"That settles it, then."
Having arranged the matter of relocating the Tuva people, Fu Hua turned and left the City God Temple with a clean, brisk stride.
She left Yanqing standing alone beneath the massive statue, staring blankly out the window as the sky cleared after the rain.
A moment later, a tall figure stepped into the hall, standing before the young man with a respectful yet reserved posture.
"Sword Champion."
She was dressed in a professional OL outfit of a white blouse and black trousers that accentuated her feminine charm. Her short, dark brown hair was styled in a bob, her face was pretty and gentle, and her figure was exquisite. A staff ID was pinned to the left side of her ample chest; according to its contents, she was none other than the local City God who, according to Yanqing, was on her annual leave.
Yanqing, snapping out of his thoughts, smiled. "It's been a while, Miss Hanyin."
"Please, just call me by my name," Mu Hanyin said, overwhelmed by the honor.
The City God, a deity in Daoist mythology who protects a city.
Under the modern operation of Shenzhou's supernatural departments, this divine office had evolved into a special, certified profession. One could think of them as grassroots civil servants specializing in local Honkai-related incidents.
However, their total number was relatively small, mostly determined by the population and importance of their assigned region.
The Altay region of Xinjiang had a total population of only 670,000, and with military support available due to its proximity to the border, only Mu Hanyin was stationed there.
Yanqing didn't respond to his subordinate's self-deprecation.
His well-defined fingers stroked the sharp sword hanging at his waist as he murmured with a sigh, "Grandmaster... she's really weakened so much."
Yanqing had deliberately arranged for Mu Hanyin to wait outside, wanting to see if Fu Hua could detect this A-rank City God hiding in the shadows.
Unfortunately, she hadn't.
The Celestial Master Phoenix of today, without actively using a sensory skill, couldn't even detect such a subtle clue.
"We really should have brought Grandmaster back to Shenzhou sooner. Schicksal... they are outsiders, after all," Yanqing muttered to himself.
Yes, up until now, Otto had created the Shadow Knight: Moonbeam battlesuit specifically for Fu Hua and always addressed her as an "old friend." On the surface, he seemed very respectful.
But in the end, it was just a facade of seamless cooperation, a means for him to restrain the invincible Celestial Master Phoenix and use her identity to acquire information and legacies from the Previous Era.
Once she lost her value, a statement like "Celestial Master Phoenix, I never lie" could be uttered anytime, anywhere.
Otherwise, why wouldn't he just restore Fu Hua to her peak condition?
Schicksal's technology was more than capable of it (the birth of the Herrscher of Sentience was proof). When it came to bio-Honkai energy applications, neither the Taixu Front nor Anti-Entropy could hold a candle to them.
Don't be fooled by Yanqing using Mu Hanyin to test Fu Hua; he belonged to the faction that advocated for "retrieving the Celestial at all costs."
That was why he felt such heartache at his grandmaster's current weakness.
She was the living symbol and totem of Shenzhou's five-thousand-year civilization.
"Grandmaster?" Mu Hanyin asked, confused.
Someone of her rank was not yet qualified to know Fu Hua's true identity. She didn't know that the girl who had just left, upon her return, would assume the "Marshal" position of the Taixu Front, a seat that had been vacant until now.
It was mostly a symbolic title, of course. Fu Hua wasn't skilled at commanding armies, and the higher-ups wouldn't actually let her run wild.
"It's nothing."
Yanqing shook his head and, after some careful selection, informed his subordinate about the lake monster situation.
Mu Hanyin was shocked, then frowned and took a step forward. "Please forgive my impertinence, Sword Champion, but I don't understand why we are giving the Hyperion crew seven days, instead of approaching them directly and seeking cooperation in the name of Shenzhou's officials."
"See? Impatient again," Yanqing waved his hand. "Miss Hanyin, after learning that the Hyperion crew had entered Shenzhou territory, did you check their files in the archives?"
Mu Hanyin looked troubled. "I did, but—"
"Feel free to speak your mind."
Given the approval, the young woman took a deep breath. "In my opinion, the information on the Hyperion recorded in the archives, especially the parts concerning its leader, Fuli, is too absurd. I recommend a thorough investigation of the data entry personnel!"
"Even if the one who entered it was Diviner Qingque?"
"Yes!"
It was no wonder Mu Hanyin said so. The entries related to Fuli were simply outrageous: Durandal's soulmate, Theresa's fiancé, Rita Rossweisse's child husband, a knighted lord of the British royal family, the secret lover of a future director of World Serpent, the object of Mobius's immense affection, the Knight of Death's submissive pleasure processor...
Seriously, the first few were obviously fake street gossip, but what on earth was Diviner Qingque thinking when she entered that last one? So much for being unrivaled in the arts of divination! Weren't you afraid the person in question would come knocking on your door?
It wasn't that the Taixu Front was afraid of Ironmaiden, but it was a matter of losing face!
Yanqing, who had also reviewed the relevant information, had a strange expression. Considering it would be too troublesome to explain, he wisely changed the subject. "Then, Miss Hanyin, have you noticed their ages?"
"Raiden Mei on the ship is 17, Fuli and Kiana Kaslana are 16, and Bronya Zaychik is 14." This time, the answer came quickly, tinged with a hint of disbelief.
It was these four minors who were not only running an organization but doing a damn fine job of it.
"In other words, they are a young group with an average age of just sixteen," Yanqing tapped the hilt of his sword at a steady pace. "You and I have both been through that age. You should know what teenagers like to do most at this stage of their lives."
Gettin' freaky, of course (crossed out)!
Mu Hanyin hesitated for a moment before saying, "...Rebel?"
The handsome young man nodded. "To be precise, they are easily swayed by their emotions."
Like himself back in the day, when facing General Huaiyan's granddaughter, Yunli, who had come to observe the martial arts ceremony. Not only did they dislike each other on sight, but he had also anonymously posted things online like "Am I the only one who doesn't get the hype about Yunli? I really don't understand why so many people like her..." under the username 'InvincibleSwordsman123', only to get doxxed with his IP address traced back to the Divine Foresight's office.
Although the unlucky doxxer was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Cloud Knights for illegally obtaining state secrets, the General and General Huaiyan had teased him about it for a long time afterward.
The General...
Lost in thought for a moment, Yanqing, pulling himself back from his memories, said softly, "A subtle induction like Miss Fu Hua's is one thing. But if we were to proactively approach them for cooperation, do you think the Hyperion crew, having 'lost interest in the adventure,' would still obediently cooperate with us and act as bait to lure out the mastermind?"
"You can't buy their enthusiasm," he said meaningfully. "Besides, we have to give the hidden Mr. Siegfried some face, don't we?"
As the hero of the Second Honkai War, the former head of the Kaslana family, and a collaborator with Raiden Ryoma, Siegfried had influence in both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.
A great man once said, "Make more friends."
It was better not to force such a potentially powerful ally into becoming an enemy.
"I see." Mu Hanyin, now understanding, bowed her head in apology. "My apologies, Sword Champion. I was just too eager to improve."
"Go contact the local government and covertly evacuate the Tuva people around the Kanas scenic area."
"Yes, sir!" The young woman saluted loudly and quickly turned to leave.
Not long after she left, a light screen appeared in front of Yanqing.
"Well, well, Yanqing. Putting on your official airs now, are we?" A beautiful voice, as crisp as a songbird's, echoed in the temple, and a peerlessly beautiful face appeared on the screen.
Seeing who it was, the previously gentle Yanqing instantly switched to a look of disgust.
He said irritably, "Do you have to eavesdrop on people's conversations? And how many times have I told you, address me by my title when we're on duty!"
"Ha, as far as I know, only those with something to hide are afraid of others knowing what they've said... What's the matter, Lord Yanqing, who charms thousands of Shenzhou's grandmas? Are you a shady rat who can't stand the light of day in private?"
"Yunli! If you say that again, I'll tell General Huaiyan you're slandering me!"
"Even if you tell Grandpa, he won't care. Why don't we just draw our weapons and have a go at it?" A mischievous smile appeared on the face on the screen. "As for the location, how about Kanas Lake?"
"Thank you for your kind offer, but a mere colony of Honkai beasts is not worthy of the trouble of Miss Yunli, the head of the Eight Blades of the Blazing Wheel and the current Master Craftsman!"
"Tsk, no good deed goes unpunished!" Yunli pouted, then asked curiously, "So? You've seen that Fuli guy in person. What's your impression of him? Is he really as ridiculous as Qingque says?"
"From what I've seen, he's even more absurd than that," Yanqing sighed.
Yunli was shocked. "No way, did he actually outshine you?"
"At least in terms of swordsmanship."
Yanqing, who had been hailed as a sword prodigy since childhood, possessed a fearsome talent for the sword and aspired to claim the title of Sword Champion, and even Sword Saint of Taixu.
Now, in his early twenties, he had already earned the title of Sword Champion.
This did not mean that the Sword Saint was better than him in swordsmanship, but that all the Sword Saints in Shenzhou's history had been S-rank. With the previous Sword Saint's accidental death and Yanqing deliberately suppressing his strength at the breakthrough level of Critical, the title, like the Taixu Marshal, had to remain vacant for the time being.
In other words, once Yanqing advanced, he would automatically become the new Sword Saint, the pinnacle of swordsmanship that countless people dreamed of.
However, after his secret observation just now, Yanqing had to regretfully admit:
Being a sword prodigy was a top-tier talent for swordsmanship, yes, but that was just a small, insignificant part of Fuli's talent.
This also made him question the "purely natural human" in the intelligence report. A Honkai energy adaptability of 6500 HW at the age of 8, a sword prodigy, and jumping from an ordinary person to a breakthrough A-rank, one step away from Critical, in just three months... Was this really not a Super Saiyan that Dr. Fu A and Dr. Zhou Can had picked up somewhere?
After bidding farewell to Fu Hua, Dr. Zhou drove the starving assistant Qiteng and the well-fed trio back to the hotel.
He parked the car haphazardly in a spot and then rushed to the front desk to flirt with Auntie Wang.
Siegfried was no slower, taking two steps at a time back to his room to frantically order takeout.
Fuli, a step behind them, got out of the car. As his gaze passed over a puddle on the side of the road, he was stunned.
The chubby orange cat was floating leisurely in it, occasionally rotating its tail to adjust its position, its actions refuting the stereotype that "cats are afraid of water."
As expected of the Natural-Born Swimming Saint that I saved from a flash flood.
The boy thought, and, on a whim, said, "Fuli-gee."
"Hmm?"
Kiana, following behind him, was instantly alert. Fuli-ji? Where was the fuli-ji?
[T/N: Fuli-ji (福利姬) is Chinese internet slang for girls who post suggestive content for benefits.]
But then she also noticed the big orange cat swimming in the puddle.
On a whim, she also said, "Mihoyo."
Bronya, the last to get out of the car, looked utterly done.
How did a cat taking a dip turn into this?
But then she thought, Fuli had saved the big orange cat back then, so didn't that make their relationship "Miha-son?"
Yep. Definitely a family.
"Meow?"
The big orange cat's ears twitched at the sound, and it quickly noticed its savior.
It expertly doggy-paddled to the shore, shook the water from its fur, and rushed to Fuli's feet, rubbing against his leg.
The boy bent down and picked up the purring little gas tank, activating his Armor of the Sun to dry its fur.
"Purrrrr~"
The warm feeling was very comfortable, and the cat decided to just lie in the boy's arms and not move.
Kiana pouted with envy, mentally asking Sirin if there was any way to turn into a cat.
「Get lost!」
She was told off.
The three of them and the cat went inside together. Auntie Wang, who had just sent Dr. Zhou away, brightened up and beckoned them over.
"You with the white hair! Come here for a second!"
Kiana and Bronya both looked up, but the latter quickly remembered her hair was silver-gray.
"Onii-chan, let's go upstairs."
Gently 'kicking' Fuli's calf, the girl pulled him, who wanted to stay and eavesdrop, into the elevator.
Soon, only the two of them were left in the large reception hall. Kiana scratched her head and walked over.
"Is something wrong, Auntie?"
"Come, come!"
Auntie Wang enthusiastically pulled her to the sofa, poured her a glass of water, and then said, "I wanted to ask when I noticed your white hair earlier. Little girl, you're the fiancée that little knight was always talking about, right?"
The girl blinked, quickly realizing that the "little knight" she was talking about was Fuli.
The word "fiancée" made her blush furiously. She buried her head in her chest like an ostrich but still mustered the courage to nod slightly.
Hee hee~
"I didn't think you actually existed..."
Auntie Wang was filled with emotion.
Back then, many of them had treated the fiancée little Fuli was always talking about as a joke.
To think that not only did she really exist, but she was a super beautiful girl who broke the boundaries of race.
"U-um, Auntie," Kiana's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room now..."
One look and you can tell she's shy.
"Oh, there is, there is!"
As someone who had been there, Auntie Wang naturally understood the little girl's shyness.
She took the girl's small hand and patted it twice, saying earnestly, "To be honest, we've only known each other for half a month, so I don't know much about the little knight."
"But it's not just me. Even the others who saw him back then would be able to spot the difference between the child he was and the person he is now."
Kiana was stunned. "Difference?"
"Yes," Auntie Wang sighed. "That child's heart... it's 'dead'."
...