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

Shen Liang suddenly gasped, his respect for the Valkyries at the Destiny Headquarters growing even stronger. Sometimes, it's true that you can't think too much; there are still many people in this world who inspire awe.

Shen Liang tossed the Red Bull over from a distance, and Ji Zi lightly flicked her fingernail to flip off the tin cap, tilted her head back, and drank it all down. Then she suddenly lowered her head and let out a hearty "Ha!"

"Let's continue after you finish drinking." Shen Liang sat on the leather bench where she was lifting dumbbells.

“Because the Third Great Honkai Impact wasn’t very intense. As I mentioned before, Schicksal has become increasingly adept at maintaining balance over the years, trying to keep Honkai events out of the sight of ordinary people as much as possible, and the Third Great Honkai Impact was no exception.” Himeko suddenly softened her voice, “It was called the Siberian War.”

Shen Liang was taken aback. He understood why Ji Zi said that the Shaniat family should have already spoken to him.

But in reality, it was a war that few people in the Shaniat family mentioned. Whenever it was brought up, Maria would change the subject, and even the pure white saintess would pout and say, "Honey, let's talk about something happy."

But in reality, the pain that this war brought to the Shaniat family could not be quelled.

"In the millennium, the second millennium after the Common Era, the Schicksal Second Laboratory in Siberia, codenamed the Tower of Babylon, experienced a Honkai energy leak. You were also residing in Siberia, so you should also have an inscription... Oh, sorry, I forgot, you probably weren't even born then," Himeko said.

Shen Liang's expression was somewhat strange.

Although he has no memories of his life before the age of ten, theoretically he was born. He went to the Cocolia Orphanage when he was ten, which means he should have been seven years old in the year 2000.

Based on their ages, Sirin was nineteen and Kiana was seventeen, so in the year 2000 they were four and two years old respectively.

Cecilia left her young daughter behind and went to fight in Siberia without hesitation.

"The year 2000 was the beginning of the Internet era. Since the birth of the World Wide Web protocol in 1989, computer networks have expanded rapidly like a monster. The speed of information transmission has made a terrifying leap, and its transformation of social relations is almost comparable to the energy revolution. Schicksal noticed this and anticipated the Honkai's counterattack. So when the Babylon Laboratory in Siberia produced a Honkai energy reaction at the level of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, we acted very quickly."

"This time, a major collapse was avoided?"

"Yes, the Siberian War originated from the leakage of Honkai energy from the Tower of Babel. A large number of animal fossils and carcasses buried under the permafrost were awakened, resulting in an overwhelming Honkai beast tide. At that time, Destiny mobilized all its forces to fight against the beast tide, vowing to stop the beast tide on the permafrost plains and prevent it from threatening human cities."

"Historically speaking, you have succeeded."

"Yes, there were more than one Emperor-class Honkai Beast in Siberia at that time, but they were all successfully defeated. Finally, the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, codenamed Bellenas, became the last target to be dealt with. Several S-class Valkyries were dispatched, such as Saintess, Saint Maria, Principal Theresa, and Siegfried."

Shen Liang knew all these people, and he paid particular attention to the last name.

In truth, Shen Liang didn't know why he paid particular attention to "Siegfried," even though he was clearly a man. But whenever that name was mentioned, his mood would always become slightly gloomy.

"Mr. Siegfried?"

"Don't be surprised. The previous head of the Kaslana family, judging solely from his strength, was indeed a genuine S-rank Valkyrie, even though he was male. Of course, only such an extraordinary man could possibly win the favor of the Holy Maiden," Himeko said casually, adding with a smile. "Like you, Pandora, no, you're even more popular than Siegfried was back then."

"Why would you describe a political marriage as if it were an ordinary couple? Senior Himeko, your description is so vivid, did you witness it with your own eyes?"

Before Shen Liang could reply, a cold female voice came from the gym entrance. The two of them jumped in fright and looked towards the entrance, only to see a head of brilliant gold hair, as if a dazzling Persian cat had entered.

"Yulandel?"

The golden Persian cat with long, wavy hair was wearing tight yoga clothes and carrying a bag containing toiletries and a towel, clearly a regular at the gym. She glanced at Himeko expressionlessly, her high nose twitching slightly, then looked at Shen Liang and said coldly, "Gentlemen, this is a public place, please restrain yourselves."

Himeko crouched down, clutching her head, her face contorted in despair. "Why is the first one here an S-rank Valkyrie...?"

"Don't worry, no one else should be able to tell except me. I'll be able to breathe again in a while," Durandal said. "But you guys, are you discussing the Saintess and Siegfried?"

"Ah...we were just talking about the Siberian War."

Durandal, however, showed no intention of taking up the conversation, continuing on her own topic: "In fact, the heads of the Shaniat and Kaslana families are not as loving as you imagine. They are indeed a perfect couple, but ultimately it is a political marriage. Siegfried is amorous, and Cecilia is naive. In the end, they simply returned to their own families and lived their own lives. Interestingly, even their shared daughter... they may not have cared much for her."

Yulandel was just saying it casually, but she didn't notice the cold look on Shen Liang's beautiful face.

Chapter 47 Anna was forced into it!

Shen Liang's initial impression of Durandal was not bad. This young and beautiful Chief of Destiny was a legendary figure to some extent. When Aisha faced the Valkyries of various countries, although she represented Destiny, she also stood up for him and held out until the Shaniat family arrived.

But as expected, people do have different affiliations. This blond guy was clearly from the headquarters faction and didn't get along with the Shaniat family. His casual remarks were full of naked jealousy and slander against Cecilia. It's such a waste that she has such a beautiful face.

He never felt that Cecilia had treated Sirin and Kiana badly; on the contrary, those two unfilial daughters spent less time with their mother than he, an outsider, did. At least for a while, he had to open a portal every day to return to Neuschwanstein Castle and spend an hour or two healing Cecilia.

"Shut up, Miss Durandal. How much do you know about Miss Cecilia? You have to take responsibility for your words." Shen Liang interrupted her, saying coldly, "As the current number one in Destiny, to slander the former number one is simply too tasteless."

Durandal turned her head and saw the handsome boy, who looked entirely Asian, with a slightly cold gaze. For some reason, she wanted to laugh.

"You actually call the saintess 'Miss Cecilia'?" Durandal suddenly said. "You seem quite close to her."

"Is there a problem?" Shen Liang wasn't surprised, but he was known as the "Son of the White Flower" outside, and Cecilia's favoritism towards him was already common knowledge.

"The Holy Maiden actually treated you like family and raised you as such. No, it's more accurate to say that she has always cared about family and home. Ha."

Shen Liang frowned as he looked at her.

It's a bit strange. Durandal shouldn't be using this tone. She was just criticizing Cecilia for being heartless and not caring about her daughter, and now she's saying that Cecilia cares... It's contradictory.

“But the more she cares about her family and her friends, the less I can understand…” Durandal lowered her head and stroked her chest. “It’s so painful. If just anyone could make her love so deeply, then why… why!”

She suddenly realized that she seemed to have lost her composure.

She had already let go of it, but seeing Xilin, Shen Liang, and the young but pampered children, Yulandel's heart felt like a tightly twisted rope, being twisted and bound again and again, as if every last drop of juice was being squeezed out.

Resentment or something else, even Durandal herself couldn't say for sure. She knew she already had a new life, and whether it was hate or love, those inexplicable things should have been discarded long ago. But when Sirin and Shen Liang arrived at headquarters, she still couldn't resist the urge to come and see, couldn't resist seeing her own confused and bewildered past...

Younger siblings?

They are my younger brother and sister.

But what good does watching do? The longer you stare, the more jealousy will arise.

This shouldn't be happening. Her name is Durandal, the name of a holy sword, the sword of angels, the sword of eternity, the blade of immortality. She is the chosen one of light and justice, she shouldn't have such feelings; they are not firm enough, not worthy of being the symbol of the Valkyries.

She should be better than Cecilia. Cecilia is gentle, pure, kind, and loving, but not decisive or resolute enough. She is someone who surpasses Cecilia; she shouldn't have these feelings.

Yes, all sorrow stems from the inability to recapture the past and the unease in the present. It doesn't matter who Cecilia truly loved; the saint who was supposed to save her in Siberia is long gone.

She gazed into the distance. SoHo in the morning was completely different from its dazzling nightlife. At night, it was filled with heavy metal, low-cut lingerie, jugs of liquor, and neon lights, exuding a seductive charm. But by day, it was a sleek city. The billboards of the entertainment venues were no longer flashing, the shops were closed and tidy, and commuters on bicycles or on foot were refreshing the streets from every corner of the buildings. A German breakfast shop selling raw pork near the subway entrance was displaying a tasting banner—everything was thriving.

Shen Liang looked at Youlandail standing in front of the French windows, lost in thought, and suddenly felt that he might have misunderstood something.

"I'll start the next part," Durandal said softly.

"Regarding the Siberian War, Schicksal deployed the Valkyrie army, suffering heavy casualties; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was the most severe Honkai event in the last hundred years. The ultimate price was that Schicksal launched Honkai energy fission bombs to clear the beast tide. Siegfried, the head of the Kaslana family, died in this battle, and Cecilia, the head of the Shaniat family, released her Holy Blood to protect all the Valkyries affected and corrupted by the fission bombs. However, due to the overuse of her power, her Holy Blood was depleted, thus sowing the seeds of future disaster."

"The loss of the most crucial S-class combat force of Destiny is a devastating blow. Rita and I were both trained after this calamity, in order to quickly fill the gaps in our high-end combat force. Of course, since then, the Shaniat family has been estranged from headquarters, and this remains the case to this day."

Shen Liang finally understood the root cause of the conflict between the Shaniat family and Destiny. So that's how it is. The Honkai energy fission bomb is said to have power surpassing that of a nuclear bomb. Although Durandal didn't say it explicitly, one can imagine that this thing was definitely a weapon that would kill a thousand enemies while losing three thousand of its own.

Considering that Cecilia would later need to release the Holy Blood to heal the Valkyries of Schicksal, one can imagine... that Otto might have given the order to fight to the death?

But wait!

its not right.

If Otto's issuance of the Honkai energy fission bomb command killed many people, possibly including Siegfried, leading to the Schariac family's hostility towards Otto... then Schariac wouldn't be the only one hostile to Otto. That was a war in which the entire Schicksal mobilized. Theoretically speaking, any Valkyrie would hate Otto for such a decision!

In reality, there weren't many who truly opposed Otto within Schicksal; the Schariac family was a major faction. To some extent, the Schariac family didn't openly oppose him; at most, they obeyed orders but not direct commands, maintaining a facade of unity.

Shen Liang promptly voiced his doubts.

Yulandel glanced at him, and Shen Liang, unusually, showed a hint of hesitation when he saw her.

“In fact, even if His Excellency’s decision requires the sacrifice of the majority, we will not hate him,” Durandal explained. “Valkyries are born to be soldiers, and we are prepared for this when we step onto the battlefield.”

"Sister Nalia, my mom, what's the reason for their attitude towards the Destiny Headquarters?" Shen Liang suddenly realized that he might never have figured out the logic behind it.

"These are things you shouldn't know."

“I am a member of the Shaniat family, Maria’s son. I should be entitled to know about the Shaniat family.”

"You are not qualified."

The two stared at each other mercilessly for three seconds. Shen Liang, seeing that he indeed couldn't influence Yulandel, scoffed.

But he had already realized that there were suspicious points here, and quite a few.

According to Himeko and Durandal, the most difficult opponent in the Siberian War was only a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Bellenas. While a Judgment-class Honkai Beast is undoubtedly powerful—even Rita couldn't handle it—but… what if it were Cecilia?

Cecilia, hailed as the strongest Valkyrie of all time, is simply no match for Rita! Rita claims that Durandal could easily defeat Shesa, while Cecilia is definitely stronger than Durandal! How could this difference be limited to a single Judgment-class Honkai Beast?

Besides, Cecilia isn't alone; she's leading an army, all of you S-rank!

The Honkai energy intensity of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast is only comparable to an S-class, although it is higher than that of a Valkyrie. Cecilia, however, has no shortage of Honkai energy; her Honkai energy adaptability is limitless, allowing her to absorb and use the surrounding Honkai energy at any time. She can even directly command the Divine Key to serve her!

This is not even a battle on the same level.

Shen Liang suddenly became alert, and he instantly seized on the loophole in Yulandel and Himeko's words.

"Wait, isn't it said that every Great Honkai Impact is triggered by the excessive strength of human civilization? The difficulty of each Great Honkai Impact is mirrored by the human side at the time. So, the human side had so many S-class monsters, while the opponent only had one Judgment-class Honkai Beast?" Shen Liang had a flash of inspiration. "Theoretically, the Honkai should be stronger than the human side, and the human side could only achieve a pyrrhic victory!"

Durandal also noticed that Shen Liang's thoughts were starting to wander into dangerous territory, and she decisively said, "Don't think about it! Humans really only won a pyrrhic victory back then."

"No, that's not right! Your Pyrrhic victory was due to the Honkai energy fission bomb. There's no record of the beast tide threatening Sister Leah! And with the S-rank still alive, the possibility of war is still unknown! You can't call it a Pyrrhic victory based on that alone!" Shen Liang's mind raced. "There must be a powerful enemy, an enemy that even Sister Leah couldn't defeat! Bellenas doesn't deserve it! The beast tide doesn't deserve it either!"

"Don't think of the Valkyries as too powerful. You have no idea how strong a Judgment-class Honkai Beast is!" Durandal said anxiously.

"No, I don't know. The Honkai Beasts of the previous civilization are stronger than those of this civilization at the same level, because the Fire Chaser civilization is far stronger than the Earth civilization! And Shesa's combat power may not even be able to match yours, let alone Sister Lia!"

Durandal's heart skipped a beat. Yes, she'd forgotten. Although this boy hadn't been a high-ranking member of the Transcendent faction for long, he understood better than any other Valkyrie how the world's "top combat power" should be categorized. He had actually seen a Judgment-class Honkai Beast from a previous civilization, and he'd even fought one himself!

Shen Liang gave a slight, cold laugh.

He wasn't actually sure how strong Bellenas really was. Perhaps, just like how S-rank Honkai Beasts are divided into different levels, Judgment-class Honkai Beasts weren't all at the same level. But if he was wrong, Durandal should have refuted his logic without batting an eye. Yet, Durandal was left speechless by his words.

In other words, Bellenas is indeed weak, and Durandal did indeed conceal something in the narrative. Unfortunately, Durandal isn't like Rita, a woman who can hide all her thoughts. Even back in Aisha and Shen Liang's day, they could see that this golden-haired Persian cat was too honest; she was simply straightforward!

When you encounter a despicable person like him, you can easily lose your composure with a simple trick!

"So, there are Honkai Beasts even more powerful than the Judgment-class Honkai Beasts?" Shen Liang stared intently at Durandal's expression. It was particularly easy to extract information from this kind of person. When he saw Durandal's eyes harden, he knew he had guessed correctly again!

"Pandora, I think you can't keep testing me. I won't reveal any more information." Durandal took a deep breath, somewhat regretting that she shouldn't have come... She wanted to meet her new brother, but she didn't expect him to be a little difficult... He was such a well-behaved, cute, and timid little guy when he was with Aisha.