For Chen Ran, it had only been a simulated period without seeing Bia.
But for Bia, it had been over fifty thousand years since she last saw Chen Ran.
Looking at the little figure in front of him, nestled in his arms with big blinking eyes, Chen Ran gently stroked her hair.
"You've worked hard. I can't imagine how you managed to hold on for so long," he sighed.
"Because this is your task," Bia replied, her voice somewhat muffled. "No matter what, I still have to complete your task."
Her words moved Chen Ran.
"Ahem."
At that moment, Kiana coughed and said, "Um... is this the artificial intelligence you mentioned we would meet?"
"Hi, long time no see, Sirin." Bia left Chen Ran's embrace, smiling as she greeted Kiana.
"Aunt Sirin?" Kiana blinked. "You must be mistaken, my name is Kiana."
Chen Ran sighed and said, "There's a complicated relationship here, so I won't explain it. Bia, she is now called Kiana, don't get it wrong."
"Okay!"
For Bia, it was just a change of address, nothing more.
Chen Ran looked at the remnants of the lunar structure, and couldn't help but sigh, "Is this the battlefield of the Finality War?"
He could feel the rich Honkai Energy overflowing here.
Even after supplying energy to the Stigmata terminal for over fifty thousand years, the concentration of Honkai Energy here was still astonishing.
Especially after the lunar structure was destroyed, the concentration of Honkai Energy began to increase, as if a slumbering demon was awakening.
He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt that the concentration of Honkai Energy here could create two Wendys.
Thinking of Wendy, Chen Ran couldn't help but feel a moment of distraction.
Undoubtedly, as a boyfriend, he was very inadequate. Wendy was currently recuperating at Schicksal Headquarters, and he at least needed to go see her.
But right now...
"Alright, Bia, we want to go to the imaginary space. Do you have any suggestions?"
Bia pouted, "Why do both of you want to go to the imaginary space? Aren't you afraid of becoming imaginary... oh, you really don't have to worry."
Bia knew that the current Chen Ran was not the real Chen Ran who had lived for fifty thousand years; in fact, she didn't know where he had gone after the Finality War.
She only knew that Chen Ran should be alive, but he had simply disappeared.
And someone who could traverse time like Chen Ran didn't need to worry about becoming imaginary.
The reason was simple: the world beyond the four-dimensional space is the world of imaginary existence.
Time, although one of the dimensions of four-dimensional space, is a vertical and irreversible existence. Unless one ventures into the imaginary space and moves backward, they cannot reverse to a coordinate based on the current time.
Chen Ran sighed and said, "There's no helping it; our timelines are misaligned."
He squatted down and stroked Bia's head, "From your current position, I come from the past. But from my own position, you are the future."
Kiana, on the side, didn't understand this and asked Bia, "My mom and Aunt are trapped in the imaginary space, and I want to bring them out."
"Staying in the imaginary space for too long can lead to becoming imaginary, but since Chen Ran thinks you're fine, I will find a way to help you."
As an artificial intelligence from the pre-civilization era, Bia naturally had methods to open the imaginary space.
Bia was not optimistic about the situation of Cecilia and Sirin, who had already entered the imaginary space.
Imaginary and quantum were entangled with each other, but this was not a realm that normal people could venture into.
Quantum is the smallest indivisible unit of a thing, while imaginary exists in all domains outside of real numbers.
Durandal paused and said, "However, according to my records, there is a place on the moon that leads to the imaginary space, discovered by Fire Moth."
"Discovered by Fire Moth?" Chen Ran asked, somewhat puzzled.
Bia nodded, "According to my data, after the Eighth Herrscher appeared, Fire Moth began actively searching for habitable places beyond Earth."
Chen Ran silently nodded.
He had talked with Wendy, who mentioned that during that era, although people repeatedly defeated the Herrscher, the endless disasters left them in despair.
Every time a Herrscher appeared, it was accompanied by sacrifices, so leaving Earth gradually became the mainstream voice.
"And what facilitated this was the ancient ruins and murals discovered by Fire Moth on the moon."
Durandal shared everything she knew with Chen Ran and Kiana.
Fire Moth actively explored the outside world, and the first place they naturally went to was the moon.
Although the moon seemed barren, it was a stronghold for humanity to gaze into space.
However, when Fire Moth truly explored the moon, they found that the claim of 'nothing being there' was incorrect.
During the time humanity developed into a civilization, there were already special buildings and murals on the moon.
This was proof that another civilization had visited this place.
Although it was unclear why that civilization occupied Earth and chose to leave, this discovery astonished the people of Fire Moth.
Until Fire Moth deciphered some information from the murals.
"I don't know what the information in that mural is, but Fire Moth kept it strictly confidential, especially from Elysia."
"For the past fifty thousand years, I have also studied that mural, but found it was merely a simple entrance to open the imaginary space."
"That Herrscher entered from here."
As she spoke, Bia led Chen Ran and Kiana to the lunar structure.
The buildings here were not the artificial Honkai Beasts of Fire Moth on the moon, but real structures made of concrete.
It was unclear how they managed to use cement on the moon.
The mural was at the top of the building, its meaning unclear.
Suddenly, Chen Ran thought of a word: marking.
Just like how insects use pheromones to mark their nests, could the mural on the moon simply serve as a marking function?
If so, why keep it from Elysia?
Or did Fire Moth already know Elysia's identity as a Herrscher back then?
"Here, you just need to use the power of the Herrscher Core or Ether Fuel to open it."
"By the way, do you have these? If not, we need to extract some from the Honkai of Finality."
Indeed, Ether Fuel's important component is also Honkai.
When Honkai was not yet frequent in this world, ancient people had already observed special phenomena related to Honkai and named it Ether.
For a period afterward, only a few people knew about Honkai, and 'Ether' was naturally regarded as a hypothetical substance.
It wasn't until Honkai was fully discovered that scientists from Mu Continent combined 'Ether' and 'Honkai'.
The so-called Ether Fuel is actually a fuel made from high-concentration Honkai using special extraction methods, just with a different name.
Chen Ran smiled, "No need, my Stigmata space has this."
His Stigmata space also contained Ether Fuel and spatial lenses provided by the system.
He wondered when the system would introduce a forging function; it would be great if he could forge Ana's set.
Chen Ran merely thought about it.
Soon, under Bia's guidance, he set up the Ether Fuel and took out the spatial lens.
"I can't guarantee your safety in the imaginary space, Kiana. Even if you are a special individual, there is still a risk of getting lost."
He warned her again, saying, "The currents of the imaginary are not as simple as they seem, even I find it hard to describe."
Kiana took a deep breath, "I've been ready for a long time."
…
…
"What? Kiana is missing!"
Theresa, who had just returned from the moon, heard this news from Shigure Kira.
Shigure Kira said, "A while ago, she asked me some questions about Sirin, and then she returned to headquarters. Amber also said she saw her."
"Later, she secretly piloted the airship and left, and the last place that airship docked was the Far East."
"Oh, along with Kiana, the researcher Chen Ran from the former Far East branch is also missing. Theresa, quickly use your authority to investigate this person; I suspect he is a spy sent by Anti-Entropy."
"Impossible, we just collaborated with Anti-Entropy." Theresa instinctively retorted.
However, she was quick to investigate Chen Ran.
Then, Theresa was surprised to find that she actually had no authority.
In Schicksal, the only person Theresa could not investigate was someone Otto deemed very important.
She hurriedly went to find Otto.
It was at this moment that Otto learned that Chen Ran had already arrived.
He curiously clicked into the Schicksal records regarding Chen Ran's authority.
Then he discovered that Chen Ran's resume was completely blank.
How he joined Schicksal was unknown.
"You don't need to worry about this matter, Theresa."
Thinking of the Stigmata terminal on the moon, Otto said thoughtfully, "Kiana being with him is not a cause for concern."
Of course, there was one thing he did not mention.
Kiana not being in trouble did not mean she was necessarily safe.
Chen Ran was an unexpected variable he could not control. And this kind of variable was beyond his grasp.
Jumping through the currents of time, caught in a Möbius loop.
Otto admired Chen Ran's courage but also sighed at his fate.
Theresa was furious, "How can I not care?"
"What if I say he and Kiana can bring Sirin and Cecilia back?" Otto smiled, "My dear granddaughter, there are many unknown powers in this world."
Although Theresa was still very angry, Otto's words calmed her down a bit.
She couldn't possibly not care about Cecilia.
After dismissing Theresa, Otto, despite her reluctance, left.
She could only be certain that Kiana was fine, but she couldn't determine where Kiana was.
Aside from that, she was also given another task by Otto: to bring Siegfried back.
Siegfried returned with the Anti-Entropy team.
This led to rumors within Schicksal that Siegfried had betrayed them.
Regardless, Theresa had to bring Siegfried back; otherwise, it would be a scandal for Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie to be mingling with Anti-Entropy.
After she left, Otto pondered for a moment and walked towards another place.
Paris, France, Schicksal Sanatorium.
Wendy and Raiden Mei were recuperating there.
"I haven't felt this helpless in a long time."
Wendy leaned against the doorframe and said to Raiden Mei, "But being able to stand up is the greatest fortune."
Even though they had been stripped of their Herrscher Core, they could still move freely and even fight.
It's just that their combat abilities had been significantly reduced.
Her words surprised Raiden Mei: "It's been a long time since... oh, sorry, I almost forgot about your past."
"It's nothing."
Wendy shook her head and said, "It's just that for you all, my time back then was too brief, so it's easily forgotten."
Due to Chen Ran, Wendy's time in a wheelchair was actually not long.
So, very few people experienced the despair she felt at that time.
And the obsession she had with Chen Ran after being saved by him.
Only Otto, who knew the details, could understand the crazy things Wendy did for Chen Ran.
Raiden Mei considered for a moment and said, "I actually went through a period of despair as well, so I might understand you."
"Sigh, I wonder how Kiana is doing now, and Bronya is alone at Saint Freya; I can't help but worry."
While they were chatting softly, they heard footsteps.
Otto had arrived.
"Misses, I came here specifically to tell you both some good news."
"The first piece of news is that there are no traces of the Herrscher on the moon; Sirin has gone to the imaginary space."
"And the second piece of news is that Chen Ran has arrived."
Otto saw Wendy's intense reaction and said, "However, he has already taken Kiana away. Can you tell me where he is most likely to go?"
…
…
While Otto was heading to the sanatorium in France, on the other side, Anti-Entropy was also taking action.
To be precise, it was Cocolia who was taking action.
"Gray Serpent."
She glared at the mysterious figure before her and said, "I trusted your words that the Herrscher would be on the moon, so I handed the Father to those conservatives, and now the Herrscher has disappeared, and they returned safely!"
"What have you done with your intelligence work!"
Upon learning that Welt Yang and the others had returned, Cocolia had only one thought.
What a huge loss!
She was restless about the news of the Herrscher being on the moon, so when Anti-Entropy attacked the moon, she directly sent the Father out, not expecting that the Father would ever return to her hands.
However, the current situation was that the Father was sent out, only to make a round and come back?
The MSR-7 Father, which fell into the hands of the conservatives, naturally could not be returned to Cocolia; she had already mentally prepared for that.
However, even if the Father was damaged while dealing with the Herrscher, it would still be better than the current situation.
The conflict between the radicals and conservatives was irreconcilable; she had almost given the conservatives a high-end combat power for nothing.
As for Cocolia's anger, Gray Serpent was indifferent.
"Just a man-made Honkai Beast that can be mass-produced with Honkai aberration technology; how many do you want? World Serpent can provide as many as you need."
"And now, we have more important work to complete."
Gray Serpent took out something.
Cocolia's pupils constricted slightly.
"Gem of Haste, World Serpent has indeed put in a lot of effort."
After Murata Himeko's death, the Gem of Haste went missing, but it was obtained by Gray Serpent.
Even Cocolia found this method shocking.
Gray Serpent did not feel proud of it but said, "The Herrscher Core from the moon was sent by the Lord's friend for Schicksal to keep safe."
"But since the Father couldn't keep it safe, it's only natural for the Serpent to take it back."
Cocolia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't care about its origins; I only know it will bring me a lot of trouble."
"Don't worry, because it will soon no longer be a trouble."
Gray Serpent's voice was ominous: "The Lord has awakened from the quantum sea, and at this moment, everyone's attention is on the moon."
"As long as we open the channel between the quantum and the world, the Serpent will reappear from the shadows of the world."
"The Herrscher Core is the best Key."
Cocolia couldn't help but frown.
"How can I trust you?"
"You said the same thing about the X-10 experiment, claiming that it succeeded fifty thousand years ago, but the result was a failure."
Gray Serpent explained calmly: "World Serpent has inherited many legacies from the previous civilization, but it has also missed some important information."
"And in the current situation, whether you believe it or not is not that important."
He raised his gun and aimed at Cocolia.
At that moment, Gray Serpent heard an angry voice: "You disgusting guy has been manipulating my mother; die, you bastard!"
A long knife stabbed towards him.
It was Sin.Mal.
He instinctively dodged but was shocked to find that Sin's speed was too fast.
No, it wasn't that Sin was fast.
It was that time had slowed down.
This was Gray Serpent's last consciousness, and then he fell silent.
The Gem of Haste fell to the ground.
Sin.Mal scoffed, "So weak, mother, how could you be threatened by such a person."
Cocolia said lightly, "The organization behind him is not ordinary, but after this time, they shouldn't come after us again."
"The Gem of Haste is quite nice; it's an unexpected joy."
Cocolia had someone pack up the Gem of Haste.
She said lightly, "Let's go; we still need to go to Saint Freya to bring Bronya back; she's been there long enough."
Hearing the familiar name Bronya, Sin's eyes flashed with complexity.
However, she still pretended to be indifferent and said, "So what if she left? Why come back? Bronya only cares about Seele; what can she do?"
Cocolia said lightly, "That's true, but didn't you also say that a memory suddenly appeared in your mind?"
Some time ago, Sin.Mal told Cocolia that she had gained a very clear memory.
This memory occurred in 2013, when she and Bronya experienced the Nagazora City Major Honkai Eruption, which was stopped by Schicksal's people.
However, in reality, the Major Honkai Eruption had already occurred, and Schicksal's people did not come to stop it.
The conflict between the two memories made Sin feel uncomfortable; she thought it was a side effect of the X-10 experiment, so she wanted to seek help from Cocolia.
But Cocolia had no clue about it either.
However, through her contact with Gray Serpent, she learned some new information.
Someone was quietly changing time.
Changing the past that had already happened and the future that was not yet determined.
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