That gray-haired girl... she's so strong!
Although she appeared to be suppressed the entire time, the sheer momentum of her tenacious struggle—even growing stronger as she fought—under such storm-like attacks made Kiana feel inferior.
She was also a trained Valkyrie; she could see the terrifying precision, strength, and speed in both of their moves. It was no longer just about technique.
"Where exactly is this place..."
Kiana pressed herself against the freezing ice, unable to stop herself from shivering again. This time, it was half from the cold and half from lingering fear. "Why am I here... I'm just a reserve member. What right do I have to be spectating a battle of this level..."
A stray ice blade, deflected by Kevin, whistled through the air with a "swish," grazing the ice above Kiana's head and shaving off a layer of ice crystals, making her shrink back in fright.
"This is... so much more terrifying than a Honkai Beast..."
She muttered, wanting to cry but having no tears, and curled up even tighter, praying that while these two titans were fighting, they wouldn't notice this shivering "little bug."
Astral Express, Observation Car.
Madam Herta lounged lazily on the sofa, holding a cup of some unknown, steaming beverage specially brewed by "Welt."
Before her floated a translucent light screen, clearly divided into several frames. One of them showed the "three-way melee" currently happening in the Paradise training room (or, more accurately, two people battling fiercely, and one spectating).
She watched Kiana's rich expressions on the screen with great interest—from confusion to terror, from bewilderment to shock, and finally to her current state of shivering and questioning her existence.
"Tsk."
Black Herta took a light sip of her hot drink, a ripple of pleasure spreading through her purple-black eyes as she muttered to herself, "The reaction is even more interesting than expected. It seems the Kaslana family's thick nerves and optimistic spirit can also crash when faced with an absolute difference in strength and cognitive shock."
Her gaze swept over Kevin and Stelle, who were fiercely clashing.
"The 'Dream Wander' left behind by Long Night Moon is indeed quite adaptable."
Black Herta said to the System standing by her side, her tone carrying a hint of commendation, "Not only can it stably link the consciousness of individuals from different worlds and project them into the Paradise training space, but it can also fine-tune space rules in real-time based on the linker's subconscious and physical data, such as pain thresholds and damage conversion efficiency... It saves me quite a lot of trouble."
The System bowed slightly, data flowing steadily within its inverted cross pupils: "The consciousness capture and projection for Kiana are currently stable, with no negative impact on her physical body. A stable channel for repeated links to'Stelle' has also been established. Do you need to adjust Kevin's matching parameters?"
"No need."
Black Herta put down her cup, her fingertips tapping lightly on the sofa armrest, "Keep things as they are. Let Kevin continue 'practicing' with Stelle. As for that spectator... just let her watch. Contact with power that transcends one's own understanding is, in itself, a form of 'cognitive baptism.' The seed has been planted; when it sprouts depends on the soil and the climate."
She watched Kiana peeking from behind the ice on the screen, a meaningful arc curling at the corner of her lips.
"Enjoy the experience, Kiana. This corner of 'reality,' which is different from Honkai and comes from the distant sea of stars... perhaps it will allow you to walk your future path a bit more clearly."
Perspective shift.
Bai Heng pushed open the courtyard door, completely shedding the slightly slick smile of the "merchant Bai Heng," replacing it with an undisguisable look of exhaustion.
She rubbed her stiff mouth and nodded at the System, which was fiddling with several precision components on a stone table in the courtyard.
"I'm back."
The System looked up, its purple-red inverted cross pupils sweeping calmly over Baiheng, though its hands never stopped moving, a few tiny gears making precise clicking sounds at its fingertips.
"Observation indicates your bio-electrical signals show a low emotional index, and cortisol levels are on an upward trend. Did you encounter trouble while setting up your stall today?"
Baiheng sighed and sat down on the rattan chair opposite the System, her gaze landing unfocused on a few juicy Xianzhou loquats in the fruit bowl before her.
"Efficiency? Don't even mention it."
She took off her semi-permanent round sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "There is business, but it's too slow—a drop in the bucket. The key is..."
She paused, her voice lowering, carrying helplessness and a hint of tension: "Jing Yuan came in person today. Although he was... accidentally led away by Jingliu, his suspicion must have already been planted. And then there's Jingliu herself..."
She recalled the cold fingers that had tried to remove her blindfold that night, as well as the silent yet sharp warning gaze during the day, and couldn't help but smile bitterly, "These two—one represents the highest vigilance of the Xianzhou authorities, and the other is the greatest uncertainty herself. I'm like someone selling goods while standing between two taut strings; who knows which one might'snap' at any moment. Exposure is almost just a matter of time."
The System stopped its work, its exquisite face turning toward Baiheng, its voice still in that steady tone: "Logical deduction confirmed. Relying on high-risk public commercial activities to contact high-value targets, after the intervention of current variables, the success probability has dropped below the danger threshold. Suggest activating the backup plan."
"I want to be quick, too."
Baiheng leaned back, looking up at the night sky above the courtyard, "The task list still includes Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan, Qingque, Huo Huo... none of them are people I can just 'run into' on a street corner and smoothly hand things over to. The Seat of Divine Foresight, the Divination Commission, the Ten Kings Court... do you expect me to carry my stall and block them at their workplaces?"
She imagined the scene and shuddered herself.
"Plan B: Reverse thinking."
The System's voice had no inflection, as if stating the most natural fact, "Since the targets do not approach the stall, let the 'goods' approach the targets. Conduct point-to-point precision delivery."
Baiheng was stunned, then immediately understood what the System meant, her eyes widening slightly: "You mean... sneaking into their residences to leave the items? This, this isn't very appropriate, is it?"
A look of obvious hesitation and a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face, "This behavior sounds... a bit weird, like... uh, not very proper."
The System tilted its head slightly, as if evaluating.
"In terms of behavioral logic, it belongs to the category of harmless gifts, and may even result in gratitude. Does your morality need recalibration?"
Baiheng's mouth twitched, completely speechless at the System's pure logic that completely stripped away interpersonal boundaries.
But there was no denying that a small voice in her heart was saying: This is indeed the most direct method. As long as it is done cleanly and without leaving a trace.
"The logic... is sound."
Baiheng covered her forehead, "But the problem is, where are the residences of the key figures? The Xianzhou is so big, with paradise upon paradise; I doubt the residences of those big shots are public information, and there might be formations, Cloud Knights guards..."
"Information retrieval and path planning fall under the standard service scope of this System."
The System calmly interrupted her concerns.
The System extended a hand, and from who knows which dimensional pocket of its clothing, pulled out two pieces of paper with a special texture and a cool touch, gently pushing them onto the table in front of Baiheng.
Baiheng looked down.
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