My last impression of Sin Mal was that of a naughty brat. She does not show her internal thoughts as much as others, preferring to hide them under her snobbish mouth. A lot of things could have been solved had she not done so. Bronya's case is a good example. I forced her to integrate within our circle back then. I also punished her whenever she did something bad. That was especially important given her disposition to act as a psycho.
At the very least, the good and bad has to be made clear to her.
The current Sin Mal is anything but a trace of her usual self. Her long purple hair, mixed with light pink undertones, swayed along the wind. Her pair of heterochromatic eyes, a mix of yellow and blue, further pushed her elegance to the next level. Her appearance elicits a sense of peace.
"I am not courting death!"
That image was shattered by her mouth.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
"If she stayed put on her base, I would've beaten her a long time ago. She's just lucky."
"There is a ten percent chance of it happening. The remaining ninety percent results in our defeat."
The woman beside her commented flatly.
"You..!"
Ashamed of being called out, Sin looked at her angrily. The woman did not show any notable expressions, however.
I looked at the woman who bore the appearance of Cecilia Schariac. She also sensed my gaze and returned it to me.
If Kiana sees her…
…
I need to try reversing time at the Divine Transformation Realm. I want to make up for these regrets soon. The Previous Era, too. Kevin and the rest of the Flamechasers are still stuck in the resurrection match. Grandpa Su is out there somewhere. I must bring him back as well.
All of these problems can be resolved by reversing time.
"Thanks for helping Sin out."
Misteln nodded emotionlessly. I turned my gaze back to Sin. I went ahead of her and explained my arrangements.
"I had Theresa issue a national emergency. The same goes for the sect."
From the phenomena in the sky to Sin's return, it lasted half an hour. I called on everyone outside their seclusion and had them ready for an upcoming fight.
"Can you help me out with something?"
I took out a fist-sized gray rhombus crystal. From within, one could see the ever-changing sceneries of nature, life and death of a mortal, and all sorts of mysterious phenomena.
It is too late to arrange a new formation now. I can only improvise with this material.
"I am planning to use the Star Network to send people's projections onto Mars. There are a lot of small fries suitable for training.
"That material…"
"It's seventh grade."
"..."
I relished her surprised look. Somehow, she directed a resentful look towards me.
What did I do wrong..?
"Alright. I can do just that. It will take a while."
"That's fine."
I looked towards the Moon. I could feel Kiana watching over that place as we spoke. As long as she doesn't make a move, Mars wouldn't be in grave danger. This is our biggest confidence in using Sa as Earth's trial card in facing hostile gods. There are still a lot of secrets to uncover, such as why Kiana's coma was tied deeply onto Mars.
Hence, despite the people of Mars living in a simulation-like world, we treated it with prudence.
I handed over the [Dream-Eating Tapir's Gemstone] to Sin and began instructing her on what to do. I didn't spend much effort in doing so; she majored in formations as well. I also fed her various recovery pills to take care of her serious injuries.
Exactly thirty minutes later, a temporary function was added to the [Myriad Stellar Transformations Diagram], the core of Star Network.
All that's left are the official announcements and then…
We'll head straight to Mars.
*****
Honkai. Sky People. Hostile civilization. Mars.
These five words took the headers during nighttime. The majority of Earth's citizens were jolted awake by a national emergency alert. There, the small Theresa explained the ongoing events.
First, the Federation's military force is to be placed on active status. They will ensure no chaos will occur within the cities.
Second, everyone fitting the criteria set by the Federation has to enter the Star Network and await further instructions. These people must be an undergraduate of an Immortal Academy (i.e., the equivalent of universities).
Third, the participating immortal cultivators will receive various resources based on their merits.
The following announcements sent everyone into a frenzy. The merit list alone listed a bunch of cultivation resources extremely rare to the outside world. However, there are also others who wondered why the Federation made a huge fuss.
These questions are answered once they enter the Star Network.
One of them was Chen Tianwu. His breakthroughs in cultivation rejuvenated his entire body. He looked nothing like thirty-years-old, but rather, an eighteen-year-old man. He passed the secondary schools and entered his second year in a top Immortal Academy. His talents and encounters allowed him to reach the middle stage of Foundation Establishment Realm.
He calmly entered the spiritual qi cabin and logged onto the Star Network. The virtual world unfolded in his sight at once. Several selections appeared on his menu.
Once he confirmed he was in for the "conscription", he entered a new virtual space. It was nothing but an endless expanse of white space.
A gray-haired girl appeared in front of him. Her iconic double drills gave rise to endearing nicknames such as "Promy" from the majority of Earth's populace. Little did they know, she is a genuine remnant of Prometheus, an artificial intelligence spanning fifty thousand years.
Bronya picked her up and turned her into the Star Network's administrator. For the Wushi Dao Sect's special network, there was a certain cabbage who acted as the administrator.
"The current mission is an expedition to Mars' surface. Your mind will be projected into virtual bodies and sent into the battlefield. Take note that the monsters and humans you will encounter are within the scope of the Federation. Any violators of the Federation's Laws will be subjected to court-martial; death penalty at worst…"
She explained everything concisely.
"A scan will be performed to create a projection matching your original body's capabilities. Please perform the following actions indicated. It is advised to perform within your normal capabilities. Your data will be cross-checked with the current data submitted to the Federation's database. Any attempts to falsify will result in forfeiture of…"
Chen Tianwu did as he was told. He never had any idea of falsifying data. The Star Network's decades' long existence proved how formidable the Federation's "super-AI" was.
"Scan complete. You will depart in ten seconds. Your current spawn point will be: Langqiu City, Simulated World. Good luck."
With the grip of a familiar spear in his right hand, Chen Tianwu greeted his first visit to another planet.
*****
A/N: 500 PS threshold reached. There will be 2 bonus chapters this week. On another note, the milestones will be back to normal. Uni is about to kill me again...