"
"Of course not!" Dr. Zhou slammed the table, a wild smile spreading across his wrinkled old face. "It doesn't matter if I can't remember! Because this mountain will remember, these trees will remember, this river will remember, this lake will remember, and the country's relevant archives will record that an idiot's lifelong dream was finally fulfilled!"
"And you all," he softened his tone, his gaze sweeping over the young faces before him, "you will also remember. You'll remember the moment the truth came to light, and you'll remember the ugly sight of this old man kneeling on the ground, a snotty, teary mess."
"For me, that's enough."
Courage is not the absence of fear or ignoring fear, but pressing forward in spite of it.
...
"Honestly, making a grand speech and then immediately getting hemorrhoids from the cold and needing to apply ointment..."
Kiana, watching Dr. Zhou's retreating back as he rushed to the toilet, rested her cheek on her hand. "So, Class Rep, mission continues?"
The girl rarely didn't ask for Fuli's opinion. This was because she knew that as long as Fu Hua agreed, Fuli would choose to stay no matter what.
—Dammit! She's not even as busty as me! And she's only about as pretty as me! How did she get Ah Li so completely bewitched?
Kiana gnashed her teeth, staring at the boy's scalp and wondering where the best place to bite would be.
"We can, but on one condition."
Dr. Zhou's determination deserved respect, and giving up halfway was not Fu Hua's style either.
She remained seated primly. "Seven days. At most, seven days. If we can't solve the lake monster problem within that time, I will notify the Shenzhou officials to handle it."
Kanas Lake was a 5A-level scenic spot that required an entrance fee. The nearest human settlement was the town of Jiadengyu, more than thirty kilometers away. There were usually not many people around.
But the problem was that in another week, the summer tourist season would begin, and the scenic area would be packed with people.
Even though the lake monsters had never caused trouble in the Kanas area for thousands of years, just in case, Fu Hua stuck to her deadline.
"We were planning to solve it in seven days from the start," Fuli said, rubbing his chin. "Does this count as having a telepathic connection?"
"Onii-chan."
"What?"
"That's enough."
Bronya hugged herself with a look of disgust. This big brother was too cringe. If he kept this up, she really couldn't keep him.
Kiana patted her shoulder and sighed. Fuli had been like this when he first came to the Far East with her. No, he was even worse, giving her a massive headache.
"Just kidding, just kidding."
Fuli was mainly happy. In his previous life, when did he ever have the chance to fight alongside Fu Hua, the guide of the Honkai side?
Back then, when his cousin had given him the Peerless Nine Turns, she had solemnly said, "If you reach the sixth turn, you must find me at St. Freya." But he had only reached the fifth turn when the Far East Branch, under Theresa's leadership, collectively rebelled and attacked Schicksal. During that time, Murata Himeko fell, and Fu Hua's whereabouts became unknown.
Helpless, Fuli had to accept a mission from Schicksal to "clear out the Honkai beasts around the Mediterranean," planning to search for her while cleaning up.
And then, on a coast, he had picked up an unconscious white-haired fuzzball named Kiana.
"Routine post-battle summary and intelligence discussion."
Fuli, getting into the zone, looked at Bronya. "Project Bunny should have recorded the battle footage. Did you find anything unusual?"
"Yes, Onii-chan. I did."
The little sister did not disappoint. With a raise of her hand, a light screen unfolded before them.
On the screen, the hundred-meter-tall lake monster was split in two, slowly sinking into the lake like a collapsing mountain, its remains staining the water red.
It was the one that had been killed at the very beginning.
Siegfried, disguised as Qiteng, was watching from an inconspicuous corner. But in Bronya's eyes, since this guy had already witnessed the battle along with Dr. Zhou, there was no need for secrecy.
"Look here."
She zoomed in on a detail, then zoomed in again.
The resolution of the footage recorded by Project Bunny was high enough to remain clear even after dozens of magnifications. So, everyone could clearly see the small golden sword embedded in the lake monster's heart, fused with it.
Kiana tilted her head. "Why does this thing look so familiar? It's like... I've seen it recently?"
"You have," Bronya, knowing this idiot's intelligence, didn't keep her in suspense. "A few days ago, when we boarded the luxury cruise ship to rescue Asta, who were we fighting?"
"The current Yanluo Shira! I even got my Blazing Radiance from him for free!" Kiana gestured wildly.
Hearing the name of an "old acquaintance," Fu Hua's gaze drifted over. You guys have had quite a lot of experiences, she thought.
Bronya's expression was blank. "And?"
"And the Kheshig. Those that the Golden Family converted through the Pact of Eternal Sky—"
At this point, the girl cried out, "The Pact of Eternal Sky!"
"That's right."
The Pact of Eternal Sky, an A-rank spell. The blood of the Golden Family's king is turned into a small sword-like shape. When the sword is inserted into the heart of the creature to be converted, the golden blood spreads throughout the body, turning it into one of their own bloodline, the historically famous Kheshig army.
The conversion usually has an awakening period ranging from an instant to several months, during which they will gradually adapt to the Kheshig's talents and begin to awaken their own abilities. In addition, the converted's cognition will be distorted.
While their memories remain unchanged, their personality and cognition will become completely loyal to the king of the Golden Family, which may manifest as love, respect, worship, etc., depending on their original personality.
"The historical Kheshig army always appeared in human form, which gave people the misconception that the Kheshig could only convert humans," Bronya said, word by word. "However, in reality, there has never been any evidence to suggest that the spell only works on humans!"
"The king of the Golden Family..."
Fu Hua suddenly recalled a piece of information she had gathered: according to the legends of the local Tuva people in Kanas, they were the descendants of Genghis Khan.
After Genghis Khan's death, his body was sunk in Kanas Lake, and the "lake monster" was the "lake saint" that protected his spirit from being disturbed.
Combined with the fact that the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Inner Mongolia was a cenotaph...
"In other words!"
Connecting all of the above, Kiana's eyes widened. "By pure dumb luck, we've found the true tomb of the great conqueror who established the largest empire in the world, spanning Eurasia, a tomb that no one has ever found before—Genghis Khan's real tomb?!!"
...