Honkai Star Rail: Make Honkai Great Again

Chapter 244 244: Let's Make a Deal

The flow of time within the Stigmata world differed from that of the real world. Adjusting that was the first step she needed to take.

Opening up a Stigmata world was not difficult.

What was difficult was customizing one that perfectly matched her imagination within an extremely short time.

She called Araya over to help. With Araya's assistance, the progress went very smoothly.

And just as the framework was nearly complete.

She noticed that the letter she had left with Black Swan showed signs of having been moved.

"Looks like help is on the way."

Just as she had been worrying about how to fill in the next part, Kiana's eyes lit up. After informing Araya, she temporarily left the Stigmata world.

Returning to reality, she found that her phone had indeed received a friend request from a woman.

Without a doubt.

The one who added her was Black Swan.

Black Swan did not disappoint her. She clearly had a deep impression of Kiana as well. Her reply was concise and to the point, arranging a meeting to discuss things in detail.

The location she chose was, as before, within a dream.

Kiana wasted no time. After confirming the location, she immediately headed over.

At the agreed-upon spot, she saw the Black Swan she had met once before—someone who had left a deep impression on her both on and off the stage.

But this time, she was not alone.

Standing beside her was an unremarkable-looking mechanical lady. The two were discussing something at the appointed location.

Was it Sparkle?

Kiana instinctively thought of that Masked Fool. At this time, it was indeed possible.

To be safe, before approaching, she extended her perception toward the mechanical lady beside Black Swan.

If she hadn't checked, it would have been one thing. But the moment she did, Kiana realized—how could that person possibly be some mechanical being or Sparkle?

It was Robin!

How did those two end up together?

Caught off guard by the sight of Robin, Kiana slowed her steps. She hadn't expected Black Swan to be with Robin at this moment.

When they had just parted, Robin had said she wanted to observe the current Penacony from a different perspective.

So after leaving, she ran into Black Swan?

"Kiana."

Robin and Black Swan had already noticed her approaching from the intersection. Seeing that she seemed to have recognized her identity, Robin greeted her.

"Miss Kiana, we meet again."

Black Swan maintained her elegant smile. There was curiosity in her gaze as she looked at Kiana, along with probing interest and a trace of barely perceptible solemnity. The last time they met, she had nearly been trapped forever within Kiana's memory.

After reviewing the incident afterward, she concluded that Kiana must have recognized her identity the moment she invited her, and guessed what she intended to do.

The fact that she had survived and emerged from Kiana's memory was likely due to Kiana showing mercy—a deliberate warning.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation as well, but..." Kiana voiced her doubt. "Why are you two together?"

"It was a coincidence," Robin explained. "We ran into each other on the street. Miss Black Swan saw through my disguise."

Once she mentioned the key detail, Kiana understood what had happened. Though the coincidence felt a little too coincidental, it didn't matter.

She had left that letter for Black Swan precisely to draw her in.

"It was indeed a coincidence." Black Swan seemed to catch the fleeting thought that passed through Kiana's mind and said meaningfully, "I was out for a walk. The dance you performed left a very deep impression on me. It was unforgettable."

"A dance?"

Robin blinked in slight surprise and turned to look at Black Swan. So there had been such an incident?

After Black Swan saw through her identity, this curious Memokeeper had taken the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

During their exchange, she had brought up Kiana, intentionally or not, which made Robin wary, suspecting that she had approached her because of Kiana.

And that was indeed the case.

She had prolonged the conversation precisely because Robin knew Kiana.

"After you went back to find Sunday, I took Araya around for a walk nearby. That's when I met Miss Black Swan at the ballroom," Kiana explained this time. She was starting to see it clearly—Black Swan had likely approached Robin to inquire about her.

Robin nodded thoughtfully.

She had some understanding of a Memokeeper's style. It seemed her guess had been correct—this Miss Black Swan had set her sights on Kiana's memories.

That lengthy conversation had likely been an attempt to obtain memories related to Kiana from her.

She had already been cautious of Black Swan. Now that her intentions were confirmed, her wariness deepened.

As a Memokeeper, Black Swan was highly sensitive to emotional shifts. She could feel Robin's defenses strengthening.

"Our last meeting certainly left a deep impression on both of us. Miss Kiana, I have read the letter you left for me."

But that was not important. Memories from someone like Robin were inherently difficult to obtain.

And the person she truly wanted was standing right before her.

"The terms are fair, but I would like to add one more condition," Black Swan said with a smile.

Kiana raised an eyebrow slightly. She quickly slipped into negotiation mode. "I believe the chips are already sufficient. Excessive greed is not a good habit. You should understand that opportunity often comes with risk."

"Why not hear my proposal first?"

"Go ahead."

Robin frowned. Though she did not know the specifics of the deal between Kiana and Black Swan, she knew it was undoubtedly related to what was coming next.

Which meant it was for her sake.

The feeling that the person she loved had to negotiate with someone else for her sake, being maneuvered and leveraged—it weighed heavily on her heart.

"I want a segment of your memory," Black Swan stated her request, and at the same time revealed her bargaining chip. "In exchange, until we leave Penacony, I will act as your collaborator and provide any assistance you require."

Kiana was tempted. A subtle shift appeared in her gaze as she looked at Black Swan. "Any assistance?"

"Any assistance."

Black Swan emphasized the words, reinforcing her determination.

Kiana considered for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I accept this deal."

The power of Stigmata had many similarities to the power of memory. But in the past, she had rarely delved deeply into that aspect. Aside from experimenting briefly with Herta while studying the terminal—only to abandon it after finding no results—she had not pursued it further.

However, this time she found herself curious about Memoria. Since Black Swan had put it so clearly, she might as well make full use of her—let her guide Araya for a while and teach her about Memoria.

"But let me be clear first. Which memory you ultimately receive will depend on your performance."

There were quite a few memories she could offer as compensation.

The memories of Izumo went without saying—that was when she had first arrived in this world. Even now, she was still influenced by that period and wanted to bring it to a proper conclusion.

The memories of being with Ruan after losing her memories.

The memory of encountering Robin on her way to Izumo to search for her past, and their time together on Kasbelina-VII...

And so on.

Along the way, she truly had accumulated many moments worth remembering for a lifetime.

"Judge it based on my performance?"

No one had ever said something like that to her before. Black Swan found it somewhat strange inwardly. Since it was a transaction, she would naturally give it her all.

Thoughts were just thoughts.

Aloud, Black Swan said, "For someone like you, I believe every memory you possess must be exceedingly precious."

She certainly knew how to speak.

Kiana fell silent for a moment. From a certain perspective, Black Swan wasn't wrong.

Any memory she could offer as part of a transaction would never be something trivial like what she ate today or what she planned to eat tomorrow. It would be memories that had truly left a mark on her.

Thinking of those unforgettable moments...

An Emanator that should not have existed, a member of the Genius Society, a superstar renowned across the cosmos. Even the sudden accidents she encountered along the way had involved the ever-victorious Xianzhou general.

Reuniting with Sirin and learning about the current situation of the survivors of Izumo—those memories were equally precious to her.

"Are you really going to make this deal with her?"

Robin looked at her with concern.

Memokeepers were envoys of the Aeon of Remembrance, tasked with salvaging memories across worlds. Yet even within the Garden of Recollection, there existed factions like the Cremators. And this was only what was publicly known about them. These beings who had transformed themselves into memetic lifeforms surely possessed more than just the ability to peek into others' memories.

Memory was the most essential component of a person.

Who could say there weren't mysterious abilities capable of altering memories—or using a single memory to target its owner?

Almost no one would willingly allow a Memokeeper to examine their memories.

In her view, Kiana's original deal with Black Swan had already been sufficient.

If they needed her help, then invite her to join the event and witness the process firsthand. Let her collect memories as a participant.

"Don't feel burdened," Kiana revealed a little of her thoughts. "I agreed to Miss Black Swan's additional condition largely for Araya's sake."

Seeing Robin fall silent in contemplation, she turned back to Black Swan.

"Time is short. Let's proceed with the final preparations. We're waiting for you to complete the last piece of the puzzle."

If she had given Robin a Stigmata back when they first met, perhaps she wouldn't need Black Swan to fill in that final piece now.

Ultimately, what she required was the power of memory to fill the Stigmata world—using memory to substitute the necessary "experience" and reconstruct what she needed upon that foundation.

"I'll go with you."

Robin had been waiting here with Black Swan precisely to accompany Kiana. After learning that Kiana had invited Black Swan, she had formed a small guess about Kiana's intentions.

She believed she might be able to help.

"Of course. If you're helping, it should save us some time," Kiana replied with a smile.

Inwardly, she felt Robin was still wary of Black Swan. By now, it was obvious that Robin harbored some caution toward her.

Without further delay, Kiana brought both of them along. Rather than traveling physically, she directly pulled them into the newly opened Stigmata world. Araya had been summoned the moment she decided to construct such a world and was currently refining it.

"The flow of time inside the Stigmata world isn't synchronized with the outside," Kiana explained. "Since it was created from a blank Stigmata as its source, it's still unstable. There will be differences, but nothing as outrageous as a single day equaling an entire epoch."

"So a day equaling an epoch has happened before?"

Black Swan caught the key point in Kiana's words.

She wasn't surprised by discrepancies between mental time and external time. There were many ways to achieve that.

What intrigued her more was the story hidden behind it. Curiosity, pursuit, and documentation were a Memokeeper's nature.

"Araya was born because of that."

Just as she suspected.

Black Swan thought silently. Although the two looked almost identical, and Kiana had openly acknowledged Araya as her daughter, she didn't resemble someone who had given birth to such a grown daughter.

Perhaps more accurately, she lacked that maternal aura.

Recalling how she had nearly failed to escape from Kiana's memory, and considering their nearly identical appearances, the most plausible explanation was that Araya was her creation.

"It must be a memory of great value."

Kiana nodded at that.

For a Memokeeper, it was indeed a highly valuable memory. Every individual involved had been at the Emanator level.

A thought crossed her mind, and she looked at Black Swan with interest.

"If you manage to satisfy me, I could offer that memory as part of the deal. Believe me, its value far exceeds your imagination. Setting aside the content itself, there are no fewer than three Emanator-level figures involved in it."

She painted an enticing but distant promise.

That memory was tied to too many things. Unless something extraordinary happened and she owed Black Swan an immense favor, it would remain out of reach.

Three Emanator-level figures. Judging by Kiana's tone, she didn't even seem to be counting herself among them.

Black Swan's understanding of Kiana had begun during her brief debut alongside Robin. Only after glimpsing a fragment of her memory had she discovered the terror hidden beneath her harmless exterior.

Now, hearing that she had established connections with so many figures of that level, her curiosity burned even brighter.

Where had she come from?

What past had she experienced?

What was her ultimate goal?

All of it was worth exploring.

"It seems I'll have to work even harder," Black Swan said with a faint smile.

Still, with so many forces involved, such an important memory was most likely just a carrot on a stick—like the promises corporations dangled before their employees.

"Kiana, what do we do next?"

Araya had once said she was created jointly by Kiana and Ruan Mei.

Now it seemed the process had been far from simple, and not merely the result of life science technology as she had once assumed.

Robin, too, was curious about Araya's origin. As for the three Emanator-level figures Kiana mentioned, she guessed they were the three individuals closely connected to Kiana. However, she did not know that Araya had been born from the cycle of Stigmata reincarnation.

But now was not the time to dwell on that.

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