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

It's easy to see that Charon's List still has considerable influence in the surface world, and the price for the top spot is unlikely to be low.

This is clearly because the raven is too arrogant and doesn't care about these outside requests.

"Then Sister Natasha should take a good rest for a while. There are so many beautiful sights to see in this world."

Walking behind Raven and massaging its shoulders, Shihen said softly.

Even without the World Serpent, Raven's strength is enough to roam the world freely, as long as she doesn't run into a monster like Durandal.

I wonder if that strongest Valkyrie has been training hard lately. I'll have to give her a good beating sometime to see how she feels.

Shihen couldn't help but think to himself.

"You too." Enjoying the boy's service, Raven's voice became languid. "Since you've met a girl you like, don't let go easily."

Once we assume that Shihen's feelings for Kiana are love, her perspective instantly broadens.

"...It hasn't come to that point yet."

Shihen offered a helpless explanation.

There's nothing he can do; he dug his own grave, and now he can't refute it.

Although he only wanted to be a girl's best friend, do you read Raven's Letter?

Even after time travel, I still can't escape being pressured into marriage by my relatives. Is this what they call Chinese tradition?

While squeezing Raven's soft shoulder, Shihen couldn't help but fall into doubt.

"Then we should work even harder."

The raven's tone became serious.

"...I'm only sixteen years old this year."

Shihen brought up his age again.

"Where we come from, people start having boyfriends or girlfriends as early as sixteen."

The raven curled its lip.

Forget about dating, some people do even more outrageous things.

Of course, these are not suitable for teaching children.

She still hopes that Shihen can take relationships seriously.

"...Sister Natasha, have you eaten yet? I'll go downstairs and get you something to eat?"

Shihen could only choose to change the subject.

Although the dinner he prepared for Kiana was quite substantial, the girl was no pushover and perfectly responded to the call for the "Clean Plate Campaign".

"Okay, remember to add eggs and ham."

The raven smacked her lips; she also missed the boy's cooking.

Although restaurant chefs can make food that tastes many times better than Shihen, the taste of home is something no chef can match.

"Got it."

Shihen hurriedly made his escape.

Chapter Seventy: Farewell and New Beginnings

Chengdu Railway Station, at dusk.

A train station is a place for farewells, especially when it's accompanied by dusk.

There's only half an hour left.

Sitting on a chair in the waiting room, Kiana glanced at the report on the big screen, silently calculating the time of their parting. A hint of regret crept into her gaze as she looked at the boy beside her.

Happy times always pass quickly, and in the blink of an eye, she had already been in Jin Guan for three days.

Having meals with friends, shopping, playing games... she had thought about doing things she couldn't do during her wandering journey, but she did them all with Shihen these past few days.

It's no exaggeration to say that these three days in Jinguan were the most enjoyable of her trip, as glorious as when she resolved the collapse incident and saved other people's lives.

She sometimes longs to live a life like ordinary people.

But how could she stop when she thought of her mysteriously missing father and the suffering of others in the world caused by the collapse?

Moreover, Shihen was the only friend who could play with her like this.

But to the boy, he was just one of the other's countless friends, right?

As she pondered this, Kiana secretly glanced at Shihen, and seeing the unchanged expression on his face, she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment.

The station was always noisy, but there was an eerie silence between the two of them, as if there was a thick barrier between them.

Kiana, do you think... we'll have a chance to meet again in the future?

Suddenly, Shihen broke the silence and spoke.

There was nothing he could do; he had been waiting on the sidelines for so long, but Kiana remained silent, so he was the only one who could drive the plot forward.

His relationship with Kiana will definitely not stop here!

"Probably not..."

Kiana gazed at the large screen hanging on the wall of the waiting room and said softly.

She didn't want to give this answer, but it was the only one she could give.

After this parting, her footsteps will continue to lead her to distant places, but Shihen is not a rootless wanderer.

To meet in Sicily and then reunite in China is already a rare miracle.

Kiana understood all of this, but she was unwilling for Shihen to disappear from her life so easily, just like the others she had met on her journey.

That would be too painful.

When they first met, she could still see Shihen as an expectation for the future, which motivated her to continue her journey.

But as their relationship deepened, she realized that this parting might be their last, and her heart felt as if it were being strangled by something, causing her unbearable pain that she couldn't shake off.

Like fine sand in the desert, the harder you try to hold it, the faster it slips through your fingers.

"I see..." Upon hearing the girl's words, Shihen sighed deeply and remained silent for a long while before asking, "Kiana, why did you embark on this journey?"

"Ok?"

Kiana looked at the boy with a puzzled expression.

"Whenever a person chooses to pack his bags, it's either to pursue an ideal or to search for something."

The traces of time are faintly visible in the tunnel.

"...So which type do you think I am?"

Kiana's expression froze for a moment, then she smiled and asked the boy.

I don't see the brilliance of ideals in your eyes.

Shihen shook his head.

"Is it that obvious...?"

Kiana's smile vanished, and her voice involuntarily fell.

“You can never hide anything on your face,” Shihen said with a smile, “just like now.”

As he spoke, the boy reached out and pressed the corners of the girl's mouth, pulling them upwards with a slight force.

Then the girl's smile returned.

"Stop it."

Kiana slapped the boy's hand away and turned her head away, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Kiana looks better when she smiles."

Shihen sighed.

"...How could I possibly laugh at a time like this?"

Kiana said dejectedly, her voice devoid of its usual energy and vitality.

Although she has traveled to almost half the world and is a true hero in the face of the Honkai, she is only fifteen years old this year.

She also wants to make some friends and do all sorts of things with them.

Especially after encountering Shihen.

If she had never seen the light, she could still endure the darkness.

But having already grasped the light, how could she easily let go?

But... she is someone who is chasing the traces of the Honkai, and she cannot drag unrelated people into that chaotic and mad world of Honkai.

The girl was caught in a dilemma.

Kiana, will you go to North America in the future?

Taking a deep breath, Shihen asked.

According to the plan, he has now passed the interview assessment of Anti-Entropy and will soon be reporting to North America to become a glorious Anti-Entropy warrior.

Yeah, I'll start as an ordinary mecha pilot.

This time, he will compete fairly with Bronya and others to vie for the title of Welt and Herrscher of Reason.

Although the other party will not officially join Anti-Entropy for several months, and will have an Anti-Entropy executor as a mother from the start, the girl never thought that she would become Walter.

But that's alright. If Bronya doesn't have a dream, then he'll help her set one.

He will not be alone on his path to becoming Walter.

"what?"

Kiana looked up at the boy, her mouth slightly agape, her face full of confusion.

When did they talk about North America?

“Just like this time. If you can still reach North America, let’s meet again.” Shihen said with a smile, extending a little finger towards the girl. “But by then, it will be my turn to come looking for you.”

This time, Kiana answered his call and came to Jinguan from the south of China.

"Then it's settled!" Kiana instinctively hooked her finger around the boy's, then realized what had happened and couldn't help but ask, "You're going to North America? Why?"

Kiana, do you believe that the world we see is just an illusion?

Shaking his head without explanation, Shihen instead asked the girl a question.

Meeting the boy's overly calm gaze, Kiana considered asking if he had come into contact with Honkai, but after a moment's thought, she shook her head slightly and chose to give up.

For those who lack the talent, knowing too much about the Honkai is harmful and may even bring disaster upon themselves.

Keeping the Honkai out of human sight is the best way to protect ordinary people.

So, when faced with the boy's words, Kiana simply tried to sound curious and asked, "What do you mean?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl's heart jumped.

She hoped that Shihen could provide that answer.

In that way, at least she wouldn't have to bear the darkness alone.

If the other party is talented, she might even gain a comrade-in-arms she can entrust with her life.

She has been fighting alone for far too long.

To the girl's surprise, Shihen simply looked away and shook his head: "It's nothing. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

According to his character, he is incapable of revealing information related to Honkai to unrelated outsiders.

But as an ordinary person who has only recently come into contact with the Honkai, Shihen should feel fear and unease about this bizarre and strange world.

So he would try to confide in the people around him, but he just couldn't bring himself to tell them everything.

This inner turmoil and pain is precisely what he is bearing at this moment.

If Kiana could recall this moment in the future, she would understand the kind of pressure he was under.