The next morning, Fuli yawned as he walked down the path toward the cafeteria.
He was a bit drowsy. Early in the morning, Theresa, who had shared his bed, woke him up with boundless energy, insisting on playing some childish game where the loser had to bark like a dog.
The two had their wins and losses, but Fuli felt he had learned something rather unethical.
If anyone ever forced him to bark like a dog in the future, he could pinch his throat just like Theresa did and sweetly call out: "Onii-chan~"
One could only say: If love endures through the ages, what matters if one acts like a beast?
Why does Theresa have "De" (Virtue) in her name? Because that's exactly what she lacks. (德丽莎Délìshā -Theresa).
Aside from that, Fuli had also obtained the long-awaited Vishnu sample from the girl, allowing him to begin constructing the organs for his Third Transformation.
Compared to Sesa and Garuda, he could feel waves of resistance the moment he started constructing the Vishnu factors.
It was understandable behavior for one of the three supreme End-Level Honkai Beasts of the Previous Era.
"Good morning, Ah-Li!"
Just as he stepped into the cafeteria, a lively and cute white-haired dumpling came into view.
It was Kiana. The girl was sitting on a chair, the morning light outlining her picturesque profile.
She was holding a bag of Lay's potato chips in her hands, and on the small dining table in front of her sat an exquisite electronic scale.
Fuli walked over and casually pinched the girl's soft cheek. "You're already so round, yet you're eating after-meal snacks? Aren't you afraid of gaining a few more pounds?"
"Hey, don't mess it up! This young miss is currently on a diet!"
Kiana playfully slapped his hand away, carefully took out a single chip, and solemnly placed it on the tray of the electronic scale.
Watching the numbers on the display screen finally settle at 0.00kg, her eyes shone like stars. "Alright! It's zero!"
She happily retrieved the chip and stuffed it into her mouth, crunch, crunch, crunch.
She took out another one and placed it on the scale. "Yeah! Still zero!"
Retrieve, continue crunching.
While chewing, she shook her head and sighed with emotion: "Heheh, if I keep eating like this, this young miss might just starve to death..."
Fuli: (¬_¬)
"It's fine if you fool others, but don't go fooling yourself."
"I don't care, I don't care!" Kiana puffed up her cheeks angrily. "This young miss is slacking off today, slacking off tomorrow, slacking off every day! If this isn't discipline, what is?"
Without slacking, hatred never ceases!
Without slacking, what difference is strength to me!
Without slacking, suffering finds no release!
Without slacking, all deeds are devoid of joy!
"Yes, yes, yes. Our family's big lazy cat isn't fat at all. Once you grow a bit taller, this extra meat will automatically level out."
Fuli didn't object to her being like this. The child had suffered so much in the past; raising her to be chubby and happy was perfectly fine.
He didn't plan on marrying her off anyway; he'd just raise her for a lifetime.
But teasing was mandatory. Teasing the cat was just too much fun.
"What do you mean 'meat'? What do you mean! You make this young miss sound like a little piggy!"
The party in question was obviously very dissatisfied with a certain Li's specific choice of words.
She nudged him with her elbow. "Did Auntie come over last night?"
"Himeko is here too, you know. She said she wants to check your homework!" Fuli deliberately scared her. "Did you do it or not?"
"Of course I asked Mei for help properly!"
Kiana stood up on her chair, hands on her hips, chin held high, looking extraordinarily proud.
"Oh, oh, oh! Amazing, amazing!"
Fuli applauded from below, then took something out of his pocket and handed it over. "Take this as your reward."
"Wah! Long live King Hyperion! Long live, long live!"
The white-haired Tuna had sharp eyes and immediately saw what was in his hand.
Just as she was about to grab it with a face full of excitement, her small hand hesitated in mid-air. "Ah-Li, you don't need it? This is a fragment of the Holy Lance of Finality."
"This thing is only effective up to the Critical Class at most. Anything beyond that exceeds its limit."
Fuli let go, allowing the shard of the Holy Lance, which emitted faint fluctuations of space-time, to fall into Kiana's palm. He then closed her slender fingers around it one by one. "You just happen to have the Herrscher of the Void's core in your body. Space and Time are essentially one; putting them together will likely cause some wonderful chemical reaction."
He blinked, a teasing look in his eyes. "Legend has it that the authority of the Herrscher of Finality is the manipulation of infinite time and space. Maybe you can even snag a spot as a Finality Reservist because of this?"
"Is it that powerful?" The corners of Kiana's mouth couldn't stop rising. "Then if this young miss really becomes the Herrscher of Finality in the future, I'll definitely take good care of you, the great contributor! The kind of care where you couldn't die even if you wanted to!" (hehehehehehe)
"Wah! Long live King Finality!" Fuli offered his loyalty with a straight face, then asked curiously, "So? Any reaction?"
The girl closed her magnificent eyes, her spirit probing into the Holy Lance fragment.
As expected, the Great Authority of Immutable Time contained within the Holy Lance resonated with the Void Core in her body, turning into a stream of light that rushed into it, as if finally finding its home.
A moment later, Kiana opened her eyes.
"The other me just said she needs to sleep for a while to digest this new power."
"Is that so..."
Fuli sighed. It seemed he wouldn't be able to go find "Ah-Quan" (HoV) for some fun anytime soon.
However, there was still the mysterious Miss Sixth Serenade, so it wasn't a big problem.
The two chatted for a while longer before Bronya arrived at the cafeteria with Fu Xuan and Qingque.
They had to visit ME Corp later to discuss the details of their subsequent cooperation, so after a hurried breakfast, they left in a bustle.
Watching them leave, Fuli felt a pang of heartache for his little sister and decided to give her another raise later.
After another while, a communication came from Himeko, saying they were in the recreation room.
In the background of the video feed, Kallen was draped over the bar counter, looking like she had lost the will to live. Clearly, her stash of precious liquor had been ravaged by a certain alcoholic woman.
The duo of Fuli and Kiana arrived quickly. The recreation room had soft lighting, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of alcohol and soothing music.
Looking around, they found that Mei and Theresa were also there.
"You're here! Sit over here!"
Despite having the body of a child, the Principal—who had tossed and turned for most of the night—was still full of energy.
"Coming, coming!"
Just as Fuli took a step, Kiana beside him, like a cheerful little bird, beat him to it and sat down first.
He had to settle for a high stool by the bar, casually ordering a cup of coffee from the Saintess, who wore a face full of resentment.
Seeing that the key personnel had arrived, Himeko swirled the goblet in her hand. "I've heard about the situation. Since relations with the Taixuan Front have been restored, you plan to participate in this Luminary Wardance, right?"
"We're definitely going."
"How do you plan to get there?"
"By ship, of cou—uh."
Before he could finish, Fuli looked at Mei.
The latter shook her head slightly, indicating that the current Hyperion did not yet possess the ability to safely traverse the Sea of Quanta.
That was correct. Even though Mei's Stigma of Thunder contained a repository of wisdom recording the vast majority of the Previous Era's technology, it did not contain records of technology that would allow a conventional aerospace battleship to easily traverse the Sea.
The Gnus device might be able to, but even in the Previous Era, that thing wasn't convenient enough to work on just any aircraft.
Was this outrageous? Not really.
When all was said and done, it was debatable whether the Previous Era even lasted twenty years from the first contact with the Honkai to the descent of Finality.
In such a short time, to research numerous rule-breaking weapons including the Divine Keys, the Holy Sword Durandal, and PRI-ARMs; to propose the theories of the Imaginary Tree and Sea of Quanta and conduct preliminary practices; to develop super-biological weapons like Mantis Soldiers; and to grit their teeth fighting against thirteen Serial Herrschers until the final battle on the moon against Finality—that was already a miracle among miracles.
The Current Era was different. Project Ember forced Ji Lin and others to face Judgment-Class Honkai Beasts five thousand years ago. The legacy of the Pioneers allowed various black technologies to bloom all over the planet's surface.
Furthermore, with Otto holding the Void Archives and ruling Schicksal for five hundred years, plus the gathering of geniuses in Anti-Entropy constantly breaking new ground... all these factors combined led to the Current Era's utilization rate of the Sea of Quanta and Imaginary Space increasing drastically.
Even if this caused the Earth forces to make countless enemies within the solar system, overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
Not to mention anything else, just the "War God" mechs (Wotan/Arahato) that served as Anti-Entropy's trump cards—building just one was enough to drain the resources of several planets. Yet, they built two. The consumption during this period was largely plundered from various Bubble Worlds.
But none of this had much to do with the Hyperion.
Because Mei's wisdom repository only recorded the technology of the Previous Era.
Technologies created by major organizations based on the Previous Era's legacy, or those created by finding a completely new path, were unfamiliar territories to it.
Of course, this didn't mean one was inferior to the other; essentially, the focus was different. Otherwise, Hyperion's products wouldn't be so popular with everyone.
"Actually, among the technologies I traded from Tribios, there is content regarding navigation in the Sea of Quanta," Mei spoke suddenly, breaking the brief silence. "In addition, the trade with the Taixuan Front also involves relevant technologies."
"The only problem is."
She paused, her crimson-purple eyes staring unblinkingly at Fuli.
The boy understood instantly.
The environment of the Sea was far harsher than space. The Previous Era could launch probes to the edge of the solar system, yet could only build the Eye of the Deep as a stable transfer station to the Sea of Quanta.
To navigate safely within it, the Hyperion would need massive material retrofitting and shield upgrades, which required an ocean of rare resources and cutting-edge technical support.
simply put, four words: Approve the budget.
So, Fuli chose to temporarily ignore this heavy topic and looked back at Himeko, who was watching the drama unfold. "Since Big Sis brought this up, you must have a solution."
"Naturally." Himeko smiled, taking a sip of her cocktail. "For example, you could take the modified Helios to the Luofu. St. Freya is sending people there to broaden their horizons anyway, so giving you a ride is no problem. Or you could take a Starskiff provided by the Taixuan Front; many factions unable to traverse the Sea of Quanta on their own use that to get there."
Starskiff—a type of interstellar navigation tool resembling an ancient boat.
Essentially, it was a miraculous plant capable of growing tenaciously within the Sea of Quanta. Based on this, it naturally feared few of the harsh environments in the Sea.
The Taixuan Front transplanted its seeds into major Bubble Worlds for cultivation, artificially adjusting their posture during growth to embed engines, weapon systems, nano-material manned cabins, and so on. It could be called a perfect combination of biotechnology and mechanical technology.
"Is there a way for the Hyperion to go as well?"
Fuli couldn't bear to leave his precious ship behind, primarily because he wanted to go sell some stuff.
"Then, coating."
Himeko shrugged. "Use the special resin secreted during the growth of the Akivili Tree to create a thin film. After inflating it to wrap around the entire ship, with this thing, even a steam train can easily shuttle between the Tree and the Sea."
The drawback was that the resin would be consumed and had to be recoated time and again to continue, and vehicles treated this way had difficulty installing weapon systems.
"Many people used to do this in the past," Theresa commented from the side. "Coating all sorts of vehicles and rushing into Imaginary Space and the Sea of Quanta under the banner of 'Trailblazing,' connecting isolated worlds one by one. Back then, everyone loved calling these daring guys 'Trailblazers' or 'Nameless'."
"However, as the production of resin became scarcer, there aren't many people who dare to do this, or can do this anymore." Himeko took over the conversation, her tone full of regret. "As luck would have it, I actually know an old artisan who is proficient in this craft. Want me to introduce you?"
Hearing this, Kiana immediately put on a serious face. "So, Auntie Himeko—Teacher Himeko, what is the price?"
"Haven't decided yet. We'll talk about it later."
Uwah! It's the most difficult "Talk about it later"!
The three little ones looked at each other, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
But they couldn't just abandon Kallen and go play by themselves.
As the representative, Fuli made the final decision. "Do it! Let's do something big!"
"Alright then."
Himeko cheerfully took out her phone and dialed a number.
A moment later, a light screen unfolded in the center of the recreation room, and a gentle, steady male voice came through:
"Himeko? Is something the matter?"
On the screen was a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses. He had short brown hair and deep brown eyes, dressed in a simple white turtleneck sweater with a gray trench coat draped to his knees. A dark cyan cashmere scarf was loosely tied around his neck, giving him a refined and reserved temperament.
"Welt, I found a job for you."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Himeko turned her head to introduce him. "His name is Welt Yang. Although the first part of his name is the same as that Leader of Anti-Entropy, he is a teacher at St. Freya, and at the same time, a genuine former Nameless."
"Just call me Welt."
Old Yang pushed up his glasses and spoke calmly.
After the sacrifice of the First Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce, to stabilize the foundation of Anti-Entropy, he had always mimicked Joyce's appearance to attend important occasions. Coupled with using the Authority of Reason to fine-tune his features and falsify his background, he wasn't afraid of anyone recognizing his true identity.
"Then we're counting on you, Uncle Yang. We'll set off as soon as the coating is done!"
After Fuli finished speaking, he glanced at Mei and Kiana out of the corner of his eye.
A Nameless and a Herrscher... St. Freya really is full of talents.
"Alright!"
Kiana excitedly waved her small fist. "Luminary Wardance, this young miss is f*cking coming!"
"No swearing!"
She was immediately bonked on the forehead by Theresa beside her.
---||---
On the other side of the globe, Schicksal Headquarters, Overseer's Office.
"Go to the Luminary Wardance in your place?"
Durandal stood straight as a javelin, a trace of confusion in her attitude. " hasn't Schicksal already dispatched a Valkyrie unit led by the Knights of Death and Famine to the Luofu? Why is this necessary?"
Standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, Otto sighed lightly upon hearing this, the sunlight dyeing the tips of his blond hair with a halo.
"Durandal."
"I am here."
"Recently, you seem to be getting less and less polite with me."
"Overseer, please cut the crap."
Bianka remained expressionless.
"Fine."
Toward the blonde girl who was a subordinate in name but a disciple in reality, Otto didn't put on any airs.
Gazing at the flowing sea of clouds outside the window, he spoke slowly. "Have you heard of the Eye of Truth?"
Bianka quickly searched for relevant information in her mind.
"A small production-type organization that produces mid-to-low-end potions and disposable items. The only thing worth noting is their leader—a woman named Audrey Apocalypse who claims to be the only legitimate descendant of the Apocalypse family. she has constantly threatened to be irreconcilable enemies with you, Overseer, and frequently incites and unites anti-Schicksal forces to cause harassment, though every operation ends in a crushing defeat."
Why irreconcilable?
High EQ: Otto turned the Apocalypse family into a family of only him and Theresa.
Low EQ: He pulled an Itachi Uchiha and slaughtered the rest of his kin.
To this, Otto said casually, "That Audrey is my alt account. She is one of my many Soulium bodies."
"Oh... Huh?"
The Goose didn't understand. The Goose was greatly shocked.
The man continued, "And this time, I want you to replace me and control her to go to the Luofu."