As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

If Chen Yuan heard Theresa's words, he would definitely agree. But the thing in front of him wasn't a child, but a genuine mechanical life form.

"Wait a minute, let's put the Mebius matter aside for now. You don't need to call me father either, since I don't have any... memories right now, you know?"

Gray Serpent smiled and nodded: "I understand, Father. Or rather, Mr. Chenyuan. You may call me Gray Serpent for now."

Chen Yuan frowned slightly. This guy in front of him was being a little too polite. In the original story, this guy wasn't someone easy to deal with; he was like a fanatic. To be honest, Chen Yuan didn't like him much.

"That's fine with me, just say what you need to say." He turned to look at Kiana not far away, and seeing her intently selecting snacks, he sighed softly. "As you can see, I'm out shopping with my child and don't want to be disturbed."

Gray Serpent sensed the impatience in Chen Yuan's voice, but didn't say much, maintaining his respectful attitude. "I understand, Mr. Chen Yuan. Actually, I came to see you this time to invite you back to our organization."

"The organization? You mean the World Serpent?" Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the Gray Serpent with some puzzlement. "Shouldn't this guy be busy rescuing Kevin from the Sea of ​​Quanta right now? What does he want with me?"

“I know you may not want to hear this, but please let me finish,” the gray serpent continued. “I hope you can regain your position as the supreme ruler and lead the world serpent once more.”

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and remained silent for a moment. He turned to look at Kiana, who was choosing snacks, and then looked at Gray Serpent again. "Gray Serpent, I have no recollection of what you said, including Mebius. So for me, the so-called 'Lord' position is meaningless."

The gray snake's eyes flickered slightly, but it maintained a respectful attitude: "Mr. Chenyuan, that's not important. You don't need to remember everything from the past. You only need to know that you have the power to change the world."

"Just as Mother said, only you can lead us to a new future, only you can drive the evolution of mankind, and only you can end this disgusting world!"

Chen Yuan's brows furrowed even more as he stared into the grey snake's crimson eyes. He was familiar with that look; it was the fanaticism born from a kind of almost obsessive faith.

But he didn't want to become that kind of person. Chen Yuan shook his head and said to the gray snake, "I have no interest in any of what you're saying. Besides, I don't think I'm as great as you claim."

"I just want to protect the people I care about. Whether this world is good or bad is none of my business." With that, Chen Yuan walked past the gray snake. "Those children want to protect the world, so I will protect them. That's all."

"Also, don't lay a hand on them. Otherwise, no matter how many bodies you have, even if I use all my time, I will tear you apart!"

Gray Serpent's eyes narrowed slightly, but quickly returned to calm. As if he had anticipated this answer, a red dot on his collar was subtly flashing.

"I don't care how noble your motives are. I only know that the people I need to protect must not be harmed. If the World Serpent really wants to do something, it's best not to involve them."

After hearing this, the gray snake did not continue to persuade him, but simply bowed to Chen Yuan. "I understand, Mr. Chen Yuan. However, please remember that whenever and wherever you wish to return to us, we will always welcome you."

The latter nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned back to Kiana's side. Gray Serpent watched Chen Yuan's departing figure, removed the recording device from his collar, and inserted it into the terminal.

"Chen Yuan, who were you talking to just now?" Kiana asked curiously as she saw Chen Yuan approaching, holding a few bags of potato chips she had just chosen.

"He's just a bored person, nothing serious. But you really did take a lot, where did you get another shopping cart from?"

"It was just sitting there. I saw no one was taking it, so I took it." Although still a little confused, seeing that Chen Yuan didn't want to elaborate, she didn't press the matter further. She continued picking out snacks.

After all, she wasn't really stupid. When she saw Chen Yuan's slightly unpleasant expression, she knew it couldn't be anything good.

Just as Theresa said, Kiana knew in her heart that with her current strength, knowing too much would only cause trouble. She would naturally know when she grew to the point where she could help Chen Yuan.

Seeing that Kiana wasn't pressing for details, Chenyuan breathed a sigh of relief. After all, these things were a bit difficult to explain. He put the previous conversation out of his mind and continued to focus on Kiana in front of him.

In no time, both shopping carts were overflowing with snacks. Kiana jumped up excitedly and exclaimed, "This is the first time I've ever had so many snacks! Chenyuan, you're the best!"

"This is nothing. You'll eat much more and better things in the future." Chen Yuan smiled and patted her head. "But be careful not to eat too much at once. Be moderate, or you'll gain weight."

"Don't worry, I know," Kiana said confidently, patting her chest.

The two pushed their shopping cart towards other areas. Meanwhile, Theresa and Raiden Mei had finished shopping for their daily necessities. Pushing their cart full of various essentials, they were preparing to find Chen Yuan and Kiana.

"Headmaster, how are Mr. Chenyuan and the others doing now?" Raiden Mei asked. "I'm still a little worried about Kiana. What if she causes trouble for Mr. Chenyuan..."

"It should be fine." Theresa smiled easily. "That guy Chenyuan shouldn't..."

"Mei!!! I'm here!!"

Before Theresa could finish speaking, she saw Chenyuan and Kiana pushing a shopping cart full of snacks towards them. Kiana looked excited, while Chenyuan looked at her with doting eyes.

"Fine, never mind." Theresa slapped her head helplessly and pointed to the two large carts full of snacks. "Wait, why did you take so much? Aren't you afraid it'll expire?!"

"No problem, I've checked all these dates, there's still plenty of time." Chen Yuan looked at Kiana with affection and continued, "Since we finally get to enjoy ourselves, let's buy more."

"That's a bit too much. Mr. Chenyuan spoils Kiana too much." Raiden Mei looked at the various snacks in the shopping cart and couldn't help but sigh. "What will we do if she gets too spoiled?"

"Mei! How could you say something like that!" Kiana pouted, pointing at the two carts of snacks, and continued, "It's not like I'm eating them all by myself; I brought enough for everyone!"

"Alright, alright, you can't fight." Chen Yuan smiled. "After all, it's a rare opportunity, so it's good to make her happy."

Just then, Bronya walked over from the game area, carrying several game boxes. "Bronya has already chosen the games, Brother Chenyuan, do you think these are suitable?"

"Let me see..." Chen Yuan took the game box and examined it carefully. "Not bad, these games are all suitable for you to play, but be careful with the time, you can't play games for too long."

“Bronya understands.”

"Hmm, good girl." He patted Bronya's head, then turned to Kiana and Raiden Mei: "Alright, now that everyone has made their choices, let's go pay. Kiana, tidy up these snacks, don't forget anything."

"Okay!" Kiana replied excitedly, quickly sorting and arranging the snacks in the shopping cart neatly.

The group arrived at the checkout counter, where several shopping carts were piled high with all sorts of items, from snacks and daily necessities to games. The cashier couldn't help but look surprised at the sheer volume of goods.

"Wow, so many things! Is this a family shopping trip?" the cashier said with a smile, starting to scan the items one by one. "You're a very responsible father. Didn't your mother come along?"

"More or less~" Chen Yuan stood to the side, listening to the cashier's words. A slight smile played on his lips. He turned to look at Raiden Mei and found her intently watching the checkout process, seemingly calculating the price of each item.

"Mei, are you worried about the price?"

"Yes, although these are all necessities, I still hope to save some money. After all, we still have a long time to make a living."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's not your turn to suffer," Theresa chuckled, taking out the original card. "All expenses today will be on me, the headmistress!!!"

"Don't worry, Theresa is quite wealthy. She'll cover all the expenses for today, so don't worry about the money."

He patted Raiden Mei on the shoulder, turned to the cashier, and smiled, "Sorry for the embarrassment. Please calculate the price of all these items."

"Ah... okay." The cashier paused for a moment, then quickly continued scanning the items, completing the checkout in no time. The total amount was displayed on the screen, and Theresa swiped her card without a care in the world, looking completely relaxed.

A short while later, the group left the mall. Several Valkyries were standing at the entrance. When they saw Theresa and the others come out, they quickly came over and took the goods from their hands.

"Luckily, I, the headmaster, had the foresight, otherwise, carrying all this stuff, I wouldn't have been able to buy any clothes." Watching the Valkyrie drive away, Theresa patted her chest, looking somewhat smug.

"Only you could come up with the idea of ​​having the Valkyrie help you carry your things." After giving Theresa a disdainful look, Chen Yuan stretched. "Fine! You're smart. Now, it's time to go buy clothes, right?"

(Fu Hua makes her appearance in the next chapter!)