Chapter 23: I'm Quite Delighted

The next morning.

Early riser Vera descended the stairs groggily into the living room, only to find no trace of Kiana.

This was quite normal; Kiana loved sleeping in. It wasn't unusual for her to oversleep by a couple of hours or even get kicked out the door by Zeke's robotic arm—a common occurrence.

"Good morning, Zeke."

"Mm, good morning."

Zeke, engrossed in his laptop on the table, worked diligently. The metallic black device appeared thicker and more robust than typical laptops Vera had seen before. Along its sides were rows of transparent protrusions varying in size, their purpose unknown.

He wasn't typing but assembling the computer instead.

After fitting the last few remaining parts, Zeke closed the laptop and gently placed his hand atop it.

"Click!"

With a mechanical sound reminiscent of science fiction, all the protruding elements retracted back into the body. Simultaneously, the entire chassis shrank visibly amidst similar noises, eliminating many irregular bulges.

Upon closer inspection, this sleek and slim laptop, aside from its improved aesthetics and seamless design with no vents or USB ports, essentially resembled a typical business notebook.

This was Zeke's meticulously planned custom machine.

When it came to Honkai Energy and related Forbidden Tech, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were the true experts. As an amateur without any prior knowledge, even with his superior intellect aiding him, catching up from scratch would likely take countless years.

Moreover, prodigious talents like Otto, Tesla, Einstein, and others continued advancing relentlessly!

Thus, infiltrating their networks for data was akin to finding hidden treasure—a windfall that could transform one's fortunes overnight.

With his elevated intellect, Zeke possessed absolute confidence in navigating digital battles of code and data. However, the performance of his computer-as-weapon determined whether he could extract information undetected, evading pursuit by Otto or Anti-Entropy operatives.

Finding a suitable off-the-shelf computer on the market was impossible; no renowned manufacturer could produce a device capable of standing against Schicksal or Anti-Entropy—unless one approached those very organizations directly, which would be akin to walking straight into a trap.

Thus, Zeke designed this computer.

In such a short span of time, he couldn't single-handedly create an entire high-end production line meeting his specifications from scratch; many components had to be sourced from the market instead. Given the conventional manufacturers' technological capabilities, this was already the best configuration available at present.

The materials had arrived a couple of days ago, but Zeke hadn't found the time to assemble them fully until now.

Last night, unable to sleep, he spent hours gazing aimlessly under the moonlight before devoting the rest of the night to completing the final modifications and assembly.

"It's good enough," Zeke thought privately. "Comparing it with Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's mainframes is pointless, even for someone using their toes to think. But hardware performance is just the foundation—the key lies within me."

With anticipation building for accessing Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's central archives, Zeke turned towards Vera, who was leaning against the table, watching curiously with innocent eyes.

Zeke gently ruffled the little girl's hair and said, "Just wait a bit longer, breakfast will be ready soon."

"Then I'll go wake up Big Sister Kiana," Vera replied obediently.

By waking Kiana early, they could prevent her from oversleeping and facing another mechanical arm kick-out-the-door incident.

Waking up Kiana carried risks for Vera too. If she got too close, Kiana would instantly hug and kiss her upon waking—sometimes even giving her a lick—and then promptly receive punishment from the mechanical arm... But still, it was better to wake her carefully than risk getting forcefully kicked out of bed, which had to hurt.

At the mention of Kiana's name, Zeke paused briefly, his gaze unfocused for a moment before he nonchalantly replied, "No need. She left."

"Oh... Wait?! What do you mean by 'left'?"

"You know her father is far away, right?"

"Big Sister Kiana said he went missing and couldn't be found... I thought it was like with Mom..." A hint of sadness appeared on Vera's face.

Her dad had told her that her mom went somewhere very distant. But deep down, Vera understood—it meant she wouldn't return.

When Kiana mentioned her dad going missing and not being found, Vera assumed it held the same meaning, fearing to ask more questions lest it upset Kiana.

Zeke looked at her, his expression softening as he gently patted her small head:

"She just went on a business trip to the distant Far East. Upset that her father left her behind and traveled so far away, Kiana always insisted he was lost. Now, with his business stabilized, someone arrived last night to bring Kiana back. Since she deeply missed her father and feared saying goodbye face-to-face would be too hard for you, she decided to leave immediately."

"I see... But isn't Big Sister Kiana's father also Zeke's father?"

After all, both of their surnames are Alvis! Vera couldn't help but show confusion.

Zeke shook his head and responded unequivocally, "Kiana doesn't actually share the Alvis surname; she used it out of anger towards her father. We're merely friends, nothing more."

"Oh, I understand now. So, Big Sister Kiana has truly left?"

"Yes. She asked me to apologize on her behalf and hopes that you'll grow up healthy and swiftly. In the future, she definitely plans to return for you."

Yes, grow up quickly. Based on Kaslana's lily lineage, there's a high chance you'll become one of her targets someday.

I hope you can get along peacefully with the cook—ahem, Raiden Mei.

Otherwise, it would become a Shura's Field.

But having already met Zeke, will Kiana still encounter Raiden Mei in Nagazora City?

Most likely, yes.

The Third Honkai Eruption significantly advances the Herrscher of the Void's awakening process. Meanwhile, Auntie Theresa and St. Freya Academy foster emotional bonds for Kiana, serving as crucial components in Otto's plan to awaken the Herrscher's humanity through sacrificing someone important to her.

No matter how one considers it, it seems highly probable that Otto orchestrated their original meeting behind the scenes.

With this thought, Zeke couldn't help but glance at the disheartened Vera. Based on that plan, both Zeke and Vera could potentially be suitable sacrifices—sooner or later... no, perhaps they have already entered Otto's list of potential offerings, especially after Zeke provided Kiana with Honkai energy bullets and those two vials of reagents.

Ordinary Forbidden Tech might not raise eyebrows, but anything involving Honkai energy is bound to attract attention from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy alike.

'Seriously, I planned to stay clear of such troubles; why did I hand over something so sensitive?' 'Kiana...' Zeke pondered, gently stroking Vera's hair, momentarily feeling as if he were caressing that peculiar white fluffball.

Zeke pondered this thought, absentmindedly stroking Vera's head as if caressing that peculiar bundle of white hair. He half expected her to look up, blinking those bright, expressive eyes shamelessly while begging for toys or treats.

Then, Zeke's lips curved slightly upward.

'So Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, huh? Come looking if you dare.'

He realized he felt neither regret nor fear about giving away such sensitive technology.

Before Zeke could fully understand his shift in mindset, Vera sighed maturely and looked up at him.

"Although I miss Big Sister Kiana dearly, Vera will stay strong. She always said that smiling makes me cutest! The same goes for you, Zeke-nii. Don't be too sad."

Zeke momentarily fell silent, then shook his head expressionlessly.

"...Why would you think I'd feel sad after getting rid of that troublemaker? On the contrary, I'm quite happy. Look, I even had the energy to finish assembling this troublesome computer."

"Yes, yes, Zeke-nii isn't sad at all. Then let's have breakfast together, Vera! It's perfect timing since today is the weekend, and Papa will be visiting soon."

"Alright, let's eat without mentioning that stubborn brat," Zeke replied, glancing to the side where Icarus had finished setting up breakfast.

Today's meal was unusually quiet, making it feel rather unsettling.