Sirin?!
Why was it Sirin?!
Seeing the purple figure, Shu, Mei, and the others were all utterly shocked.
Sirin felt like a character suddenly dropped from the sky, abruptly appearing in their plans and throwing everything into disarray.
Siberia... This was Siberia!
This unexpected, massive change made Shu grit his teeth inwardly.
I shouldn't have ignored any possibility!
Even though he hadn't seen Babylon... no, had he really not seen it?
The distance between Depascal and their current location wasn't vast. So, when he was reading through the資料 (data/materials) back then, was it possible he had skipped over more than just Depascal?
The thought that this might have already happened made Shu clench his fists.
Depascal, Babylon... how much else had he forgotten? And how many of these forgotten things would they encounter along the way?
Just like now, with Sirin appearing before him, this momentary helplessness was enough to make him doubt himself.
Fortunately, he had weathered some storms before. Evolution, Memory, even the Chariot-class Honkai Beast and Honkai Emperor in Canghai (Sapphire) City—weren't they all unexpected situations?
While Shu still wasn't completely immune to such sudden developments, he wouldn't lose control and shout like he did when he first saw Kiana and Otto after transmigrating.
Quickly clearing his thoughts, Shu frowned deeply, watching Sirin deliver a rambling speech from the high platform. He didn't even notice the cloaked figure he'd been watching vanish from the corner.
The Herrscher candidate was basically confirmed the moment Sirin appeared. Throughout the entire Honkai series, Sirin was always connected to the identity of a Herrscher, anytime, anywhere.
And now she appeared here, with the special status of [King]. Did they even need to consider whether she was the Herrscher?
"Kiana, Mei, Bronya," having figured this out, Shu quickly called the others. "Don't cause a commotion. We're retreating."
"Understood." Mei had also calmed down. She glanced at Sirin, still speaking eloquently on the platform, and started pulling Kiana and Bronya away.
"Alright!"
---||---
But just then, Sirin on the platform impatiently cut short her rambling speech.
This long, stinky draft Hori prepared for her was unbearable!
Would anyone really stand foolishly on a high platform under the sun, giving a speech for half an hour?
She didn't want all this tedious ceremony! It sucked all the fun out of everything!
So, she tossed the script aside and raised her arms to the Homu subjects below.
"I declare—the Spring Festival officially begins!" Sirin shouted, raising her hands high, her voice echoing through every corner around the palace, reaching the ears of every single Homu.
Then, she produced a die, larger than her own head, seemingly from nowhere, and held it aloft with both hands.
"Now for the moment everyone's been waiting for! What identity will everyone have in the new season?" Sirin said with a mischievous grin.
Shu's expression changed slightly. He had stayed near the edge of the Homu crowd, and with [Wish] active, he could leave anytime he wanted.
But Kiana and the others were squeezed near the front. Especially after his order not to cause a disturbance, their withdrawal from the Homu crowd was even slower.
Sirin clearly had no intention of giving any more "foreword" this time. Seeing the crowd erupt in cheers at her words, Sirin herself felt her hands itching with anticipation.
If you want to do it, just do it!
Without hesitation, Sirin tossed the die into the air, letting it fly from her hands.
At that exact moment, the phase-space teleportation Shu conjured finally enveloped Kiana and the others within the Homu crowd.
Right then, every gaze, except for the group of four, was fixed on the die tumbling through the air.
Everyone watched the ornate die spin and flip, its six smooth faces flashing brilliantly in the sunlight, each face turning towards them looking completely different in an instant.
The die, carrying the hopes of all Homus, traced a graceful arc under the sun's watchful eye, then landed without hitting a single Homu below.
Despite the dense crowd, a space had somehow cleared, and the die landed precisely within it.
The moment Shu vanished, he hadn't even noticed when that empty space on the ground had formed, even though his eyes had been locked onto the die since it left Sirin's hand.
He also didn't see which number landed face up, because the next instant, he and the vanished trio were already gone.
However, the die had landed. No one could leave the game before victory and defeat were decided.
Or rather, the moment the die was cast, all players already in the game had to determine a winner and loser.
The huge die bounced twice on the ground, then spun to a halt.
No one saw the number on the die, because instantly, a job title appeared above the head of every Homu.
"Homu! (I'm a gardener this time! I've always wanted to try this job!)" an aristocratically dressed Homu exclaimed, shaking its expensive accessories gleefully, sharing its joy with the woodcutter Homu beside it.
"Homu homu! (Yeah, yeah! My identity this time is Royal Chef! I'm so excited!!)" The woodcutter Homu unreservedly grasped the excited aristocrat Homu's hand.
Neither showed the slightest worry about their drastically changed circumstances.
In the eyes of the world, falling from a lofty noble to a plant-trimming gardener was undoubtedly a drop from heaven to earth.
And rising from a wood-chopping logger to a royal chef involved crossing vast chasms of talent, skill, experience, and even lineage.
One transition faced the difficulty of adapting from luxury to simplicity; the other was akin to leaping over mountains between professions.
But both Homus were simply excited—excited to finally get the job they wanted, even if this interest had only sparked recently.
Even if... it was just an interest.
Looking around, not a single Homu seemed worried about their status or situation for the coming months.
Joy filled the air around the palace.
As if worry had never existed here at all.