Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 368 Wanting to buy osmanthus flowers and share wine, but not a single penny was asked for.

Today is a peaceful day. There was no great collapse that destroyed civilization, nor did the World Serpent or Destiny jump out to launch an attack on Anti-Entropy...

For anti-entropy, today could be considered a good day... well, maybe not so good.

At this very moment, in the men's restroom of St. Freya, Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason, leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance, manga artist, and history teacher, was listening to a long message from Sora: "Auntie Ai, I'm fine. Tell Uncle Yang to help me make a knife as a gift for Mei..." His brows twitched uncontrollably.

Why insist on having him help make handicrafts through this channel? Be careful, or the great scientist might scold you for neglecting your duties!

"Leader, when did you start accepting pocket money from the younger generation to make toys for them?"

Walter's thoughts quickly drifted back to "the past." He had assumed that Qiong felt that the baseball bat was not very handy as a weapon, so he naturally placed an order for a one-handed sword with the all-powerful (construction expert) Uncle Yang.

Because she didn't want the children to get something for nothing, she symbolically took half a month's allowance from him... but it turned out that Qiong actually used it as decoration.

It seems that sword is now hanging on the wall in Mei's room. This time it's another knife...

"This child..."

Walter smiled and shook his head, but since Qiong had the time to ask him to make a gift, there probably wouldn't be any major problems.

"Let's not talk about this... Aiyin, are you sure you haven't missed anything?"

"Yes, nothing is missing. He shouldn't have been coerced by Otto."

Walter rubbed his temples: "It's alright, it's alright! As for crafting weapons? That's no big deal! The biggest problem is that I worried about it all day!"

"That's all for now, Ai Yin. If Qiong makes any unusual moves, contact me immediately!"

After saying that, Lao Yang hung up the call and quickly left the restroom—he still had to see Raiden Mei later, and as Sora's girlfriend, he needed to let her know if there was any news.

Walter hurried toward the agreed-upon location—St. Freya's Little Garden (it's much more fun to meet in person for these kinds of things). Soon, he saw four girls laughing and joking around.

“Professor Walter.”

Mei was the first to stand up when she saw Lao Yang, and she nodded politely in greeting.

"Mei-kun, have you been waiting long?"

"No, we just arrived too!"

Kiana shook her head slightly. Before she could speak, Seele stepped past the others and looked at Old Yang with a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Uncle Yang, do you have any news about Brother Qiong?"

Walter looked at the four girls in front of him and gave them a faint smile.

"Well, it's more of an indirect source. I contacted a friend at the Destiny headquarters through... some channels."

Is he alright?

"He's fine."

Walter paused, looked at Kiana, then at Bronya and Seele, and finally his gaze fell on Mei, as if he was carefully choosing his words.

"Um, Mei-san. I have a question I'd like to ask you..."

"Ask me?"

Mei was a little confused.

"Do you think parallel universes exist—not the bubble world! Uh, the bubble world… Seele knows what I mean! Anyway, you've all heard of the parallel universe concept in science fiction, right? Do you believe it?"

Walter ultimately chose to explain directly, while carefully observing Mei's reaction.

As expected, Mei was stunned for a moment, not understanding what was going on, and then shook her head.

She didn't know, and didn't understand, why Walter would ask her such a question.

"Professor Walter, what exactly do you want to ask?"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter."

Walter waved his hand, saying it wasn't important.

"Let's make an assumption! Suppose the universe isn't unique, and there are countless versions of us in other worlds. Do you think that in other parallel universes, other 'Kiana,' 'Bronya,' 'Seele'—and of course, 'Qiong'—would also transcend the distance of space and time to become your boyfriend and get together, just like we are now?"

Upon hearing Welt's question, Bronya and Kiana's eyes lit up slightly.

"Certainly not!"

"Idiot Kiana, shut up!"

Mei thought about it seriously, and after a while, she gave her answer.

“Professor Walter, I don’t know. But what does that have to do with me?”

Welt smiled bitterly to himself. Actually, the connection was quite significant... Considering the Herrscher of the End, he himself preferred the uniqueness of the world.

"If it is, then we are destined to be together; if it is not, then we are the only ones."

Destiny and uniqueness? Walter chuckled upon hearing Mei's explanation.

So, is he and Tesla...?

"Whether it's fate or not, it's good that Mei-neechan and Sora are together now!"

Bronya's statement was confirmed by Mei, which also made Lao Yang smile with relief.

Yeah, why worry so much? Cherishing the present is the most important thing! As for Qiong's Martian god-binding planetary core hunter possibly hunting down the train crew and returning in the future…

Don't worry about it, a way will be found tomorrow. When the problem arises, Walter believes that he and the others will handle it themselves. As a senior figure, it's best not to get too involved!

"No, that won't happen! In other parallel worlds, Mei would like me!"

"Idiot Kiana, you're overthinking it. Besides, Mei-neechan doesn't like you right now anyway."

Looking at the energetic girls before him, Walter's worries completely vanished. Rather than worrying about Sora, he decided to focus on giving Yae Sakura a follow-up examination and expedite the creation of the Moon Throne.

In front of Welt, Kiana rushed to Mei's side—however, because of the Heavy Bunny, Kiana couldn't touch a single hair on Mei's head.

"Bronya, get out of the way! I'm taking Mei away from that gray-haired girl!"

"Bronya can't stand by and watch Kiana harass Mei!"

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The narrow ventilation ducts were dark and dirty, filled with dust and cobwebs.

Xing moved forward cautiously on her knees, like a little raccoon exploring a new world.

Although the pipes were dirty, it couldn't stop her from exploring what lay ahead!

Xing couldn't help but marvel at how amazing she was!

Some timid, fearful, or dirty girls would never have been able to stay in this dark and filthy environment for even a second, but she could! She's not afraid of the dark at all, and she's not afraid of getting dirty!

"Xing, where did you run off to?"

"Where did they go? Weren't they just here a moment ago?"

The faint sounds of the two people from before could be heard outside the pipe. Just as Xing was about to speak, his elbow accidentally hit the pipe wall with a loud "bang".

"Alvit, did you hear anything?"

"It sounds like it's coming from inside the pipes. Do you think she might be hiding in the ventilation ducts?"

Arvit's voice carried a hint of doubt. Logically speaking, would a normal person go to such a place?

Oh right, she doesn't seem to be a normal person either. Normal people don't rummage through trash cans!

The footsteps outside the pipe immediately converged in Xing's direction. Xing held her breath and opened her eyes wide in the darkness—although she couldn't see anything, she could clearly sense two guards stopping at the pipe cover above her head.

"Shall we go in and take a look?"

Susana made this suggestion.

"But this pipe connects to the central air conditioning system above us, and the dust and smell... you know what I mean."

Just then, Xing suddenly moved. Instead of backing away after hearing their words, she crawled forward in the narrow pipe using both hands and feet, deliberately making a louder noise—like a child who deliberately makes a mistake to get their parents' attention.

Clang—Clang—Clang—

The metal pipes amplified her movements several times over, echoing in the enclosed space.

"She's really inside?"

The gray-haired and golden-haired dogs stared at each other in bewilderment.

"Star, is that you? Come out quickly! Susana, lend a hand!"

Arvit made a quick decision, preparing to open the pipe and pull Star out with Susana—but they failed. Star was incredibly fast, and before the two could catch her, she had already ventured deep into the pipe to "explore" it.

"Ahhhh!"

Just as Xing was about to become the "first person to open up the pipeline to the headquarters of destiny", Qiong's miserable scream came from outside the pipeline.

"elder brother!"

She immediately ran to the nearest vent, kicked the vent cover off, and jumped off the ceiling.

"Brother, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you!"

Xing yelled and jumped out of the vent. Upon landing, she immediately assumed a fighting stance, trying to grab the ball—well, she didn't bring a baseball bat… but that didn't stop her from preparing to fight to the death with the person who had harmed her blood relatives!

However, the expected enemy did not appear. The scene before her left her stunned.

Her brother, Qiong, was waving "the raw gem that looks like a star" and "the star that looks like a stone" in an extremely awkward posture, with an overturned trash can at his feet...

Standing next to him were two slender women with completely different temperaments.

If either of the two girls who had just been chasing her were present, they would have told her that these two were the captain and vice-captain of the Undying Blade: Durandal, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal who possessed the title of inheritor of the Holy Sword, and Rita Losweather, the second strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal (crossed out).

But none of that mattered. Star looked at Qiong and the treasure in his hand with surprise, then at the trash can on the ground.

In an instant, a feeling called "anger" filled her chest—why wouldn't Qiong let her rummage through the trash can? Because he wanted to keep the treasure for himself!

She doesn't mind sharing, but she minds him keeping it all to himself? Can she tolerate that?

Soon, Xing, like a gray shooting star, disregarded all decorum and pounced towards Qiong. His target was clear—the alluring Star Jade and the raw stone in his hand… or perhaps, himself!

"Xiaoxing! What are you doing?!"

Caught off guard by Xing's sudden attack, Qiong instinctively tried to dodge, but failed. He tried to block with his arm, but Xing bit down on Xing Qiong, who had just been pulled out of the trash can, making a dull "crunch" sound.

"Let go! Let go now! It's dirty! You'll get sick if you get bitten!"

Qiong, in her haste, tried to shake off Xing, but was afraid of breaking Xing's teeth, so she couldn't use too much force and could only shout anxiously.

"Mmm! (You can have it all to yourself!)"

Xing bit down harder, protesting indistinctly, trying to overpower Qiong and snatch the Origin Stone along the way. The two wrestled without any decorum in front of the two strongest Valkyries of Schicksal—looking like two naughty children fighting over the last little toy.

Durandal and Rita, standing to the side, exemplify what a "still image" truly means.

They couldn't understand it at all.

A hint of confusion and astonishment appeared in Yulandel's deep blue eyes.

She has seen countless battlefields and witnessed internal conflicts within the team. She has faced many internal contradictions...

But the "bloodshed" that occurred over something found in a trash can was completely beyond her comprehension.

She turned her head slightly, conveying a question to the adjutant beside her.

"Rita, should we get involved?"

Rita's face maintained its flawless maid-like smile. Only, the corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

She had indeed seen Qiong banging on the trash can before, but to have someone else come knocking on the door and steal her "spoils" after she rummaged through the trash can...

She suddenly couldn't understand how she had lost to this kid who loved rummaging through trash cans.

If word got out that her perfect maid, S-rank Valkyrie Rita, had lost to a somewhat abstract student… you know, losing to a genius who suddenly appeared in St. Freya would at most be considered a sign of Schicksal's abundance of talent. But if that "talent" is this kind of abstract person…

Soon the rumor will become that Rita is no match for an abstract artist with some mental issues.

Let's deal with the immediate problem first! Rita's gaze swept over the ordinary trash can on the ground, and then looked at the so-called "treasure" in Qiong's hand—it seemed to be just a glass ornament?

"Swallowing...the bad..."

Xing finally let go, panting as she grabbed Qiong's hand and began to accuse him, her eyes burning with the flames of "justice".

"Who wants to keep it all to themselves! I just wanted to check for any danger..."

Checking for dangerous items in the trash can? Rita was both annoyed and amused, so she decided to say a few words to mediate.

"Gentlemen, let's keep the peace! You don't need to... um... argue over a piece of trash."

"Rubbish?"

Xing was stunned for a moment when he heard Rita say that, but immediately became even angrier and directed his anger at Rita.

"You look down on trash cans? Every trash can might hold the secrets of the universe and precious memories! That's prejudice! Apologize to the trash cans right now!"

Rita: ...

Rita felt her blood pressure soaring.

"Cough um."

With a clear cough, Rita stepped forward, her face still displaying an impeccable, polite smile.

"I think even the most precious treasures wouldn't be worth acquiring in such a...unique way. Also, what should I call you?"

"star."

Rita's gaze swept over the vent where Xing had just jumped down, and the broken cover plate.

"Miss Xing, damaging public property requires compensation at the original price! You and your brother will probably need to contact the logistics department."

Rita handed over a communicator at just the right moment, with a number already entered on it.

"Should I contact the logistics department now, Ms. Xing? Regarding the repair costs for the ventilation ducts..."

Xing and Qiong exchanged a glance, and both siblings saw the words "We're doomed" in each other's eyes—Xing had no money. And Qiong hadn't brought any money with her when she went out.

"I wish to buy osmanthus flowers and share wine with you..."

Suddenly, the previously carefree Qiong became somewhat melancholy—while Durandal and Rita were momentarily confused as to what was wrong with Qiong.

"Not a single penny will be given to you."

Xing immediately replied that the two had no money, and his eyes began to dart around as he began to study the brother and sister's escape route.

Rita was both amused and exasperated; these two were just too...unique.

"Xing, you mustn't—Captain, Vice-Captain!"

Two women's voices suddenly came from behind, which snapped Qiong out of her melancholy.

"What are you doing—"

"You've come at just the right time!"

Before Alvit could even ask, Sora transformed into a handsome man as fast as the wind and ran to her side, grabbing Susana's wrist.

"Susana, please, help me!"

Qiong looked at Susana with a look of anxiety, her little bear face slightly flushed with confusion—she had never been so close to a boy before!

"I...I'll help? How can I help? What should I do?"

Qiong pointed to the vent cover that Xing had kicked in the middle and the dumped trash can on the ground left from their scuffle—as everyone knows, Estella is known as Little Susana of the Collapsed Iron (crossed out) Susana could definitely afford to borrow this money…