"Bronya's conjecture is correct!"
Xia Qi confirmed the idea in her mind, and a tingling sensation ran through her brain.
"Bronya?"
Himeko and Bronya had already noticed the Hyperion battleship above, its numerous gun ports aimed at Kevin, but they didn't understand what was happening.
"Bronya believes you should now roughly understand that Bronya is not your enemy."
Xia Qi's gaze returned to Kevin, now carrying a hint of coldness.
"If there's nothing else, please stop this unreasonable behavior. Bronya has more important things to do."
"..."
Kevin looked at Xia Qi and fell silent.
The battleship called Hyperion was something he had discovered in the Quantum Sea 45 days ago. It had been drifting through the Quantum Sea all along, completely empty without a single person on board, like a ghost ship.
After boarding it, he used some of the techniques he knew to access the Hyperion's system and created an identity for himself within his capabilities.
Janitor.
It wasn't that he didn't want to assign himself a higher position, but higher positions required more advanced technical skills, and Kevin wasn't particularly adept in that area.
As for destroying the Hyperion to extract information directly, Kevin was reluctant to do so. The Hyperion was one of only two things he had encountered during his long imprisonment in the Quantum Sea.
The powerful energy contained in the many Honkai reactors loaded on its hull also reminded Kevin of the Moonlight Throne, which could potentially be used to stand against the Final Herrscher.
Therefore, Kevin had already planned to work diligently on the Hyperion, using his janitor position to observe various areas of the ship, gather information, seek opportunities for advancement, and eventually become the ship's captain.
But he hadn't expected to encounter Xia Qi after only a month and a half.
"This battleship called Hyperion, is it yours?"
Kevin looked at Xia Qi, frowning slightly as he asked.
"It doesn't belong to Bronya, but Bronya was once a member of this battleship's crew." Xia Qi replied, while keeping a close watch on Kevin, ready to respond to any sudden attack.
She also felt a sense of urgency inside.
She desperately wanted to enter the Hyperion and thoroughly verify some of her conjectures.
"Kevin Kaslana."
Xia Qi spoke his full name.
Himeko and Bronya both looked over in slight surprise.
"This battleship is equipped with the Moonlight Throne."
"?"
Kevin frowned deeply.
"If you want to know the origin of this battleship, then come with us inside. There, you will learn everything."
Xia Qi looked at Kevin, her expression serious and earnest.
"..."
Kevin stared coldly at Xia Qi, seemingly contemplating. To this, Xia Qi delivered the decisive blow:
"On the Hyperion, there is information about the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. If possible, you might even see Elysia there."
"That's impossible."
Kevin responded immediately, his voice cold and low.
"No, it's the truth." Xia Qi replied expressionlessly. "The Hyperion and Bronya both come from a parallel timeline. It's just... Bronya isn't sure if her conjecture is completely correct. Therefore, Bronya intends to enter the Hyperion to investigate."
"Bronya!"
At that moment, Welt arrived on the scene.
He flew to Xia Qi's side and stopped, then stared at Kevin, his expression tense and solemn.
"What's happening?"
"He is Kevin Kaslana, the leader of World Serpent, the Previous Era's strongest MANTIS soldier. Whether he is an enemy remains to be determined."
Xia Qi explained the situation to Welt, then looked at Kevin and asked coolly:
"So, what say you?"
"..."
Kevin silently observed Welt, whose power upon arriving was the same as Xia Qi's, both being Herrschers of Reason. Then he looked at Xia Qi and Bronya, who was watching him warily from the side.
"Then let's go in and have a look."
Elysia?
Thirteen Flame-Chasers?
Parallel timeline?
He was very interested in these things. And even if there were two Herrschers before him, they would not be his match.
It's just...
Herrschers all lie.
Elysia... was an exception he could understand.
"..."
Only then did Xia Qi's tense body relax slightly. She asked Welt softly, "Mr. Welt... what about Kiana and the others?"
"I left them temporarily behind."
"We'll go pick them up in a moment."
Xia Qi said calmly, then looked at Himeko and Bronya. "Teacher Himeko, Bronya, how are you?"
"Fought a completely baffling battle and didn't even win..."
Himeko gently set down her Corona Blaze, grimacing as she stretched her sore muscles.
"Extremely unsatisfying!"
"Bronya is not seriously injured." Bronya replied softly.
"Good."
Xia Qi nodded, then looked at Kevin, who had been standing coldly to one side like a block of ice, constantly radiating a frigid aura.
"Kevin, have you seen a girl with shoulder-length dark blue hair, ocean-blue eyes, a gentle personality, wearing a white top, blue vest, and a skirt alternating between dark and light blue?"
"You mean Seele Vollerei?"
Upon hearing this, Kevin looked at Xia Qi coldly and asked.
"Yes! That's her! She's our companion. Where is she?!"
Xia Qi and Bronya both grew visibly animated, looking intently at Kevin.
"...In the ship's lounge."
"Mr. Welt, please temporarily help protect Teacher Himeko and Bronya. Bronya will go fetch Kiana and the others first."
"Okay, go ahead."
Welt nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on Kevin. Xia Qi turned and flew in the direction Welt had come from.
Kevin stood still, coldly watching Xia Qi fly away.
Xia Qi flew at full speed for about half a minute before spotting Kiana and the others waiting behind a cluster of dark red rocks. She immediately flew down to them.
"Bronya!"
Kiana, who had been anxiously waiting, immediately brightened.
"You're finally back! Huh? Where are the others?"
"We found Seele, and we also found Kevin, and... the Hyperion. I'll explain the details later." Xia Qi constructed flying pl
atforms for all of them and immediately turned back around.
"Stay close to Bronya. We're going to regroup with the others. Kevin is not our enemy, for now."
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