"Man, you really love Hoom, huh? Speaking of which, it looks like future Bronie is actually playing a game."
With a hint of curiosity, Daniel Davis walked behind Bronie and Bronny, watching the two of them playing "Hoom Adventure."
They were playing in two-player mode. For Bronie, today was one of those rare days when she could rack up huge kills; she'd never been this excited playing two-player mode before.
Bronie's gaming skills were naturally top-notch. Unfortunately, her teammate just couldn't keep up. Although Kiana could play too, compared to Bronie it was like comparing a champion to a bronze player. But now Bronny… it was like having two champions.
"Bronie, don't steal the food!"
From the kitchen came a furious shout from Mei, and soon Mei was seen shoving Kiana out of the kitchen.
The dormitory where Kiana and the others stayed had been renovated into a large room with five single-occupancy rooms; four people lived there, including Teacher Himeko.
Moreover, this dorm was located in an extremely remote part of St. Freya Academy—right next to a small grove—so in terms of surroundings, it was quite picturesque.
But Daniel Davis knew that the reason for such a remote location was also precautionary. After all, Mei was merely the physical vessel of the Third Ruler; even if a bomb were planted in her heart, it wouldn't guarantee safety. Living far away from others ensured that if something really went wrong, it wouldn't affect anyone else.
What neither Theresa nor Himeko had anticipated was that they weren't just dealing with a Third Ruler—both the First and Second Rulers were present here. And if you include the future Eighth Ruler, the "Recognizer of Rulers" from Fu Hua, then St. Freya Academy could, in a sense, be called an Academy of Rulers.
"Want something to drink?"
While Daniel Davis watched the two playing, Himeko came over and handed him a can of beer.
This left Daniel Davis a bit speechless—it was a question meant for him, yet she didn't wait for his answer at all.
"Thanks," he replied wearily, accepting the beer.
"Quantum Sea—what's the situation like in your world?"
Himeko, clearly very interested in the world of the Quantum Sea, sat down next to Daniel Davis and asked.
"That's a small world bubble. There's only one Tianqiu City; everywhere else is just barren wasteland," Daniel Davis explained briefly about the "Lightlock Maze City" situation.
"Oh, so that's what the inside of a world bubble is like."
At these words, Himeko's tone brimmed with nostalgia. Had she not joined Schicksal, she probably would have become a scientific researcher instead of a Valkyrie. In her school days, Himeko had been an outstanding student—by the time Kiana and Mei were as old as they are now, they'd already published papers in well-known scientific journals.
"Speaking of that world, there's also Theresa—though over there she isn't the Headmistress, but an idol, and a good friend of Bronie's."
"Theresa… an idol, really?"
Himeko nearly spit out her beer when Daniel Davis mentioned Theresa's situation.
"Of course—Magical Girl teriri."
Daniel Davis said as he pulled out his phone and played a video of idol Theresa's concert. On screen, Theresa was singing and dancing in a magical girl outfit. This time, Himeko couldn't hold back and ended up spraying her beer.
"That's Da Yi Ma."
Theresa's singing had roused Kiana in the kitchen, and she quickly dashed out. Seeing the influential Theresa on screen, Kiana burst into hearty laughter.
"That's the Headmistress!"
Even Bronie on the other side was stunned.
"Hey, don't get distracted—Boss is entering Stage Two now!"
Bronny immediately shouted. She was unfazed by seeing a magical girl version of Theresa; she'd seen plenty of those.
"Ah, sorry."
Bronie quickly refocused on the game.
"What is this?"
Just then, as the group in the room watched the magical girl version of Theresa's concert, Headmistress Theresa herself walked in from outside. Staring at the screen in the void showing herself singing and dancing, she stood there utterly dumbfounded.
"Theresa, this is another you—a magical girl!"
Himeko laughed loudly as soon as she saw Theresa.
"Da Yi Ma, I never imagined you'd be this amazing. When will you give us a performance?"
Kiana teased from her spot.
"Headmistress, here's the thing…"
Perhaps noticing Theresa's embarrassment, Xier immediately began explaining the backstory.
"Turn it off, quickly."
Finally coming to her senses, Theresa rushed toward Daniel Davis, demanding that he shut off the humiliating footage. After all, she was the dignified Headmistress—not some magical girl idol.
"Theresa, it's not you. Don't get worked up; come on, let's appreciate the other you together."
Himeko intercepted Theresa, pinning her down on the sofa.
"This is the Headmistress!"
At that moment, Mei came out of the kitchen. Seeing Theresa on the screen, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, dinner's ready. Let's eat first."
"Yeah, eat—I'm starving!"
Desperate to escape the embarrassing scene, Theresa quickly echoed Mei's call. Although Kiana wanted to continue watching, it was obvious that the appeal of Mei's food was stronger, and she rushed to the kitchen immediately.
"Since it's the Headmistress's concert, send me a copy—my number is…"
Bronie and Bronny paused their game.
"Yeah, send one to me too—I want to savor it later," Himeko chimed in.
"No sharing!"
Theresa immediately shouted.
"Let's eat first—I'm hungry too."
Daniel Davis didn't answer Theresa's query directly; instead, he quietly signaled to Bronie and Himeko that he would share it with them later—after all, isn't it better to enjoy together than alone?
"It's so delicious! Back when I was in the orphanage, I'd never had food this good. Sister Mei, you're amazing!"
Lightning Mei, truly renowned as the Culinary Ruler, managed to whip up an array of dishes that looked as good as they smelled. Xier's eyes lit up after the first bite.
Having spent so much time in Cocolia's orphanage and then directly in the Quantum Sea, Xier hadn't had many opportunities to enjoy good food.
"Xier, try this."
Seeing Xier's reaction, Bronie practically wished she could bring every dish to Xier's table. Rarely did Kiana try to grab food from Bronie this time.
In the past, every meal for these two was like a battle.
"Delicious—eat up!"
Mei smiled modestly.
"To think that Sister Kiana could develop the culinary skills of a chef from a five-star hotel—if she truly were the Culinary Ruler, she'd fully manifest the Ruler's power."
That dinner, everyone ate happily; even Xier wasn't as shy as before.
"This corrosion… it's really severe."
The next day at the hospital, after seeing the latest check-up report on Himeko's body, Daniel Davis couldn't help but frown. He never imagined her body had been so severely eroded—no wonder she often drank herself into oblivion; it must be her way of numbing the pain from Honkai energy's corrosive damage.
The corrosion of Honkai energy kept Himeko in constant pain.
"How is she? Can she be healed?"
Theresa looked at Daniel Davis with intense worry.
"Her body can be cured without any problems."
Daniel Davis said as he set the report aside.
"Then why do you still look so pale?"
Once Theresa heard that her condition was treatable, her expression relaxed immediately.
"There's another reason," Daniel Davis explained.
Theresa fell silent. As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, she knew all too well what these things meant, though there was little she could do—Honkai always required someone to stand against it.
"Headmistress, regarding artificial Stigmata—I'd like to review further materials to see if we can solve or at least mitigate these issues."
Although St. Freya Academy had many documents on artificial Stigmata, more detailed information was only available at Schicksal Headquarters.
"Not a problem."
Theresa immediately nodded in agreement. If they could resolve—even just alleviate the pain caused by artificial Stigmata—it would be a tremendous boon for Valkyries fighting on the front lines.
"Then I'll begin treatment now—'Angel's Lament.'"
Daniel Davis had several methods to treat Himeko. However, after reviewing her report, he didn't want her to continue suffering, so he opted for the fastest procedure.
"Behold, an angel."
Theresa and Himeko both stared in astonishment as a being formed of white light, with long golden hair, took shape.
"It's just a power—now, how do you feel?"
"Better than I've ever felt—something I haven't experienced in ages."
Himeko immediately stood up and stretched. Her resistance to Honkai energy was extremely low—in fact, according to Schicksal's standards, such resistance should disqualify one from becoming a Valkyrie.
Schicksal had certain standards for selecting Valkyries; not just anyone could become one. Having a certain resistance to Honkai energy meant that when artificial Stigmata were implanted, the side effects would be much milder.
Once your resistance reached a certain threshold, you could essentially ignore the side effects of artificial Stigmata—even not needing them at all. In theory, everyone in this era possessed Stigmata, but over generations, the information in them gradually eroded and became incomplete.
Only a select few, like the Kaslanna family, could pass down complete Stigmata from generation to generation.
The essence of a Stigma is that it's a database recording vast amounts of genetic information. One must admit, Dr. Mei of the previous civilization was remarkable. Yet it's baffling that Stigmata only appear on women and not on men—so Schicksal only has female Valkyries.
Cases like Siegfe and the two Walters were exceptions.
"It seems my Stigma has vanished."
After a moment of activity, Himeko tried to invoke her Stigma's power, only to find that it was gone—her right arm showed no sign of it.
"That power just now was for healing all wounds—it was probably expelled because the Stigma was the source of the pain."
The location of artificial Stigmata in this world differs greatly from that in games—they aren't necessarily on the chest or back but are inscribed on the limbs, depending on each person's characteristics or desires. Only naturally occurring Stigmata typically appear on the chest or back.
"Then it looks like I'll need to have the Stigma reimplanted."
For Himeko, without her Stigma, she cannot fight—so she absolutely needs it.
"Himeko, I know I can't persuade you otherwise, but promise me you'll take good care of yourself."
Theresa originally wanted to dissuade Himeko from pursuing this, but as Himeko's close friend, she understood her mindset all too well—and ultimately didn't press the issue.
"Don't worry, Theresa, I'll be careful."
Since neither Theresa nor Daniel Davis could talk Himeko out of it, Daniel Davis said nothing further, though he did inspect her condition before proceeding with the artificial Stigma reimplantation.
"People from a world bubble in the Quantum Sea—now that is interesting."
At Schicksal Headquarters, Otto, a man with long golden hair holding a glass of red wine, looked with interest at the two sets of data on the large screen before him—the records detailing everything Daniel Davis and Bronny had done at St. Freya Academy. Some of the details weren't even known to Theresa.
Once Theresa learned of Daniel Davis and Bronny's identities, she immediately reported it to Schicksal Headquarters. Although she was dissatisfied with Otto, their relationship wasn't completely strained—until Otto made a move on Kiana, then Theresa openly rebelled against him.
"Your Excellency, Headmistress Theresa has just downloaded all the data on artificial Stigmata,"
At that moment, a woman with short white hair and golden goggles on her eyes, standing behind Otto, reported the news.
"Artificial Stigmata, eh? It seems Headmistress Theresa's luck is good after all. Amber, keep an eye on him. As long as he doesn't interfere with my plans, nothing else matters."
As Otto spoke, the screen immediately switched to Kiana's records at St. Freya Academy.
For Otto, people from a world bubble in the Quantum Sea were novel, but he wasn't overly concerned. After all, Youlandel still had a world bubble within her—so Otto wasn't swayed.
Similarly, he didn't pay much attention to Bronny's supposed Ruler-of-Reason power; first, he already possessed the Void Archive, and second, if he really wanted the power of a Ruler of Reason, rather than settle for something "suspected," he'd rather go directly for a genuine one.
Of course, if Bronny's power were actually that of the "Void Ruler," then that would be a different matter. For Otto, the power of the "Void Ruler" was the most important—it was the key to his final plan, and he absolutely would not allow it to be compromised.
"Xier, have you been spending all your time with Bronie lately?"
"Yes, what's up, Daniel Davis?"
Xier replied, looking somewhat puzzled.
"I'm not blaming you; I just want to remind you—when you're with Bronie, don't forget about your other friend."
"Another friend?"
Xier's expression turned confused; she clearly didn't know who Daniel Davis meant.
"I mean the other you—Black Xier. She's always been alone."
"Another me, Daniel Davis—you know her."
"Of course I do. She really likes you. But because of that, if you ignore her, she might think you've been stolen away. She's probably sulking right now."
"Nonsense! Who's sulking? I couldn't care less about that."
Watching Black Xier on the small TV outside, Xier, upon hearing Daniel Davis, immediately slammed the chair in front of her in anger.
End of Chapter 863: Waite (Part Two)
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