Raiden Ryoma stood amidst a white fog, his expression vacant.
Like a blank puppet, the man simply stood there.
“President Raiden, wake up.”
A young man’s voice drifted from the distance, as if flipping a switch.
Memories quickly returned like a flowing stream, and with them, an expression of pure agony spread across the older man’s face.
Damn it.
He’d been ambushed again.
The last time he was ambushed, it was because he hadn’t expected Cocolia’s standards to be so low; getting caught then was somewhat excusable.
But this time, he had been knocked out cold with a single bat swing from a little girl.
Pain flickered across Raiden Ryoma’s face.
This time, he couldn’t find any excuses.
“President Raiden, why the long face?”
In the distance, a young man emerged from the mist, a faint smile on his lips.
As he walked, the surrounding fog dissipated, transforming into a simple room.
Who was this?
Raiden Ryoma’s expression turned alert.
He had just been taken down by Kiana’s bat, and his guard was now raised to the maximum.
Seemingly sensing Raiden Ryoma’s vigilance, the young man stopped about five meters away.
“The name is Russell.
I was hoping to receive some assistance from you.”
The man assessed the atmosphere around him.
The scene had shifted from a vast white fog to a modern building, a change he had experienced before.
Was he in a dream?
So, had he encountered someone with a dream-walking ability?
“Which organization do you belong to?” The man quickly grasped his situation.
Instead of answering Russell, he posed a question of his own.
“Just a freelance individual with no affiliation.” The young man seemed somewhat troubled.
“Uncle Raiden, don’t you think you’re being a little too guarded?”
Raiden Ryoma’s expression darkened.
Uncle Raiden.
The term “uncle” was clearly one a junior would use for an elder.
But to his ears, it was filled with an immense sense of pressure.
The Raiden family line was sparse; he himself was an only child, and there was certainly no branch family member named “Raiden Dragon-Sniper.”
He only had one junior—his daughter, Raiden Mei.
For someone with obviously abnormal abilities to be calling him “uncle”…
it was a threat!
“Heh, speak your mind. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
I don’t mind helping you,” the man swiftly regained his composure.
“But as you can see, I am trapped in prison.
There is a considerable limit to what I can do.”
He feigned submission, but left himself some room to maneuver.
Russell nodded.
It was clear that Raiden Ryoma truly doted on his daughter and held a high degree of loyalty to Anti-Entropy.
“I just came to borrow a plane.
Yes, I need a plane to Vienna,” the young man stated.
Huh?
Raiden Ryoma was dumbfounded.
That’s it?
“Don’t give me that look.” Russell, on the other hand, seemed a bit displeased.
He couldn’t even get into an airport right now, and Raiden Ryoma’s “you call that a problem?” expression was rubbing him the wrong way.
“If Mei and I didn’t get along reasonably well, I wouldn’t have come here at all.”
“After all, that old hag Cocolia is preparing to use the Gem of Conquest to create the Third Herrscher.
With my pathetic level of Honkai resistance, I’d be totally screwed if a real Honkai Eruption hit.”
The young man’s words caused Raiden Ryoma’s face to change dramatically.
The Gem of Conquest, the power the Second Herrscher received from God…
and that very gem was inside his daughter’s body!
“Mei, how is she right now?” The older man could no longer maintain his composure.
He rushed directly in front of Russell, demanding an answer.
His question put Russell in a difficult position.
How was he supposed to explain something like a chat group to someone?
[Just explain it as her falling into a World Bubble.
Tell him she’s in Teyvat acting as the Raiden Shogun right now.]
Nice one.
That could work.
Russell gave the Tip System a mental thumbs-up.
“Your daughter…
has, you could say, fallen into a World Bubble.
Yes, she landed in a world called ‘Li Tang,’ where she’s playing a mysterious character named ‘Da Bao.’ She is freely traveling, encountering various ‘Jiangdong rats’ with unique personalities and abilities, all while working to restore the Han Dynasty.”
?!!!
Raiden Ryoma’s expression looked as if he was witnessing the Third Impact.
It was the exact same look Kiana had when she heard Raiden Mei’s uncle was named Raiden Dragon-Sniper, making one wonder if there wasn’t some untold story between Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma back in the day.
“Just kidding.” The young man grinned, his smile looking exceptionally wicked.
“I am a person from a World Bubble, and Raiden Mei has fallen into my world.
There’s no such bizarre thing as Honkai in my world, so she’s safe for now.
“At the request of my good friend, I’ve come to stop the activities of Anti-Entropy’s radical faction.” The young man finally adopted a somewhat serious demeanor.
“If you don’t believe in my friendship with Mei…
all I can say is, I have an uncle.
Yes, that uncle of mine once wrestled a divine pig in the Ganges in India, dueled the Monkey King on Mount Emei for the title of ‘Great Sage,’ successfully revived the Ptolemaic dynasty in Africa, and emulated King Solomon by building a grand harem, achieving political unification through marriage.”
Raiden Ryoma’s expression instantly became a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Back then, he was just forced to dance at gunpoint by some African dude and got attacked by monkeys on Mount Emei!
Where did this bizarre setting of him becoming Solomon the Second come from?!
“I didn’t!
It wasn’t me!
Don’t talk nonsense!” Raiden Ryoma hurriedly denied.
[Very good.
He’s now only arguing that he didn’t do those bizarre things.
It seems he now believes you’re Mei’s friend.]
A faint smile appeared on Russell’s face as well.
“Since Uncle Raiden believes me, shouldn’t you offer a little support?”
Raiden Ryoma fell silent for a moment.
In his worldview, the standard unit of annoyance was Siegfried.
The guy in front of him was so damn obnoxious, he had to be worth at least ten Siegfrieds.
But, for the time being, it seemed this guy might actually have a good relationship with Mei.
Therefore—
“I will arrange a plane for you.”
Although he didn’t understand what Russell was up to, the intelligence-gathering and dream-walking abilities the young man had demonstrated were quite powerful.
Heading to Vienna undoubtedly meant he was seeking out Schicksal.
While he didn’t know what leverage Russell possessed to guarantee Schicksal’s intervention in Chiba City, he must have his reasons.
As someone who didn’t understand the full situation, it was best not to interfere recklessly.
“Ah, who said anything about a plane?”
At this, Russell looked startled, as if he had encountered something utterly bizarre.
Raiden Ryoma was also stunned.
Didn’t you just say you were going to Vienna?
Why don’t you need a plane now?
The young man cleared his throat lightly and, under Raiden Ryoma’s almost thunderstruck gaze, pulled a cargo manifest from his pocket.
“Although friends shouldn’t be so formal, I find myself a bit short on funds recently.”
The young man’s expression was a contrived mix of bashfulness and embarrassment, but the hand extending the list was as steady as a surgeon’s.
“Uncle Dragon-Sniper…
care to ‘support’ me a little?”