The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

Keya felt the atmosphere here wasn't suitable for him any longer, so he quickly left just as Lin Qingyan was about to explode. When he reached the third table, Vina and the others were already seated, while Zofia and Maria had abandoned their uncle and sat next to Amiya. As soon as Keya sat down, the waiter brought in several special dishes. It had to be said that the food was served incredibly quickly; Keya and the messenger had barely chatted for a few minutes before it was served... Wait, could this be pre-prepared?

"Hmm, it doesn't taste sweet."

Everyone except Lemiaoan was quite satisfied with the meal. The food tasted good, and the ingredients were fresh, not pre-prepared. This meant the owner was quite skilled, as the food was cooked quickly and well.

When Koya and his group returned home, there were two more people in the group. They were Lin Qingyan and Jiulu from the Yan Kingdom delegation...

"Out of curiosity, Miss Lin Qingyan, how were you persuaded?"

"The old man said that if you come to force me, I can do whatever I want."

"Well... have you ever considered that you can't beat me?"

"I thought about committing suicide after I couldn't fight you and was abused by you."

"Ahem, don't worry, I respect women's wishes!"

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Chapter 255: Arknights: Requiem Church

When Lemiaoan and the other two emerged from the study, they tacitly avoided discussing what had just happened. Lemiaoan and Mostima acted as if nothing had happened. Only Fiammetta, gritting her teeth, looked at Koya. For some reason, Fiammetta and Mostima both felt that staying here for the night was completely insufficient.

The final allocation was as follows: Vina, Weicao, and Amiya shared a room, the Lemiao trio shared a room, Cecilia had already gone to bed so she had a single room, Jiulu and Lin Qingyan shared a room, and Zofia and Maria shared a room. Overall, the room allocation was very reasonable. As for Koya, he was arranged to sleep on the sofa in the living room, and Skadi insisted on sleeping in the bathtub.

Because they had to get up early tomorrow to accompany Cecilia to the Requiem Church, everyone prepared to go to bed early.

"Brother Koya, would you like to share a room with us? We feel embarrassed to have you, the host, sleep on the sofa."

"If you're really sorry, then please don't stay the night! You're locals of Rutland after all."

"It's been a while since I slept with Lemiaoan. We girls have some little secrets that can only be told in the bedroom."

"Go to bed."

Mostima, the fallen angel, had truly fallen completely. She'd grown up in Lateran, yet she looked like a little devil. Koya simply ignored her advances. He had no objection to sleeping on the couch. Hadn't he always slept on it in the abandoned church basement before he and Hestia formed a relationship? Back then, the couch was so small his legs would dangle. Besides, with his current physique, even a full night without sleep wouldn't be a problem.

Soon it was one in the morning and the lights in the whole house were dimmed. Koya was lying on the sofa, browsing the terminal boredly. On Terra, he found a new way of entertainment, which was to read Casimir's Red Wine News. It must be said that gossip was really interesting, especially the gossip left in the Red Wine News after several rounds of screening.

On the Red Wine Newspaper, however, Casimir's Candle Knight VVAN is the unshakable number one. For example, today's report on VVAN is about her background (guesswork). The editor of the Red Wine Newspaper obviously knows how to be most attractive. He gave VVAN the background of an aristocratic only daughter, and then wrote about VVAN's "debauched" life in Casimir, such as how she spent a night in a hotel with some handsome guys today, and flirted with some handsome young knights on the training ground yesterday.

Everyone loves to see the decadent lives of the nobility, even if they're fake. Koya has learned from Zofia and Maria what kind of person Candle Knight Viviana really is. In Zofia's words, she's a bookworm who doesn't like socializing and prefers to stay home and read. Zofia also gave Viviana a very high evaluation of her character, saying that although Viviana is from Leithania, she is truly a true knight.

To be honest, when Koya learned from Zofia what Viviana looked like, he felt a little disappointed. He felt a sense of loss that all the melons he ate were fake. Now he read the wine newspaper simply for fun.

When it was two o'clock in the morning and Koya was about to put down the tablet and close his eyes to rest for a while, he heard a sound coming from the stairs.

"Zofia?"

"Get up and have some water. I'll also check on how you slept. Can't you sleep on the sofa?"

Sofia sat down next to Koya. Seeing her actions, Koya stood up easily and then lay down again, but this time he had a very comfortable pillow.

"I'm not unable to sleep, I was just playing with the terminal. I'm not a very friendly person - but if Zofia were to accompany me, I might sleep better."

"Not today, idiot."

"It won't be long~~ Can we go to the study?"

Koya stood up and took Zofia to the study. A few minutes later, Koya was sitting on the chair behind the desk and was carefully tasting the dessert named Zofia on the desk.

"Boom boom boom——"

"Please come in."

"Ah, Koya, have you seen my aunt?"

"Zofia? She just came down to get a glass of water."

"Strange? Where did my aunt go?"

Under the desk, in the small space, Zofia was hiding, her face flushed. Just now, Keya had been savoring a Zofia dessert, and now Zofia was trying to swallow a Keya cheese hot dog. Because Keya had manipulated the wind to dissipate the odor from the study, Maria didn't notice anything unusual. Plus, Maria had just woken up and was still a little dazed.

"Speaking of which, Koya, why aren't you sleeping?"

"Just now I was lying on the sofa playing with the terminal. Zofia came down and saw me and scolded me, saying that it was bad for my eyes. So I ran to the study and turned on the light to play with the terminal."

"Hahaha, that's what my aunt is like."

Just when Koya and Maria were complaining about the harsh Zofia, Koya felt a suction force, a suction force that was about to suck his soul away. It seemed that Miss Zofia was very dissatisfied with Koya's slander against her at the moment.

"Maria, go get some rest. You have to get up early tomorrow to accompany Cecilia to the Requiem Church. Zofia might have gone to the garden to get some fresh air. I'll help you find her later."

"I see. Good night then, Koya."

"Good night, little Maria~"

"Well, stop calling me little Maria. We're obviously the same age!"

Click, this was the sound of the study door being gently closed. Koya also breathed a sigh of relief and leaned his straight back on the chair.

"Zofia...you seemed to have gone a little too far just now."

"Do you like that, Koya?"

"Be prepared to be dehydrated!"

·Dividing line·

"Aunt, what did you do last night? When did you come back?"

The next morning, Maria looked at Sophia, who looked refreshed and had exceptionally good skin, and asked curiously.

"I had a little insomnia, so I went to exercise for a while, and I slept more soundly after I came back."

"Oh, so, auntie, can you take me with you next time you train? You look so good today. It seems like even your skin has become more radiant, and your tail is quite smooth... Wait, auntie, did you secretly get a beauty treatment last night?"

"Idiot! The Kuranta maintenance technician from Rutland!"

"Yes, yes. Then Auntie, you must take me with you next time you exercise!"

"Next time, for sure."

In sharp contrast to Zofia's radiant state is Skadi. According to Skadi's Terran superhuman physical fitness, she would have no problem the next day even if she didn't sleep for a night. But she slept in her favorite environment last night, and her mental state was so bad.

"Skadi, are you okay? Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Hmm... I didn't dream, and the water in the bathtub was the perfect temperature when I slept, but for some reason I just felt so restless."

"Are you still going with us?"

"It's okay. It won't affect my combat status. But Koya will sleep with me tonight. I might sleep more peacefully this way."

At seven in the morning, while most of the Laterans were still asleep, Koya and his group set off for the Requiem Church. The church was open 24 hours a day, eliminating the need to worry about the Laterans' nine-to-five work schedule. Cecilia was rather silent today, and didn't eat much at breakfast...

"Mr. Koya, thank you."

"Why don't you call me daddy anymore?"

"Well, because Mr. Koya isn't my real father, right? Cecilia knows that."

Koya picked up Cecilia. This child was much smarter than everyone thought.

"When did you guess that?"

"It was when Sister Lemiaoan took me to the Vatican to get my ID. Mom told me not to go there no matter what. If someone takes you there, they must be a bad person, and you should find a way to escape. Mr. Koya is not a bad person, but he is not my father either."

"But it's clearly written on your ID. I'm Cecilia's father. Doesn't Cecilia want a father anymore? Dad is so sad."

"No, no, I really like Dad. I also like Mom Zofia and Mom Skadi. Sister Amiya and Sister Vina are also very nice to me. Although Sister Weicao doesn't talk to me, I know that Sister Weicao is also a good person. So I don't want to take everyone's kindness to me for granted just because of a misunderstanding or a lie..."

"Cecilia, we're not being nice to you just because you called me dad. We're being nice to a stranger wholeheartedly just because he called us that. Cecilia, do you think there's such a good thing in this world?"

"That?"

"Perhaps our meeting with you was due to a misunderstanding, but we decided to keep you and help you because we all like Cecilia. We are helping you as a person, not because of the name you called. Do you understand?"

Cecilia asked in a muffled voice, burying her head in Koya's arms.

"Then will I still be able to be with my father and Mother Zofia in the future?"

"Of course, Cecilia will leave Rutland with us the day after tomorrow. But now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, Cecilia, please don't call me dad from now on. I'm only in my twenties and I'm not ready to be a father yet."

"Yeah! I understand, Koya-nii."

Cecilia stopped pretending to be an ostrich. She raised her head and looked at Koya with a lovely smile.

"OK."

Seeing Cecilia's smile return, the girls behind Keya breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn't help but look up to Keya. Although he claimed he wasn't ready to be a father, he was quite adept at handling children. He was sure he would become a good father in the future.

·The dividing line of time·

The Requiem Church is the final resting place of the Lateran citizens. It is said that if a Lateran citizen dies without leaving a will specifying the disposition of their body, the body will be sent to the Requiem Church. Since Cecilia's mother had no relatives listed in the Lateran Civil Registry, the nuns and priests at the Requiem Church had already completed all the procedures for her final resting place.

The burial ceremony in Lateran is not as complicated as that in Yan Country. The people of Lateran believe that every day in this world is a beautiful day given to them by God, so they do not choose any special days to hold funeral services. The reason why Cecilia's mother lay in the Requiem Church for so long after being buried was entirely because she was queuing.

When Koya and his companions arrived at the requiem church, they happened to encounter a funeral service. Apparently, the first four steps had already concluded, and the coffin was now being carried out amidst the mourning and mourning of relatives and friends. There were only two Sakotas and three Liboli in attendance, though it was a small crowd. Yet, the death itself imbued the ceremony with a profound solemnity.

"Fiammetta! Calm down, this is the Requiem Church!"

"Tsk."

The pastor who presided over the funeral service was an old acquaintance of Keya, whom Keya had never met before. Keya had just read his information yesterday, so he remembered it clearly.

Andorn... so he'd been in the Requiem Church all along. This result was both surprising and reasonable, but it had nothing to do with Koya anymore. He'd come here today simply to bring Cecilia so she could say her final goodbyes to her mother.

In the Requiem Church, no matter how angry Fiammetta was, her reason was restraining her from taking action. She could not disturb the resting place of Lateran for thousands of years because of her momentary impulse.

Soon the previous ceremony was over, and the deceased was placed in a small box and buried in a flower field behind the Requiem Church.

"Everyone, please follow me."

Just as Koya and the others knew Andorn, Andorn naturally knew Koya as well. The Rhodes Island operator had probably provided a lot of information. However, Koya and the doctor didn't care much about it. After all, Rhodes Island has always advocated that operators should choose their own paths. Those who share the same ideals are naturally welcomed, and those who seek other paths and want to leave Rhodes Island will be blessed.

Andorn led everyone into the Requiem Church. After calling a Liberian priest to take Cecilia, Skadi, and Wei Cao to the resettlement site, he formally greeted everyone.

"Thank you, Mr. Koya, for taking care of Cecilia during this period. She will be free from you in the future."

"I see."

"And... Mostima, Fiammetta, long time no see."

"Oh, it's been a while. Is Andorn still interested in my lock and key?"

"Of course, there are some things I want to understand that I need them to answer for me."

"Oh, it seems I should stay away from you."

"Andorn...come outside with me."

"Well, sorry Fiammetta, I still have some unfinished business. Let's talk about the trial next time."

Chapter 256: Arknights: Pathfinder

When seeing off someone who is going on a long journey, you should also pack your own bags.

Cecilia has come to terms with her mother's passing, and now all she wants is a proper goodbye. Even at such a young age, she's already grasping the importance of saying goodbye to a loved one, something many adults find difficult.

Cecilia froze in front of her mother's body, her eyes still and peaceful, eyes that would never open again. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Skadi stood beside Cecilia, silently waiting for the child to vent her innermost feelings. Farewell? After the battle with Ishamara, she left the sea, searching for her people.

Deep-sea hunters used to hunt the "behemoths" in the ocean in groups, but now only Laurentina is left by her side, and that is a crazy Laurentina; she didn't even say goodbye to her former teammates properly. Skadi always couldn't help but think that as long as they haven't met yet, those former teammates will see each other again sooner or later.

"Are you Cecilia?"

"Well, sister, your horns are beautiful, but not as beautiful as Brother Koya's."

"Hahaha, how can I be compared to the Demon King...Cecilia, just call me Rosetta. Are you here to say your final goodbyes to your mother?"

"Um……"

In the most sacred place in Lateran besides the Vatican, the final resting place of Lateran citizens, the Sarkaz appeared so openly. It can only be said that the old Pope's ideas are really different from those of the previous Popes, or perhaps the future crisis has forced him to choose to move forward at this time.

In the church hall, Andon and Koya sat on the same chair. Andon had some questions he wanted to ask the "Demon King".

"Mr. Koya, what do you think of us? Are the pagans of Lateran planning a shocking conspiracy at the Conference of Nations?"

"This has nothing to do with me. Lateran's internal affairs are naturally for Lateran to resolve. Since the Pope has allowed you to stay here, it at least means that you are currently no threat to Lateran. Naturally, I will not be idle and wonder about your intentions."

"This is really..."