The eternal holy light of the Merlot Heavenly Court gradually faded behind, turning into a warm and brilliant golden dot in the distant starry sky.
There was no grand farewell ceremony, no long-winded exhortations, only a simple and private send-off in that exclusive laboratory on the top floor of the Heavenly Base Research Institute.
In the center of the laboratory floated a streamlined, silver-gray behemoth about two hundred meters long.
It was no longer the small and agile vehicle like the 'shadow shuttle' from before, but a true, nascent interstellar warship—the 'Hyperion' prototype.
Its hull lines were sharp yet elegant, covered in a matte-textured special alloy, with faint, flowing light-blue energy veins visible beneath.
The bow had a graceful wedge shape, with movable armor plates extending from both sides like folded wings.
In the middle of the hull, a huge, hexagonal honeycomb-shaped energy core pulsed at a steady frequency, emitting a reassuring hum.
At the stern, four sets of X-arranged main thruster interfaces had been retrofitted and embedded with Psionic Matrix Amplifiers derived from Angel technology.
This warship fused the mechanical design aesthetics Artoria brought from her own civilization, the space and energy technologies she mastered while studying in the Angel Civilization, inspiration from the whimsical ideas of the 'Forum' seniors, and the cost-no-object resources poured in by the Heavenly Base Engineering Department.
Although it had not yet fully reached her ultimate vision of 'one person as an army, a mobile fortress,' its basic framework, core systems, and especially its defense and propulsion modules, had already reached the standard of first-class combat vessels in the Known Universe.
More importantly, it was customized entirely according to Artoria's psionic control habits and tactical thinking; every system interface and every weapon hardpoint left ample room for expansion and 'magic' modifications.
At this moment, Artoria and Minerva were standing in front of the open hatch of the 'Hyperion'.
Both had changed into attire suitable for long-distance travel—Artoria in a silver-gray, one-piece jumpsuit with simple inner lining armor, her long hair neatly tied behind her head, with 'star dome' still at her waist; Minerva in a slim-fitting casual outfit of the same color, which made her posture appear even more upright, and the warm starlight flowing beneath her skin seemed more restrained and profound than usual—a sign that the fifth-generation god body upgrade was entering the final preparation stage.
Hexi was not wearing her signature scholar's robe, but had changed into a simple white experimental suit. Her silver hair was draped loosely, and she was steadily moving the last tightly sealed, silver-white cubic container into the cargo hold of the 'Hyperion' via an anti-gravity suspension platform.
The surface of the container flashed with composite runes representing 'Extremely Dangerous' and 'Top Secret'. Inside was loaded all the core catalysts, special substrates, and experimental materials related to high-dimensional information stability that Minerva needed to complete her fifth-generation god body upgrade.
'Alright, the last batch of'snacks' is loaded.' Hexi patted the non-existent dust off her hands and walked up to Artoria, carefully examining her student.
Her gaze no longer held the usual mischievousness and banter, leaving only pure, elder-like care and a hint of imperceptible pride.
'I have already entered the fifth-generation god body upgrade protocol, energy infusion sequence, and information fusion precautions into Minerva's core database, and set the trigger conditions.
Remember, the upgrade process must be carried out in an environment you consider absolutely safe and with sufficient energy guarantees.
Minerva's constitution is special; this upgrade is not only a leap at the physical level, but also a reshaping of her own information structure and its compatibility with high-dimensional energy, so no errors can be tolerated.'
'I will remember that, Teacher.' Artoria nodded vigorously; she could feel the weight in Hexi's words.
Hexi turned her gaze to the 'Hyperion' again, tapping her fingertips in the void to pull up the warship's holographic structural diagram, pointing to a special module cabin that had just been added behind the bridge, emitting faint spacetime disturbances.
'The compatibility test for the 'chronos core' is complete, and its parallel connection with the hyperion's main energy matrix is stable.
I have encapsulated it in an independent logic isolation cabin, which can only be unlocked and accessed by your and Minerva's highest authority.
Normally, it can serve as an auxiliary core for the warship's super-spatial navigation, complex environment prediction, and high-dimensional information shielding. When necessary... you know how to use it.'
She paused, looking into Artoria's clear and firm eyes, her tone becoming gentle: 'I know you are in a hurry to go back.
There are people you are familiar with there, responsibilities you have yet to fulfill, and in a sense, it is your other 'home.' Teacher won't stop you.
But remember, here, the Merlot Heavenly Court, will always be your home.
If you are tired outside or encounter trouble you can't solve, come back anytime. Keisha and I will always keep the highest priority response for the resonance channel of 'star dome'.'
'Yeah!' Artoria's nose felt a bit sore. She stepped forward and gave Hexi a light hug.
Hexi's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed, and she raised her hand to pat her back. The movement was a bit awkward, but full of warmth.
After the brief hug, Artoria stepped back, took a deep breath, and put a smile back on her face: 'Teacher, then I'm leaving. Please take care of yourself, the Queen... and Sister Yan, Sister Leng, and the others.'
'Go.' Hexi waved her hand, a smile also appearing on her face, 'Remember to occasionally send a safety signal using 'star dome'; don't learn from certain people who run out and disappear for hundreds of years without a word.'
Artoria knew she was referring to some ancient Angels who liked to 'archaeologize' or 'observe' in the deep Universe and couldn't help but laugh.
She took one last look at Hexi, then at the familiar scene of the Heavenly City bathed in holy light outside the laboratory window, then turned around, took Minerva's hand, and walked firmly into the hatch of the 'Hyperion'.
The heavy alloy hatch slid shut silently behind them, sealing off the atmosphere of the Heavenly City and Hexi's figure.
Inside the bridge, soft artificial light illuminated everything.
The layout here was completely different from the ornate style of Angel warships; it was more concise, efficient, and full of mechanical beauty and humanized design.
The main control seat was an ergonomic suspension chair, facing multiple curved tactical and information displays.
To the side was Minerva's exclusive energy monitoring and auxiliary computing station.
Behind it was the passage leading to the living area, laboratory, equipment depot, and that special 'chronos core' cabin.
'Hyperion, self-check program initiated, report status.' Artoria sat in the main control seat, fastened her seatbelt, her voice calm.
A soft, neutral electronic voice sounded on the bridge:'Self-check program initiated... Hull structure integrity 100%... Main energy core 'Heart of the Firmament' running stably, output power 97%... Secondary energy matrix normal... Propulsion system: conventional engines ready, Psionic Amplifier preheating... Defense system: multi-layer composite energy shields on standby, phase-shift armor activated... Weapon system: main cannon 'Judgment Light' fully charged, secondary cannon array, missile silos, close-in defense system online... Detection and communication systems: full-band scanning array initiated, long-range hyper-space sensor online, 'star dome' resonance interface ready... Ecology maintenance system: optimal. hyperion, status good, ready to set sail at any time.'
A series of reassuring reports sounded. This warship was like an extension of her limbs, and the status of every system was clearly fed back into her consciousness.
'Set course, destination: preset coordinate point A-7.' Artoria issued the instruction.
Coordinate point A-7 was an absolutely desolate void far away from the Merlot Heavenly Court and any known civilization territory, the best position for her to plan to activate the'system' portal.
'Course set. Start conventional engines, detach from Heavenly City berth, enter preset channel.'
The 'Hyperion' vibrated slightly, the attitude adjustment nozzles at the bottom and sides spat out faint blue tail flames, the huge hull floated steadily, turned gracefully, slowly sailed out of the special dock at the top of the Heavenly Base Research Institute, merged into the orderly traffic flow outside the Merlot Heavenly Court, and then gradually accelerated, heading toward the deep, vast Universe.
Outside the porthole, the magnificent star gate of the Heavenly City, the towering palaces, and the Angel ships shuttling back and forth gradually shrank, eventually turning into a warm golden halo in the background.
Artoria watched quietly for a while, then withdrew her gaze and called up another interface.
That was a special operation interface deeply embedded in her consciousness, directly connected to the'system' terminal left by Little Seven.
The interface style was different from the Angel or her own technology tree, carrying a certain concise and transcendent meaning.
It showed her 'account' status, available'services,' and a special encrypted option marked 'Cross-Universe Anchor Communication/Teleportation.'
'System, request cross-Universe coordinate positioning and stability verification. Target Universe: pan-timeline branch identified as 'MCU-199999'.' Artoria muttered in her heart.
'Instruction received. Connecting to cross-Universe information network... Connection successful. Searching for target Universe anchor... Stable anchor signal detected... Multiple anchors confirmed, coordinate stability assessment: high. Information disturbance between Universe bubbles: low. Meets safe teleportation threshold.' The system's feedback was reflected directly into her consciousness, calm and efficient.
"Requesting generation of a directional cross-Universe transmission channel. Energy payment method: extracted from the 'Hyperion' main energy core,'Sky Heart'. Authorized extraction limit: 30% of rated reserves," Artoria continued.
This was one of the conveniences provided by the'System'. By paying energy or using Xiao Qi's vault, it could directly generate a relatively stable and safe cross-Universe portal, saving the massive risk and instability of tearing through the cosmic barrier oneself.
Of course, the price was steep. 30% of the'Sky Heart' energy reserve was enough to sustain a medium-intensity interstellar war.
"Application accepted. Calculating energy requirements... Generating transmission protocol... Protocol ready. Please pilot the warship into the designated coordinate area and maintain stability. Portal generation will take approximately 3 standard minutes. During this time, please do not perform violent maneuvers or interrupt the energy supply. Warning: The transmission process will produce significant space-time ripples, which may be detected by high-sensitivity equipment. Confirm?"
"Confirmed," Artoria said without hesitation.
"Command confirmed. Commencing construction of cross-Universe transmission channel. Energy extraction initiated..."
Inside the bridge, the pulsing sound of the main energy core, the'Sky Heart', grew slightly stronger, indicating that its output power was steadily increasing.
On the tactical screen, the reading representing energy reserves began to drop at a rate visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, at the designated void coordinates approximately one thousand kilometers directly in front of the 'Hyperion', space began to twist strangely. Countless tiny, silver-white rays of light seemed to 'grow' out of the void, intertwining and wrapping around each other to outline a massive, dizzyingly complex three-dimensional rune array.
In the center of the array, space, like stirred lake water, slowly rotated, forming a bottomless, dark vortex.
This was the cross-Universe portal generated by the'System'. It was not a traditional wormhole, but rather a temporary, high-dimensional information mapping channel that'stitched' two originally unconnected cosmic 'bubbles' together at specific coordinate points, briefly and precisely.
"Portal construction progress: 65%... 78%... 92%... Construction complete. Channel stability: Excellent. Space-time disturbance level: Controllable. Please enter the channel within five minutes," the'System' prompted.
"Hyperion, maintain course, steady speed, enter the portal," Artoria ordered.
"Understood, Captain."
The massive silver-gray warship, like a giant whale returning to its nest, sailed steadily toward that swirling darkness.
The bow of the ship gently touched the silver-white runes at the edge of the portal. The runes suddenly lit up, rippling like water, and'swallowed' the warship inside.
Just as the hull was about to completely submerge into the portal, Artoria's heart stirred. Through the dedicated encrypted channel with Hexi, built into the 'star dome' king sword, she sent an extremely brief, thought-message containing no coordinate information: "Teacher, have departed, everything is going smoothly. Do not worry. — Ling"
The message was sent, and the light of the portal behind her rapidly contracted and closed, finally disappearing as if it had never appeared.
This desolate void returned to deathly silence; only a trace of an extremely faint, rapidly dissipating space-time ripple proved the feat of crossing the cosmic barrier that had just occurred.
...
Inside the cross-Universe transmission channel, it was not a pitch-black or colorful tunnel. Here was a state that was difficult to describe in words, one that was almost 'nothingness'.
There was no up, down, left, or right, no clear sense of the passage of time, only the steady hum emitted by the warship's own systems, and the seemingly static 'background' outside the porthole, composed of countless tiny silver-white light points that seemed to extend infinitely. This was the external manifestation of the high-dimensional information flow that the'System' used to maintain the stability of the channel.
"Environment within the channel is stable. Space-time curvature is constant. Estimated time of arrival: 7 standard hours. It is recommended that crew members enter adaptive hibernation or perform low-energy activities," the'System' prompt sounded on the bridge.
Seven hours. For interstellar travel, which is often measured in light-years, it was as short as the blink of an eye. But for a voyage crossing different cosmic bubbles, this was already the efficiency of what could be called a 'high-speed channel' provided by the'System'.
Artoria did not choose to hibernate. She and Minerva sat quietly on the bridge. Minerva was closing her eyes, carefully 'reading' and understanding the fifth-generation god body upgrade protocol left by Hexi, making final preparations for the crucial steps ahead.
Occasionally, a trace of extremely pure starlight, which seemed capable of cleansing the soul, would flow around her body; this was a sign of her own energy resonating with the new god body protocol.
Artoria, on the other hand, brought up the holographic structural diagram of the 'hyperion', examining the newly installed modules again, especially the logic isolation chamber that encapsulated the 'chronos core'.
Teacher Hexi was right; the core of the great clock, even if recompiled and encapsulated, was essentially a powerful creation that contained some of the underlying rules of cosmic space-time.
Integrating it into the 'hyperion' was not just about adding another supercomputing core; it was about endowing this warship with a potential trait that touched upon 'rules' and 'possibilities'. This required her to spend a lot of time researching, honing, and mastering it.
Her thoughts drifted toward the World she was about to arrive in — the Marvel Universe, New York, Stark Tower, and... Little Ai Classmate, as well as those familiar or not-so-familiar faces.
The time she had been away, calculated by the time flow of that Universe, might not have been very long, but for her, having experienced a series of thrilling events in the Super God Universe and having undergone a huge transformation herself, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Tony's sharp tongue and genius, Captain's stubbornness and persistence, Banner's gentleness and forbearance, Natasha's keenness and mystery, Thor's forthrightness and goofiness... and that 'Friday' who, after Jarvis'slept', had been upgraded by Tony with more permissions, becoming increasingly 'human', and even starting to learn to complain, and... that 'Little Ai Classmate' whom she had personally 'awakened', given a basic personality framework, and who now had grown into who knows what...
How would they view her, having 'disappeared' for a while, and now returning piloting a giant warship whose style was clearly not very 'Earth' or even 'Asgard'?
Thinking of this, the corners of Artoria's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. Nervous? A little. Looking forward to it? More. It was a complex emotion like a wanderer returning home, mixed with familiarity and strangeness. That Universe held her initial bonds, and also held her own unfinished responsibilities.
"Ling," Minerva's gentle voice sounded in her ear, interrupting her thoughts. Minerva had opened her eyes at some point and was looking at her with a smile, "Thinking of home?"
"Mm," Artoria nodded, reaching out to hold Minerva's hand, "Both homes. Must return to both."
Minerva squeezed her hand back, saying nothing more, but that gentle gaze already said everything.
The long seven hours passed quietly, amidst silence and each other's preparations of thought.
"Warning: About to exit the cross-Universe transmission channel. Target Universe rule connection detected... Final adaptive fine-tuning in progress... 3... 2... 1... Exit successful."
Hum!
A slight vibration, similar to when entering, came from the hull. The static silver light point background outside the porthole instantly faded away, replaced by the familiar pitch-black Universe dotted with stars, and... in the distance, that beautiful blue Planet shining under the light of a star — Earth.
Home.
But Artoria did not immediately let the 'hyperion' head toward Earth. She first activated all the top-tier stealth systems on the warship that came from Angel technology — optical camouflage, energy absorption coating, information disturbance force field, and even a trace of weak interference with her own 'information entropy' from the 'chronos core'.
The massive silver-gray warship, like ink dropped into the ocean, quickly became transparent and blurred, and finally completely 'disappeared' from conventional detection methods, leaving only extremely weak, multiply-disguised gravitational disturbances.
"Full-band passive scanning initiated, searching for abnormal signals in Earth's near-Earth orbit and lunar orbit," Artoria ordered. She needed to first understand whether this 'home' had experienced any'surprises' during the time she was away.
The scan results were quickly fed back. In Earth's orbit, besides the normal man-made satellites and the International Space Station of various countries, there were some... different things. Several hidden space stations or outposts with energy signatures significantly different from Earth's technology; on the far side of the moon, there seemed to be traces of large-scale construction; near Mars orbit, several abnormal short-range space jump fluctuations were detected...
"It seems that during the time I wasn't here, everyone hasn't been idle," Artoria raised an eyebrow, not too surprised. The Earth of this Universe was inherently a place of many disasters and many heroes.
However, these could be explored later. She now had a place she wanted to go to first.
"Set course, destination: Earth, East Coast of North America, off the coast of New York Harbor, low-altitude stealth mode. Avoid all known monitoring networks."
"Course set. Initiating low-power psionic propulsion, estimated time of arrival: 15 minutes."
The 'hyperion', like a true ghost, silently slipped into Earth's atmosphere, without stirring up a ripple, quietly sailing toward that familiar city that never sleeps — New York.
The end of the journey home was just ahead.
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