Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 275 This is Mars!

"Hey, are you sure this road leads down the mountain?"

"Just trust me! Turn the corner around that crooked tree up ahead!"

Perhaps to make up for her mistake (Qiong thinks it was because she was afraid of being cheated), "Nian Gao" suddenly took on the role of a serpentine navigator and volunteered to be a guide.

Although the guide himself had never been here before.

After another "turn left 200 meters ahead and then go straight for 500 meters," the two, who had walked for an unknown amount of time, arrived at a narrow path. The man-made stones on the ground indicated that they could definitely find a place to live by following this path!

But is it possible that the inhabitants here aren't human, but something else entirely...?

"Hehe, how about that? Aren't I amazing? I led you down the mountain so quickly!"

"Mochi" excitedly flipped in the air, its snake head nudging up to Qiong like a pet, hoping for her praise. However, Qiong's reaction was extremely cold; she even took two steps away from "Mochi" because it was so close.

"Mmm, you're great, but don't get so close."

Seeing Qiong's aloof demeanor, "Nian Gao" was somewhat displeased, and her starry eyes dimmed—if Qiong paid attention at this moment, she would have noticed that even the snake's tail had stopped swaying.

That's true. After all, in Qiong's eyes, she was the bad guy who caused him to end up here. Although Qiong wanted to go back but didn't dare to punish her, it would be strange if he gave her a nice look.

First, use the identity of Mochi as a guide to create some events and try to ease the tension with Sora. She absolutely cannot reveal that she is Kiana, because if she does, her friendship with Sora will be over—or maybe not, she still has the Feather of the Crossing…

In short, after finding the trail down the mountain, "Nian Gao" consciously stayed behind Qiong.

"Wait, wait a minute... Sora, I can't walk anymore!"

"Nian Gao" floated behind, and under her deliberate control, the distance between her and Qiong grew larger and larger.

In fact, they only walked on the trail for about ten minutes.

Displeased, Qiong stopped and turned around, speechlessly complaining about Kiana.

"Hey, aren't you a mythical beast? Can't you walk? Aren't you flying?"

"I used up too much energy before, and phantom limbs get tired too!"

"Is someone like you, who's holding us back, really a mythical beast?"

Qiong sighed again. This so-called divine beast's endurance wasn't even as long as Bronya's Heavy Bunny; it was truly useless...

Even if we disregard Bronya, Kiana and Mei wouldn't be so tired from such a short distance, and even Seele wouldn't be!

Considering her own lightness, this meant the planet's gravity was even weaker than Earth's, so she should be able to float even more easily... This stupid snake, who called herself a divine beast, was far too weak to have gotten herself into this predicament! Compared to Seele, Nian Gao was more like a pampered younger sister who couldn't endure hardship... No, this wasn't a younger sister, this was a pet. Judging from how reliable this stupid snake was, she might have to act as a mother hen for a while to keep an eye on her and prevent her from running around. If this stupid snake with no fighting ability were to be captured by someone and made into snake soup, her journey home would be over.

"Easy for you to say! I've never exercised this far before!"

Qiong glanced helplessly at the "mochi" curled up in mid-air, stubbornly refusing to move, and then looked at the sun, which would set in who knows how long (was that even the sun?).

So annoying!

But a stalemate wasn't a solution, and Qiong, anxious to get down the mountain and afraid it would be too dark to walk, could only wave to "Nian Gao".

"Alright, alright, come here. Stay on my shoulder—and let's make it clear first, no wrapping your arms around my neck! No flicking your tongue! No showing your fangs! Otherwise, I'll turn you into a roasted snake!"

Before Qiong could react, the "rice cake" had already floated onto her body in a flash.

"Wow! You're such a good person! From the first moment I met you, I knew you were the greatest person in the world!"

The lightweight creature "Nian Gao" eagerly wrapped itself around Qiong's shoulder, resting its head on top of Qiong's head and gently swaying its tail.

Don't give me the "friend zone" card!

"Hehehe, riding on Gray Hair's shoulders and head..."

A sense of satisfaction rose from Kiana's heart: Could anyone else do this? Could anyone else ride on Sora's shoulders? Even Mei didn't get this treatment!

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Qiong continued walking along the path, and the "exhausted rice cake" that had just been lying on Qiong's head started chattering incessantly.

"Look, there are flowers I've never seen before over there! Look up there, is that a beehive?"

"Mmmmmmm..."

"We're practically inseparable now, and you've already agreed to sign a contract... From now on, we'll be colleagues, and I'll be your senior... How about I stop calling you by your full name and just call you Little Grey? You can call me Gao Gao!"

"Don't even think about it!"

"Don't you like it? What about Old Gray?"

"I'm not old! Instead of wasting your time, you should be thinking about how to get home!"

"Don't worry, no matter the cost, I will definitely bring you home!"

……

Qiong usually brushes off most of the questions, but when she gets really annoyed, she'll say a few words in response.

"Mochi's" actions were not without purpose: compared to when she first ended up here, Qiong had become less resistant to "Mochi" in just two hours.

As they walked, the outlines of houses and wisps of smoke began to appear in the distance, indicating that they were on the right track.

"This kind of building must be man-made, right?"

Looking at the distant signs of life and feeling the warm touch of the "mochi" above her head, Qiong's mood inexplicably became lighter.

Qiong patted the snake tail on her shoulder.

"Nian Gao, have you rested enough? If you're rested enough, crawl into my pocket. What if someone sees you up ahead—"

"No way! It's suffocating in your pocket! I'll be good, can you please not let me into your pocket? Or I can crawl inside your clothes, it's more breezy there..."

"Inside your clothes? Are you dreaming?"

Qiong laughed at the request for "rice cake," and in his mind, he gave rice cake a new label: willful.

Stupid, weak in combat, and willful. If it weren't for his good temper, we would be having snake meat for dinner tonight.

"Nian Gao, you don't want us to sleep outdoors tonight either..."

"Aaaaaaah!"

Qiong was still trying to suppress her temper and reason with the somewhat unreasonable "rice cake" when a scream suddenly came from ahead.

The scream was sharp and high-pitched; it must have been a woman.

"What's going on? Is someone here?"

"Someone might be in trouble? Let's go help them!"

Upon hearing Nian Gao's words, Qiong's mind conjured up images of a group of flying lizards attacking a scantily clad, weak woman and a woman being chased by several potentially poisonous, cone-toothed rabbits. He immediately began to run away at full speed.

"Rice cake, hold on tight!"

"Nian Gao," who called himself a guide, immediately began his work.

"Turn right a little ahead! It's a group of men bullying a weak person—"

The voice of "rice cake" hesitated slightly.

"Weak woman?"

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In the woods beside the trail, a frail woman was surrounded by six men. Her green eyes pleaded with the muscular leader, and she begged him to let her go in a low, subservient voice.

"Gentlemen, please let us go! We're all in the same boat, taking money to do people's work. We're just like you, suffering the same fate! Why do you insist on bothering us?"

To others, her disheveled, pale blonde hair made her once beautiful face resemble a ghost, and the tattered clothes she wore (if they could even be called clothes) barely covered her stomach, all indicating that she had nothing. The meaning was clear: Since we have nothing left, we have nothing to give you in return!

But the muscular man clearly didn't think so.

"Enough nonsense, our old man said you stole it this time—"

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what kind of skill is it to bully a weak woman? Have you even asked about the Flame Gun in my Galaxy Baseball Man's hand?!"

"You didn't even ask about my fangs!"

After rushing to his position with his Flame Spear, Qiong didn't immediately make a move but instead threatened him with his voice—if he were to make a move, wouldn't it result in death or serious injury? He was kind-hearted and unwilling to resort to violence.

Furthermore, if something goes wrong, it will be very unfriendly to the subsequent negotiations. In fact, this accident can be considered a "pioneer". How can there be a pioneer who beats someone half to death right from the start?

"Don't be afraid, young lady, I'm here to save you—ah? Teacher Maria?"

"Ugh!"

Qiong initially offered the vulnerable woman a sense of security, but upon seeing her face, he immediately recognized who she was.

Maria, or rather, the sparrow—there's a very low probability that she's someone who looks extremely similar, but the general direction is pretty much there.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Rice cake, have we traveled to Mars in the past?"

"Oh, you think so too?"

"You think so too? Then it's probably true. I'm considering whether or not to start a Mars exploration log?"

"Great idea! I'll go with you, and remember to sign my name!"

The two quickly reached an agreement. Since it was confirmed to be "Mars," both Qiong and Kiana, who was disguised as a baby cake, relaxed considerably. They even had the mind to consider writing in their journals. However, their relaxation angered the muscular man.

"Hey kid, I'm asking you a question! Not going to answer? You little punk, you don't take me Iron Head seriously, do you? Brothers, let's show those who're in our way what we're made of!"