Luo Li was certain that his ability to draw power from others was far more than a simple effect of the dream.
A certain conjecture began to sprout in his heart, but he currently lacked the ability to verify it.
He could only temporarily suppress the thought and focus on the problem at hand.
The most important thing right now was still to rescue the consciousness of the tens of millions of people in ARK City from Eden.
After confirming that Luo Li really had no feelings of loss, Fu Hua couldn't help but admire the young man's state of mind.
Then, she continued to explain to Luo Li.
"If you can gain the trust of everyone in Eden, then you will be equivalent to another incarnation of Eden, another Eve."
"As for how to compete with Eve for the authority of Eden, that's up to you. I just hope... it's not too late."
Luo Li listened quietly to Fu Hua's words and gained a clear understanding of the current situation.
He had an idea now, but he needed to confirm it with Fu Hua again.
"I want to know, if you're killed in the dream, will you really not die?"
Luo Li thought of Jackal, whom he had killed. At least in the dream, she had indeed been killed by him.
"No," Fu Hua explained. "Death in the dream is not the same as death in reality."
After thinking for a moment, she gave a vivid analogy.
"The you in the dream is like a character you create in a game."
"Before the virtual and real are reversed, how can the death of a character in a game affect you in reality?"
"Those who die in the dream are forgotten by the dream. When they wake up, everything is as usual."
At this point, she looked at Luo Li seriously.
"But remember, if the virtual and real are reversed, then those who die will really die."
Luo Li nodded.
He already knew what to do.
"Are you sure?"
"Once you enter the dream again, you can't turn back!"
Fu Hua warned Luo Li with a serious expression.
"Eve's power is constantly growing, and my ability to interfere with the dream is also gradually declining. Once you enter the dream again, I'm afraid I won't be able to pull you out of the dream again."
"You won't really die in the dream, but if you're trapped in it, when Eve is born, everyone trapped in the dream will fall into an eternal dream. In a dream of eternal slumber, it's no different from death."
Luo Li's face was very calm. He had no resistance to this mission, which might have a slim chance of survival.
Or rather, this was what he had been seeking.
From the perspective of the timeline, everyone is heading towards death from the moment they are born.
If you only look at the beginning and end of life, it is meaningless. What determines the length of life is the process between birth and death.
Luo Li didn't care about the length of life. He just wanted to leave a deep enough mark in the process of heading towards death, to prove that his life was not meaningless.
"You won't really die in the dream, but if you're stuck in the dream, the game will automatically confirm your failure when the time runs out..." Luo Li thought to himself, and an idea came to his mind.
He nodded, his eyes fearless.
Fu Hua was silent at first, then a look of relief appeared on her face.
The advantage of living a long life was being able to see all kinds of people in a long life.
In the memories of the thousands of years she had walked, although most of them had been burned, there were still some people whose life traces were deeply imprinted in her memory, and they had not faded with the passage of time.
This ancient land has never lacked people who would sacrifice their lives for righteousness. There will always be people who choose to save the world in times of crisis and support a sky for all people.
She admired such people, which made her feel like a fellow traveler.
As long as you are willing to protect Shenzhou, we are on the same path—this was probably a true portrayal of her life.
So she once again expressed her gratitude to Luo Li.
"Thank you for your contribution to Shenzhou. I'm sorry, this should have been my duty."
Then, Luo Li found that the connection between him and this plainly dressed girl had become closer.
Memories in his mind popped up like bamboo shoots after a rain.
...
Verses, moves, and various martial arts classics constantly appeared in his mind.
[Still Water, Dustless, Clear Mirror, Taixu...]
The abstruse syllables sounded in his heart. He only felt that his usually complicated thoughts were cleared, and his mind was exceptionally clear.
[Guard, Transform, Initiate, Open...]
A blurry figure constantly practiced various moves in his mind. In a trance, he seemed to have gone through years of hard training, really experiencing cultivation from a young age.
How strange, I feel like I'm growing a brain.
Luo Li didn't know why what Fu Hua had speculated to be just a special situation in a dream would work in the real world, but it was undoubtedly a good thing.
Reality was a very difficult game, and the balance was extremely poor. To have a chance to cheat was a good thing.
And...
Feeling the body that seemed to have been polished for more than ten years of hard work, and the fighting skills in his mind that far surpassed what he had learned at the Schicksal Valkyrie school...
Luo Li knew that even without testing it, even without counting the spatial ability from the Herrscher of the Void, his current strength absolutely crushed that of the moment he had just woken up in the dream.
If he were to face the A-rank Valkyrie captain, Alita, who had been transformed into a Death Weaver at the beginning, the outcome would be uncertain.
As for someone like Ghost, who was in intelligence... hmm, Luo Li could give her a hand.
Feeling the increase in his strength, he became curious about this slightly plain girl in front of him.
Luo Li felt that his connection with her was actually far from as deep as with Kiana, so the power she shared was probably only a very small part.
But Luo Li could feel that the martial arts he now possessed were something that ordinary people could not practice for decades.
Looking at her appearance, she seemed to be only a high school student. How could she have practiced for so long?
But Luo Li just had a question and didn't delve into it.
His primary task now was to solve the dream of ARK City, and if possible, to come back alive.
But he was still grateful to Miss Fu Hua. The power she shared gave him a greater chance of success.
And what he had to do next was very clear.
If Eve was to use the dreams of tens of millions of people to build an eternally sinking Eden, then he would become the heavenly fire that burned Sodom.
He was going to go down with Eve!
Literally.
---||---
When Luo Li came back to his senses from the bar, he found that only a moment seemed to have passed.
He was back in the dream again, but now, Luo Li was more willing to call this place Eve's 'Eden'.
A place where only Eve's will circulated. To call it the dream of ARK City was an insult to the tens of millions of people in ARK City.
"The game created by World Serpent is called 'Eden'. Is this what it means?"
"It's quite fitting."
Luo Li looked around.
Raven was pouring the Water of Life into her mouth, Ghost was carrying a box of wine and walking by, and the children rescued from the Shicksal Pharmaceuticals laboratory were playing and laughing.
And Kiana...
Luo Li turned his head and found that she was quietly lying on the table, quietly looking at him.
And after meeting Luo Li's gaze, she returned a gentle smile.
"How to distinguish between true and false," Luo Li sighed.
"What are you talking about?" Raven, behind the counter, had good hearing and naturally heard his somewhat inexplicable words.
So Luo Li got up and called Kiana and Ghost to the bar.
Looking at the confusion on everyone's faces, Luo Li slowly spoke.
"I've discovered something very terrible. You mustn't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid," said Kiana.
"I've already been through life and death with you. If you have something to say, don't hide it," said Ghost.
"I say, let's not play such old tricks!" Raven complained, put the glass on the bar, and confirmed with Luo Li, "Do you need me, an outsider, to leave for a moment?"
Luo Li shook his head.
"No need, what comes next concerns everyone, including you."
And so, under everyone's gaze, Luo Li slowly recounted his recent experience.
After telling them about waking up from the dream, meeting Fu Hua, the current situation in ARK City, Eve, and the Eden they were currently in, the expressions on their faces were different.
Kiana's face still had no expression, as if all the things in the world had nothing to do with her. She just sat quietly on the side, waiting for others to express their opinions.
Ghost's reaction was the biggest.
She was first in disbelief, but thinking that Luo Li was not the kind of person who would make such a joke, she raised her hand to her mouth and bit down hard.
"Hiss! Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Eden? How could a dream be so real?"
"A clear consciousness doesn't mean you're not in a dream. Even the virtual world designed by the organization can achieve almost 100% realism."
Luo Li looked at Raven and found that she didn't seem too surprised.
"Miss Natasha, you don't seem surprised?"
"Because I thought of some things." Raven remembered what happened when she sent those children away, the things that happened to the vehicle transporting them.
It was as if an invisible force was interfering, causing her to be interrupted by various accidents even though she had prepared several backup plans.
Originally, she had thought that Jackal's brain had suddenly cleared up and she had done something to the transport vehicle.
But now it seemed that it was the master of the dream who didn't want those children to touch the edge of the dream and had exerted influence.
But when she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel angry at Jackal.
With her strength, even if she had been injected with the vaccine, it was almost impossible for her to be pulled into this so-called 'Eden'. There was only one possibility for her to be pulled in.
She had been set up.
And the only one who could do this was the organization, or rather... Jackal.
"Damn it!" Raven cursed in a low voice. She didn't expect that she, who had always been cautious, had been set up by a fool like Jackal.
Frowning in thought for a while, she looked at the children playing and laughing in the bar, and finally sighed.
"Forget it, I'm off duty anyway. Now I'm not the World Serpent officer Raven, but the children's teacher, Natasha."
"Count me in! If we can't solve this, we'll all be screwed here."
Hearing Raven's words, everyone fell silent again.
At this time, Kiana raised her hand to Luo Li, like a student asking a teacher a question.
"I have a question."
Luo Li looked over and heard the girl say, "I wasn't injected with that 'World Serpent' vaccine. Why did I come in?"
"Maybe it's because your surname is Kaslana!"
Looking at the confusion on the girl's face, Luo Li explained.
"The Stigmata Space seems to be a special dimension that exists in the Imaginary Domain, and the place that World Serpent opened this time is the part of the Stigmata Space that belongs to the Kaslanas."
Kiana thought of what the person who claimed to be her ancestor had said when she logged into the game.
"So that's how it is..."
Suddenly, a throbbing feeling arose in Kiana's heart, as if something related to her had sent a call.
The voice was very intimate, but Kiana only felt her hair stand on end.
Because when this voice fell into her mind, it turned into a gravitational force that seemed to want to pull her consciousness away.
[Come into my arms...]
This voice seemed to contain power. After falling into her consciousness, it was like a wave in the ocean.
And she felt like she was a lone boat on the sea, with the risk of capsizing at any moment.
Kiana had a premonition that once her consciousness was submerged, what awaited her would be a consequence more terrifying than death.
She gritted her teeth and tried her best to hold on.
But the voice was continuous, and her consciousness soon became tired.
Just as Kiana was gradually feeling unable to hold on, she suddenly felt a finger touch her forehead.
Then, a series of abstruse syllables sounded in her mind, turning into characters that fell into the ocean of her consciousness.
The rushing waves gradually subsided.
Until there was not a single ripple on the surface of the sea.
And after discovering that it could no longer affect Kiana's spirit, the voice also gradually faded.
Kiana opened her eyes and found that Luo Li was retracting his finger.
Kiana bit her lip slightly, pressed her hands down in front of her, and said softly, "Thank you."
Luo Li was about to say something, but saw Kiana's body tremble, and then she fell to one side.
He was quick and caught her before she fell.
"Kiana!"
The few people in the bar were shocked by Kiana's appearance and all gathered around.
Kiana supported herself on Luo Li's body and forced her head up.
They saw that her eyes, which were originally like sapphires, were now filled with a golden light.
And in the depths of her pupils, an inverted cross was emerging.
Kiana covered her forehead with one hand, gritting her teeth, her face filled with pain.
A bitter voice came from Kiana's mouth.
"She... is waking up!"
Raven and Ghost didn't know what she meant, but Luo Li naturally knew who the 'she' Kiana was talking about was.
That Herrscher of the Void, Sirin.
Luo Li had always known that there were two consciousnesses in Kiana's body, the other being that Herrscher of the Void, who even occupied the dominant position of this body.
He had thought that Sirin's consciousness would wake up again, but he didn't expect her to wake up so quickly, and at such a critical moment.
The current situation was that Eve was watching covetously from the outside. If a revived Herrscher of the Void was added to the mix... they could really say GG with laughter.
However, it wasn't that the situation was that critical. After all, Luo Li had long expected that Sirin would wake up, so he had also thought of countermeasures in advance.
For example... the Holy Blood of Schariac from a certain Schicksal laboratory, which he had obtained from Jackal's experiment.
Since the Honkai energy inhibitor in the dream could work normally, he thought the Holy Blood should also work.
If what Jackal had obtained was not some fake and shoddy product, then the Holy Blood from that former Schicksal Holy Maiden should be able to suppress a Herrscher whose strength was greatly reduced.
As for whether there would be any rejection reaction when this thing was injected into the human body, thinking of the relationship between Cecilia and Kiana, Luo Li guessed that it probably wouldn't.
If there really was a problem, then it would be fine.
There was no real death in the dream. It would just be Kiana leaving the stage early.
But now the situation was serious. Everyone could be considered an important help. For every person lost, the probability of winning would be smaller.
But Luo Li didn't do that. He gently hugged the girl who was in pain at the moment, and a gentle tone sounded in Kiana's ear.
"Listen to me, Kiana, you're already very tired."
"Then let go of all the burdens in your heart, whether it's pain or regret, put them aside for now, and have a good sleep!"
"Trust me, when you wake up again, the sky will be bright."
Kiana could hear Luo Li's whispers echoing in her ears.
His voice seemed to have a magical power. Even her already broken heart could feel warmth.
Since walking out of the Siberian snowfields a few months ago, she had nothing, and she would no longer ask for any warmth from the world.
But at this moment, she was a little attached to this moment of warmth and longed for it to continue.
Luo Li felt his hand being held tightly, but it was quickly released.
And at this moment, Luo Li also felt a subtle change in the girl in his arms.
So he gently pushed her away and found that Kiana's eyes had been completely dyed a dazzling gold at some point, her pupils glowing with a majestic light like an inverted cross.
The quiet and dignified Kiana had fallen asleep. What appeared before Luo Li now was the Second Herrscher named Sirin.
But the change in temperament still couldn't hide the confusion in her eyes. Like someone who had just woken up, Sirin was confused about her surroundings.
"Welcome back, Miss Herrscher!"
Luo Li let go of Sirin and revealed Raven and Ghost, who were standing on the side with confused faces.
He explained to Sirin, "Let me introduce our companions to you."
Sirin had just woken up and hadn't figured out the current situation before she was hit with a series of moves by Luo Li, not giving her a chance to react.
To this, her reaction was only one word.
"Huh?"
Then Luo Li pointed at Raven.
"This is a high-ranking combat operative of our Apocalypse Cult, codenamed Dodo Bird. No one can compare to her in combat skills."
"Huh?" Raven was also a little stunned, but as an old hand who had been in World Serpent for many years, she instantly understood what Luo Li wanted to do.
So she instantly smiled and greeted Sirin enthusiastically.
"Hello, hello! Please take care of me."
Then Luo Li pointed at Ghost.
"This is a high-ranking intelligence operative of our Apocalypse Cult, codenamed Ghost. You can rest assured to leave the collection of intelligence to her."
As a Valkyrie specialized in intelligence work, observing words and expressions was Ghost's bread and butter. When Luo Li said the words "Miss Herrscher," she knew how to cooperate.
So a mist churned around her body, and she changed into several figures continuously, finally returning to her original form.
"I salute you, Miss Herrscher."
Then he pointed at the children who were still playing and laughing outside.
"They are the children we just rescued from the anti-Honkai organization, World Serpent," Luo Li knew that Sirin seemed to particularly hate human experiments, and he took the opportunity to stir up hatred for World Serpent in this regard.
Sure enough, after hearing Luo Li's words, Sirin's eyes instantly filled with anger. "Human experiments? World Serpent... damn things!"
But now was not the time for her to explode, so Luo Li changed the subject.
"Dodo Bird and Ghost are both reliable cadres in the organization. Their faith in Honkai is firm, and they are absolutely reliable. It is thanks to them that we were able to escape from danger."
Sirin first looked at Raven, then at Ghost, and finally nodded.
"Very good, very spirited. I will tentatively acknowledge your loyalty to the Honkai God."
By now, Sirin no longer felt that Luo Li was deceiving her.
She could feel that the strength of these two people was not something she could deal with now.
If they really wanted to harm her, there was no need to be so polite with her.
Of course, what really convinced her was the feeling coming from Luo Li...
Before Luo Li could react, he was pulled close to Sirin's chest, which caught him off guard.
"Familiar smell..."
Sirin confirmed that she was not mistaken. She felt the existence of authority from Luo Li, and it was her own authority!
The authority of a Herrscher was bestowed by God and could not be stolen.
But her authority did appear on someone else.
This situation made her think of the information 'God' had told her.
Among the many Herrschers that would appear, there was one who could do something similar.
So she looked up, a pair of golden eyes staring at Luo Li.
"Which Herrscher are you?"
"The Herrscher of Domination?"
This time it was Luo Li's turn to be unable to hold it in.
What Herrscher am I?
What Herrscher could a normal human like me be?
The Herrscher of Humanity?