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

"Pandora—"

A silent cry travels across thousands of miles of rivers and mountains.

That night, under the London stars, a boy suddenly awoke from his sleep, his back covered in a cold sweat.

Shen Liang put on her coat, walked barefoot to the balcony, and looked out at the street scene. It was only evening, and the Chunshan Bar hadn't yet opened for Valkyries. Logically, the area outside should be bustling with tourists and locals, and restaurants and bars would even have set up tables and chairs on the pedestrian street.

But today the street is extremely quiet, completely deserted.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Torachiyo appeared from behind him.

"No," Shen Liang said in a low voice.

But he didn't explain further. Instead, he turned his head to look at the balcony on his right. The balconies of this building all jutted out from the rooms onto the street view, so people in different bedrooms could meet and even chat on their balconies. Celine's bedroom was to his right, and Celine happened to be there at that moment, wearing only a thin nightgown, drifting out gracefully.

The two looked at each other.

"Can you hear me?" Shen Liang asked.

Torachiyo looked at him with a puzzled expression. Although she was connected to Shen Liang's consciousness, she could not grasp Shen Liang's thoughts at any time. Her question was rather abrupt.

“We’re connected to the Shaniat bloodline.” Sirin touched her chest, her voice icy. “I’ve contacted the family, but this place has become an information blackout zone. I suspect it’s the EMP system at Schicksal headquarters; even satellite phones are unusable.”

"It was premeditated."

"But you, human, how could you sense whether Shaniat was alive or dead?"

“Even if we are thousands of miles apart, a man will never forget the voice of his woman.” Shen Liang’s voice gradually calmed down. “Her last thought was for me to help, and I could not ignore it.”

Although his words were spoken calmly, Xilin saw a rare, cold anger in his eyes. This little wolfhound, whom she had always bullied and who would occasionally lose his temper, had finally abandoned his innocent and adorable facade of the past few days, becoming gloomy as if he were a completely different person.

Xilin had always known that Shen Liang had a suppressed side, and everyone in Shaniat knew it too. He was once a demon whose bloodlust made even the witch Maria frown, but Shaniat used countless acts of tenderness and warmth to gradually bring him back to his childlike innocence. But when his beloved was threatened, the demon within him awakened again, revealing his true, enraged self.

“Oh, it’s Anna,” Sirin said softly.

She felt a pang of envy. So this is what it's like for two people who love each other? Even if they're thousands of miles apart, if you're in danger, my heart will ache; if you're happy, my heart will be with you. There's no loneliness, because even in your loneliest moments, you know there's someone under this starry sky gazing at you, sharing your solitude.

When one person is in danger, the other person will protect her.

Even with a cauldron of oil and a sea of ​​swords before him, he still strode across, his anger burning quietly.

"Can we go?" Celine went back into the house, put on her dress, tied her belt, and asked in a low voice.

Shen Liang looked at the quiet streets of the SoHo district. This eerie scene reminded him of what the Valkyrie named Shigure Kira had said a few days ago. But even Shigure Kira probably didn't expect that Destiny would act so quickly, and... not by targeting them.

Shigure Kira may have her reasons, but he is Maria's son. Even with all her resentment towards Maria, Shigure Kira couldn't bear to see him imprisoned, so this was already an exception. This vast Destiny had already set a trap to surround him and Sirin. Everyone in the Destiny headquarters had been laughing and joking these past few days, but in reality, they were like a tigress with her mouth wide open, ready to devour them.

Every Valkyrie is hiding something, they are all deceiving.

No one can be trusted.

"It would be so much easier if I could take you to Teyvat, Sister Sirin. Right now, we have no choice but to run away," Shen Liang said in a low voice.

Xilin understood his meaning; he could open a portal to another world at any time, and even if fate laid out an inescapable net to restrict them, it probably wouldn't have foreseen this. However, Xilin couldn't use the teleportation barrier, and Shen Liang couldn't let Xilin stay here while he escaped.

"Besides, without me, can you really escape?" Sirin whispered.

Shen Liang understood that this was not Teyvat, but the headquarters of Destiny, which was full of Destiny's spies and surveillance. If he activated the teleportation screen to appear, he would inevitably be discovered.

But destiny is not without a Valkyrie who can catch him in the instant he "opens and closes the door"... the speedy Valkyrie.

“Rita, Durandal…” Shen Liang narrowed his eyes.

S-rank Valkyries probably all have this kind of incredible speed. What makes Shen Liang wary is that Rita hasn't appeared for three days, and Durandal, after having a slightly unpleasant encounter with him yesterday, is now nowhere to be found.

If he were to consider Rita and Durandal as his hypothetical enemies, he would have no chance of winning against these two S-rank Valkyries. To put it bluntly, if an S-rank Valkyrie were hiding right next to him, even if he abandoned Sirin and immediately activated the teleportation barrier, he would most likely be intercepted, because Rita had witnessed his ability firsthand.

But Rita and Durandal might not be there.

Schicksal has now instigated hostility against the Schariac family, with him and Sirin serving as hostages to threaten them. But opposing the Schariacs requires resources; Cecilia and Maria's strength is well-known. Whatever Schicksal's plans, they must be backed by solid power. Rita and Durandal… perhaps they will go to deal with the Schariacs?

So, the people left at Destiny Headquarters might only be A-rank to deal with him and Sirin. After all, as the Son of the White Flower, he has only shown his talent but not his strength. Rita may have given him a special report, but at most she would consider him an A-rank. So, it seems that he and Sirin, both A-rank, are easy to deal with.

With so many A-rank Valkyries at the Destiny Headquarters, it's possible they could pick a few to be their opponents.

Shen Liang repeatedly considered the operational logic of the Destiny Headquarters in his mind, while simultaneously conducting countless battle calculations, even though he couldn't see a single enemy around him at this moment. Xilin didn't disturb him; the willful little queen was simply expressionless, leaning against the railing with her arms crossed, staring at the crimson sunset at the end of the pedestrian street.

"They're here," Sirin suddenly said.

Shen Liang looked up but saw no one. Instead, she heard a clear and ethereal singing voice coming from all directions, keeping time.

"...When we parted, I rode off to defend the border; when I returned, my body was cold with death."

Inside was a white jade cross-shaped coffin, covered in spiderwebs and dust.

The coffin remains empty, but the person is gone.

"My youthful hair has turned white, my courage has turned to ashes, this hatred is hard to sever..."

She sang in authentic Chinese, an ancient Chinese folk song. The wind made the girl's still-childish voice sound hazy and lonely, as if she wasn't singing, but describing a story she had witnessed.

A story from a long time ago.

Before they knew it, Shen Liang and Xi Lin saw a petite girl on the roof of the opposite building. She was wearing a blue and white cheongsam with a celadon pattern, tied tightly with a red rope to reveal her very proud breasts. Her black hair, which reached past her hips, was neatly tied up. She was carrying a long sword wrapped in cloth on her back and was sitting there. She was casually crossing her smooth and slender legs, and her long heels were tapping on the roof tiles. She was staring at them curiously.

An unfamiliar Valkyrie.

People from China.

Yes, quite surprisingly, she's from China. Her attire and appearance prove that this seemingly naive girl is a Valkyrie from China. Destiny is ultimately a European organization, so encountering people from China here is quite rare, and even Asians are few and far between.

However, Shen Liang still couldn't be careless. This girl looked to be about his age, at most fifteen or sixteen. But with the help of Hu Qiandai, who had an extremely strong sense of danger, Shen Liang sensed an extremely heavy aura emanating from the girl.

"Nice to meet you, junior brother." The girl tilted her head and smiled. "Although you haven't entered the sect yet, even I can't imagine how someone who has been targeted by Master can escape, so it's only a matter of time. I am Li Sushang, the eldest disciple of the Supreme Freedom Sect. You can just call me Senior Sister Sushang."

Shen Liang and Xi Lin remained silent.

Li Sushang's smile became somewhat awkward, but she still maintained her forthright tone, "It seems that Junior Brother harbors quite a bit of hostility towards me, his Senior Sister. There's nothing I can do about it, after all, my mission is indeed not well-received. But Junior Brother, we'll have to run into each other sooner or later, we're all family, so let's not ruin our harmony here, okay? Otto sent me here to do this work hoping that we wouldn't make a big fuss. Why don't you two go back to sleep now, and I'll just relax here and keep watch, and we'll each keep to ourselves."

Shen Liang was silent for a moment, then said, "Senior Sister Su Chang."

"Ah!" Li Sushang felt a surge of comfort throughout her body, her eyes crinkling with happiness. Five hundred years! This was the first time in five hundred years that someone had called her "Senior Sister." The Supreme Freedom Sect, with only two wretched women, finally had a new member. After five hundred years of loneliness, she finally had a junior brother she could tease and bully at will!

Moreover, this junior brother is a little wolfhound that the entire Destiny Sect covets!

Li Sushang couldn't help but laugh when she thought about her colleagues who were so envious and jealous that their faces were contorted.

"Since it's out of respect for the little immortal, how about letting us leave? I need to go save someone."

"Sorry, sorry, that really won't work. We each serve our own masters. After all, I'm not just the senior sister of the Supreme Freedom Sect, I'm also..." Li Sushang shrugged, "...the S-rank Valkyrie of Destiny."

Upon hearing this, Shen Liang and Xi Lin were immediately on high alert.

The third S-rank Valkyrie of Destiny has actually appeared here!

"Honestly, that Rakshasa has been preparing for this plan for hundreds of years. When they were short-handed, they even called on me. You know, I'm from Shenzhou. He wouldn't have come to me if he really had no one else to help him." Li Sushang pouted, but then softened her tone. "Although I don't know why he asked me to intercept him, he has been working towards his goal for so many years, and I can't just watch him fail. So I'm sorry, Junior Brother, I can only ask you to put up with this."

"What exactly is Otto planning?" Shen Liang asked directly.

"What are you planning? It's nothing more than making destiny great again, making the Valkyrie great..." Li Sushang smiled, "Oh, these are things that only highly intelligent people can figure out. I'm too lazy to think about it, I don't have the brains for it. Anyway, since he asked me to do something, I'll do it. He rarely asks me for anything."

"His plan was to take others hostage?"

“This is unjust, but Otto always thinks further ahead than most people. Temporary injustice is for the sake of long-term justice. Don’t tell me he’s doing evil things; I won’t listen,” Li Sushang laughed. “For five hundred years, this Rakshasa has done many, many unjust things, but in the end, it was all for the sake of human society and destiny. The final result is often good. I believe in his justice, but what you, junior brother, say, young man, won’t move me, because I’m already over five hundred years old.”

Shen Liang sneered.

Indeed, Li Sushang's reasoning was stronger than his. That man named Otto was scheming against the Shaniat family, but so what? Otto had been on the right path for five hundred years and had never made a mistake, so everyone trusted him!

Trying to appeal to the emotions of these Valkyries is futile; their hearts are entirely with Otto.

“Fool, you have no thoughts of your own, you’re just a puppet of others.” Xilin stared coldly at Li Sushang.

"Hey little girl, how old are you and how old am I? I've seen more of the world than you've eaten a grain of rice. Do you even have the right to judge me?" Li Sushang said listlessly, hugging her knees.

"Utterly ridiculous!" Xilin said angrily. "You dare to talk about these things? If you had really lived for hundreds of years... you would find it truly laughable, utterly laughable! Because you've lived for hundreds of years, you've only eaten several times more food and slept several times more than others! You have no idea what it feels like to grit your teeth and risk your life to find that important person! You know she's scared and crying for help, so you go at all costs. As long as you're alive, you keep moving forward, cutting through mountains and seas, nothing can stop you! You can't even accept death unless you see her with your own eyes, you can't even breathe your last after death! That's what it means to live. The way you live is just old and not dead!"

"How do you know we don't feel that way?" Li Sushang didn't get angry or embarrassed, but instead laughed. "You've only encountered such a small thing, and you're already in such pain and so anxious. But he has been pursuing that vague and elusive wish for five hundred years. If he knew where the person he was looking for was, he would find her even if it meant sinking the seven continents."

She suddenly lost interest. "There's no point in talking to little brats. You two just stay put, or I'll break your bones to keep you in line."

Shen Liang lowered his gaze.

--------

Meanwhile, in Bavaria, on the outskirts of Munich, at Neuschwanstein Castle.

Thunder and lightning!

"Ana Schariac has shown signs of Honkai energy amplification, and the fluctuations have been confirmed to be similar to those experienced when the Herrscher of the Void appeared during the Siberian War." Rita stood in mid-air, her eyes filled with rage. "The World Serpent Organization reported to headquarters that the Schariac family discovered the amplification fluctuations within Anna a year ago, yet they secretly conducted artificial Herrscher experiments! This has now spiraled out of control! Miss Maria, your selfish desires have caused such a catastrophe. Do you think you deserve the reputation that the Saintess family has painstakingly maintained for thousands of years?!"

"You're talking nonsense! You filthy bitch!" Maria was also in mid-air, almost driven mad by the accusation, and immediately started cursing.

Chapter 51 Kevin: Some Disagreements on Parenting Experiences

Neuschwanstein Castle is located in the suburbs of Munich, but it's practically on the coast, accessible only by a winding mountain road. Therefore, Neuschwanstein Castle is essentially far from the city, and you'll hardly see anyone other than tourists visiting the castle.

So after the state government intentionally closed the road to the scenic area, this place became a no-sight zone. The rain poured down, but flocks of birds circled in the air. Helicopters in the distance also dared not land, because within a few kilometers around this area, several mutually restraining collapse energies were held back. Every tree at the foot of the Alps trembled slightly, overwhelmed by the sweeping force.

A Valkyrie from the Bavarian state government, carrying a camera, recorded the scene from a helicopter. Not far from Neuschwanstein Castle, a pure white, fairytale-like building, three women stood facing each other, suspended in mid-air. Flight is a symbol of status for Valkyries, because unless they can control the wind or solid objects to levitate, most Valkyries, even at the A-rank, cannot walk on air as if on flat ground.

S-level.

The highest level of human force: nuclear deterrence strategy for individual soldiers.

Durandal's expression turned slightly cold. She had always known that the so-called Saint Maria was a volatile battle maniac. Although she was a nun, most of the missions she had carried out were bloody, and her preferred weapon was an ancient cross-shaped spear. Maria was more or less religiously fanatical, enjoying the thrill of conquering enemies as if she were still in the Middle Ages. Even if the enemy was a three-story-tall Honkai Beast, she would use her spear blade to cleanly and neatly sever its silicon-based body and skeleton, even cutting it to pieces.