Honkai Star Rail: Make Honkai Great Again

Chapter 241 241: You Are Temporarily Not Allowed to Leave

Even after deliberately restraining most of the negative effects, merely two memories related to Aeons had nearly prevented her from returning.

What was that supposed to be?

Too weak yet too eager to meddle?

Kiana felt she had done a good deed. She had given Black Swan a vivid lesson. Presumably, she would learn from it and refrain from casually prying into other people's memories again.

Mother looks very happy.

Araya followed quietly at Kiana's side, deep in thought. It seemed Mother enjoyed dancing with that rude woman just now.

If Kiana had not stopped her, she would have made that woman—who had done something she shouldn't have—pay a price, so she would understand that Mother's memories were not something she could pry into.

As Araya pondered whether Kiana's happiness stemmed from the dance or from the rude woman, she suddenly frowned.

Her existence was undoubtedly special. She could arrive in Penacony without relying on a dream pool.

Existing between reality and dream, although she was currently within the dreamscape, she still kept part of her awareness outside.

Sensing something amiss, she abruptly stopped and focused most of her attention on perceiving The Reverie.

"Did something happen?"

Seeing her expression turn serious, Kiana halted as well, snapping out of the pleasant mood from having taught Black Swan a lesson.

"Someone is heading toward our hotel room. There's no mistake. Their target should be you, Mother." After observing carefully for a moment, Araya reached her conclusion.

Someone else has set their sights on her?

Kiana frowned slightly. It seemed something had gone wrong on Robin's end. She likely failed to persuade Sunday to abandon Ena's Dream and had probably already been placed under soft detention.

The people outside looking for her were most likely sent by Sunday. She had been invited by Robin as a friend. Now that Robin was confined, her presence as that friend had likely become an eyesore.

Were they trying to drive her away?

Or were they planning to confine her as well?

It seemed Robin had never mentioned to Sunday that she was actually quite capable.

"Something may have happened to Robin. We don't know what Sunday intends yet. The Reverie may no longer be safe. We should step out first to gather information and see if we need to change locations."

Under normal circumstances, to leave one would have to return to the dream hotel and use the dream pool. If she were truly the target, there were probably people waiting outside her dream room as well.

But entering and exiting dreams was hardly something beyond her means.

Just because she didn't like using it didn't mean she couldn't.

Her figure dissolved like foam. In reality, within The Reverie, she opened her eyes in the dream pool and slowly sat up.

Just as Araya had said, two people were standing outside her room at that very moment. From their appearance, they seemed to be members of the Bloodhound Family.

"This is against hotel policy. We don't even have evidence. Is this really appropriate?" The one who spoke sounded like a newcomer.

"Who cares? This order came from a big figure in the Oak Family. Don't worry about whether it's right or wrong. We just follow instructions. If anything goes wrong, the Oak Family will take responsibility."

"But what if the guest causes trouble and they push the blame onto us? What if we end up taking the fall?"

"Then we take it. It's not like there won't be compensation. You're new—you don't understand how these things work yet. The Family wouldn't treat us poorly."

After observing the situation outside the door, Kiana narrowed her eyes. The order had come from the Oak Family. Without a doubt, Sunday stood behind it.

But what exactly did he intend to do?

They were merely blocking the doorway. It didn't seem as dire as she had imagined. At the very least, she probably wouldn't need to relocate.

And finding out the answer was simple enough. Kiana walked straight to the door and opened it.

The sudden opening startled the two men outside. The two Bloodhound members immediately stepped forward to block her path.

"What are you doing?"

Kiana frowned, her gaze unfriendly as she looked at them, putting on the expression of someone unaware of the situation and offended by being obstructed.

"Our apologies, Miss Kiana. You are temporarily not allowed to leave the hotel," the older man said.

"What do you mean? Not allowed to leave? On what grounds do you have the right to stop me?"

"It's for your safety." The Bloodhound spoke as if entirely concerned for her. "Recently, many dangerous individuals have illegally entered Penacony for the Watchmaker's legacy. You are Miss Robin's guest. We are responsible for your safety. This is also the intention of the head of the Oak Family."

That excuse was nothing more than a fig leaf, wholly unconvincing.

Kiana did not let it go. Her brow furrowed, her voice carrying a hint of pressure. "Are you planning to place me under house arrest?"

The two exchanged glances. The older one spoke again. "You are Miss Robin's friend. We must ensure your safety."

"Where is Robin? I want to see her."

"We are not aware of Miss Robin's whereabouts. You may inquire with others or contact Miss Robin directly," the Bloodhound replied.

Kiana studied the man who spoke. "So you intend to stand here like jailers and confine me in this room? Make it clear—I am not a member of your Family, nor am I a criminal. You have no authority to do this."

"We must ensure your safety."

It always came back to that single line.

Kiana's impatience showed in her frown. "Do you not have any other excuse? Fine—if it's for my safety, and this place is already unsafe, then what if I choose to leave The Reverie altogether?"

The two exchanged another glance. One of them said, "The Asdana System is currently unsafe. We do not recommend that you leave the hotel at this time."

"And if I insist?"

"If you insist on leaving now, we will arrange for someone to escort you out of the Asdana System."

Kiana's expression darkened. After sweeping her gaze over the two of them, she slammed the door shut.

After the door closed, a thoughtful look appeared on her face. It seemed Sunday did not intend to drive her out of Penacony. On the contrary, he wanted to keep her here.

"But why?"

Although Kiana had considered that possibility, she still felt it more likely that Sunday would choose to expel her.

After all, she was an unstable factor.

Was he too confident?

Confident that she would not interfere with his plans?

But if that were the case, he should have ignored her existence entirely. Why post guards to prevent her from leaving the hotel?

She had only met Sunday once.

Why was there such a strong sense of targeting?

She couldn't figure it out.

If Sunday knew that she had been the one to tell Robin about Ena's Dream, then this still wouldn't make sense.

If he knew she was the source of the information, he should have grown wary of her. The more likely course of action would have been to find a way to drive her away.

She couldn't determine his motive.

But one thing was certain.

Sunday did not have a clear understanding of her strength.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have so brazenly stationed people outside her door, telling her not to leave the hotel.

If the issue didn't lie with her...

"Is it related to Robin?"

That was the only direction left to consider. She and Sunday had no deep connection. The only reason they had even met was because of Robin.

Following that line of thought, the possibilities suddenly expanded.

"Do you need me to do anything, Mother?"

Araya had also returned to reality. She looked toward the door, her gaze seeming to pierce through it and see the people standing guard outside.

"There's no need to worry about them."

Kiana shook her head. Causing trouble for those two would be meaningless. They were merely employees following orders from above.

There was no need to waste time on them.

Robin confronting Sunday would inevitably disrupt the storyline, causing deviations before it had even officially begun.

However, when she had decided to tell Robin the truth, she had already prepared for this outcome. Losing her foreknowledge now did not trouble her.

"I'm going to find Robin," Kiana said. "Could I trouble you to gather some intelligence?"

Compared to relying on vague plot memories, she trusted Araya to collect up-to-date information about Penacony more.

"Leave it to me."

Helping?

Araya liked doing things like this.

While learning how to behave more like an ordinary human was comforting in its own way, she was far more adept within her own domain—providing Kiana with tangible assistance.

"Then I'll leave everything to you. Be careful. Don't let the Family discover you."

There was no one more suitable than Araya for gathering information. After entrusting the task to her, Kiana began preparing to find Robin.

Since it was now certain that Robin was not safe, there was no time to delay.

Returning to Penacony's dream once more, Kiana did not recklessly teleport directly to Robin's side. Instead, she first confirmed Sunday's whereabouts.

For her, that was not particularly difficult.

Honkai allowed her to accomplish many things others deemed impossible. Somewhat unexpectedly, she learned that Sunday was currently receiving a guest from the Interastral Peace Corporation.

—Aventurine.

The name surfaced in Kiana's mind. Combined with what Acheron had mentioned—that he would arrive in Penacony within the next two days—it meant the story was about to officially begin.

All that remained was the arrival of the Astral Express.

The more people who knew, the more factions became entangled, the harder it would be to resolve.

To minimize the impact, the best approach was to settle the matter before the Astral Express and those forces were fully drawn in.

Robin's current condition was unknown. Kiana did not know how the siblings' confrontation had fallen apart, nor was it appropriate for her to directly oppose Sunday.

No matter what, he was Robin's brother.

After confirming that Sunday could not possibly be at Robin's side at this moment, Kiana used her mark to locate Robin and went to her.

Accustomed to teleportation, Kiana remained calm as she appeared the next instant inside a bedroom.

The bedroom was not large. The overall color scheme was purple and white, warmly decorated. From the arrangement, it was clear the owner loved life.

The most eye-catching feature was the large bed occupying nearly half the space, along with several photographs hanging on the wall.

The person she sought was lying on the bed.

Robin lay there as though asleep.

"Robin?"

Kiana did not linger over the room. Upon seeing Robin lying on the bed, she let out a quiet breath of relief.

She knew Sunday would not harm Robin.

But only after seeing her safe with her own eyes could that faint worry for her friend finally settle.

Her call sank like a stone into the sea.

Robin did not respond to any external stimulus. Kiana frowned slightly and stepped closer, examining her. Her vital signs were perfectly normal. She was merely unconscious.

But this was already within a dream.

"The power of Order..."

Being forcibly put to sleep—the essence of Order's power was, in truth, a form of domination. Kiana could see the controlling force of Order upon Robin.

She observed it for a while, confirming that the power resembled "domination." She tried interfering with it using Honkai's power.

Fortunately, it worked.

After she disrupted the melody of Order, its power became unstable. Kiana immediately pressed the advantage and erased the force controlling Robin.

Once she cleared away those traces, the person who had been sleeping deeply stirred. Her lashes trembled before she slowly opened her eyes.

She still looked dazed.

"It's good that you're awake."

This was Kiana's first time doing something like this. Seeing her unharmed, she finally relaxed.

"Kiana?" Robin froze for a moment upon seeing her. Propping herself up to sit, she glanced around and murmured, "Am I still dreaming?"

"Of course you're still dreaming." Kiana was entirely unapologetic as she sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling at her. "We're in Penacony. How could this not count as a dream?"

Robin's gaze shifted slightly. She raised her hand toward Kiana. Instinctively, Kiana thought she meant to push her away, but instead caught the hand that reached out.

"What were you dreaming about just now? Did you dream of me?"

She had been rejected.

She had indeed left the beautiful dream her brother had woven for her. She knew it was false and had been trying to escape, but no matter what she tried, she could not wake up.

Robin smiled faintly without answering Kiana's question. Her gaze lingered briefly on the hand Kiana was holding before lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kiana. I wasted the opportunity you created for me. I couldn't persuade him."

"Why say that? How is that a waste? I don't think it was meaningless at all. He's your brother," Kiana replied lightly.

Robin pressed a hand to her forehead, looking troubled. "I could feel his stubbornness. I don't know what changed him, or when he began to develop such extreme ideas."

"What do you plan to do next?"

After a long silence, Robin sighed. "I don't know where to begin. If we want to change my brother's mind, perhaps we should first find the reason he changed."

Kiana nodded, then shook her head. "We don't have much time left. The Interastral Peace Corporation, the Garden of Recollection—perhaps even the Masked Fools. Those forces are already appearing in Penacony one after another."

—

—

7 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven