18. A Different Kiana!
[And so, the story diverged from its predetermined course.]
[Your task of covering the rear was taken by Siegfried, forcing you to take on the role of raising K423.]
[This period wasn't lonely. It felt like returning to the time when you cared for Fu Hua, watching a clueless girl grow up day by day, filling you with a sense of accomplishment.]
[Three years passed in a flash. The hunter's cabin in the far northern woods became your warm home.]
"Dad, I'm back! Today I not only took down a Honkai beast but also bagged a wild boar!"
A little girl, bundled in thick cotton clothes with two white braids, forcefully pushed open the wooden door of the house.
Dragged behind her was a wild boar larger than herself.
"Sigh... Kiana, we still have plenty of raw meat stored at home. Ah, forget it... we'll have German roasted pork knuckle today."
Gao Qi, who had been intently studying a set of instruments at the desk, looked up at the energetic girl and couldn't help but sigh, habitually opening his arms.
Thud—
"I completed all the mission objectives! No one in the village died, and I cleaned up all the residual Honkai energy too!"
The next second, Kiana, like a cannonball, slammed into Gao Qi's embrace. She looked up, her sparkling blue eyes blinking at him, her face full of a "praise me, please!" expression.
Gao Qi, his chest aching from the impact, rubbed her head as usual.
"Well done, full marks. You'll soon be a Valkyrie who can stand on her own!"
After praising Kiana, Gao Qi's breathing became a bit hurried.
In fact, he had only arrived home a mere ten minutes before Kiana. He had been secretly following her throughout her recent "assessment," terrified that any accident might occur.
Only after Kiana resolved the minor Honkai incident did Gao Qi rush back home.
Three years had passed. K423 now bore the name Kiana and had grown considerably taller compared to when she first emerged from the cultivation pod. Faintly, one could see the shadow of the beautiful and lovely young woman she would become.
Gao Qi had devoted himself wholeheartedly to Kiana's upbringing.
"Hehe, of course! Soon, I'll be able to go rescue Big Sister!"
Kiana deftly unloaded and disassembled the ammunition from a safetied Honkai energy weapon, placing it back on the weapon rack. She tossed the braids on either side of her head and threw a punch into the air.
Snap!
Her small fist struck the air, producing a sharp crack. Kiana had thrown a perfectly executed One-Inch Punch.
Gao Qi had already taught Kiana the entire Inch Heart Fist technique; all that remained was for her to slowly comprehend it through her own insight.
Naturally, Gao Qi had also obtained some materials on the Kaslana Gun-Kata from Siegfried, though he was learning it from scratch himself. Teaching Kiana was a bit more effort, but by now, Kiana was a qualified warrior.
However, compared to her "sister," her single-celled organism brain was indeed a bit lacking.
Although she had high comprehension, she lacked the tenacity for hard work and the drive for continuous improvement. Gao Qi constantly urged her, but she always managed to weasel her way out with cuteness – serves her right for constantly getting beaten later on and being "domestically disciplined" by Mei.
Gao Qi didn't deliberately guide the development of Kiana's personality either. The Kaslana "hot-blooded dummy" bloodline quickly caused her personality to converge towards its original trajectory.
As for her origins – her status as a clone, her original designation K423, the original person she was cloned from who wanted to be her "sister," her "father" Siegfried, and "mother" Cecilia – Gao Qi hadn't hidden a single word from her.
Kiana was originally an ordinary child. That big dummy Siegfried insisted on raising her as the "real" Kiana, only for her to later discover underground at St. Freya that she was a fake – no wonder she had a mental breakdown.
Gao Qi took the opposite approach: You are a fake! But there's no rule saying a counterfeit can't surpass the original – that white-haired big brother's projection magecraft next door is quite useful!
And then... Kiana accepted it without any pressure.
It wasn't a big deal anyway! After all, Gao Qi, her "dad," had always been good to her!
Apart from feeling some anticipation towards the "sister" and "father" who saved her, and some yearning for the "mother" Cecilia, Kiana didn't dwell on it too much.
As for why she was renamed Kiana – because Gao Qi knew that the original Kiana would still be called Bianka.
From intelligence obtained from Anti-Entropy, Gao Qi learned that although Siegfried and his daughter landed safely, they were ultimately captured and taken back by Schicksal. However, Siegfried broke free from his restraints en route and attempted multiple times to return to Schicksal to rescue someone, but failed each time.
Not long after, an amnesiac orphan named Bianka appeared in an orphanage in France. Protected by Siegfried, she probably didn't injure her head too badly – this was certainly thanks to Fenghuang Down. Confirming she wasn't dead, Siegfrief might be sad, but probably not utterly despondent.
And so, K423 still became Kiana, but with several changes. She had fewer doubts, more confidence, and Gao Qi had also taught her many things that only a "player" would know, to make her future adventures easier.
"By the way, Kiana, your latest physical exam results are out. The agitation level of the Herrscher core is nearing its limit again. We need to perform another pressure release. When the time comes, we'll control the disaster scale as much as possible. Once you stabilize again, you should be able to maintain clarity through your own will."
Gao Qi gathered the documents on the desk, stood up, stretched, and beckoned to Kiana. The girl obediently sat on his lap.
Inside Kiana resided another will bent on destroying the world – Gao Qi hadn't hidden this from her either.
However, after hearing it, Kiana still wasn't particularly afraid. Instead, it seemed to awaken some strange interest in her; she started wearing an eyepatch, bandaging one hand, and constantly exclaimed that she couldn't suppress the Space-Time Dragon within her.
Fortunately, Gao Qi came down hard on this, preventing Kiana from fully descending into her chuuni phase – it must be the Herrscher of the Void's will causing trouble!
"Don't worry, Dad! I'm really strong! Whatever Herrscher of the Void is definitely no match for me! The chatterbox in my head keeps nagging all day; she annoys me to death!"
Hugging Gao Qi's arm, Kiana affectionately rubbed her face against it.
Over the past few years, Kiana had always liked being close to Gao Qi, and she still slept with him every night.
At first, Gao Qi thought she was afraid of the dark, so he didn't send her away. But now, Kiana was capable of taking down large Honkai beasts by herself, yet she still crawled into his bed every night. Gao Qi somewhat regretted not teaching her to sleep on her own earlier.
One of his favorite characters had been raised by him into a snug, intimate "little padded jacket." Now, approaching forty, Gao Qi felt quite helpless – he really wanted to experience a sweet romance! He didn't want to raise a kid!
"Once you safely get through this time, my mission will be over. Then, as planned, you'll undergo your final graduation training: relying solely on yourself to go to the Far East and find your 'Aunt' Theresa. It will be time for me to handle other matters."
Speaking as casually as if discussing a trivial matter, Gao Qi took out a comb and began tidying Kiana's smooth long hair.
Hearing Gao Qi's words, Kiana pouted discontentedly, shaking her head back and forth.
"Can't I go on adventures with you, Dad? It'll be so boring by myself!"
"Pfft, I think you just don't want to lose your live-in housekeeper and are afraid there'll be no one to cook. Be good and listen. You're twelve years old now; it's time to learn independence."
But Gao Qi knew that this farewell would also be a permanent one. He had told Kiana many truths, but there was one lie he had to maintain!
"I'm not twelve! I've only been 'born' for four years! And you're not my biological father anyway! Clones don't have biological fathers!"
Kiana leaned against Gao Qi grumpily. She could even use her clone status to be cheeky now, clearly having completely come to terms with it.
"Hey, you little rascal! Then why do you keep calling me 'Dad' every day? My mission is really dangerous; I could die at any moment. Don't you go crying when that happens!"
"Hehe, that's because you're too weak, Dad! Doesn't that mean you need me even more? If you die all alone, this young lady definitely won't cry, you know!"
"You ungrateful daughter! It's time to teach you a lesson!"
"I'm not scared of you, Dad! Just wait until I fully manifest as a Herrscher in a few days; I'll give you a good beating!"
And so, father and daughter tussled playfully.
To Kiana, becoming a Herrscher seemed like an ordinary, trivial matter.
Amidst the horseplay, Gao Qi's gaze fell upon the Quiet Gem, still shining brightly in the corner of the desk where it had sat for three years.
[Three years. You spent three years weaving a lie, an ultimate-level lie, far more perfect than the clumsy falsehood from the previous simulation.]
[If the plan proceeds smoothly, you might survive. But if you die, you don't want Kiana to grieve.]
[The Herrscher energy within Kiana grows increasingly active; all the minor Honkai incidents in the surrounding area are generated by her. You know things can't be delayed any longer.]
[You notified Anti-Entropy and also contacted Siegfried. Soon enough, you detected traces of a Valkyrie squad in the nearest town.]
[However, facts prove that things never go entirely according to plan.]
[Before you could methodically set your plan in motion—Kiana's Herrscher energy erupted prematurely, without any warning!]
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?