Chapter 594 Seriously? Where did this come from?

"Finally back~ I've been away for so long, I wonder if the old man has been secretly missing me."

Having just returned from the inner world of the Collapse Iron Universe, Xiao Shi stretched his limbs, his tone filled with the lazy comfort of returning home, even the end of his voice had a slightly nonchalant rise.

But this relaxation didn't last long. Her brows suddenly furrowed, and she looked around in confusion—this wasn't the familiar St. Freya Academy.

The Honkai energy in the air was so thin that it was almost imperceptible, and a sense of unfamiliarity washed over me like a tide.

"Where am I?" Xiao Shi frowned, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing her empty palm. "The Honkai energy is ridiculously low, and where are A-Ming, Kiana☆, and the others?"

"...Those who understand the laws?"

The sudden soft exclamation behind her, tinged with disbelief, startled Xiao Shi, who whirled around and bumped into Fu Hua's astonished eyes.

The Fu Hua in front of me was wearing a clean and neat white shirt, with the cuffs casually rolled up to her forearms, revealing her sharp wrist bones. She was carrying a bamboo basket, with the edges of oiled paper faintly visible through the gaps in the bamboo strips.

But at this moment, she stood still, staring at Xiao Shi in front of her, her eyes filled with some indescribable complex emotions.

"What are you doing here?" Fu Hua's voice paused slightly, as if confirming the authenticity of the person in front of her. "I thought you..."

"Hey? You old fogey, that's the kind of question I should be asking you!"

Xiao Shi blinked, instantly banishing her doubts, and hopped over to Fu Hua's side, familiarly draping her arm over her shoulder and giving her a shake.

"I just got back and I'm completely lost. Ah Ming and Kiana☆ are nowhere to be found either. And you, you're just waiting for me here?"

She leaned closer, her nose twitching slightly, and suddenly her eyes lit up as she pointed at Fu Hua's basket as if she had discovered a new continent:

"Hey? Old man, you smell so good! It smells like osmanthus cake, could it be freshly made?!"

Fu Hua paused slightly as she was shaken by her, and somewhat awkwardly slapped away her restless hand, but didn't actually push her away. Instead, she turned and walked towards a building not far away.

She deliberately slowed her pace, just enough for Xiao Shi to keep up, and asked:

"Where have you been all these years? I've been trying to find a chance to apologize to you, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get in touch with you."

Xiao Shi had her arm around Fu Hua's shoulder, swaying her steps to her rhythm. When she heard the word "apology," she paused for a moment, then resumed her nonchalant demeanor, reaching out to poke Fu Hua's arm, whose sleeves were rolled up.

"Apologize? Apologize for what? You old fogey, you didn't do something to wrong me while I was away, did you? And what the hell is all this time? I've only been away from Saint for less than a month, haven't I?"

Fu Hua stopped completely. She turned around and stared intently at Xiao Shi's face, as if trying to confirm the truth of the phrase "one month" from the confusion in her eyes.

"You said... a month?" Her voice was even softer than before, but it carried a kind of hesitant tone that Xiao Shi had never heard before. "Nine years have passed since we last parted ways at the Dominion Theater."

Nine years?

Xiao Shi's voice suddenly rose, and she stared at Fu Hua in astonishment. Her hand, which had been on Fu Hua's shoulder, unconsciously slipped down, and her mind instantly became a jumbled mess:

"No way? Where did this come from? An old relic's apology, dwindling Honkai energy, nine years, and that whole thing about dominating the theater..."

Could this be my original world? Or is this timeline from Post-Honkai Odyssey?!

?————

"Is this a lunar base? Where's my Ah Ming?"

Inside the lunar base, Kiana☆ slowly rose, supporting her lower back, her gaze sweeping over her surroundings.

Outside the porthole was the silvery-gray lunar soil gleaming with a cold light, and above was the bottomless, pitch-black universe and the azure Earth.

Just then, a gentle movement in her belly nudged her, the real sensation bringing her back to her senses, but she still couldn't help but mutter:

"What happened? How did I suddenly end up back on the moon? If I weren't so pregnant, I would have thought it was all a dream."

But...where is Ah Ming? Is he here too, or perhaps on Earth?

She was wondering whether she should call out when she suddenly heard soft footsteps behind her.

Kiana turned around and spotted Einstein standing not far away. She immediately smiled and waved.

"Dr. Ai Yin, it's been a long time!"

"We just detected a violent fluctuation of Honkai energy and came to check, only to find you were back." Einstein adjusted his glasses, his tone calm as usual, but his gaze unconsciously drifted down to her lower abdomen. He paused slightly, then continued, "Your stomach..."

Not long after, the metal door on the other side of the laboratory suddenly slid open with a hiss, and Tesla, who had received the message, strode over.

Her gaze paused as it swept over Kiana's stomach, then she raised an eyebrow:

"So even the End can conceive normally like humans? But judging from your appearance, you've found the person you've been looking for, and you've even made it a fait accompli."

"Yes, I found him."

Kiana instinctively protected her lower abdomen, her fingertips gently brushing against the slightly bulging curve beneath her clothes, a soft smile appearing in her eyes.

"Okay, come to the lab for a full-body check-up in a bit. Don't take it for granted just because you're the End."

Tesla waved his hand, his tone as crisp as ever, yet with a hint of concern.

"Thank you, Dr. Tesla!"

Kiana ☆ clasped her hands together and gave Tesla a mischievous smile. As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach moved slightly, as if responding to Tesla's warmth.

After Tesla and Einstein left, Kiana☆ lay down on the familiar comfy sofa, the soft fabric wrapping around her body, instantly relaxing her.

Without the suppression of the other world, even while pregnant, her power could be mobilized more smoothly. The only pity was that she couldn't return to Earth.

Purple light particles flickered at her fingertips. Her consciousness followed the silk threads, slowly extending towards Earth, passing through the atmosphere, and quickly catching several familiar auras.

Xiao Shi's quirky conversation, Fu Hua's calm response, and Mei☆ and Alicia's conversation at the World Serpent Base all clearly entered my senses, while Sirin returned to Kiana☆'s consciousness.

Kiana☆ frowned slightly, the light particles at her fingertips paused, and she murmured to herself:

"Xiao Shi stayed with the class monitor, Mei☆ and Alicia were at World Serpent... A Ming wasn't with them either."

Sirin appeared beside Kiana☆:

Where is my brother?

"I'm still looking."

Kiana☆ didn't stop perceiving, letting the energy threads continue to sweep across the mountains and rivers of the earth, across vast forests and oceans.

After an unknown amount of time, an unusual fluctuation suddenly entered her senses, and Kiana☆ immediately directed her consciousness toward that direction.

It was a city located on the African continent. What you saw was a scene of ruins and broken walls. Red crystals covered the broken building skeletons, containing very faint Honkai energy.

Even more unusual, a huge "island" floats in the sky above the very center of the city, with spatial fluctuations emanating from it, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, like breathing.

"What exactly happened in this city?" Kiana☆'s voice turned somber. "And that island floating in the sky, and Bronya's presence... The two doctors must know something. Let's go ask them later."

"Wait, we've found Ah Ming!"