One must admit that Otto is truly formidable. Back then, Kalian calling him "the great inventor" wasn't far off. Not only does he possess extraordinary talent in technology, but he also has profound research into martial arts manuals.
The establishment of the Valkyries wasn't solely due to the emergence of artificial sacred marks. In the beginning, it actually stemmed from Fu Hua's Vacuous Sword Qi. As long as it benefited the fight against the Honkai, Fu Hua would never refuse it. It was probably on that very pretext that Otto obtained the cultivation method for Vacuous Sword Qi from Fu Hua.
However, the cultivation threshold for Vacuous Sword Qi was rather high. Otto had his own method—combining it with other secret cultivation techniques, he simplified the "heart element" from the five aggregates of Vacuous Sword Qi, which has now become the basic training for nurturing Valkyries.
The five aggregates of Vacuous Sword Qi are not successive cultivation stages but rather distinct techniques with different abilities. For instance, the heart element is the method of converting Honkai energy into true qi, while the form element pertains to combat techniques, essentially the application of true qi.
It is only through the realms of "Still Water," "Dustless," "Bright Mirror," and finally "Vacuous" that one gradually ascends. Cheng Lixue, due to her inner demons, has remained stuck at the Dustless stage. Had it not been for her inner demons, with time, her strength might have surpassed Li Susang; reaching the Vacuous stage would not have been an issue.
Both Youlandel and Rita have also practiced Vacuous Sword Qi, but due to their respective circumstances, they did not choose Fu Hua's path.
Especially Youlandel—she can be said to have embraced the strengths of various schools, integrating them into one, much like Daniel Davis.
"This world sure has an abundance of transversers. With a scene like this, even Einstein and Tesla would be interested, wouldn't they?"
Inside the World Bubble within Youlandel's body, with so many famous figures gathered together, Daniel Davis felt an overwhelming mix of emotions. After several days of sparring with Youlandel, and upon learning that Daniel Davis could easily access the World Bubble, she, along with Rita, the trio entered the World Bubble within her.
Even though the World Bubble resided inside Youlandel, thanks to the dormant Holy Sword Youlandel—which served as an anchor that fixed the World Bubble within her—it wasn't an easy feat to access. Even if Youlandel wished to enter the World Bubble within her, it would not be simple.
Only by utilizing the Genius system developed by Otto could one enter, as it required enormous amounts of energy and computation. Such an opportunity might only come once every few years. Youlandel dearly missed her friends in the World Bubble.
Daniel Davis's abilities were like a godsend to Youlandel. Naturally, he wouldn't refuse to help her access it.
Soon, they saw a crowd of renowned figures—celebrities from various eras gathering inside the World Bubble: Shakespeare, Watt, and many more. This made Daniel Davis wonder if perhaps only famous people were capable of crossing over.
Of course, that was just a joke. Many famous individuals have crossed over, but ordinary people have crossed even more. Strictly speaking, nearly everyone in the World Bubble is a transverser—it's essentially a world composed of the descendants of transversers.
For this outcome, Daniel Davis was not surprised. After all, he understood the essence of the World Bubble. It was created by the former civilization, when Dr. Mei and others utilized the Second Divine Key "One-Mounted Unity of the Thousand Realms" to purge surplus Honkai energy and waste. One must admit, the former civilization's methods were grand indeed. The waste produced by humanity was extremely difficult to manage, especially certain kinds of non-recyclable refuse. By dumping it into the World Bubble, it saved tremendous effort—and thank goodness the former civilization perished. Otherwise, the lives of humans who transversed into this world might have been fraught with disaster.
Because of that, the level of technology within the World Bubble is wildly uneven. Some groups still resemble primitive tribes, while others have even adopted artificial intelligence to manage entire cities. For example, the renowned Watt—a rather shy and reserved individual—ended up with an AI girlfriend within the World Bubble.
"Too bad we didn't see Schrödinger or Shiyu Qiluo. One seems to have returned to the Sea of Quantum, while the other appears to have been taken by the Huxius clan."
Schrödinger, that infamous cat-abuser, has now, it seems, achieved his wish to survive and roam within the Sea of Quantum. Unfortunately, he did not possess Daniel Davis's positioning ability; his ability to reach the World Bubble—or any world—depended entirely on luck. After the final battle in the World Bubble many years ago, he was inadvertently forced to leave it, never to return.
As for Shiyu Qiluo, she was far luckier. After the second Honkai War against Benales, she survived and ended up stranded in the World Bubble, becoming a famous idol. Then, during the final showdown, although she was expelled from the World Bubble, the items on her person were taken away by the Huxius clan.
"Napoleon turned out to be pretty formidable in this world, although he ended up taking his own life—quite reminiscent of Mebius's style."
Back then, Youlandel's greatest enemy in the World Bubble was none other than Napoleon, who had brought soldiers over from the collapsing world. But by that time, he could no longer be called Napoleon; strictly speaking, he had become nothing more than a puppet of the Honkai.
"Let's head back together. I really don't want to see that guy Otto right now, and it's not the time to distract little Bianka. We'll discuss everything once the situation settles."
With Daniel Davis's abilities, it was trivial to lead those in the World Bubble away. Although Otto's Genius system allowed individuals to enter the World Bubble, it only permitted one to leave on their own; one could not bring others along.
Unfortunately, none of the inhabitants of the World Bubble wished to leave—especially when Shakespeare mentioned Otto with such displeasure. It seemed that Shakespeare bore a grudge against Otto; perhaps Otto felt similarly. Who knows what transpired between them 500 years ago. As the high bishop of Tianming, Otto had naturally encountered many famous figures.
"So, have you ever had any trouble with Shakespeare? She seems rather displeased with you."
"Shakespeare—that scoundrel."
After returning from the World Bubble, Daniel Davis curiously asked Otto the question. As expected, Otto wore an expression of annoyance, as if he'd suffered some grievance at Shakespeare's hands in the past.
"Enough—don't mention her anymore. Let's begin the experiments."
"Very well."
Daniel Davis remained at the Tianming headquarters not only to study the Black Abyss White Flower, but also to pursue the "One-Mounted Unity of the Thousand Realms" Divine Key experiment. Otto's curiosity about his magic, combined with the Space Gem, led both sides to conduct joint experiments—a win-win situation.
Daniel Davis wanted to see if he could further enhance his spatial magic using the One-Mounted Unity of the Thousand Realms, perhaps to the level of the Void Regulator—able to open dozens of spatial portals in an instant and even launch attacks.
Meanwhile, Otto hoped that by leveraging Daniel Davis's power, he could achieve something akin to the abilities of the Void Regulator. If successful, he wouldn't even need the Void Regulator anymore.
There was, of course, another objective: to locate the coordinates of the Imaginary Tree. In order to reverse history or recreate parallel worlds, the foremost requirement was to pinpoint the coordinates of the Imaginary Tree—a task that proved to be the most challenging of all.
In the end, Otto did not find these coordinates. It was only through a deal with Kevin that he managed to obtain them.
"You've reached an agreement with Otto," said Einstein at the Salt Lake Base of Anti-Entropy, shortly after Daniel Davis returned from Tianming.
The experiments using the Second Divine Key "One-Mounted Unity of the Thousand Realms" could not be conducted indefinitely—even for Otto. It wasn't due to the quantum shadows or those monstrous creatures that appeared during the experiments, but rather the enormous consumption of resources. Even Tianming needed several weeks to prepare for the next experiment, and if one were to search aimlessly, multiple experiments would be in vain.
"What do you mean, you've reached a deal with Otto? What is this supposed to mean?" Tesla almost leapt to his feet, while on the other side, Walter Young, Siegfei, Theresa, and others looked at Daniel Davis with surprise.
"Dr. Tesla, calm down. I'm sure he'll explain his reasoning," Einstein quickly reassured Tesla.
"You all know what Otto's true objective is—reviving Kalian. I've provided him with an alternative method to possibly revive Kalian. For a few years, he won't be able to lay a hand on Kiana. But you all know Otto's nature, so I can't guarantee that he'll absolutely adhere to this agreement."
Of course, Daniel Davis did not fully trust Otto. In order to render the current Otto harmless, it would be necessary for Kalian to be revived. Until that goal is achieved, remaining vigilant is only natural.
"These next few years are meant to allow Kiana and the others to grow stronger. As long as they become powerful enough, Otto won't be able to do anything to them. Meanwhile, Wendy can return to Saint Freya Academy."
Now that Otto was aware, there was no need for Wendy to hide. In addition, the Rosalía sisters could also enter Saint Freya Academy to study. Those sisters were Fusion Warriors—although they might not reach the level of Fu Hua or Kevin, they were still incredibly formidable. S-rank Valkyries were not a problem at all.
"Furthermore, I will promote some methods to further empower the Valkyries. We'll pilot them at Saint Freya Academy first, and if successful, expand the program throughout Tianming."
Daniel Davis planned to introduce some simple martial arts manuals and breathing techniques to see their effect. After all, combating the Honkai is a long-term endeavor. Even if the threat of celestial beings isn't present during the later Honkai Book period, Honkai Beasts will still exist. It seems that the emergence of new Regulators will not be a factor.
"By the way, there's something I haven't told you all until now. I come from a world without the Honkai."
With that, Daniel Davis revealed some details he had shared with Otto earlier.
"A world without the Honkai—a world beyond the Imaginary Tree. That truly is something else."
Daniel Davis's words shocked Einstein and Tesla the most. Others like Siegfei, Walter Young, Fu Hua, Theresa, and Himeko were also stunned, but only Einstein and Tesla truly grasped the deeper meaning behind his statement.
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"A world without the Honkai… wouldn't that be an incredibly peaceful world?"
Himeko's eyes shone with longing.
"Teacher Himeko, I'm sorry to shatter your illusion. A world without the Honkai isn't necessarily more peaceful than this one. When humans turn on each other, it can sometimes be far more terrifying than facing the Honkai."
Having a common enemy can indeed make humanity more united. It's a bitter irony—if there were no Regulators emerging and no final doomsday in the Honkai world, things might be considerably better. Just think of the Marvel Universe—if there were no mutants in the world that Daniel Davis now inhabits, the battles would be utterly chaotic.
Of course, such considerations are irrelevant in the Honkai world. Everything can only be addressed once the Honkai are defeated.
"Here, I can offer you the final guarantee. Even if we fail to stave off the end times, humanity in this world will not perish. The Endless Sands Project—now I can help execute it. Do you need to begin?"
The Endless Sands Project of former civilization Dr. Mei was something Daniel Davis could bring to fruition.
"Endless Sands Project," Fu Hua's expression grew agitated.
"What kind of joke is this? We haven't even lost yet, and we might not lose at all. Why should we run away now?"
Before Einstein could speak, Tesla brandished his red mechanical arm with a roar.
"Ms. Fu Hua, the Endless Sands Project is impossible to implement at this moment. However, it can serve as our last resort," Einstein nodded in agreement.
"I know," Fu Hua replied. She wasn't foolish—she knew that now wasn't the time to implement any Endless Sands Project. To suddenly declare before all the other humans that they were doomed and must escape to another world—who would believe that?
To Daniel Davis, both the Sacred Mark Project and the Endless Sands Project were humanity's final measures. When humanity was still strong, there was no need to resort to such measures. It was only the former civilization's tragic failure that led Kevin to cling so desperately to the Sacred Mark Project.
"By the way, let me show you something really good." Daniel Davis then transmitted a photo onto the large screen on one side.
"Youlandel and Rita."
Theresa recognized two acquaintances in the photo.
"These are the people from inside Youlandel's World Bubble—they're all famous figures," Daniel Davis explained as he listed the names of Shakespeare, Watt, and others one by one.
"A World Bubble within one's body—how is that even possible?"
At this point, Einstein and Tesla were dumbfounded. A world beyond the Imaginary Tree, a World Bubble contained within one's body—it was as if it defied the very laws of science. And yet, here it was.
"That's about it. Now, let's go back and retrieve Wendy and the others."
"Does Bronya have a trick up her sleeve? It seems that Himeko has finally met her match." As Wendy was escorted back to Saint Freya Academy, Daniel Davis couldn't help but smile upon seeing Bronya accompanied by Himeko on one side.
"This is Saint Freya Academy—it's so beautiful. Will we become Valkyries here someday too?" Besides Wendy, the Rosalía sisters were also brought in. Anti-Entropy is a force primarily driven by technology, so its approach to educating Fusion Warriors naturally pales in comparison to the specialized training of Valkyries at Saint Freya Academy.
Not to mention, within the academy was Fu Hua herself, a Fusion Warrior.
Although Kokolia was now confined, the Kokolia Orphanage was unaffected. With Bronya's financial backing and Anti-Entropy's support, the living conditions had greatly improved. Currently, it was managed temporarily by Xingmal.
Xingmal's rights as an Anti-Entropy executor had not been revoked.
"The Nine Nether Regions, the Sacred Marks, Jilin, Chiyou—let's take a trip there. And let's have Kiana and the others come along as well. Fu Hua and I will follow behind to observe."
At Saint Freya Academy, just as Wendy and the Rosalía sisters had recently enrolled, Theresa had already found Daniel Davis and Fu Hua to inform them about the matters concerning the Nine Nether Regions.
Strictly speaking, Theresa had discovered the Nine Nether Regions long ago and should have explored them sooner. However, Daniel Davis's sudden arrival delayed those plans.
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