Chapter 949: Alternate Timeline: Kiara’s Hybrid weapon designs

He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Vann.

"Please help me convince Father to forever end his hostility toward Miss Kiara. Whatever the past grudges that existed so far must be resolved."

His shoulders trembled.

"I beg you."

The old swordsman stared at his great-grandson. Vann believed that even Arceus knew that Kiara was not concerned about her enmity with House Silver. And without himself, the 9-star rank as support, House Silver doesn’t stand a chance against Kiara either.

So, what was Arceus might be concerned about?

What will be achieved from this request?

At once, Vann realized something. Arceus wants peace and no hatred between Kiara and House Silver. Arceus wanted to be a regular customer at the store. Arceus wanted a pleasant relationship with Kiara herself.

Meanwhile, Kiara had just declared she would challenge the world rather than betray him.

Vann suddenly felt uncertainty about the true nature of their bond.

Were they merely benefactor and guest?

Or was something far deeper taking root between them?

The thought crossed his mind like a passing shadow.

He set it aside.

With a warm smile, he placed a hand on Arceus’s shoulder. "I am your great-grandfather. You need not beg me for something so small."

He nodded. "I will handle it."

Arceus’s eyes glistened. "Thank you."

He bowed once more, then turned to Kiara.

The words caught in his throat.

At last, he forced them out. "I am sorry for dragging you into my troubles. And I am sorry for not living up to your expectations."

His eyes lowered.

"But if anything happened to you or my family because of me, I would never forgive myself."

Kiara stood silent.

She wanted to tell him to stay.

She wanted to argue.

She wanted to say that some battles were worth fighting.

Yet the decision was his.

And she could not take that choice away.

So she said nothing.

Arceus left with Vann Silver and Lucian Storm.

The sound of their footsteps faded.

The carriage wheels rolled away.

The noise grew fainter and fainter until it vanished into the distant hum of the city.

Kiara remained at the entrance long after they were gone.

The afternoon sunlight stretched across the street.

Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms. A strange emptiness stirred in her chest, as if someone had quietly removed an object she had not realized she was holding.

Several minutes passed.

At last, she exhaled slowly.

"Well."

A faint, humorless smile touched her lips.

"He returned to his world."

She turned and pulled down the shutters of the store. The metal rattled softly into place.

"And it is time I continue on mine."

With that, Kiara climbed the stairs and went upstairs to eat the lunch that had long since gone cold.

After returning upstairs and taking her seat in the dining room, Kiara watched in silence as Noah placed dish after dish before her with his usual mechanical precision, yet for the first time since the android had entered her life, the clink of porcelain against wood seemed louder than their conversation, and the empty chair across from her seemed to occupy more space than the rest of the room combined.

The aroma of roasted meat, steamed rice, and fragrant broth filled the air, but Kiara found herself releasing another quiet sigh before she had taken more than a few bites.

Noah, who had been standing beside the table like a silent guardian, tilted his head slightly.

"Big Sis," he said, his voice as calm as still water, "you appear troubled."

Kiara leaned back in her chair and let out a faint laugh. "Do I?"

Noah gave a short nod. "You have sighed six times during this meal. And your thoughts are a mess."

That simple statement drew a genuine smile from her. "Give me company." She said to him.

Noah took the seat opposite her and started eating the food.

Although he did not need food, he had learned that sometimes presence was more nourishing than words.

As they ate, Noah asked about Lunaris City despite knowing what had happened as he just wanted to make conversation, and Kiara began recounting everything that had happened there, from the restoration of King Caleb Crescent to the opening of the second Nexus branch and the reward she had obtained.

Noah listened without interruption, without judgment, and without hidden motives.

The more she talked, the lighter she felt, as though each secret she released was a stone removed from her shoulders.

Noah would never betray her. Even though he is an Android, at the very least, he is better at understanding human emotions compared to Zion. She came to appreciate that side of Noah after spending 3 days with Zion at Celestra.

So far, she had only taken it as granted, but right now... she could see Noah in a better light.

That certainty was rarer than any divine artifact.

By the time the meal ended, the heaviness in her chest had eased.

Noah carried the dishes to the kitchen, and the sound of running water echoed from beyond the doorway while Kiara climbed the stairs to her room.

The night air was cool.

Moonlight spilled through the window and painted silver lines across the floor.

In her nightwear, Kiara sat cross-legged on the bed and exhaled slowly.

"System, open Quest List."

The familiar translucent panel appeared before her eyes.

She scanned the objectives one by one.

"Hm..."

Her fingers tapped thoughtfully against her knee.

"Selling ten thousand firearms is still a long road, and reaching Rank 6 will have to wait."

Her eyes moved lower.

"That leaves the design quest."

A spark of focus returned to her expression.

"I already have five completed designs. The Chimera SMG is just a modified version of Tigon-3, so once I formally add Tigon-3, that gives me six."

She nodded to herself.

"Which means I only need four more."

Her thoughts shifted to the side quests.

"Opening ten branches is possible, but selling a thousand weapons in each city will take time."

Then she glanced at the final requirement.

"Five hundred thousand credits of spending is needed to unlock the Amulet of Diyu."

She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I’ve already spent more than one hundred twenty-five thousand credits."

Her brows drew together.

"To spend the remaining three hundred seventy-five thousand credits, I would need around 1.75 million."

A low whistle escaped her lips.

"That is enough money to make kings lose sleep. Perhaps I should head into Bloodhill Forest and hunt several seven-star rank beasts, or even a Beast King."

She fell silent.

Then another possibility surfaced.

"No..."

Her eyes opened.

"The best outcome would be awakening my second Spirit Path and obtaining a teleportation skill."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "If that happens, every other quest becomes easier."

She glanced at the two emergency quests still waiting.

"And for those, I still need the Peak Potion."

She let out a slow breath. "Hopefully, the next draw is kinder to me."

After several moments of thought, she nodded decisively.

"Fine. One step at a time."

Kiara spread a large sheet of paper across the desk and uncapped her pen.

"If I am to complete the design quest, then let us forge new claws for the Tigon family."

She opened the ammunition list.

9mm; R.I.P – 9mm; 7.9mm; 12 gauge shotgun ammo; 0.50 BMG (12.7mmx99mm); 0.50 caliber (12.7mmx108mm); 0.204 caliber; 40mm grenade; 110 mm HEAT warhead; 7.62mm; 155 mm HEAT; 6.5mmx48mm; 0.450 caliber; 0.243 caliber (6x52mm); 5.56x45mm;

Her eyes gleamed.

The list was like a chest of seeds, each capable of growing into a new weapon.

The first idea that emerged was a long-range sniper rifle.

In her previous life, she had designed several such rifles for the criminal organization that had enslaved her talents, but those projects had never gone into mass production because they were too expensive and too specialized.

Now, in this world, those old blueprints were ghosts returning to serve her.

She selected one.

"This will be Tigon-6."

Her pen moved swiftly across the page.

A heavy anti-materiel rifle chambered in .50 BMG.

If all calculations proved correct, its maximum range could exceed five kilometers, while its effective range would stretch beyond three. If it achieved even that, she would be satisfied.

The seventh design was a mutation of Tigon-2. The original revolver fired shotgun shells. Kiara enlarged the cylinder, reinforced the frame, and redesigned the chambers to hold 40mm grenades.

She smiled as she finished the sketch.

"Tigon-2A."

A hand cannon worthy of a battlefield.

The eighth design was a variant of Tigon-1. The original machine pistol was compact and efficient. This new version featured three rotating barrels inspired by Gatling systems, trading elegance for an overwhelming rate of fire.

"Tigon-1A."

Her smile widened.

Sometimes subtlety was overrated.

The ninth design became Tigon-7. It was a short-range rocket launcher. A smoothbore aluminum tube reinforced with fiberglass, simple in appearance but deadly in execution.

The greatest challenge for this would be the solid propellant motor.

Because she could only remain inside the factory for thirty minutes at a time, she would need to craft the motor components outside and allow the factory assistants to complete the assembly.

Finally, she turned to the tenth design.

Her pen paused.

"If one is to end a list," she murmured, "one should end with thunder."

Tigon-8.

A howitzer. Not mounted on a vehicle, but a standalone artillery system. The design was large, brutal, and beautifully straightforward. And once perfected, she could install several aboard her future Kidd-class destroyers.

The thought of warships bristling with guns caused her pulse to quicken.

After finishing the last sketch, Kiara leaned back and flexed her stiff fingers.

"Good."

Then her expression dimmed.

"Unfortunately, ideas are cheap."

She gathered the papers.

"Materials are not though."