Honkai: Starting to Wander with Kiana

Ryn's head throbbed with frustration thanks to Kiana's antics, but after three days of hunger, neither had the energy to blame the other. The black card still hadn't magically reappeared when Kiana opened her eyes, perhaps because it was too hard to retrieve from the river.

Kiana regretted her decision. If only I had thrown it into the forest instead, she thought. If Ryn knew that her regret wasn't about tossing the card, but about where she had tossed it, he'd probably bash her head in.

On the fourth day, their luck shifted. They encountered a Knight-Class Honkai Beast accompanied by two or three Assault-Class Beasts. Starved and desperate, the two of them charged straight at the knight, latching onto it and tearing into it.

Honkai Beasts follow a strict hierarchy, with lower-ranked ones having minimal intelligence. A Knight-Class Beast is composed of a horselike creature and a humanoid riding it. The connection between the rider and horse is weak. If the knight is dismounted, it simply sits on the ground, calling for its horse without attempting to attack.

In this case, Kiana and Ryn had claimed the knight's seat. Although the knight still wielded its lance, it was effectively useless. All it could do was wail incessantly from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, the horse thrashed wildly, trying to throw off its starved riders so it could return to its true owner.

As for the Assault-Class Honkai Beasts, they were utterly ineffective. Attacking Ryn and Kiana would mean striking the knight as well, which was prohibited unless commanded by a Herrscher. So, the Assault-Class Beasts froze, ceasing all thought.

It wasn't long before the Knight-Class Beast succumbed—it had been gnawed almost in half. When it died, the dismounted knight also perished. Only then did the Assault-Class Beasts begin their charge.

But Ryn and Kiana, now full and energized after eating, weren't fazed by these beasts. Working together, they dispatched them in no time and stuffed their remains into their backpacks—plenty of food for the next few days.

From afar, Kaslana family members observing quietly exchanged glances.

"That Knight-Class Honkai Beast died a tragic death."

"Indeed. But did you notice something odd about the Kaslana rapier techniques the girl used?"

Sigh, "Everyone knows Siegfried's swordsmanship is half-baked. What kind of teacher could he be for Kiana?" (Kiana's swordsmanship had only improved through sparring with Durandal. Before that, it was horrendous; her combat instincts were the only thing keeping her alive.)

"She's incredibly skilled, but... her reasoning is just too Kaslana-like. There's nothing we can do about that, I guess. Ever since we got our external brains, we stopped thinking for ourselves."

"By the way, what did the patriarch decide? Are we issuing them a new black card?"

"He said as long as they're not dead, let them figure things out on their own. If they want to earn money, we can lend a hand."

"Fair enough."

But not long after, the two would regret their decision.

"Boss, you wouldn't want people finding out about your use of child labor, would you?"

Ryn held up his phone, standing close to the contractor like a lurking demon. The screen showed Kiana working tirelessly under the scorching sun, hauling two massive sacks of bricks.

Initially, Ryn and Kiana had planned to make money through part-time work. They stumbled upon an ad promising 7,000 yuan for a single day of brick-moving work. It was as if the ad had been thrown directly at them.

Excited by the prospect of "easy money," Kiana dragged Ryn to the address on the ad. The foreman didn't even ask for any details and put them to work immediately.

If it had been ordinary labor, they might have tolerated it. But the job involved mindlessly moving bricks back and forth between two points. Sensing something was amiss, Ryn snapped a few pictures, leading to the current confrontation.

"You've really put me in a bind, kid," the contractor said. His true identity—a member of the Kaslana family in disguise—was betrayed by his eyes. I didn't expect things to go this far, he thought. I just wanted to give them some money. Why did I have to plan this out so carefully?

"Don't change the subject! I think you're just messing with us. That naïve girl Kiana actually believes you'll pay 7,000 yuan for one day's work. She's still slaving away over there, smiling like an idiot."

"I thought brick-moving might actually be profitable, but you're just making us shuttle bricks back and forth! What's the point? Are you toying with us?" Ryn pointed to Kiana, who was still cheerfully hauling bricks, then glared even more resentfully at the contractor.

"That girl thinks everyone is kindhearted. If you dare break her spirit, you'll have to deal with my fists."

"Cough, cough... I've actually been aware of you two siblings for some time now," the contractor admitted awkwardly. He pulled two thick red envelopes from his pocket and handed them to Ryn. "I wanted to help you, but I was worried you'd refuse, so I came up with this scheme."

Ryn stared at the stacks of money inside the envelopes, then back at the contractor's goofy grin. He took a few steps back and began searching the construction site.

"Calm down... stay calm... let's find the time machine."

Eventually, Ryn knelt by a freshly dug hole, his face pale.

"A time machine doesn't exist, okay?!" the contractor laughed, helping Ryn to his feet. He patted Ryn's shoulder and gestured toward Kiana. "Tell that silly girl to stop. Since you know the truth now, there's no need to continue."

"Okay... right... thank you..."

Ryn ran over to Kiana, stopping her and explaining that the contractor had already paid them. Kiana clapped her hands happily and cheered.

Afterward, Ryn and Kiana bowed to the contractor, expressing their gratitude repeatedly.

The contractor hurriedly helped Kiana up. He dared not accept a bow from the young tribe leader. Although her position wasn't official, the patriarch's acknowledgment meant everyone treated her as such. (Siegfried, once the young tribe leader, had fled the Kaslana family, met Cecilia during his time away, then returned to arrange a marriage with Schariac under the title of the youngest and strongest Kaslana warrior, openly marrying Cecilia.)

The contractor invited Kiana and Ryn to dinner. Ryn wanted to decline, not only because the contractor had already helped them, but also because Kiana's appetite was overwhelming. Eating too much would be unfair to their benefactor, but eating too little wouldn't satisfy Kiana.

The contractor was insistent, however, and dragged them both to a restaurant. To their surprise, the contractor's appetite rivaled Kiana's!

The meal stretched from afternoon to evening. The contractor then booked two rooms for them at a hotel, chatted briefly, and left.