novelden Chapter 327 Intermission
Chapter 327 Intermission
The crisis at the boundary between life and death was resolved, although Sora fell into a deep sleep due to absorbing a large amount of death energy, causing him to miss the Lantern Festival.
Overall, it was a happy occasion for everyone. Kiana and the others had a very meaningful Lantern Festival in Liyue, and now it was time to say goodbye.
"Are you really leaving?" Istar asked, holding Furihi. "Are you sure you're okay without your child?"
"If possible, I would certainly like to keep him by my side, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to escape unscathed from the crises I will face in the future. It would be safer for Fenglixi to grow up in Tiwatri."
As Kiana spoke, she bent down and gently stroked Fuurishi. Fuurishi, nestled in Ishtar's arms, stared wide-eyed at Kiana in a daze before giggling softly.
Her arms flared in the air as if she wanted Kiana to hug her, but Kiana didn't take Kazehime from Ishtar's arms as usual. Instead, she gently stood up and gave Kazehime an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, Feng Lixi, Mommy and Daddy have to go to a faraway place to take care of some things, so we can't take you with us for the time being. So promise me you'll live well here and grow up quickly, and Mommy will definitely come to pick you up when the time comes, okay?"
Seemingly understanding Kiana's words, Furyi's expression froze for a moment, then she burst into tears, which made Kiana feel heartbroken. In the end, she hardened her heart, turned around, and walked towards the Hyperion, leaving behind only a faint sentence.
"Goodbye, my Fenglishi, my daughter, my Phoebe Kaslana."
Ultimately, Hyperion left, leaving Bella to take care of Windrise. After all, neither Istaru nor Apep could completely trust Kiana to care for her. Their positions differed; Istaru only wanted to groom Windrise into the next successor of the Heavenly Principles that aligned with the interests of Sky Island, while Apep hoped that Windrise could recreate the glory of the Dragon Clan.
Kiana was naturally aware of their subtle feelings, which is why she asked Bella to help take care of Feng Lixi. At least given Bella's loyalty, she wouldn't let Feng Lixi develop a personality that didn't meet Kiana's expectations. Kiana had spent a considerable amount of effort to get Bella to agree to stay and help look after Feng Lixi.
Meanwhile, within the Hyperion, Otto's plan had been fully deployed; all that remained was to wait for the final moment to arrive.
"I see. So these things happened on your side."
The people on the bridge are communicating with Tesla, Black Tower, and others in the Collapse Iron Universe.
"But I never expected that you two would get pregnant out of wedlock. You know how explosive this news was when it spread in the group chat. Siegfried and Theresa were furious. Durandal was alright, but according to Chicken Head, he's been a bit absent-minded these days."
"But it's quite something that you thought of fostering the child in Teyvat. Although I know you're worried about what might happen to Fenglishi, aren't you afraid the child will be led astray?"
"Haha... With Bella around, there shouldn't be any worries," Kiana chuckled. "Let's not talk about that. Dr. Tesla, how's things going on your end?"
"What else can we do? Although the situation on March 7th has indeed improved with the help of Black Tower and the others, we don't support her getting off the train to explore. She can only stay on the train to observe the situation. Mei, along with Dan Heng and Xing, has lost contact. They were even blocked in the group chat. Fortunately, Dan Heng sent a message before they were blocked that they were safe and sound."
"Is that so? That's really lucky."
"It feels like Kiana, you're hiding something from us?" Tesla asked, staring at Kiana with half-open eyes.
Kiana instinctively avoided Tesla's gaze, asking, "Is...is that so?"
"Forget it, let's just say it was my imagination. If there's nothing else, I'll call it a day." Tesla then turned to the others, "Anything else you want to ask? Hurry up, who knows when this cross-world communication might be cut off."
Actually, it won't break, Kiana thought to herself.
Since embarking on this journey, Hyperion has been continuously strengthened by Him, and has now become a completely self-sufficient ship capable of cross-dimensional communication and traversing worlds.
However, considering that there were many scientists standing opposite her, and thinking that she might be annoyed to death if she told anyone, Kiana decided to keep quiet for the time being.
Tesla's suspicions were not unfounded; Kiana did indeed know something about the trio who got off the car.
While landing in a train carriage, they were attacked. Danheng and Mei were lucky, but Xing was seriously injured and on the verge of death while protecting Mei. Even Mei was helpless in the absence of any medical facilities. If Fu Li hadn't glanced at Xing, she would have died long ago. Xing, who is now traveling with them, is just an echo of a memory fixed by Fu Li's power.
"Are you done talking? If you're done, it's my turn. Kiana, when are you coming over again? I'm interested in you and Alicia now, and I really want to find out how you two manage to do that kind of thing."
It was Black Tower who spoke; the fact that Alicia was the Pure Beauty Star Goddess couldn't be hidden at all. Although a lockdown order had been issued for those in the know on the Immortal Ship, it was exposed as soon as they boarded the train.
There's nothing we can do about it; Möbius and her friends don't hold back when they're doing their research, and March 7th always likes to tell her friends everything, whether she has something to say or not.
This also led to the geniuses who boarded the train with Himeko and the others learning Alicia's secret, which is why Black Tower and the others ignored Onpharos and stayed on the train.
"Well... Lady Black Tower, I think I'll be back in a while. How about we focus on Onfaros for now?"
"Come on, do you think Onpharos can still attract my attention when it comes to unraveling the secrets of the Star God? Don't be ridiculous. What do you think I went to all this trouble to get sponsorships and recruit geniuses to work on the simulated universe?"
“Alright, Ms. Black Tower, please stop pressuring Ms. Kiana.” At this moment, Screw Gom stepped forward. “I apologize, as you know Ms. Black Tower’s personality. I apologize on her behalf. However, there is one thing that I, Ms. Black Tower, and Ms. Ruan Mei all agree on: we hope that Ms. Kiana can come to our universe as soon as possible after she has finished dealing with her own affairs.”
Hearing this, Kiana sighed and said, "Don't worry, I'll go over there when I have time."
"That would be best, then we would have no more questions."
Seeing that the scholars had no more questions, Kiana chatted with the others for a while before hanging up.
After ending the communication, Kiana did not urge the captain to set off quickly, but instead turned the communication device back on.
"Since you sent a message, does that mean his plan is already complete?"
The person who made the call was, of course, Mei, whom Tesla had just mentioned had lost contact with. Of course, standing next to Mei was Kevin and someone who looked very much like Kevin.
“Good friends, is this your companion? Hello, my name is Bai E, it’s nice to meet you.” The person who called himself Bai E stepped forward and said.
"Um, hello."
To be honest, seeing such a sunny expression on a face that was almost identical to Kevin's was a little hard for Kiana to accept for a moment.
"I didn't expect Kiana to make such an expression," Mei chuckled. "How is it? Isn't it a bit strange to see someone with a face that looks so much like Kevin acting so sunny?"
Kiana nodded silently.
"To be honest, I wasn't used to it at first, but then I felt nostalgic. It's been a long time since I saw Kevin have a similar expression..."
As she spoke, Mei revealed a hint of nostalgia.
"Let's not talk about these things anymore. Kiana said the same thing as you: Onpharos's hidden secret is not simple." Then Mei looked at Bai'er with a serious expression. "Bai'er, what I'm about to say may overturn your worldview. If you are resistant, you can avoid it for now."
Upon hearing this, Bai E also dropped his carefree expression and became serious.
Could this be related to saving the world?
"It can't be said that it's completely unrelated, but it does involve your journey to seek fire and the truth of this world."
“Then I have an even greater need to stay and listen! Xing is now close to death and urgently needs to find the Death Titan. At that moment, Teacher Xia and Xia Die took the Senate’s side, which had a significant impact on Lord Aglaia’s situation. I don’t want this journey to pursue fire to end here!”
“I understand. Mei, let him stay here. Although he will find out about these things sooner or later, it's not necessarily a bad thing for him to know now.”
Seeing that Kiana had agreed, Mei decided not to hold back and dropped a bombshell that shocked Bai'er in her first sentence.
"First of all, all the Golden Blood who have inherited the fire will be the next Titan. The so-called re-creation is just the Golden Blood who have inherited Cephalus reshaping Onfaros according to their own memories. In other words, the entire Onfaros is a world of reincarnation."
"!"
“No wonder you’re so surprised. To be honest, I was just as surprised when I heard this from Kiana.” Mei shook her head and said, “The purpose of doing this is actually because there is a Great Lord of Annihilation sealed inside Onfaros that has not yet fully awakened. You could say that the entire Onfaros is a cage prepared for this Great Lord of Annihilation who has not yet fully awakened.”
"So those black tides are...?"
"That's right, it's a sign that the seal that sealed the Great Lord of Annihilation is gradually losing its effectiveness. The so-called Black Tide is a manifestation of the Great Lord of Annihilation's power overflowing."
"If that's how it is, is this all we can do? Is this what saving the world is all about?"
Bai E was confused. He had embarked on the path of saving the world because he wanted to become the hero Xi Lian had spoken of. If this world was indeed a cycle of reincarnation, as Mei had said, wouldn't Xi Lian's tragedy be repeated before his very eyes?
"What do you see as salvation in Bai Er?" Kevin asked.
"I……"
"Then let me ask you, why can birds fly?"
"Because it is inherently like that?"
"It was because it had to fly into the sky. Hector knew the kingdom would eventually fall, and Achilles understood he was heading towards death. But both of them still went to the battlefield without hesitation. In this story, which was destined to be a tragedy from the beginning, no one hesitated or wavered. They were like that, and so are we."
If your understanding stops here, then giving up is better for both you and everyone else.
Hearing this, Bai Er gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. He knew what Kevin meant, and as he said, if his will was only this strong, then giving up was the best option.
But, should we really give up?
Bai'er's heroic dream originated from Xi Lian's expectations, but now, along the way, what drives Bai'er to become a hero and save the world is no longer just Xi Lian's expectations.
“I…of course I won’t give up.” Bai’er looked at Kevin with unwavering determination. “I will prove with my actions that my will is not weak, and I will definitely break the cycle of reincarnation to save this world!”
Upon hearing this, Kevin's lips curled up slightly, before returning to their usual expression.
"In that case, we will lend you a hand. After all, our original goal was also that Annihilation Lord, so there's no harm in adding saving the world on top of that."
"Thank you, thank you all," Bai'er said, bowing. "But there's something I don't understand. Where did you learn about these things?"
"Well, that's all thanks to the Senate's help."
"The Senate's help?"
"Do you remember when Kevin and I accepted the invitation from the Senate a while ago?"
"Of course I remember, didn't you refuse back then?"
"Yes, we did refuse. But we also went to Dawn Cloud Cliff, where we used some means to contact and explore Cephalo's memories, confirming the information Kiana gave us. As for how Kiana knew these things, that's not something we can say."
Bai E clearly wanted to say something more, but Mei interrupted him.
"Don't you have to give a speech at the Citizens' Assembly later? It's about time, and if you leave now, you'll be too late."
"I understand."
Bai E took a deep breath and left, leaving Mei shaking her head helplessly.
"How do you feel?" Kiana teased.
"Although Bai Er is very similar to Kevin, he is still not mature enough, but his willpower is undeniable."
"Then let's get back to our topic. Kevin, are you confident you can handle this Extinction Lord?"
"It might not have worked before, but with the power of the end that you gave us and the newly created Judgment of Heavenly Fire, we are not invincible."
"That's fine then, but can you withstand the power of the Annihilation Lord afterwards?"
Kiana's concerns were not unfounded. After all, the reason she had specifically told the others that Kevin's teleportation failed due to the instability of the space tunnel was because she wanted to secretly send him to Onpharos first.
When Kiana was investigating what else in the Honkai Impact universe could quickly boost her side's combat power, she noticed Onfaros, an existence hidden by the intertwining of three destinies, which also sealed within it an unawakened Lord of Annihilation. No matter how you look at it, it was not simple.
No matter how Kiana investigated, the information she obtained was very vague, as if someone had deliberately blocked it out.
Upon realizing this, Kiana immediately thought of a possibility: Onfaros might also be the testing ground for unraveling the mystery of the birth of the Destroyer God Nanuk.
So, after discussing it with Otto, they decided to send Kevin to defeat and absorb the power of this Extinction Lord, using it as a gateway to the truth.
Therefore, it became necessary to give Kevin power. Kiana first gave Kevin a large amount of End Power, making him far stronger than before. Then, while helping the captain upgrade the Judgment of Heaven Fire, she had Mei forge another identical Judgment of Heaven Fire and send it to Kevin.
All of this was done to unravel all the mysteries of Onpharos and to add another Star God-level fighter to his side.
"I hope everything goes well," Kiana prayed, gazing at the shimmering, colorful spatial portal after cutting off communication.