After all, there was no rule saying that Honkai Cubes had to come from Kami she personally killed.
So why couldn't she… milk the system a little?
If it was just her and Mei, how long would it take for the two of them to gather a hundred thousand Cubes by themselves?
Kiana felt the door to a new world creaking open before her, her gaze toward Sirin changing in an unmistakable way.
What a blockhead—why couldn't people in this world understand that their goals were aligned? Why couldn't they be… her golden sheep?
A return of at least a hundred thousand Cubes from a four-hundred-Cube investment—the profit margin was so high it was almost unreal.
"Kiana, do you have any more?"
This time Sirin called her by name. She had already decided—she wanted to be Kiana's friend.
Not because she intended to default on payment, of course.
But because she genuinely felt she needed a beautiful, sincere, and capable girl like Kiana as a friend!
Ahem—not because she coveted her abilities.
"Yes!" Kiana's heart raced and her hands trembled as she declared seriously, "Even if I have to spend every ounce of my strength, I'll heal you completely today!"
She threw a few more potions down.
"How do you feel now?"
"Almost there."
At that, Kiana added another bottle.
Five seconds later, Sirin's fully healed body relaxed, a faint smile appearing on her face as she swung her legs off the bed and flexed her fingers.
"Thanks to you."
Though she rarely bothered with politeness, that didn't mean she didn't know how to speak to people in a way that drew them closer.
"Thank you, Kiana. Without you, I might've been dead by now."
"No need to thank me." For the first time in her life, Kiana tried to hide her guilty conscience and embarrassment behind a bright, confident smile. "You paid for it, after all."
"Mhm." Sirin nodded. "So, the total just now was…"
"Let's call it an even thousand."
Kiana decided to round down—she'd already made more than enough profit. To take more would've been impolite.
"No, I promised you—I'll repay every cost at ten times the price."
Sirin wasn't about to break her word. Still, Kiana's gesture of rounding down touched her. Her opinion of the white-haired girl rose sharply.
She had already made up her mind—she wanted to be friends with Kiana.
"If I remember correctly, that was sixteen bottles. Including the first hundred, that makes one thousand seven hundred."
Sirin thought for a moment. Kiana must've used more than one round of healing to bring her back from near death.
"Counting the debt of saving my life…"
And what was a life worth?
Of course—it was priceless, beyond measure!
After a brief silence, Sirin calculated based on the number of Kami she had slain over the years, then looked up. "The energy of five thousand low-tier Kami."
"F-Five… five thousand?!"
That's fifty thousand Cubes!
Wow—was this what wealth looked like? Casual, effortless generosity?
Just a few words and fifty thousand Cubes were promised away! If Kiana had to slay that many herself, her blade would've dulled to the hilt before she finished!
Kiana unconsciously took a step back. Sirin seemed to glow faintly—radiating a dazzling, golden light.
That was the aura of a rich woman!
Kiana's voice trembled as she spoke, "A thousand is enough…"
She'd already earned more than she could justify—fifty thousand was too much.
"The energy of five thousand low-tier Kami—that's equivalent to five hundred mid-tier ones, or fifty high-tier Kami."
Sirin smiled as she calculated aloud. "I'm strong, you know. Five top-tier Kami are nothing to me. As long as they're not among the Twelve Kami, the rest are no match for me."
Even though she'd only slain two top-tier Kami in her ten-plus years as the Sentinel of Sky, she was still among the elite.
When the Twelve Kami remained sealed, those top-tier monsters in the mountains, rivers, and seas were her hunting grounds.
"Only five top-tier Kami?"
Kiana swallowed, suddenly realizing she had severely underestimated Sirin.
"I won't let my friends take a loss," Sirin said softly, smiling as she reached out a hand toward her. "You do want to be my friend, don't you?"
"Of course!"
Who could possibly refuse a rich woman?
Fifty thousand—no, five hundred thousand Cubes! That was half a million!
Kiana resisted the urge to keep investing in Sirin. One-star items only offered limited enhancement, and one-star weapons were definitely no match for an Edict Edge.
As for the healing spray…
She had just earned five hundred thousand from Sirin with it—how could she turn around and hand the same thing to her? Wouldn't that be the same as admitting she'd been lying and fleecing her like a fat sheep?
Sirin would probably flip the table on the spot.
"Ahem, I don't have anything suitable on hand right now. Next time—when we meet again, after you've paid me back—I'll give you a surprise."
Kiana's attempt at spinning a promise was awkward at best.
Her heart was pounding wildly. Even though she hadn't received a single Cube yet, she believed Sirin wouldn't default on her payment!
Five hundred thousand…
How was she even going to spend that?
A five-star weapon only cost a hundred thousand, and equipment around that tier already offered excellent power boosts.
"Then next time, I'll prepare a surprise for you too," Sirin said, nodding subtly. Watching Kiana's barely contained excitement, she could only think one thing—got her.
Kiana almost felt guilty. The rich girl saw her as a friend, while she saw the rich girl as… profit.
"You're heading back to the battlefield now, right? Do you need us to do anything to help?"
She'd make it up to Sirin later—give her a five-star piece of gear or something.
That thought alone cleared away any guilt she had left about treating her friend like a walking investment.
It was a win-win! It wasn't like she was scamming anyone for free.
So why feel guilty?
"No need to trouble yourselves." Sirin shook her head, stepping out of the room. "Leave the battlefield to me."
Kiana and Raiden Mei's strength wouldn't make much difference—they'd only become cannon fodder. It was better for them to stay in the city and keep slaying Kami.
"I believe you'll win!"
Sirin paused, then turned back to see Kiana's trusting gaze and bright smile. The tension in her chest eased just a little.
"You're right." She smiled too. "I will win."
Those were the kind of words she liked to hear.
And she truly believed she would.
"Thank you, Kiana."
Why are you thanking me again? Kiana blinked, confused, but before she could ask, Sirin had already stepped into the living room.
Raiden Mei, who had just finished coordinating with the armed teams and was standing ready with her blade, turned at the sound of footsteps—only to see not Kiana, but the violet-haired girl who had introduced herself as Sirin.
Kiana followed right behind her.
"You?" Mei frowned.
Was she planning to go with them?