Half an hour later—
The noisy shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits gathered in the administrative center.
"Are we going to fight aliens?"
Several little shipgirls who hadn't gotten enough playtime in the Three-Body universe peeked out curiously.
Right now, they were hoping the Commander would find a suitable world for them to wage interstellar war.
Preferably one with a large enough enemy fleet and vast territory.
Otherwise, the photoids cannons they had just remodeled really wouldn't have anywhere to be used.
"Aliens… do Apostles and Klaxosaurs count? They aren't as strong as you imagine."
"Besides, give others a chance too. You had fun in the Three-Body universe, but the Spirits and Heroic Spirits were stuck in the capital—bored to death."
Setsuna rubbed the heads of Yukikaze and Tashkent.
"Bleh—"
The little shipgirl stuck out her tongue, acting cute.
Shwoosh—
He projected a star map before the crowd, roughly explaining the situations of the four worlds.
"These worlds aren't too difficult. All within our firing range—no, within the scope of truth."
"The Human Instrumentality Project in EVA is interesting, worth in-depth research."
"As for the Food Wars world, you can go over and have fun, exchange cooking techniques, and just bring back some chefs for me."
"…."
"Oh?!"
The Royal Navy shipgirls perked up.
Cheshire, with her cat ears twitching, rubbed her fists together:
"Food Wars? Deciding victory through cooking?"
"At Totsuki Academy, as long as your cooking is good enough you can do whatever you want?!"
"Darling, even without starships and Angeloids, I can definitely conquer them through cooking, nya!"
"?!!"
Ning Hai, Ping Hai, Ying Swei, and the other Dragon Empery shipgirls were horrified.
"I think it'd be simpler if you just conquered them with cannons?!"
"Your Starlit Reverie could even flatten Artoria. Isn't the God Tongue something that kills people if they eat it?!"
"That was then, this is now! We Royals also have delicious food!"
Cheshire argued stubbornly, attempting to defend the nonexistent reputation of Royal cuisine.
Meanwhile, the Heroic Spirits and Spirits focused their attention on Re:Zero.
"Sin Archbishops… interesting."
"Their Authorities are peculiar."
The Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops, named after the Seven Deadly Sins such as Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust, each possessed flashy and intimidating powers.
"Gluttony" could devour someone's memories and name, causing the target to lose their identity or be forgotten by everyone.
"Wrath" could share and resonate emotions within a certain range, synchronizing damage onto others.
"Greed" had abilities similar to time-stop and depositing its own heart elsewhere.
Each sounded more outrageous than the last.
Artoria and a few Spirits began to seriously consider what they would do if they encountered them.
"Hmm…"
Mio thought for a moment, tilted her head toward Setsuna, and said:
"Husband, I think they probably can't beat me?"
"Mhm."
Setsuna nodded.
Simplicity was supreme—no matter how flashy their powers were, Territory and Zaphkiel could end them instantly.
"Orbital bombardment!! Just bombard the Sin Archbishops from orbit! I refuse to believe they can resist positron lances!"
The shipgirls who subscribed to the doctrine of firepower superiority immediately raised their hands to propose.
"Give us a chance to go out and play, okay?!"
The Spirits and Heroic Spirits chirped noisily.
"Commander, let the shipgirls handle the technological worlds, and leave the magic worlds to us!!!"
...
After half a day of discussion about which world to attack next, no unified decision was reached.
Most shipgirls wanted to go to the Franxx world to fight Klaxosaurs, or to the EVA world to fight Apostles.
The Spirits and Heroic Spirits wanted to go to Re:Zero, to see what another magic world was like.
And of course, a small faction led by Cheshire of the Royal Navy wanted to stir up trouble in Food Wars under the guise of culinary exchange.
Thus, the decision was left to Setsuna.
"Commander, what is your opinion?"
Richelieu asked.
"Hmm… considering we just came back from the Three-Body universe, how about we change the flavor and go stroll around a magic world?"
"…."
Setsuna stared at the star map for a while.
He suddenly realized that, long ago, there was still one neighbor he had never interacted with.
Honkai Impact 3rd.
More precisely, the Tree and Sea Universe.
Back then, because of the need for large-scale time jumps, he decided to leave it for later.
But as for what the current situation was over there, what era it was in, he actually had no idea.
This neighbor had been nearby for so long, it stirred his curiosity.
"Let's take a look first."
Setsuna pondered for a moment.
If it was the Current Era civilization, he could just bring the fleet, dragon girls, and the Spirits to sweep through with plain attacks and settle things quickly.
As for time travel, either Grey and the Siren girls could build a super high-powered time-travel machine, or later they could go next door to find Madoka, and let Goddess Madoka settle everything.
If it was the Previous Era civilization, he could also resolve the Honkai—but the aftermath would be more troublesome.
Shwoosh—
On the star map, he selected the target.
[Honkai Impact 3rd (Pre-Space Age)]
Comparison of Strengths:
Technological Level: Like an Ant. Military Strength: Like an Ant. Economic Power: Like an Ant.
"…."
"Pre-Space Age?"
Setsuna thought about it. It could be the Current Era, or it could be the Previous Era—both explanations made sense.
He opened the communications interface.
"Hello?"
"Elysia? Kiana? Theresa?"
"Who over there is nominally the leader or protagonist?"
...
After a burst of static—
The screen displayed a tranquil valley.
A young woman dressed in traditional clothing sat quietly under a bamboo grove, seemingly in meditation.
Her outfit carried hints of both cheongsam and Taoist robes, with a white base adorned by dark cyan cloud patterns. A cloth strip was casually tied around her waist as a sash, from which hung a tassel.
Ink-like patterns traced the edges of her robes, varied in thickness like brushstrokes of a Chinese painting—elegant and dignified.
A cloud-pattern hairpin loosely gathered her long hair, which flowed down her back.
Her features were handsome, her aura ethereal, with a faint sense of aloofness—she looked just like an immortal.
"Ah??"
"Fu Hua?!?!"
Setsuna froze for a moment, instinctively blurting out her name.
"Hm?"
Fu Hua looked at the holographic interface that suddenly appeared before her with some surprise.
She had seen such advanced technology before, but it should not exist in this era.
She gazed at the man on the screen with slight confusion.
"Who are you?"
"…."
Setsuna hesitated.
He realized this was outside both the Current Era and the Previous Era—an unforeseen timeline altogether.
"What year is it now?!"
"..."
Regarding the Honkai world's timeline, Setsuna had envisioned many possibilities.
It might have been around the year 2000 in the Current Era civilization, or perhaps fifty thousand years ago during the Previous Era.
What he had never expected was this—an unforeseen timeline.
"Saga of the Shattered Swords?!"
He looked in surprise at the Immortal Fu Hua before him.
"Does the Ming Empire still exist?!"
"???"
Fu Hua stared at Setsuna, utterly confused.
She had seen many holographic projections before, but the image before her was not of any familiar MANTIS or previous civilization figure.
It was a completely unfamiliar man.
Setsuna, dressed in casual attire back at the base, reminded her of people from the Previous Era.
As an Immortal, her temperament was calm and detached—unlike others, she did not panic at suddenly receiving a cross-world communication.
She frowned slightly, stood up, and looked toward Setsuna.
"Who are you?"
Her voice was cool, though one hand unconsciously pressed against her waist weapon, ready to respond to any sudden changes.
"Hmm…"
Setsuna thought briefly, then replied succinctly:
"This is the Starsea Empire. We come from another universe."
"I thought I'd see Elysia or Kiana… but it's you, Hua."
"?!"
Her true name being spoken aloud, Fu Hua's composure faltered.
The sheer amount of information in his two sentences briefly unsettled her, though she usually kept emotions hidden.
"Starsea Empire? Another universe? What are you talking about?"
"How do you know Elysia's and my names?"
"…And who is Kiana?"
She frowned, her tone calm, yet the questions came one after another.
"…Step back. I'll come to you."
Setsuna spoke.
"What?"
In the next instant—
Shwoosh—
A space-time passage suddenly tore open above.
A small spacecraft emerged from the void—one of the smallest escort-class vessels of the Starsea Empire.
Even so, it nearly overshadowed the entirety of Mount Taixuan.
"Space being torn apart?"
"A starship?!"
Fu Hua's pupils trembled violently. Once again she beheld something that did not belong to this era.
Hum—
As the vessel slowly descended, Setsuna stepped out with several companions.
With a flick of his hand, the shuttlecraft was retracted into ship equipment.
The Eternal Snowfall carried countless small spacecraft within its hangar; whatever was needed could be projected at will.
"Oh? So this is Mount Taixuan?"
Setsuna glanced around.
The place carried the air of a hidden cultivation sect from xianxia novels.
Serene environment, scarcely populated.
Amid clouds and mist, faint outlines of a distant small city could be seen.
For ordinary mortals, reaching Mount Taixuan would indeed require effort.
The shipgirls curiously observed this new world.
After being accustomed to the towering skyscrapers of the Starsea Empire, they now felt a sense of returning to simplicity.
"Yo, Fu Hua—or rather, should I call you Jingwei now?"
"Immortal Phoenix, greetings."
Setsuna greeted her with a smile.
"..."
After experiencing in succession: cross-world communication, a space rupture, aliens descending from a starship—
Fu Hua felt a headache coming on.
She watched Setsuna and the shipgirls stepping out of the spacecraft with vigilance.
The strangers carried no hostility, and even seemed overly familiar, already knowing her information.
But their aura was unfamiliar, not belonging to this world.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Where did you come from? And what is that starship?"
...
Half an hour later—
Inside a bamboo chamber on Mount Taixuan.
Setsuna and Fu Hua sat opposite each other.
Before her, he opened a holographic display, marking both the Starsea Empire and this universe's location.
"We are the Starsea Empire, from another place within the great multiverse."
"We've been neighbors for a long time, but only recently thought to make contact."
"Neighbors?"
Fu Hua stared at the star map, finding his explanation rather peculiar.
"Commander, this isn't the same as you described before?"
"Didn't you say there were Valkyries and Herrschers before? Why is there only one cultivator lady here?"
Yukikaze peeked out and asked.
"…."
Setsuna thought for a moment, then decided to first explain things to his own people.
Simply put, this world contained a unique concept—Honkai.
Honkai was a periodic natural disaster, and at the same time a cyclical rhythm of the universe's adjustment.
Its outbreaks were irregular, unpredictable in form—wars, plagues, climate catastrophes, comet impacts, even the descent of colossal beings were all possible manifestations.
When Honkai erupted, it released a highly efficient yet dangerous energy—Honkai Energy. And after each great eruption, a Herrscher would be born.
The Herrschers' purpose was to execute the will of Honkai, carrying an intense urge to destroy existing civilization.
Fifty thousand years ago—
The humans of the Previous Era had already begun fighting against Honkai, exhausting every means at their disposal. Ultimately, they were no match for the Final Herrscher. Surface civilization was utterly annihilated.
At the brink of destruction, Fire Moth initiated the Sanctuary Plan, sinking all shelters deep underground to evade the Herrscher's gaze…
The surviving warriors retreated to Earth, entering deep underground shelters, beginning cryosleep…
Fu Hua was one of them.
Fifty thousand years later—
The era of the new civilization began. Hua was entrusted with passing down knowledge and culture to the next generation, known as the "Project EMBER." She chose to settle in Shenzhou, changing her name to Jingwei.
Her responsibility was to guard the land of Shenzhou with the strength of an Immortal, ensuring protection against the threat of Honkai.
From the dawn of civilization, through countless dynasties, she had fought bloody battles against Honkai beasts, safeguarding Shenzhou's peace.
She had once guided tribal civilization's development, and even fought shoulder to shoulder with the armies of the Tang dynasty.
At present, it was the Ming dynasty era.
She had established a sect on Mount Taixuan, selecting gifted youths as disciples, together defending Shenzhou's peace.
The imperial court of the Ming Empire had conferred upon Jingwei the title of "Immortal Phoenix." Each new emperor, upon ascending the throne, would go to Mount Taixuan to pay her respects, showing her extraordinary status.
"Ohh…"
The Honkai timeline and story were far too complex to be explained in just a few words.
Setsuna only briefly explained the worldview of this world, what had generally happened in the Previous Era, and the origins of the Immortal Phoenix before them.
The shipgirls, dragon girls, and Spirits listened in a daze.
When they looked at Jingwei again, their eyes carried an additional layer of reverence.
It was hard to imagine that this beautiful "Immortal" before them had lived through more than fifty-four thousand years.
She had personally witnessed the fall of the Previous Era, and countless separations of life and death.
To guard Shenzhou and fight Honkai, she endured betrayal and isolation, yet still pressed forward alone.
—To avoid forming unnecessary attachments, Fu Hua had long since ceased to draw close to mortals.
Even with the few disciples she accepted, the relationship remained only master and student.
"Wow, so that means Jingwei-granny is even older than Sister Tohru? She's over fifty thousand years old?!"
Yukikaze's ears twitched.
"Jingwei… granny?!"
Even with Fu Hua's serene mind, hearing a little loli call her granny almost made her lose composure.
Tohru nodded as well.
"Yes, she's over three thousand years older than me. Hmm, in my world, I've never met a human this long-lived."
"?"
Fu Hua didn't quite understand—why was it that she and the dragon girl were both around fifty thousand years old, yet one was called "sister" while she was called "granny"?
What puzzled her even more was another matter:
"Why do you know so much about the Previous Era, and about my identity?!"
—
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