Sa had lived for billions of years and likely never anticipated something like this.
She had merely tried to hunt down someone who had observed her, and as a result, she was "scammed" across parallel worlds by this group of people.
Why would they do such a thing?
Why treat her like this?
She was just a minor figure in the Sea of Quanta. She hadn't even fully explored the vast expanse of the Sea of Quanta.
Sa sensed the power that had once observed her, but it was precisely because she sensed it that she found it strange. After she became aware of its existence, this strange power went into hiding again, just as it had evaded her before.
"It ran away once before. Does it think I haven't prepared new tracking methods this time?"
Sa was full of confidence for this sortie. She noted that this power hadn't grown at all and had been observed wandering through multiple parallel worlds. This meant the other party was definitely looking for something and was willing to risk being discovered by her to do so.
With this in mind, Sa's confidence grew.
"The advantage is mine!"
Unaware that this was a pre-arranged scam from the lawless borderlands of the multiverse, Sa walked right into the trap Su had set for her.
---||---
On the other side, Noldrei, who had long been eyeing another Cocoon-like entity, didn't hesitate to approve Kevin's plan.
As expected of a warrior from the Previous Era! Even on the verge of what was essentially suicide, Kevin was still contributing his wisdom to the world and human civilization!
Kiana had already thought about what to write on Ancestor Kevin's tombstone.
Events unfolded a bit too quickly. No one had expected someone to come knocking on their door so soon.
The reason the Cocoon hadn't been able to defeat Noldrei was that no one understood his true nature. Noldrei, on the other hand, had sealed off the conditions for a Herrscher's descent. The civilization he created imposed far stronger restrictions on individual life than the Honkai's control over it.
Under these circumstances, the Cocoon could only wait for the civilization to leap into a new world, but this leap exceeded the Honkai's expectations.
As the Cocoon, it was supposed to be a group of Imaginary Renormalization, but this concept had been quantified and controlled in reality. As Noldrei had said, a concept that has been actualized is no longer a concept. A quantified group of Imaginary Renormalization is no longer a group of Imaginary Renormalization.
The Cocoon's very existence was an erasure of itself.
"We just finished a meeting deciding what to do, and now someone is delivering themselves to our doorstep? Isn't this a bit too fake? Could it be a Honkai trap?"
Tesla found it utterly absurd. How could anyone be foolish enough to fall for such a clumsy trap?
How would Einstein know? She hadn't expected the Previous Era to suddenly hand them a freebie like this either. Everyone had their doubts before, but now... things were perfect!
There really were idiots from parallel worlds who would deliver themselves to your door.
Einstein said helplessly, "I imagine this is how the Europeans and Americans felt during the collapse of the Soviet Union."
Tesla didn't know what to say. She felt like even God was helping Noldrei.
Of course, it was also possible God was helping Kiana.
Kiana saw no problem with her plan. After being informed by Kevin and Su, her tail practically shot up to the heavens.
"See that? This is the wisdom of the new era's emperor! Sirin, I'm not like you, a woman who just plays around, goes shopping, acts cute, and lives off others! This is her power!"
Kiana relentlessly pursued Sirin at home.
Sirin was a little confused. It was clearly the achievement of the seniors from the Previous Era. How did it become Kiana's wisdom?
Did becoming emperor mean you could just take credit for others' work?
Kiana's response was that leaders were indeed like that! Without the help of their new human organization, Kevin and Su's fishing expedition would have just brought another enemy to the native world.
The plans and remnants left by the Previous Era had lost their ability to reproduce. Once these plans stalled, they couldn't recover or modify themselves.
Stalled meant truly stopped. There was no chance to reboot and start over.
Sirin, of course, was unconvinced. She couldn't stand Kiana's shamelessness.
"I don't know if you just got lucky, but taking credit for others' work is so shameless. You've become more and more annoying since becoming a leader. I bet... you'll end up all alone sooner or later!"
"Aren't all emperors in history like that? You'll be no exception in the end!"
After a round of taunts, Sirin said cheerfully, "But I'm different. I can go out and play with Noldrei and do whatever I want!"
This infuriated Kiana. She had only taken on this leadership position because she'd been tricked, and now the position had become something everyone avoided like the Lich King's throne.
It was as if everyone was just waiting for someone to sit on it as a sacrifice!
"No way! I'm telling you, you have to come with me to the moon, or else I'm running away and not being this Emperor of Finality!"
Kiana's threat backed Sirin into a corner. Being favored at home didn't mean she had a say in things. If Kiana insisted on taking Sirin with her, the others could only go along with it.
"You're such a trashy woman! Is this how you treat your own family now that you have power and influence?"
"Who's family with you?! When you were showing off and provoking me, we weren't family? Now that I'm attacking you, we're family? You're even more shameless, Sirin."
"You little..."
Sirin and Kiana engaged in their routine verbal sparring at home.
Durandal, who had come over to discuss something with Noldrei, was left dumbfounded by the scene.
Can't you be serious? We're all busy saving the world here!
Durandal ignored the K-423 sisters' squabble and went straight to the second floor, where she found Noldrei watching the latest episode of My Little Pony.
For some reason, Noldrei had a particular fondness for this kind of animation.
As Durandal entered the room, Noldrei spoke: "Durandal, you've come at the right time. That visitor from the outside world that Kevin mentioned, I need you to go deal with them. Take some people and besiege them. See how much power you can squeeze out of them."
Having recovered her full strength, Durandal was ready for battle. She just wasn't sure to what extent she should fight.
"Is there any intel on this enemy?"
"No intel. Just don't kill them. By the way, will you need a Herrscher Core?"
Noldrei didn't think he had ever seen Durandal as a Herrscher and wondered if she would also prepare a flashy outfit for herself.
"I don't know. I've never used a Herrscher Core before. If it's really necessary..."
Durandal tilted her head, unsure how much Herrscher power she could wield.
Noldrei turned off the TV and asked Durandal with a smile, "Bianka, any thoughts on becoming the Herrscher of Origin? I have high hopes for you!"
Durandal was slightly taken aback.
If this keeps up, are Herrschers going to be monopolized by the Kaslanas? Is this what they call dynastic politics?
What could Durandal do?
"If you think it's appropriate, I can accept any arrangement."
She didn't mind. As long as she could fight the enemy, it was all the same to her.