Honkai Impact: The Dream Keeper

After fighting for a while, the five dragons were separated by Bronya. The four clones were all injured, while the original dragon only had two black eyes and looked at the four clones with disdain.

"You think you can defeat me in my true form? Give me a break. Alright, I don't need you anymore. Come back."

Then, amidst a chorus of curses from his four clones, Long Qiao retrieved them.

The wood brought back by her second clone was easily dragged away by Theresa alone. She sorted the wood, cut some of the larger pieces back into pieces, and added some fuel to the stove. Clearly, she was used to doing these things.

"Although life is tough, as long as the priest is with everyone, we will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties."

"When...did you arrive here?" Long Qiao asked, turning her head to the side.

“I don’t remember my parents at all. My earliest memory… is of myself lying on the priest’s shoulder,” Theresa said.

"He tied me to his body and took me to chop wood in the snow. It was snowing outside, but the priest was very warm."

As Long Qiao listened to Theresa's words, a scoundrel couldn't help but think of Lu Ziyang.

"...How could I have thought of that bastard? Come to think of it, he seems to have done something like that before, except I was the one doing it behind his back...Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get."

“When I grew up, I learned that this orphanage was founded by the priest. I wasn’t the first child to arrive, but I’ve probably stayed the longest. I love it here, and I don’t plan to leave,” Theresa said with a smile.

“And what about Joachim?” Bronya asked.

"Why are you suddenly asking about him?" Theresa countered.

"During lunch, you two seemed to have some disagreements?" Bronya asked, tilting her head slightly.

"My Bronya is still the cutest, hehe."

“He’s leaving tomorrow, and Bronya wants to know what happened,” Bronya said.

“Sigh, I shouldn’t have kept it from you… It’s not that Joachim and I have a conflict, but rather a problem between him and the priest,” Theresa said.

“What happened between the priest and him?” Seele asked.

"Hmm? Something interesting?"

Long Qiao took out two slices of watermelon from her trench coat, gave one to Mo Ye, and then led Mo Ye in a big leap to Theresa, where they sat cross-legged and ate the watermelon.

Mo Ye: ?

Long Qiao: Listening to gossip.

“…Joachim’s father was killed by the priest,” Theresa said, her eyes closed and a pained expression on her face.

"!?"

"I knew Otto wasn't a good person! Even in a parallel universe!"

“…How could this happen?” Bronya asked.

"As far as I know, Joachim's father was a doctor who had been researching how to bring Joachim's mother back to life after she died of illness. He had violated taboo knowledge..."

“At first, Joachim’s father experimented on mice, then on cats and dogs… Finally, when the priest discovered this, he had already turned to homeless orphans,” Theresa said.

"what?"

“Ah… how could this be?” Seele exclaimed in shock.

"Holy crap? Did I wrongly accuse this old scoundrel Otto of this world? I'm not sure, let me listen again. If I'm wrong, then so be it; if it's fake, then I'll take action."

"That's why the priest killed Joachim's father, and then Joachim became an orphan..."

"So (chew chew chew) that's why Joachim has always held a grudge against the priest? (chew chew chew)" Long Qiao said while eating watermelon, and then handed Bronya and Seele two relatively large slices of iced watermelon.

“If he truly harbors hatred, then it’s a relief,” Theresa responded.

“Joachim knew the sins his father had committed, and he wanted to stop his father, but he was powerless to do so. Therefore, he did not hold a grudge against the priest.”

"He came to the orphanage and took care of the other children like an older brother. He was always the first to rush to help whenever something happened. During that time, I thought he had forgotten the past..."

“After what happened when I was little, losing my father and mother, how could I forget so quickly?” Long Qiao said, wiping her mouth.

"And then?" Bronya asked.

“Joachim is very intelligent and skilled at using tools. He does a great job with anything given to him, so the priest intends to make him his successor,” Theresa said.

“But… from that day on, he became gloomy…” Theresa said.

After Theresa said those words, Long Qiao's expression instantly turned serious. He then pulled out a bag of caramel-flavored sunflower seeds and three bottles of vodka from his trench coat pocket.

“I almost forgot about these, Theresa, please continue.” Long Qiao grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open, while also opening a bottle of vodka.

“...It was then that I realized he could never truly forget that incident…” Theresa said.

“Maybe he just doesn’t want to take over the orphanage; he might have his own ideal life,” Seele said.

“Hmph, impossible (chewing). If he had the life he longed for (spitting out sunflower seed shells), he would definitely say so, but he doesn’t. Hiss… It’s been too long since I’ve had any, it’s a bit burning my throat.” Long Qiao said, taking a sip of vodka.

“Yes, he didn’t say it… he was afraid,” Theresa sighed.

"What are you afraid of?" Seele asked.

"He's afraid that one day he'll find himself in the same position as the priest, facing the same choices as him. Am I right, Theresa?" Long Qiao asked.

"Yes."

"Haha, I just peeked at the script, this little problem is no problem for me."

That's right. Just now, when Bronya, Seele, and Theresa were talking, Long Qiao secretly took out a large book with a white cover from his trench coat. The book was called "Honkai Impact 3 Complete Story". After glancing at it briefly, Long Qiao secretly put it back into his trench coat. Then, he calmly revealed the reason why Joachim was afraid.

“Long Qiao, your IQ is indeed very high,” Theresa said.

"Absolutely, right?"

"If I hadn't peeked at the script, I really wouldn't have known."

“Yes, Joachim is indeed afraid that he will stand on the same side as the priest, afraid that he will inflict his past pain on another child, after all, it is a shadow he cannot forget,” Theresa said.

"Shortly after that, Mrs. Lisel from the neighboring town offered to adopt Joachim...and he agreed."

“He’s running away,” Bronya said.

"That's normal, after all, he's still just a little kid." Long Qiao stretched and finished the rest of his vodka before saying this.

“Perhaps leaving here and starting a new life will allow him to begin afresh…” Theresa said.