"Only one year left..."
Theresa sighed as she looked at Himeko's Valkyrie medical report.
Himeko's Honkai Energy adaptability was actually quite poor... and because she received her artificial Stigmata later in life than most, the artificial Stigmata had severely eroded her body. Her lifespan was dwindling.
Over the past few millennia, Schicksal had only discovered natural Stigmata within the Schariac and Kaslana families, as well as those belonging to Ryn, Raiden Mei, and Sparkle.
The patterns of a Stigmata were etched with circuits for manipulating and storing vast amounts of Honkai Energy. Unlike artificially implanted Stigmata, these natural Stigmata possessed far greater circuit strength, even rivaling the power of a Herrscher Core.
Ryn and Mei's Stigmata were not universal and could not provide assistance to Schicksal's artificial Stigmata research. According to the Science Department's research report, if Himeko possessed a true Stigmata, it would be enough to counteract the erosion caused by the artificial ones.
Theresa gazed at the unexpected Parchment Scroll, which recounted the legendary tale of Ji Xuanyuan. According to the scroll, Ji Xuanyuan bore strange tattoos that granted her immense power. The description of these tattoos closely resembled Stigmata. If the legend were true, Ji Xuanyuan might have been a Stigmata bearer.
The scroll also stated that Ji Xuanyuan had vanished into the Nine Realms. Finding the Nine Realms might lead to Ji Xuanyuan, and thus to the Stigmata...
Theresa dispatched Himeko, Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Sparkle, and Ryn to Canghai City in Shenzhou to search for the legendary Nine Realms.
(Canghai City is likely Guangzhou. In the deleted manga, Theresa mentioned that Fu Hua was from Guangzhou, but the main storyline later stated she was from Canghai City. Therefore, Canghai City must be Guangzhou. However, since the official manga has been removed, consider this my personal interpretation if it's incorrect.)
Theresa had originally planned to include Fu Hua in the search party, as Fu Hua was a native of Canghai City. Unfortunately, Fu Hua was currently away, so Theresa would have to wait until her return to send her.
When Kiana received the mission to Canghai City to search for the Nine Realms, she jumped for joy.
"Yay! A free trip! I'm going to eat until I burst!"
"Idiot Kiana, we're on a mission! Don't just think about the free food and drinks!" Ryn sighed and poked Kiana's empty head to remind her.
"Hehe," Kiana stuck out her tongue and rolled up her sleeve, revealing her muscular arm. "Don't worry! I've been training with Sister Kallen and Class Monitor Fu Hua lately. I'm super strong now! This mission will be a piece of cake!"
"But our mission is to find the Nine Realms, not to fight people..."
In a hotel in Canghai City, Shenzhou.
"Boss, another serving of water chestnut cake!"
Kiana waved her hand and ordered another plate of water chestnut cake. Several plates of delicacies had already been devoured on the table.
Kiana held a water chestnut cake in one hand and a durian pastry in the other, stuffing them into her mouth with a blissful expression.
"This place truly deserves its ranking as the eleventh-best restaurant on Kiana's list of '100 Restaurants I Most Want to Visit'! It's so delicious! Ryn, try this, it's amazing!" After speaking, Kiana fed Ryn the half-eaten durian pastry.
Ryn accepted the pastry and took a bite. "Mm, it's indeed quite good."
"You two need to stop! We've been in Canghai City for over ten days now and haven't found a single clue about the Nine Realms. Kiana, you've dragged us to countless restaurants already!!"
Himeko sighed in exasperation and poured herself another bottle of wine. "This is so tragic! Why is the recipe for water chestnut cake on the Parchment Scroll perfectly preserved, while the section about the Nine Realms is completely damaged?!"
"Perhaps this dish held special significance for the person who wrote the scroll," Mei said gently. "Don't worry, Himeko. Cortana and Bronya are constantly searching online for information about the Nine Realms. Besides the scroll, we have other leads. We'll find them eventually."
"Because the cakes are so delicious! And these shrimp dumplings are absolutely divine! Maybe the clue is hidden in the food?" Kiana's eyes were sparkling with stars, her mind consumed by thoughts of delicious food.
"Woohoo! When Ryn and I came to Shenzhou before, we didn't have any money, so we missed out on so many amazing dishes! I still want to try beef rice noodle rolls, char siu bao, steamed chicken feet..."
"Eat, eat, eat—you're probably only thinking about food. Let me be clear: you've already blown through the budget Theresa gave us. Ryn has been paying for everything these past few days," Himeko sighed.
Neither Himeko nor Theresa had told Kiana and the others about Himeko's limited lifespan and the need for a Stigmata to save her. If they could find a Stigmata, that would be one thing. But if they couldn't, telling Kiana and the others would only cause them worry and guilt.
Kiana slowed her eating, cautiously glancing at Ryn and softly asking, "Am I eating too much?"
Seeing Kiana's cheeks still puffed out but her face etched with worry, Ryn couldn't help but gently rub her round cheeks.
"Eat as much as you want. You know how much money we have."
"Yay! Ryn is the best!" Kiana cheered, raising both hands, which were piled high with food.
As Kiana celebrated, Mei tugged at Sparkle, who was also devouring food with gusto. Unlike Kiana, whose stomach remained flat despite her gluttony, Sparkle was already starting to resemble a balloon.
"Slow down, Sparkle... I'm worried your stomach might suddenly explode..."
"Wha...what...nonsense! I...hic...I can still eat..." Sparkle shakily stuffed another piece of cake into her mouth. "Hic...I'd die happy..."
Sparkle had always lived by the philosophy of seizing the moment, and the Nexus System had only reinforced her belief in the wisdom of her hedonistic lifestyle.
Both Sparkle and Himeko were users of the Nexus System. Not only did Himeko have limited time left to live, but Sparkle's lifespan was also shortened by the system's minimum cost: reduced longevity.
Unseen by Kiana and the others, Sin Mal had been watching them intently.
"Tsk, they're still spinning in circles. Those Schicksal Organization people are truly useless. Looks like the clues I gave them weren't enough. I'll have to provide some more..."