Luo Lin gazed at the young Bianka before her, who seemed to have grown significantly in the time Luo Lin had been away. Her golden hair flowed like fine silk, accentuating the curves gradually forming on her body.
At this moment, Bianka wore a simple outfit: a red plaid skirt with a leather bag tied around her thigh, and thick-soled boots for easy movement, giving her the appearance of a cool traveler.
Bianka, with her blue eyes, looked at her teacher with excitement and joy, her holy sword held somewhere out of sight. Finally, she flashed a shy smile and scratched her head with her free hand.
Though aware that time flowed differently in different worlds and that the effects of time displacement were more pronounced after drifting through the Sea of Quanta, seeing the grown-up Bianka in front of her made Luo Lin acutely feel the passage of time.
"My, my, my, it seems my little girl has grown a lot. In the blink of an eye, you've become quite the beauty!" exclaimed Luo Lin.
"Hehe..." Bianka chuckled at Luo Lin's words, squinting her eyes and shaking her head. After adjusting her emotions slightly, her expression turned serious, and she spoke with determination, "Teacher Luo Lin, I am now an A-rank Valkyrie!"
"Wow, that's amazing! I'm still a B-rank Valkyrie. With your talent and effort, Bianka, you'll surely become an S-rank Valkyrie soon!" praised Luo Lin.
"Well, Archbishop Otto also said the same thing. He told me to believe in my own strength, that as long as I continue to persevere, I will one day become the strongest Schicksal Valkyrie," said Bianka lightly, with a hint of longing, but she believed in her own abilities and was confident in achieving her goals.
"By the way, Teacher Luo Lin, I haven't told you who Lord Otto is yet. He's the Overseer of Schicksal, and he seems to have high hopes for me..."
"Otto, I know. He's a significant figure in Schicksal..."
Watching Bianka's happy expression, Luo Lin knew that Otto had become one of the people she trusted. Her mood became somewhat complicated, so she changed the subject, saying, "Look at the sword in your hand; it seems quite extraordinary."
"Oh, this... it's something I stumbled upon by accident. I'm currently... on a journey, and I've met some friends along the way. We're also planning to help my friends with some things, and this sword was found for me by them."
Bianka suddenly realized she was holding the holy sword "Durandal," and she showed it to Luo Lin. The unique-looking holy sword emitted a radiant glow.
It seemed that Bianka was currently undergoing the experiment that would grant her the power of the Bubble World.
It was this journey through the Bubble World that led Bianka to officially add the word "Durandal" to her name.
Not only did it become Bianka's Valkyrie codename and a synonym for the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, but it also served as a commemoration of her journey along with stories of her friends, and her own growth.
Luo Lin could feel the immense power contained within the holy sword. Under Bianka's control, this power was kept in check, but it still exerted pressure on her.
"Wow, beautiful girl! Please be with me..."
Under her gaze, the holy sword trembled slightly, showing signs of excitement.
Luo Lin tilted her head. "Did I hear that right? Is the sword talking?"
"Ahaha, well... um... yes." Bianka chuckled awkwardly, tightening her grip on the hilt of the sword and suppressing its urge to speak. "This weapon is... quite sentient and... lively. Yes, lively."
Luo Lin actually knew the personality of the holy sword Durandal. Perhaps it could be called... an uncle who loves cute girls?
After all, in the game, as the ELF "Holy Sword Durandal," it could openly say things like, "Let's go see cute girls together. I love their earnest efforts! They're simply treasures of humanity!"
Luo Lin agreed with this view very much, but when the girl being watched turned out to be herself, it felt a bit awkward.
She didn't directly mention that she knew the personality of the holy sword, as she couldn't explain where she got the information from. Besides, Bianka, who was slightly flustered, was rarely seen like this, looking cute and interesting, making people want to take another look.
Bianka blinked shyly, hesitated for a moment, but finally gathered the courage to ask, "Teacher Luo Lin! When are you coming back? Both Ragnar and Himeko miss you a lot!"
"Coming back..." Luo Lin pondered for a moment. Although she had experienced falling into the Sea of Quanta, creating the "Post-Honkai Odyssey" Bubble World, traversing two parallel worlds, and even falling into the Kaslana stigma space, the actual time she had spent was unexpectedly short.
After experiencing so much, Luo Lin did miss home.
She missed her "doghouse" in Kolostein, the children and nuns she met in France, the colleagues in the Logistics Intelligence Department, and the Valkyrie Assault Team... With the change in fate, many people should have survived, right?
"Soon, Bianka, I'll be back soon."
"I understand."
The two looked at each other in silence.
After a few seconds of silence, Bianka spoke up again, "Speaking of which, Teacher Luo Lin, I still don't know why you called me here?"
"Was it me who called you..."
"Yes." Bianka nodded and placed her hand on her chest. "I felt Teacher's call, so I closed my eyes and followed the feeling here."
The golden-haired girl looked around, observing the cozy bedroom. A familiar feeling emerged from the depths of her heart, causing Bianka to clutch the fabric on her chest and become infatuated for a moment.
"Well..." Luo Lin pondered for a moment before speaking, "It's somewhat unbelievable, but I seem to have found some information about your parents..."
"Really?!"
Luo Lin pointed to the three blurry figures not far away. "Take a look..."
Following Luo Lin's gesture, Bianka's attention was immediately drawn to the three figures. The golden-haired girl could feel something flowing within her body.
It was trust, attachment, and an indescribable feeling...
Blood ties.
"Dad... Mom..."
Unable to resist, Bianka took a few steps toward the figures. However, this action seemed to trigger some kind of chain reaction, causing the entire bedroom scene to shake, and a sudden burst of light enveloped their vision.
"What's happening?!"
The next moment, Bianka felt like she was being embraced by warmth. In this warmth, she gradually fell asleep, her mind filled with a blissful blankness.
It was as if she had entered another dream.
In the depths of the dream, she smiled and clumsily climbed over a road woven from stars. A smile was indeed a common language among all children.
When tired children fell asleep from crying, smiles would appear on their lips like crescent moons.
Perhaps one day, they would forget how to cry, forget how to act cute... but they would never forget the joy that smiles brought.
It was an emotion that humans had possessed since the dawn of time, setting off from the darkness before dawn, announcing the arrival of each life with the wind; returning from the glow after dusk, guarding each child's life in the warmth of the bonfire.
In the depths of the dream, she leisurely wandered through the narrow asphalt alleys of the neighborhood, the fresh air washing away all the gloom in her lungs.
Along the weathered curbstone, wild thistles sprouted sporadically from the weeds. They were purple-red, thorny, proud, and stubborn flowers that could grow freely even in the most barren land.
Bees buzzed busily among the flowers. She smelled her mother's scent.
At some unknown time, in some unknown place, perhaps it was just some strange illusion.
But at least in this dream, she was sure that those things that had long since settled and yet still left people feeling lost were sleeping in every corner of her body like time capsules.
Seagulls frolicked freely between heaven and earth. She did smell her mother's scent.
"...Ah."
Bianka Durandal Ataegina opened her eyes and gazed at the scene filled with red sand and boundless horizons, taking a deep breath. Meanwhile, the miniature Bianka summoned by Luo Lin turned into light and entered her body, seemingly falling asleep. Of course, Luo Lin was quite familiar with this state of possession by the stigmata.
However...
Luo Lin looked at the Valkyrie panel in front of her with a strange expression, staring blankly at the stigma interface.
On the slot of the stigma, there was an exquisite painting. Not only did it depict the figure of little Bianka, but also a white-haired Valkyrie embracing her gently with a tender smile.
Cecilia, on the stigma, suddenly raised her head slightly. Her gaze seeming to penetrate the system panel and stared straight at Luo Lin.