Bang!
Ryan suddenly sat up, feeling his head hit something hard. Yet, that slight pain was irrelevant. His thoughts were too rapid, leaving him in a dazed state.
Beep, beep, beep...
The heart monitor was alarming. Ryan stared straight ahead, not even blinking, not noticing he was lying in a hospital bed.
What did I see? What did I remember?
A huge amount of information was processing in his head. This time, it was much clearer than the last dream, at least allowing him to recall it. He then covered his face, his gray eyes trembling slightly through his fingers.
Time was completely chaotic, and space seemed to refract infinite images like a prism. He looked up at the electronic clock again.
Three days and five hours? How is that possible!
Just by casually looking at one planet, the time span was calculated in years. For example, Ryan specifically chose a time reference: it took several years for those people to prepare for and then slaughter an entire planet.
A day in heaven, a thousand years on Earth?
No, the last image I saw was a Nordic castle. Could it be a memory from before I came to the Honkai world? That's not right either. How could the Herrscher of Flamescion exist in my memory, and why would I think about controlling my attention to return early?
And who was the person who looked at me at the end? What does "seeking death" mean?
Countless questions left Ryan both excited and uncomfortable, as if he was enjoying something intensely only for it to suddenly stop. This was something humans couldn't understand, and even if he tried to explain it for help, he wouldn't know how to describe it.
For example, the Thousand Realms Gate could focus on a single leaf, which was within the range of human observation and description. Ryan saw an entire mountain forest. From a linguistic perspective, he could only use abstract terms like 'picturesque and spiritual' or 'vibrant with life.'
Just as Ryan was caught in a furious thought storm, a hand suddenly pressed on the bed. Mobius slowly climbed up, clutching her head, and her cheek twitched rapidly as she met Ryan bewildered gaze.
"You... you rose from the dead! You scared me half to death!" Mobius face was flushed, and there was a sense of pride in her snake-like eyes, as if she were a chosen one.
Hahaha, I truly am a divine doctor. This treatment is ten thousand times better than what Mei did. She was licking Kevin for ages with no reaction. I just kissed him—no, I just treated him, and this guy immediately sprang up.
She was truly terrified just now. As soon as she started treatment, his heartbeat surged, and then Ryan instantly sprang up, causing Mobius to constantly lick her lips, falling into some kind of research contemplation.
Could my saliva have some special ability? No, I need to analyze this thoroughly when I have time.
Ryan also stared at her, finally understanding why his forehead hurt. But why was Mobius face redder than his forehead, and what was with that proud look in her eyes?
Another item was added to his thoughts, making his entire head throb. He quickly took a deep breath, applying the brakes to his mind.
Seeing his pained expression, Mobius also grew nervous. Ryan felt strange to her. She quickly climbed onto the bed and leaned her head close.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Ryan nose twitched. He smelled a strong coffee scent, which made him even more confused.
"What did you just do to me?"
"Ah? I, I, I didn't do anything! I just treated you!" Mobius stammered, like someone caught doing something wrong. Her hand clutched her skirt, unsure whether to confess at that moment.
Before she could think further, Ryan leaned in, nose to nose, pupils to pupils. Mobius eyelashes trembled as Ryan looked like he had seen a ghost.
That's not right. The books say this kind of moment should be very romantic, and even the air would feel warm.
Ryan truly looked like he had seen a ghost. He had no mind for romantic fantasies because that smell overturned all his conjectures.
That's Mobius scent. How is that possible!?
Wasn't it a memory? It doesn't make sense. What state was I in just now?
Time paradox, spatial distortion. The boundaries between reality and illusion blurred, and an intense sense of the unknown sent shivers down his spine.
Having done so many years of research, this was the first time he encountered such a mysterious topic, enough to overturn all common sense and render wisdom and experience worthless.
Ryan tore off the cables on his body, threw off the covers, and murmured as he walked out. He wanted to find Mei, preferably to use the Second Divine Key for observation, because the truth was extremely important to him, and he even felt the call of his destiny.
The automatic door opened and closed. Ryan, dressed in a patient gown, strode out, moving so fast that Mobius was still sprawled on the bed, her plump buttocks sticking up.
What... what's going on?
Mobius blinked, looked at the empty bed, then at the closed automatic door, bit her lip, and clutched the bedsheet.
"You lunatic!"
She cursed, then bit her lip again, lightly patting her own face.
"You lunatic too!"
Ryan had no intention of deliberately messing with Mobius. To put it politely, he was currently in a philosophical state of 'who am I, where am I, what am I doing?' He urgently wanted to figure out if this was a dream or some kind of hallucination.
To put it bluntly, the information overload was just too much, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
He walked to the bridge. There was hardly anyone there at the moment. Mei, seeing him, was also a bit stunned, taking a while to regain her composure.
"Why are you awake?"
"Mobius said she performed a special treatment. Never mind, it's not important." Ryan was still wearing his patient gown. He found a seat, opened a can of coffee, and took several gulps, allowing his thoughts to gradually calm.
That's very important! By the way, what exactly did she do? How is it so much better than mine? Does a platypus have such an effect?
Mei pursed her lips, noticing Ryan unusual expression, and then became serious again: "Did you find anything?"
"Has the observation with the Second Divine Key been done?"
"We conducted three experiments. Do you want to see them?" Mei replied casually, then had everyone on the bridge leave. She didn't know why Ryan brought that up.
Ryan nodded, then picked up a tablet, his eyes quickly scanning it.
The Thousand Realms Gate was essentially a super telescope, capable of seeing the appearance of another world, but with limited range, only seeing adjacent leaves.
The results weren't very clear because it was like looking at a leopard through a tube; the field of view was too narrow. It was impossible to scan the entire universe directly like Ryan did.
The advantage of this was that it wasn't a heavy burden on the observer. The disadvantage was that it required a lot of time, probably hundreds or thousands of years to reach a conclusion. The efficiency would be higher for MANTIS specialized in mental abilities.
A mere three experiments had little reference value, but they did discover 'Earth,' and even similar humans. For this, Mei specifically wrote a thesis.
"The parallel world theory of Imaginary Space. This must be the annihilation and rebirth I saw."
Ryan held his forehead, explaining in a more fantastical way that every person and every different action they make could extend a world line, implying that the number was almost infinite.
The significance of observation lay in whether one could find a way to defeat Honkai from other world lines, but Ryan was no longer concerned with these.
"Sigh, I saw too much. How could I have time to observe parallel worlds?"
If the Second Divine Key was for looking at trees around this world, then Ryan saw an entire mountain forest. Some trees even looked different, like the giant ship world and the tree-shaped universe.
It's good that I'm carrying out this plan. I can see the overall evolution of a world and notice every detail within it. Never mind, this isn't important right now.
Ryan regretfully put down the tablet, feeling somewhat disappointed. The level of this Second Divine Key was too far off. How could observing from a well be compared to leaping out of the heavens? It had no reference value at all.
So the question still has no answer. Let's classify it under time paradox and spatial distortion for now.
Ryan took a deep breath, and the bewildered look in his eyes gradually faded. He had a good quality: if he really couldn't understand a problem, he wouldn't get bogged down in it. Exploration needed clues, and clues came from Trailblazersing. Staying put for a hundred years wouldn't yield any results.
"Are you curious?"
"Of course. Not much makes you lose your composure. Care to share?" Mei sat on the table, crossing her long, black-stockinged legs, and casually glanced at the bridge entrance.
Mobius also walked in. She had been upset for a while, then immediately felt something was off, because Ryan had been unusually distraught just now, a state she had never seen before.
With boundless curiosity, she followed the scent. Of course, she hadn't forgotten to glare fiercely at Ryan.
She really hates me now. By the way, what did she do to me?
Ryan finally had the presence of mind to think, but seeing Mobius ready to explode at any moment, he didn't ask. He put on a solemn expression.
"I had a dream while I was unconscious. No, I don't know if it counts as a dream. Some clues made me doubt myself."
For scientists, dreams are worthless as reference, but after the Third Herrscher, Ryan had similar experiences, so he became serious.
"So, what did you dream about?" Mobius crossed her arms, sitting next to Mei. Her straight black-stockinged legs were somewhat distracting.
Ryan had to turn his gaze to the floor, maintaining his image as a profound thinker, and mentally chewed on the information for a bit.
The Fire Moth Council is finished now. All goals point towards Honkai. Everyone must unite around me, even if I'm the Demon King reincarnated, they have no choice but to follow.
There's no need to mention being a transmigrator; intelligent people like Mei have already made dozens of conjectures. So, I'll just tell them what I saw and heard and see if we can find any insights from it.
He immediately made a decision: dreams were worthless. Ryan only cared about whether the information could be applied to reality.
"Combining various signs, I now suspect, no, I can confirm that the parallel world theory and the Imaginary Tree theory are completely correct."
"Why? Doesn't this hypothesis need to be verified by the Second Divine Key?" Mobius frowned instantly, feeling that Ryan was becoming more and more like Aponia, the fortune-teller. "Science needs verification and calculation. What does it have to do with your dream?"
"It has everything to do with it. The Second Divine Key only corroborated what I saw. Just now—" Ryan placed his hands on his abdomen, his gray eyes shimmering with a mysterious light.
"I went to Imaginary Space and witnessed the Imaginary Tree!"
Went to Imaginary Space, witnessed the Imaginary Tree?
What do you call talking until someone's shocked to death? This was no longer just a fortune-teller; it surpassed all science fiction authors on Earth, directly entering the realm of delusion, ready for an electroshock therapy package at a psychiatric clinic.
Mobius and Mei, two scientists with the deepest understanding of imaginary theory, exchanged glances, seeing each other's astonished expressions. They felt an urge to make Ryan take some medicine right now.
Fortunately, they ultimately suppressed this urge, because Ryan himself was a mystery. His power, his origin, his Authorities were all unknown. The mere fact that his blood could increase the success rate of M.E.E. operations was inexplicable.
Compared to him, Elysia was incredibly pure, let alone the long-standing trust. They knew this man would never talk nonsense when it came to serious matters.
So they patiently continued to listen. Ryan, as if afraid of forgetting, spoke very quickly, and he indeed forgot many things.
The information was too vast for the human brain to contain, and that place was too strange. Low-level human linguistics simply couldn't describe it accurately; he could only give a rough idea.
The two grew more and more confused as they listened, feeling it was like a fantasy novel, yet admiring the author's creativity while despising their literary talent.
Until Ryan finished his rambling, the two remained silent for a long time, then exchanged glances again.
"You mean you don't even know what stage you're in, that it might be past memories, or perhaps a reality that's happening now?" Mei crossed her legs and said indifferently, "The evidence is Mobius scent, and you returning to when you were born?"
"This means Imaginary Space has no concept of time; future, present, past don't matter." Mobius adjusted her glasses, incidentally warning Mei not to talk nonsense. She spread her hands: "And being able to scan countless worlds at a glance means the concept of 'space' doesn't exist either."
"A place without the concept of time and space, forgive my ignorance, but I truly don't know how to describe it. If this is merely a dream, I greatly admire your imagination."
Still that unhurried tone, making Ryan roll his eyes fiercely: "I said this isn't a dream, and I wouldn't have similar dreams."
"Let's just say it isn't, but I haven't found anything useful. You'd better not overthink it, lest you burn out your brain." Mobius had a special way of persuading people that was irritating, but what she said wasn't wrong.
Earth was like a frog in a mud puddle. It hadn't even jumped out of this small pond. Telling it how vast the world was was meaningless.
"It's still valuable. It can aid the observation of the Second Divine Key, and who knows what Ryan will remember or see next time?" Mei looked at Ryan, appearing eager to put him into a deep coma. "But for now, you shouldn't overthink it. Even if we are all illusory, this dream still has to be played out to the end, doesn't it?"
"You two are quite good at persuading people. Yes, I will summarize and consolidate this information, and see when it can be put to use." Ryan smiled, stood up, and shook his hands, burying these matters deep in his memory like a machine.
You have to eat your food one bite at a time. The Imaginary Tree and such were still too early. Only after resolving the End would he be qualified to explore it firsthand. With just that little bit of consciousness, he couldn't do anything in that space.
"Intensify the observation of the Second Divine Key. We still need to prioritize the current situation." He looked forward along the bridge, seeing a vast sea of clouds. Only then did he remember he was on an airship.
The Minerva had actually been put into use. This airborne carrier was much more powerful than the 'Raven'. It could completely serve as a mobile fortress. Imagine, something this large could conduct supersonic cruising.
"What's our current heading?"
"South America. The reorganization plan is 30% complete. I plan to use this ship to penetrate Rio."
Forces were hastily gathered, but Mei was extremely decisive. Now was the best chance to eliminate the Honkai forces, because the Seventh Herrscher had fallen, the Eighth Herrscher suffered heavy losses, and only the Herrscher of Death and those traitors remained. Although the Fire Moth lost one high-level MANTIS, the power gap was even greater.
At this point, no one could stop them. The Herrscher of Death would immediately become a stray dog.
"Turn back to New York. It's not time for the decisive battle yet." Ryan unexpectedly shook his head.
"Why? This doesn't conform to strategy."
"There's no strategy against Honkai. Do you think I'm happy about defeating the Seventh Herrscher?" Ryan spread his hands, flames dancing in his palms, illuminating his serious face. "Honkai also needs to be given hope. What you're doing is forcing it to flip the table."
"So what? If it comes, we'll just take it down again." Mobius was perplexed. In war, why give the enemy a chance to breathe?
"Right, but I'm afraid it won't come, and will prioritize restarting civilization instead." Ryan didn't look like a victor at all. He was genuinely afraid that no Herrschers would appear for several years, and then one day, it would unleash a super move on him.
There's no need for the End. With a super-enhanced Herrscher of Binding, everyone would be doomed.
At this point, Ryan didn't need to hide anything anymore. He simply said, "What I want is to hunt, so I'm not afraid of danger or tough battles. I want to use the Herrschers' flesh and blood to understand Honkai, to gain Authority. I'm just afraid—"
"Just afraid that what comes isn't prey, but something far beyond your capabilities." Mei finished his sentence for him, pinching her chin, roughly understanding Ryan meaning.
He could hunt tigers and kill lions, and gradually he would grow stronger. But if Honkai sent a Tyrannosaurus Rex, where would he even begin?
"Are you so sure that Honkai will 'cut its flesh to feed the eagle'?"
"Not sure. In fact, its methods have already begun to change, but I can be certain that Honkai does not exist to exterminate humanity. Otherwise, Kalpas and the others wouldn't even have had the chance to be exploited."
This was the biggest puzzle, from which Honkai's true purpose could be deduced, and it also corroborated Ryan statement.
"It seems we can't push Honkai into a corner and make humanity lose its value for exploitation." Mei concluded. Even if doing so would lead to many deaths, her only concern was 'civilization'. To preserve civilization, she would even go so far as to redefine humanity.
But there's still a crucial question.
"At this rate, when will the end be?"
"Don't worry, once the Human Nomad Project ends, the End will descend. At that time, I hope everyone is prepared for their demise." Ryan gave a wry smile. Honkai's reaction speed was very fast. If the Cocoon of the End found its mission couldn't be completed, it would immediately choose to restart civilization.
Time was limited, and in this process, he couldn't be killed by other Herrschers. The difficulty was still immense, but Mei and Mobius did not lose heart. They knew that all hope rested on this man.
He had to become stronger, and he had to become stronger, only then would there be a chance to transcend the End.
'Even if all the MANTIS are dead, he must not be harmed. We, like the Herrschers, can all become his stepping stones for him.'
Mei quietly made her decision, then picked up the communicator, ordering the Minerva to turn back to headquarters, cancel the offensive plan, and cancel the hunt for the Herrscher of Death.
Things were left at that for now. Ryan chose to return to his room to rest. He needed to summarize his gains and adapt to the Authority he had just acquired. Mobius did not shamelessly follow him, but stayed on the bridge, arms crossed, her mind lost in thought.
"Do you believe what he said?"
"Why, don't you?" Mei, who also held the captain's position, was busy planning the route and retorted without raising her head.
"Yes, after all, when it comes to dealing with Honkai, no one is more professional than him. It seems future combat plans will have to be adjusted. He must confront every Herrscher; he needs to personally subjugate them." Mobius clenched her fists as she spoke.
From a selfish point of view, she didn't want Ryan to be a hero. Future Herrschers would become more terrifying and more targeted, and Ryan would face greater risks. How much better it would be if they could strategize and solve the problem with the power of the Fire Moth.
At least, he could stay by her side a little longer.
"This is certainly cruel for him personally, but this is Ryan mission. For this, I am willing to do so much. Do you truly think work can make me happy?"
"Mei, you are truly cruel. If it were Kevin who could play this role, you would probably also..." Mobius face darkened.
"The fate of everyone on Earth is cruel, but the continuation of civilization requires everyone to do their duty. Even if Ryan truly dies, I have already prepared the Sands of Time Project and the Ignis Project. Rest assured, I have long been prepared to lose everything." Mei face was expressionless, as if she were a rational machine.
Actually, she was very grateful for Ryan 'cooperation'. Every time he took the lead and never evaded, it saved her many brain cells.
Mobius snake eyes were sharp. She had long seen what this woman was thinking. Her conjectures about Honkai were not much lower than Ryan. At this moment, she had decided to stop at nothing to wear down Honkai.
'Instead, I've become weak. I used to wish that guy would brave dangers and death just to bring me some useful data.'
Her thoughts changed quietly. The Third Herrscher and Seventh Herrscher filled her with worry. Luck wouldn't always be on Ryan side.
She began to worry, and also to lose her composure.
"Exclude me from the Ignis Project. If Ryan fails, I won't bother wasting my time. I'll just go all-in."
"Okay, I'll revise the plan when I get back." Mei agreed without hesitation.
Mobius glared fiercely at the other's back. Intelligent people were annoying, and extremely intelligent people were even more bothersome. She snorted coldly and turned to leave, but was suddenly called out just as she reached the door.
"How did Ryan scent feel?"
She turned her head, looking at Mei, who was still facing away from the door.
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly placed a hand on her lips, and a smile couldn't help but form at the corner of her mouth.
She turned her head away proudly. "Hmph, barely acceptable."