"The door isn't locked. Just swipe for authorization on the left, and it will open automatically."
Mei's image appeared on the display screen beside the ME Corp entrance.
The girl sounded somewhat helpless: "Also, Kiana, knock lighter next time. I don't want to have to renovate my front door just because I wasn't paying attention."
"Awo."
The white-haired dumpling blinked innocently.
Due to her (Herrscher) constitution, during the Third Eruption, her body had uncontrollably absorbed a large amount of ownerless Honkai energy that had dissipated into the environment.
This caused Kiana's already monstrous strength, which she had nowhere to use, to rise several levels, and she still hadn't completely brought it under control.
This was also one of the reasons she chose the room next to the training room. The girl didn't know she was a Herrscher, but this power was undeniably hindering her daily life.
However, as the electronic door in front of her opened, she quickly put this matter out of her mind for the time being and rushed inside with a whoosh.
"Wow! It's so big! And so messy!"
Then she was dazzled by the dazzling array of treasures.
Various Honkai technology creations whose names she couldn't pronounce, nameless divine weapons shining with strange lights, peculiar minerals soaked in Honkai energy, supplies, and equipment were piled up in the ME Corp facility, which visually covered an area comparable to several football fields.
Even though Mei had organized it beforehand, the chaotic scene still left Kiana with nowhere to step.
Bronya, who followed in afterward, didn't need to tiptoe sneakily like her. Floating in mid-air, the little girl noticed Fuli's confusion and thoughtfully explained, "It was Raiden Mei's request. According to her—"
"'Because I'm the only one on the Hyperion currently capable of handling these things, they've all been stuffed in here.'"
Mei walked over, tucking her long hair behind her ear.
At this moment, she had changed into a white lab coat essential for researchers. Combined with the striped shirt underneath and the thin over-the-knee socks on her long, slender legs, Fuli instantly associated her with Dr. MEI, who claimed to be System Unit 2.
Younger, more youthful, and compared to pure rationality, she possessed an added touch of humanity and a hint of fanaticism.
"Alright then, whatever our Dr. Mei says, goes."
After all, these were her family's assets; Fuli wouldn't dictate what to do.
Looking around, the messy environment made him, who had a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder, frown subconsciously.
"But can you sleep in a place like this?"
Recalling the scent of gardenias he had smelled in his room earlier, the boy joked, "Don't tell me my room is actually the lounge you chose for yourself?"
"If I say yes, will you move?"
"Yeah."
"It's not."
Mei sighed softly. "The chaos here is only temporary. This little time wasn't enough for me to transfer these devices while also planning and classifying them by function."
The previous Nagazora City had become a target for everyone. What they needed to do was leave as soon as possible, so things were inevitably rushed.
The girl continued, "Besides, in a place you can't see from here, I've specially built an area for resting."
Fuli was deeply moved upon hearing this. Merging the workplace with the home—what kind of corporate slave spirit was this?
Love it, love it. This Emperor will give Concubine Mei a raise immediately!
"Hmph."
Reading part of the boy's surface thoughts through the constantly active electromagnetic induction, Mei's eyes curved into crescents, even knowing he was mostly joking without a filter.
(Author's Note: Electromagnetic induction is only used for the couple's daily flirting. It cannot read deep brain information, nor is it like mind-reading where nothing can be hidden.)
"I want to see! I want to see!"
Kiana-cat, having already circled ME Corp once, ran over to join the fun. "Mei's boudoir! This Young Miss can't wait to critique it!"
"There's a blank wall in the northwest direction. Stand there and snap your fingers."
Kiana did as told, and the metal wall in front of her parted to the sides.
"Whoa, so mysterious! Expectations are maxed out!"
The girl walked in impatiently to observe, but her beautiful brows furrowed in surprise.
"Mei, why doesn't your place have windows either?"
"ME Corp stores the most important assets of the Hyperion. I can't create vulnerabilities that would make it easy for enemies to invade... Of course, I've set up environmental controls and a starry sky ceiling, so theoretically, opening a window or not doesn't make much difference. It doesn't matter for your side; I'll go over later and open a ventilation window for you."
Noticing Kiana hesitating to speak, Mei smiled. "You don't have to try to match me; our divisions of labor are just different. In the future, if we really encounter enemies, I'll have to rely on Lord Kiana to sweep through the universe and protect me, a weak, pitiful, helpless researcher with no decent strength."
Sure enough, even though her personality has become colder compared to before, and her demeanor is closer to her state after joining World Serpent in the previous loop, Mei is still the gentle Mei in her bones.
Fuli thought.
"Mm! I got it! The window has to be as big as the one in Ah-Li's room!"
The comforted Kiana-cat gestured a big circle in the air with both hands, returning to her usual liveliness.
She touched here and looked there, sitting on a bare chair swinging her white-stockinged calves. "Mei, why don't the stools here have backs? It's uncomfortable to sit on."
"It's easier to run when there's an explosion."
"?"
The ahoge on top of Kiana's head slowly curled into a question mark.
"Experiments always have accidents. At times like that, you have to—"
Mei calmly walked to a corner and tapped her finger twice on the wall.
The wall shed its disguised appearance, revealing decorations and a layout that looked incredibly familiar to Fuli.
He was dumbfounded. "Th-this is my room?!"
The girl nodded. "Yes. It's also my escape route."
"Brother, Good Job."
If it were before, Bronya might have gossiped about whether Mei's purpose in doing this was for something entertaining like night raids.
But now, she just floated slowly to Fuli's side, patting his shoulder lightly with her small hand to comfort him.
ME Corp was famous internationally as an arms dealer, and the Super Electric Company (ME Corp), inheriting its mantle, was naturally no exception.
With the development aura boost from [Heavenly Time Theft], plus Mei, who possessed the Treasury of Knowledge from the Thunder Stigmata, occasionally tinkering with unknown and formidable Pre-Civilization technology...
Rounding it up, this was f*cking sleeping next to a bomb that could go BOOM at any time!
"What are you laughing at!"
Fuli was broken by this schadenfreude-filled cheap sister. He poked Bronya's forehead grumpily. "We're all living on the same ship. If I blow up, you'll also fall into a great white shark's mouth to watch the Pacific Ocean bare its teeth!"
"Nani?!!"
The news hit Bronya like a bolt from the blue, causing her to stagger back two steps, even blurting out Japanese.
"Fall into the Pacific Ocean? No."
Mei chuckled, expressing 'who are you looking down on'. "Our location is a different space opened up by the Key of Erosion. If such an explosion really happens, at most we'll get sucked into spatial turbulence and drift into some unknown bubble universe in the Sea of Quanta if we survive."
The Pacific Ocean is an ocean, the Sea of Quanta is also an ocean (sea). Rounding it up, it doesn't sound much different?
Kiana thought blankly, scratching her braid, and asked again, "Then what if we don't survive?"
Mei didn't reply, only giving her a gentle smile she hadn't shown in a long time.
If we don't survive, then we're dead, duh.
Bronya and Fuli hugged each other.
"Brother!"
"Sister!"
"Brother!"
"Sister!"
"Brother must watch over this crazy woman!"
Bronya gritted her teeth.
She couldn't die here! Seele was still waiting for her rescue in the Sea of Quanta!
Eh?
Sea of Quanta?
"Don't worry, Sis, Brother will definitely—"
Just as Fuli was about to agree to his cheap sister's request, he found Bronya letting go of him and floating behind Mei on her own accord, looking submissive and obedient. She looked exactly like a pretty little wife giving herself to a tyrant just so her husband could return safely.
"Traitor!"
Fuli shouted.
"Hmph!"
Bronya: Proud (loading)
"What are you being smug about, traitor!"
"Don't worry."
Mei smoothed things over gently. "I will grasp the measure of things in this regard."
"Then why did you turn your head away when you said that? Look into my eyes and repeat it!"
"In short, we need to go to Nauru next."
Mei decisively changed the subject.
"Eh? Nauru? Why?"
Kiana took the bait immediately.
She had heard of this small island nation in the central Pacific Ocean through Bilibili's 'Dead Rat's Weird Small Countries' series.
Land area of 21.1 square kilometers, basically just one island, population about 13,000, known as a country living on bird droppings.
"Because Nauru's government management is lax and harmless, and it's poor, extremely poor. As long as you give money, they are willing to act as an official endorsement and register Hyperion as a legal small organization recorded under the UN's Honkai management department, the [Disaster Containment Agency]."
As Mei spoke, she raised her hand, projecting a 3D model of the Earth in front of the three.
"World Slices. Have you heard of them?"
"What's that?"
Kiana sat down, behaving like a good student.
"World Slices, as the name suggests, are bubble universes that fit partially onto the Earth. They can also be understood as bubble universe entrances fixed on the planet's surface."
Fuli said, "The Ocean of Oceanus, the Thirty-Six Delve and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, Guixu (Return to Ruins), the Nine Realms of Norse Mythology, Mount Sumeru... these famous immortal mountains and vast seas in myths and legends are essentially bubble universes that 'surfaced' and overlapped with a part of the Earth's surface."
"Like this."
Mei snapped her fingers, and another ping-pong-ball-sized bubble slowly approached the Earth model in the center of the four under the effect of gravity.
Soon, the two touched on the surface.
"Space, or the bubble universe itself, cannot be observed by the naked human eye."
The girl said, "Therefore, even if the two fit together partially, looking down from space, the Earth is still the original oval shape. However, anyone standing on the overlapping area essentially breaks into that unfamiliar bubble universe."
"And this kind of bubble universe captured by the gravity of the Proper World and partially overlapping with the Earth is what academia calls a World Slice or Gap Slice."
"Because of this, our Earth's surface area seems to be only 510 million square kilometers at first glance, but if you add the area of these Gap Slices, it actually far exceeds that."
Fuli said, "And once you enter such a slice, methods relying on external observation and feedback like satellite navigation will all fail. The effects caused by ultra-long-range attacks like intercontinental missiles will also be greatly weakened."
The Gap Slice phenomenon wasn't widespread before the 20th century. At that time, the Earth's spatial structure was solid enough, and bubble universes that could successfully merge with it were definitely the minority of the minority; otherwise, the Age of Discovery wouldn't have developed.
Until the First Eruption occurred in Berlin in 1955. The Great Eruption directly shook the planet's spatial structure itself.
This is the true weight of why the Great Eruption is hailed as the greatest, most evil, and most despairing event in history. Just causing some destruction on the surface and killing a few hundred to a thousand people? Honestly, that really doesn't deserve the title.
"And within these bubble universes that partially overlap with Earth, there exist some indigenous people with unclear attitudes. And the relationship between the people of the Proper World and them... Have you watched Hunter x Hunter? It's pretty much like the relationship between the V5 and the Dark Continent."
Bronya's example was very fitting for her identity as an otaku and Metal Gear Bronya. "To avoid accidents, the aerial and maritime routes of various countries are strictly planned to circumvent those dangerous slices or non-human existences, such as Honkai derivatives that form roaming groups."
"I see!"
Kiana clapped her hands forcefully, nodding solemnly as if it were a serious matter.
Ah, I love the feeling of knowledge gliding over my brain without leaving a trace.
Seeing the unfriendly expressions of the three, the white-haired dumpling hurriedly asked, "But what does this have to do with us going to Nauru to register?"
"The numerous explanations above argue that [sailing an aerial battleship alone on international waters is also unsafe]."
It was still Mama Mei who spoiled her cub. "And if you want to sail safely and avoid those roaming dangers, detection permissions like GPS and BeiDou are indispensable."
"This aerial battleship is currently using Anti-Entropy's pass. Once Cocolia decides to cut off the connection on a whim, we will become a headless ghost wandering the Pacific. But once registered as an official organization under the Disaster Containment Agency, no matter how grassroots we are, as long as we are willing to pay, we can obtain multiple positioning services provided by various countries and major organizations."
What? Didn't you say satellites and such lose effectiveness when breaking into a Gap Slice?
The fear is precisely accidentally breaking into one, hence the need to constantly use external conditions like satellites for cross-referencing and positioning.
After all, once inside, life and death are truly up to fate.
"Is that so..."
Kiana understood this time. She raised her small hand. "Teacher Ah-Li!"
"Mm-hm?"
"Then counting those Gap Slices, how large is the total area of this planet we live on?"
"No one has calculated it clearly yet. But you should know that Lord Durandal of Schicksal broke into a bubble universe the size of Earth when she was young. And such bubble universes, while not everywhere in the solar system, are definitely more numerous than the fingers on our hands combined."
"So..."
"No need to worry about holding back."
Fuli smiled and said, "This stage called Honkai is big enough for us and those big shots to toss and turn as we please."
...
"The world is too small."
In a bar in a corner of Nagazora City, the legendary mercenary Natasha Cioara, codenamed 'Raven', couldn't help but sigh.
Just now, Gray Serpent, the old undying who took her away from Siberia when she was young and trained her into what she is today, sent a message telling her to evacuate quickly to avoid being caught by that brat Theresa.
It wasn't that they were afraid of her, but with Kevin not yet returned, World Serpent was still in a state of biding its time.
After all, this organization was essentially no different from a religion. The reason a bunch of monsters and freaks could gather together was entirely to admire the glory of Kevin, the strongest MANTIS of the Previous Era.
Without him, even Gray Serpent, the true founder of the organization, couldn't mobilize those maverick fellows.
For example, Cioara herself planned to retire as soon as she saved enough money to buy an island villa. If the sky fell, let the tall ones hold it up.
It perfectly demonstrated the saying: Gathered, they are a fire; scattered, they are a pile of sh*t.
Buzz—!
"Another order? Or has that brat Theresa caught up?"
Just as Cioara was getting visibly irritated, she picked up the cadre-exclusive communication device, checked it, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Not an order, not a pursuit, but a report.
[Misteln's Preliminary Observation Report on Fuli]
"Hare?"
Cioara clicked to view it with interest. She had always been curious about this elusive cadre.
—To everyone reading this report, first, we must clarify one point:
Although this report discusses Fuli throughout, Fuli as a person is not worth me, a World Serpent cadre, establishing a file specifically to observe and research him based solely on his own merits.
Even though he killed the newly awakened Herrscher of Thunder through various incredible means, and even though he displayed extremely keen combat talent, relatively excellent mental fortitude, and potential ability.
Thanks to Project Ember causing the Honkai to appear thousands of years early, the Current Era has not only developed unique civilization marvels like the Stigmata Authority (Deus Ex Machina) but the development of Honkai-side technology also far exceeds the past.
Even putting aside phenomenal creations like the Deus, A-Rank individual armaments can grant the equipper combat abilities close to the Breaker class. Carefully polished matching mechanical creations, when combined, can even construct powerful combat forces equivalent to S-Rank, just like the Aesir Heimdall under Anti-Entropy Executor Cocolia.
For World Serpent, which has existed since the Previous Era and absorbed most of the Current Era's technology through spies and other means, if Fuli truly wants to reach a level where he hinders our Great Cause (Project Stigmata), he must at least reach the realm above S-Rank.
But we all know this is impossible. The self-sacrifice of the Herrscher of Origin in the Previous Era destined the Herrschers of the Current Era to reach at most S-Rank Breaker level without ascending, even the Second Herrscher during the millennium who simultaneously controlled six authorities: Reason, Void, Thunder, Wind, Death, and Ice.
Let alone Fuli, who is not a Herrscher but merely an ordinary person with some talent.
To achieve the great deed of ascending to a Sequence Seat before Project Stigmata unfolds is absolutely impossible for him alone.
Therefore, the gaze I focus on has never been on Fuli himself, but on the possibility of him bypassing the Cocoon of Finality to become another Herrscher of Finality.
In the Previous Era, Dr. MEI, the leader who led the Fire Moth against the Honkai and initiator of the Divine Key project, proposed a very interesting theory after the Tragedy of Binding:
There are a total of fourteen Sequence Herrschers the civilization must face. The first thirteen Herrschers are fundamentally different from the final Herrscher of Finality.
Specifically, the first thirteen Herrschers are all projections of the Herrscher of Finality in different dimensions.
In that case, why don't we do the opposite? By reproducing the existence factors of the first thirteen Herrschers, artificially assemble a Herrscher of Finality belonging to humanity?
Regrettably, this desperate plan was ultimately not executed.
Unlike Divine Keys which cannot act autonomously, a special individual codenamed 'Artificial Finality' would inevitably possess self-awareness.
This was also a major reason why the Fire Moth Council rejected Dr. MEI's proposal. The terrible performance of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers was vivid in their minds; no one knew if she would create a powerful enemy hostile to humanity.
After the descent of the Herrscher of Corruption, civilization existed in name only, and Dr. MEI became the de facto leader of the remaining few thousand humans.
At that time, she still held hope for the plan and attempted to perform Stigmata fusion experiments using the Lord—Kevin, who possessed Chimera factors—as material.
Unfortunately, it was less than half a month before the arrival of the Herrscher of Finality. Secondly, as the key to quickly reproducing many existence factors of Herrschers, including Stigmata, the Key of Corruption was still in an incomplete state.
Seeing that Finality was imminent, Dr. MEI had no choice but to input the settings related to Artificial Finality into the Key of Corruption's production program, the [Black Box]. Everyone must have learned about the story after that from historical materials, so I won't repeat it here.
Based on the special relationship between Alexandra and Bronya Zaychik, I occasionally observe the latter secretly without alerting her.
During a routine observation a few days ago, through her perspective, I was surprised to find that the seal on the Key of Corruption had been lifted.
And its currently bound holder is none other than Fuli.
Yes, the backup plan left by Dr. MEI in her despair has taken effect on this peculiar Shenzhou boy.
Holding the Key of Corruption while sharing a room with Raiden Mei, an extremely rare holder of the Thunder Stigmata... such a development truly implies some coincidence.
However, it cannot be denied that Fuli, having gathered the corresponding conditions, has stepped onto the road of apotheosis to become the Artificial Finality.
The foundation of [Project Stigmata] requires the returning Lord to transform into the ultimate Chimera form—bearing the Brahma (All Beasts) to usurp the Cocoon's authority, thereby obtaining and shouldering the supreme power of Finality.
Forgive my presumption, but no matter how you say it, such a method is cutting corners.
Unless someone can take over the authority from the Lord who has reached his limit in the future, the Cocoon will inevitably transform into a demon again to purge Earth's civilization.
In that case, can we be bolder?
Use an Artificial Finality, who has higher compatibility with the Cocoon than the Lord, as the core of Project Stigmata?
Moreover, the cultivation technique he practices is the long-lost Peerless Nine Turns. It is difficult for me to understand how this person obtained this special human body modification method, which possesses fatal flaws and was eliminated by Ms. Fu Hua.
However, it is undeniable that if one cultivates this technique to the ninth turn, the modifier who evolves numerous Honkai Beast organs will indeed become a Karma Demon form similar to bearing the Brahma (All Beasts).
Bearing the Brahma possessing all characteristics of Honkai Beasts;
The Authority of True Sacred Finality, evolved from thirteen Stigmata authorities as the foundation;
Once these two combine into one, isn't this artificially shaping a brand-new existence that possesses all the qualities of the Cocoon of Finality and can perfectly embrace the Cocoon?
Going a step further, if the Cocoon's ultimate goal is to create its own kind, could Fuli be Its final solution?
Of course, I am not saying we should capture Fuli back to World Serpent for processing and modification right now. The Fire Moth Council's worries when rejecting Dr. MEI were not without reason.
Once an Artificial Finality with self-awareness develops a hatred for humanity and civilization, the consequences would be no less than the descent of the real Finality.
Furthermore, Shesha, defeated by the Engine of Creation, disappeared after sinking into the Far East Strait. Considering its previous movement trajectory and behavioral patterns, this Judgement-class Honkai Beast has very likely returned to Raiden Mei, who has now joined the [Hyperion].
An S-Rank combat force should not be underestimated under any circumstances. Also considering that the vast majority of this nameless organization's assets were moved from ME Corp... Tsk tsk tsk, talk about living off a woman.
Therefore, my current opinion is to temporarily observe Fuli purely as the Third Singularity, and take corresponding action when he obtains four to six Stigmata.
After all, it's hard to say what will happen in the future. No one knows if his life ahead will be like a meteor—brilliant but short-lived.
Of course, before formal contact, I will attempt to use dreams, Stigmata spaces, and other methods to contact Fuli privately. By pretending to be Ms. Cecilia Schariac, I will extract some necessary intelligence from him.
In addition, regarding the special existences appearing in the Current Era suspected to be alternate space-time isotopes of the Flame-Chasers, including Eden, Mobius, and Vill-V, several people have vaguely detected the informants placed by World Serpent.
To avoid completely tearing faces and exposing the Serpent's existence prematurely, I suggest canceling the tracking.
As for Ms. Pardofelis, who has already noticed and easily countered the informants, I have established a friendly relationship with her intelligence organization [Nightmare]. Everyone, please do not worry.
That is all, Misteln Schariac.
"Heh! That shameless Hare. Saying she'll pretend to be Cecilia to extract intelligence? Isn't she just planning to guest star as a succubus in a dream to seduce a sixteen-year-old boy?"
After reading the report, Cioara sneered twice. A few more replies popped up on her phone Chapter 13: "Misteln's Fuli Observation Report" (Continued)
Gray Serpent: Received. While continuing your routine surveillance of Bronya Zaychik, please maintain focus on the individual Fuli.
Akungu (Jackal): ...Similar.
Dystopia: Similar to what, A-Mo?
Akungu (Jackal): ...Their relationship resembles MEI and Kevin in the memories of this body.
Jackal: An Artificial Finality with thirteen Stigmata gathered? Advancing from Pseudo-Chimera factor to bearing the Brahma? @Raven Capture him for me to study.
Raven: You read all that and only saw those few words, didn't you?
Putting down the communication device, Cioara was speechless. She felt this guy was brain-dead!
...
At the same time, inside the Hyperion sailing over the Pacific Ocean.
"Achoo!"
Fuli sneezed hard.
"Did someone catch a cold?"
Kiana, who was happily eating grilled fish, looked up, her mouth still greasy.
"Maybe someone is talking about me behind my back."
Fuli rubbed his nose, not taking it seriously.
With his current physique, getting sick was basically impossible unless he was infected by some special Honkai virus.
"Speaking of which, Mei, when do we arrive at Nauru?"
He turned to ask the girl beside him who was elegantly cutting a piece of fish steak.
"According to the current speed, about tomorrow afternoon."
Mei put down her knife and fork, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and said, "Before that, I suggest we conduct a combat simulation in the training room."
"Combat simulation?"
Kiana's eyes lit up. "Fighting? I'm in!"
"It's mainly to test the new weapons and your current control over your power."
Mei glanced at her. "Don't think just because you have raw strength you're invincible. If you can't control it, it's just brute force."
"Ugh..." Kiana scratched her head. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to Mei."
Bronya silently raised her hand. "Bronya also wants to participate. Project Bunny needs actual combat data for calibration."
"Then it's decided."
Fuli stood up, stretching his limbs. "After dinner, training room. Let's see how much we've all improved."
The sea outside the window was calm, the waves glistening under the sunlight. The Hyperion cut through the clouds, heading towards its unknown future.
But inside the ship, the gears of destiny for these young boys and girls were beginning to turn faster, meshing together to drive them towards a grander stage.
Whether it was World Serpent lurking in the shadows, Schicksal watching from above, or the unpredictable Honkai itself...