Although Kiana and Mei reacted quickly when the golden light appeared and went downstairs to find its source, their location on the fourteenth floor of the building—chosen to avoid being discovered by Honkai Beasts—now became an obstacle. Without an elevator, the two descended at a snail's pace. By the time they reached the ground floor, all they saw were a few withered leaves swirling in the cold wind. The golden light was long gone.
Li Xuan had no idea what the Stone of Stellar Resonance was for, so he simply tossed the wished-for item into a corner of his ring's storage space and decided to ignore it for now.
Just as Li Xuan got up to head back, he stepped outside and saw Kiana and Mei looking around at the base of the building from a distance. He froze for a moment, then instantly understood. What else besides that golden light could have drawn them down here? Still, Li Xuan had already prepared for this possibility.
"Li Xuan!? What are you doing here? Oh, right, did you see that golden light just now?" The sharp-eyed Kiana spotted Li Xuan walking towards them and hurriedly asked. With his right hand behind his back, Li Xuan made a flipping motion, and a package of food materialized in his hand. Of course, Kiana and Mei didn't see this.
"Nope~ I was busy with something else," Li Xuan said with a straight face, spewing nonsense without batting an eye. Mei, standing next to Kiana, stared intently at Li Xuan's face but couldn't see through him, so she had to drop it.
"Then what were you doing?" Kiana asked, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.
"Me? I found something delicious," Li Xuan said with a smile. "Food?!" Kiana the foodie's eyes instantly lit up, sparkling like little stars. But then her brow furrowed with suspicion. "It's been so long, wouldn't the food have gone bad by now?!" She had found plenty of well-packaged food before, but the moment she opened it—oh god, the chicken legs were covered in a layer of mold.
"Of course not~ And it's food that's perfect for this time of year," Li Xuan said with a smile. "What? What is it? Let me see~" Kiana's eyes were glowing.
So it's true, kids' eyes really do glow, Li Xuan thought to himself.
"It's this…" Li Xuan revealed the food in his right hand.
"Mooncakes!" Kiana snatched the mooncakes from Li Xuan's hand. Looking at the well-packaged treats, she couldn't help but rub her cheek against the wrapper, like a kitten nuzzling its owner's hand, her eyes squinting contentedly.
"Come to think of it, the Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here," Mei said, touching her face.
"Then let's go to the rooftop tonight to eat mooncakes and watch the moon!" Kiana exclaimed excitedly, holding up the mooncakes. "Uh…" Mei opened her mouth, about to say something. "Li Xuan, you must have more, right? Hand them over for the public good, we'll eat them tonight!" Kiana turned around and held out her hand to Li Xuan.
"…Fine, you can have them." Li Xuan shrugged nonchalantly, reached into his collar, and pulled out three more mooncakes, tossing them to Kiana. "Eww~ It's so unhygienic to keep things in your chest," Kiana grumbled with a pout, but her hands moved quickly to stash the mooncakes in her bag.
"..."
This is ancient-style clothing, it doesn't have pockets, you know!? Li Xuan silently complained in his head.
"Alright, alright, let's all go back… We can eat the mooncakes after dinner," Mei said. "I'm talking to you, Kiana! Don't sneak any!" "Ow, ow…" Mei had grabbed Kiana by the ear.
The weather should be nice tonight, right? Li Xuan thought, looking up at the cloudless blue sky.
Perhaps because of the mooncake-eating event on the rooftop, everyone ate dinner with particular speed that evening. Kiana, especially, could only be described as a ravenous tiger pouncing on its prey; her eating prowess had reached a whole new level compared to usual.
"..." Sitting next to Kiana, Bronya Zaychik watched her ferocious eating with a bewildered expression.
And so, after Kiana's solo performance at the dinner table, everyone made their way to the rooftop, sitting on chairs they had brought up with them.
A full moon had already begun to rise slowly from the horizon, casting a faint, gentle glow upon the earth, shining on humans and Honkai Zombies alike.
"It's so beautiful," Li Xuan sighed, taking a sip of tea. Without the industrial pollution, the sky of the Honkai-occupied Nagazora City seemed exceptionally clear.
So, for the world, perhaps 'God' (the Honkai) is the righteous one, he thought.
"Yeah, 's beau'iful," Kiana mumbled, her mouth full of mooncake she had just stuffed in after a full meal.
Girls really must have a separate stomach for dessert, huh?!
"What's that?" Mei suddenly said, pointing at the bright moon.
A black dot had appeared in the center of the bright, round moon, and it was growing larger, flying towards them.
Kiana put down her mooncake, and with a flick of her wrists, a pair of pistols appeared in her hands: the Fairy Bow Silven and Mjolnir. Raiden Mei was handed a shotgun by Kiana, the Lucian's Secret. Bronya Zaychik was already protected by Project Bunny 19C. Li Xuan stood quietly in place as a blue shield flickered to life over his Xuanyuan Festive Garb.
Everyone went on high alert because the figure looked familiar.
"Well, we meet again," a lazy voice said. The black dot in the sky was a floating cockpit, upon which sat a young girl with waist-length golden hair.
Shimmering, fluorescent flying objects circled around her. Her long, golden hair danced gently in the breeze.