The dinner ended amidst laughter and cheer. That night, their group stayed at the Kaslana family residence, but after dinner, Ethan Lane was taken to the study alone by Cecilia.
Cecilia sat on a chair by the window, her gaze fixed on the distance. However, if anyone could see her eyes, they would find that her pupils were unfocused, her thoughts unknown.
Ethan Lane sat on a nearby chair, feeling restless. She didn't know why Cecilia had called her to the study, or if it was for something important. Was it about herself, or her abilities? All of this was unknown. Looking at Cecilia's back, Ethan Lane fell silent. What will be, will be.
Without turning around, Cecilia spoke slowly, "Ethan, do you know what you mean to Schicksal, to the Valkyries?"
"Uhm... I don't quite understand. I only know that I can improve the physical condition of Valkyries, increase their adaptability and control over Honkai Energy, and also heal them. I guess I'm quite important to the Valkyries," Ethan Lane hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully.
Cecilia smiled faintly and said, "Isn't that enough? For the Valkyries, you are a guarantee, a multi-faceted one. You should know that the greatest danger a Valkyrie faces isn't the battlefield, but the Honkai Energy itself. Whether it's before or after adapting to Honkai Energy to become a Valkyrie, your role is irreplaceable."
Ethan Lane nodded and said, "I do know a little about that, but it's just repairing the erosion caused by Honkai Energy." Ethan Lane deliberately downplayed her own role. He now understood just how significant his abilities were to the Valkyries.
Cecilia shook her head and said, "That's too one-sided. Schicksal does have some methods to suppress Honkai Energy erosion, although not as effective as your treatment. Do you know the success rate for a human to adapt to Honkai Energy and become a Valkyrie? For an ordinary human female, the failure rate is 99.9%. Even for carefully selected women with strong adaptability to Honkai Energy, the success rate is less than 10%. And even those who succeed may not necessarily become a Valkyrie in the end."
"Why?" Ethan Lane asked, puzzled. "Because adapting to Honkai Energy only means you've succeeded in part. Honkai Energy, after all, exists to destroy humanity. Its erosion on humans is not just physical, but also spiritual. When you successfully adapt to Honkai Energy, the Honkai begins to influence your mind. It will constantly stir up negative emotions within you, allowing them to grow and fester, until you are finally controlled by them. At that point, you will either be filled with hatred for humanity or go completely insane."
"So, before becoming a Valkyrie, these people must undergo long-term observation. If any abnormality is found, they are dealt with immediately. And your ability, from what we've seen so far, not only suppresses Honkai Energy rampages, but when Theresa was probing your Stigmata, she found that her emotions were exceptionally calm. At first, she thought her emotional control had improved, but she only realized it was your ability when the energy from your body entered hers."
"The energy in your body seems to have a calming effect on the mind, which is especially important for Valkyries. The Honkai is constantly affecting your mind, always trying to pull you into a bottomless abyss."
"Now do you understand what you mean to the Valkyries?" Cecilia finally asked. Ethan Lane thought for a moment and nodded, indicating she understood. For the Valkyries, she could not only heal the physical erosion of Honkai Energy but also prevent its spiritual erosion. Moreover, she could effectively increase the success rate when selecting humans to become Valkyries, which was crucial in humanity's fight against the Honkai. The reason humanity was currently at a disadvantage against the Honkai was due to the lack of available power.
Cecilia nodded and finally said, "For the time being, you will follow me. I will negotiate with Otto. From now on, you are my student. Alright, you may leave now." Ethan Lane was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly and left the room. It seemed the three great families of Schicksal were not a monolith. It was a good thing to avoid dealing with Otto too early.
"I wonder how Cecilia will negotiate with Otto. What if the negotiations don't go well? Should I continue to act as a support personnel, or should I show some offensive capabilities? What a headache. Well, I'll take it one step at a time," Ethan Lane muttered to herself as she walked, unknowingly arriving at the door of the bedroom Cecilia had arranged for her.
Just as she was about to push the door open, it opened by itself. Then, she felt a dizzying spin and found herself on the bed. She quickly pulled the blanket over herself and said in alarm, "Sis Shigure, you need to think this through. It's a three-year minimum sentence!"
"Hehe, tonight we can finally be alone. It's so nice not to have a third wheel. Did you know, Ethan, I achieved an unprecedented victory in my battle with Lady Cecilia today," Shigure Kira said, gently hugging Ethan Lane.
"Is that so? Congratulations, Sis Shigure. You know, Lady Cecilia is the strongest S-rank Valkyrie in Schicksal's history. By the way, what was this unprecedented victory?" Ethan Lane asked with a smile.
"Hmph, I touched the hem of Lady Cecilia's clothes. How about that? Am I amazing or what?" Shigure Kira put her hands on her hips, her face full of an expression that screamed 'come praise me'. Ethan Lane wanted to laugh. She took Shigure Kira's hand and said, "Sis Shigure, don't tell a third person what I'm about to tell you. If it leaks out, we will never have peace."
Shigure Kira was a bit stunned, but she quickly became serious. "Ethan, since it's a secret, it's best if you keep it to yourself, although I'm touched that you're not keeping it from me."
Ethan Lane smiled and didn't say anything. She held Shigure Kira's hand and closed her eyes. Seeing this, Shigure Kira understood and also closed her eyes, waiting quietly.
Ethan Lane guided a wisp of Spiritual Qi into her body and all the way to her Dantian. Since coming to this world, Ethan Lane had tried many times to directly control Honkai Energy, but she had never succeeded.
The direct control of Honkai Energy she spoke of was not the kind of control that the Valkyries of this world had. The relationship between a Valkyrie and Honkai Energy was more like a transaction, with life force as the price. Ethan Lane's control was the hope of being able to control Honkai Energy like Spiritual Qi, completely without paying a price.
And the opportunity for this success was the last time she sealed Shigure Kira's Honkai Energy. She had originally wanted to put a lock on her Honkai Energy to prevent it from rampaging endlessly and eroding her body. But later, the situation changed, and instead, the Honkai Energy was transformed. After becoming a crystal, the Honkai Energy seemed to be gentler when it was output.
This gentleness was relative; it was still fatal to ordinary people. But after passing through the seal made of Spiritual Qi, the violent aura carried by the Honkai Energy seemed to be stripped away. Of course, this process would consume Spiritual Qi, so she named this seal the Spirit-Locking Array.
The Honkai Energy, stripped of its violent aura, thus became relatively gentle, and the erosion of the body was no longer so severe. It could be controlled better, which was why Shigure Kira's and the other's control over Honkai Energy was greatly enhanced after she sealed their Honkai Energy.
Now, what Ethan Lane had to do was to go one step further on this basis and give Shigure Kira complete control over Honkai Energy. For a Valkyrie, their control over Honkai Energy was incomplete because Honkai Energy was not originally intended to benefit humanity. On the contrary, the price paid for controlling Honkai Energy was beyond imagination.
Ethan Lane planned to use Spiritual Qi to carve a formation in Shigure Kira's Dantian. The source of this formation was the Spirit-Controlling Array from the Dao Yan Record, which was originally used to control magical artifacts. Ethan Lane had modified it to become a formation for controlling Honkai Energy. Of course, this could not be done in one go, nor could it succeed in one go. She planned to take three to ten days to complete it.
By then, after the Honkai Energy had been stripped of its violent aura by the Spirit-Locking Array and then further controlled by the Spirit-Controlling Array, she believed that Shigure Kira's control over Honkai Energy would reach a new height.
Then, Ethan Lane would teach her a few modified Daoist techniques, and she believed that becoming an S-rank Valkyrie would not be difficult. However, the Daoist techniques were another matter, because she herself was not very proficient in them. But with only two months left before the Second Honkai War, she had to cultivate a few powerful Daoist techniques before then, otherwise, it might be very difficult.
Ethan Lane began to carve the Spirit-Controlling Array on the Honkai Energy crystal in Shigure Kira's Dantian. However, it was not smooth from the beginning, because she had no experience in this area, and the Honkai Energy crystal kept working against her, making it impossible for the Spiritual Qi to complete the carving.
Just when Ethan Lane was about to lose her patience, the Dao Yan Record seemed to stir. Then, she suddenly seemed to have become a different person, and quickly began to carve the Spirit-Controlling Array on the Honkai Energy crystal.
About an hour later, just as she had consumed about half of the Spiritual Qi she had originally absorbed and converted from Honkai Energy, she finally completed the carving of this Spirit-Controlling Array.
Ethan Lane suddenly came to her senses, looking at the completed Spirit-Controlling Array with a bit of bewilderment. Then, as if remembering something, she gave a bitter smile and withdrew the Spiritual Qi from Shigure Kira's body.