"Hurry up. I have already made contact with Jarilo-VI's Supreme Guardian, Miss Bronya. Don't keep her waiting." Fu Xuan said.
"Mm." Xueyi nodded slightly, without speaking.
-----------------------------------
This matter is of great importance.
In a sense, apart from the people acknowledged by the General, no matter what the others' identities or status may be, Jing Yuan could never relent.
He even entrusted one of the Six Charioteers', the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, to accompany her.
This alone showed how seriously the General took the matter.
...
After speaking with Bronya and the others, Fu Xuan brought Xueyi to find Godzilla.
At that moment, Herta and Hanya were already waiting for quite some time.
Godzilla slowly opened his eyes.
"The two little ones are here…"
"Long time no see."
"Sorry to intrude."
Fu Xuan and Xueyi greeted Godzilla.
"Lady Herta." Xueyi bowed respectfully to Herta.
This was all because of her. For Herta, the 83rd seat of the Genius Society, to step forward, this favor could not be ignored even by the Xianzhou Alliance, let alone by Xueyi, a normal Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission.
"Don't look so grateful. I'm only here out of personal interest." Herta said indifferently.
And she truly meant it.
As a genius deeply interested in the Aeons, who even developed the Simulated Universe to explore their behavioral logic, there was no way she would pass up such a rare opportunity.
Even if she hadn't been invited, she would have found her way here once she learned about it.
The Xianzhou pay great attention to the comings and goings of their own people, let alone for research. If there's to be research, it would be their own, not left to outsiders.
Before long, Herta's gaze turned to Fu Xuan, fixing on the third eye upon her forehead.
"This thing…" Herta was intrigued.
A third eye bestowed by the Erudition. Few geniuses could resist such a temptation.
Unfortunately, it belonged to someone else.
"Ahem. On behalf of the Xianzhou Alliance, I thank Lady Herta for her contribution. In the name of the Luofu, whether this endeavor succeeds or fails, the Xianzhou will forever remember Lady Herta's kindness."
Fu Xuan coughed lightly, speaking with composure.
Though she very much wished to completely cure the affliction, objects bestowed by the Aeons could not be dealt with so "simply."
In terms of difficulty, this was far greater than resolving the blessings of the Abundance for the Xianzhou people.
The Abundance's blessing was envied across the universe by outsiders who could not understand.
Even with the hidden peril of the Mara, those who might otherwise live only a century, or die young at twenty, had leapt into a race of long-lived beings who could survive five or six centuries at minimum. Compared to that, the Mara was negligible in many people's eyes.
Some even thought the Xianzhou people were being overly dramatic.
Especially the Denizens of Abundance.
Godzilla watched curiously at this group speaking in riddles. Completely lost.
He remembered that Herta and Hanya had spoken to him a few days earlier, but at the time he was half-dazed, recalling only that they wanted to enter a dream and accomplish something.
At that time, he and Aha had just been stopped outside the gate of the Sea of Quanta, figuring out the fastest, sharpest route through its dangers.
To Godzilla, the Sea of Quanta and the Imaginary Tree posed no threat, especially within dreams.
Even in reality, they couldn't affect him much.
They were strong, undoubtedly.
Their vast scale granted them countless chances to test and err.
But precisely because of their vast scale, the two had been clashing since the moment of their birth.
Thus, both focused on large-scale development.
Finer, subtler work was not beyond them, but they lacked the time.
With their nemesis right before them, they could not afford to do otherwise.
...
The past.
"Let's begin."
Xueyi took a deep breath, eyes resolute.
"No need to be so tense. All it takes is-" Herta stepped behind Xueyi, and then reached out a hand.
Before Xueyi could even feel what was happening, she sensed her body pass through a faint, delicate film, and then…
"Cold."
Her palm pressed against the tiled wall, an icy chill spreading, followed by warmth where her skin met the surface.
"A long-lost feeling." Xueyi froze on the spot, overwhelmed by an indescribable rush in her heart.
"Sister." Trembling, she turned back, overjoyed, bewildered, at a loss, emotions surging until at last they calmed.
When she had first inhabited a puppet's body, she often fantasized day and night of the day she could reunite with her younger sister, whole once again.
But such fantasies had long been crushed by the passage of time.
On the battlefield, survival alone was mercy, how could she dare ask for more?
"I have returned."
"Mm!"
Sisterly affection, deep and strong.
Herta had no sisters, and so could not relate.
She broke the moment.
"It's not done yet." Herta cut in mercilessly.
"Your current state is only made possible within the dream. Far from complete."
Even so, Xueyi and Hanya were satisfied.
For Judges long bound to their desks in the Ten-Lords Commission, such a moment was already beyond hope. They thought they would wander forever, half-existence between life and death, until they could go no further. Yet here was a sliver of sweetness preserved.
"This is enough." said the one who briefly escaped the puppet's body.
"That won't do. If this is all, it would ruin my reputation."
Herta shook her head. It wasn't up to them.
"Routine check. Raise your hand."
...
After a series of strange procedures, Herta examined the results thoughtfully.
"The Xianzhou body has vanished. It's entirely that of an ordinary human."
She glanced at Xueyi, then at the report in her hand, pondering.
After a moment, she realized.
"So that's it!"
"What reason have you uncovered? I've watched you pondering long, what great secret have you found?"
Fu Xuan hurried to ask, eyes full of expectation.
If this succeeded, it would be a blessing for the Xianzhou!
"Her body now is completely ordinary. No trace of the paths or of the Abundance's blessing remains."
Herta explained.
"But… an ordinary body can't contain the soul of a Xianzhou person, right?"
Hanya, still holding Xueyi's hand, asked in confusion.
Her memory had always been good; in the Ten-Lords Commission she often worked for days without pause.
"Indeed. Normally, an ordinary body cannot bear the soul of a Xianzhou person, because no matter what, the Abundance's blessing always exists. But what if this vessel had never been touched by it in the first place?"
"From the very beginning?"
Xueyi felt as if she had grasped something faintly.
"Correct. This body is precisely the one you had at the start, before ever receiving the Abundance's blessing, the original body of a Xianzhou!"
The revelation shocked them all.
Yet it felt natural.
"How could this be…" Fu Xuan felt her words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
"Hard to believe, but it's the truth."
Herta didn't care what they thought. Her commission was only to clarify Xueyi's condition.
And indeed, she found this case fascinating.
"That Miss Messenger once told me, in dreams, anything is possible." Simple words, carrying vast imagination.
"But this is just a workaround. That's why her current body is frail and powerless."
Fu Xuan nodded slightly.
It was not hard to understand.
If the Abundance's blessing could truly be undone so easily, it would shake the entire universe.
But that was merely the mortal way of interpreting an Aeon's actions. Who could say what the reality was?
"Even so, it is still incredible." Fu Xuan sighed.
Although according to Herta, this method was merely a trick, walking out of the dream and returning to reality was still the same as before.
But one must know, before this, the people of the Xianzhou had exhausted all their efforts, let alone a trick, they couldn't even touch the shadow of a solution!
The dreams of Penacony could let the Xianzhou people briefly forget their troubles, but that was never reality.
Moreover, even in dreams, those messy memories still accompanied every single Xianzhou person.
This was a fate the Xianzhou natives could not escape.
But now, although this fate had not yet been broken, a faint ray of sunlight had already begun to shine in, weak, but warm.
Suddenly, Fu Xuan's expression turned stern, a heavy pressure pressing down on the scene.
"This matter is of great importance, it must not be leaked!"
If not for the fact that everyone present was indispensable, Fu Xuan would have thrown them out as well.
As for Herta…
"Do as you please, don't mind me."
Herta did not care about such things, so long as she found it interesting, she was fine with anything.
…
Xueyi's current state could not be called a complete revival.
This body was still the one from her subconscious, not yet blessed by Abundance.
Therefore, apart from the soul still being hers, everything else felt awkward and mismatched.
A fitting description would be…
Unworthy of the position.
A frail body that could not match her vast soul.
Herta was also planning to fully study this body before constructing a vessel in the real world that could contain her soul.
But even so, Xueyi was deeply satisfied.
Those who had never faced the night directly could never understand someone like her.
"This is the world where Mr. Welt of the Astral Express resides, though in the past."
Hanya explained the world to Xueyi and Fu Xuan.
"An interesting world. No wonder when I calculated before without considering you, it felt so obscure and hard to interpret. But if it's here, it makes sense, the past, huh…"
Fu Xuan nodded slightly, her third eye scanning the world, occasionally nodding, inwardly shaken.
"The past?" Xueyi was astonished.
Hanya nodded and said: "This star system was shrouded until the Garden of Recollection discovered it, so we couldn't judge. But one thing was confirmed by checking with Mr. Welt, making moves here could very well affect the future."
Influencing the future from the past.
It sounded absurd.
But the results told them it was true.
Taking a deep breath, Fu Xuan said: "There's no need to worry too much, even if I wanted to act, the weight of history restrains me."
Although Fu Xuan was a Xianzhou native, all her skills lay in divination. Even if she had some combat power, compared to those specialized in battle…
It was as good as none.
"In that case, I am reassured…" Xueyi agreed.
Though she could now walk like an ordinary person, she was too ordinary. Hanya at least had the physique of a Xianzhou native, but she… aside from her soul, everything else was no different from a short-lived mortal.
Well, at most, mortals died and that was the end, while if she died her soul would return to the Ten Lords Commission…
Wait!
Xueyi suddenly realized a problem: in reality, if she died, she would indeed return to the Commission.
But now, having returned to a strange star system's past through a dream, if she died here…
Would she become a wandering ghost?
Shaking her head to cast out such strange thoughts, Xueyi asked: "This place doesn't seem to be part of the known cosmos?"
"Indeed. A Memokeeper from the Garden said that this star system is covered by some kind of power. If not for Godzilla building a path in the dream, we would never have been able to reach here."
Hanya replied softly.
Fu Xuan nodded slightly, then said: "Shouldn't we at least greet the rulers of this place?"
The Xianzhou were polite when needed. Forcing business without notice was not their style.
"No need. According to Welt from the Astral Express: as long as we don't destroy this world, we can do whatever we want. If possible, better to limit, a person called, Otto's actions."
Herta said nonchalantly.
"Otto? Mr. Welt has a grudge with him?"
…
"An unknown individual appeared in Seaside City. According to the informant, their behavior was strange, resembling cultists. Therefore, we need to investigate."
"Kiana!"
"Here!" Kiana jumped up groggily, standing stiffly.
Himeko's face darkened as she said coldly: "Repeat what I just said!"
"Eh!? Did Teacher Himeko just say something?"
Seeing Kiana's blank look, Himeko could only hold her forehead helplessly.
This little thing, so scatterbrained!
In the end it was Mei who was the most reliable, tugging Kiana's sleeve softly: "Kiana, Teacher Himeko was assigning a mission just now."
"Oh oh! I get it! Isn't it just cracking down on cult crimes? I've been doing that since I was five, leave it to me, no problem!"
Kiana gave a big thumbs up to herself.
Himeko sighed helplessly.
After teaching for so many years, she understood one truth.
For true idiots, mere words were useless. The only way was, this!
Bonk!
"During this mission, you stay by Mei's side. No acting alone!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Holding her head, Kiana pouted, hiding behind Mei.
Exhaling in relief, Himeko felt refreshed, then repeated:
"Although this mission is only about cracking down on cult activity, we must not be careless. Often such matters have bigger players behind them. You are Valkyries, but careless Valkyries are the ones who die the most. So, stay alert!"
"Yes, Teacher Himeko!"
Mei and Bronya answered solemnly.
…
"Cult crimes, on the surface, they look like ordinary criminal groups."
"But their actions completely deviate from the norm, enough to make even bystanders suspicious. It's like…"
"Luring the snake out of its hole," Rita softly added.
Otto smiled faintly. "Correct. A normal cult group at most is just ordinary people gathering to seek money or other gains. Normally, the more hidden, the better."
Even under Schicksal's relentless pursuit, cult organizations still kept emerging.
Of course, that was partly because Schicksal mostly focused on their own territory.
Other regions had already built up their own powers.
Like Anti-Entropy, though it split from Schicksal.
But undeniably, such groups had already placed their pieces on the board.
"Go investigate. Take the Immortal Blades with you. Remember, do not reveal your tracks."
"Yes." Rita bowed slightly, then withdrew.
When only Otto remained, he stared at the images captured on the screen.
All of them wore black robes.
From head to toe they exuded an eerie aura.
Although Schicksal could not control every event worldwide, Otto was confident, if these activities grew even slightly, with Schicksal's resources, discovering them would be easy.
And he had already investigated their identities.
No connections. Not a single one of them was related.
Some lived in the Southern Hemisphere, some in the Northern.
Yet under such circumstances, they all picked up their packs.
Returned to their hometowns. And began preaching.
"Baiting the fish." Otto folded his hands under his chin.
A crude method. Even a B-rank Valkyrie could see through it… except a certain dumb paramecium.
But still, it was effective.
As long as Schicksal did not act, these mysterious people would stir up trouble everywhere, forcing intervention.
And Anti-Entropy was not idle either. Most likely, their forces were already investigating.
Yet one point still puzzled Otto.
"The Herrscher…"
Such a large amount of Honkai energy reviving the sealed Chiyou, yet no Herrscher was born? This clearly defied logic…