Honkai: Strijder

"This is a solar water pouch. It has filtering and heating functions, and you can charge it by hanging it under the sun. It's waterproof, shockproof, and electrically insulated, but don't put it over fire, the material doesn't allow that. It can filter through snow or stream water in case of necessity. Three sets, one for use, one as a backup, and another backup for the backup, to ensure you won't run out of water when you're out there. Don't lose them."

"This is a camping tool kit, hammer, knife, rope, sleeping bag, flashlight, insect repellent, alarm, bandages—basically everything you need for sleeping outdoors, whether it's in the wild or on the streets, to ensure you can get a good night's sleep. Pack them properly."

"These two bags here, one is filled with your favorite snacks, and the other is a pack of dry rations, compressed food. The taste might not be the best, but it will keep you full. Carry them properly."

"These are various types of clothes. I picked durable ones that are not easily worn out."

"And this, the most important one, is the black card. It works with any bank as long as there's an ATM connected to the network. Just insert it, and you'll be able to access my account and get the local currency. I assume you know how to spend money."

"Blah blah blah—"

After Vira had fallen asleep, Kiana and Sigurd sat facing each other on the floor of the living room, surrounded by various items scattered around.

Sigurd explained one item after another, then packed them up, finally organizing them into several packages that Kiana could take with her.

But Kiana's eyes had turned into a bewildered mosquito ring shape midway through the process.

Seeing this, Sigurd sighed helplessly.

"I knew you wouldn't remember, so put this on."

Sigurd took Kiana's hand and put a black metal bracelet on her delicate and fair wrist.

"It's a tracking bracelet with voice control. It can help you navigate. Also, I've loaded Icarus' core code into it, and it's connected to all the luggage you have. The rest will be recorded in real-time—It's quite useful, so don't take it off."

In fact, the main function of this device was to allow Sigurd to track Kiana's location in real-time.

Don't misunderstand; it's not because he has some weird fetish.

It's just that Sigurd happened to have a few equipment ideas in progress. When he finished them, he could use the bracelet's positioning to remotely send those devices to Kiana's side and bind them to her for her safety—just like Iron Man's remote summoning of armor. The bracelet was the core component for achieving this function.

Kiana caressed the bracelet, neither too loose nor too tight, comfortable to wear and also beautiful. It was truly worthy of being made by Sigurd.

Then, as if performing magic, two identical bracelets appeared on Sigurd's hands.

"The same, important things come in sets of three, with backups and backup backups. Take good care of them."

"Okay, then–is there anything else?" Kiana asked.

"There's also a gun and bullets. When you're out there, you need to have a means to protect yourself, even if you don't harm others. But there's something you need to be cautious about," Sigurd said.

He held two magazines in each hand, a total of four magazines. The black shells were engraved with beautiful purple patterns, as if sealing some kind of power.

"There's nothing special about regular bullets, but these are infused with a trace amount of Honkai Energy. They have six times the speed and penetrating power of normal bullets, along with the destructive and corrosive properties unique to Honkai Energy. Even a graze could be fatal to an ordinary person. There are sixty in total, and they are weapons of last resort. However, using the handgun will drain its energy quickly, so use it sparingly."

By the way, the source of the Honkai Energy in these bullets was Kiana's own body tissue.

Kiana swallowed nervously, then widened her eyes.

"Wait, how do you know about Honkai?"

"You don't need to worry about that. I just know. And finally, I was quite hesitant about this, but I think it's better to be prepared—These are black Honkai inducer reagents and white counteragent reagents. You must remember them well, otherwise, they could cost you your life."

Sigurd's expression became unusually serious.

Kiana sat up straight, blinked her eyes with great seriousness.

However, considering her usual goofiness, Sigurd couldn't help but hesitate further.

Should he really entrust these things to her? Would it increase her danger instead?

After thinking for a moment, his concerns about a disastrous turn of events overwhelmed him.

Sigurd held two syringes with distinct colors in his hands and said expressionlessly:

"The black one is an inducer reagent. After injecting it, a small amount of Honkai Energy will first strengthen your body and heal any injuries, big or small. Then, more of the latent Honkai Energy within your body will be activated, and for a short period of time, your physical abilities will increase exponentially."

"But soon, the continuously rising concentration of Honkai Energy will surpass the limit your body can handle. Your body will start to deteriorate, and your consciousness may be contaminated by the Honkai Energy... Although it hasn't been practically verified yet, conservatively speaking, within three minutes, you must inject the white counteragent reagent."

"Injecting the white reagent within this time frame should be enough to effectively control the rampage of the Honkai Energy. Otherwise, once the time limit is exceeded and the concentration of Honkai Energy reaches a certain threshold, nothing will be able to stop your collapse and death."

"Using special bullets may just require replacing a couple of handguns. But if you use these reagents carelessly, you'll be risking your own life. So, absolutely, without any room for error, remember this: First, unless you are in a desperate situation where your life is at stake and there are no other options, you are not allowed to use the reagents. Don't even think about them. Second, the black one is the inducer reagent, and you only have three minutes after injection to use the white counteragent reagent. The shorter the time, the less the burden on your body, and the safer it will be."

"Do you understand?" Sigurd leaned forward, almost nose to nose with Kiana, staring intensely into her eyes, and asked in the most serious tone imaginable.

"Uh, I understand," Kiana replied earnestly.

They locked eyes for a moment, and then Sigurd slowly placed the two syringes inside a dedicated compartment in the backpack's interior, closing the zipper.

"Anyway—take care of yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, contact me anytime, either by phone or by posting a message on the forum you used before. I'll come to help you. However, in places without signal towers, even the phone I made cannot guarantee communication. But your bracelet can send a signal boost once at the cost of being rendered useless, connecting to satellites and letting me know your location. In critical moments, you can also use this method to contact me."

"Okay, got it."

Kiana grinned, baring her teeth.

Then, the two fell into a long silence.

When it comes to bidding farewell to someone you hold dear, one doesn't know what else to say.

Facing the person you have to say goodbye to, after completing all the necessary arrangements, you don't know what more can be said.

After a while of silence, Kiana stood up, hung the packages on herself one by one, and then stretched her body. She discovered that she could easily bear the weight and it didn't hinder her movement at all.

"Well, I'll be going then."

"...Hmm."

"Please say goodbye to Vira for me."

"Okay."

"Goodbye, Sig!"

"... "

Sigurd silently watched her.

He watched as she jumped off the balcony, completely avoiding the main entrance, and skillfully climbed over the courtyard wall. She stood on the wall, turned back, smiled brightly, and waved at him with great energy.

Then, she completely disappeared from Sigurd's sight.

Sigurd leaned against the balcony railing, looked up at the moon, which was still the same moon, but it seemed that the night had deepened, and he felt a bit cold.

"Icarus, what was the intensity of Honkai Energy on Kiana just now?"

"Low value 936.23, peak value 1003.16, average 953.53. Would you like to display real-time numerical graphs, My Lord?"

"No need, bring me a cup of hot water, and also a cake."

"Yes, My Lord."

And that's why Sigurd could only watch Kiana leave.

The basic unit of measurement was the Honkai Energy intensity manifested within his own body, with an average value over a 24-hour period.

In other words, when doing nothing, the Honkai Energy flowing within Sigurd's body was at 1, while Kiana's was close to 1000. This ratio represented the difference in Honkai Energy adaptation between the two of them and also the disparity in the intensity of Honkai Energy that could be accessed during battles.

Moreover, according to general rules, as the body grows, exceptional individuals show a significant increase, while for someone like Sigurd, reaching a growth of 2 or 3 from 1 is already close to the limit.

To be able to survive facing a burst of Honkai Energy of this quantity is already a stroke of luck. How many more dangers can he withstand? How much contribution can he make in critical moments? It is a despairing speculation.

With his current state, even if he musters the courage to accompany Kiana, he will only become a burden, right?

Sigurd poked at the cake that Kiana liked, hesitating to take a bite. After a while, he put down the fork and couldn't help but mutter:

"It seems like I forgot to provide her with a means of transportation. Maybe I should also give her a few grenades. Oh, and I didn't prepare a translator. What if she goes to a country where a different language is spoken? And identification—By the way, I wonder how many days the food will last for her."

Muttering these words, at this moment when no one else knew, a lonely expression finally appeared on Sigurd's face.