"How did this happen?"
Seated aboard Schicksal's transport ship, Daniel looked over at Rita—who had just set down her communicator with a furrowed brow—and asked in a soft voice, though he had already roughly guessed what might have occurred.
According to their plan, it was only when the transport ship carrying Daniel was nearing Schicksal Headquarters that Anti-Entropy would launch their attack. In that way, neither Rita nor Youlandel would have time to render assistance; under normal circumstances, Anti-Entropy wouldn't engage Schicksal proactively.
"It was just a minor incident," Rita replied, casting a meaningful glance at Daniel. Someone from Anti-Entropy had attempted to attack the Atlantic Branch. She wasn't surprised by this, but the timing was impeccable—and not a single Valkyrie was injured. That outcome was completely unlike Cocolia's handiwork.
Aside from Cocolia, under ordinary circumstances neither Walter Young nor Einstein would dare provoke Schicksal.
"Nine Floating Islands, nine great nations—Otto really has ideas," Daniel mused.
As the transport ship approached the port of Schicksal Headquarters, Daniel was treated to a full view of the headquarters. The nine floating islands were divided by function: there was the Honkai Energy System Laboratory, an Industrial R&D Center, a Valkyrie Armor Production Center, a Training Center, a Mech Production Base, Valkyrie dormitories, a commercial district, and more.
Although Schicksal was primarily comprised of Valkyries, that did not mean they lacked mechs. In fact, some of Schicksal's mechs were even more powerful than those of Anti-Entropy—the only difference being that Schicksal used its mechs for defense, not as the main force against Honkai.
Anti-Entropy, on the other hand, had chronic financial shortages. In their fight against Honkai, mech losses were a major issue. This was largely due to Honkai's nature: Honkai energy erodes not only humans but machines as well—and since mech power sources were fueled by Honkai energy, isolation measures had to be implemented.
If Anti-Entropy had a force as strong as Schicksal's, such expenditures wouldn't be a problem. But their sphere of influence was simply too small.
When the "Queen's Arrival" occurred and Anti-Entropy went bankrupt, it was hardly without reason.
"This way, please."
After the transport ship landed at Schicksal's Third Airport, passengers quickly boarded an island-bound aircraft headed for the island where Otto resided. One had to admit, Otto's extravagance was evident—nine floating islands, in a sense, meant that he single-handedly occupied an entire island.
Under Rita's guidance, Daniel soon found himself in an elegantly decorated, luxurious reception room, where Otto sat alone on a sofa, a glass of red wine in hand. Behind him stood a young girl with short white hair and golden goggles.
"It seems that even clones can turn out completely different due to their experiences," Daniel remarked, comparing the imposing figure of Amber—with her stature and majestic bust—to Theresa, noting that in terms of combat prowess, although Theresa was stronger than Amber, she was utterly outclassed.
"Welcome, friend from the World Bubble. I suppose no further introduction is needed," Otto said as he set his wine aside and rose, greeting Daniel with a welcoming gesture.
"Archbishop Otto of Schicksal—I've long admired you," Daniel replied, taking a seat on the sofa opposite Otto at his invitation.
"That is most an honor," Otto added. As he spoke, Rita poured Daniel another glass of red wine before retreating behind Otto and standing side by side with Amber.
"Hunkang is truly impressive," Daniel murmured as he watched Otto sip his wine. In this world, Hunkang was one of Daniel's prized discoveries.
Since partnering with Anti-Entropy, Daniel had gained a solid understanding of Hunkang—a nano-scale, specialized material with extensive applications. It was used in Divine Keys, Schicksal's godly armaments, and even on Anti-Entropy's mechs. Hunkang was remarkably effective at blocking Honkai energy. Thanks to its properties, Anti-Entropy could mass-produce mechs powered by Honkai energy.
Moreover, Hunkang had potent medicinal applications. In the case of the true Kiana, it was Otto's latest Hunkang technology that saved her life after she was struck by debris during an aircraft accident.
Hunkang also had the remarkable ability to record DNA information, which made Daniel suspect that the Stigmata possessed by people in this era might well have been crafted from Hunkang—and that Hunkang was likely linked to the Ruler Core.
"I wonder what Archbishop Otto wants to see from me," Daniel said, though his respect for Otto's persistence was mixed with distaste—his admiration stemmed from Otto's obsession with Kalian rather than Otto himself. Naturally, Daniel had no intention of mincing words with him.
"Precisely, I wish to see Mebius," Otto said slowly, fixing his gaze on Daniel.
"Mebius? No… this has been discovered already?" Daniel's expression turned to one of shock as he looked at Otto. He prided himself on the flawless execution of his operations in Lion City—so flawless, in fact, that even Fu Hua had not noticed that Mebius was fake. By all accounts, Otto shouldn't have uncovered the truth, let alone tracked Daniel down directly.
"It seems I hit a nerve. Let Mebius come out—I have a deal to discuss with her," Daniel said, his surprise prompting Otto to chuckle.
"Let her come out. So, you've been mistaken for one of Mebius's lackeys? I must admit, that does raise suspicions about me," Otto replied.
Upon reflection, Daniel realized that if he were in Otto's shoes, he would likely have linked him to Mebius as well.
"What shall we do next?" After a brief silence, Daniel resolved to be straightforward—given his current strength, there was no need for underhanded tricks like before.
"Hahaha, although I don't quite understand why you'd have such an idea, I'm sorry to say that Mebius and I have no connection whatsoever," Daniel laughed heartily.
If Mebius from the Promised Land were to meet Otto, they might indeed strike a deal—after all, Otto possessed something that Mebius desired: the ability to transfer consciousness. Although the previous civilization was mighty, that didn't mean the current era's civilization was entirely worthless.
Otto could readily swap Hunkang bodies, and during his battle against the First Ruler Walter Joyce, he even seized the body of the former S-rank Valkyrie Leanna. That demonstrated just how formidable Otto was in terms of consciousness transfer.
"Don't be so quick to deny it. Why not listen to my terms?" Otto said, his face unchanged and his smile intact. For Otto, there was no topic too large to negotiate—even if the Crimson Kite Immortal eventually agreed to his conditions.
Even later, with Kevin, Otto reached an agreement, allowing Kevin to stand aside while Otto executed his plan. For Kevin, no matter the outcome, Otto's scheme was tremendously beneficial—time reversed by five hundred years would grant him more time to combat Honkai.
Otto succeeded in saving Kalian and even sprouted a new branch from the Imaginary Tree, further deepening his understanding of it.
"Archbishop Otto, I speak honestly. If you don't believe me, then I have no choice—but although I have no ties with Mebius, that doesn't preclude cooperation," Daniel said.
"Oh? And how do you propose we cooperate?" Otto's smile slowly faded as he asked.
"I know many things, Archbishop Otto. I know that for five hundred years, your sole aim has been to resurrect Saintess Kalian—so much so that you've committed countless atrocities. You are, in every sense, a great villain." Daniel leaned back against the sofa and continued, "I can say that if I had a way to resurrect Kalian right now, even if you were to hand over Schicksal to me, you wouldn't bat an eyelash."
After pondering for a moment, Daniel decided he would come clean with Otto. If he could persuade him not to harm Kiana, that would be ideal.
"You know many things, don't you?" Otto remarked, seemingly unsurprised by Daniel's revelations. The reason was simple: Daniel had come from a World Bubble in the Quantum Sea, which endowed him with an ability akin to the "One-Carriage of the Ten Realms" that allows one to observe multiple worlds. Naturally, Otto had used that ability to study many world bubbles and parallel worlds, and he'd seen Otto and Kalian in other worlds.
In some worlds, Otto and Kalian ended up separated; in others, they were together. Thus, there existed worlds where Otto lost Kalian—just as Su once observed in a particular world when testing Youlandel.
"All I can say for now is that I have a method that might resurrect Kalian. However, I'm not yet in a position to implement it—I'm still missing some crucial conditions."
At the mention of resurrecting Kalian, Otto's expression tightened and his eyes flashed with excitement—but as Daniel finished speaking, his gaze soon returned to calm.
After his impulsive actions once led to Kalian's death, Otto had sworn never to act rashly again.
"What conditions?" Otto immediately pressed. He wasn't afraid of missing prerequisites; if it meant saving Kalian, he would gather whatever was necessary. Otto's dream of resurrecting Kalian had been his for five hundred years, though even he couldn't be certain of success.
"First, allow me to introduce myself properly: I'm a traveler. I believe Archbishop Otto already knows that. However, there's one thing you may not be aware of—I'm not just any traveler from this world. I'm from another world."
"Dr. Davis, what you're saying is rather incomprehensible," Rita interjected. Shen Fei's words—now replaced by Daniel—tended to be enigmatic. "A World Bubble is simply another world," Daniel clarified.
"What I mean is, if this were your world, I'm referring to all the worlds encompassed by the Imaginary Tree." Daniel clasped his hands to form seals and conjured a golden tree in midair. Slowly, the tree shrank, and along its edges appeared one Imaginary Tree after another—one, two, even countless trees.
"In the terms of your world, I come from another world of Imaginary Trees. Of course, that's just for your understanding. In reality, different worlds differ greatly— not every world has an Imaginary Tree."
Strictly speaking, the Imaginary Tree and the Quantum Sea are one and the same; one is macro, the other micro. A single leaf of an Imaginary Tree can represent a whole world—in a sense, the Imaginary Tree is a macrocosm of worlds.
"A world without Honkai." Rita suddenly exclaimed. For the people of this world, a world without Honkai was their dream.
"Is there really a world without Honkai?"
A world without Honkai had irresistible appeal—even Youlandel, who usually remained on standby outside, was drawn in. At that moment, Youlandel appeared clad in battle armor, her right hand gripping Black Abyss White Flower, clearly ready for combat.
"Exactly. In many of the worlds I've traveled, the vast majority are free from Honkai consciousness and its energy. In one such world, there exists an item known as the Infinity Gem—six in all: the Power Gem, Time Gem, Space Gem, Mind Gem, Reality Gem, and Soul Gem. Should one manage to assemble them, one would attain unparalleled power. With a single snap, you could fulfill any desire—such as wiping out half the universe's life." Daniel said, and as he spoke, six gems of various colors materialized in midair.
Youlandel's arrival did not surprise Daniel. He had sensed that someone was outside—indeed, not just Youlandel, but the entire Undying Blade squad was likely here.
"Even if these gems might not provide overwhelming power in this world, I believe they can enable me to resurrect someone," Daniel said, carefully stowing away his magic.
"How can I be sure you're telling the truth?" Otto, signaling Youlandel to remain calm, asked, his eyes fixed intently on Daniel. After all, the matter of Kalian's resurrection was too important; unless we can secure a world free from Honkai, it's best to wait.
"What I used earlier wasn't Honkai energy—that was magic. And as for the Infinity Gem, I was fortunate enough to obtain several of them. This one here is the Space Gem," Daniel said, producing a blue crystal.
"Would you like to witness its power?"
"By all means," Otto said, waving for Daniel to proceed.
"Then let's go."
In an instant, the blue light of the Space Gem flashed, and the group vanished without a trace from the room. They reappeared in a landscape dominated by ice fields.
"Amber," Otto suddenly called out as he looked toward the newcomer, though he didn't appear surprised.
"From our current position, it seems we're in Antarctica," Amber immediately announced, her golden goggles not merely decorative but a link to Schicksal, allowing her to manage affairs and relay Otto's orders at any time.
In terms of dedication, Amber was as reliable as any armed automaton.
"Apologies—I didn't consider your situation," Daniel said, noticing Amber shivering. With another flash of blue light from the Space Gem, he transported her back to headquarters.
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