The teleportation process was far longer and more... "profound" than crossing the Bifrost or a Schicksal projection. It was not a simple spatial jump, but as if penetrating countless thick and viscous "barriers" composed of different rules and space-time membranes. Artoria felt her soul and body being stretched, compressed, decomposed, and then reorganized. Countless bizarre and incomprehensible fragments of scenes flashed past the edges of her perception—boiling oceans of energy, collapsing stellar graveyards, silently floating shattered continents, and brilliant star rivers composed of pure information flows... Finally, everything returned to a heart-palpitating, boundless "nothingness," as if she were placed before the birth or after the end of all things.
Just as she felt herself about to be completely assimilated by this void and forget her own existence, a solid and soft feeling of "touching bottom" arrived.
[Warning: Arrived at the outer side of the Secondary Space Membrane of the target Universe (No. G-5520), entering the 'World Bubble' buffer zone.] The system's electronic voice, carrying a trace of an undetectable, relieved fluctuation, rang clearly in her consciousness. [Cross-border teleportation successful, energy consumption 76%. This system is entering low-power operation mode and is expected to restore basic full functionality within 72 hours. Host status monitoring: vital signs stable, soul anchoring firm, cross-border rule adaptability adjustment preliminarily completed, slight rejection sensation exists (within expectations).]
Artoria slowly opened her eyes, or rather, restored her perception of the outside World. The first thing she "saw" was not a familiar starry sky or any physical scene, but a sea of light and shadow with non-Euclidean geometric structures, flowing and changing with magnificent and chaotic colors like the interior of a kaleidoscope. This was the junction between the World's inner barrier and the outer void, the "shallows" of the rules.
She found herself in a wonderful state of "suspension," her body wrapped in an extremely faint silver-white energy membrane generated by the system, isolating her from the chaotic energy and information turbulence outside. The Serenitea Pot medium held tightly in her hand, as well as the spatial coordinates representing the life-support pod at her waist, both sent back stable responses. Fortunately, the most important things were still there.
"Is this... the outskirts of the Super God Universe?" Artoria asked in her heart, while adapting to that ubiquitous, subtle sense of "incongruity," as if every cell and every trace of magic in her body was being gently and continuously "calibrated" by the underlying rules of this new World.
[To be precise, it is outside the 'membrane' structure of the World Bubble. We have arrived, but have not yet truly 'entered'.] The system responded, its voice slightly deeper than usual, as the low-power mode clearly affected its information processing efficiency. [Next, we need to decide on the specific 'landing' coordinates, and... in what manner we shall announce our arrival to this Universe—or rather, how to slip in as low-key as possible.]
Following the system's guidance, a cosmic "star map," far more macroscopic and dynamic than the data received before, was outlined in Artoria's consciousness. It was no longer a simple distribution of forces, but a three-dimensional panorama marked with dimensions such as energy levels, information interaction density, and rule stability. One could see several "civilization singularities" as dazzling as supernovae, emitting different qualities of light—golden for order, purple for chaos, deep blue for tranquility, and crimson for intensity—as well as their spheres of influence radiating out like neural networks into the vast sea of stars. And between the "shadows" and "gaps" of these magnificent structures were countless dim "glimmers" representing primitive or low-level civilizations, and vast areas of unknown star regions that were not fully controlled by any advanced civilization, like a dark forest.
Among them, a star region emitting a pale gold light with clear information characteristics of "order," "judgment," and "holiness" appeared exceptionally "conspicuous" and "stable" on the star map. That was the Angel Nebula, the maintainer of the known Universe's order and the location of the Merlot Heavenly Court.
"The Dark Forest Law..." Artoria gazed at this star map and murmured softly. The cold logic represented by this term became incomparably clear in her current perception. Any "outsider" who intruded into the observation or control range of a high-level civilization without notification or clear intent might be regarded as an invasion, a threat, or... a "resource." Especially for those existences who viewed their own philosophies as universal truths and possessed absolute power.
[Completely correct.] The system confirmed Artoria's concern. [Therefore, we must carefully choose our entry point. Descending directly to Earth may seem familiar, but it is actually extremely risky. Earth is currently in the Pre-nuclear Era and is one of the 'focuses' of the known Universe, closely watched by forces such as the Angels, Demons, Styx, and even the Blazing Sun. Once the life-support pod we carry, the technical data inside the Serenitea Pot, and your own power characteristics are exposed, it could easily trigger uncontrollable chain reactions, and might even be viewed as a 'variable' or 'treasure' to be directly controlled or researched by certain existences.]
"Contacting the Demons or Styx carries even higher risks." Artoria shook her head. Behind Morgana's "freedom and corruption" philosophy lay chaos and destruction, and Karl's "Void research" was filled with disregard for the known order and dangerous curiosity. Dealing with them would be like playing with fire, which is not the way of the wise.
[The Blazing Sun Civilization follows 'national peace and public security,' being relatively conservative and restrained, but it has deep roots with Earth and possesses extremely strong control over the 'Heavenly Way' and 'Stellar Drive.' Operating within its sphere of influence would also be difficult to hide.] The system added.
So, the seemingly high-and-mighty, strictly regulated Angel Civilization was actually the "relatively" least bad choice at the moment? At least they publicly proclaimed the order of justice and had clear, understandable moral standards and behavioral logic. For visitors "within the order," there might be a possibility for negotiation.
"Angels... Holy Keisha." Artoria's gaze focused once more on that pale golden star region. "How would their 'order of justice' react to an 'otherworldly traveler' from another Universe, carrying a heavily injured companion and seeking technical help?"
[Cannot predict precisely. But based on known information analysis, the Angel Civilization possesses some of the top technologies in the known Universe, with deep research in fields such as 'consciousness,' 'Sacred Coding,' and 'Sub-biological Engines,' and may possess the technical foundation we need. Moreover, its social structure is relatively stable, and although the decision-making level is powerful, they are not irrational tyrants. If we can make initial contact in a manner that conforms to 'order,' showing we are harmless and have a clear purpose, the possibility of dialogue and transaction exists.] The system analyzed calmly. [The risk lies in the Angels' tolerance for the 'unknown' and 'potential threats,' as well as whether we can pass their'scrutiny.' Furthermore, the Angel star region is heavily defended; how to enter their vision 'in accordance with order' is a difficult problem.]
Artoria fell into deep thought. Directly driving the hyperion, the backup vehicle prepared by the system which was a "hybrid" product of Honkai and partial Asgard and Stark technology, to force through the Angel stargate would undoubtedly be suicide. Sending a galaxy-wide broadcast for help? That would attract the attention of all forces, with unpredictable consequences.
"We need a way to appear that is... conspicuous enough, but without obvious hostility, and can to some extent demonstrate our 'value' and 'uniqueness'," Artoria said slowly, her thoughts gradually becoming clear. "We are not refugees on the run, nor an invading army. We are... 'otherworldly visitors' seeking technical cooperation. Thus, our 'calling card' and 'knocker' must be worthy of it."
She looked at the projection the system cast into her conscious void—the phantom of that streamlined silver-white battleship, the hyperion. Its technology tree fused characteristics from multiple Worlds; it was neither a pure Honkai creation nor any known model of this Universe. Its energy characteristics and appearance were unique enough to attract attention. At the same time, its combat level, as assessed by the system, was roughly equivalent to an elite aerospace-level civilization flagship of this Universe, possessing some capital for self-protection and demonstrating strength, yet far from reaching a level that could threaten the Angel Civilization.
"We will pilot the hyperion and'sail in' from the relatively public space lanes or observation areas on the outskirts of the Angel Nebula using conventional sub-light speed navigation mode, without performing spatial jumps," Artoria decided. "During the voyage, maintain a low-power identification signal broadcast that conforms to universal cosmic etiquette, stating that we are a 'lost otherworldly research/exploration ship seeking technical assistance,' with a critically injured person on board in urgent need of high-level medical support. The signal will include some of our non-core technological characteristic frequencies, as well as... a trace of extremely faint 'Otherworldly Rule' fluctuations that seem similar yet different to 'Sacred Coding' or 'Dark Energy,' acting as a hook."
"No hiding, no surprise attacks; we will request to enter their 'line of sight' and 'communication channel' openly and in a manner that conforms to the 'order' process. Meanwhile, the hyperion will maintain its highest level of defensive posture, but the weapon systems will not be charged, indicating no intention of proactive attack," she added. "Leave the choice to the Angels. If they choose to make contact, that's for the best. If they choose to ignore or expel us... we will then consider backup plans, such as attempting to slip into a peripheral civilization or risking a trip to Earth to find another way."
[Plan approved.] The system agreed after evaluation. [Requesting contact in a relatively public manner that conforms to 'order' places us in the 'light.' Although we give up the advantages of surprise and stealth, it also minimizes the risk of being directly judged as a 'threat' to be eliminated for being'sneaky.' The additional 'Otherworldly Rule' fluctuation as bait may attract the curiosity of the research or diplomatic departments among the Angels. Executing this plan, the hyperion will be released from the backup space (an independent subspace maintained by the system) and undergo final adaptive tuning. Estimated time for tuning and sailing to the designated coordinates: 6 standard hours.]
"Let's begin," Artoria nodded.
In the time that followed, with the system's assistance, she performed final inspections and arrangements inside the hyperion. The most important life-support pod was placed in a gravity-stabilized chamber in the core area of the battleship, connected to the ship's own power and the life-support system brought from Schicksal. The entrance to the Serenitea Pot was cleverly disguised as a "private meditation room." Artoria herself changed into a more formal "envoy" style outfit with simple decorations and a faint energy resonance. At her waist, besides a multi-functional pouch, she also hung the military knife gifted by Steve, which symbolized the honor and conviction of a warrior.
When the hyperion's silver-white streamlined hull, accompanied by a soft ripple in space, fully emerged from the subspace into the chaotic light and shadow at the edge of this World Bubble, Artoria stood before the wide observation window of the bridge. Looking at the ever-changing color vortices outside being pushed aside by the ship's own stabilizing force field, her heart was filled with peace.
Sorrow and pain were frozen in the deepest part of her heart. At this moment, what dominated her thinking was absolute calm, prudent weighing, and an unshakeable goal.
The battleship's engines emitted a low and steady hum, beginning to slowly accelerate toward the coordinates of a "Lookout Star Domain" marked by the system—a relatively "public" area on the outskirts of the Angel Nebula often used for observing adjacent galaxies and abnormal phenomena.
During the voyage, following the predetermined protocol, the battleship began to broadcast that carefully written signal on a specific frequency in a loop:
"This is the independent research and exploration ship 'hyperion'. Our ship has accidentally lost its way from a distant World Bubble to this Universe and follows the principle of peaceful exploration. A member on board has been severely injured due to a special spatial disaster and is in critical condition, requiring urgent high-level civilization medical support. We are willing to exchange some otherworldly technological information and special material samples for the necessary medical assistance. Repeat, we have no hostile intentions and request to establish preliminary communications and guidance for safe contact protocols..."
In the signal, there was a trace of an extremely obscure yet subtle "noise" that differed from the basic frequencies of this Universe's "Dark Energy" and "Sacred Coding," as if it came from the underlying rules of another dimension. This was a unique "signature" simulated by the system using residual energy, mixed from the concepts of the "Ember Era Protocol" and the "Herrscher of Truth."
The hyperion, like a silent and elegant silver water drop, glided steadily through the quiet deep space, heading unhurriedly toward the edge of that star region emitting the pale golden light of order.
Would it be the Skyblade that brings judgment, or the starlight that opens a dialogue? Artoria did not know. She simply stood quietly on the bridge, her gaze piercing through the observation window, looking toward that increasingly close pale golden starlight that represented the highest order and possible hope of this Universe, waiting for the first echo from "justice."
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