I am Fu Hua, an undercover agent, and right now I'm experiencing something bizarre.
She has been on the Xianzhou Luofu for exactly one day.
After instructing Kiana, she gave me something called a jade sign and some money, then told me to wander around.
Cut off from Otto and unable to report on Kiana, I strolled through this land so reminiscent of Shenzhou, my heart heavy.
But the place is simply too vast; after a whole day I'd barely covered the tiniest fraction of it… At the moment Fu Hua sits in a teahouse in Nights Echo Alley's night market, holding a sliver of jade Kiana called a jade sign, etched with circuit-like patterns.
It works like a phone—remarkable… And since arriving, a phrase has flashed unbidden through her mind.
'Every star in the sky is a potential threat.'
Though she can't recall who said it, the words remind her to stay vigilant here.
At the same time she learned Kiana's identity.
The test subject K423 created by Otto, meant to live out her life according to his script… has broken free.
Beyond Earth, she has become a general of the colossal Xianzhou Alliance!
Many elderly locals say the Taiyin General of Warahip ranks among the mightiest of all Alliance generals.
And the tale of Kiana destroying the living planet Abyssal Star leaves Fu Hua lost in thought.
She doesn't know what a living planet is.
About the present Kiana, this place called Xianzhou Luofu, and the so-called Xianzhou Alliance, she knows almost nothing.
So she activated Fenghuang Down, sinking into an elder's consciousness to glimpse his memories.
What appeared next astonished her.
So long… of course, it was the memory—
The old man's memories spanned centuries, even millennia, and she learned the Xianzhou's inhabitants are near-immortal 'long-lifers.'
She also heard names of forces scattered across the cosmos.
And those who tread the Paths, wielding Path energy—Pathstriders.
And supreme, almost philosophical beings—Aeons.
As well as Emanators, vessels of an Aeon's Path energy.
Most Emanators can obliterate star systems with ease, and the Alliance's generals are Emanators.
So she quickly reasons that General Kiana must be on that level… Fu Hua knows destroying a star system is unthinkable; even shattering a planet is impossible for her.
Thus a faint wariness toward Kiana begins to grow.
Yet wariness mingles with anticipation.
In a single day Fu Hua has formed a new understanding of Kiana.
Kiana is someone Otto can never control, and she herself will no longer spy on Kiana for him—it might provoke Kiana's displeasure.
And that could bring catastrophic harm to a Earth already ravaged by Honkai.
Of course, this is only her speculation.
After all, she's spent too little time with Kiana to truly know her.
Besides, she now hopes—hopes Kiana can end Honkai for good… So she resolves to teach Kiana earnestly, to pass on everything she knows.
"Your tea, honored guest."
The shopkeeper carries over a pot of hot tea and sets it on the fragrant wooden table before Fu Hua.
Instead of leaving, he studies Fu Hua's face thoughtfully.
"Is something on my face, proprietor?"
Catching his stare, Fu Hua asks calmly, eyes faintly puzzled.
"May I ask what relation you bear to Marshal Hua?"
The owner's eyes widen; he leans in, voice grave.
The resemblance to Marshal Hua is uncanny—so uncanny she thought the Marshal herself had come incognito to Warahip!
"Marshal Hua…"
Fu Hua murmurs the name, then starts slightly.
From the elder's memories she knows: one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the bow, Marshal of the Cloud Knights—Hua!
No wonder so many eyes followed her today.
And those looks were full of reverence.
Even guarded places hadn't barred her way.
Mystery solved: she shares both face and name with Marshal Hua.
"No…"
"You must be Marshal Hua's daughter! No wonder you look so alike!"
Fu Hua shakes her head to explain, but the owner jumps in, eyes shining.
"It's not… she and I…"
She tries again, only to be cut off excitedly.
"Not her daughter? Then surely a sister! Though we've never heard the Marshal has siblings…"
"Not at all. My name is Fu Hua. I'm not from the Xianzhou; the resemblance to Marshal Hua is coincidence."
"Haha, I understand, I understand! Take your time with the tea—this pot's on me!"
With a knowing grin the boss bustles away.
Do you… really understand? Fu Hua sighs, sips her tea.
One taste and her eyes brighten.
Smooth and mellow, warm on the tongue; after swallowing, a faint orchid fragrance lingers, growing stronger with each breath.
Similar to Shenzhou teas yet distinct—an intriguing flavor.
And—illusion or not—she feels her body relax and her mind clear.
She decides she'll return to Nights Echo Alley when free… When the pot is empty she leaves several coins and stands to go.
Though the owner claimed it's on the house, she won't take advantage of a case of mistaken identity.
The moment she rises the owner darts over, several paper packets in hand.
"Seeing how you savored the tea, you're a connoisseur—take these to enjoy at home."
"I couldn't possibly…"
"My wife and I grow these ourselves. A fellow enthusiast—take them, taste, and share your thoughts; you'd be doing us a favor."
"Very well…"
With that she accepts the packets, nods her thanks, and leaves.
"In a few days, when that guest who looks like Marshal Hua returns, business here will explode,"
the owner chuckles once she's gone, strolling back to his counter.
Fu Hua, unaware of the shrewd ploy, still thinks the Xianzhou folk are simply warm.
"Time to head back,"
she decides, glances at the bright lights of Nights Echo Alley, and vanishes in a flicker.
Meanwhile, inside Taiyin Mansion, Kiana sits before Fu Xuan, eyes spinning, body swaying as Fu Xuan briefs her on Warahip's countless duties.
"Fu… Fu Xuan… stop, please stop…"
The handover has dragged on nearly a full day.
Kiana: Little me reckons the future looks awfully dark…