-"That's basically it."-I took a sip of tea to moisten my throat.
-"How to say this…"-Mei looked at me with a complicated but mostly exasperated look.
-"How in the hell did you manage to get involved with such power, not to mention ascending to one of its top roles so quickly?"-Tesla asked aloud.
-"Exactly."-Mei nodded.
After arranging matters on Yuque, I found a day to go back here and explain everything that happened outside. Now that I was the True Herrscher, we could start with the plan, and that's why I now sat in my office, explaining everything to them.
-"Can we see that ship?"-Kiana raised her hand.-"I want to see how big it is. I wonder if our Hyperion can compare."
-"I will, of course, take you there, but be sure to behave; don't cause me trouble."-I looked at her.
-"Yes, sir!"
-"Then let's go now."-Vill-V stood up.-"You said that it's still in the process of reconstruction, so we might be able to help."
-"About that, I plan to have Valkyries train along the Cloud Knights, to have them learn cosmic warfare and how to depart on the Path of Hunt."
-"Sure, that's a good idea."-Bianka nodded.-"After all of them undergo the MANTIS procedure and become Sankta, their lifespans and strength increased so much that they sit here bored most of the time. Finding a new purpose for their strength would be perfect."
-"Mind you, Yuque won't be in any major war for some time, but Hunt's battles are rather cruel."
-"Don't worry, I believe that they can manage; not to mention, now that you are leading everyone, I bet you already are planning how to better save their lives."-Bianka smiled at me.
-"OK, no flirting for now. Let's see that ship."
So I took them on board; now that my Azure Dream was connected to both worlds, the passage between them was an easy task. Their arrival attracted some attention; after all, seeing Sankta other than Fu Hua and me is noticeable, not to mention their appearances that could easily attract even the Knights of Beauty's reverence. At some point, we ran into Jingtian and Yao Guang, both of them eating their dinner during their break.
-"You truly found a Xiliang Nüguo before?"-He smiled, joking after I approached.
-"You can indeed consider that place to be the Land of Women."-I nodded, thinking that such a description fit that world.
-"Do you plan for them to settle on Yuque?"-Yao Guang observed them.-"Need my help?"
-"Not for now. I plan to have Valkyries of their world join the ranks of Cloud Knights, but for the rest, they won't stay here for now."
-"Oh? I thought you'd want them to stay by your side."-She looked surprised.
-"I do, but none of them is a vase. I hope to have them trained by Jingliu; no one else I know can do it."
-"Luofu Sword Champion? Why not do it yourself?"
-"First, I don't have enough time; second, my style of combat is not that well-suited for teaching others."-I shrugged.-"Right, speaking of which, I plan to have the formations and part of the techniques from my School of Yìxué become the core techniques of the future Yuque Cloud Knights; mind helping me to adapt them to fit already existing techniques?"
-"The style that made you the Sword Champion? Will you share it just like that?"
-"I'm the General."-I just smiled.
-"Indeed, you are the General."-Jingtian laughed, lifting his cup in a toast.-"To the future."
-"To the future."-I picked up Yao Guang to toast with him, causing her to pout to the side.
-"Do you need to change Yuque's course?"
-"No, we are still heading for the IPC territory. After the repairs are finished and the supplies gathered, I will consult with Marshal to head toward my home world."
-"Can Yuque even travel outside?"-Yao Guang asked.
-"While traversing the Chaos outside in its current state is indeed impossible, I will have the ship travel using gates set up beforehand."
-"I see."
-"We won't take your time then; just be sure to visit the Divination Commission later."
-"Of course."-I stood up and joined the waiting group outside.
A few days later, I had all the Herrschers join the trade caravan that headed for Luofu, as Jingliu agreed to teach them what they could learn. Others, who were now much freer after settling most of the important matters in their words, decided to take some positions aboard Yuque.
Due to their own experiences with Honkai, all the Valkyries and previous MANTIS quickly found the Cloud Knights to be just like them, embarking on the Path of Hunt without much of an issue. And their strength was a welcome addition to the heavily depleted ranks of Yuque, allowing them to quickly become the core of the army.
Kevin and Sakura soon rose to the ranks of Lieutenants after my recommendation and taking vows of Cloud Knights. Eden took the position of Helm Master by proving her expertise in business, trade, and arts; her actions would turn Yuque into a unique cultural center of Xianzhou in later years. Su also decided to help out, taking over the Alchemy Commission on the surface and acting as a limiter for the Mobius who worked behind the scenes.
Vill-V also took a position in the Artisanship Commission and took the role of Furnace Master, absorbing all the techniques of Xianzhou and innovating at a speed that attracted Huaiyan's attention. Their appointments caused some whispers at first, but they soon quashed those with their abilities; even the IPC approached them in an attempt to poach them, but failed.
Jingtian and the remaining old Vidyadhara didn't oppose them taking the offices; they even welcomed it; that's how short-handed we were on Yuque. Vidyadhara were still recovering their own internal structures, with even their High Elder, Mons Grandis, still in the process of molting.
While the repairs continued on Yuque, I took my time in separating the Honkai earth from the Imaginary Tree, transforming it into a world bound to my Garden of Eden. With the power of my dual Emanatorship and Authorities empowered by divinity, I could do so without much of an issue; it just took some time.
As this was happening in the background, the trade caravan carrying Herrschers arrived on Luofu. Jingliu and Jing Yuan welcomed them at the docks, surprised to find me with them, in my casual Yìxué Impression.
-"Don't you have a job to do, Mr. General?"-Jing Yuan looked at me with surprise.
-"I do, but I haven't left Yuque."-I shrugged.
-"This is just a memory construct."-Jingliu quickly understood.-"A clever way to conduct personal visits."
-"Thanks. I don't have much strength this way, but it's enough if I just want to talk."
-"Indeed. Let's go."-She started to lead the way.
While the girls started to talk with Jingliu, I walked slightly behind with Jing Yuan.
-"I was quite surprised when you took over Yuque."
-"Me too. I truly went there with just helping out in mind."
-"But knowing you, it's good for Yuque to have you as the General."-He patted my shoulder.
-"I can't wait for you to take over Luofu. This time, I'll be your senior."-I looked at him with a smile.
-"Damn, that's true."-He just realized it.-"I don't want this job anymore."
-"I'll be sure to report that to Teng Xiao."
-"You… Friendship truly disappears after a promotion."-He acted all depressed.
-"Ok, Ok, let's not make a scene. I have something to talk to Teng Xiao, so I'll be leaving first. Take care of the girls."
-"Don't worry, Baiheng will be elated to be surrounded by them all the time. But don't you dare leave without telling us; I'm waiting to play chess with you."
-"Sure."-I waved my hand as I entered the General's office.
Inside, Teng Xiao was already waiting for me.
-"Marshal notified me that you'd arrive, but to think you could do something like that."-Teng Xiao observed me.
-"Perfect for passing a message."-I smiled.
Raising my hand, a crystal feather appeared in my palm. With a slight wave, it floated to Teng Xiao, who picked it up. When it landed in his hands, the feather disappeared, and a series of scenes appeared in his mind. Moments later, he looked at me with a seriousness I had never seen before.
-"How sure are you?"
-"Over 90%."
-"Fuck."-He stood up and started walking around the room.-"Can you avert… I guess not. How long do we have?"
-"It won't happen in a year, but I doubt you'll have more than five."
-"Good, it's not as bad as I thought. Tell me your idea."
-"If we can't avoid it, then we have to prepare. If we don't make any big moves, the future won't deviate too much from what I calculated. First priority is eliminating the shackles you'll be bound by during the crisis."
-"Civilians and Ambrosial Arbor."-He quickly grasped the biggest problems currently on Luofu.
-"Yes. Evacuation is out of the question, as this would attract too many eyes, but we can ensure that civilian Delves are not turned into a battlefield. There is also an issue of energy to sustain them, but that can be resolved with assistance from IPC."
-"By disconnecting entrances to Delves, we can indeed make it so that the battle won't happen there, but that's only a stopgap measure; the enemy can break inside forcefully."
-"But they have no need to. Abundance, especially Shuhu, will target the Ambrosial Arbor to reclaim the blessing. If he can claim it, destroying the ship won't be an issue."
-"So you plan to use it as bait to minimize the destruction and casualties. Then you must have a good plan to defend it."
-"I do."-I nodded and continued to explain everything.
-"You look rather relaxed."-Jing Yuan commented as he moved one of his pieces.
-"Why should I worry? It's not my Yuque that is in trouble."
-"Ehem. I meant your partners. They are beaten black and blue by Master constantly; won't they take it out on you?"
-"Shows you are a loner."-I rolled my eyes at him.-"Don't worry, they know that that's for their good."
He shrugged and focused on the game.
Time always seems not to be enough; when someone waits or expects something, it still drags on. Teng Xiao and I discussed the plans and precautions for the upcoming battle, and after we did all we could, we could only wait. And that's why I sit here with Jing Yuan, playing chess and watching Herrscher get abused by Jingliu.
It has been over a year since the time they arrived here. My real body is buried in work on Yuque and on the Honkai Earth, making final preparations for absorbing it and departing back to Terra. As this avatar is like glass, I can't do anything strenuous with it, so most of the time I play with Jing Yuan or learn some knowledge from Dan Feng or Yingxing just to pass the time.
The girls meanwhile are focused on the training, embarking on their Paths while trying to better control with Herrscher powers. Out of twelve, only Rin and Angelia embarked on the Path of Hunt; others decided to walk Paths that suited them more.
Bronya and Mei chose the Erudition, as their characters fit this philosophy the best. Kiana and Ana chose the Preservation; Ana fully committed to becoming someone using her frost and gravity to protect; Kiana followed a somewhat extreme path of using her power to destroy in order to protect. While not mainstream in the Preservation, her will allowed her to indeed walk the Path of Preservation instead of Destruction.
The Destruction was chosen by Veliona, who had little care for right or wrong, nor did she care much; as long as she wanted to, or I asked her, she would use her power to destroy. Her sister chose the Path I expected, but caused some problems, as Seele did indeed embark on the Path of Abundance. I had to stake my name on her never worshiping Yaoshi, but she still received a stern warning and was forbidden from doing anything without someone as a guardian. Said guardians were appointed by the Ten-Lords Commission: two sisters named Xueyi and Hanya.
Maria and Rita chose the Enigmata, as their powers existed to break the Laws of the world. While this didn't cause a mess like with Seele, it resulted in me having a headache, as their powers would make me instinctively react. It was as if I had an allergy to their Path, and they often would use it to annoy me. But most surprising were the last two members of the Herrscher squad.
At first, I thought that Misteln and Bianka embarked on the Path of Harmony, but this wasn't true. Bianka indeed chose this path, using it to better use the power of the World Bubble in her and the Authority of Origin. But Misteln was different; while her Path appeared to be the same, she somewhat managed to walk the Path of Order, an ancient Path whose Aeon was absorbed by Harmony. For her, this didn't matter much; just like Seele and Alliance, she would need to watch out for any Harmony factions.
Thanks to embarking on their Paths, they managed to overcome the limitations of Honkai and use Imaginary Energy directly, increasing the strength of their Authorities to a Pseudo-Emanator level. If any of them were to fight using full power, only Teng Xiao, Jingliu, Dan Feng, and Jing Yuan could defeat them among the people on Luofu. And their strength would soon be necessary, as the enemy we were waiting for was about to appear.
As I was about to move my piece, the whole ship suddenly shook. I looked into the false sky, and seeing through it, I could see a strange, morbid, flesh-like barrier enveloping the whole Luofu. Returning my attention to the chessboard, I made my move and stood up.
-"Stay safe."
-"We will."-Jing Yuan also stood up.-"Eno, no matter what…"
-"Don't."-I interrupted him.-"It's just a battle like any other. We just need to win."
He nodded and quickly rushed to where the Cloud Knights were gathering. Everyone else also started to move to their posts, but before they left, I called out to two people.
-"Baiheng, Jingliu."
-"What's up?"-Baiheng asked while Jingliu looked back.
-"Catch."-I threw them two necklaces.-"Have those on you all the time."
-"Wow! That's pretty!"-Baiheng instantly liked the accessory.-"I'll take this as a confession! Wait for me to answer you after I return."
Jingliu also took it and observed it for a moment before putting it on. She knew that this necklace existed to protect her in some way, and while she didn't think she needed it, she still accepted my care. After nodding at me, she disappeared to where Teng Xiao was.
Soon, only I remained here, watching the pieces on the chessboard. The game was my loss; Jing Yuan was an enemy whom I couldn't defeat at least seven out of ten times. But even in that defeat, I could see three ways to turn the game back into a victory; that's why I continued to play, much to his displeasure. Sadly, on the board it would still amount to nothing, as Jing Yuan also saw those and defended himself; now the question was, would Shuhu also be able to prevent us from turning defeat into a victory?