Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 305 Kiana: Sora's dream today was a bit strange...

Ajeta searched through all the bottles and jars on the table but couldn't find the needle.

"Strange, I was just here a moment ago... Never mind, that's enough for today."

With a furrowed brow, Ajeta waved his hand, signaling the group to finish their test.

"Alright, that's enough for today. I need to analyze this data for a while, and I'll visit the Bai family when the time comes. Drink the potion I gave you, and I guarantee the curse won't happen for the next few days... Remember, you must drink it before going to bed tonight!"

Although Ajeta seemed to be telling Qiong to follow the doctor's orders, Qiong couldn't help but wonder when she saw the huge but needleless syringe: Is Ajeta really reliable?

A great, brilliant scholar, and he can't even manage a simple blood draw? He didn't want to be drawn, but Ajeta couldn't be incapable of drawing blood!

"So, shall we leave?"

With suspicions about Ajeta still lingering, Qiong tidied herself up and led the two women toward the door.

"Atractylodes macrocephala!"

"What's wrong now?"

Just as Qiong and the others were about to step out the door, Ajeta suddenly called out to Qiong. Qiong stopped and turned around helplessly.

"You're not trying to tell me that the lucky potion you gave me was actually an experimental product, are you?"

Ajeta shook his head.

"That's not relevant. I just want you to remember what I didn't finish saying earlier: when you have the opportunity to make a choice, don't let yourself regret it... especially you."

Qiong was slightly taken aback. Hearing these words from someone else felt a little strange for some reason.

Kiana and Matsuzuki also looked at Sora with curiosity, not understanding why Ajeta suddenly said these words to Sora, since her fortune-telling job had ended a long time ago!

……

"Come out, they've all left."

As Song Que was the last to leave and politely led the others out, their figures disappeared outside the door. Facing the empty living room except for herself, Ajeta spoke to the air.

“You did something unnecessary. If that white-haired woman with exceptionally strong perception hadn’t been unfamiliar with me, and if her attention hadn’t been entirely focused on Bai Shu, I would have been discovered by her! If she had discovered me, my plan would have failed!”

From the shadows behind the sofa, a hooded man in black slowly emerged, calmly complaining about Ajeta's failure to follow the plan. If Qiong and Songque were here, they would be surprised to learn that this was the owner of the house they had recently broken into, Litost.

“Ajeta, why did you bring him here? We only agreed that you would give him that bottle of medicine.”

Lithost's voice was deep and resonant. If an ordinary person were here, they would surely be intimidated by Lord Lithost, but Ajeta was not that kind of person. Compared to Lithost's intimidation, she preferred to read Qiong's basic physical parameters.

"Because he's different! As a scholar, isn't it normal to be curious about genuine aliens? Besides, I didn't mess things up, so isn't the outcome good? Like I always say, as long as my 'tools' can still be used, there's no need to panic even if unexpected situations arise, right?"

Lithost snorted coldly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"As for you, Lord Lithost. First, you gave him a spot to pass the test, then went to great lengths to pay me, an outsider, to help deliver messages and items. When that failed, you risked exposure to personally create the illusion of a curse of bad luck. And all this, just for a potion? What kind of potion is it? Could it be that this White Magic Master has been 'predetermined' by you to be this year's champion, our thirty-third Godly Shadow Rider?"

The only response to Ajeta was Lithost's silence.

"I'm not saying this to be mean, but isn't your underhanded operation a bit too crude?"

Lithost fell silent. He was well aware that these actions were not in accordance with procedure. He also knew the value of Qiong's abilities; he believed Qiong could easily win and enter Ruimu to stand before him, but…

He was impatient; he couldn't wait any longer. Now he was simply saving time to prepare for the victor's triumph—his plan was to die a spectacular yet silent death on the arena of the Ten Arts War, and he had to arrange everything before he died…

"There was no behind-the-scenes manipulation. I simply foresaw that he would win, that's all."

"Oh? So certain? It's true what they say, it's always the case that outsiders are better at explaining things!"

Ajeta made a relaxed joke—though she didn't know that the man in front of her was also a "foreign monk."

"I'm suddenly a little curious. This war of ten arts is teeming with experts. Our young talents from Luo Xing might not necessarily lose to him. What if he loses on the stage and doesn't make it to you? What will you do then, Sir Knight?"

"He won't lose. He's different from everyone else. Even if something unexpected happens... Ha, that's impossible."

Ajeta shrugged and didn't press the matter further. After all, it had nothing to do with her; she was just someone who did things for money.

"Alright, I hope you're right. I'm quite curious to know where the limits of his theory lie... but I have another question: he looks homesick, how are you going to persuade him to stay?"

"He is a kind person, he has ability, and here he can help those in need (and God). Isn't that enough?"

Ajeta clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Oh? Lord Lithost, your last resort is moral blackmail? That's easy for you to say. What if he's determined to go home? How do you know no one is waiting for him at home?"

Litost remained silent for a moment, then walked towards the door.

"Are you leaving? Take care, and don't bother seeing me off!"

Without a word, Lithost left Ajeta's house and slowly made his way towards the setting sun.

It's been too long; Luo Xing has been stagnant for far too long. Because of the gods' choice, this strange stagnation seems likely to continue if left unchecked.

Perhaps to the ordinary people of Luo Xing, this strange stagnation represents stability; no progress means no problems. But as someone who has been through it all, Litost knows what will happen next. If not handled properly, Luo Xing could very well become the next Lakada.

With the shadows gradually spiraling out of control, this sense of security will eventually vanish.

To break this deadlock, we must move forward, we must leave the past behind and keep moving forward under God's guidance. And for God to move forward, there is only one way...

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"curse……"

Looking at the small bottle in her hand, Qiong fell into deep thought.

To be honest, his first reaction was disbelief, but Mars is a place where there really is a "curse in the shadows," and the things he'd encountered in the past few days hadn't been good, which added a lot of credibility to Ajeta's explanation.

But are there really any lucky potions? And do they really enhance male attractiveness?

"Sora, although I don't trust her, I think we can give it a try~"

Kiana's sudden words surprised Qiong.

"It might actually work, and there's no harm in it anyway. Besides, you can't be poisoned to death, right?"

Qiong: ...

Why does it feel like I'm being used as a guinea pig by Ajeta?

As night fell, Qiong, who was about to go to bed, still planned to gulp it down in one go.

Regardless of luck, it can increase male charm! If it really works, wouldn't Mei be completely smitten?

If it doesn't work or even has problems... no problem, he can just grab his baseball bat and give Ajeta a piece of his mind. And if that doesn't work, there's always Kiana to protect him, right? She even supports him drinking it.

Thinking of this, Qiong opened the bottle and drank it immediately—it was surprisingly sweet and sour, quite delicious. Maybe she should brush her teeth later? As soon as she finished drinking, Qiong felt a warm current surge up—her stomach felt warm and comfortable.

"I'll tell Ajeta later that it tastes good, kind of like plum juice..."

After washing up again, Qiong climbed into bed, talking to herself. For some reason, Kiana was unusually well-behaved tonight, and didn't even bother him. It seemed like he could get a good night's sleep.

Qiong slept very well, and soon his breathing became even and he drifted off to sleep peacefully.

At the same time, the door to the room was gently pushed open, and Kiana walked in wearing a light nightgown made of the power of the end.

Seeing Sora's appearance, Kiana called out softly.

"Qiong, are you asleep?"

The only response Kiana received was the breath of Sora.

"You fell asleep?"

Kiana was a little disappointed. Although what Ajeta had given her was rather underhanded, she was still willing to give it a try! What if it really triggered Kiana's bestial instincts?

But since things have come to this, let's just do it in the dream.

"Qiong, do you really think there's no curse?"

Kiana gently stroked Sora's face—it's a little hot to the touch today?

But Kiana, muttering to herself, didn't notice the temperature difference.

"If there truly is a curse, then it is I, Kiana Kaslana, who has placed this curse upon you! Now I curse you, to have white hair and blue eyes, and for the rest of your life, you will only have our love! Surrounded by our love, you will have no time to seek out vixens, unable to extricate yourself... Alright, the declaration of sovereignty is complete, time to enter the dream! Sora, this young lady is here again..."

Kiana, all smiles, invaded Sora's dream—or rather, her quasi-dream—as usual.

Qiong isn't the type of person who dreams often. On the few nights when Kiana came to visit Qiong, his dreams were mostly chaotic, or at least fragments that Kiana couldn't understand.

"Huh? Where am I?"

But this time, as soon as Kiana entered Sora's dream, she sensed something was amiss. The dream was no longer a chaotic mess; instead, a familiar scene appeared.

"Saint Freya?"

This gate—isn't that St. Freya's? Kiana looked up and saw Sora not far away, playing happily in the sandpit with Mei and Bronya.

Why were we playing in the sand together at the school in your dream?

Regardless, that was the main character, Kiana's source of joy tonight. So, both amused and exasperated, she rushed over, preparing to switch to a more suitable "battle" scene later.

But as soon as she arrived, Sora stood up reluctantly and started running, seemingly heading straight for Himeko's dormitory.

"Hey, Sora!"

Qiong did not respond.

That doesn't make sense! Logically speaking, Qiong shouldn't be deaf or ignoring him, especially since he didn't even notice...

Dreams cannot be judged by reason. With lightning speed, Sora arrived at Himeko's dormitory door. The instant he pushed open the door, the dream began to distort. He was no longer surrounded by St. Freya, but a bustling, brightly lit... metropolis?

Where is this?

Kiana stood there, stunned, not quite understanding what was going on, and quickly chased after them. On the bustling city streets, she saw many unicycles she'd never seen before and robots in suits… and why were there so many children with pom-poms on their heads?

But what Kiana cared about most was the clock statue that looked somewhat like Michelin Man – Kyon had mentioned that it was called Clock Boy.

Qiong continued walking hurriedly, as if drawn by something. Kiana chased after her, calling out to her, but Qiong seemed not to hear her. Suddenly, a door appeared ahead, and Qiong entered it and passed through it. The dream space distorted again; the bustling metropolis that had just been filled with traffic had instantly transformed into an ancient yet high-tech street.

If you ask where the high-tech features are in the antique style, just say it's not high-tech; how could there be ships flying in the sky?

Kiana, who had caught up with Sora, stopped shouting and waited to see what Sora was up to. Following behind Sora, Kiana saw the endless snowfield again, which reminded her of the time she spent with her father in Siberia when she was a child.

"No, where do you want me to go? We keep going through doors... By the way, is this a door that takes us back to the past?"

"You? Who are you?"

Sora, talking to herself, did not answer Kiana's many questions. While Kiana was thinking, Sora passed through another door. This time, the dream turned into a closed space station.

The station was filled with a modern, scientific atmosphere, and all around were people in white coats talking. Kiana followed closely behind Sora, afraid of losing her.

This time, Qiong didn't try to cross the threshold to travel through time and alter the dream. He casually struck the seemingly unfriendly monster with a stick and ran all the way to the platform of the space station.

A train is currently parked here.

Kiana was startled. There was no mistake, this was it…

"Star Train? This must be the place, right?"

"You don't call me that? Of course I know! So what should I call you?"

"You don't know your own name? How am I supposed to ask you?"

Kiana was certain that Sora was talking to someone she couldn't see.

Kiana didn't like this situation that was out of her control. Feeling increasingly uneasy, she saw Sora board the train and hurriedly followed.

The train interior was spacious and bright. A small, gray animal with long ears was sweeping the floor. The elegant, rose-like Himeko seemed to be sipping coffee. Professor Walter stared intently at the drawings on the table…

Sora looked around the train, as if searching for something. Suddenly, soothing music started playing from an old-fashioned gramophone at the end of the carriage. Kiana wanted to talk to Sora, but then she remembered that Sora couldn't see or hear her (and what's worse, she couldn't touch her!), so she swallowed her words.

"You're here! We agreed to meet in the carriage this morning, why are you so late?"

March 7th?

Hearing the sound behind them, Qiong and Kiana turned around at the same time and saw March 7 and Danheng playing chess at the table.

Dan Heng looked at San Yueqi, who was criticizing Qiong, and perhaps in order to help Qiong, he began to "attack" San Yueqi.

"In March, you're usually the one who's late the most..."

"But he's the one who's late now, not us, the king of lateness!"

After finishing his talk about March 7th, he became even more smug and actually put his hands on his hips.

"You're quite pleased with yourself, aren't you?"

"hey-hey."

……

Kiana's head was itching to grow a brain! She had absolutely no idea what was going on. She watched as Qiong initially seemed a little awkward, but then naturally chatted with March 7th, Dan Heng, and the others, as if he were very familiar with them...

"What on earth is going on? Wasn't Qiong's brain damaged and waiting for her mother to fix it? How could she be dreaming about..."

Kiana was completely confused: Where did this come from? Is this really Sora's dream?

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Um, urging updates is fine, posting pictures is fine too, but please don't post pictures that will make Otto fans cringe. Although they can indeed inspire creativity, this kind of creativity is usually...

In short, persecuting old Trotsky is fine, labeling him, framing him, digging traps for him are all acceptable, but don't leave people with a sense of despair...