"It seems they've run into some trouble over there. However, that does not affect our discussion about the future of this world. What should I call you? The strongest warrior of the Previous Era? The executor of Project Stigma? Or… 'Lord'?"
Smiling at the white-haired man opposite him, whose expression was completely placid, Otto's emerald eyes betrayed no emotion. The hint of a smile seemed like a mere illusion.
"Fine. Let's begin."
"Kevin" nodded slightly, his voice cold. His figure was hazy, giving one a sense of unreality.
That's right, this was a holographic projection. The one sitting opposite Otto was not Kevin himself, but a projection transmitted across layers of space.
Interestingly, it was not Otto who had sought out Kevin, but Kevin who had personally sought out Otto. Gazing at the ancestor of the Kaslana family, Otto smiled and shook his head. He gently picked up a glass of dark red wine, his wrist swirling slightly. The viscous, blood-like liquid sloshed within the goblet, following the motion of his hand.
"Mr. Kevin, you were the one who came to us. you wish to understand what has happened, because the changes in the outside world have become so great that you find it unfamiliar, correct?"
"That's right. Logically, after the appearance of the first Herrscher, the frequency of subsequent Herrschers should have accelerated, and the Honkai energy dispersed in the atmosphere should have increased exponentially. But according to World Serpent's observations, the Honkai energy currently present on Earth… seems to have been suppressed by you to a remarkably low level."
Kevin stated this with a frosty demeanor. He had been preparing to proceed according to his established plan, but the sudden drop in Honkai energy had forced him out of the shadows. After all, this was far too absurd. Even in the Previous Era, it was almost unheard of for Honkai energy levels to be this low.
That was why he had taken the initiative to reveal himself to investigate the cause. Or rather… he was forced to reveal himself.
"My dear Mr. Kevin, you may not know what we are experiencing right now. This is an opportunity to end the 'samsara,' both for you and for us."
The smile on Otto's face was enigmatic. Then, with a casual swipe of his hand in the air, the conference room's projector instantly displayed a set of data models.
"This is… a wormhole? What are you trying to prove?"
Kevin's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of coldness entering his gaze as he looked at Otto.
"No, you've misunderstood again. It is not I who is trying to prove something to you, but rather, it…"
Otto pushed himself up from his chair and walked over to the data model, beginning to manipulate it.
"This wormhole is located near Mars. Our distinguished guests, the Astral Express, used it to arrive here. But according to that Welt who returned from the future, this wormhole is not as simple as it appears."
As he spoke, Otto expanded the model again, constructing a two-way channel.
"The wormhole is the passage connecting our world and the world of Star Rail. And because the wormhole seems to possess a kind of 'siphon effect'… even when those 'students' are here, this wormhole will draw out the Honkai energy from this world. After reaching the other world, it is then converted into…"
Otto looked at Kevin's unperturbed expression, smiled faintly, and then stated the conclusion of their research report.
"Imaginary energy. You know what this means, don't you?"
Watching the seemingly pensive Kevin, Otto returned to his seat and took a light sip of the aged red wine.
A few days ago, the Welt who had returned from the future had personally sought him out. This was the fundamental reason he hadn't interfered with St. Freya Academy or Anti-Entropy—he was waiting for him.
His gamble had paid off. Welt had discovered the secret of the wormhole, but Anti-Entropy currently lacked the means to verify his theory. For this reason, he had personally approached Otto and discussed a series of cooperative ventures.
Although Welt hated this man to the bone, he sometimes had to admit that the world couldn't fight the Honkai without Otto. When it came to this fight, he was truly dedicated. It would be even better if he didn't have other ulterior motives.
In response to Welt's request for cooperation, Otto had only one condition. After Welt reluctantly agreed, nearly thirty Honkai detection satellites developed by Schicksal were successfully launched into space. All the data obtained from these satellites was used to provide theoretical support for Welt's hypothesis.
Finally, through a series of data comparisons and experimental reports, they were able to essentially confirm that Welt's conclusion was correct. The wormhole was indeed siphoning Honkai energy from their world, and in the process of traversing the wormhole, this energy was converted into Imaginary energy—the root cause of the recent "anomalies" in this star system.
This presented two possibilities for the Honkai world.
The first possibility: all Honkai energy in their world would be completely siphoned away by the wormhole, and from then on, the word "Honkai" would have to be removed from their world's name.
The second possibility: their world would one day be suddenly integrated into the world of Star Rail, like a "leaf" merging into a "branch." Although the probability was low, it was a valid conjecture.
"So, Mr. Kevin, you now understand everything that has happened. As for the truth of my words, you can naturally use your own methods to verify them. Of course, I would not lie to you."
Otto's face was the picture of sincerity. Kevin, sitting opposite him, merely glanced at him before shutting off the holographic projection, seemingly intending to verify Otto's claims.
Otto simply smiled and said nothing. He walked over to a soft, comfortable sofa, sat down, took out his controller adorned with a Kallen sticker, and started up the newest generation of Kallen Fantasy.
If the Honkai really does end, or if this world is assimilated into a branch of the "Tree," then can I finally embark on the path to find her again? Instead of… this…
No, not yet. Don't be anxious. You have already waited five hundred years… But in the face of this truly visible hope, five hundred years of waiting does not seem so long… Kallen…
---o---
"Joachim, I really don't get it! How the *** could you cooperate with that ****** bastard!?"
Tesla, looking like her hair was about to stand on end, paced back and forth beside Joachim, practically tearing her hair out. Joachim, in turn, looked at her with a helpless expression.
"Uh… actually, it was his suggestion… alright, I guess it was my suggestion too."
Joachim thought back to the plan proposed by his future self and shook his head with a bitter smile.
This really is… a huge mess I've made for myself…
---o---
"Wow~ So this is miHoYo Planet? It looks so amazing! Even though there's nothing here, it still feels incredible! Look at this water, this mountain! And this pavilion! How perfect for playing Jade Tiles and taking a nap while fishing!"
Qingque, who had just been sent by Fu Xuan, was captivated by the scenery of miHoYo Planet the moment she stepped off the starskiff. This planet would definitely get along with her! Wasn't this the sacred land of slacking she had always dreamed of? As long as the upcoming mission wasn't too demanding… hehe, she had already figured out which grove of trees would be the most comfortable for a good nap!
"Senior, is it really okay for you to be like this?"
Beside her, a girl with black hair and black eyes, but with black cat ears on her head and a long, elegant cat tail trailing behind her, spoke to Qingque with an embarrassed expression. People… people are already staring!
"Huh? Oh! Hehe, my apologies. I haven't been on a business trip in so long, I got a little carried away."
Seeming to realize her reaction had been a bit over the top, Qingque scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
Honestly, she had resigned herself to a life of slacking off in the library, only occasionally being dragged out by the Master Diviner to do some work. She truly never expected to be assigned to this business trip! Although the Master Diviner had also sent a seemingly very righteous young lady to keep an eye on her… that was nothing to her, Qingque! If she wanted to slack off, no one could find her unless the General himself or the Master Diviner came looking!
Of course, if there was a real emergency, she wouldn't slack off… After all, business was business. She was very clear about what was important and what wasn't!
"Miss Qingque, we should probably go report in first. I feel like more and more people are looking over here…"
The catgirl's ears were practically twitching off her head. They had just disembarked from the Luofu transport skiff, and Miss Qingque had immediately made such a socially suicidal declaration! Eek!!
The catgirl's face was flushed red, and she was on the verge of letting out a wail like a boiling kettle!
"Ah, right, my apologies, Miss Qingmu. Let's go. An old acquaintance should be coming to pick us up soon."
Seeing the socially anxious Miss Qingmu, Qingque apologized.
She was used to being so carefree that she had forgotten she had a colleague with her who was apparently very thin-skinned!
"Mhm! Let's go!"
Miss Qingmu nodded quickly and then walked off the landing platform at a brisk pace.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
---o---
"We have currently reached a consensus with multiple factions to prepare for the Legion's movements. This will allow us to react quickly to their next move. Once the Legion's offensive begins, we can provide rapid support, using the star rails as our network."
Welt marked several regions on the star chart. One part represented the IPC's [Preservation], another the Xianzhou Alliance's [Hunt].
The Genius Society had not directly joined their alliance, or at least, not openly, but their supportive stance was already clear.
"However, the problem is also obvious. Because of the existence of things like Stellarons, although everyone has tacitly linked them to the Antimatter Legion, we still cannot be certain if the Legion has the ability to command them. If the enemy uses Stellarons as a vanguard to interfere with the star rails, then our mutual support will become just like it was with Punklorde—impossible. For now, all we can do is actively prepare for war."
Afterward, Welt analyzed the possible gathering points of the Legion with the group. But after Wende personally took a look with his "eyes," there was no trace of the Legion there at all. It was baffling, as if that massive force had simply vanished into thin air.
After the meeting concluded, Himeko left miHoYo Planet first and returned to the Astral Express.
The train had now successfully docked in orbit near miHoYo Planet. It seemed that with the train's arrival, Realm-Restricting Anchors had also appeared on the planet. But none of that was important now. Dealing with the potential enemy was the top priority.
---o---
Jarilo-VI, Belobog, Overworld.
Bronya stared at the "Bronya" in front of her, who looked exactly like her, except that the scale in front of her was much larger than her own. For a moment, she was completely stunned.
Did she… did she have a long-lost sister or something?
The Rand Duckie stared at the "Bronya" in the group of four, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Hello, I'm Kiana. This is Mei, Wendy, and… uh, Bronya…"
Kiana, who had been very excited a moment ago, seemed to remember something. She looked at the baffled Rand Duckie in front of her, then at the Bronya behind her… How was she supposed to introduce her correctly?
"Uh, you must be Bronya Zaychik, right? It's a pleasure to meet you. You… look very different from how you do in the game."
The Rand Duckie, seeing Kiana's awkwardness, snapped out of her own groundless fantasies. She proactively extended a hand and greeted Bronya Zaychik in a friendly manner.
"Hello, Supreme Guardian. I am Bronya Zaychik."
Bronya Zaychik naturally took the Rand Duckie's hand. She also glanced expressionlessly at the still-struggling Kiana. Was it really that hard to tell the two of them apart? Their voices weren't even the same!
"Ugh… okay, I really can't tell."
Kiana slapped her forehead. She really couldn't see the difference!
"Hello, I'm Wendy."
Wendy nodded at the Rand Duckie.
"Hello. Are you… a relative of Mr. Wende?"
The Rand Duckie looked at Wendy. Although she didn't look much like Mr. Wende, she had seen a picture March 7th had sent of little Wende. The long ahoge in the photo was very similar to the girl's in front of her… just one was black and purple, and the other was black and cyan… Could hair and eye color mutate like that?
"Mhm! I am!"
Wendy suddenly nodded very excitedly at the Rand Duckie, but then realized her behavior might have been a bit too extreme. Her little face flushed, and her energy seemed to deflate by several degrees.
"Uh… hello, I'm Mei."
Seeming to notice Wendy's embarrassment, Mei proactively extended her hand to the Rand Duckie and greeted her kindly.
"Yes, hello."
The Rand Duckie nodded back at Mei just as kindly.
"Since you are all here, on behalf of Belobog, I welcome you. At the same time, there is something I must ask of you…"