Starting from the Collapse World, I became the behind-the-scenes boss

As she thought about it and recalled the things she had done with the boy and the others over the past three years, Kiana's expression became increasingly complicated. She looked like she wanted to laugh but couldn't, and wanted to cry but had to force herself to hold it back.

"Miss Kiana, please rest assured, I guarantee with my life that you will be reunited with the one you love."

As if sensing the girl's thoughts, Yae Sakura patted the girl's shoulder and said softly.

"You'd better be telling the truth, otherwise..."

Kiana glared fiercely at the priestess and said in a menacing tone.

"A few days ago, the World Serpent discovered a signal that appeared to be a disease gem near Changkong City."

If Lord Hen can return safely from the imaginary space, the probability of him appearing in Changkong City is the highest.

Faced with the fierce yet adorable gaze of the white-furred ball, Yae Sakura simply smiled and explained, "Changkong City was the site of the Third Honkai Impact, and the Conqueror's Gem was also destroyed here once."

Therefore, the connection between Changkong City and the imaginary space is far closer than in other parts of the world.

As she spoke, a hint of helplessness rose in the shrine maiden's eyes.

According to the plan, the boy had already gone to another film set.

But in order to complete the task assigned by the boy, she still had to leave Kiana here.

"The third collapse..."

Mentioning the catastrophe that changed the fate of almost everyone in them, Kiana's expression became dazed, and after a long while, she asked, "Does possessing a natural Stigmata really allow one to survive in the Imaginary Dimension?"

Even after hearing Yae Sakura's explanation, she still found it hard to believe.

No, perhaps it's more accurate to say that what she truly couldn't accept was that the boy only had a chance of surviving.

What she wanted was a definitive and undeniable result!

If she had never seen the light, she could have continued to endure the darkness, but now…

The thought that the boy might have already vanished somewhere in the imaginary space made Kiana feel incredibly oppressed, as if a mountain was pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

"The fundamental goal of the development of the Stigmata was to enable humanity to maintain its existence even in the realm of imaginary numbers."

She spoke softly, a gentle smile on her face, "Moreover, with the Tranquility Gem, as long as Lord Hen can activate its power, even the most severe injuries can be easily healed."

"..."

Staring at the gentle, smiling face of the priestess before her in silence for a long time, Kiana finally slowly relaxed her clenched fist and let out a long sigh, "It had better be this way."

Although she knew that this was only a near-ideal situation.

But this was the only thing she could believe in.

"There's still a while before the optimal time to capture signals from the imaginary space. Would Miss Kiana like something to eat?"

She asked softly, looking at the white-haired girl who had clearly become much thinner, and a deep sense of pity welled up in her eyes.

During these past few months, she often followed Kiana, but in order to give the girl enough space to grow, she did not interfere too much in her life.

Therefore, in most cases, the food the other party eats is quite simple, and the amount of food is less than one-third of what it would normally be.

Moreover, due to the interference of Sirin's consciousness, the girl often cannot get a good night's sleep, and insomnia is a common occurrence.

Even in this situation, the girl remained incredibly proactive in fighting against every collapse she encountered along the way, doing her best to save every life within her sight.

Even by the most stringent standards, the other party is a hero in every sense of the word.

It's just like that strongest Valkyrie who, even in between grinding in Paradise, runs all over the world fighting Honkai Beasts.

"Well……"

Upon hearing this, Kiana couldn't help but think of a certain boy who often asked her similar questions. After taking a deep breath, she immediately replied, "Do you have hot pot?"

"Hot Pot?"

Yae Sakura's face showed surprise.

"It's like... throwing all sorts of ingredients into a big pot, cooking them, and then immediately scooping them out and eating them..."

Kiana tried to explain.

"I know this way of eating it, but why would Miss Kiana want to eat this?"

Yae Sakura nodded and asked.

"because……"

Kiana was about to say that this was the food the boy had given her when he first treated her to a meal, but after opening her mouth, she gently shook her head and said, "It's nothing. If you don't have any, then it's fine."

Although she was temporarily willing to act with Yae Sakura in order to see the boy, she still harbored considerable resentment towards the shrine maiden.

If it weren't for the other party and [Walter White], the boy wouldn't be in this situation now.

"Miss Kiana underestimates me."

"Miss Kiana can eat any food she wants, as long as she wishes."

Yae Sakura answered with a smile.

Given the World Serpent's strength and status, it could easily satisfy any of the girl's needs.

"A regular hot pot meal is enough."

Kiana said calmly, her tone carrying a hint of detachment.

She didn't want to accept too much kindness from the other party.

Sensing the indifference in the girl's voice, Yae Sakura simply shook her head and smiled helplessly.

Before long, a steaming pot of mushroom soup was ready in the pavilion on the mountaintop, with all sorts of ingredients arranged around it.

But looking at the soup pot that wasn't even a speck of red, Kiana couldn't help but furrow her brow deeply.

"Ms. Kiana?"

Seeing this, Yae Sakura couldn't help but ask in confusion.

According to what the boy said, this should be Kiana's favorite flavor.

"Don't you have... anything spicier?"

Uncharacteristically stubborn, Kiana noticed the confusion on Yae Sakura's face and explained softly, "The hot pot that Hen treated me to was always the really spicy kind."

She's been casual about food for so long, but this is the one thing she's unwilling to compromise on.

"Then so be it, Miss Kiana."

Smiling, Yae Sakura replied, and immediately ordered someone to change the soup base.

This is the privilege of the shrine priest.

While waiting for the soup base to be changed, Kiana glanced around at the surrounding mountain scenery, and suddenly asked, "Where's Himeko? Isn't that child here?"

Accompanied by Yae Sakura, she enjoyed the cherry blossoms at the shrine, but she never saw the girl who was as happy as a little bird.

"That child, she's gone to school."

A hint of nostalgia flashed across her face as Yae Sakura answered with a light laugh.

Well, after her existence gradually stabilized, Himeko gradually began to have her own life and no longer always hung around Yae Sakura.

Of course, the girl didn't actually go to school.

On the contrary, Himeko is responsible for taking care of orphans who have been taken in by World Serpent for various reasons, such as a certain Herrscher of the Star, Ichimokudo.

The only thing that Yae Sakura found somewhat troublesome was that the girl always felt that this job was a waste of her talents and had been applying to become a cadre of the World Snake Organization.

But in Yae Sakura's vision, she always hoped that the other person could gain experience in the orphanage and become a shrine maiden like her in the future.

While being a World Snake executive may sound glamorous, it often means living in the shadows, constantly facing death and danger.

Yae Sakura doesn't want Himeko to follow the same path.

Unfortunately……

With a gentle shake of her head, Yae Sakura picked up a slice of fatty beef, dipped it in the glistening red broth for a few seconds, then expertly put it into her mouth, and then…

She quickly picked up the lemonade next to her and took a sip. Yae Sakura maintained the composure and elegance of a shrine maiden, only the fiery red color on her face revealed the torment she was enduring.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the little white-haired dumpling, who had also eaten a piece of mutton, couldn't stop hissing and hissing, his face covered in snot and tears, looking utterly disheveled.

"Miss Kiana, how about we switch to the same pot we used before?"

After a long while, Yae Sakura finally managed to suppress the burning sensation in her mouth and offered her sincere advice.

She could tell that the other person also couldn't handle spicy food.

"No! I want this whole pot!"

Kiana immediately refused, her mouth agape and tongue lolling out, but her eyes held an unwavering resolve. "Or is it that you, priestess, are already incapable?"

Although she herself could not bear this level of spiciness, the more deeply she felt the pain, the more vivid the image of the boy became, as if she had returned to the time when she was with him.

"..."

Yae Sakura, of course, couldn't tolerate the white-furred ball's provocation.

And so... a hot pot with two broths was served.

Unlike the somewhat self-destructive white-haired ball of fur, Yae Sakura has no masochistic tendencies whatsoever.

"???"

Looking at the distinct two-tone soup base in front of her, Kiana blinked, somewhat bewildered.

Normally, shouldn't Yae Sakura accept this challenge and then eat this super spicy hot pot with her?

"Miss Kiana, don't worry about me. I'm just glad you're enjoying your meal."

With a smile, Yae Sakura poured a large amount of ingredients into the mushroom soup.

Kiana: "..."

Chapter Seventy-Four: The Boy from the Abyss

Deep in the Pacific Ocean, lies Haiyuan City.

As the most powerful executor of Anti-Entropy and the leader of the radical faction that controls nearly 70% of the alliance's power, Cocolia has been having a very unpleasant time lately.

One of the main reasons that made him feel irritable was the black-haired boy who was now lying in the hospital bed.

Looking at the boy before her, whose eyes were closed and whose face was deathly pale, Cocolia couldn't help but rub her temples and looked at the doctor beside her, asking, "Are you sure he can't wake up?"

Although her words were a question, the female warlord, who had fought her way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, spoke with an inherent air of authority, like an angry lioness.

"Yes."

Sensing the heavy pressure emanating from Cocolia, the doctor, who looked old, nodded slightly. His fingers trembled as he flipped open the medical record in his hand, studied it for a long time, and then continued, "Major General Shihen has a very strong Honkai energy reaction, and it is this Honkai energy that has firmly sealed his consciousness."

To give an example, he's like an insect trapped in amber.

Although they won't die, they can't be said to be alive either.

With our current technology, we cannot penetrate this layer of amber without harming Major General Shihen's consciousness.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Cocolia frowned and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "I understand..."

"but……"

Hesitantly, the old doctor glanced at the blonde woman beside him who was deep in thought, and only continued after seeing that she did not object, "If it's just about extracting the Honkai energy from Major General Shihen's body, we can still manage..."

"shut up!"

Before the other person could finish speaking, Cocolia rudely interrupted.

Even a fool could guess the consequences of removing the Tranquility Gem from the boy.

If the boy were to die at her hands, Cocolia would bet ME Corporation that a certain Herrscher of Thunder would come knocking on her door with a sword the very next second.

By then, even if she had the ability to revive Raiden Ryoma and use him as a shield, it would probably be too late.

Therefore, even if the boy is not alive right now, he must not die completely on her territory.

Moreover, she wasn't entirely without a way to save the boy.

Thinking to herself, Cocolia realized that her attitude had been too harsh. Her expression softened considerably, and she smiled and said, "Dr. Lloyd, you can go out now."

I will notify you if there are any further changes in the patient's condition.