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

"I'm fine, what could possibly happen to me?" Shen Liang looked at her in bewilderment, then laughed, "Everything's been resolved, don't worry, I'm not that bloodthirsty. But I've already taken my revenge. As for the ownership of the Divine Key, Fate will have plenty of time to argue about it. Anyway, I'm done with my work."

Anna stared at him, and fell silent for a moment.

She finally realized something was wrong.

The joy of seeing Shen Liang and Rita safe and sound quickly faded. Anna, as a normal human being who grew up in a relatively peaceful era, keenly sensed something amiss about Shen Liang.

—I'm used to it.

If a few days ago Shen Liang was characterized by irritability and a bloodthirsty desire, now his PTSD has not only not been cured, but has evolved. He has become accustomed to it; his killing intent is resolute, his actions decisive, and even the cruel and tyrannical phase has passed. He no longer regards bloodshed, torture, or even war as anything serious or brutal.

After stepping onto the battlefield step by step, his way of looking at the world and his stance had become as cold and ruthless as a military knife. Like a soldier who has become accustomed to the battlefield, he might have trouble sleeping at first, so he simply uses violence to numb himself, but later he becomes numb and can truly ignore the life and death of others, watching the meat grinder-like battlefield without changing his expression. Cold, hard, efficient, realistic, and brutal.

Anna couldn't even understand whether this was for the better or for the worse... He was indeed no longer suffering from the aftereffects of war, and he was no longer manic, because he had completely immersed himself in the battle and completely abandoned the worldview of an ordinary person.

Chapter 162 A Legal Way to Establish a Harem

Anna had a strange feeling in her heart. She watched as a boy gradually transformed from a clean, ordinary person into a soldier, a cold and hard soldier.

This feeling wasn't pleasant at all. She was a member of the Shaniat family, the most traditional extraordinary family in the Saintess lineage, where everyone fought to protect good. Ultimately, she had no way to stop Shen Liang from going this far. She didn't really want to see Shen Liang kill, but she was even less willing to see him indifferent to death.

Shen Liang also noticed Anna's conflicted expression. After a moment's thought, he understood what this girl, who had always been concerned about his mental health, was thinking.

He was well aware that his worldview was gradually shifting towards that of a soldier who had seen countless life and death, or rather, he was beginning to resemble Bronya, Rosalia, and other battle-hardened Boy Scouts. He was gradually losing his values ​​as an ordinary person.

But what can be done?

Is there any way back for him? Putting aside what he's already done on Earth, if Anna were told that he's killed far more people in Teyvat than those he's killed with his own hands, that he's used weapons far beyond his time to carry out brutal burnings at the stake, causing countless Inazuma families to be torn apart and destroyed, he's already a true executioner... He can't turn back now.

“I actually told you a long time ago, Anna, I’m fine, I don’t need any treatment.” Shen Liang stood up and reassured her, “I’ve returned to normal, I don’t have bipolar disorder or PTSD, I’m just this kind of person, I’ve always been this kind of person.”

“You didn’t have to be,” Anna said in a low voice, sounding distressed and aggrieved. “You could have been innocent. This kind of thing shouldn’t involve ordinary people.”

“I was no longer an ordinary person when I stepped into the extraordinary realm, and my values ​​should have been reshaped long ago.” Shen Liang shrugged. “I know you’re doing this for my own good, Anna, but this is my business, let’s not talk about it.”

Rita squinted at the group of little girls, then looked at Shen Liang. At first, she thought Shen Liang was acting under the orders of the Shaniat family, but now it seemed something was amiss. These Siberian girls seemed to know him better than Anna, and now they were pounced on him, scrutinizing him closely to see if he was missing any piece of flesh.

It seemed Shen Liang hadn't lied on the phone; he really had come looking for his sister… Rita was somewhat amused and exasperated. This seemingly insignificant matter had led to the annihilation of a mercenary group. But it was also fortunate that she had actually captured his sister and lured him here; otherwise, it's likely that more than one mercenary would have died this time.

Shen Liang comforted his sisters while habitually stopping some of them who were trying to take the opportunity to touch certain indescribable parts of his body. Then he looked at Bronya and opened his arms: "What do you mean? We haven't had time to talk in detail before. Aren't you going to welcome your brother now? I've come all this way to save you two."

"Does your brother need Bronya's hug?" the silver-haired Roman-curled loli said coldly. "Isn't it only natural for a brother to rescue his sister? To expect a reward from a disabled sister is truly ugly human nature."

Shen Liang chuckled, "If your leg boosters are out of power and you can't hug me, just say so."

Then he picked up Bronya, tucked her under his arms, lifted her high, and spun her around. He did this to each of his sisters one by one, as was tradition; he couldn't show favoritism to any one of them in front of the other sisters.

But when Hei Xi lifted Xi up, Hei Xi ruthlessly stomped on his face.

"I can see under your skirt from that position," Shen Liang said calmly.

"I was wearing safety shorts underneath!" Hei Xi said angrily, stomping her feet a few times. "Next time, at least explain to us what's dangerous! If you die, Xi'er will be very sad!"

Fortunately, Hei Xi was at least sensible enough to take off her shoes before being picked up. Her little feet, clad in navy blue over-the-knee socks, didn't exert any force. Shen Liang let her vent for a while before putting her down and rubbing her face: "Only that Xi'er is sad, you're not sad, right?"

"Nonsense! Of course I also..." Hei Xi started to argue, but then suddenly realized what he meant and stared at Shen Liang in astonishment, "Brother Liang, you..."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'I don't recognize that there are two Xi'ers'?" Shen Liang laughed. "What do you take your older brother for? After all these years, do you really think I've never noticed?"

Even Bronya looked at Shen Liang with suspicion this time.

They all knew that Seele had a dual personality, but Shen Liang was the only one who shouldn't have known. During her time in the orphanage, Seele rarely unleashed her darker personality. When she did, she would pretend to be a well-behaved girl when she met Shen Liang, so as not to ruin Seele's image.

Most of the people Shen Liang interacted with were the two personalities of Xi'er, and Shen Liang never revealed that he knew there were two Xi'er.

“I’m not very perceptive, but I’m not so oblivious that I wouldn’t notice this,” Shen Liang laughed. “Xi’er is never a picky eater, while you have a whole basket of foods you don’t like. Even when I make braised pork, you complain that you don’t like sweet flavors. Xi’er loves reading; she can listen to Dream of the Red Chamber for three hours straight, while you fall asleep after three minutes, and then you kick off my blankets…”

"Stop talking!" Hei Xi's face turned bright red, and she angrily tried to kick him again. "Who wants to hear about Dream of the Red Chamber! Who wants to hear about Dream of the Red Chamber!"

“Three hours should be enough to cover the sixth episode,” Bronya said suddenly in a cold voice.

“Not just the sixth chapter, I read the whole book to her…” Shen Liang realized he had said the wrong thing after he finished speaking, and quickly changed the subject, “It’s just that at the time I thought you had a mental illness, and I was afraid that if I didn’t tell you, it would be better if you fell into self-doubt… But now it seems that the relationship between your two personalities is quite cute, isn’t that good?”

"To be precise, dual personality disorder is also a mental illness," Hei Xi said coldly.

"What does it matter? I think it's great." Shen Liang put her down, squatted down, stroked her hair, and grinned. "It feels like raising two little sisters. Hmm, and I only need to pay for one person's meals. It's very economical. And it would be best if there were more adorable personalities like you. As long as you obediently call me brother, I'll accept them all."

Hei Xi's head was being rubbed by him, and unusually, she didn't retaliate. Her little face was flushed, and she just muttered in a very low voice, "Do you want more little sisters...? You obviously just want to legally build a harem..."

Rosalia, standing nearby, covered her face and said to Lilia with a look of disappointment, "Lilia, Lilia, if my brother treated even a tenth of the way he treats us as other girls, we would be aunts by now."

"Seconded."

Black Seele.jpg

Chapter 163 Rita, you and this child have a good relationship?

When the helicopter carrying the elites of various nations arrived at St. Olaf Square, Shen Liang and the others, who had been carried out of the ground by the Destiny rescue team, also returned to the surface.

After spending several hours underground, the sunlight upon returning to the surface was extremely dazzling. Shen Liang subconsciously squinted and saw a knight girl at the top of the sky wearing a blue and white jumpsuit, her long, light golden hair fluttering brilliantly in the high winds from the propellers, walking toward him with a heroic and capable air.

The girl's pupils were a noble, icy blue, her scrutinizing gaze meeting Shen Liang's appraising gaze from afar. One wore a black coat, the other a blonde dress.

The moment their eyes met, Shen Liang knew the identity of the blonde girl, who was probably eighteen or nineteen years old. That kind of stern and unapproachable gaze could only belong to the captain that Rita had mentioned.

The captain of the strongest team in the Destiny, "The Undying Blade," the strongest Valkyrie in the Destiny, the top of the three S-class heroes, and the number one of the younger generation in the world—Bianca Durandal Atagina.

She's a beautiful European girl who's just as good as Kiana.

“Luckily, Mr. Shen stored a lot of clothes in the light screen,” Rita whispered not far behind him. “I didn’t expect so many people to come up here. It would be a disgrace to Tianming if we came up naked.”

"You're all Valkyries, what are you afraid of flashing?"

“Mr. Shen seems to be quite unfamiliar with the extraordinary side. Since the extraordinary side is all female, we have the highest proportion of lesbians in the world,” Rita said with a smile. “However, Rita is very curious, why does Mr. Shen carry a maid outfit with him in his space?”

In fact, it was bought for Kiana. When choosing a maid outfit for Shinkai, Kiana wore this one and ran away, but she was never seen wearing it afterward. It just sat in Shen Liang's closet every day, a complete waste of money.

"Miss Kiana? No wonder it doesn't fit properly, it's too tight in many places..." Rita tried to lift the strapless top to make herself more breathable.

"You talk like you're that much older than Kiana..." Shen Liang muttered.

“Mr. Shen, that will make the girl angry. Rita is at least in her twenties, not like the seventeen-year-old Kiana. Besides,” she smiled slightly and whispered in Shen Liang’s ear, “Mr. Shen, haven’t you checked Rita’s size?”

That despicable maid!

This grand gathering of Valkyries was not limited to elite Valkyries from various countries. The extraordinary side was well aware that something big was about to happen to Elsa, so at least dozens of planes rushed to the scene. The sea of ​​people trying to pay homage to the legendary figure surrounded the entire St. Olaf Square.

It was exactly 11:00 AM, and at least several thousand people were "lying in wait" in the square. Shen Liang had posted the information on the public internet, so almost everyone who could get to Aisha was there. Not just the Valkyries, but many organizations and individuals connected to the supernatural world had also flocked to claim the space. Numerous reporters with cameras were also present; their keen senses easily told them this was "big news" from the supernatural world—news of this magnitude would be enormous even if it only circulated within the supernatural community!

Finally, with the steady sound of white boots stepping across St. Olaf Square, the blonde girl, accompanied by many high-ranking members of Schicksal and a group of elite Valkyries from various countries, stopped in front of the boy who had just returned from the underground.

The people behind her are all elites from Europe. Many of them frequent places like Buckingham Palace or the Berlin Chancellery. They are either dignified old politicians or young talents from prominent families.

But none of that matters now; none of the various people in the square matter.

Even Durandal isn't the main character.

It is a weapon, a weapon that the five most powerful countries in the world cannot refuse.

The Key of God.

Amidst the expectant atmosphere of the audience and reporters, Durandal extended her hand to Shen Liang and said calmly, "Good afternoon, Mr. Pandora. I am the Valkyrie sent by Schicksal to make contact with you. You may call me Bianca or Durandal. In addition, I am also the captain and commander of Miss Rita behind you. I have heard about what happened. Thank you for saving Rita in her time of crisis. I will never forget this kindness."

Shen Liang looked up at her. Youlandai was about six or seven centimeters taller than him, but with her boots, she was more than ten centimeters taller, so he had to look up at her. He felt inexplicably humiliated.

However, he still shook hands with her, then subtly sized up the many Valkyries behind her, and said with a smile in a formal tone: "It was no trouble at all. I have heard so much about Miss Durandal. What brings you here?"

This was originally just a polite exchange, but he didn't expect Durandal to shake her head. "No, this is not a simple matter for you. You have obvious external injuries, and it seems that you used some methods to speed up the healing process, but this shows that your battle was very difficult. Moreover, Rita's injuries are also very serious. I have been through it myself and can see it clearly. She has never suffered such serious injuries before, and she must have relied on you to survive."

“Uh…” Shen Liang didn’t quite understand what she meant.

"Besides, why did you lie to me? You've never even heard of me." Durandal looked at him seriously, her eyes sharp. "When you said that, the corners of your mouth curled up, a very obvious fake smile. You were trying to please me with a smile. I don't like being lied to, and I don't understand why you would lie even to say hello... To be honest, this is not a good habit. Mr. Pandora, you are still a child and shouldn't be so mature."

Shen Liang's smile froze, and her expression twitched slightly.

Are you out of your mind, sis?

Who's the child here? He was just being polite, how could Durandal spout two or three hundred words of rambling nonsense? Does she have a problem with him and start nitpicking a bunch of faults right away?

“No, please don’t misunderstand. Lady Durandal is very straightforward, extremely straightforward… to the point of being a bit honest.” Rita quickly explained in a low voice, “She never understands, or rather, doesn’t need, those conversations and actions used to maintain social etiquette. When communicating with her, you can only be direct. And Lady Durandal herself only speaks to the point. You… will have to get used to it.”

"Won't your captain get bullied and isolated because of this personality?" Shen Liang said through gritted teeth. "How can an idiot like this survive among a shrewd person like Valkyrie?"

"Bully? With Lady Durandal's strength, bullying her..."

At this moment, seeing Shen Liang and Rita talking intimately, Durandal frowned. Her mood inexplicably worsened, so she interjected, "Rita, you and this child have a very good relationship?"

They really have a good relationship.

Chapter 164 Guess what the standard is for an S-class Valkyrie?

Upon hearing this, Rita's expression faltered slightly.

Then she smiled slightly and curtsied to Durandal, saying, "Lady Durandal, Rita was saved by Mr. Pandora after all."

She didn't reveal "Mr. Shen" because, given Tianming's information-gathering abilities, Tianming had probably already figured out Shen Liang's true information, so whether she said it or not wouldn't make much difference. However, she still didn't want too many people to know Shen Liang's true identity; the less impact it would have on him, the better.

“You…” Durandal hesitated slightly, “Rita, aren’t you on my side?”

"Rita will always stand by Lady Durandal's side. What does that mean?" Rita chuckled. "Does Lady Durandal not trust Rita?"

The golden-haired knight girl stamped her foot anxiously, "You know what I mean, I mean..."