"Looks like the Herrscher of Ice won't be appearing for a while."
After sorting through the recent developments in Honkai Impact 3rd's world, Daniel Davis did a bit of mental math to estimate when the Herrscher of Ice would appear. The Herrscher cores were something he definitely intended to acquire—especially that of the Herrscher of the Stars.
Herrscher cores didn't just grant immense power—they also greatly extended the bearer's lifespan. Fusion warriors merely incorporated Honkai beast genes and already had long lifespans. A Herrscher core offered even more.
That's why Daniel intended to return the Herrscher of Reason core to Bronya eventually. Otherwise, her lifespan would fall far short of Kiana and Mei's. The same applied to Seele.
Even if one lost the core later, the lifespan boost remained—just like Welt. Despite losing the Herrscher of Reason core, he could still use the power to construct matter, albeit at diminished strength.
Of course, the Herrscher cores were notoriously invasive—only select individuals could fuse with them. Otherwise, one could theoretically use them as a ticket to immortality.
As for fusing them in other worlds—that wouldn't work. Merging with a Herrscher core required an immense supply of Honkai energy, something only the Honkai world could provide.
"Other worlds... once we're done with the Honkai threat, I'll definitely go see them."
That night, at a bonfire barbecue in the courtyard of Theresa's villa, Himeko spoke wistfully as she sipped her beer.
"Don't worry, Himeko. We'll definitely have the chance," Theresa nodded in agreement.
"Auntie Himeko, Aunt Theresa, we'll all go together when the time comes!" Kiana said cheerfully, clinging to Mei's arm.
"Okay, Kiana, let go for a bit. I need to go help out."
Mei gently pried herself away and headed over to assist the two Ritas with the barbecue. Though Mei was famously good at cooking, even she couldn't quite match Rita, who considered herself a professional maid.
Since it was a rare opportunity, Daniel had invited both Durandal and Rita. Otto, of course, wasn't invited—he would have spoiled the mood entirely. Unless Kallen was resurrected, he'd never be welcome at these gatherings.
"Not bad at all."
Daniel nodded in approval as he looked over a new game on the computer. It was a joint creation by Bronya and Bronie. Though not a breakout hit, it was clearly a vast improvement over Bronya's first game, which had flopped. The two complemented each other well in many ways.
"Of course. I'm planning to turn this into a series."
Encouraged by the early success, Bronya was full of confidence.
"Keep it up."
"I never imagined there could be a world like that. Compared to it, our world isn't so bad."
Theresa and Himeko had always hated the Honkai, but after hearing Daniel describe Terra, they realized they were relatively lucky. As always—everything was about comparison.
Mobile cities sounded grand, but if given the choice, most people would rather live on stable, immobile land.
"I'm sure things will get better. Fu Hua, Mobius wants you to help her with the Oripathy issue."
Oripathy had a conscious element to it—and Fu Hua excelled in this realm. Whether it was the ability to enter people's minds with Feather Dust, or disrupt Honkai beasts with her Taixuan sword arts, her techniques directly countered Originium.
In this area, Fu Hua was far superior to Daniel. After all, she had focused on mastering Taixuan sword arts and Feather Dust for thousands of years. Her control and precision were unparalleled.
Daniel could help, but he had other matters to attend to and couldn't stay in the lab forever. That made Fu Hua the ideal candidate.
"Alright."
"Long time no see, Dr. Mobius."
"Fu Hua, it really has been a long time. I didn't expect you to reach this level."
Daniel didn't linger in the Honkai world. After bringing Fu Hua to Mobius, he left again. Nian didn't return with him—she and Tesla were neck-deep in their joint project: the giant Titan "Heaven Father" and the Moonlight Throne, both of which would take significant time to complete.
Building an air battleship was easy—Schicksal had plenty—but the Moonlight Throne was another matter. Even at the peak of the previous civilization's tech, they had only built one. If they'd had ten, maybe they could've beaten the Herrscher of the End.
The current Moonlight Throne embedded in the Hyperion had taken Einstein, Tesla, Schrödinger, and others over fifty years to complete, even with old data.
Though Daniel hadn't obtained another Moonlight Throne-level battleship, he had secured one from Otto at Schicksal to use as a backup. That way, he wouldn't need to rely on Quinjet fighters when traveling with a large group.
Naturally, its power source was a Honkai energy reactor.
"Good thing my martial arts are strong enough now. Otherwise, I'd be worn out."
After leaving Fu Hua with Mobius, Daniel spent a few days with Esdeath and the others, then a few more with Yan Lingji, Wanwan, and the rest before returning to the Marvel world.
"What a lunatic of a scientist... he actually turned himself into a fly-man."
When Daniel met up with Stark and the others, he learned something major had recently happened: a quantum physicist had triggered a catastrophic accident during an experiment, turning into a mutant fly and wiping out an entire neighborhood.
After getting the details from Black Widow, Daniel was speechless. The case reminded him of Doctor Octopus—Spider-Man's foe—who once tried to create a man-made sun in New York's sewers, ignoring the risk of blowing up the entire city if the experiment failed.
In the U.S., many famed scientists got their start in garage labs—like Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards. As a kid, he'd tried building a quantum teleportation device in his garage. Naturally, it failed due to insufficient energy.
This scientist had better luck. With Stark's arc reactor, he had enough power and successfully completed quantum teleportation.
That alone should've been a groundbreaking achievement. But he wasn't satisfied—he immediately began biological experiments, then tested on himself. Admirable scientific courage—but tragically, he ignored the risks.
Even in Honkai Impact's world, where quantum teleportation was well-developed, no one had attempted human trials. But this guy rushed in after one lab success.
Worse yet, during his trial, a fly snuck into the chamber. Due to quantum entanglement, he fused with it—and became a fly-man.
He then attempted a reverse teleportation to fix himself. The second experiment failed catastrophically, blowing up his lab and erasing a neighborhood. He survived, but was permanently transformed.
Eventually, he was eliminated—but not by the Avengers. SHIELD agents like Coulson took him out.
When the news broke, Reed Richards was especially frustrated. He'd been working on quantum teleportation too and had hoped to collaborate. But the explosion destroyed all data.
Stark and the others were disappointed as well. A man who could've gone down in history turned himself into a monster through recklessness.
As the first person to achieve quantum teleportation, he could've gained fame and fortune. But no—he wanted to be the first to experience it too.
Daniel had learned from years in the U.S. how obsessed some people were with fame and fortune. All those lofty slogans about advancing humanity, freedom, or saving the planet? Just excuses—it was all for personal gain.
"Be careful. You might be in someone's crosshairs soon."
"I know. Just a bunch of clowns."
Black Widow's warning came as no surprise. Daniel had already noticed. Certain officials were targeting his company, and the media seemed to be hinting at something as well.
He knew their goal perfectly: use him as leverage to influence the Avengers. After all, the Avengers were a powerful force—especially now with the Fantastic Four on board. But they didn't follow orders, which frustrated the U.S. government.
But going after the Avengers wasn't easy. Stark was a billionaire, and Richards had wealth too. Then there was Peggy Carter, Captain America, and some members of the Security Council. Not exactly easy targets.
In the original timeline, the Sokovia Accords were used to control the Avengers, leading to their split and General Ross becoming their nominal leader.
But since that event hadn't occurred in this timeline, there was no Sokovia Accords. So now they needed another reason—and Daniel was it.
"What are you going to do?"
"Relax. You'll see soon."
"I was thinking about just taking them out... but since Black Widow's watching, let's play a little instead."
With Daniel's move, the online narrative flipped. Instead of criticizing the Avengers, people began speculating that the government wanted to control the Avengers because of Hydra remnants within its ranks.
The story caught fire. The senator leading the charge suddenly found himself under heavy scrutiny.
Things escalated so fast that the government had to open an investigation. Then it was revealed: the senator had killed the investigators and gone on the run—confirming the Hydra connection.
Daniel had orchestrated it all. And it wasn't even unfair—the senator wasn't Hydra, but many of his staff were. His motives? Boost his own political standing.
"Ross... Even crippled, you're still a pain. This time, I'll make sure you never recover."
Though Ross had been badly injured before, he had largely recovered thanks to nanotech treatment.
"Hail Hydra!"
At a U.S. Navy base, a massive explosion erupted during a Hydra operation. Ross, there on inspection, was shocked—but too late to stop it.
"Perfect. I've been needing a new fleet."
As Hydra launched their attack, Daniel arrived and claimed some spoils. They'd be written off as destroyed anyway—might as well take them.
"This guy's still alive? Lucky bastard."
Ross had escaped unscathed. Daniel let him go—he had other plans for him.
"Unlucky Star Ross. Hydra's top mole."
Soon after, information spread online listing Ross's many "accidental" disasters, rekindling public suspicion. The internet may have no memory, but Daniel reminded it.
Now, not only the public but even parts of the military began doubting Ross. Investigations launched. He'd survived too many disasters unscathed—people began to wonder if he'd known in advance.
Ross denied everything, but no one believed him. The losses this time were too great—an entire fleet destroyed on U.S. soil. How did the terrorists know the security would be so light that day?
But none of that concerned Daniel. Even if someone investigated, they'd find no link to him.
He hadn't impersonated the terrorists—he'd just leaked some information. The U.S. had made plenty of enemies—some would gladly die for revenge. Even if their identities were traced, it would look like pure retaliation.
And incidents like this weren't serious enough to warrant Avenger intervention. The military didn't want to be embarrassed.
"Time to relocate my assets."
This incident taught Daniel a lesson. He wasn't afraid of underhanded tactics, but they were still annoying. Better to move his assets somewhere safer. He didn't mind losing them—but only to someone worthy.
"Now that this is wrapped up, time to resume the journey."
After sending Fu Hua, Talulah, FrostNova, the Doctor, and Amiya back to their respective worlds, Daniel prepared to continue his exploratory travels.
Only Kal'tsit, Warfarin, and other medical operators remained in the One Piece world to research a cure for Oripathy. The others had unfinished missions back home—they couldn't lose themselves in a world without Oripathy.
Naturally, Theresa and W hadn't left either.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
• Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.• Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.