Chapter 03
Preparation
“Fortunately, judging by Elysia’s current age, there should still be plenty of time. I still have time to prepare.”
“Big Sister Xiling, what are you thinking about? You’ve been spacing out for a really long time.”
Elysia curiously poked Xiling’s cheek. Her large, sparkling eyes blinked innocently, making her look especially adorable.
“Hmm… I was just thinking about a few things. Little Elysia, be a bit gentler, okay?”
“Little Elysia? Are you calling me that, Big Sister?”
Looking at the puzzled expression on the little girl’s face, Xiling suddenly remembered that Elysia hadn’t been given a name yet.
“That’s right. Elysia—this is the name I’ve chosen for you. It means ‘Eternal Paradise.’ Do you like it?”
“I do! Thank you, Big Sister Xiling! I’m going to tell Mommy Seria and everyone else!”
Watching the excited little girl run off, Xiling finally let out a sigh of relief.
“At last, I can catch a break. Dealing with little kids really isn’t my specialty…”
She wiped away the nonexistent sweat from her forehead before turning to prepare lunch for the children at the orphanage, all the while planning what she needed to do next.
“Hmm… First, I’d better make myself some weapons for self-defense.”
After lunch, Xiling asked Seria for permission to go out. Carrying the money she had saved from working part-time, she walked into the local general store.
“Looks like they don’t sell firearms here… Well, that makes sense. This isn’t one of those ‘free’ countries, after all.”
If she couldn’t buy a gun, she’d simply build one herself.
She purchased a compressed air canister, a nail gun, several springs, and a box of small nails. Considering the thick armor of Honkai Beasts, she also bought some fireworks, firecrackers, and a few self-heating packs.
“What a shame. They don’t seem to sell nitroglycerin or sodium here… Still, this should be enough.”
Looking at her nearly empty wallet, Xiling let out another quiet sigh.
“At the very least, this should be enough to deal with some smaller Honkai Beasts…”
After returning to her room, Xiling modified the nail gun, converting it into a fully automatic weapon. She then widened the barrel enough to fit a bottle rocket inside.
“The real problem now is how to ignite the fuse…”
Her original plan had been to use the heat generated by a self-heating pack to light it, but she quickly realized the temperature simply wasn’t high enough.
“This is a bit troublesome… Still, there’s plenty of time. I’ll figure something out eventually.”
Day after day passed.
Using the money she earned from her part-time job, Xiling gradually assembled a crude but functional powered exoskeleton.
Besides its basic load-bearing capability, she added mounting slots for disposable booster units, two emergency firework rockets, and a compact first-aid kit.
“Excuse me. May I ask what brings you here?”
Today, several unexpected visitors arrived at the orphanage.
The moment Xiling saw their light-blue hair and the Fire Moth insignia on their uniforms, she immediately recognized who they were.
“Looks like the main storyline has finally begun…”
Thinking to herself, Xiling stepped in front of the entrance, preventing them from going inside.
“We’re here to conduct physical examinations for the children. We’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to that. I need to discuss it with the headmistress first.”
Before Xiling could turn around, Seria gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“If it’s only a medical examination, then you’re welcome to come in.”
“Please, go ahead.”
