---

  **Chapter 13: Siegfried, That Worrywart Mom**

  “La ~ Kiana, charge!”

  Kiana was in an exceptionally good mood after breakfast. Even though it was already 9:30 a.m., since it wasn’t yet noon, it still counted as breakfast in her book.

  She and Juxiao packed up the leftovers into their bags, and during the process, the silly Kiana kept sneaking bites. Every time Juxiao caught her, he’d flick her on the head. Kiana would puff up angrily like a dumpling, only to sneak more bites seconds ter.

  The backpack originally stuffed with Honkai Beast meat was now being considered for abandonment. After all, once Kiana had tasted good food, she had no interest in that stuff anymore. The problem now was how to dispose of the meat. They hadn’t thought much when they packed it, but now neither of them knew what to do with it.

  If they left it here, regur people might come into contact with it and get infected by Honkai energy. But if they didn’t leave it, it wouldn’t fit back in the backpack.

  “What do we do? We have to get rid of this stuff, otherwise ordinary people might get hurt.”

  “Uh, just dump it and let nature take its course? I mean, my stinky old dad never really dealt with corpses either!”

  “That’s probably because Heavenly Fire burned them to ashes on the spot! We don’t have anything near that powerful.”

  “Then let’s just take it with us. The food might be good, but we can’t risk innocent people getting hurt.” Kiana hesitated but ultimately chose to give up the meat. No one from the Kasna family would ever harm civilians just for their own indulgence.

  “Moshi moshi, my noble and dearly respected Stigma consciousness, you still there? Got any bright ideas?” Juxiao decided it was time to call in his cheat—after all, the Stigma had said it was practically omnipotent.

  **[Use your Stigma to absorb the Honkai Beasts. They’re saturated with Honkai energy, and your Stigma can absorb that and return it to you.]**

  “How do I do that?”

  **[Pce your hand on the Honkai Beast. Your instincts will guide you. The Stigma awakened within you—it’s a part of your body.]**

  Juxiao stopped Kiana, who was still pulling food out of the bag, and pced his hand on the Honkai Beast’s body while she watched with a confused expression.

  Until now, things had been too hectic, and Juxiao hadn’t taken the time to feel the Stigma’s presence. But now, as he calmed his mind, he could sense its resonance. The Stigma was constantly transmitting energy into him, and Juxiao realized he could control that power—manifest the intangible, create from the void, and reshape reality itself.

  *Help me out here, Stigma. Yeah yeah, I know, I’m hopeless.* (hallucinated voice)

  With the intention to consume the Honkai Beast’s remains, the Stigma responded to his will. It manifested on the back of his right hand: four symmetrical diamonds surrounding a central cross. The Beasts vanished into nothing, and Juxiao felt a surge of pure energy flow into him through the Stigma.

  That must’ve been Honkai energy. He gnced at the glowing mark, then knocked lightly on Kiana’s little head, still dazed from what she’d just seen.

  “Problem solved perfectly! How awesome is your bro Juxiao?”

  “How’d you do that?! Where’d the Honkai Beasts go?”

  “Ehehe, a charming protagonist must always have a bit of mystery. Not telling.”

  “Pfft, whatever. Don’t tell me you’ve got some magical grandpa in a ring like in those novels?”

  “Take a guess.”

  ---

  After checking out and settling the bill, Juxiao and Kiana set off once more under the morning sun.

  Their journey was filled with countless sights never seen on the snowy pins. Juxiao bought two phones—one for each of them. Every time they came across beautiful scenery, they’d take photos of each other and sometimes ask passersby for a picture together.

  The world was picturesque, but even more beautiful was the friend walking beside you. Don’t let the scenery completely steal your attention—don’t forget to notice the one traveling with you.

  You watch the view from upstairs, while someone downstairs is watching you.

  While Kiana and Juxiao were joyfully traveling, two Kasna uncles were quietly tailing them in secret.

  The moment the long-unused Kasna bck credit card was swiped, a report was immediately sent to the distant European head of the Kasna family—Siegfried’s poor old mother.

  Because of Siegfried’s repeated betrayals, Otto had long stopped deploying Kasna family members. Though Schicksal didn’t cut their funds, being benched was even worse for them than death.

  Ah, the love of a parent. Siegfried had done many things in his life that broke his mother’s heart—so much so that the entire Kasna family suffered for it. But the instant she saw the credit card activity, the old matriarch couldn’t help but worry: *Had Siegfried run into serious trouble? Could he not even afford food now? Was he starving?*

  She sent people to investigate, only to find that a white-haired dumpling named Kiana and a purple-haired boy named Juxiao were traveling together, searching for a girl’s father—Siegfried.

  Kiana was still alive. Schicksal had saved the real girl, but Otto never told them where she was—only that she lived.

  So the Kiana now must be the clone...

  The old woman tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought. After a long while, she sighed and summoned her subordinates.

  “Go protect Kiana in secret. Make sure she doesn’t notice. That bck card was Siegfried’s way of telling us—he accepts the clone as a true Kasna, as his daughter. But he didn’t bring her to meet us... I guess he didn’t want her to be shackled like we are. Dammit, that rotten Siegfried! Why did he name her Kiana too? Doesn’t he know his real daughter is still alive?”

  (*Siegfried, somewhere: Uhh... I really didn’t know...*)

  Juxiao and Kiana had already been on the road for a month. Along the way, they met all kinds of people. Though there were a few unpleasant incidents, nothing serious happened thanks to their fists.

  Kiana smiled more and more. This innocent angel received kindness from many strangers, and the smiles of travelers around her made her into a bright, cheerful girl. She loved people who smiled with sincerity.

  Juxiao, too, felt incredibly fulfilled. Each region they visited had different customs, and everyone had their own unique warmth. He also got to witness all kinds of wild battles—animal versus animal, human versus human, and even man versus beast. Though the fights looked messy, Juxiao eagerly learned from them. With Kiana coaching him on the side, he gradually outgrew his “weakling” status and could now spar evenly with her.

  ---