HIA VOL.6 CH1-25 (Patreon)

HA VOL 7 CH01-25

Chapter 1: The Old Captain Returns

Luo Lin, who was having a meal in the cafeteria, sneezed violently, rubbed her nose, and nearly knocked over the bowl of food in front of her.

The girl muttered in confusion, "Who's talking about me?"

"There are quite a few people with that motivation... Ahem, ahem..."

Senti replied. She was now lounging on the sofa in the system space with Selune's Elegy. The two of them, one large and one small, had been snacking non-stop as if their stomachs were bottomless pits.

Luo Lin was a bit speechless. "Still eating? Be careful not to become chubby."

Selune's Elegy smiled and replied, "I won't get fat~"

After all, the two of them eating was purely for leisure. In fact, they only needed Honkai energy to sustain themselves. Compared to eating, which was an inefficient way of obtaining energy, they had more convenient and faster methods:

Senti could find a place with a high concentration of Honkai energy to absorb, or manually trigger Honkai eruptions;

Selune's Elegy could simply replace her reactor and battery to immediately restore her state.

But then they wouldn't be able to enjoy the pleasure of food, would they?

Senti and Selune's Elegy had reached a subtle consensus on this matter. They were now quite good friends—both of them even made Luo Lin run all over the cafeteria at the Far East Branch to judge the quality of each dish and evaluate the chefs' skills...

Issues troubling foodies like not having enough space in their stomachs or having lingering tastes in their mouths were not problems at all for Senti and the living dolls.

"Tsk, just enjoy your food!"

At this moment, the cafeteria door suddenly burst open, and a large group of Valkyries walked in, so numerous that they even formed a long line.

Faced with this scene, the chefs remained solemn, pushing out the prepared dishes from the kitchen. However, everyone knew that Valkyries had large appetites, so they didn't slack off. The big pots were placed back on the stove to heat up again, and if the portions weren't enough, the chefs would add more dishes.

Luo Lin also sat with several Valkyries who had finished their meals. The black-haired girl looked at them, still wearing their field uniforms and showing signs of exhaustion, and had some speculation in her heart.

"Just back from Nagazora City?" Luo Lin asked.

"Yeah, things over there are finally settling down," a Valkyrie replied. "We plan to eat something delicious first, then go back and take a nice shower, enjoy some rest time... Hmm, why do you look familiar?"

"I do seem to remember... Recently, the fights against the Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts have been driving me crazy."

Several Valkyries looked at Luo Lin's face, lost in thought.

"Ahahaha, thanks for your hard work."

The girl quickly changed the subject, raising her cup (filled with water) to toast the Valkyries as a sign of respect, and they responded cheerfully (with alcoholic drinks), then immersed themselves in the delicious food.

Luo Lin felt someone walk up behind her and observed for a few seconds before reaching out to pat her shoulder.

A familiar voice sounded in her ear, "Hey, I thought I was seeing things earlier, but it turns out it's really you."

Luo Lin turned her head, surprised, and exclaimed, "Captain Ragnar?"

Indeed, the person who came was Ragnar Lothbrok, the current captain of the Hyperion, who carried a tray piled high with food and sat down next to Luo Lin without hesitation.

Several Valkyries around them were also very surprised. "Captain!"

"Relax, it's break time now."

Ragnar smiled and affectionately ruffled Luo Lin's hair, "Ah, I didn't have a chance to chat with you properly on the Hyperion before, now I'm completely free..."

Seeing the awkward look in Luo Lin's eyes, one Valkyrie suddenly realized and slapped her hand, "You're the rumored girlfriend of the captain, aren't you... Oh my!"

Ragnar withdrew her hand and scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze, "These are my former team members. Don't spread any strange or messy rumors."

"Yes..."

The Valkyries responded unevenly, but Luo Lin could tell that they clearly didn't believe Ragnar's words.

Smiling, the old captain extended her hand again, making a chopping motion, and the Valkyries nearby raised their trays and food, escaping from Ragnar's "attack range."

"It seems like you get along well with them?" Luo Lin asked.

Ragnar's smile became less dangerous and more kind, "Yes, before I used to deal with elites, but now most of my subordinates are kids who graduated from the Valkyrie Academy a few years ago... The atmosphere here is very good."

"After all, it's the Far East Branch under Lady Theresa's leadership, so it's normal for it to be relaxed."

Luo Lin flicked her food with her chopsticks. "But I heard from people from other branches that they think it's too relaxed here—Captain, what do you think?"

"Theresa did start out a bit too lax, but I helped straighten out discipline later... After all, Bishop sent me here specifically for this job."

Ragnar looked at the little food left in Luo Lin's bowl and pinched her cheek. "Forget it, let's finish eating first and find a place to chat."

"Okay."

Ten minutes later, Ragnar and Luo Lin found a bench in the St. Freya Academy Square and sat down. A gentle breeze blew, brushing against their cheeks.

After a few seconds of silence, Luo Lin spoke up, "How's the situation in Nagazora City?"

"It's a complete mess. During the subsequent cleanup of Honkai and environmental exploration, we found that the impact of Honkai on Nagazora City was much greater than we imagined."

Ragnar looked very distressed. She spread out her hands and said, "The surface of the ground has been severely eroded, and the entire city has dropped by more than ten meters in some places, even sinking dozens of meters. Some areas have even been submerged by the emerging underground water..."

Luo Lin gasped, "That exaggerated? But judging from the intensity of the Honkai eruption, it wasn't a major catastrophe, was it?"

"That's the reason why Honkai is called the most severe disaster. Its impact is just too terrible."

Ragnar shook her head and said softly, "It's certain that all the buildings in Nagazora City have become dangerous—this place was already prone to earthquakes, who knows which building might collapse one day?"

"... Have all the equipment from ME Corporation been checked?"

"Everything that needed to be moved has been moved, and the remaining production equipment was destroyed by the Anti entropy rebels themselves... Nothing of value was left behind."

Ragnar raised her head with a look of obvious anger. "Clearly, they are the culprits who caused the disaster in Nagazora City..."

"Calm down, calm down..."

Luo Lin laughed dryly, patting the old captain's back. "Didn't you notice anything else unusual?"

"Nothing, I've basically searched Nagazora City from top to bottom. Apart from the Zombies and Honkai Beasts, I didn't find anything else."

Ragnar looked at Luo Lin with a strange expression in her eyes. "What about you, Luo Lin? Do you happen to know something?"

Luo Lin felt a bit guilty as she said this. "It's just some local myths and rumors from Nagazora City... Like the wandering fox-eared shrine maiden and the hidden giant cherry blossom tree..."

"Your intelligence department is good everywhere, but you tend to get caught up in these kinds of things—most of the time, ghost stories are related to Honkai."

The old captain said solemnly, "Now that the Honkai eruption is over and everything that needed to be dealt with has been dealt with, we should leave resources for other places... It's best not to waste manpower looking for strange things."

Luo Lin nodded helplessly. "Yes, I understand."

Ragnar could see that the girl was still a bit unwilling and sighed, "If you really can't rest assured, just send dozens or even hundreds of unmanned probes to observe, anyway, Schicksal has plenty of money."

"Indeed."

"What about you? Luo Lin, how did the task you rushed back to handle go?"

The old captain asked with some curiosity. "Ah, of course, act within your authority. If I'm not supposed to know, forget it."

Chapter 2: Strong Intuition

"What did you just say?! This place has..."

Ragnar abruptly stopped herself from saying "Herrschers" out loud, as her surprised exclamation caught the attention of students walking in the square.

One student joyfully shouted, "Lady Ragnar is back!"

Of course, some also noticed Luo Lin beside Ragnar, "Wait, who's beside Lady Ragnar?!"

"She looks a bit familiar, she's been hanging around Saint Freya's lately," another student said, chin in hand.

"They're so close! Their relationship is definitely not ordinary!" the first student who spoke up realized, "Is she her girlfriend? Definitely her girlfriend!"

"Shut up, you love-struck fool!" another Valkyrie directly shut her up with a chop, followed by another one biting on a handkerchief, muttering, "Damn it, why, Lady Ragnar... why isn't it me?"

What's wrong with you?! And why shout so loudly for what reason?!

Ragnar theoretically could hear these students' bizarre remarks, but she was more concerned about the Herrschers.

The former captain grabbed Luo Lin's arm and pulled the Valkyrie close, whispering harshly, "If I heard correctly, did you bring a plural suffix with you?!"

Luo Lin chuckled nervously, "Yes... currently, there are three..."

Herrscher of Thunder, Herrscher of the Void, and Herrscher of Sentience.

Ragnar's tone rose slightly, and her blood pressure visibly spiked, "Currently just three?! Are you trying to form a Mahjong table?!"

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes; come to think of it, with Bronya becoming the Herrschrr of Reason later, they could indeed form a Mahjong table.

The interaction between the two caught the attention of the Valkyries who had been observing the situation.

"I think I heard 'three' faintly?" one student said.

"It's chaotic, way too exciting!" another exclaimed.

"*...%@＆＃"

Student C was so emotionally overwhelmed that A and B covered her mouth together, physically silencing her.

Luo Lin glanced helplessly at the commotion in the distance, patting Ragnar's back gently. "Captain, don't worry, Otto knows about this..."

"True, why wouldn't Bishop be concerned about the Herrschers..."

Hearing the name of the Archbishop, Ragnar visibly relaxed. She released Luo Lin's shoulder, saying, "But the fact that Bishop Otto chose you for this task means you've grown a lot in places I didn't know about... Have you ever summarized your current overall abilities?"

The black-haired girl carefully chose her words, "I would rate myself as a mediocre A-Rank, qualified in combat but lacking in knowledge."

"Haha, very cautious."

Finally finding a moment to glare at the students gathering around, the old captain shooed away those who were caught by the main characters.

Luo Lin watched their excited expressions and had no doubt that rumors about Ragnar and herself would spread like wildfire within Saint Freya's, becoming as well known like the previous topics; the "publicly epileptic Chuuni students on the street" or the "school principal who reads manga during work hours."

"Let's go, show me those... um..."

Ragnar still found it difficult to say the word "Herrschers." She sighed, "I thought I would feel safer returning to Saint Freya's, but now it seems like sitting on an unexploded powder keg... I won't be sleeping well now."

Accepting the order eagerly, Luo Lin led the old captain to the dormitory building.

"They're living here now."

Ragnar surveyed the dormitory building skeptically, hesitating, "Are you sure you haven't taken the wrong path? This place doesn't look anything like a prison with high-powered anti-honkai capabilities..."

Luo Lin blinked, "Did we say we were going to imprison the Herrschers here?"

"..." The old captain almost turned around and left, "So the Herrschers have no restrictions now? It's all up to their own discretion?"

"Ragnar, you've arrived."

Fu Hua emerged from the shadows, greeting Ragnar.

"Fu Hua?"

Ragnar certainly remembered this Valkyrie who often dealt with Otto. Strong and very decisive...

She was definitely an S-rank hiding in the shadows.

But could an S-rank really handle multiple Herrschers?

The old captain's expression was subtle as she pointed upstairs, asking, "You're also responsible for overseeing...?"

"Yes, but 'overseeing' isn't the right word, it should be 'monitoring'—I don't usually disturb their lives." Fu Hua nodded, "Luo Lin does more in this regard... Since you're here, shall we go up together?"

"Indeed..."

Ragnar rubbed her temples; the trust and security she felt due to the name "Otto Apocalypse" had rapidly dissipated, making it hard for her not to recall a certain laboratory that exploded in Siberia in 2000.

The old captain's mind was already filled with scenes of Herrschers going out of control and the Far East sinking into chaos.

"Captain Ragnar?"

Luo Lin's inquiry brought her back to reality. With a heavy heart, Ragnar looked at the black-haired girl opening the dormitory door, and what she saw made her gasp—

"Mei! I want to eat this!"

"Sure, sure~"

"Mei! I want to eat this!"

"This won't do, this one's still half-done."

A very familiar white-haired girl with braided hair was leaning on the shoulder of another girl with long blue-purple hair, bickering in the kitchen. The sweet scent of cream from baking cookies wafted through the air.

On the other side of the dormitory, a petite girl with gray spiral curls was curled up on the sofa, with a lit television screen in front of her, occasional bursts of laughter emanating from it.

But Ragnar noticed that her attention wasn't on the program; the gray-haired girl's gaze subtly shifted to the upper right, seemingly seeing something that others couldn't.

"Luo Lin, you're back? Fu Hua is here too?"

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Kiana turned her head, but instead found a somewhat unfamiliar face.

The fluffy snowball immediately sensed the aura of authority emanating from the old captain and reflexively sprung away from Mei, assuming a proper posture to greet Ragnar, "Hello, Teacher!"

"Oh, um, hello..."

Ragnar initially expected multiple Herrschers to be present, imagining the dormitory to be a dreadful lair filled with crystallized Honkai energy at the very least.

However, upon closer inspection, she found everything to be quite normal here.

There seemed to be little to no trace of heightened Honkai reactions, instead exuding a homely atmosphere with the Herrschers enjoying themselves.

Luo Lin introduced both sides, "Allow me to introduce. This is my former superior, Ragnar Lothbrok, who used to be the captain of the Valkyrie Assault Team... And these are Kiana Kaslana... Raiden Mei... Bronya Zaychik..."

"Call me Ragnar."

Ragnar blinked, murmuring to herself, "I only sense two... Could it be that the last one hasn't awakened...?"

Luo Lin respected Ragnar's intuition, even considering praising her keen insight.

"The third one is with Luo Lin."

Fu Hua glanced at Luo Lin, who showed no surprise. She gave Fu Hua a sweet smile, indicating that everything was understood without words.

Senti: "Looks like the old timer hasn't gotten senile yet, not bad..."

Chapter 3: Anything Else? Yes, Indeed

Afterwards, Ragnar engaged in a warm and friendly conversation with the Herrscher of the Void, Herrscher of Thunder, and the future Herrscher of Reason

The former captain displayed her powerful charisma, quickly closing the gap between herself and the Herrschers, and in the process, there was no sense of awkwardness or contrivance.

It made sense, considering Ragnar's previous role as the captain of the Valkyrie Assault Team, whose mission was not only to handle the more challenging Honkai disasters worldwide but also to raise the banner of the Valkyrie Assault Team in the Honkai, providing spiritual inspiration to the Valkyries.

The previous bearer of this responsibility was Cecilia Schariac, who, with her formidable strength, outstanding appearance, and personality, gained countless admirers, and many Valkyries even harbored thoughts they dared not express...

And after Cecilia perished in the Second Honkai Eruption, Ragnar Lothbrok, who could be said to have been thrust into the position, did not disappoint Otto's expectations:

She led the Valkyrie Assault Team on a global offensive, showcasing her strength in front of major branches, while also demonstrating exceptional interpersonal skills, skillfully stabilizing morale.

Ragnar was well aware that her strength was not as formidable as Cecilia's, so she did not simply mimic Cecilia's methods and choices. Instead, she focused on teamwork, turning the Valkyrie Assault Team into a superb "banner."

Ragnar not only made the Valkyrie Assault Team famous, but with Otto's support, she also brought along many personnel and material supplies, various high-tech weapons, and most importantly, the [Prototype Valkyrie Armor].

Although the Prototype Valkyrie Armor was not yet ready for combat at the time, it gave the Valkyries visible hope.

In this way, Ragnar alleviated and resolved internal issues among the Valkyries, buying time for subsequent Honkai countermeasures.

Interestingly, Ragnar also gained a group of admirers in the process, purely due to her personal charm—she had thought that her rough style wouldn't attract admirers like Cecilia did, at most she would be seen as a "reliable senior."

Feelings, who knows? When you're smitten, there's no turning back.

After the conversation between Ragnar and the Herrschers ended, Luo Lin noticed that Kiana seemed to be in a daze, smiling foolishly. Apparently the carefree white-haired tuna had some strange thoughts.

Luo Lin suddenly asked, "Kiana, what are you thinking about?"

"Hehe, I'm thinking... um cough, nothing."

Raiden Mei swiftly dealt Kiana a mental blow, bringing the white-haired bundle back to reality, who chuckled awkwardly and said, "Well, you know, during these days in the academy, I've been hearing people talk about how Captain Ragnar is so wise and valiant, dashing and handsome... Now that I see her, it's true, just as my seniors said."

Kiana cautiously looked at Raiden Mei and said, "Of course, still not as good as my Mei~"

"Hmph, you."

Raiden Mei turned away, lightly adding, "You won't be getting any cookies tonight, Kiana."

"Ah!? Come on, Mei!"

The white-haired bundle began to fuss.

Luo Lin gestured to Fu Hua standing at the door, asking her to take Ragnar to the next room, indicating that she would come for a chat later.

Fu Hua nodded and led the old captain into the adjacent room.

Luo Lin walked over to Bronya's side, and after a brief exchange of glances, the gray-haired spiral-curl girl took the initiative to speak, "Thank you, Luo Lin."

"It's only natural. Meeting Seele in the Sea of Quanta was also a kind of fate." The Valkyrie waved her hand, "But now she can only come over by borrowing my abilities and chat with you for a bit."

"That's already very good."

Bronya blinked, feeling Seele's hand gripping hers, trying to give her some reassurance.

"As long as conditions allow, I'll let Seele come and chat with you, but the specific timing isn't certain, it could be during the day, it could be at night, you can look forward to it... Consider it a little surprise for your life?"

The black-haired girl smiled, "After all, I'm busier at night, who knows what unexpected situations might arise."

"Alright, I understand."

Luo Lin waved to Bronya and Seele, then left the dormitory door, entering Fu Hua's slightly open dormitory door.

The black-haired Valkyrie closed the door behind her, seeing Ragnar's exhausted expression, she said to the Jingwei, "I just remembered, that white-haired kid is the vessel of the Second Herrscher's consciousness! I even had some dealings with her a few years ago!"

At that time, the Valkyrie Assault Team suffered heavy losses (of course, not as devastating as the original storyline), and countless talents were unable to participate in combat due to being affected by the Honkai energy, even Luo Lin disappeared into a spatial rift due to the Second Herrscher.

She looked up, gazing at Luo Lin, and struggled to speak, "Luo Lin, aren't you... afraid?"

"What do I have to fear? If I guide them properly, they're actually quite cute."

The black-haired Valkyrie patted her chest, "Since I dare to say this to you, it's because I'm confident I can soothe them—Archbishop Otto and Theresa both know."

"...Well, let's leave it at that. I'll keep a close eye on them."

Ragnar, looking exhausted, murmured, "Today has been too exciting... How did St. Freya's turn into a gathering place for Herrschers?"

After all, it was the Devil Cave of the Far East, where Valkyries who hadn't graduated could come and receive Herrscher cores.

After adjusting her mindset for a moment, Ragnar looked at Luo Lin with almost pleading eyes and asked, "Luo Lin, there's nothing else, right? I'm about to collapse."

"Um, actually, there is... but it's good news!"

Seeing the bewildered and despairing expression on the old captain's face, Luo Lin pressed the glowing button of the [Himeko Murata] Support Summon.

But this time, Luo Lin, with her honed senses and the ability to switch between characters, perceived something:

It was a feeling tightly connected to the world's underlying layers, just like a series of [Signets], [Stigmata], and [Weapon Effects].

This strange sensation flashed by, and Luo Lin stared at the figure in crimson armor appearing from the void and landing in the dormitory.

Casually hoisting the semblance of a sword, the figure asked, "Luo Lin, who am I fighting today? I won't stand for any insolence from Vermilion Doom! Um..."

Murata Himeko awkwardly looked at Fu Hua and Ragnar Lothbrok sitting on the dormitory sofa, choking back some strange phrases she had learned from Luo Lin.

"Hello, Captain... and Fu Hua, too."

Chapter Four: The Excuse to Leave

For Murata Himeko, the current situation was indeed a mix of embarrassment and a touch of emotion. Facing Ragnar Lodbrok, the Vermillion Knight found herself a bit at a loss for words.

"Himeko?" Ragnar hesitated.

"Yes, it's me... Teacher Ragnar." Himeko took a deep breath, adjusting her expression. "But, the Himeko you know and I are not the same person—if you must know, I come from a parallel world."

"A parallel world, hmm?" Ragnar's expression stiffened, glancing at the "culprit," Luo Lin, urging her to provide an explanation.

"Yes, it's one of the marvelous abilities I discovered I have..." Luo Lin gestured. "During the battle between the Valkyrie Assault Squad and the Second Herrschers, I summoned the parallel world's Himeko."

"Ah?! It's her?!"

Ragnar was deeply impressed by that battle, especially by the sudden appearance of the red-haired Valkyrie who saved the day. Thinking back, she immediately matched the image with the person.

"No wonder I thought the newcomer looked so much like Himeko, I even thought she was her sister or relative..." Ragnar chuckled. "Thank you, parallel world's Himeko..."

"No, facing the Honkai, those are all things a Valkyrie should do."

The Vermillion Knight gazed at the still vibrant Ragnar Lodbrok, displaying a complex expression that lasted only a moment before turning into a proud smile.

However, the old captain was sharp, sensing the fleeting emotion on Himeko's face.

Ragnar stood up, taking a step forward, leading the Vermillion Knight to sit on the sofa.

It had been a long time since Himeko had experienced such care from Captain Ragnar, and this treatment was much better than what she had received from the captain before, even bordering on exaggeration.

Himeko was led dizzily to the sofa, and the sofa inevitably let out a harsh creak. After all, the quality of the Eclipse Armor was not to be underestimated, and Himeko herself was well-exercised and robust...

Fortunately, Himeko quickly activated the auxiliary support mode of the Eclipse Armor, suspending herself in a "squat" position on the sofa, preventing the furniture from being completely written off.

Ragnar asked with interest, "A parallel world... I used to encounter this theory often when reading science fiction novels, but I never thought I would actually meet someone from a parallel world. Himeko, are you interested in telling me about your situation?"

Listening to this familiar tone, Himeko almost triggered a reflex action, but she managed to control herself, resisting the urge to jump up from the sofa and stand in front of the captain to report her work plan.

"Currently, I serve as the captain of the Hyperion in the Far East Branch, and I also work as a teacher at St. Freya Academy... Oh, St. Freya Academy was founded by Lady Theresa..."

"I know about that, Lady Theresa established the Valkyrie Academy in the Far East Branch. There's a similar academy in this world, and we're currently in St. Freya's dormitory." Himeko smiled. "It seems this part hasn't changed much."

Ragnar blinked, "Moreover, I am now the captain of the Hyperion in the Far East Branch, and part-time teacher at St. Freya... It's quite strange, our positions are exactly the same."

The old captain stroked her chin and said softly, "But this shouldn't be the case, Himeko... I am well aware of your talents, and after a few more years, you would never be just a captain."

"In this world, you are a combat instructor at the headquarters of Schicksal, and you even have the next quota for the captain of a top-notch squad reserved... You should be doing well, right?"

Himeko fell into silence.

"It seems that this is the difference in parallel worlds..."

Ragnar squinted, "Let me guess, I didn't make it to this point? Ah, I'm afraid even the Valkyrie Assault Squad disappeared... And, your complexion doesn't seem as good as before, did you drown your sorrows in alcohol?"

"You're quite... perceptive."

The Vermillion Knight smiled wryly. In just a short meeting, Ragnar had already uncovered all of Himeko's secrets, proving that the old captain indeed had a knack for this.

Ragnar shook her head. "It's just that I've seen this situation too many times with other Valkyries. If possible, I wouldn't want to have such experiences either."

The old captain reached out and tidied Himeko's bangs, pinning the fiery red strands behind her ears.

"Ah, Himeko, although it may not be appropriate for me to say this, you should focus more on the future."

"The future... I've been thinking about this question for years, trying to do as much as I can while I still can, killing a few Honkai beasts, killing a few dead soldiers, and so on."

The Vermillion Knight scratched her head again, speaking somewhat narrowly, "When I can no longer go to the battlefield due to Honkai corruption, I'll settle down as a teacher at St. Freya... In a sense, it's also a continuation of the future, right?"

Ragnar was taken aback. "Are you heavily affected by Honkai Erosion?"

Himeko remained very calm. "Yes, but as a Valkyrie with artificial stigmata implanted, there will be such a day... I've long been mentally prepared."

The old captain fell silent for a few seconds, then looked up at the ceiling of the dormitory, letting out a long sigh. "Artificial stigmata... Many Valkyries have no further information because of this issue... Only those who awaken the true stigmata can freely wield the power of Honkai as a 'double-edged sword'."

At this point, Fu Hua and Luo Lin exchanged glances. Fu Hua rubbed her temples, her breathing slightly heavier.

Somewhat... familiar...

Ragnar said, "This is a silk book that records the legend of the ancient Yellow Emperor, stating that the Yellow Emperor had marvelous tattoos on her body, granting her powerful strength... If the description of the tattoos in the silk book is true, then she may be another bearer of the stigmata."

"The Yellow Emperor went to a place called 'Nine Hells' in the end, and fought against a Honkai beast named 'Chiyou', but there's no further information."

Luo Lin and Fu Hua: "Ah?"

Ragnar spread her hands. "Because the latter part of the silk book was destroyed, and the archaeologists who found it said that it miraculously survived to this day thanks to some traces of Honkai energy left on it."

"What do we need to do?" The Vermillion Knight asked.

"Bishop Otto said that even if a person with the stigmata awakens dies, they can still leave behind a considerable amount of usable information." Ragnar shrugged. "So, what we need to do is precisely locate 'Nine Hells' and then conduct archaeological work—maybe we'll have some technological breakthroughs in the process?"

Luo Lin blinked, finally hearing a relatively familiar "plot."

Coincidentally, the destination of this mission is in Shenzhou, and she can also make a detour to Taixu Mountain...

Chapter Five: Urgent, Stubborn, Soft-hearted

Early in the morning, before Theresa could even enjoy a glass of bitter melon juice, there came a knock on the office door.

"What? You want to go to Shenzhou to investigate clues about the stigmata?"

The headmistress was almost choked by her toast, hastily patting her chest. After catching her breath, she stared at the black-haired Valkyrie sitting opposite her.

"I know you're from the Intelligence Department, and there's nothing wrong with taking on these tasks... But investigating stigmata clues is a time-consuming and laborious task, and the envoy from Headquarters is about to arrive at the Far East Branch."

"I know, but I actually have some guesses about the location of the stigmata. This trip to Shenzhou will only take one or two days to confirm, and then I'll arrange for a search team to further explore..."

In fact, there was no need to guess the location of "Nine Hells" at all. Why not just ask the "person involved" directly?

"No wonder I had some impressions just now. It turns out I was an eyewitness to all of this..." Fu Hua scratched her head awkwardly, softly replying, "Sorry, Luo Lin, I seem to have forgotten almost everything about the 'Yellow Emperor' and 'Nine Hells'..."

Luo Lin was speechless. Was everything burned by the Fenghuang Down?

But it didn't matter; there was still the "Herrscher of Sentience," which has enhanced memory and intelligence!

Luo Lin turned to Senti, asking a couple of questions. Without hesitation, the Herrscher of Sentience reached deep into the fragments of memory, confidently pointing out a location somewhere along the coast of Guangzhou.

"It's somewhere around here!"

"Can you be more specific?" the black-haired girl asked.

Senti complained, "The old hag burned her brain with the Fenghuang Down, even if I have great abilities, I can't reconstruct memories that have been completely burnt out."

So, Luo Lin planned to sneak away with Theresa's permission under the pretext of searching for clues, head straight to Taixu Mountain, dig up some Spring Eternal Pickles in the vegetable garden... Oops, the "Key of Domination," and while at it, find the Book of Fuxi and push hard on the Elysiab Realm!

The black-haired girl thought these tasks wouldn't take much time, one or two days at most.

Afterward, Luo Lin would hand over the clues she "acquired" directly to Theresa, and let the people from the Fate Intelligence Department use detectors to search along the coast of Guangzhou for the location of "Nine Hells."

As for what might happen next, facing the still living Judgment-class Honkai Beast "Chiyou" and a certain Pseudo Herrscher whose mind might be a bit muddled due to being sealed for too long, things might not end well for them.

After all, they would face off against the visibly enraged Jingwei, who had just finished hearing Luo Lin recount her past stories (emphasizing Fuxi's death), the Herrscher of Sentience who didn't mind giving a few punches to the Pseudo Herrscher she held deep grudges against, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, Durandal, who had traveled a long way from Headquarters to follow in her teacher's footsteps, and Ragnar Lodbrok, who was expected to bring out her own Valkyrie Battlesuit.

Thinking about all these powerhouses gathering together to witness a Judgment-class Honkai Beast's downfall, Luo Lin couldn't help but reveal a wry smile.

Oh, and she almost forgot about the Hyperion. Although it hadn't been equipped with the Moonlight Throne system yet, its main cannon's power was still not to be underestimated—it had its share of credit for defeating Chiyou in the original storyline.

Luo Lin cleared her mind of these thoughts, continuing to speak to Theresa, "Besides, I'm a native of Shenzhou, so going back this time should be like returning home, right?"

"What kind of twisted logic is that? Just because you're from Shenzhou, you're familiar with every corner of it?" the headmistress retorted vehemently. "Then why don't you let Fu Hua go? She's also from Shenzhou, isn't she?"

The Valkyrie spread her hands. "Fu Hua actually wants to go, but a few Herrschers at St. Freya's need someone to watch over them. So, I'll go to Shenzhou alone first."

Theresa fell silent for a few seconds, then helplessly held her forehead. "It seems you've made up your mind... I really don't know what nonsense Ragnar filled your head with yesterday, making you so impatient that you don't even want to wait and rush out to search for clues."

"Ah, searching can't be rushed... If necessary, as soon as the people from Headquarters arrive, you can call me, and I'll immediately fly back."

The headmistress turned her head and tapped a few times on her personal terminal, approving Luo Lin's request.

Then, she waved her arms as if shooing away flies. "Off you go! Hurry up, while I haven't changed my mind!"

"Thank you, Headmistress!"

Luo Lin immediately turned and ran, disappearing from Theresa's sight in the blink of an eye.

Theresa lifted the now lukewarm bitter melon juice, took a sip with a fierce expression, and pounded her personal terminal with her fists.

"Really... Ragnar! Come to my office this morning to report! It's not just a problem with the city's airspace, but also the strange things you said to Luo Lin last night!"

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The black-haired Valkyrie naturally wouldn't waste any time. She immediately sent a message to the Big Three Herrscher Families' personal terminal group, saying she would be "on a business trip" for one or two days. Then, she called Fu Hua and told her she had arranged the departure.

"You're moving fast... Looks like you're planning to take a trip to Taihua Mountain with the Herrscher?"

Luo Lin asked, "Yeah, we'll bring out two Keys of Domination, right?"

"Bring them, just don't damage the array that seals the Honkai Energy in the land," Fu Hua replied calmly. "Also, you better not let the her wander around too long. If she triggers a Honkai outbreak within Shenzhou, I'll hold you responsible."

"Oh, you old hag!"

Senti spoke in Luo Lin's mind. "Your system space is large and warm, with unlimited food and drink. I've even made a good friend here, right, Selune?"

"Yes, big sis Senti!" Selune's Soul Song responded very cooperatively. "We're already the best of friends!"

The Herrscher of Sentience seemed to be in a better mood because of Selune's use of "big sis Senti" as a title.

"With such a good system space, who would want to go out and wander around? Trigger a Honkai outbreak? I couldn't be bothered to make the effort."

-You better be telling the truth.

Luo Lin rolled her eyes.

"Alright, go to the airport and see if there's a transport plane to Shenzhou. Hitch a ride with the cargo... Huh? Why did Theresa arrange a high-speed transport plane specifically for me? And it will stay in Shenzhou until I return?"

A tough exterior but a soft interior!

Theresa is really cute.

Chapter Six: Arrival at Taixu Mountain... on Foot

Luo Lin gazed at the bustling crowd on the street, listening to the familiar dialect around her, sighing, "Ah, the land of Shenzhou still feels so familiar."

Without a second thought, she rushed to the roadside and bought a bunch of breakfast items with distinctive Shenzhou flavors.

Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, porridge, steamed buns, salted duck eggs, pancakes, rolled vegetables, spicy soup, rice noodle rolls, shumai, barbecue pork buns...

Of course, Luo Lin didn't forget to send a portion to the Senti, Selune, inside her system space.and Seele in the Sea of Quanta.

This also led to passersby casting respectful glances at the black-haired girl—Luo Lin carried a stack of heavy bags on the road, and the contents inside visibly decreased at a rapid pace, while she still seemed unsatisfied and even bought some more delicious treats.

"I have to say, Shenzhou cuisine is really delicious, much better than the cafeteria in St. Freya... Uh, the cafeteria's Chinese cuisine chef is actually quite skilled, but many people from the Far East aren't used to that taste..."

Luo Lin actually wanted to eat more, but tragically, she was already full. After all, she wasn't like Kiana, who had an endless appetite, so she could only save it for later.

Next, the Valkyrie tidied up her appearance and randomly interviewed some passersby on the street, asking about any information they had regarding Taixu Mountain.

In Shenzhou, the fame of Taixu Mountain was actually quite subtle.

Because of the widespread stories about the Celestial Jingwei, everyone basically knew there was a place called Taixu Mountain, but the specific location of Taixu Mountain was not very clear.

Of course, some people thought Taixu Mountain was just a fictional place from myths and legends, and the Immortal Jingwei, as the "Guardian of Shenzhou," should also be an ordinary mythical figure.

The "person involved" expressed great indignation at this.

"The old fossil used to just go out every day to hunt down Honkai Beasts, then come back to Taixu Mountain to rest, and when she was about done resting, she'd go out again to hunt down Honkai Beasts..."

Herrscher of Sentience commented, "Now, this city is so close to Taixu Mountain that it's just a stone's throw away. Even the locals don't know the location of Taixu Mountain. The old fart, as the Celestial, is really... tsk tsk tsk, she really doesn't know how to manage her influence at all."

Luo Lin pondered for a moment, "Is there a possibility that it's like asking locals about any special scenic spots in the area, and they can't answer because locals don't go to those places?"

"Tsk, if it were up to me, the Taixu lineage would have already flourished throughout the land of Shenzhou..."

Luo Lin casually found a dark corner without anyone's attention and used the Key of Revelation to manifest a flat, wide-bladed long sword. Then, she flew into the sky using the "Sword Flight" technique taught to her by Fu Hua and, guided by the Senti, flew towards the real Taixu Mountain.

The closer she got to Taixu Mountain, the more Luo Lin could feel the surrounding Honkai energy tending to stabilize. Even when she got closer, the Valkyrie could sense subtle energy fluctuations coming from that direction.

—It's the Edge of Taixuan!

Luo Lin raised her altitude, looked down from high in the sky, and saw Taixu Mountain before her eyes.

The entire mountain looked just like it did in games, with rugged rocks and steep slopes. The mountain path climbed up along the peculiarly shaped mountain, with plenty of grass and shrubs along the way. The girl could vaguely see houses inhabited by people at the foot and waist of the mountain.

There weren't many houses, but enough to be called a village.

The houses also appeared to be of traditional Shenzhou style, with wooden pillars and green tiles. Firewood was piled up in the yards, and there were even some chickens and ducks leisurely strolling around.

Thin smoke rose up and mingled with the mist at the mountaintop, giving off a dreamy feeling as if transported back to ancient times.

Witnessing this scene, Seele let out a sigh of admiration.

But what the Senti and Luo Lin focused on was something else:

"Wow, what a huge barrier!"

With her keen perception, the black-haired girl discovered a "large net" enveloping the surrounding Honkai energy at Taixu Mountain, then visibly "digesting and absorbing" it at a rapid rate.

"Oh, so this is how the old antique utilizes the power of the Key of Dominion."

Herrscher of Sentience observed for a while before suddenly realizing, "The array they form can convert Honkai energy into harmless natural energy! The old fossil intentionally adjusted its output to create a pleasant climate in the vicinity... She's quite considerate of ordinary people."

"I have to say, this is very Fu Hua-like."

"...Indeed."

Luo Lin lowered her altitude and landed lightly near the village. She was surprised to find that there was actually a paved road leading directly to the village, which she hadn't noticed from the air, as most of it was covered by trees.

The Valkyrie tapped the ground lightly and observed the traces on the ground, confirming that this road was frequently traveled by vehicles.

"To get rich, first build roads..."

Luo Lin quickly entered the village and found that it wasn't as "traditional" as she imagined. At least, there was electricity and running water, and the villagers dressed quite modernly. She even found some strange "satellite dishes" in certain odd corners.

She felt like she was back home.

The villagers curiously stared at the stranger who came to the village, but fortunately, Luo Lin had a Shenzhou face, so she didn't cause much commotion.

The girl straightforwardly expressed her intention to visit the former residence of the Immortal Phoenix, and the villagers immediately became enthusiastic, leading her to the only (?) inn in the village.

Compared to the surrounding houses, this inn was somewhat better. It not only had electricity and running water but also had good internet speed. It was spacious and tall, with three floors.

Luo Lin felt that ordinary villages wouldn't have a dedicated inn, let alone one that could accommodate hundreds of people simultaneously like this one.

The innkeeper revealed the situation to the Valkyrie, "Actually, during a certain period every year, a group of extraordinary, obviously high-ranking individuals come here to stay for a while, both men and women... They also come to pay their respects to the Immortal Phoenix, and they're quite generous."

Luo Lin raised an eyebrow. This sounded like official personnel?

The Senti protested, "No, I'm not dead yet! Pah, the old fart isn't dead yet either! What are they paying respects for?!"

The innkeeper seemed to enjoy seeing the surprised expression of the guests and continued, "Our inn can keep running thanks to these people, and the nearby city also gives us some preferential policies. We can even make some money from it."

Well, now it's confirmed that it's the official Shenzhou personnel who come regularly to clean the former home of the Immortal Phoenix... How unexpected that they also inadvertently boosted the tourism industry of Taixu Mountain.

"You're also here to visit the former residence of the Immortal Phoenix, right? We have a room with a particularly good view. Let me show you..."

The innkeeper led Luo Lin upstairs and opened the door at the end of the corridor.

It was a room with a large panoramic window. Luo Lin leaned against the windowsill, gazing at the scenery outside directly facing a huge statue of the Immortal Phoenix. Sunlight pierced through the mist, casting a faint rainbow on the weathered statue.

"Oh, don't look, don't look, don't look!!!"

Senti let out an indescribable scream, "Clearly, when I left, there was no such thing here!!! Who carved this on the mountain?!!!"

Chapter Seven: Flying Towards the Mountain

"It's so huge..." Luo Lin gazed at the statue directly facing the window, her lips twitching.

Seeing the black-haired girl so focused, the innkeeper took the initiative to explain, "This statue was spontaneously built by the people. It is said to have been based on a clay statue found in the former residence of the Celestial Jingwei..."

The real deal was that the action figure fanatic Nuwa had given Jingwei a beautified version of the clay statue. After all, this statue was significant in every sense—not just in size but also in... other aspects.

Herrscher of Sentience sensed a subtle malice and asked warily, "Luo Lin, are you thinking about something strange again?"

"No, no..."

Just then, the innkeeper broke the awkward silence, "How do you feel about this room?"

The black-haired girl immediately gave a thumbs up, "Great, I'll stay in this room for two days!"

The innkeeper was delighted, knowing that rooms with a view like this one were more expensive. He continued, "If you're interested, we also have commemorative versions for sale... Of course, there are other souvenirs too."

"Oh? Let me see!"

Luo Lin suddenly became interested. She had to buy a few to take back to Fu Hua, to save herself from embarrassment!

Following the innkeeper, the girl went out of the room and walked down the stairs to the lobby.

There was a glass display cabinet filled with various souvenirs related to Jingwei, including scrolls, poetry collections, calligraphy, and, of course, generously endowed action figures.

Luo Lin couldn't hide her smile as she automatically blocked out the increasingly embarrassing screams from Senti.

With a wave of her hand, she bought a bunch of souvenirs, including a large set of Jingwei action figures, each in a different pose, enough to fill Fu Hua and Senti's bedside tables.

Afterward, Luo Lin went out and started climbing Taixu Mountain.

The mountain path at Taixu Mountain was initially quite easy to climb, with many traces left by villagers collecting firewood and wild vegetables.

Further on, the girl didn't find many traces of human activity, and the condition of the mountain path itself worsened:

Some stone steps were weathered and cracked, some sections were overgrown with plants and moss, and in some places, there were collapses, creating exaggerated height differences that looked quite dangerous.

Fortunately, these obstacles didn't hinder Luo Lin much. She stepped on her flying sword, advancing directly along the mountain path, while admiring the scenery along the way.

Senti seemed to notice something, "Luo Lin, wait a moment. There's something up ahead to your right... there."

The Valkyrie flew to the target location as instructed, feeling a faint wave of decay emanating from a shallow depth underground.

Luo Lin summoned a shovel with the Key of Revelation and quickly unearthed the object emitting the decay energy—

"Oh, the Fenghuang Down?"

Luo Lin looked at the golden feathers, somewhat surprised.

Herrscher of Sentience discerned some clues, "It's just a product of the ability of the Fenghuang Down. It should be a memory separated from the old fossil... Hold onto it, let me analyze."

The power of the Herrscher easily dispelled the seal on it, and a stream of memories flowed into Luo Lin's mind.

It was from the previous era, memories of a girl named Hua.

On the day she left for Canghai City to study, Hua woke up early and began her morning exercises, typical of a martial artist.

"Let's do today's exercises. Start with a kilometer jog..."

The girl ran in the dim light of dawn, with street vendors just starting to set up their stalls.

They warmly greeted Hua, as everyone was familiar with this martial arts girl, and they knew she was about to embark on a journey to study, offering words of comfort and blessings.

Hua shyly replied to each person, thanking them for their kindness.

Finally, she arrived at the hospital to visit her injured father.

"You go over there and take care of yourself. Dad may not have much ability, but it's no problem to support you through school. Don't worry about anything else, just focus on your studies."

The father hesitated for a moment, then added, "But... over there, don't practice martial arts anymore. Don't let your classmates think you're strange. Even I'm embarrassed to tell people I run a martial arts gym."

"Hua, times have changed. In the future, you can work, become an entrepreneur, or go into politics! Those are promising paths. But a martial arts gym..." The man chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Heh, that won't do."

There was a hint of regret and sadness in the memories.

Luo Lin clicked her tongue. Fu Hua's dad did have some good thoughts, but unfortunately, the world didn't turn out as he wished. Ironically, Honkai made the era regress.

"I'm not worried about anything else, Hua. You're a good kid. Take care of yourself. And... make more friends. I'm afraid you won't make any friends."

Hua hesitated, "I will."

After chatting for a while, the father finally urged Hua out of the hospital to catch her flight.

When she walked out of the hospital, it was still dark, and the rising sun was blocked by layers of tall buildings, its brilliance enveloping her like a net.

At that moment, she didn't think she would make any friends.

Luo Lin blinked—this memory on the feather had ended.

"The version I saw has some subtle differences," Herrscher of Sentience murmured, "and the faces of those familiar people are somewhat blurred... But her father's memory is quite clear."

Luo Lin was surprised, "Which version have you seen?"

Senti gestured, "Isn't there a memory replica named Hua in the Elysian Realm? She remembers this quite clearly—clearer than the portion left behind by the old antique here."

The Valkyrie asked curiously, "How much did you get from her memory replica?"

"What kind of phrase is 'get goods'? Can you use 'sharing' to describe this? Well, I didn't get much, after all, she finds it quite unbelievable to have a connection with me the Herrscher..."

"There should be plenty of memories left on Taixu Mountain, which should enrich your inventory."

Luo Lin looked at the slightly dim golden feather and infused it with some energy before burying it back in the ground.

"Senti, let me know if you find anything else."

"Okay."

Luo Lin turned around, stepped back onto her flying sword, and continued upward along the mountain path.

Soon, the Valkyrie discovered something interesting on her own.

A round, chubby, white bird with two tufts of red feathers on its head appeared in her field of vision, holding a twig in its beak, flying towards an unknown destination.

Luo Lin exclaimed, "Ah, isn't this the special creature of Taixu Mountain raised by Fu Hua?"

The Valkyrie exerted a little force and caught up with the Nian Beast.

The Nian Beast looked at the humanoid creature flying alongside it, somewhat dumbfounded, and made a questioning sound.

"Gua?"

Chapter Eight: Five Hundred Years of Pickled Vegetables

The Nian Beast didn't seem particularly afraid of people; it just looked puzzled for a moment, wondering why this person was different from what it usually encountered and how they could fly in the sky. Then, it went about its business.

Chasing after the Nian Beast, Luo Lin arrived at a relatively flat piece of land on the mountain. Here, she found very obvious signs of cultivation: crisscrossing field ridges, irrigation channels long neglected and blocked by silt, and most importantly, various weeds growing rampant, even low shrubs covering the "fields."

As for the Nian Beast, it flew into the nearby woods with a twig in its beak, attracting a cacophony of chirping echoes.

"Thank you for bringing us here," Luo Lin said, looking at the fluffy balls hidden in the leaves, her mood suddenly lifting.

"I remember where this is. This is where the old antique usually grows vegetables!"

Herrscher of Sentience couldn't help but pop out of Luo Lin's mind and loudly said, "Luo Lin, lend me the body of 'Valkyrie - Accipiter' for a moment!"

"Okay!"

The Law quickly took over the summoned body. She immediately changed into a plain blue practice robe, replacing it with asymmetrical Shenzhou-style clothing that matched the aesthetics of Herrscher of Sentience.

"This looks too messy..."

With a wave of her finger as if it were a sword, Herrscher of Sentience effortlessly removed the weeds and shrubs from the field, leaving behind mostly wild vegetables.

Especially the Spring Eternal, which overwhelmingly dominated this area—after all, hundreds of years ago, this was where Fu Hua planted Spring Eternal. After so many years of neglect, the wild growth was natural.

Herrscher of Sentience took a few steps, bent down, and pulled out a Spring Eternal, sighing, "This one's quite old... it won't taste good pickled. This one looks good though..."

Luo Lin watched Herrscher of Sentience pick and choose, asking, "You seem to know a lot?"

"It's not me who knows; it's the old antique who knows a lot. After all, she's been pickling vegetables for hundreds of years. No matter what, after hundreds of years, she's become quite the expert, right?"

After picking a few more, Herrscher of Sentience suddenly realized, looking troubled as she stared at the vegetables in her hand, "Wait, why am I picking these? I'm not planning to pickle vegetables now..."

Luo Lin hinted, "Why not pickle some and bring them back for Fu Hua to try? After all, my system space is quite large, so it doesn't matter if you want to take pickled vegetables with you..."

Herrscher of Sentience, somewhat speechless, tossed the vegetables to the Valkyrie. "Then you take them for now. We'll look for the pickling jars in the house later... It's just around the corner from here."

The two continued forward and soon saw another larger flat land, and beyond it, a weathered little house.

Looking around, Luo Lin was puzzled, "Why does it look so small? It's different from what Fu Hua remembers."

"Because this is just a facade. The rest has been sealed off by the Honkai... This room was exposed because part of the seal failed."

Herrscher of Sentience waved her hand, and a wave of Edge of Taixuan, like dispersing mountain mist, revealed the true form in front of them—

Several long houses forming a courtyard appeared in front of Luo Lin and Herrscher of Sentience amidst the distorted airwaves. The remaining buildings were well-preserved, looking as clean as they did hundreds of years ago.

Herrscher of Sentience looked at these things with complex emotions, silent for a long time before sighing, "Now thinking about it, I really don't know how the old antique managed to live here for hundreds or even thousands of years."

Luo Lin asked, "Do you want to take these things back to Fu Hua?"

"No need. Fu Hua decided long ago to leave everything on Taihua Mountain alone."

Herrscher of Sentience's fingers brushed across the tabletop, where there were still some porcelain bottles and teacups. She said softly, "After all, this place is her place of heartache... those damn traitors chose to betray here..."

The Valkyrie naturally knew who the traitors mentioned by Herrscher of Sentience were. She patted Herrscher of Sentience's shoulder and said, "I'll follow your lead."

Herrscher of Sentience led Luo Lin forward, and they soon arrived at the kitchen. There were many woven wooden racks here, perhaps used to hold vegetables, but now they were empty.

"Here, these are the jars for pickling."

Following the direction pointed out by Herrscher of Sentience, Luo Lin discovered two not particularly large clay jars in the corner of the kitchen, with stones pressing down on the lids.

The Valkyrie walked to the jars, carefully lifted one, and found something wrong with it.

Luo Lin said with a subtle expression, "Senti, I feel like there's something in the jar... Don't tell me it's pickled vegetables from hundreds of years ago..."

"Huh? This..."

Herrscher of Sentience raised an eyebrow, took the jar from the Valkyrie's hand, shook it slightly to confirm that there was indeed something inside, and then reached out to open it.

Luo Lin hurriedly stopped her somewhat reckless move, "What if it's really pickled vegetables? They should have gone bad after hundreds of years, right? It wouldn't be good if a strange smell filled the house after opening it!"

Thinking of that horrible scene, Herrscher of Sentience shuddered and quickly said, "You're right, let's go out and find an open space to open it..."

The two hurried outside and prepared (using Edge of Taixuan to cover their noses and mouths) on the other side of the small square in front of the "Fuyun Pavilion" door. Carefully, they opened the jar—

"Wow! It's not spoiled at all?"

The pickled vegetables in the jar still looked tender (?) and fresh, at least they appeared edible, not as bad as Luo Lin imagined.

After removing the protection, the two didn't even smell any strange odor, which was really inexplicable.

After analyzing for a while, Herrscher of Sentience concluded that this thing was preserved until today because it was influenced by the power of Honkai.

—Isn't the power of Honkai amazing?

Luo Lin held the jar, lost in thought.

"This should be the original pickled vegetables of Jingwei... It's risky to eat them directly, so let's take them back to the laboratory to test if they're edible..."

"You really plan to eat them?!"

Chapter Nine: Is It in This Box?

Under the startled gaze of Senti, Luo Lin neatly collected the jars of pickled vegetables and turned to ask the Herrscher, "By the way, do you remember where Fu Hua hid the 'Book of Fuxi'?"

"You mean the labor ELF you've been worrying about?" the Herrscher replied.

After pondering for a while, the Herrscher of Sentience answered somewhat hesitantly, "The old antique erased that part of her memory quite thoroughly, so there are few remaining fragments... But after confirming, she definitely didn't take the 'Book of Fuxi' from Taixu Mountain."

The girl couldn't help but quip, "What order did Fu Hua burn her memories in anyway? It feels like she's burned every memory she had, leaving nothing good behind..."

"You can think of the 'Fenghuang Down' as a reaction furnace. After throwing memories into it, it enhances the user's combat power based on the quality of the memories."

The Herrscher of Sentience whispered, "Those everyday, trivial memories can be seen as shredded paper scraps; burning them away doesn't provide much power."

"And those memories that are very important to the user, filled with emotions, are the best fuel. The energy they contain is beyond imagination, and they can even help people surpass their limits and face the Herrschers directly..."

Pausing for a moment, the Herrscher of Sentience continued with a complex expression, "And memories related to the 'Book of Fuxi' must have been extremely important to the old antique, yet now they've been burned into this scattered, almost impressionless mess... Sigh, it's really frustrating."

"Why are you angry?" Luo Lin asked with a smile. "It's clearly Fu Hua's business, not yours, Senti."

"Oh, I... I'm just frustrated!" the Herrscher of Sentience couldn't come up with a coherent reason. "Normal people would be angry if they knew about the old antique's experiences! It's called a simple sense of justice!"

Luo Lin raised her hand, initially planning to pat the Herrscher of Sentience's shoulder, but after some thought, she voluntarily held the Herrscher's hand instead. "Alright, alright, Justice Seeker of Sentience, aren't we here to make up for Fu Hua's regrets? It doesn't matter if old memories are lost; let's create new ones in the future!"

"Then why are you holding my hand?" the Herrscher of Sentience asked, puzzled.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to spend happy days with the old antique?"

The Herrscher of Sentience, feeling awkward, turned her head away from Luo Lin. "Who wants to spend days with her?! It's probably eating pickled vegetables and steamed buns every day, getting up early to train in the morning, living a simple life with no snacks allowed..."

"That's her own requirements," Luo Lin said, sweating profusely. "I don't think Fu Hua would make you live like that..."

"Right, I'm not the old antique! She can't control me!"

"Well, not entirely..."

"Ah, what a buzzkill. Can't you stop her?"

The Senti turned and ran off into the distance. "I'll search this side of the house; you search the other!"

"Okay."

Luo Lin summoned Selune's Elegy directly, and the two performed a strange dance in the air, emitting a series of bizarre "oh hehehe" laughter: "I hear the call of destiny!"

"Wipe the cookie crumbs from your mouth, please," the black-haired girl pointed to the corner of the ELF's mouth.

"Then activate your radar and scan the surrounding area for any other signals from ELFs—if you find any, I'll buy you some specialty snacks with crystals!"

Selune's Elegy widened its eyes and patted its chest. "Okay, it's on me."

The ELF closed its eyes, pretending to hold its breath, its mouth puffing up, and a dumb-looking strand of hair suddenly popped up on its head, spinning rapidly like a helicopter rotor.

"Are all ELF radars are in the form of dumb hair?"

Immersed in radar scanning, Selune's Elegy didn't hear Luo Lin's complaint. After half a minute of scanning the surroundings, it opened its eyes, panting, and said, "There's nothing noteworthy nearby. Let's go the other way!"

The girl and the ELF headed in another direction. Meanwhile, the dumb hair on Selune's head continued to spin, making Luo Lin tempted to reach out and grab it.

A few minutes later, Selune's Elegy detected a signal, pointing straight to a forest not far from the house—the same forest where they had previously visited the Nian Beast's old home.

"There seems to be something over there!"

Luo Lin and Selune's Elegy entered the forest, attracting a chorus of chirping.

Looking up, they saw a pile of white fluff peeking through the gaps in the leaves, curiously observing the visitors.

"Wow, aren't these just fat chickens!"

Selune's Elegy greeted the Nian Beasts, "Hello there!"

"Cluck?"

The response from these fat white birds puzzled the ELF. "Strange, why do they look less intelligent than the fat chickens you usually interact with..."

Luo Lin explained, "I think these Nian Beasts are different from the fat chickens you're used to. Those are active characters with exceptional intelligence, while these are just ordinary wild creatures..."

"Oh, I see... I miss the Honkai beasts from the previous Honkai events..." The Selune's Elegy said, "Although they only knew how to say 'car car,' they were very relatable... Oh, there's a signal response!"

The ELF pointed to a clearing not far ahead, saying decisively, "It's over there!"

Luo Lin took a few steps and found three stone tablets in the center of the clearing. They seemed to have been carved by Fu Hua herself using Edge of Taixuan, with a few lines of blurry text engraved on them.

"N... What... Fu... Hmm... Could these be the burial mounds for Nuwa and Fuxi? The last one should be a new addition for the 'Book of Fuxi'..."

After carefully examining them, the girl's expression turned subtle. "Wow, it's like burying oneself with her own master... Let me confirm, the signal is here, right?"

"That's correct... but..."

Feeling a chill in the air, Selune's Elegy trembled involuntarily. "M-Master, you don't plan to... dig..."

"Aren't you the reaper of shadows? Aren't you not afraid of ghosts? And besides, Nuwa and Fuxi didn't die here; their bodies are probably still in Chiyou's stomach."

Luo Lin once again used the Revelation Key as a shovel and, amidst a group of Nian Beasts' curiosity, uncovered the soil.

Soon, the Valkyrie unearthed a rectangular box of moderate size. The box's material was extraordinary; even the Revelation Key left no marks on it.

After overcoming some strange fear of ghosts, Selune approached and touched the box, then exclaimed, "This is a Soulium box! It should be the shell of some kind of high-tech device! The signal inside is very clear now!"

Luo Lin inspected it from all angles, lifting Selune's Elegy up and gesturing with it over the box. "Hmm, it seems to fit perfectly—this should be the 'Book of Fuxi' we're looking for."

Selune's Elegy: "?!?!"

"How do we open this thing?"

After clearing the box with Edge of Taixuan, Luo Lin searched around but found no handle or button to open it.

"Is this reasonable? It's very 'inside the box'!"

After a moment of thought, the girl took off her hairpin and directly inserted the Revelation Key into the Soulium box.

The Divine Key flickered, and the box made a strange sound: "Drip, drip~ hiss—"

"Alright, it's open!"

Luo Lin looked at the "sleeping beauty" inside the box and smiled satisfactorily.

"Hey? Senti, can you hear me? I've found the Book of Fuxi, come take a look..."

Chapter Ten: Wake Up, Only to... Oh well, Let's Just Sleep

"#%...&*#$"

Hmm... it's so noisy...

The consciousness of the ELF gradually surfaced from the depths, feeling her body creaking and aging severely, unable to move at all.

"...The situation is dire..."

Someone is... speaking?

The ELF struggled to think, then felt a pipeline directly entering her core, energy gently flowing in, cleverly smoothing out her restlessness and anxiety.

"...Direct replacement..."

The ELF felt like she had been flipped over several times, old and damaged parts replaced with brand new modules, the energy that had been struggling to run suddenly surged and flowed within her.

The voice in the ELF's ear suddenly became clear, hearing a strange girl's voice saying excitedly, "Wow, Mobius, your craftsmanship is really good!"

Another girl impatiently replied, "Don't come to me for things like repairing ELFs in the future, go find Vill-V, she's the professional, thanks."

"But I just ran into you, and besides, who knows what Vill-V will turn her into once she gets interested... Besides, in the end, she'll still help Klein."

"...Alright, take this reaction furnace and go to the ELF maintenance station near Klein's place, and let her help with the rest—I still have a bunch of data to analyze..."

"I got it, ugh, don't push me!"

The ELF felt herself being embraced warmly, the person carefully maintaining her balance, then said with a joyful tone, "Book of Fuxi, oh Book of Fuxi, when I checked your physical condition, it really scared me... Luckily, Mobius is a miraculous healer, otherwise you would have really become what you always say, a 'wooden-headed idiot.'"

Book of Fuxi... wooden-headed idiot...

These two highly distinctive terms gradually cleared the ELF's mind, memories surging up like a tide, tossing her consciousness up and down, bewildered.

Two girls with black long hair, one with red and the other with blue highlights, smiled as they stood around another girl with white long hair, introducing the existence of the ELF to her.

"This is the Book of Fuxi, an ELF made based on me!"

"I helped too!"

"From now on, she will take care of your daily life!"

Book of Fuxi, Nuwa, and Jingwei... the master...

A cold voice sounded in her ear, "Maintenance work is progressing smoothly, the new Honkai Energy Reaction Furnace has replaced the completely aged battery system..."

"Not bad, Klein is really amazing!"

"It's my duty, but it's surprising that you actually brought back an ELF from outside... although her creator's technology was a bit lacking..."

The Book of Fuxi suddenly opened her eyes, sat up from the ELF maintenance machine, and shouted loudly, "You're not allowed to say bad things about Master Nuwa and Master Fuxi!"

Klein, who was typing on the keyboard beside her, paused for a moment, then said in a relaxed tone, "Oh, so it's those two's products... It's normal for the technology to be a bit lacking."

"You?!"

The Book of Fuxi looked extremely angry, as if she was going to jump out of the maintenance machine and have a real-life fight with Klein, but she was pressed back down (meaning Klein tapped on the keyboard) by the green-haired ELF, and finally lay back on the machine weakly.

"...Well, it looks like the memory data startup is also very normal."

Klein looked at the screen and said to Luo Lin, "Oh, I remember you asked me for some common knowledge data about ELFs before, do you need me to copy a copy from the Book of Fuxi's brain?"

"Um, I think your data is more reliable."

Luo Lin didn't want the Moonlit Soul Requiem to become an ELF who sleeps and snores all day on the floating ball.

"Okay, I'll copy it for you when I'm maintaining it later."

Klein nodded and continued to maintain the Book of Fuxi.

Although she was still angry, she was made extremely comfortable by the machine's "massage," with an appearance of "the consciousness didn't want to accept it, but the body was looking forward to it," and finally shed tears of humiliation.

What place is this?

Before falling asleep, didn't the Book of Fuxi agree with Jingwei to wake her up after human technology had developed enough to change her batteries?

But now, even though her batteries had been replaced, her aging parts had been replaced, her energy was extremely abundant, her most important person was not by her side.

"Sob sob, wooden-headed idiot, where are you... the Book of Fuxi is going to be sold..."

"Luo Lin, I'm back! The Dominion Key is quite effective! What about yours?"

"I've been busy repairing the Book of Fuxi since I got back to Elysian Realm, I haven't tried it yet."

This voice is...?!

The ELF's eyes lit up, shouting loudly, "Jingwei, save me!"

"Huh?"

Herrscher of Sentience looked at the Book of Fuxi lying in the maintenance device in confusion, half-opening her mouth and asking, "What... what's going on?"

Luo Lin replied, "I guess she thinks Celestial Jingwei abandoned her..."

"I see."

Herrscher of Sentience nodded sympathetically at the ELF, "But from my memory, the old antique shouldn't remember the existence of this ELF..."

Book of Fuxi looked horrified, "Jingwei, Jingwei, don't scare me! I'm the Book of Fuxi, I'm your ELF!"

"Sorry, I'm not the Jingwei you know."

Herrscher of Sentience shook her head helplessly, "I'm the Herrscher, Herrscher of Sentience."

"Oh no, Jingwei's mind is completely broken, she even thinks she's a Herrscher..."

The Book of Fuxi panicked, spinning inside the maintenance machine, and was finally pressed down (meaning Klein tapped on the keyboard) by the slightly impatient Klein, lying back on the machine and crying.

"I finally woke up from the boundless darkness, even feeling my body so smooth for the first time, with energy so abundant, with long-lasting power. Two happy things come together, and what should have been a dreamlike happy time... But why did it turn out like this..."

Luo Lin leaned back, "Wow, such a strong loser's aura!"

"What are you doing? Don't make it seem like the old antique really abandoned you!"

Herrscher of Sentience grabbed her hair in frustration, saying, "After you're done, I'll take you to find Fu Hua... to find Jingwei, okay?!"

"Huh?! Really?!"

"I'm kidding you, little puppy!"

"Uh... maybe I misunderstood you, you're a good person!"

The Book of Fuxi finally stopped crying, turning her head to look at Klein, the green-haired ELF staring at her with serene eyes.

"Is emotional communication over? The body is maintained, everything is running normally... Now, it's time to do real work."

"What do you mean by real work...?"

The Book of Fuxi shivered.

"Of course it's... data maintenance!"

Klein put the keyboard aside and reached out to the Book of Fuxi with a sinister hand.

The ELF felt like she had been struck by lightning: "But I was created just to help Jingwei live... I've never heard of data processing or anything like that!"

"I don't care!"

Klein's eyes glowed green, looking extremely terrifying, "That girl Selune runs fast, you can't escape! Just stay here and be a computing power obediently!"

"No!!!!"

If I had known waking up would be like this, I'd rather rot in Jingwei's vegetable garden!

Chapter Eleven: Traditional Weapons of the Taixu Lineage

Watching the Book of Fuxi scream and disappear behind the maintenance station's gate, Luo Lin's heart filled with a strange sense of apology, but this feeling didn't last long as she was soon distracted by another matter.

"The matter with the Book of Fuxi is almost settled, and I finally have time to try out the Dominion Key that was dug out from behind the vegetable garden."

No joke, Luo Lin and the Herrscher of Sentience really did dig out two Dominion Keys from behind the vegetable garden...

Back then, Fu Hua used the Dominion Key to set up the "Anti-Honkai Energy Array" on Taixu Mountain, with its "core" right next to the Fuyun Pavilion, making it convenient for the Immortal Jingwei to operate and maintain the entire array.

Doesn't it sound a bit like a martial arts novel? What with the ancestral array protections and so on...

The problem is, this super cool and flashy array, the "core" is actually just a stone's throw away from the vegetable patch.

The style suddenly became much more down-to-earth.

According to the Herrscher of Sentience, Jingwei's life back then was extremely boring:

Wake up and practice martial arts, have some pickled vegetables for breakfast, patrol the land, gather information, take down any reckless Honkai beasts;

Have some pickled vegetables for lunch, continue patrolling the land, gathering information, taking down any reckless Honkai beasts;

Have some pickled vegetables for dinner, if too far from home, find a place to rest, if near home, repair clothes and shoes, engage in some hobbies, then sleep.

Such a cycle, highlighting stability.

Of course, there's the pickled vegetables that haven't changed for a thousand years.

Later, for some reason, Jingwei, perhaps due to a screw loose in her head (according to the Herrscher of Sentience), took in a few disciples, disrupting her peaceful life, and never managed to return to how it was before...

Luo Lin naturally knew what this so-called "screw loose in her head" was all about. Most likely, it was because the Book of Fuxi talked to Fu Hua a bunch before running out of power, saying she couldn't continue to accompany her, and so on, telling her to take care of herself in the future, create new relationships, and so on...

After saying all that, the Book of Fuxi blacked out, "falling asleep," without even having time to explain anything to Fu Hua.

The very obedient and honest Fu Hua thought for a moment and quickly went to take on disciples...

And then, she encountered a fierce betrayal from her disciples.

Somehow, it feels like whether it's Fuxi, Nuwa, or the Book of Fuxi, they all seem to have some unrealistic delusions about Jingwei's social skills...

Luo Lin glanced at the Herrscher of Sentience playing with "feathers" next to her and thought, if Fu Hua had the proactive and personable feeling like the Herrscher of Sentience... well, then the Taixu lineage might really flourish, spreading across God's Land, and even forming a Taixu Empire in the end...

The Herrscher of Sentience raised an eyebrow, "What? Are you also interested in the old antique's past memories?"

She had wandered around Taixu Mountain for several laps, copying all the memories Fu Hua had separated with Fenghuang Down and carefully reading them...

"I'm not interested in Fu Hua's past, I just saw you reading there as soon as you returned to Elysian Realm, reading it over and over again... Are you planning to become an expert in Fu Hua studies?"

The Herrscher of Sentience was at a loss for words at being called an "expert" by Luo Lin: "Nonsense, I'm just understanding the old antique's past!"

The Valkyrie pondered, "Well... in a sense, your behavior seems to be a form of 'archaeology,' right?"

After all, "Honkai Impact 3rd" is also known as "Fu Hua 3rd," and there's a saying that's passed down from who knows where — "Understand Fu Hua, and you understand Honkai history."

The Herrscher of Sentience rolled her eyes and gave Luo Lin a chop on the head: "Get your wandering train of thought in check, and hurry up and try out the new Dominion Key you brought back!"

"Okay, okay~"

Luo Lin took out a golden long sword from the system space, with mysterious patterns engraved on it, and faint Honkai energy fluctuations emanating from the sword.

Compared to the Revelation Key that the Valkyrie had been using all along, the energy response of the Dominion Key was much weaker, looking quite plain.

After all, the previous era's Dominion Law Holders excelled in quantity, with the core almost infinitely divisible, but the price was that the individual cores after division were not powerful enough...

When Vill-V was making the Divine Keys, she had a bit of a headache, but in the end, she perfectly balanced the relationship between core power and quantity, creating nearly a thousand Dominion Keys.

Although some call it "mass-produced Divine Keys," it's still a "Divine Key" after all, with extremely high demands on the user, requiring resonance and activation before the ability of the Dominion Key can be used.

Of course, after resonance, the Dominion Key will transform according to the user's combat style and skills, becoming a "personalized weapon."

Fortunately, this wasn't much of a problem for the Valkyrie:

Her practice of Taixu Sword Qi is a technique that uses Honkai energy with the Dominion Key — if one can master Taixu Sword Qi, they definitely have the qualifications to use the Dominion Key...

Luo Lin squinted, manipulating the Taixu Sword Qi to flow into this slender Divine Key, easily transforming the Dominion Key into her own shape.

Under the expectant gaze of the girl, the golden long sword turned into a stream of light, twisted and deformed in her hand, and finally became...

The Herrscher of Sentience scratched her head and laughed, "Why do I feel like you've brought out two sleeves?"

Luo Lin's mouth twitched as she looked at the strange object hanging loosely on her arm, speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Perhaps even the Dominion Key itself thought this appearance was too ugly. After a slight gasp, they turned into a layer of translucent film tightly attached to Luo Lin's arm, at first glance, it looked like some strange tight-fitting sleeve...

Blame the Herrscher of Sentience, Luo Lin's mind was full of the word "sleeve," and her train of thought completely derailed.

"What a strange feeling..."

The Valkyrie tried moving her arm, feeling as if the Dominion Key didn't exist at all, without any weight or hindrance, but she could still tangibly feel the invisible energy spreading throughout her body via the Divine Key, protecting Luo Lin.

【Feather of Yang Gaong (Five-Star · Gauntlet · Lv.50 · Not Limit Broken)】

【A girl with black hair and black eyes gazes into the sky, reflecting the stars in her eyes.】

【Just as there are moths rushing into the flames, there are birds chasing after the stars. Perhaps they are not rational, but miracles will also be born among them.】

【Weapon Skill:】

【Falling Stars: (Energy Cost: 15) (Cooldown: 15 seconds) Throws a high-explosive bomb at the target enemy, dealing physical damage in an area, gathering a large amount of abnormal accumulation value on enemies within the area.】

【Dancing Feathers: After using the weapon skill, enter the "Feather Dance" state for 22 seconds. During the "Feather Dance" state, every time an enemy falls into an abnormal status condition, the damage dealt by the whole team to that enemy will increase, stacking up to 3 layers. When equipped by Valkyrie - Dark Feathers, the stacking layers of the "Feather Dance" state increase by 1, and the damage is additionally increased each time it stacks.】

"It's actually gauntlets..."

Luo Lin's mouth twitched, "Perhaps this is the destiny of the Taixu lineage..."

Chapter Twelve: Various Surprises

Fu Hua, the founder of the Edge of Taixuan technique, always delivers punches with various special effects, sparking with lightning all the way.

Then there's the Herrscher of Sentience, who actually crafted her gloves as a sample, her true weapons being her set of spears, swords, whips, and the combined "Fierce Woman Cultivating the Land" sword.

Li Sushang's performance is commendable, showcasing orthodox inheritance from Edge of Taixuan's Domain through her swordsmanship, Taixuan Sword Ki, and flying swords.

However, it's puzzling why she's also a glove character; perhaps the Taixu ancestor also dabbled in gloves, leading to this arrangement by the planners to spare players the headache of creating a new series of weapons.

The discrepancy between the weapons Valkyries equip and those they actually use is quite normal; after all, isn't a certain Herrscher also a dual-gun character wielding a greatsword?

However, this decision led many players to scratch their heads when trying to optimize their Burning Flames' Stigmata attributes, inadvertently selecting greatsword damage, only to find the attributes ineffective and their warehouses empty.

Luo Lin is pleasantly surprised to discover that due to the special shape of the "Dark Feather of Jade Light," it's an ultra-thin, form-fitting sleeve—well, glove—that practically feels nonexistent, allowing Luo Lin to use other weapons without hindrance.

Moreover, thanks to the unique nature of the "Dominion Key," it can even enhance the equipment of other weapons on Luo Lin's body.

Especially the one called the "Moon Ring," nicknamed "Little Dominion Key," it seems to have a strange resonance with the "Dark Feather of Jade Light," significantly boosting its performance!

However, when Luo Lin attempted to combine the "Dark Feather of Jade Light" with the "Key of Revelation" to create a high-damage blank weapon for use in the Abyssal battlefield, intending to merge the two for both damage and weapon effects, the system harshly penalized her.

"In Abyssal battlefields and other PvP environments, Valkyries can only choose one weapon for battle at a time. The damage and special effects bonus from using a single weapon cannot be stacked with multiple weapons and their special effects for optimization."

"Wow! So frustrating... Wait a minute... the meaning of this 'PvP environment' is, I'm competing in the same environment with those who are rubbing glass panels and joysticks, right?"

Luo Lin thoughtfully stared at the key words in the prompt. "Then, in non-PvP environments, it's in the real world of Honkai 3... Can't I play some fancy tricks? Not only using multiple weapons at the same time but also... like 'Monkey Business'?"

The system remained silent about this, apparently not prohibiting this kind of bizarre operation.

The specific origin of the term "Monkey Business" is not easy to trace, but perhaps the most frequently used is from a game with a letter "D" represented by Tencent. It involves switching equipment multiple times, taking medicine, and other operations to stack a bunch of buffs on the character, and finally making a powerful blow...

Usually, players go through a set of "Monkey Business" just to show off a big number to others, but for Luo Lin, this technique may be able to reverse the situation at times.

Of course, she also needs to acquire more weapons, Stigmata, character cards, and other items—the more buffs from 'Monkey Business,' the better.

"By the way, does 'Elysian Realm' count as a PvP environment?"

Luo Lin tried it out, looking very happy at the faint golden weapon in her hand. It not only has the high panel damage of the "Key of Revelation" but also gained the weapon skills and effects of the "Dark Feather of Jade Light"...

The point is, this is still the character card of "Stygian Nymph," and she is still holding a greatsword now!

"So other characters don't necessarily have to hold specific types of weapons either..."

The "Stygian Nymph" awkwardly swung the greatsword a few times, sighing, "I trapped myself in a mindset; this isn't good..."

After all, in the game, Valkyries can't use other weapons, as the program limits them... there aren't so many restrictions in the real world, so Luo Lin can pick whatever she wants.

However, "Stygian Nymph" is a character that fights with sickles and claws, after all. Although she can hold other weapons, she hasn't received professional training with them.

Even if Luo Lin knows how to use these weapons like greatswords and machine guns, the body of the "Stygian Nymph" doesn't have muscle memory trained by practice, leading to errors and discomfort during actual combat.

This is very deadly, after all, in battle, any slight mistake can cause catastrophic consequences—it's called "a difference of a thousand miles for a small mistake."

It's probably the same for other character cards.

It's best for Valkyries to use the weapons most suitable for the characters honestly; using weapons of different types for combat is mostly just for emergencies...

Luo Lin is quite satisfied with these findings; she changes back to her original appearance, struts off to find Vill-V, planning to show off her "Dominion Key" to this "Divine Key" maker and also to inquire about her research progress.

According to the explanation of Mobius, who passed by and emphasized that she was not a "kind-hearted person," Vill-V felt that the various instruments she had temporarily made in the Mobius Laboratory were not particularly powerful, so she took some of the data back to her old nest, the "Helixcraft," to tinker with.

So on Raven's personal terminal, she received the positioning of the "Helixcraft," and the mercenary lady led Luo Lin and Senti into the teleportation gate with a look of distress.

She felt a little lost: "I'm not a tour guide..."

Luo Lin patted Raven's shoulder and comforted her, "It's okay; your relationship with the Flame Chaser of Elysian Realm now probably makes many Agents from the World Serpent envy you to death... Maybe you can get a few more Signets later?"

"Awakening Signets aren't that simple..."

Raven and Luo Lin glanced at each other, the mercenary lady remembered the conversation just now, and couldn't help but smile quietly.

After a while, the group passed through the last teleportation gate and arrived at the gate of the "Helixcraft."

This is a building with a strong personal touch of Vill-V's, filled with steampunk style, large pipelines, gears, and a golden exterior, gorgeous and exaggerated, making people suspect that every part contains mysteries.

After observing for a while, Luo Lin murmured, "Could this thing also transform into a giant robot and fight against Honkai Beasts?"

"But you came up with a good idea, but my budget is not enough."

With the sound of gears turning and biting, the workshop door quickly opened, followed by a sudden burst of fireworks, sparkling little fragments and ribbons shot out from various places like a machine gun, falling on the startled group of people.

"Surprise!"

Accompanied by a burst of colored light and smoke, the Flame Chaser of "Helix" appeared; she stood at the door, gave a tip of her hat to the group, revealing a happy smile.

"Welcome to the Helixcraft!"

Vill-V clapped her hands and said loudly, "You've come just in time; there's been progress in my research here, and I need someone to help!"

"Just in time..."

Raven and Luo Lin glanced at each other, the mercenary lady remembered the conversation just now, and couldn't help but smile quietly.

Chapter Thirteen: Progress of Signet

Vill-V couldn't wait to pull Luo Lin and Raven into Helixcraft, arriving at a spacious experimental site within the workshop. She then grabbed two soulium chip boards from the mechanical arm behind her and handed them to the two.

"What is this...?"

Luo Lin weighed the object in her hand.

Compared to the initially tested chip that only emitted light, this chip was larger by two circles, and its thickness had increased significantly. Holding it in her hand felt like holding a book, with densely carved patterns on it, and energy slowly moving within.

"It's the basic trial product of that special Helix Signet," Vill-V explained, adjusting her hat slightly and pondering for a moment. "According to your previous explanation... 'When activating this chip, it emits a bright light after using a 'weapon skill'.'"

Luo Lin paused for a moment, somewhat puzzled.

"Just emitting light?"

Vill-V squinted her eyes, carefully examining Luo Lin's face, and finally confirmed that the other party didn't mean to mess with her mentality but genuinely believed that Vill-V could do better.

"All right, all right, it seems you haven't understood where the new progress lies," Vill-V sighed, explaining, "I've found the energy loop that determines whether a weapon skill has been used."

The Expert sighed and explained, "Based on this loop, I can further analyze what a 'weapon skill' is, how the mechanism of 'using a weapon skill' works, and how this 'Signet' operates afterward..."

"This is a very important 'starting point,' like finding a thread from a large tangle of cables, and this thread can help us understand the essence of the cables, clarify their direction, and eventually enable us to master the method of making cables."

Luo Lin respected her solemnly, looking at Vill-V's slightly tired face and said sincerely, "Thank you for your hard work!"

The Expert was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Haha, if only the people of the previous era were as straightforward in expressing concern... Unfortunately, in their eyes, I was always an elusive danger."

Vill-V crossed her arms, putting her slight fatigue aside. She smiled and said, "Come on, let's start our experiment and see if these chips are doing what they're supposed to do!"

Luo Lin and Raven glanced at each other, picked up the soulium chip boards, and carefully infused them with Honkai energy.

The Valkyrie quickly found herself establishing some kind of spiritual connection with the chip board in her hand. Luo Lin had experienced this feeling when she was manipulating the "Divine Keys" not long ago.

It seemed that Vill-V had adopted a very mature spiritual connection technique, allowing users of the soulium chip board to clearly feel that it had been "activated."

"Next is using weapon skills... Everyone, be careful!"

Luo Lin turned her head to look at the target placed in the middle of the laboratory and activated the weapon skill of "Feather of Yao Guang"!

"Throw high explosive!"

In the next moment, a purple light flickered slightly, and under the operation of the Valkyrie, a projectile just condensed from Honkai energy accurately hit the center of the target. The subsequent explosion even triggered a fierce wind gathering inward, the strong suction making Raven's cloak rustle.

The mercenary exclaimed in fear, "How can you call that a high explosive!"

Luo Lin tilted her head and stuck out her tongue. "Eh heh?"

Seeing this, Raven made an exaggerated gagging sound. "Eww, wake up, pretending to be cute doesn't suit you!"

The Valkyrie jumped up. "How can you say I'm pretending to be cute?! I'm still very young, okay?!"

Vill-V was not interested in the banter between Luo Lin and Raven; she was more focused on the chip board in the Valkyrie's hand, which, as the engineer expected, emitted a soft light.

"Sure enough, Luo Lin, you have a very clear understanding of what a 'weapon skill' is."

Vill-V handed Raven a steam-style, uniquely shaped battle bow. "Alright, Miss Natasha, it's your turn. Try to trigger the judgment with this bow."

"Me? But I don't know the characteristics of this weapon yet..."

Raven had already "appraised" her own war bow, "Obscuring Wing," before, so she could easily use the weapon skill. Now, Vill-V handed her a brand new bow and arrow that she had never touched before, leaving the mercenary a bit confused.

"That's exactly what I want, understand? It's okay if you can't trigger the judgment mechanism."

The engineer said, "That's it, go ahead and try."

The mercenary could only grit her teeth and give it a try, aiming her bow at the completely blasted target while trying various poses to trigger the "weapon skill" of this unknown bow and arrow.

Meanwhile, Vill-V set up a huge detection device beside her, closely monitoring the energy reaction on Raven's body.

After about ten minutes of groping, Raven actually succeeded in triggering the weapon skill of the steam gear war bow, and the chip board hanging from her waist emitted the same soft light.

Vill-V took out a notebook and asked the mercenary how she felt about it.

"What do you want me to feel? I just feel like I tried and it worked..."

Raven felt somewhat incredulous herself, panting as she looked at the bow and arrow in her hand, saying, "Maybe the feeling of using a weapon skill that had been 'appraised' before helped..."

Luo Lin became interested and took the war bow from Raven's hand, using the system panel to "appraise" its weapon skill.

["Experimental Gear War Bow," besides the basic aiming and shooting of arrows, hitting weak points for additional damage, its weapon skill, after hitting an enemy, would also inflict multiple instances of physical damage over the next five seconds.]

Vill-V raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised, murmuring, "It succeeded? This bow was made by me casually from scraps... even substandard products have weapon skills?"

Standing beside the engineer, Luo Lin clearly heard her words, and the corners of the girl's mouth twitched involuntarily.

Is it possible that you underestimated your own manufacturing level, and even casually made products have weapon skills... equivalent to a three-star level weapon in the game of Honkai 3?

"It seems that next time I should find someone who knows nothing about 'weapon skills' to do the experiment."

Vill-V closed her notebook, took back the soulium boards from the two, and smiled satisfied, "I am very satisfied with the results of the experiment... hmm, how about some rewards for you? Raven, this bow is yours, you can fold it up..."

Under the engineer's guidance, the mercenary folded the gear war bow into a blocky object the size of a pen case. If the pocket were a bit larger, it could even be carried in it.

Raven was very pleased; this thing would be very useful for assassination.

Then Vill-V turned her head and looked at Luo Lin.

The Valkyrie looked into her eyes, feeling like something was about to happen.

"Don't resist, I want to try my 'Helix' on you~"

The genius showed a mysterious smile, grabbed the girl's hand, and lightly tapped Luo Lin's head with her fingertip.

"Hope you have the qualification to bear this suprise!"

Chapter Fourteen: Helix? Helix!

When Elysia bestowed upon Luo Lin the "Ego" Signet, the process felt entirely natural to the girl, deserving the title of "smooth and silent," as she effortlessly completed everything without realizing it.

However, the situation was entirely different on Vill-V's side.

The moment Vill-V's finger touched Luo Lin's head, the girl's spirit experienced a severe shock!

Something "heterogeneous" followed Vill-V's action and fell into Luo Lin's spiritual world, its presence extremely strong, causing the girl to feel almost burning pain that quickly spread throught her body.

And this was just the "prelude"; something even more intense was yet to come. Luo Lin felt like her consciousness was hit head-on by a speeding train, then plunged into a rapidly spinning washing machine while rotating like a spinning top whipped by a whip.

In a daze, Luo Lin even saw a system pop-up box.

【The host's mental stability has reached the threshold, initiating the Maze of Consciousness!】

The next moment, all the anomalies disappeared without a trace. In Vill-V's surprised gaze, Luo Lin's eyes regained clarity, and she even straightened her body.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, she asked, "Vill-V, what are you doing?"

"Helping you awaken the Signet of the 'Helix,' of course," the engineer replied matter-of-factly.

Did awakening an Signet need to be so exaggerated?! The Consciousness Labyrinth, a defense against mental attacks, was even activated!

Vill-V could naturally see the doubt on Luo Lin's face. She spread her hands and explained, "Didn't I mention this to you before? Our 'Signets' and your 'Signets' are different; they mainly function in the spiritual domain."

"What I just did was to plant a seed of 'Helix' in your mind and apply a bit of... 'accelerating growth fertilizer' to watch it grow."

The engineer made a helpless gesture. "However, just as the seed started to sprout, your spirit threw it somewhere unknown..."

Luo Lin paused. "Uh... Maybe the movement of the seed was too intense, triggering the automatic defense mechanism in my consciousness area? Would there be any problem with doing this?"

"I don't know," Vill-V said with interest, staring at Luo Lin. "After all, I've never tried giving an Signet to someone with such high mental intensity before... It's really interesting; this data must be recorded!"

Then, the engineer started tinkering with the detection device next to the test site.

Obviously, Vill-V had no intention of further extending her help; she was only responsible for providing the seed of the 'Helix' Signet, and the rest depended on fate.

"It seems Vill-V's subtle reputation from the previous era is reasonable..."

Senti crossed her arms, somewhat annoyed, tapping her arm with her finger. "Luo Lin, do you need my help? What she said about the seed, I could easily crush it with just a flick of my hand."

"No need, let me try it myself."

Luo Lin pursed her lips, moved a chair from the side, chose a comfortable posture to lie down, and waved to the perplexed Raven and Senti, "Good night!"

The mercenary hesitated before answering, "Good night?"

Senti frowned and said, "Be careful yourself, don't end up damaging your brain like the old timer..."

"Okay!"

Luo Lin heaved a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, her consciousness had already arrived in the Maze of Consciousness.

A giant tree occupied Luo Lin's entire field of vision, emitting a golden light that pierced the sky. The wind, of unknown origin, blew through its branches, causing the "leaves" to emit a slight friction sound.

Wait a minute, isn't the shape of this tree a bit strange...

Luo Lin focused and realized that this tree was not an ordinary tree at all. Its branches were made of pipelines, its leaves were made of iron sheets, and countless gears inside it meshed and rotated, turning the whole thing into a steampunk-style artificial tree.

It perfectly matched Vill-V's style...

"Is this the... seed she gave me? It's only been a short while, and it's already grown to this size?"

Luo Lin walked to the bottom of the metallic giant tree and reached out to touch it. However, she felt nothing solid; her fingertips sank into it, causing a ripple of golden light on the surface.

A strange sensation emanated from her fingertips; Luo Lin felt that this oddly-shaped tree was eager to grow, eager to merge with her, and eager for more spiritual power.

"Well, let's give it a try then..."

Luo Lin manipulated the Maze of Consciousness, releasing the restrictions on the metallic giant tree, allowing it to absorb the "nutrients" it needed from her.

The metallic creation emitted a loud rumbling sound as its branches and roots stretched out, eagerly absorbing the Valkyrie's spiritual power.

Luo Lin could feel that she was becoming somewhat different. Her thinking became sharper, her spatial imagination and computational abilities were enhanced, and even her physical coordination improved.

Moreover, some strange ideas almost uncontrollably emerged from Luo Lin's mind:

Like hiding maid outfits in Mobius and Vill-V's wardrobe;

Like making magical girl Teriri outfits for Theresa and painting "Oath of Judah" in shiny pink;

Like transforming into the appearance of "Miss Pink Elf" and greeting Kevin in the Sea of Quanta;

Since I've thought of these, why not flaunt a Kallen Kaslana's cos in front of Otto...

"Wait, wait, wait, what kind of suicidal thoughts are these!"

Luo Lin suddenly knocked on her own head, realizing what these thoughts were all about—clearly a weakened version of Vill-V's constant stream of whimsical ideas and psychic abilities!

Taking a deep breath, she struggled to control the chaotic thoughts in her mind, pushed them aside, and took a long time to barely calm down.

"It seems that the 'Helix' Signet awakening was a success?"

Luo Lin extended her hand, looking at the pattern of the 'Helix' Signet shining on the back of her hand, accompanied by the appearance of the 'Ego' crystal flower...

—When I collect the Signets of the Flame Chasers, will there be a pattern similar to a watch layout on my hand?

The girl chuckled softly, feeling the familiar fatigue again.

It was the exhaustion caused by a large consumption of mental power. When studying the "Emotion Diffusion" skill before, Luo Lin often fell into this state; she knew very well what she should do now.

"That's going out and having a good sleep to replenish my energy."

"Yes, that's it...?!"

Luo Lin stiffly turned her head to the direction where the voice came from—another black-haired girl just like her was leaning against the metallic giant tree, smiling and waving at her.

"Hi, another me~"

She smiled and said, "The operation was very successful; you now have multiple personalities too! No need to envy those Herrschers anymore!"

Chapter Fifteen: Bustling.jpg

Luo Lin stood there with her mouth half open, feeling a bit dizzy.

"The 'Helix' signet even has this kind of function?"

The Valkyrie keenly felt a subtle connection between herself and the figure standing under the metallic giant tree—similar to the feeling when summoning other character cards from the Valkyrie team or controlling multiple personas remotely.

The other Luo Lin crossed her arms and confidently replied, "Vill-V herself is skilled in dividing consciousness and constructing multiple personalities, so it's quite normal for the 'Helix' signet to have this function."

"No wonder not many people are compatible with her signet. Is it because of split personality?!"

Just then, a system prompt arrived belatedly—

【Congratulations on achieving the achievement "Please, Another Me"】

【Please, Another Me: Obtain a secondary consciousness by any means.】

The achievement badge was conspicuous gold, with silhouettes of Seele and Veliona holding hands and touching foreheads intimately.

Below the badge was a small description: 【Chatting with oneself is a feature of Honkai Impact 3rd, it's irresistible.】

Luo Lin was stunned for a moment, "By any means...?"

The second black-haired girl spread her hands and said, "I think it means if you directly purchase a secondary consciousness from the versatile crystal shop, you can also trigger this achievement."

The Valkyrie looked around, "Hmm, seems like you're the only secondary consciousness? I thought there would be a direct split into eight, directly paying homage to Vill-V."

"Are you impatient to throw a party in your mind?"

The second girl explained somewhat helplessly, "The 'Helix' doesn't directly super-evolve your consciousness but gradually exercises your spirit, selectively splitting out consciousnesses specialized in certain skills... just like Vill-V herself did."

She sighed, "Moreover, the 'Helix' signet has only just taken effect, equivalent to Level 1, and the maximum number of supported secondary consciousnesses is only 1. You have to give it some time to level up, right?"

"So, how do I level it up?"

"I'm not sure about that. Why not ask the versatile system or Vill-V herself?"

The other black-haired girl approached Luo Lin, tilting her head, and appraised "herself," puckering her lips, "Besides... you really have a mom-like vibe."

"?"

Luo Lin's mouth twitched, feeling a pounding sensation in her temples.

Sensing the situation wasn't favorable, the second black-haired girl quickly changed the subject, "Oh dear, let's first see what rewards the system has given."

She gestured, and the system panel appeared as desired in front of the girl.

【Achievement reward: "Plunge into the Flow of the Past," Path to Acheron (Scythe), a spiritual skill book suitable for strengthening split consciousness.】

Luo Lin took a deep breath, "Wow, they even came up with corresponding skills?"

The Valkyrie eagerly clicked the prompt box, and a scythe with blue and white tones and a pocket watch descended from above, landing steadily in her hands.

【Path to Acheron (Five-Star·Scythe·Lv50·Not Over Limit)】

This scythe was the exclusive weapon of "Stgyian Nymph," and when equipped, it effectively increased critical hit rate, critical hit damage, and physical damage. When used by "Stgyian Nymph," it also increased the damage of their skills.

Although the scythe was still not over the limit, Luo Lin expressed satisfaction. At least the "Stgyian Nymph" no longer needed to wield an energy scythe created by the "Key of Revelation."

Luo Lin put away the scythe and looked at the pocket watch in her other hand.

【Plunge into the Flow of the Past: When equipped in the "Elysian Realm," choosing the 'Helix' signet increases its initial level by one. When fully charged to 600, it can cause a huge loss of life to all enemies on the field.】

【Charging method: Gain 120 points of charge each time the weapon is actively used, with a six-second trigger interval.】

Luo Lin pinched the watch with the Roman numeral "V" and observed it, realizing that its hands had long stopped moving, with some signs of repair.

This thing was an assistive prop used during the trial of Elysian Realm. When fully charged, releasing its skill would summon a holographic projection with a Vill-V expression pack (looking very mocking), which would explode the entire field after a short delay.(Editor: I have no clue about this, can someone explain in the comments? I cant find any relevant info for the props.)

It was quite useful for triggering charges for bow and blade characters, even exploding three times in double layers (referring to fully charging beforehand), which was quite useful.

Moreover, Luo Lin always felt that the holographic projection looked very similar to Mona's E skill in the neighboring game Genshin Impact...

As for the other part of the reward, the so-called skill book, it fell into the hands of Luo Lin's second self.

The black-haired girl held a hefty book in her hands, reading it with relish.

"Just giving a skill book actually gave a whole book!?" Luo Lin fiercely complained, "And why does the binding style of this book seem familiar..."

The cover of the skill tree was adorned with gear decorations, wrapped in a light golden protective shell on the edges, and the title of the book was treated with embossed golden text, shimmering brightly—

"How to Get Along with Yourself—by Vill-V."

"...Did I poke Vill-V's nest?"

"After all, this is the reward brought by the 'Helix' signet."

The other Luo Lin casually flipped through the pages and said, "Moreover, this is not an ordinary book. Just like the Key of Revelation, it can be directly used through mental linkage."

The second girl tossed the skill tree book to Luo Lin and sighed helplessly, "Ah, but unfortunately, only the main consciousness can read it... Oh, according to the book, it's best to give your secondary consciousness a code name for easy communication. Do you have any good ideas?"

"...How about calling you MK2?"

"That lacks distinctiveness, doesn't it!?"

The other black-haired girl pouted, looking like some new species of pufferfish, "Oh, since I appeared because of the 'Helix' signet, then just call me Helix~"

Luo Lin glanced at Helix, "To be honest, the name you gave yourself isn't that great..."

"In the end, I and you are actually the same person. You're bad at naming, so naturally, I'm also bad at naming, right?"

Helix reached out with a smile, pinched Luo Lin's cheek, and showed a blissful expression, "Hmm~ the feel is just as good as Bianka, Kiana, and Sirin's, no wonder everyone likes pinching my face so much."

The Valkyrie grumbled, "It reels completely different from my personality..."

"Of course, you naturally have this side—just because my way of thinking has changed and become more active, daring to try out these suddenly emerging thoughts, making this aspect of your personality more prominent!"

The black-haired girl straightened her chest, "Only in this way can I fully utilize the bonus brought by the 'Helix' signet, have more inspiration, excel at operating instruments and equipment, and even transition from being a Valkyrie to becoming an inventor and engineer!"

She waved her arm, clenched her fist, "—The future is in my hands."

Maintaining this posture, Helix took a deep breath, posing with a cool expression, "How was that? Wasn't my speech awesome just now?"

Luo Lin: "..."

"I can also help you control other character cards, fight together in the Abyss, and conduct research in the spiritual world, exploring unsolved mysteries. I'm very useful, you know... Hey, don't just turn around and leave without saying anything, wait for me!"

Chapter Sixteen: Getting a Better Understanding of Mobius' Feelings

Luo Lin closed the consciousness maze and opened her eyes, the ceiling of the Helix Workshop reappearing before her. She noticed the area was now packed with detectors, their instruments shimmering with protective shields which looked rather intimidating.

"How are you feeling?" Vill-V asked.

"Not bad..." Luo Lin looked in the direction of the voice and saw Vill-V, Herrscher of Sentience, and Raven all keeping a considerable distance, even placing a shield around themselves.

"Why did you retreat so far?"

Herrscher of Sentience straightforwardly revealed Vill-V's secret, "Your mental fluctuations just now were a bit intense, and Vill-V was worried that you might uncontrollably spread emotions again, so she dragged us away to avoid being affected."

The engineer's attitude was quite relaxed, affirming Herrscher of Sentience's explanation, "Exactly, although 'Emotional Diffusion' doesn't have much lethality, I still dislike that feeling..."

Raven nodded repeatedly beside her. She had previously been continuously affected by 'Emotional Diffusion' while assisting Vill-V and Mobius in operating instruments, leaving a deep impression on the mercenary lady.

"Of course, I've also been researching targeted protective measures, and I'll have results soon. But right now, I'm more concerned about your situation..."

Vill-V deactivated the shield surrounding Luo Lin's detectors and eagerly looked at the Valkyrie, "Has the awakening of the 'Helix' Signet been successful?"

"Of course, and I've gained quite a lot."

Luo Lin stood up and pointed to the empty space beside her, where the figure of Stygian Nymph suddenly appeared.

"Let me introduce you formally... This is the secondary consciousness split after my awakening of the Signet..."

The girl in a white dress blinked, holding the newly obtained Door to the Other Side scythe in her hands, and said in a very weak voice, "H-hello, everyone, I'm... S-Seele..."

Luo Lin looked at the meek expression of Stygian Nymph and couldn't help but twitch her mouth, "You weren't like this when you were in my mind just now, Helix!"

Herrscher of Sentience frowned, having dealt with the real Seele Vollerie before.

In her perception, the consciousness occupying Stygian Nymph had no connection whatsoever with Seele, it was clearly manipulated by Luo Lin herself.

But upon closer inspection, there was a strange feeling about her that even Herrscher of Sentience couldn't understand, just that this feeling seemed familiar to Herrscher of Sentience... Where had she seen it before?

"Helix...?"

Vill-V glanced again at the monitoring data returned by the detectors, seeming to realize something. She showed a strange smile and jokingly asked, "Luo Lin, are you calling me?"

The Valkyrie hastily waved her hand, "No, not calling you, I meant this secondary consciousness, she gave herself the name Helix..."

Stygian Nymph tilted her head, wearing a bewildered expression, "But Seele is Seele, right?"

"..."

Luo Lin rolled her eyes, "I now agree with what Raven said earlier, I really don't seem to be good at acting cute..."

Raven: "What's that got to do with me?"

Stygian Nymph narrowed her eyes, a hint of mischief flashing across her face, then quickly adjusted herself back to an innocent and cheerful state, continuing to speak in a meaningless manner as Seele.

Luo Lin felt her fist clenching.

Amidst this chaos, Herrscher of Sentience suddenly had a realization, "No wonder it feels familiar, Vill-V also has this strange sense of division!"

Upon hearing this, Vill-V, rarely, widened her eyes in surprise and said, "Herrscher or Sentience, didn't you investigate me carefully before?"

Herrscher of Sentience scratched her head, "Why would I investigate you? Aren't we trusted partners?"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, the engineer burst into laughter, even bending over from laughter.

Luo Lin and Helix stopped their bickering and turned to look at Vill-V simultaneously.

"I was already prepared to have my secrets exposed by the Herrscher... but it seems... that preparation was unnecessary." The engineer rubbed her cheeks, "And Luo Lin, you didn't even have a hint of suspicion or vigilance toward me..."

Herrscher of Sentience shouted somewhat awkwardly, "What's wrong with you, how can anyone hope to be investigated and be wary against?"

Vill-V took quite some time to stop laughing. She took a deep breath, still with a slight blush on her face, and wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eyes with the knuckle of her index finger.

"It's just that I've always been surrounded by this kind of atmosphere before, and now it feels a bit funny..."

"Before...?" Herrscher of Sentience and Raven wore similar expressions of confusion; neither of them was very clear about Vill-V's story.

Luo Lin narrowed her eyes; she knew a bit about this aspect.

Vill-V had demonstrated exceptional talent early on, falsifying her student identity to enter an advanced academy to study mechanical dynamics. During her studies, she found traces of the organization Fire Moth and even once traced it to its headquarters...

Then she was caught red-handed by Elysia, dispatched by Fire Moth. According to Vill-V herself, she had "fought a prolonged battle against the entire organization and ultimately achieved a record of 'narrow defeat.'"

Vill-V, who was imprisoned, escaped multiple times, showcasing her genius traits fully.

Because of her abilities, Vill-V was later released and remained at Fire Moth as a technician. She even became the head of the engineering department, with most of Fire Moth's important structures coming from her hands.

The first to sixth Divine Keys were all made by Vill-V alone, but unfortunately, her fanciful ideas were not appreciated at the time.

Afterwards, Vill-V's authority over the Divine Keys was gradually revoked, and she even had little involvement in the creation of the twelfth Divine Key, Jizo Mitama.

Perhaps due to her unconventional joining method or jealousy of her talent, Vill-V never received complete trust from Fire Moth.

This situation persisted until the situation became dire, and Dr. Mei stepped forward to lead humanity's last struggle.

However, this change had a somewhat ironic twist:

Because Vill-V's nuclear bomb obliterated the last three remaining human cities, those remaining soldiers didn't care whether to trust or distrust her.

Thus, the Vill-V of the previous era walked toward her end with self-blame and regret.

Now, in the Elysian Realm, Vill-V's memory body stood with hands on hips, looking at Luo Lin and Herrscher of Sentience, her mouth involuntarily forming a smile.

"I'm starting to understand Mobius's feeling of being called a good person; it's really strange..." the engineer sighed, "Trust... this feeling..."

---Indeed, it's beautiful.

Vill-V patted her own cheeks and adjusted her expression, "It seems that you and my Signet are very compatible. I won't comment on your secondary consciousness calling itself Helix... Do you need me to provide some advice on getting along with yourself?"

"Uh, not for now..." Luo Lin remembered the thick metal-covered skill book the system gave her and shook her head,

"I think I'm quite easy to get along with."

Vill-V glanced at Helix, who stuck out her tongue sneakily.

The engineer whispered, "... I hope so."

Chapter Seventeen: Recalling the Scarf-Wearing Man

Yesterday, Luo Lin and the Herrscher of Sentience spent the entire day running on the mountain. In the evening, they returned to the inn at the foot of the mountain. Luo Lin lay comfortably on the large bed and let her mind wander into the Elysian Realm.

The next morning, the Valkyrie still woke up early. She stood in front of the inn room's window, which had a fantastic view, and stretched lazily.

From the window, the girl could see the "Extra Large" statue of the Red Kite outside, especially in the early morning when the thick fog swirled around, and the light scattered by the mist made the whole scene look like a fairyland.

Luo Lin sighed, "I think Fu Hua being called celestial is entirely thanks to the scenery here in Taixu Mountain—it perfectly fits Shenzhou's imagination of celestials."

Suddenly, a question popped up in Luo Lin's mind as she watched the scenery together with Helix, "With such thick fog, I'm afraid that walking a few steps in the mountains will get your clothes soaked... I remember Fu Hua also practiced martial arts early in the morning. Would she end up soaking wet after a set and have to change clothes when she got back?"

"Is it possible that Fu Hua, being proficient in manipulating flames, wouldn't actually turn herself into a soaked chicken?" Luo Lin said somewhat helplessly, "And, I think it would be more reliable for you to ask Herrscher of Sentience directly. She has the memories of the parties involved, right?"

This time, Selune's Elegy interjected, "After you two returned from the Elysian Realm last night, Master, you went straight to bed to replenish your mental energy, but Helix dragged Herrscher of Sentience to chat..."

The tone of the ELF sounded particularly embarrassed, "Seele didn't want to interrupt, so they chatted for a few hours before she went back to rest."

Luo Lin said very seriously, "Helix, I know you're full of energy and bursting with inspiration, eager to do something, but staying up late is not good... Both you and Herrscher of Sentience are still very young and still in the stage of growing."

This time it was Helix's turn to be speechless, "Can't we not calculate our age like this... Besides, aren't you also staying up late? You usually go to the Abyss or the Elysian Realm at night, I think you're the one staying up the most!"

Luo Lin put on a righteous look, "Then I'll set an example and double my actual rest time every day!"

"Doubling still doesn't add up to two hours! You're just taking advantage of the system's advanced recovery technology!" Helix retorted vehemently, "Make sure you get eight hours of sleep!"

The girl refused decisively, "No, then I won't have time to go to the Abyss."

"You're being hypocritical!"

"Oh, watch the game... no, we've been wandering around Taixu Mountain all day, and the 'investigation operation' should have made some progress by now—after all, the excuse for coming to Taixu Mountain in the first place was probably related to the myth of 'Chiyou' and Celestial Jingwei, so we had to come here to search."

Luo Lin awkwardly changed the subject, took out her personal terminal from her pocket, and sent out the location information she had prepared long ago.

A few minutes later, the Intelligence Department returned a message to the Valkyrie. They had sent the nearest team with unmanned equipment to the designated location for search, and the search operation was expected to last from one week to one month.

Luo Lin had no objections to the action time sent by the Intelligence Department, and even felt that the efficiency of the Intelligence Department was very high. "Searching for things in the sea is a very difficult task. Even airplanes with signal-locating black boxes crashed in the sea have difficulty searching. It could take several months or even years to get any news..."

Supporting her chin, the Valkyrie said, "After all, it's different from the plot in comics. The main characters were taken directly above 'Chiyou' by Welt Yang driving a yacht, and after diving, they went straight to the main topic..."

The tone of Helix was subtle, "Luo Lin, have you noticed that you forgot something?"

Luo Lin was a little confused and touched her head, "Forgot... what?"

"The leader of the Anti-Entropy, Welt Yang, Herrscher of Reason!" Helix couldn't help raising her voice, "According to the main storyline of Honkai Impact 3, this leader of Anti-Entropy should still be lurking in St. Freya Academy as a teacher!"

The Valkyrie slapped her forehead suddenly, "Ah?! That's right! He seems to still be a history teacher, and he even taught the big three!"

When mentioning Welt Yang, the first thing Luo Lin thought of was the scarf flying around his neck—its presence was extraordinarily prominent, even making people suspect that Welt Yang's true body was actually the scarf, and the rest was just growing out of the scarf...

After all, even if Welt Yang went to the next set (referring to the Honkai Star Rail), the scarf around his neck still attracted attention.

Luo Lin immediately began to recall the teaching staff she had seen at St. Freya Academy, but unfortunately found out sadly that her daily life was too monotonous, as if she had no intersection with Welt Yang at all—

Getting up in the morning to cook breakfast for the the big three, soothing the emotions of the Law family;

Next, if there were classes that S-rank Valkyries needed to attend, she would go to another relatively sparsely populated campus (a distance away from where the Reason family attended classes), and take advanced courses with a bunch of seasoned Valkyries who returned from the battlefield;

If there were no classes, she would stay in the dormitory for review, holding the research reports given by Mobius and Vill-V, delving into the essence of her own skills;

If that didn't work, she would sneak into the system's "Chronicle" module and use the stages from "Second Eruption" to command Valkyries to fight against large numbers of Honkai beasts and engage in high-intensity battles with quasi-herrschers, practicing and learning from her research;

Of course, going to the Elysian Realm to cooperate in research was also a good way. Mobius and Vill-V always welcomed Luo Lin's experimental data, the more the better;

Interleaved with scenes of having lunch and dinner, giving the returning the big three some snacks as needed, becoming a caring mother to the children, asking about their day, soothing their emotions again, providing technical guidance on academics and combat;

Lying in bed at night, diving into the Abyss and battlefield to get points, having intense score battles with the ten or even nine different levels of enhanced bosses, and even chatting in the Elysian Realm...

After calculating these things on her fingers, Luo Lin found that her schedule was already filled to the brim, and she could really work non-stop twenty-four hours a day, rushing towards the next goal every moment.

What made Luo Lin feel speechless even more was that she had gotten used to this way of life...

In this way, she hadn't even fully explored St. Freya Academy, just like an NPC, walking the same fixed route every day... Most students lived at school and wouldn't deliberately remember other faculty members they needed to contact, right?

After all, Welt Yang had shown himself to be harmless in this plot, and he hadn't even interfered in the lives of the Big Three family, almost completely invisible.

If it weren't for the conversation just now, Luo Lin probably wouldn't have remembered for a long time that Welt Yang was still lurking in St. Freya.

"I think you need to find some time to rest, at least to the extent of supporting teaching like in the orphanage back then—no, you were still fighting in the Abyss at night back then..."

"Am I going senile?"

Feeling Luo Lin's confused and helpless thoughts, Helix sighed and said, "Forget it, you better deal with the matter of 'Chiyou' and 'Book of Fuxi' first, and then we'll talk about other things..."

Chapter Eighteen: In a Corner of the Academy

"Achoo!"

The man with deep brown hair sneezed unexpectedly. Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, he discreetly conjured a soft tissue with his Honkai Energy and wiped his nose.

"Weird, I don't think I'm sick."

Welt Yang took a few seconds to check his body before tossing the tissue into the trash can at St. Freya Academy.

This paper, conjured by the Herrscher of Reason, would exist for a few hours before quietly dissolving into Honkai Energy and returning to Earth's energy cycle.

Continuing his stride, he soon arrived at the faculty cafeteria of the academy.

The faculty cafeteria was a relatively small room, separated from the student cafeteria by a wall and a door, with both sharing the serving area.

There weren't many people inside, but there were several male faces, most of them older, some with graying hair, yet they looked lively.

Welt knew that these were all the male staff members of St. Freya Valkyries—mostly teachers responsible for teaching courses.

"Welt, dining here again today?" asked the gray-haired old professor with a smile.

Welt smiled wryly in response, "Yeah, it's... quieter over here."

In fact, most of St. Freya's teachers dined with students in the large cafeteria. However, every time Welt ate there, he couldn't help but feel the students' curious gazes drifting towards him.

This troubled Welt greatly because using the powers of the Herrscher of Reason required him to maintain a keen awareness of this world, analyzing the cognition governing everything. The Valkyries' intense stares made it hard for him to eat peacefully.

Every time he glanced around and gave warning looks to these people, the Valkyrie students would giggle and turn their heads away. But once Welt resumed eating, they would sneak glances at the man with deep brown hair again.

It was well known that males in a girls' school were a rare commodity, and after forming cliques, some of these girls were just as proactive in certain aspects of their thoughts as boys, if not more so.

Moreover, Welt had a unique temperament, not to mention he was good-looking, gentle, and articulate—a clear indication of a good man, naturally drawing attention.

Another middle-aged male teacher stirred his spoon and smirked, "You kid don't appreciate your luck... If it were me, I'd enjoy the attention out in the main hall."

The old professor nudged him, "Dylan, let me remind you, your wife is a Valkyrie, and she's also a teacher here at St. Freya. Who knows, she might have heard what you just said."

"Oh, she's probably still in class, and I was just fantasizing, fantasizing."

Then, the middle-aged man sighed, "But with your expression, it doesn't look too good. Love life must be tough for you."

Welt exaggeratedly raised his eyebrows, "Reading expressions? You mean those ancient divination methods from Shenzhou?"

"Well... not exactly. It's more of an intuition—I see a shadow of one of my programmer friends in you. He wore glasses, spoke slowly, smiled gently."

The middle-aged man gestured with his hands, "Technically, he should be considered a high-quality asset, but he hadn't found a girlfriend until he was forty, not even knowing many girls. Every time he went on a date, he'd shrink back like a snail when he saw a girl— I feel like your temperament is quite similar to his; neither of you is good at dealing with girls."

For some reason, an image of a girl with red hair flashed through Welt's mind.

He waved his hand with a smile, "Actually, I do have a few acquaintances who are girls."

"Don't deny that you're not good at dealing with girls, right? But I'm different; back in the day, I was quite the ladies' man!"

The middle-aged teacher patted his chest, striking a bodybuilding pose, "Do you need me to impart some experience on how to interact with Valkyries? I'm quite experienced, Mr. Welt."

"Oh? Can you tell me about the specific process of 'being quite the ladies' man'? My dear?"

A voice, tinged with some resentment, sounded from behind the middle-aged teacher. His body stiffened instantly, turning his head as if he were a malfunctioning robot.

The old professor and Welt sighed together; they had noticed his wife walking over from the student cafeteria earlier. They had even attempted to subtly signal him to tone it down, but he seemed oblivious.

And then, things went south very smoothly.

The Valkyrie effortlessly lifted the middle-aged teacher as if she were catching a chick.

"My dear, why are you here?"

Faced with the middle-aged teacher's ingratiating attitude, the Valkyrie didn't appreciate it, "Hmph, my morning classes are over... Those two classes were particularly frustrating; every student seemed distracted, unable to answer questions when called upon... My teaching skills can't be that bad, right?"

"It's probably because they're interested in the guests from the Far East Branch who are visiting today... Even students have the chance to interact with one of the strongest Valkyries, Durandal, right? Such news is bound to distract them."

The old professor replied, "Who would have thought that the headquarters would send S-rank Valkyrie Durandal to inspect our work? Even the students have the opportunity to interact with one of the strongest Valkyries... This news is sure to distract them."

The Valkyrie's tone sounded a bit frustrated, "I don't know where they got the news from; it was several hours earlier than the information I received from the work system..."

The middle-aged man, still suspended in the air, cautiously said, "My dear, actually, some well-informed people knew about this yesterday. After all, Durandal is so famous that one glance reveals her identity."

The Valkyrie became furious, "You knew about it yesterday? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I, I thought your friend had already told you..."

"My friends don't work at St. Freya!" (shaking vigorously)

Welt watched as the middle-aged teacher spun helplessly in his wife's grip, his eyes seeing stars, feeling a pang of sympathy. He reminded, "Valentina, Dylan is just an ordinary person; he's about to pass out..."

"Oh!" The Valkyrie realized she had exerted too much force in her anger. She quickly set the middle-aged man down, "Darling, are you okay?"

"I... I'm fine, ugh..."

The man looked like he was about to vomit, so the Valkyrie swiftly scooped him up and dashed to the infirmary at a hundred meters sprint.

"Urgh!"

It's hard to say whether it was because of the previous jostling or the sprint-style rescue that made him throw up.

The old professor sighed, "I really don't know how Dylan managed to win over Valentina, a Valkyrie... There's such a big difference in physical fitness, I wonder how they spend their nights."

"Well, without Honkai Energy, Valkyries aren't that different from ordinary girls... probably."

Welt looked into the distance, murmuring softly, "I actually really want to see what the strongest Valkyrie, Durandal, is like and how powerful she really is..."

After all, he still had the responsibility of the Anti-Entropy Leader. It was only natural to investigate the combat effectiveness of the S-rank Valkyrie of Destiny.

Chapter Nineteen: The Electric Feeling in the Brow

It's well known that Valkyries usually operate in teams, with a minimum formation of three under normal circumstances.

Currently, a team composed of three senior B-rank Valkyries stood dispersed on the training ground, each wielding their preferred weapons and stared at the lone figure opposite of them.

Indeed, their opponent was only one person, but the pressure this one person exerted on the Valkyries surpassed all the battles they had experienced before!

They nervously watched their opponent, carefully adjusting their formation and their own condition.

Standing on the opposite side of the training ground, Durandal's voice rang out, "Not planning to attack?"

The three Valkyries tightened their grip on their weapons, almost simultaneously launching their assault!

The blonde knight raised her training spear, her movements not appearing fast, but her attack trajectory was Farly cunning.

To onlookers, it seemed as if the Valkyrie attacking her was delivering herself to the spear, and all Durandal had to do was twist her wrist, thrusting the spear forward with precision.

With just a brief encounter, the attacking Valkyrie flew up like a character from a comic, spinning comically before crashing onto another part of the training ground.

The three of them scrambled to their feet from the ground, quickly realizing that they, like the challenger before them, had all failed.

However, they were not discouraged, merely shaking their heads slightly, brushing off the dust from their bodies, and respectfully leaving the training ground.

As for the Valkyries watching from the sidelines, they also sighed in admiration.

"Such incredible power!"

"Is this the strength of an S-rank?"

"What I'm more interested in is her control over herself; even after such intense collisions, she didn't inflict much harm on her opponent!"

"And she hasn't even worn the latest Valkyrie Battlesuit yet!"

Amidst the chatter, Durandal approached the edge of the field, taking a bottle of water from a woman with fiery red hair, "Thanks, Instructor Himeko."

"The movements just now were very crisp, very good! I think the Valkyries from the Far East Branch should fully understand the weight of an S-rank Valkyrie with someone like you as their role model. With you leading by example, I believe they will put in more effort in their training for some time to come!"

Himeko looked at Durandal replenishing her water with a small smile, giving her a thumbs up, "In that case, Captain Ragnar's task for us shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish."

The blonde knight blinked, memories vividly flashing through her mind.

-------------------

Durandal, Himeko, and the accompanying technical personnel arrived at the Far East Branch airport last night. When they disembarked from the transport plane, they found Theresa and Ragnar already waiting at the airport gate.

"Welcome, S-rank Valkyrie Durandal."

Theresa shook hands with the blonde knight, welcoming the envoy from the headquarters with sincerity.

Durandal responded gracefully, "Hello, Lady Theresa, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future."

"Of course, this way please, we have already prepared your rooms for you."

The group proceeded towards the rest area in a grand procession.

Himeko looked at Ragnar Lothbrok, who lagged behind Theresa and came to her side intentionally, and greeted her softly, "Captain Ragnar."

"Long time no see, Himeko."

Ragnar glanced up and down at the Valkyrie with fiery red hair, her eyes flickering, reaching out to pat her shoulder.

Himeko could feel the faint waves of Honkai energy emanating from the hand resting on her shoulder, and Ragnar even deliberately pinched a few times on her back and arms, as if she was probing her physical condition.

After a few seconds, Ragnar withdrew her hand, sighing, "Quite healthy, no serious traces of Honkai erosion... It seems the information I heard before about the headquarters developing equipment to suppress or even treat Honkai erosion is true?"

Himeko smiled, speaking cheerfully, "Yes, Captain. And, this time we came specifically to meet Luo Lin, who brought back this technology... Of course, there may be some other reasons as well, those I'm not too sure about."

"Great..."

After that, the headmaster led and hosted a small welcome party. It was an event that resembled more of a regular buffet than a welcoming ceremony.

Compared to some of the long and tedious banquets Durandal had attended before, Theresa's approach simply involved having the waiters arrange various delicious foods and drinks on long tables for visitors to help themselves. If there wasn't enough, they could just inform the kitchen to make more.

Overall, the atmosphere was very relaxed, which relieved both Durandal and Himeko.

Durandal, Himeko, Theresa, and Ragnar, the four important figures, gathered some food and found a relatively secluded corner to continue their conversation.

Theresa waved her fork, saying, "Overseer Otto once mentioned your name to me, saying you're an Farly outstanding and pure warrior..."

And, like Cecilia, someone with the potential to lead this era forward as a Valkyrie.

She paused for a moment, swallowing back her grandfather's appraisal, and continued in her usual tone, "So, there's no need to be so formal, let's communicate as warriors, the Faf East Branch doesn't go for the European and American styles, just do whatever makes you comfortable."

Durandal's lips curled up, nodding, "It seems I'll have to thank Bishop Otto after I return..."

The blonde knight paused for a moment, finally asking the question she had been holding back for a long time, "By the way, Lady Theresa, a few days ago, there should have been a Valkyrie from the Intelligence Department completing her mission and coming to the Far East Branch. Her name is Luo Lin, and she also brought back the crucial technology. I wanted to ask about her current situation..."

"Um, I learned from Ragnar that you seem to have quite a peculiar connection with Luo Lin..."

Theresa's gaze drifted, her tone subtly ambiguous, "However, she is not currently in the Far East Branch. She said two days ago that she found information related to the Stigmata Relic and rushed to the Shenzhou area for further clues."

"Huh? The Stigmata Relic? Shouldn't it take a long time to track down clues for that thing?"

Durandal was taken aback, "Didn't you tell Teacher Luo about the headquarters sending someone to inquire these past few days?"

The headmaster's face became even more embarrassed, "I did, but Luo Lin told me that she wouldn't take long for reconnaissance, at most three days, and she would rush back..."

"Alas, the atmosphere in the Far East Branch is too lax!"

Ragnar swallowed his food, grumbling, "Little Luo Lin used to be a serious person, but now she's probably been assimilated by the lax atmosphere of St. Freya. What you expect, you get."

"!!"

Theresa tried to glare at Ragnar with her eyes, but her attempt to appear angry was rather unimpressive to someone familiar, lacking intimidation.

Ragnar herself was responsible for assisting Theresa in managing the Far East Branch, as Saint Freya and the Far East Branch were almost one and the same, the relaxed atmosphere at the academy made the overall atmosphere of the branch somewhat restless.

She needed to find a solution to this problem, and Durandal's arrival was a great opportunity.

"Could I ask you for a favor? While Luo Lin is not back yet, I will invite you to spar and educate with the Valkyries and students of the Far East Branch..."

Ragnar said to Durandal and Himeko, "S-rank Valkyrie Durandal, I believe your identity and strength will surely give those lax folks a small shock, making them feel some urgency."

Durandal had no intention of refusing this proposal, as she usually sparred and exchanged with Valkyries from other branches, fostering relationships... Considering, the blonde knight didn't need to do much differently, just follow her usual habits.

"Okay, no problem."

Ragnar laughed heartily, raising her glass, "Alright, thank you, I'll treat you to something better later."

"It's my pleasure."

-------------------

Durandal finished reminiscing, closing the bottle cap, revealing a gentle smile, "Haha, after all, everyone here has graduated from school and been on the battlefield... I'm just reminding them through sparring to rein in their restless hearts..."

Himeko shrugged, "It seems like you're more worried about fighting with the Valkyrie students?"

"Yeah, when I visited the classrooms at St. Freya this morning, I thought it was just an ordinary university... It's different from other Valkyrie academies; some..."

The blonde knight pondered her vocabulary for a moment, finally saying, "Some are a bit too relaxed, completely lacking any sense of urgency. I'm worried that even after sparring and competing, they'll still maintain that carefree attitude... Its honestly not good."

After all, Honkai wouldn't give you the time and opportunity to leisurely handle things; if the students continued to maintain this attitude when they stepped onto the front line against Honkai, they might pay the price with their lives.

Durandal could easily deal with powerful Honkai beasts, command Valkyries in battle, but she wasn't good at handling these kinds of problems.

Himeko squinted, patting the girl's shoulder, "Don't worry, we're only responsible for giving them 'mind-blowing' scenes... Captain Ragnar has already prepared follow-up plans."

"That's even better... rumble."

Durandal rubbed her stomach, a strange sound coming from it, causing the blonde knight to blush suddenly, whispering, "I, I'm a bit hungry."

"Not surprising, sparring all morning must have consumed quite a bit... Well, let's end our sparring here and go to the cafeteria for something to eat."

"Yeah."

With the help of electronic navigation, Durandal and Himeko arrived at the cafeteria of St. Freya Academy. The blonde knight deliberately took some extra food, stacking them into a small mountain on her plate, attracting the attention of the surrounding students.

"Who is that?"

"It's Durandal! The S-rank Valkyrie!"

"So cool! So awesome!"

"Didn't you say you liked Teacher Welt yesterday?"

"Can't I like both?!"

A student rubbed her chin, staring at Durandal's plate, whispering, "Hmm, she seems to have an appetite matching her rank... Not good, this scene reminds me of someone."

"Who?"

"That would be the new student who came to St. Freya and eats a lot... Anyway, someone with a big appetite."

Many students nodded in agreement, "Indeed, now that you mention it, we do have some impression..."

"I remember, it should be the girl with conspicuous white hair!"

A sharp-eyed student snapped her fingers, "White hair, big eater, she's over there!"

Looking in the direction she pointed, the blonde knight who was holding her tray, steppwd towards the big eater with her head down, placing the food on the table.

Of course, Kiana had noticed someone sitting across from her and the almost equally large amount of food on their tray.

The white-haired girl lifted her head, meeting two pairs of strikingly similar blue eyes.

In that instant, both Kiana and Durandal felt the strange sensation of electricity coursing through their brows, prompting both of them to feel curious.

Who is she? / Who is she?

Chapter Twenty: The Continuation of the Struggle

Bronya nudged Raiden Mei, who was sitting beside her, whispering softly, "Mei, they've been at this standoff for a minute now..."

"...,"

The girl with long blue-purple hair turned her head, observing Kiana who was frozen with a spoon in her hand and kept staring blankly ahead like a wooden doll.

Mei blinked, following Kiana's gaze to the girl sitting opposite them.

It was a girl with soft golden hair, her blue eyes surprisingly similar to Kiana's, but her demeanor was completely different, appearing decisive and heroic.

Although dressed in loose casual clothing, her upright posture and serious expression made her seem like a formidable knight.

Raiden Mei suddenly felt a slight strange tension rise within her. Acting on her own, she executed a move—placing her hand on Kiana's waist, exerting force with her index finger and thumb, pinching the white-haired girl.

Only then did Kiana snap out of her daze, inhaling sharply and rubbing her waist, "Ouch... Mei, what are you doing?"

The girl with blue-purple hair urged without changing her expression, "You've been spacing out for so long, hurry up and eat your food, it's getting cold."

"Oh, okay..."

The white-haired girl mumbled a couple of times, then continued to slowly spoon food into her mouth, but her eating speed was noticeably slower than before.

Seeing Kiana's reaction, Mei quickly realized that she was still sizing up the girl sitting across from them...

While Durandal was somewhat puzzled by the sudden sensation that occurred when she saw the white-haired girl earlier, her stomach was growling with hunger, so she temporarily set aside those thoughts and began to focus on eating.

The blonde knight ate quickly and with relish, just watching her eat could make others feel hungry.

Observing this, Kiana suddenly perked up, seemingly intending to compete with Durandal to see who could eat faster, waving her spoon and galloping on her plate.

The mountain of food in the plates of the two people visibly decreased at an astonishing speed. Almost simultaneously, Durandal and Kiana stood up, carrying their empty bowls and heading to the cafeteria's serving area.

Durandal: "Could I trouble you for another bowl?"

Kiana: "Master, more rice!"

The chef, who was handling the ladle, looked at the two people in front of him and shivered. He felt a faint crimson "danger" word looming over his head.

During the wait, Kiana said to Durandal, "Hmph, you have a good appetite!"

"Oh?" The golden-haired knight raised an eyebrow and replied, "You're not bad yourself."

"But when it comes to eating, I won't lose to you!" the white-haired girl declared.

"Uh... as long as you're happy."

Durandal subtly rubbed her stomach, watching Kiana's spirited state, lost in thought.

--- Should I let go and eat freely?

This scene attracted the attention of the surrounding students, who began to discuss quietly.

"Wow... isn't that the big eater Kiana? Who's the girl next to her? Are they competing to see who can eat more?!"

"Your information isn't up to date, huh? That's Durandal, The S-rank Valkyrie!"

"S-rank?! Can Kiana win?"

"No, I think in terms of eating, she probably can't beat Kiana... After all, Kiana's appetite..."

"Yeah, her nickname is the Gluttonous White Devil, the chef's nemesis! I believe in Kiana!"

"Anyone been keeping track? How many bowls has Kiana eaten?"

"She's only just started eating not long ago, and she's already matched Lady Durandal..."

"This is interesting!"

Listening to the whispers of the people around her, Raiden Mei couldn't help but twitch her mouth.

S-rank Valkyrie... she knew very well what this rank represented.

It was the highest combat power of Schicksal, possessing extraordinary strength, capable of single-handedly turning the tide of battle, and even engaging with Herrschers.

Why would such a person come to Saint Freya? Is something big happening in the Far East Branch? Or is it because of me?

Mei suddenly remembered the special nature of her own identity, feeling somewhat uneasy as she covered her chest with her hands, her heart in turmoil.

"Mei, why don't you eat too?"

Kiana's voice interrupted Raiden Mei's thoughts, the girl watching as the white-haired girl returned to her seat with a filled bowl, continuing to eat voraciously. She couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Kiana, slow down."

"Mm-mm-mm..."

Ten minutes later, Durandal voluntarily put down her bowl and nodded at Kiana, "I'm full."

"It looks like... I won..." burp!

The white-haired girl burped softly, indeed, she had eaten much more than usual... It seemed Mei didn't need to prepare snacks for Kiana tonight.

"Yes, you did eat more than me."

Durandal chuckled softly, she could still eat more—but that would be forcing it, which wasn't good for her body. So, ending this impromptu "competition" like this was fine.

Mei helped Kiana wipe her mouth, and the white-haired girl took a few deep breaths before realizing she didn't even know the other girl's name.

Feeling awkward, she scratched her head, "Um, I had a great meal today, you're a respectable opponent... My name is Kiana Kaslana, can you tell me your name?"

"Kiana Kaslana..."

A few familiar flashes flickered in Durandal's mind. After a moment of thought, she immediately recalled the information Overseer Otto specifically told her before departure—

"There are currently two partially awakened Herrschers in Saint Freya Academy, one named Kiana Kaslana, and the other is Mei Raiden..."

The Archbishop of Schicksal said calmly:

"This time, when you go to the Far East Branch, not only do you need to gather information from the person related to the Moon Ring, but you also need to see how these two Herrschers that they are responsible for pacifying are doing."

Is this one of the Herrschers? Why does she seem so silly...

The golden-haired knight extended her hand towards Kiana, "Hello, I'm Durandal, S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal."

"S-rank Valkyrie...?"

The white-haired girl paused for a moment, suddenly excited.

Kiana still remembered the conversation she had with Siegfried in Nagazora a few days ago—if she wanted to help her old man and accompany him in dealing with Honkai incidents, she had to become at least an S-rank Valkyrie!

And now, an S-rank Valkyrie was standing right in front of her... This was a good thing!

She had to find a way to spar with her!

A fighting spirit ignited in Kiana's eyes, which Durandal noticed.

"Oh? It seems like you not only want to beat me at the dining table..."

The golden-haired knight rubbed her wrist, smiling, "Perfect, Headmistress Theresa invited me to be a special guest for the combat training class... And there happens to be a section for sparring and exchange. Kiana, I don't think you'll miss this opportunity, right?"

"Of course not! I made a promise with my dad to become the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal!"

"The strongest? Very well, Kiana, I admire your determination... See you in combat class."

Durandal narrowed her eyes, her gaze becoming sharper.

Chapter 21: The School Director's Gaze

After returning to the dormitory, Kiana checked her schedule and noticed that there was a practical combat class scheduled for the next day. In order to challenge Durandal, the white-haired girl made many preparations, including but not limited to refraining from playing any games at night and going to bed early. She also avoided overeating for breakfast and lunch, opting instead for a comfortable amount of food.

However, this behavior startled Raiden Mei and Bronya, who asked her with concern, "You only ate two bowls of rice today. Is something wrong?"

Kiana pouted, "I'm fine, I'm just preparing for the practical combat class this afternoon."

The two exchanged a glance, sensing a hint of disbelief in each other's eyes.

As the afternoon approached, Kiana finally stopped hiding her excitement.

She dashed like an unbridled husky, dragging Raiden Mei and Bronya to the classroom for the practical combat class, which was located in the room where the Saint Freya's memory battlefield system was installed.

From a distance, Kiana could see Durandal waiting at the door. Unlike the loose casual outfit she wore when they met in the cafeteria yesterday, Durandal was fully armed today, wearing the blue and white Bright Knight Excelsis and holding the Helel Lance of Eternal Silence. Her golden hair flowed in the wind, radiating brilliance under the sunlight.

"Mm, so cool!" Kiana muttered to herself. She clenched her fist, about to greet her opponent, but then noticed another person standing beside the golden-haired knight—a person with distinctive white hair, a short stature, and an exaggerated golden cross on her back.

Yes, that person was Theresa Apocalypse, the head of the Far East Branch. She accompanied Durandal to the scene. Seemingly to express her importance, the school director even changed into a neat nun outfit, carrying the Judas' Oath Key on her back, complementing Durandal in Bright Knight Excelsis perfectly.

At that moment, Theresa was loudly announcing the precautions for this special combat class to the gathered students. "Those who have confidence in themselves can try to challenge Durandal and test their skills as Valkyries..."

The students discussed in low voices, most of them looking quite conflicted. After all, Durandal was an S-rank Valkyrie. It would be quite embarrassing if someone went up and got knocked down in one move. Everyone looked at each other, seemingly waiting for the first brave one.

Seeing this, Kiana's charging footsteps suddenly stopped. "What's wrong, Kiana?" Raiden Mei asked.

"I see a very troublesome person..." Kiana pursed her lips, saying softly, "It's Theresa Apocalypse. Do you remember her?"

"Of course, she's the school director of Saint Freya, and also the head of the Far East Branch..."

Raiden Mei also saw the figure of the large white-haired loli, she touched her chin, saying softly, "We just left Nagazora City and came to Saint Freya Academy, and it was Theresa who helped us with the enrollment procedures... and..."

Bronya seemed to have a telepathic connection, continuing Mei's words, "And the school director is also Kiana's aunt..."

Kiana twitched her mouth slightly, "Yeah, aunt..."

Although Kiana knew that she had experienced an accident in her childhood, which led to her losing most of her memory, and she would definitely encounter some people she had forgotten but who were very familiar to her in the future, she never expected to meet such a person at Saint Freya.

When she first came to Saint Freya with her companions and was taken to the school director's office, she saw a big loli whom the girl called "aunt," which made Kiana feel somewhat at a loss.

After informing Theresa that she had lost her memory, the school director became teary-eyed and lamented, then pulled out a series of evidence from the desk to prove that she was Kiana's "aunt."

Among them, the most heavyweight was an album full of photos of Theresa, Cecilia, Siegfried, and the young Kiana. Holding the album, the white-haired girl found her young and handsome father and her gentle and kind mother inside. Suddenly, Kiana felt her nose tingling.

She remembered seeing Cecilia in her consciousness world in Nagazora City...

Of course, the album also contained a photo of the baby Theresa holding Kiana... Huh, why does it feel like so many years have passed, and this person hasn't changed at all?

Kiana didn't think too much at the time and directly asked the question in her heart, which naturally earned her a sulking school director.

Theresa answered with a voice full of resentment, "I don't know why I don't grow up either, even though I'm forty years old..."

Looking at the increasingly blackened large loli, the white-haired girl wisely chose to speak from the heart, no longer pursuing this topic, and admitted the identity of the other party as her "aunt."

So, in the days that followed, Theresa often came to visit Kiana, but the two didn't have much experience of getting along with each other, often causing some awkward situations.

Now, the white-haired girl saw Theresa's figure beside Durandal, and she was somewhat worried that when she went to challenge the golden-haired knight, the school director would say something weird, leaving a strange impression on Durandal...

But Theresa had obviously already noticed Kiana's figure, and she waved to the white-haired girl, gesturing for her to come over.

Kiana pursed her lips, nodded to Raiden Mei and Bronya, who still had some worries, "It's okay, I'll go over and say hello to Auntie first."

The girl with blue-purple long hair squeezed Kiana's hand and whispered, "Relax, we are all Schicksal's students now, we are all on the same side... nothing will go wrong."

"Yeah."

The white-haired girl strode over confidently and came to Durandal and Theresa, "Auntie, Durandal, good afternoon!"

"...Auntie?"

The golden-haired knight tilted her head imperceptibly, her eyes complicated as she glanced at Theresa—do you have this kind of relationship with the Herrscher?

Theresa didn't understand the meaning in Durandal's eyes. She sighed and rubbed her temples, "Kiana, remember to call me the school director when you're outside."

"Oh, I got it..."

The white-haired girl's floppy hair fell flat on her head, looking somewhat dejected.

"Alright."

Theresa tiptoed and helped Kiana adjust her bangs with her hand, saying, "Come, let me introduce you. This is the S-rank Valkyrie Durandal from the Headquarters of Schicksal... This is Kiana Kaslana, my, um... niece? Anyway, she's a lively kid."

Yeah, she's quite lively, lively enough to become a Herrscher.

Durandal and Kiana looked at each other, the atmosphere was very tense, and sparks seemed to fly from their gaze.

"It seems that you have already contacted Durandal before this?"

Theresa pursed her lips, originally intending to incite Kiana a bit, let the white-haired girl become the first student to break the status quo and challenge Durandal, but now it seemed that she didn't need to do anything. Kiana already had this plan on her own.

"Yes, we met in the cafeteria yesterday and agreed to have a practice match today."

Durandal blinked and smiled, "I guess you must be prepared, right?"

"Yes!"

Kiana nodded very seriously, "Lady Durandal, I challenge you!"

Chapter 22: Fighting with Ease

"Before we start, Kiana, you need to make some preparations," Durandal said, running her fingers through her hair. "I know you're from the Kaslana family, so for this sparring match, you can use your preferred weapon—firearms."

The white-haired girl blinked in surprise. "Firearms? But..."

Theresa tossed a large package to Kiana, signaling her to open it and take a look inside.

Kiana unzipped the package and found two extremely impressive precision pistols nestled within, along with a stack of loaded magazines.

Theresa explained, "Schicksal has developed a training system specifically for Valkyries who use ranged weapons. With special ammunition and the Memorial Arena system, we can simulate real combat scenarios."

Before Theresa could finish speaking, Kiana had already picked up the weapons and started examining them. "Wow, they feel so comfortable to hold!"

Durandal noticed something and asked, "Are these custom-made weapons?"

Theresa nodded. "Yes, after collecting data on Kiana's combat abilities, I had the equipment department create these pistols..."

"Auntie..."

Kiana froze for a moment.

Theresa smiled. "These were actually meant to be a gift for you. They perform much better than the standard pistols you used before... And they're made with special materials, allowing you to enhance them with more Honkai energy to increase their power."

"...Okay, I understand. Thank you, Auntie."

Kiana solemnly strapped the magazines to herself and tightly gripped the two custom precision firearms.

Durandal fell silent for a moment, then advised, "You should try them out first. Schicksal has no shortage of ammunition... You don't really want to come fight me with new weapons, do you?"

"Um..."

Both Kiana and Theresa scratched their heads awkwardly.

The golden-haired knight rubbed her temples in resignation.

She realized that these two actually had that kind of plan!?

The white-haired girl hurried to the side, and the sound of gunfire filled the air like popping popcorn... Soon, Kiana returned from her shooting practice with a smoky and fiery aura.

"Ready!"

Theresa was surprised. "So fast? Are you pushing yourself too hard?!"

"No, I'm actually very skilled in combat!" Kiana raised her nose proudly. "These pistols were specially customized for me by Auntie. I got used to them after just a few tries!"

Durandal, arms crossed and observing the whole process, coughed lightly, saying, "I have some knowledge of the Kaslana family's marksmanship... Kiana didn't lie. She did indeed master these new pistols in such a short time."

The school director patted Kiana's arm, quite pleased. "You did well, you did well."

Amidst the watching students, Kiana and Durandal soon stood in the center of the Memorial Arena.

Durandal gripped the Helel Lance of Eternal Silence tightly and said loudly, "Kiana, make sure to give it your all!"

Kiana weighed the weapon in her hand, the solid and heavy feel of it calming her white-haired demeanor a bit.

"Give it my all... huh..."

The white-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then shouted to Durandal, "Lady Durandal, I'm going to use some more dangerous techniques next... I still can't control them very well..."

"Oh?"

The golden-haired knight smiled and patted her blue and white armored suit, saying, "It's okay, see this Valkyrie Battlesuit I'm wearing? I'll activate the Honkai energy shield, so just come at me."

"Okay."

Kiana took a deep breath, squinting her eyes as her consciousness sank deep within.

There was another "resident" inside the white-haired girl, though she usually remained asleep, claiming that being awake was torture.

"Sister Sirin, sorry, I need to borrow some power from you again..."

A golden light flashed deep in Kiana's blue eyes, and surging Honkai energy flowed down her fingers, attaching to the new pistols she had just acquired, illuminating the patterns on the weapon's shells.

The next moment, Kiana pulled the trigger at Durandal!

"Ding ding ding!"

A floating shield suddenly appeared in the trajectory of the bullets, intercepting all of Kiana's attacks.

Undeterred, Kiana ran around the battlefield, firing her weapons continuously. The bullets had the force of a heavy machine gun, and their attack patterns concealed mysteries— the shield needed to expend more energy to intercept these golden bullets, as if Kiana had enhanced their penetration with Honkai energy.

"Not bad!"

The golden-haired knight became interested, lifting her lance and pointing it directly at the running Kiana, exerting force with her feet as she charged towards her.

At this moment, Durandal seemed like a speeding train, with Honkai energy forming a fierce vortex in front of her. The barrage fired by Kiana was completely diverted and flew off somewhere unknown.

In just a few seconds, the distance Kiana had opened was closed by Durandal. The vortex formed by her charge slightly distorted the movements of the white-haired girl, preventing her from accurately completing her shooting actions.

Durandal tightened her grip on the lance, and Helel of Eternal Silence transformed into a blue and white shadow, thrusting towards Kiana.

In this instant, intense Honkai energy erupted from the white-haired girl's body. Her movements suddenly accelerated, and she managed to dodge Durandal's thrust.

After dodging, Kiana swiftly turned her body and delivered an elbow strike to Durandal's face.

The golden-haired knight securely caught the opponent's arm, but she soon realized that Kiana's other hand had grabbed the firearm and viciously struck the side of Helel of Eternal Silence with it, the barrel pointing towards Durandal!

She wanted to seize this opportunity to shoot!

So, Durandal suddenly grabbed the arm Kiana had tried to elbow her with before, exerting powerful force that forced Kiana's posture to change.

The white-haired girl frowned, having to redirect the barrel towards Durandal's hand grabbing her own, and fired.

The golden-haired knight immediately let go, avoiding the incoming gunfire. At the same moment, her lance also swung into action, striking towards Kiana's thigh like a staff.

"Ding ding!"

To everyone's surprise, the white-haired girl fired at Helel of Eternal Silence. The two bullets collided with the blue and white lance, producing a crisp sound, momentarily halting Durandal's attack.

Then, Kiana curled up like a missile, flying horizontally close to the ground. She landed a few feet away, propping herself up with one hand, rubbing her feet against the ground with some discomfort.

The white-haired girl took a sharp breath, her face looking quite unpleasant. "Ouch, my foot hurts..."

Durandal lowered her lance, not pursuing further. She appeared surprisingly pleased.

"Decisive and seizing the opportunity... Very well done!"

It was just well done...

In just a brief encounter, Kiana realized there was a huge gap between them—not only in strength but also in skill and experience.

She could even be sure that, aside from relying on armor for protection, Durandal fought against her using only her Honkai energy.

In this sense, the armor had become a burden for Durandal...

"Tsk, Durandal, our spar isn't over yet!"

Brighter golden light flashed through Kiana's pupils, finally enveloping her pistols!

Although using Sirin's power was uncomfortable, she couldn't care less now!

"Bring it on—huh?!"

"Ding ding!"

Durandal swung her lance violently, while at the same time, she deployed a floating shield behind her. The two crisp collisions almost simultaneously sounded in front and behind the golden-haired knight!

Durandal looked at Kiana with a solemn expression, while the white-haired girl smiled bitterly and murmured, "You can even defend against that?"

The students below exclaimed one after another!

"What's going on?! Did you see that move just now?!"

"Kiana clearly fired from the front, so why did the bullets fly from behind?!"

"Can Kaslana marksmanship really make bullets bend like that?! Terrifying!"

Durandal knew very well that although Kaslana marksmanship could indeed make bullets bend, it couldn't make them make a large loop and launch a surprise attack from behind the enemy.

The equipment department of the Far East Branch couldn't achieve this either. If they could, the head of the equipment department would have moved on to more advanced projects long ago...

Rather than saying the bullets bent, it was more like they were fired from another angle, as if... Kiana had teleported the bullets to another location!

Durandal quickly came to this conclusion, gazing at the white-haired girl, her mind in turmoil.

If Durandal didn't know so much, she might have been ecstatic because the white-haired girl who possessed this skill was involved with space and teleportation, which were very powerful abilities.

Given time, Kiana, with the help of this power, would definitely become a very formidable Valkyrie.

But now, the golden-haired knight learned from Bishop Otto about Kiana's true identity—a semi-awakened Herrscher, which left Durandal with more questions.

Is this really Kiana's own power? Can she control it? If Kiana loses control, will this ability be enhanced?

By then, as an S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal would naturally take the lead. How should she respond to this ability and break through the Herrscher's defenses to deliver that decisive blow?

Kiana noticed the knight's bewildered look, gritted her teeth, and endured the discomfort of using Herrscher powers, attacking once again!

The white-haired girl's actions brought Durandal back to attention, temporarily setting aside her questions and fully focusing on the spar.

...Of course, it would be best if it remained just a spar.

Two figures, one golden and one white, swiftly intersected, the sound of steel colliding echoing in the training ground. The wind whipped up by the swinging lance and the bullets flying everywhere created a strange scene, leaving the spectators silent.

Is Kiana really just an aspiring Valkyrie academy student?

Many watching this battle had this question in their minds.

Of course, this didn't include Mei.

The girl with blue-purple hair clenched her hands tightly against her chest, watching the figures fighting fiercely in the center of the arena.

"Come on! Kiana!"

Bronya stepped closer to Mei, showing her support.

"Go for it!"

Mei felt the movement beside her, and her tense body relaxed slightly.

At this point, the battle had reached a critical juncture. Kiana had realized that her condition was plummeting rapidly.

She had thought she was familiar enough with Sirin's power and could maintain this state for a while, but the energy and stamina consumed by fighting Durandal far exceeded her expectations...

Kiana felt a bit dizzy, and the familiar pain from her fingertips made her realize the danger—excessive Honkai energy had begun to erode her body.

She had to stop borrowing Sirin's power immediately!

Gritting her teeth, Kiana once again used spatial displacement gunplay against Durandal. But the golden knight seemed to anticipate her moves, always intercepting the bullets with her lance and floating shield.

Even Kiana's forward attacks were predicted by her opponent, easily countered with slight movements.

Kiana couldn't help but feel the same doubt as her classmates:

How did she do it? Were S-rank Valkyries really this strong?!

Durandal herself didn't quite understand how she did it. She only knew that during her battle with Kiana, a strange instinct guided her actions.

It was as if she had experienced similar battles a long time ago—desperate battles against wielders of spatial abilities.

In a daze, Durandal instinctively deflected Kiana's attack again, causing the white-haired girl to spin in the air. When she landed, she staggered a few steps, almost losing her balance.

"Ugh..."

Kiana felt the blood vessels on her forehead pulsating, accompanied by a terrible buzzing in her ears.

She raised her bloodshot eyes and met Durandal's gaze, still maintaining an elegant and powerful posture.

The two saw each other's gaze.

—Burning like fire, with strong initiative and fierce determination.

—Steady like steel, determined to move forward under any circumstances.

In the depths of their hearts, the two reached an agreement.

Regardless, the next move should be the final blow of this battle.

"Bring it on!"

"...".

Durandal jolted, and her opponent vanished before her eyes in the blink of an eye.

—She could not only teleport bullets but also herself!

As for her current location... above!

The golden-haired knight twisted her body, looked up, and saw Kiana, like a meteor, with immense Honkai energy gathering at her feet, falling diagonally with a peculiar flying kick posture, aimed directly at her.

At the same time, her dual pistols kept firing, enveloping Durandal.

No more teleporting bullets from elsewhere. Kiana had pushed herself to the limit!

Facing this scene, Durandal couldn't help but smile.

So, the golden knight gathered Honkai energy, infused it into Helel, her blue and white lance with peculiar patterns, shimmered, emanating a sharp aura.

Durandal raised her lance, aiming at Kiana.

The next moment, their attacks were about to collide!

"Enough!"

A crisp shout came from the side, and a small figure inserted itself into the battlefield.

Theresa Apocalypse plunged the cross she carried into the ground, accompanying the clang of metal, the area suppressing Honkai energy covering the entire field, instantly neutralizing the terrifying reactions of Honkai energy.

The Key of Binding, Oath of Judah, shot out a golden chain, gently wrapping around Kiana in midair, then securely bringing her back to Theresa's side.

The principal seemed genuinely anxious. She shouted, "Kiana, this is just a spar, not a fight to the death! Do you plan to end up in the hospital unable to get up?"

"Auntie... cough..."

Kiana blinked in confusion, muttering, "I was... using my full strength..."

"You..."

Theresa gritted her teeth, really wanting to give the white puffball a few knocks on the head, but when she reached out, she found Kiana was like a furnace, unnaturally hot all over.

"It looks like she's used too much Honkai energy, causing an overload..."

Durandal walked over, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the anti-Honkai energy field upheld by Judah. But she was more concerned about Kiana's condition.

"This... let me call the doctor..."

Theresa felt awkward. Although she had directly suppressed all active Honkai energy with Judah, she didn't know how to treat and correct the body's functions specifically.

"It's okay, I'll handle it. Luckily, I have a device on me that can deal with this situation. By the way, you should retract the field of the Divine Key..."

Durandal touched the Moon Ring on her shoulder and placed her hand on Kiana.

The ring-shaped device hummed, extracting the excessive Honkai energy from the white puffball's body. Durandal also helped Kiana to regulate the violent energy fluctuations in her body, which relieved Theresa.

Kiana's face turned pale, she pursed her lips, and whispered, "Um, Lady Durandal, I..."

The golden-haired knight extended her index finger, gently touching Kiana's lips, "Don't speak for now."

"Okay, okay..."

Kiana closed her eyes somewhat dejectedly, experiencing what could be considered a painful defeat this time.

Her performance was a mess, almost entirely predicted by her opponent, and in the end, she collapsed due to excessive use of Honkai energy...

It seemed that the plan to get involved with Durandal was going to fail...

"You did well, Kiana."

The white puffball opened her eyes again, looking at Durandal who softly uttered those words.

"Rest assured and recuperate... We'll talk later when you're settled."

The golden-haired knight smiled, "I have high hopes for you. Keep it up, Kiana."

"Mm."

Soon, a Valkyrie wearing a medical badge hurriedly ran over and, with the calm Kiana, left the training ground.

Theresa crossed her arms, sighing, "Impressive, Durandal, you managed to make such a mess with just one move..."

The golden-haired knight awkwardly rubbed her head, "Uh, I didn't mean to, I just got a little excited... maybe?"

"Hmm? Using such heavy-handed tactics on a Valkyrie student?"

Theresa snorted and continued, "That said, my niece still has some tricks up her sleeve, which did surprise me... If I were suddenly faced with this move on the field, I'd probably handle it worse than you. However, you seemed a bit too easygoing in the fight. Its almost as if you've got experience fighting spatial users. Let's exchange some pointers later; I could learn a thing or two from you in this regard."

"Well... uh..."

Durandal chuckled awkwardly, "I don't know why, it just felt very natural to fight against her..."

Chapter 23 Just a Casual Poke

"Feels natural... Does that mean combat intuition?" Theresa raised an eyebrow, looking at Durandal's genuinely bewildered expression, sighed, "Well, some things can't be taught, but we still need to communicate more in the future... I've been squatting in the Far East Branch for so long, and I haven't had a decent battle, I feel like my body's rusting."

"No problem, Lady Theresa," Durandal responded graciously.

"Yeah... but now there's another issue..." The principal pointed to the students outside the training ground, somewhat helplessly saying, "Look at their expressions, your performance just now really scared them..."

Following Theresa's finger, Durandal saw that all the students were not only impressed but also intimidated by the power she displayed in the previous battle.

However, the golden-haired knight wasn't too concerned about it, "Honkai beasts are much fiercer than me. If they're afraid even in such a scenario where it's just a spar and not life-threatening, then I think it's better to focus on logistics early."

"The logic is there, but..." Theresa nodded, then shook her head, "What about this sparring session? The way you two fought just now was a bit exaggerated, I doubt anyone would dare to come up and spar with you in the following live combat classes..."

Durandal scratched her head awkwardly, "Well..."

"I'll do it!"

Just then, a girl with blue-purple long hair pushed through the crowd, her gaze determined as she approached Durandal and Theresa.

Behind her, there was also a silver-haired girl with twin spiral ponytails. Durandal noticed that she had a set of exoskeletons on her legs, probably for walking assistance.

The girl with blue-purple hair spoke loudly to the golden-haired knight, "Lady Durandal, my name is Raiden Mei, and I'd like to spar with you, please!"

Durandal took a closer look and realized that she was the other half-awakened Valkyrie that Otto had told her about?!

Mei's emotions were a bit agitated, sparks of electricity occasionally sparking from her forehead, accompanied by crackling sounds in the air... Most likely because she saw Kiana being taken to the hospital.

"Of course, Raiden Mei. However, you need to calm yourself a bit. The fluctuation of Honkai energy around you seems a bit off." Durandal said, at the same time, gripping Helel tightly and silently activating all the functions of the Bright Knight Excelsis, ensuring that if anything happened next, she could act first...

Mei then realized that her state was not quite right. After taking a few deep breaths, she quickly regained control of her emotions in Durandal's surprised gaze.

"Sorry! I lost control..." Mei lowered her head, a little embarrassed, and tugged at her bangs.

Durandal looked at the girl with blue-purple long hair in front of her and asked cautiously, "Um, it's good that you're back to normal... So, are you still planning to challenge?"

Mei's expression was serious as she said, "Of course!"

"Then the Bronya wants to challenge with Mei too!"

Stepping forward from behind Mei, the silver-haired girl stood next to Raiden Mei and said to Durandal, "Lady Durandal, my name is Bronya Zaychik, and I want to challenge you with Raiden Mei."

Mei was stunned.

Bronya remained expressionless (actually, her brain didn't really support expression right now) as she said, "It's very difficult for one person to challenge an S-rank Valkyrie like you, like Kiana did. I think it's more appropriate to form a team for combat."

The girl with the silver spiral ponytails nudged Mei's arm with her shoulder, "Right, Mei?"

Mei smiled and replied softly, "Yes."

Durandal looked at the scene in front of her. She seemed to be expected to show satisfaction due to the friendship between the two, but considering Raiden Mei's identity, she could only say that her feelings were quite complicated at the moment.

How should she put it, Miss Bronya... Her choice of friends...

At this moment, Theresa said to Raiden Mei, "Thank you for stepping forward... By the way, Raiden Mei, I know you're Kiana's friend. Just now, the doctor sent a message saying that Kiana is not seriously injured, but she needs to rest and take medication for the next few days. She can't engage in vigorous exercise, nor can she eat cold, greasy, or spicy food..."

"That's great... charging up alone, ignoring her own condition, forcibly using Honkai energy, really, what a fool..." Mei breathed a sigh of relief, then scolded with a smile, "I'll keep an eye on her and make sure Kiana doesn't eat anything that interferes with her recovery during her rest period, no snacks allowed either!"

Bronya half-opened her mouth, whispering softly, "Isn't this punishment for Kiana considered a hell difficulty level?"

The girl with blue-purple long hair just smirked, "She brought it upon herself!"

Durandal weakly raised her hand and asked, "Are we still fighting?"

"Fight, of course!" Raiden Mei and Bronya followed Durandal out.

Theresa turned her head and shouted to the students outside the field, "See? If you think you can't handle it alone, then find a few people to team up with."

The students glanced at each other, and finally, noisily began to look for familiar partners. It seemed that they had also recovered and were ready to have an intense showdown with Durandal.

Theresa wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and sighed, "Phew... This class can finally continue peacefully..."

"Beep beep beep~"

Just then, the principal's personal terminal rang.

"What's this..." Theresa opened the message, frowned, and read it out word by word, "The Intelligence Department's reconnaissance team has located the specific location of Chiyou and applied for further exploration... huh?"

The principal's mouth half-opened, "Wait, Luo Lin, you've only been gone for less than two days, right? You found the Stigmata so quickly? Is this... is this reasonable?"

...

"Is this reasonable?"

Luolin put down her terminal and echoed the same sentiment.

She looked at the Herrscher of Sentience beside her and asked, "Are you sure Fu Hua completely forgot the specific location of Chiyou? How did we find it so quickly?!"

"I didn't!"

Senti murmured incredulously, "I just randomly clicked somewhere on the map, roughly marking the location..."

Both were utterly confused.

Chapter 24 Encounter with a Cute Creature... Probably

On a Schicskal-class transport airship off the coast of Guangzhou, a silver-haired Valkyrie with red pupils was typing away at a keyboard.

Her teammate's inquiry came through her earpiece: "Alvitr, have you adjusted the equipment?"

"Just the last two parameters... Alright, adjustment completed! We can deploy the final batch of detection buoys now."

Alvitr stretched lazily, but the seat space wasn't large enough for her arms to fully extend, so she reluctantly pulled them back in.

The transport airship smoothly changed its posture and dropped several dozen red-and-white buoys into the sea below. They would continue to operate, gathering environmental information in the vicinity.

After confirming that all deployed detectors were functioning normally, Alvitr announced over the communication channel, and it erupted with cheers.

"Finished for the day!"

"I'm going to have a big celebration!"

Someone teased, "How many days has it been since your last drink? Less than a week, right? And weren't you celebrating the successful completion of the last project?"

"Can't we declare a perfect completion in advance given the current situation?" the alcohol-loving Valkyrie retorted. "We've basically pinpointed the location of Chiyou, and all that's left is to find the entrance and send exploration teams in for a thorough search... We've hardly ever encountered any hiccups in this regard, right?"

Her words were met with agreement from the other Valkyries.

"That's true."

"The most troublesome part, locating, is already done! Cheers!"

Alvitr chimed in, "Yeah, I thought it would be just like before, sitting in vehicles every day, hauling heavy computers to adjust detectors, ending each day looking a mess with no place to shower..."

"It won't be as difficult this time, considering we're near the continental shelf, and we have this transport airship... The airship needs maintenance back at the base too!"

The alcohol-loving Valkyrie continued, "Besides, I feel like our luck has been really good these past two days. The Intelligence Department's coordinates landed right on top of the Stigmata ruins... For this stroke of luck alone, I'm going to drink a couple extra when we get back."

The Valkyrie piloting the transport airship exclaimed, "Can we stop talking about alcohol? You're making me crave it! I have to stay combat-ready during the mission and can't even touch a drop..."

"Haha, after all, you're the driver. If you drink and drive, we'll all end up in the sea!"

"Shut up, or I'll launch you out of the airship right now!"

Amidst the laughter and cheers, the airship returned to base.

Alvitr carried her computer and walked out of the transport plane with her teammates, finally stretching her lazy limbs.

"Ah... that feels better!"

"Alvitr!"

A Valkyrie who looked quite imposing approached the landing pad, walking towards Alvitr.

"Wow, Captain Whitley!"

"I need to trouble you again..."

Whitley's face carried a familiar apology, and Alvitr immediately understood why she was being sought out.

She hesitated for a moment, asking, "Do I need to be the one to communicate with the scientists at headquarters?"

"Haha, after all, you're the only one in our team skilled in technology and data... It's more efficient if you handle it."

Alvitr rubbed her temples with some discomfort. "Alright, alright. Most researchers have very special thought patterns. I hope this time we'll be dealing with scientists who are good at communication..."

Whitley patted Alvitr's shoulder gently. "Ah, Alvitr, with your skills and communication abilities, staying in our exploration team is actually a bit of a waste... Are you interested in going to headquarters? They're recruiting, and if you're willing, I'll recommend you."

"Well..."

Alvitr pursed her lips, visibly conflicted. "Let's talk about it later... Let's talk..."

"No rush, take your time to think about it." Whitley squeezed Alvitr's shoulder. "It's a big decision, you have to make it yourself..."

The two stood by the landing pad, watching as the ground crew began maintenance on the transport airship, taking their time.

"Hmm? Someone's calling?"

Whitley took out her personal terminal and answered the call.

"Hello? What's up? Is there a scary Valkyrie from the Intelligence Department checking on our progress?" The captain gasped, "You think it's from headquarters? Ugh... I'll be right there!"

While Alvitr was still contemplating her future, Whitley grabbed her arm. "Alvitr, stop daydreaming, let's go together!"

"Uh... huh? What's going on?"

"It's time to put your skills to use!"

----------------------------------------------

After receiving the message, Luo Lin rushed from Taixu Mountain to the Schicksal base.

Now, she was standing in front of a holographic projector representing the underwater situation, staring at the red-marked area on it.

The area was quite large, with some upward protrusions that might be mistaken for ordinary underwater volcanic formations at first glance.

But Luo Lin knew that this was the body of the Judgment-level Herrscher, Chiyou!

And the most important thing was that it hadn't died yet, and it could even climb up and perform an assault on the mainland.

Luo Lin licked her lips and turned her head to look at the few Valkyries of the exploration team standing beside the projection. One of them, a silver-haired and red-eyed individual, looked very familiar to her.

After introductions and hearing the other's name, Luo Lin suddenly realized who she was.

Wasn't this Alvitr, who claimed to be a "toolman", but in fact was equally adept at being a cute and lively companion alongside Susanna in the Immortal Blades?

It seemed she hadn't joined the Immortal Blades yet...

"...After the detectors collected preliminary data, it was processed by the supercomputer and artificial intelligence, analyzing the parts of the nearby sea with abnormal Honkai energy."

Alvitr nervously spoke from the side, "We then immediately deployed high-precision detectors and unmanned submersibles for a search in the seabed area. Finally, we found evidence like this..."

The projection in front of Luo Lin changed, showing several photos of the seabed.

Pieces of pottery covered in coral;

Metal debris buried in the mud, with obvious artificial traces that didn't belong to nature;

And the most significant, a huge stone slab engraved with strange characters.

The voice of Senti came from the depths of Luo Lin's mind: "I know this, it's a type of ancient text passed down in Shenzhou..."

Luo Lin remained outwardly composed, but inwardly asked Senti, "Master, Can you translate it?"

"What a strange title you've given me... Let me think, it's been a long time since I've used this style of text..."

Senti remembered for a moment, snapped her fingers, and said effortlessly, "Found it, the old fossil remembers this aspect of Senti quite clearly... Uh, wait a minute... Aren't these all tombstones used in graves?!"

"Huh?"

Chapter 25: She Longs for the Extraordinary

Finding tombstones underwater was indeed a very strange occurrence, but it also indicated that Alvitir and her team had located the right place.

After taking on the task of investigating the Stigmata ruins, Luo Lin specifically collected many ancient legends from Shenzhou...

What? You're saying that the "involved party" who has experienced everything is right there, so why bother collecting legends?

First of all, it's been mentioned many times that Fu Hua burned her brain with Fenghuang Down, resulting in a large amount of memory loss and unreliable memories.

Luo Lin intended to seek help from the legends passed down through generations, using them to assist and cross-reference the information provided by Senti, and comprehensively analyze to confirm the accuracy of the information.

Secondly, after the matter is concluded, Luo Lin still needs to write a mission report for her superiors. In terms of intelligence sources, she can't directly write to people saying, "I found someone who has lived since ancient times and has witnessed everything," can she?

Anyway, this report will have to pass through Theresa's hands. The school principal who doesn't know about this will probably laugh hysterically, then send her to the hospital for recuperation.

Of course, the report will definitely reach Otto's hands. He should be able to "smile knowingly" upon seeing such words and then send her to the hospital for "recuperation."

The difference between these two "recuperations" is quite significant, and the Valkyrie strives not to "enjoy" the latter option.

So, Luo Lin will continue to search for answers in those stories passed down through the land of Shenzhou.

Although ancient, many legends have evolved into different versions... But in almost all the stories, Chiyou is described as a huge beast.

When Chiyou appears, it causes drastic environmental changes, usually manifested as darkness, no light from the sun or moon, flying sand and rocks, howling winds...

More importantly, it has the ability to devour the sky and earth, and enhance its own abilities.

This is quite powerful because Chiyou is really gnawing on the earth and turning it into a part of its own body.

This also explains why the detector of Schicksal can find tombstones on the seabed, most likely because Chiyou is "munching, munching, munching" on the land of Shenzhou, casually taking a bite and swallowing some unknown graves along the way...

According to the "Chiyou Chronicles" in the Honkai 3rd game, this Judgment-level Honkai beast has at least swallowed an ancient city...

Although we all know that ancient cities are incomparable to modern cities, before this, Fu Hua, Fuxi, and Nuwa executed the "Project Ember" on the land of Shenzhou!

Under the influence of the advanced technology provided by the "Project Ember," the cities of ancient Shenzhou are much larger than normal! At that time, Kiana and her team almost got lost in Chiyou's belly...

Chiyou is really huge!

Luo Lin even wondered, if Chiyou were allowed to lower its head and devour the earth, would it be possible for it to infinitely expand and finally swallow the entire planet... Turning into a planetary-level Honkai beast?

From this perspective, Chiyou is truly worthy of the title of "Judgment-level" Honkai beast.

It's just that in the game plot, Chiyou's death was somewhat trivial. Siegfried fired a few shots, then Kiana and her team went in and poked the Black Ji Lin, and there was no further development, completely a became a somewhat lackluster plot.

Chiyou's remains was later recovered by the World Serpent and taken away to serve as a "boxed lunch" for Kevin, who floated up from the Sea of Quanta...

Luo Lin didn't think that after disturbing Chiyou, things would be as simple as in the game.

After all, there are two big shots, Tree and Sea, watching from above, and the probability of something going wrong during the operation can be said to be one thousand percent!

So, Luo Lin had to be prepared, prepared for all kinds of things...

Captain Whitley noticed that the black-haired Valkyrie was staring at the "stone slab" on the photo for a long time, seeming to have discovered something.

Luo Lin stood upright, her face serious, matching her clean and tidy old-fashioned Intelligence Department uniform while emitting a solemn sense of authority from the black-haired girl, permeating the surrounding air.

Alvitir felt like she was back on the day she faced a real Honkai beast for the first time, trembling and almost wanting to leave.

But at the same time, another subtle emotion rose in her heart, making her heartbeat accelerate, her nerves excited, and her mind clearer.

Whitley noticed Alvitir's dilemma and took the initiative to break the atmosphere, asking the black-haired Valkyrie, "Lady Luo Lin? It seems like you're familiar with these things?"

"Well, these things are tombstones from Shenzhou..."

"Tombstones!?"

The several Valkyries looked at the photos with strange expressions. The tombstones lying on the seabed were illuminated by the lights of unmanned submersibles. Outside the beam, there were many such "stone slabs," making the atmosphere in the photos particularly eerie.

Luo Lin rubbed her chin, showing a subtle smile, "Captain Whitley, it seems like your team has indeed found the location of Chiyou... Well done."

"It's just luck. The coordinates given by the Intelligence Department this time were unusually accurate..."

Captain Whitley explained to Luo Lin the "miraculous journey" of their exploration team. They found themselves almost directly above Chiyou and confirmed the problem with just a simple scan.

Luo Lin's mouth twitched. The ability of the Herrscher of Sentience to "poke casually" was really powerful...

The Valkyrie continued to ask, "Is there any detection task tonight? I want to go down to the sea directly to see the situation."

"There are currently no tasks at night. We have deployed detection buoys, collected data, and scanned for possible entrances to Chiyou."

Alvitir swiped her personal terminal and continued, "We haven't found any clues yet. Fortunately, this process may take a day, unfortunately... there's no definite time."

Captain Whitley spread her hands, "If you plan to go this afternoon, you'll probably only be able to explore these strange relics on the seabed. More things probably won't be found... After all, this is a very large area, and it's not realistic to rely solely on manpower for search."

"Okay, I'm a bit in a hurry." Luo Lin scratched her head, "Then I'll rest here for a while and see how things go tomorrow... Good luck to you!"

The black-haired Valkyrie left in a hurry.

"...Phew, she put a lot of pressure on me."

Alvitir tugged at her collar, sweating on her forehead as if she had just come out of a furnace.

Captain Whitley glanced at Alvitir and asked, "Under pressure, then why do you have this expression?"

"Huh?"

Whitley turned on the front camera of her personal terminal, letting Alvitir see what expression she had on her face.

Its actually...an excited smile? Am I... am I enjoying this dangerous, stressful feeling?

Whitley sighed, "Alvitir, face your thoughts properly. It seems like your inner desire for an extraordinary life... You're destined to do great things."

Alvitir fell into silence.

Whitley rubbed the head of the gray-haired, red-eyed girl, "I'll reserve a qualification for you to test at headquarters. For now, let's get back to work. Those scientists are still waiting for you."

"...Okay."