"How did you get back so quickly?" Ryn poked Cortana who was beside him. Based on the distance and time, Cortana should have only arrived home around noon.
"I forgot to hide my presence and got caught by Ada early. It seems Anti-Entropy is conducting some experiment related to the Sea of Quanta in St. Fountain, so Welt threw me back before I could even get close."
Cortana pointed to some scorch marks on her body and looked at Ryn pitifully.
"That Welt fellow said he'd give me a ride, but he didn't even give me any protective measures. I almost disintegrated along with the air."
"Useless..."
"Takes one to know one..."
Ryn and Cortana exchanged looks of mutual disdain, then quietly stood aside with Fu Hua, waiting for the Book of Cangxuan to awaken.
After a few minutes, the Book of Cangxuan's eyelids twitched, and then it slowly opened its eyes. The Book of Cangxuan stretched its arms while looking around with a dazed expression.
The moment it saw Fu Hua, the Book of Cangxuan froze, and its dazed little eyes immediately became lively.
The Book of Cangxuan floated up and circled around Fu Hua, observing her from top to bottom, left to right, from every angle.
Seeing the Book of Cangxuan awake, Fu Hua's lips couldn't help but curve upwards into a smile she hadn't shown in a long time.
"It's been a long time, Book of Cangxuan..."
"It has been a long time, Immortal. But you look so different... It seems I've been asleep for a very long time this time."
"Yes, you've slept for over a thousand years..."
"A thousand years... That really is a very, very long time..."
The Book of Cangxuan was taken aback by the length of time Fu Hua mentioned, but when it felt its own body's condition, it couldn't help but smile.
"But this way, the Immortal can tell me stories for a very long time, right!"
"That's right, probably for another thousand years."
Fu Hua smiled and picked up the Book of Cangxuan, beginning to recount the stories of the past millennium.
Times change, and people with them. No one can stop the turning of an era.
One who walks alone for too long can also lose sight of their original self. Fu Hua was no longer the Immortal of the past, but the Book of Cangxuan was still the same Book of Cangxuan.
Leaving Fu Hua and the Book of Cangxuan to their time, Ryn and Cortana quietly took their leave.
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"To say something that might spoil the mood, what's up? Did you have a fight with Kiana and the others?" Cortana took clean clothes out of the closet and helped Ryn change. "To drink so much you puke all over yourself, you're so useless."
"I need to find a reason to melt you down. It was fine before you brought it up, but now that you mention it, I'm getting angry. I'm so embarrassed I could die." Ryn, having changed his clothes, looked at Cortana with a grim expression.
"What do your relationship problems have to do with me..." Cortana held the clothes with a disgusted look and walked to the bathroom to wash them.
A moment later, Cortana peeked her head out of the bathroom and said cheerfully, "See, this body is quite convenient! Now I'm not just an AI butler, I can also be a full-time maid!"
"If the master who created this doll knew his combat-purpose Armed Doll had been reduced to a maid, I wonder what he would think..."
"Hehe, who knows~
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Outside the gate to the Sea of Quanta passage, two Bubble Universes were in a standoff. A giant tree, green at the top and cherry-blossom pink at the bottom, connected the two Bubble Universes.
Su was in the tree, and Kevin was below it. The two had been staring at each other like this for a millennium.
Kevin inexplicably felt that something was discussing him, so he looked up, through the barrier of the Bubble Universe, towards Su above.
"The Second Divine Key has been obtained by the people of the current civilization. Your plan has already failed."
"That was left for them in the first place. Besides, even if it fails, it can still provide them with experience, can it not?"
"Experience cannot defeat Finality. Step aside, I must continue my mission."
"No. Kevin, just wait a little longer..."
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"The wings of vows engraved on my back... The feathers of hope born from tears~"
Kiana hummed a song, skipping along as she ate the breakfast Ryn had bought, heading to school with Mei and the others.
On the way, they met Fu Hua, who was also heading to school with the Book of Cangxuan.
"Class Rep!" Kiana waved her hand and ran over to Fu Hua's side with a grin.
"Wow, what an adorable child." Kiana pinched the Book of Cangxuan's cheek, then looked at Fu Hua with longing. "Class Rep, can I hold her?"
"Kiana, you should ask for the Book of Cangxuan's consent, not mine."
Fu Hua shook her head, then looked at the Book of Cangxuan.
"It seems the Immortal has really made new friends." The Book of Cangxuan reached out to Kiana and smiled happily. "Of course you can, beautiful young lady."
"Hehe, then I won't be polite."
Kiana picked up the Book of Cangxuan and immediately started nuzzling her cheek against hers.
"Kiana and the Book of Cangxuan are both so cute~"
Mei watched Kiana and the Book of Cangxuan with an enchanted expression. What could be more charming than two supremely adorable people snuggling?
She wondered if her future children with Ryn would be that cute.
It would be so nice to have twins. The older sister could be named Zhen, and the younger sister Ying. But Ryn doesn't have a surname, so should they take hers? Raiden Zhen, Raiden Ying, that sounds nice...
Bronya reached out a small hand and tugged on Mei's sleeve, putting on a shy and cute expression.
"Mei-nee-sama, the Bronya is also very cute. If Mei-nee-sama wants, you can snuggle with the Bronya."
"Thank you, Bronya. But that's alright, I was thinking about something else..." Mei gently patted Bronya's head, rejecting her offer.
With so many people on the street, Mei had to maintain her image as a well-bred, gentle big sister. It would be troublesome if she ended up being seen as a pervert like Kiana.
"Mmm... what a shame." Bronya withdrew her hand, looking slightly hurt.
It was supposed to be a big family of five, but four of them were always off messing around together, leaving Bronya all alone. *Sob, sob, Seele, where are you? The Bronya misses you so much...*
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"Moshi moshi, is Otto there?" Ryn initiated a holographic call with Otto.
"If you have something to say, say it. Don't bother me otherwise. The research on the Second Divine Key has reached a critical point."
Otto was clearly annoyed. Through the holographic projection, Ryn could see the locomotive of the Second Divine Key placed inside a container behind Otto, with various incomprehensible instruments arranged nearby.
"Anti-Entropy is conducting some kind of experiment related to the Sea of Quanta in St. Fountain. Do we need to send someone to investigate?"
"I've known about that for a while, but it's trivial compared to the matter of the Second Divine Key. The experiment on the Second Divine Key is about to begin. Don't forget to come to the Schicksal HQ floating city in three days."