Chapter 162: The Shock of Meteoric Salvation! Durandal to Visit Su Mu?
After the animated short ended, the Chapter 14 plot did not conclude there. It shifted to Raiden Mei's perspective.
[World Serpent's conspiracy dissipated in the dazzling firelight.]
[No one knew what had happened.... only she was running, chasing the trajectory of the meteor.]
["Kiana"....]
On the other side, a white knight's lance pierced the ground. A giant tree rose from the earth, eventually catching the falling meteor. As the scene shifted, Kiana lay on a branch, eyes closed, appearing to be asleep. With her loose long hair and her slumbering state, she looked exactly like a sleeping beauty.
Kiana's breathtaking beauty caused a flurry of gasps in the livestream. No one expected that a simple change in hairstyle would completely alter her temperament! Truly, fine feathers make fine birds; the difference between a "Tuna" and a "Queen" was just twin braids versus loose hair!
Raiden Mei rushed to the spot, reaching out a trembling hand, wanting to touch Kiana's face. However, not far away, a blonde knight stood before Kiana, looking down at Raiden Mei from a height. Raiden Mei instinctively felt an extremely powerful pressure radiating from the newcomer. In an instant, she gripped her sword hilt, confronting the blonde knight—
Main Story Chapter 14 ended here. However, the audience in the livestream was gripped by intense curiosity.
[Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie Durandal is here!]
[She finally showed up.... Although she saved Kiana, looking at her, I feel like Kiana is going to be taken away....]
[Nonsense! Mei is right there; she won't let Durandal take Kiana!]
[You say that, but you know Mei's current power after losing her Herrscher Core.... sigh.]
[Mei couldn't even beat Rita. Facing Durandal, who is stronger than Rita....]
[Wuu-wuu!! Are we starting the Mei-bullying again! Mei is too pitiful! I feel like ever since she exploded that Honkai Emperor in Chapter 1, she's been taking constant Ls!!]
[Hateful Old Thief! This guy is definitely a Mei-hater! Now Mei can't do anything besides cook, can she!]
[Old Thief, you deserve to die!!]
Although the audience hoped Mei could protect Kiana and prevent her from being taken by Durandal, they all knew that Mei was no match for her... Having finally reunited, were Kiana and Mei going to be separated again? How would things develop? What did Durandal's appearance signify? Where would Kiana go from here?
Amidst everyone's frustration, Senti returned to the stage selection screen. Seeing the four words "To Be Continued" for the next chapter, she practically went berserk.
"Argh! Even though Chapter 13 didn't end on a cliffhanger, Chapter 14 did! I want to see the continuation so badly! If I can't see the next part, I feel like I'm going to lose something precious!!" Senti was truly losing it. Every single time, the cliffhangers in Honkai Impact 3rd stoked her curiosity to the limit! This agonizing wait for an update was, to her, a form of torture!!
"If you really can't take it, you can go find Su Mu and look at the script." "I can't! If I look at the script early, there won't be any surprises! Old Timer, you clearly don't understand!" "Weren't you just shouting that you couldn't take it?" "That's two different things! We must have basic respect for such a beautifully produced game! Playing after reading the script would ruin the experience! The best experience is playing when you know nothing!"
Senti's righteous explanation made Fu Hua show a helpless smile. Unconsciously, Senti had truly become a die-hard fan of Honkai Impact 3rd.
After the stream ended, the impact of the brand-new version of Honkai Impact 3rd began to play out across the world. Players were full of praise for the new animated short, Meteoric Salvation. Even Kiana's father, Siegfried Kaslana, after witnessing his daughter showing off her divine might in the game, stood at attention as a Kaslana man and immediately teared up!
His daughter had finally become successful! So successful! At this moment, he really wanted to rush to Arc City and give Su Mu a big hug!
Why hug Su Mu instead of his daughter? Isn't it obvious? Anyone with eyes could see why his daughter was able to shine so brightly in that short. Wasn't it all Su Mu's arrangement! Now Siegfried felt he could stand taller. He walked with a spring in his step even when visiting Schicksal HQ. When he bumped into Shigure Kira, who was always trash-talking him, he could just wave his hand and magnanimously declare he wouldn't hold a grudge!
That smug look left Shigure Kira stunned, wanting nothing more than to kick Siegfried's butt! That bastard who took away Lady Cecilia, how dare he brag about how great his daughter is in front of me! So annoying! But I can't do anything to him, ugh!!!
The internal doubts within the family regarding Kiana had completely vanished during this period. Anyone who saw Siegfried would praise him, saying his second daughter Kiana was truly successful! "I've watched her grow up since she was a child; I knew she'd be successful one day, and look, I was right!" The dissatisfaction and questioning were replaced by praise for Kiana's "wisdom and divine might."
Undoubtedly, through the terrifying reach of Honkai Impact 3rd, the name Kiana Kaslana had spread throughout the global gaming community. Even people who didn't play the game, after seeing the high-quality technical display of Meteoric Salvation, marveled at the white-haired girl's courage and fearlessness. That meteor of Arc City didn't just light the path for characters in the game; it made Kiana shine like a brilliant new star in reality!
Coupled with MiHoYo's terrifying revenue, which had become an indispensable part of Arc City's financial reports, the city mayor's fifty-year-old face was smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum. He probably never dreamed of the day he'd be promoted like this... Kiana's name caused a sensation in various circles. Whether they played games or not, more or less everyone knew of her existence.
If they happened to meet a die-hard fan of the game... When the Kaslana family went out for business, they originally planned to persuade a difficult, wealthy client, only for the other party to raise an eyebrow and ask: "Kaslana? The family of Kiana Kaslana?" A short while later, the salesman would look at the lightning-fast signed contract in his hand, achieved without any effort. The other party even friendly expressed hope for more cooperation in the future... After all, working with the "Kaslana" family was a guarantee of quality. The salesman was left bewildered in the wind.
Even Siegfried hadn't expected a game to generate such a massive impact. Kiana's influence wasn't limited to herself; even the reputation of the Kaslana family had seen an unexpected explosion in popularity.
"Though I wanted my dummy daughter to be successful, this is... maybe a bit too successful?" Siegfried's mouth twitched. He hadn't forgotten the day he went out and was recognized by a fan. The other party had gasped, then babbled excitedly: "You're Kiana's, Kiana's, Kiana's dad, right? What was the name? Siegfried, Siegfried, right! Can we take a photo!"
Siegfried felt like crying right then and there. Wait! Since when did I fall to the point of not even deserving my own name? If his daughter kept getting more successful, would no one remember him as Siegfried Kaslana, only as "Kiana's father"?
His daughter was successful and helped him earn so much money—it should be a happy thing. But after calming down, Siegfried began to sigh again.
His eldest daughter, Bianca, happened to catch him sighing and asked curiously, "Father, what is it? Is something troubling you?" "I was thinking about your sister." "Kiana? I've heard of her recent deeds. It seems she isn't just living a life of idle luxury in Arc City; she's working hard." "Uh...." Siegfried's expression was awkward. 'Idle luxury' isn't technically wrong, is it? After all, he received constant reports from Theresa. Kiana didn't care about company affairs at all; Su Mu and Bronya handled everything. Her "success" wasn't because she worked hard, but purely because Su Mu wanted her to be successful, so she was.
Siegfried was Kiana's dad; he knew exactly what her nature was. In the eyes of outsiders, Kiana had suddenly had an epiphany and turned her life around, creating a legend... but Siegfried knew better! Without Su Mu, wouldn't his daughter just be a pure paramecium?!
Siegfried hadn't told Bianca these things, as she was currently incredibly busy. As the next head of the Kaslana family, most of the family business was now under her management. If he told her about Kiana, knowing her personality, she would probably work even harder to finish her tasks and then rush to Arc City to "re-educate" Kiana...
"Father, are you hiding something from me? About Kiana?" Though he hadn't told her, it didn't mean Bianca had no other channels. Although she was far away in Europe, she knew exactly what was happening at MiHoYo. After all, Rita was working there and reported the situation truthfully to her.
"I've known for a while how Kiana's company rose so quickly and how it achieved such terrifying results in a short time.... I know it all. I understand you're worried I'll overwork myself, but I know my own body. I've already arranged all the work I need to do." Bianca was always decisive. "Next month, I will depart for Arc City to inspect MiHoYo's situation in person and have a good talk with Kiana."
Seeing his eldest daughter's expression, Siegfried knew there was no use saying anything. Although Bianca and Kiana had different styles, they were both stubborn to the bone; once they set their minds on something, eight horses couldn't pull them back.
"That's fine then.... when the time comes, help me thank Su Mu in person, if you can...." Siegfried coughed, his expression turning strange. "Bianca, this matter also concerns Kiana's... marital happiness. If possible, I hope you can check him out for Cecilia and me.... If he's a good man, see if we can settle the marriage?"
"Su Mu? I've heard about him from Rita. He is indeed a capable man. But currently, it seems the people from Anti-Entropy are eyeing him too; even Cocolia met him in person." Bianca paused. "Furthermore, in Rita's reports, the Golden Courtyard where Eden resides has also been looking after Su Mu. Elysia and Pardo Felis from the Golden Courtyard frequently appear around him, and even the young Griseo, with her amazing painting talent, is equally close to him."
"There is sufficient reason to classify them as Kiana's rivals."
Hearing Bianca's series of reports, Siegfried wiped cold sweat from his brow. "Bianca, I actually meant for you to help and see if you could set them up.... but hearing you talk about it makes it sound like a war?"
Bianca replied solemnly, "Is it not? I believe love is a war, and there is only one winner. Currently, Kiana's rivals are very powerful in both strength and background; her probability of winning is slim to none."
"If Su Mu is truly as excellent as the rumors say, then he is undoubtedly a prize that various factions are fighting for. Love, marriage... these are also ways to tie him to a group's interests. It's foreseeable that many factions will act this way. Such a talent is also what we Kaslanas need."
"His joining might truly take the Kaslana family to the next level, but... I will use my own eyes to confirm what kind of person he really is." Bianca paused, took a deep breath, and spoke again.
"Also... Kiana is my sister. I don't want her to become a victim of power and political struggle. If she truly likes Su Mu, I will do my best to help her fight for him. But if she doesn't have those thoughts, I will never force her to marry someone she doesn't like—even if that person is outstanding enough to command everyone's respect, I will stand by Kiana's side."
Looking at Bianca, Siegfried chuckled and shook his head with a touch of sentiment. "Have you ever seen Kiana care so much about a man since she was a child? Theresa told me Kiana said to her face that any dating must be approved by her.... Have you ever heard Kiana say such a thing? That girl might not have any self-awareness, but possessiveness is actually a sign of liking someone."
"Do you think she's saying that because Su Mu caused her to lose a huge amount of money, and she's afraid he'll run away without taking responsibility, so she wants him to make games for her for life?"
Siegfried talked nonsense; he was purely "farting" (talking trash) with that last sentence. After all, MiHoYo's revenue was so terrifying, where was Kiana losing money? she couldn't make money fast enough! But until the very end, Siegfried didn't know that his random banter was actually the closest anyone had ever come to the truth...
END OF CHAPTER
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