Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

"You're daydreaming again, thinking about other girls, aren't you... You'll be staying in London for a long time this time, so you can't let the girls there distract you," Anna said sullenly in his arms.

"No, I don't have any girls I miss in London." Shen Liang paused, then suddenly remembered a certain extremely charming beauty.

She once said that she still owed him one wonderful night that he would remember for a lifetime.

"So you were thinking about girls!" Anna's lips twitched. Seeing Shen Liang's expression, she wanted to pounce on him and bite him, but since the two of them were hugging, if they moved around, the chair might tip backward and fall. She could only grit her teeth and stare at the boy with her big eyes, feeling wronged and angry.

Ultimately, it's a gentle kitten. Even when it's angry and wants to throw a tantrum in front of its owner, it still can't bring itself to do it the moment it opens its mouth.

After muttering a couple of things, the ice-cold princess didn't dwell on it. She got up, went to the table, opened a bottle of wine, and poured herself only one glass.

"Isn't there any for me?" Shen Liang asked curiously.

"Don't bite Anna's tongue," Anna mumbled, then blushed as she finished her wine and turned to kiss Shen Liang.

"Yes, Miss Second was right. It will taste even better."

A few seconds later, their lips parted. Anna, a little shy but mostly satisfied, watched Shen Liang swallow, her Adam's apple bobbing. She chuckled and said, "Now you know, being forced to swallow isn't a very comfortable thing."

Shen Liang revealed a subtle expression.

However, seeing Anna's smug little face, he hesitated for a moment and still didn't answer. Although he felt that Anna, who was originally gentle and aloof, had gradually become a bit mischievous after spending so much time with Kiana... after all, she was the best Anna, and her little bit of capriciousness made her even more adorable.

But Anna's actions didn't make him empathize at all... What's wrong with her... Isn't this very comfortable? Shen Liang looked at her still luscious cherry lips and thought that he could drink it a few more times.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Karen

The jet-black "Heirloom 1000" business jet climbed into the night clouds, resembling a cotton ball stained with diluted ink that still blotted out the sun, its bright golden spotlights piercing the distance. The navigator standing at the Shania airport looked up at it, and it seemed like a long sword piercing the darkness.

Shen Liang woke up from his sleep. Since the flight from Munich to London was only an hour, no one on the plane chose to stay in a bedroom. Instead, they rested on the adjustable soft seats in the welcome cabin.

He arrived at the plane first and waited, then reclined his seat to sleep. The room was dimly lit. Across from him sat a white-haired girl with her right leg crossed over her left. Her posture was so casual that the delicate toes of her strappy high-heeled sandals were kicking Shen Liang's calves repeatedly, but she didn't notice at all. Her gaze was focused on the tablet in her hand, thinking about something, and she was habitually biting a stylus.

"Why don't you ever turn on the lights when I fly with you?" Shen Liang turned to look out the window, where the brightly lit city stretched out before him like a shimmering net.

"I'm used to working in dark and quiet places. Luckily you don't snore, or I would have kicked you awake." The girl, dressed in a black and white handmade knitted dress with white footed socks for summer, glanced at him casually.

"Spending a long time in front of a bright screen in a dimly lit place is bad for your eyes." Shen Liang shrugged after saying that, realizing he had misspoke.

The girl, wearing strappy sandals with footed socks, kicked his shin again at will, then concealed her fierce, golden gaze and continued looking at the tablet screen.

Sirin Schariac, the acting head of the Schariac family and Kiana's older sister.

He looked down at himself; he was also wearing a black and white men's shirt and loose shorts, with gold trim along the edges and the word "pandoraschariac" embroidered on the collar. These were custom-made garments for each family member by the tailors at Neuschwanstein Castle, and this was his everyday wear, exactly the same as Sirin's black and white knit dress.

The Schariac family is extremely particular about clothing design; perhaps this family has an almost obsessive pursuit of "beauty." Their aesthetic level in "floral and artistic" clothing is hard to match even that of the family's tailor aunt. Each Schariac member has several similar uniforms, such as a platinum nun's gown for formal outings, a nun's habit for home, evening gowns for serious occasions, and everyday clothes for spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Because of his gender, Shen Liang's uniform had to be designed individually for each person, which made the family's tailors happy for months. However, he was still a little reluctant to wear the same style of clothes as Xilin, or rather, he was reluctant to wear the same style as any Shaniat, because it would look like a young and beautiful older sister taking her young and ignorant younger brother to visit each other's homes for the New Year.

The women in the Shaniat family always felt that he should act more like a "cute boy" than a "teenager." To Shen Liang, all sorts of shorts, short-sleeved shirts, and little leather boots looked like children's clothes bought for Rosalia and the others, which made Shen Liang, who believed he should be a "young man," feel very desperate.

However, even so, Shen Liang had to admit that the Shaniat family's aesthetic sense was indeed on point. After dressing him up, at least he could be recognized at a glance as a boy rather than a "long, straight, cold, flat-chested girl with black hair".

"Even now, does Sister Xilin still have to work?" Shen Liang looked at her indifferent way of handling things, leaned back comfortably in the chair with the perfect angle, and said, "Sometimes I wonder, do you really need to be so busy? As the head of the family, shouldn't you only be responsible for major matters in general? You should usually delegate the specific tasks to your managers."

Shen Liang actually had some respect for Xilin. He remembered that Xilin had environments where she could immediately start working in many places. For example, when she boarded this private business jet, there was a seat specially provided for her, with the seat angled to her most comfortable position. There were three tablets in the right armrest, a huge monitor on the cabin wall, and a 3D projector overhead, allowing her to start her work directly on the plane. These devices would be activated before she boarded, and once Xilin was on board, she only needed to verify her identity with a USB drive to start working immediately, without any delay.

“If everyone thought like that, the family would have fallen apart long ago,” Sirin said calmly. “My mother, that old woman, rarely touches the family business; she only knows how to spend, not how to earn. My sister, that idiot, is obsessed with pursuing Kaslana’s free life. They both think that if orders are issued, someone will carry them out, and that they can control the family simply by being gentle and loving.”

"Is not it?"

Sirin gave him a cold look. "It might work in relatively pure family relationships, but the Shaniat family isn't just Neuschwanstein Castle. They have many collateral branches and numerous businesses supporting the family. Those people can't be controlled by kinship, much less obey you. So you have to do something yourself. When someone puts on a beautiful and benevolent facade, someone else must put on a fierce and domineering one. Most of the Shaniat Valkyries don't produce anything; who do you think supports them?"

"Is the Holy Maiden playing the good cop, and Sister Xilin trying to play the bad cop?"

"What is the difference between a good cop and a bad cop?" Xilin asked, taken aback.

Shen Liang was also taken aback. He thought Cecilia's Chinese was quite good, and Xilin should be about the same. "It's like in Chinese drama, one is a loyal minister and the other is a villain. The good person's face is red and the bad person's face is white. It's used to describe two people on the same side in a conflict, one playing a friendly and likable character and the other playing a stern and annoying one."

This time, Xilin did not answer. She remained silent for a few seconds, then turned off the tablet screen, leaned back in her chair, and lowered her bright golden eyes, the golden light reflecting off her full breasts.

She suddenly felt a little confused.

"So, in everyone's eyes, I've always been a despicable traitor, a bad person?" Sirin's tone carried a slight hint of sneer.

Shen Liang's unintentional remark suddenly made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable. She felt that she would never be swayed by such words again, and she knew that in the eyes of most people in the family, she was not even as likable as Kiana, who had not spent much time in the family. At least the Second Miss had already become friends with almost everyone her age in just a few months since she returned, while she only saw her secretary and maid every day.

It wasn't really that disappointing. Celine Shaniat had always been an arrogant person. She didn't need anyone's understanding or to please anyone. The only ones in the world who deserved to please her were others.

At six years old, she learned Kaslana's gunfighting technique by talent alone, without a teacher; at ten, she applied to her family for permission to hunt grizzly bears on her own with only a hatchet, without firearms or support; at fourteen, she had already passed the MBA exam and become a prominent figure in her family, while most children at that time were still in compulsory education, learning to do hairstyles and swear from low-class underground idols.

She never received an education with her peers because she never compared herself to them. When she was studying at Oxford University, she even dared to drive her sports car over the lawn in front of the Schariac Theatre and then slammed on the brakes at the classroom door. In the end, the old head of the grade had to smile and say that the little princess of the Schariac family was really elegant. Anyway, the teaching building was donated by the Schariac family, so everyone could leave. Then, when he tried to touch her hair to ease the atmosphere, she gave him a blank glance and he was so scared that he shrank back and trembled.

She's always been a spoiled brat, so bad that even knowing her golden eyes would intimidate others, she rarely wears sunglasses. Every moment of her life is filled with arrogance and confidence; she's the most beautiful, talented, and awesome young lady in the world, a young lady who doesn't even put the Holy Maiden of Destiny in her eyes!

No one had ever told her that she was an annoying person, and when she heard this for the first time, Celine was only confused.

"No, who would dislike Sister Xilin?" Shen Liang was taken aback, noticing that Xilin was unusually serious.

"What you just said."

"When did I say that?"

"You say that those who play the 'good cop' are all treacherous officials and bad people."

Shen Liang thought for a moment, then chuckled to herself, "Seriously, Sister Xilin? You can even project yourself onto this and get emotional? I know you can't be reasonable, but you can't be this unreasonable."

“You haven’t answered my question yet.” Sirin continued to kick him with the tip of her shoe, her eyes glaring. “Speak up, human.”

Shen Liang tilted her head, looking at Sirin who seemed to be getting serious, and could only sigh. This girl was always like this; being pampered for so long made her prone to getting stuck on inexplicable things and even throwing tantrums. In comparison, Kiana and Anna wouldn't do that. It seemed that even though they were all young ladies, Sirin was the most difficult to please.

However, looking at her face, which was exactly the same as Kiana's, Shen Liang couldn't muster even a trace of annoyance. The white-haired little queen's domineering and fierceness was actually just cute in the eyes of adults. Or rather, humans are visual creatures; as long as she was cute and pretty enough, her personality flaws could always be accepted.

"Alright, alright, at least I, your brother Pandora, don't find you annoying at all. Not before, and not now," Shen Liang smiled slightly.

Sirin frowned. "Human, why are you talking to me like a brother to his sister? Are you lecturing me like one of your unruly little sisters? Be serious!"

"Yes, Sister Xilin, Pandora really likes you, absolutely not a single bit of dislike, really." Shen Liang was helpless, so she deliberately used a sarcastic tone to annoy her.

But Sirin thought differently.

She was finally satisfied. Faced with the innocent and charming gestures of the incredibly beautiful Valkyrie boy, Sirin revealed an arrogant smile and reached out to pat his head.

"Okay, Pandora is a good girl, keep it up."

Shen Liang's expression froze on his face.

Then the white-haired little queen took off her strappy sandals, straddled her two slender legs, clad in long socks, across the partition and placed them on Shen Liang's thighs. She then closed her eyes and said lazily, "Here's your reward, human. Give me a massage. I'm going to sleep now. Wake me up when we get there."

"You're saying this is a reward?" Shen Liang stared at her in disbelief.

"You don't think this is a reward?" Sirin's golden eyes opened slightly, her gaze dangerous. "Are you sure?"

Shen Liang hesitated for a moment, then decided it wasn't necessary to argue with this little queen whose thought process was a bit off. Compared to being tormented by her in all sorts of strange places, it would be easier to just put her to sleep.

Xilin felt the comfort of Shen Liang's warm hands pressing against her delicate feet, and finally gently kicked his palms before drifting off to sleep.

----------

In the pitch-black, huge home theater, the man sat upright in the electronic chair in the center of the room.

The 3D projection from the ceiling gradually formed an image, like loading distant scenes in Minecraft, with a soft blue light illuminating the blond man's face.

Three minutes later, the projector finally focused all the images together. Then, behind the man, a phantom girl with white braids appeared. She looked somewhat like Kiana, but upon closer inspection, she was completely different, more like a distant relative. She wore a female priest's robe, with white stockings with gold patterns and high-heeled boots underneath.

The girl crouched behind Otto, reached out and tapped lightly, and then a series of surveillance images were projected in front of the man.

First up is the Tsubakiyama Bar in SoHo. Raiden Mei, a Japanese kendo girl with a high black ponytail, is carrying a guitar case as she leaves. Instead of choosing the car provided by Schicksal headquarters, she gets on a motorcycle.

Even more surprisingly, there was a familiar figure near the Kawasaki motorcycle. The charming maid Rita, still dressed in her maid outfit, had been waiting by the motorcycle for quite some time. When she saw Mei come out, she simply smiled slightly, and the two riders set off at the same time.

"You seem quite motivated, Miss Rita and Miss Mei," the man said with a smile, taking a small sip of a blood-red cocktail.

“After all, you’re going to receive the Supreme Being of the Shaniat family, Sirin.” The girl projected from behind gently rested her elbows on the man’s tall shoulders, her chin on the top of his head. This intimate posture made one wonder about their relationship, but the man looked like a handsome young man in his thirties, while the girl looked only eighteen or nineteen.

But the age difference isn't really important. What would be shocking is if someone came over and saw the man's true identity. A man who has never had a woman or even a scandal in the past five hundred years, a man admired by countless Valkyries... could actually have such an intimate side with a woman?

Otto Apocalypse.

“If it’s the two of them, the focus isn’t on Sirin, but on that little boy.” As Otto spoke, Shen Liang’s photo was projected in front of them. “He’s so cute. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had such a cute child too, right?”

Chapter Thirty-Three: I like both Kiana and Ryoko...

Otto closed his eyes and leaned back, seemingly enjoying the priestess's shoulder massage, but it was actually just a 3D projection. Apart from the visual effect, humans could not feel any touch, not even temperature.

"Yes, she's a very beautiful child, reminding me of my youth."

“He’s even cuter than Otto was when he was young,” the girl said with a smile, admiring the close-up photos of the boy in the picture. “No matter how many years have passed, the genes of the Shaniat family are still just as excellent.”

“Pandora Shaniat, whose real name is Shen Liang, is a child from an orphanage run by Anti-Entropy in the Siberian permafrost region,” Otto said in a low voice. “His identity was erased by Shenzhou and Anti-Entropy in a joint effort, and it’s a secret to most people, but not to me. Because Destiny relies on a unique intelligence network on a global scale, we monitor and record the world. Although he doesn’t have much experience operating in the world, his monitoring records have become more frequent in the last four years since he left the orphanage. We always thought he was between twenty-one and twenty-three years old, but we never expected that he was actually only fifteen to seventeen years old.”

"As the Chinese say, heroes emerge from among the young. You are one of them, I knew that even when you were little." The girl smiled brightly, "Great Inventor."

"Thank you." Otto remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Thank you, Karen."

The phantom girl, seemingly nothingness, is the prototype of the modern Valkyrie of Destiny. More than five hundred years ago, in an era ravaged by the Black Death, in an era when the Shaniat family was not yet known as the "Holy Maiden Family," in an era when the title of Holy Maiden could only be bestowed upon the hearts of the people rather than by bloodline, she was the most dazzling extraordinary being.

Saintess – Karen Kaslana.

Just as Cecilia was renowned in her time, Kallen was a ray of bright sunshine in Europe during that plague-ridden era. Although this is now a story in history books, few people will remember this name that exists only in fiction.

“Drink less, you’re made of Soul Steel, aren’t you afraid of rusting?” Karen looked at him.

“No, Soul Steel isn’t metal in the ordinary sense. I won’t change bodies just because it’s rusted. The reason I’m changing bodies must be because I was assassinated.” Otto looked up at Karen’s illusory image and said softly, “But that doesn’t matter, because this is the cocktail you made. Only when I drink this do I feel like I’m still alive.”