Shuhu's retreating figure vanished between the mountains and the lake, and the light rain spreading across heaven and earth disappeared as well.
Yunli glanced at Yanqing out of the corner of her eye. As expected, the guy had his head lowered, bangs covering his face, making it impossible to see his exact expression.
Helpless, she had to speak up herself. "You two, the Jiangsu Ship invites you?"
The Master Artisan girl, who usually spoke with her swords, was extremely unaccustomed to using official diplomatic language. Fortunately, Bianca could read the meaning behind her words.
Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Can we stay here a little longer?"
Fuli and the others hadn't come out yet, and Bianca wanted to see them.
Let the person you admire see your efforts; don't be a lick-dog who gives silently. This was also a little tip taught by Professor Rita.
Yunli sighed, but still pointed her hand towards the sky.
The shadow of the aerial battleship fell like a curtain. Under the extreme stretching effect of a high-altitude object, it covered an area of several miles on the ground below.
Personally, Yunli didn't want to make things difficult for Durandal and her group, who had just helped her.
But rules were rules. The deterrence of an S-Rank Valkyrie far exceeded strategic nuclear weapons, and the entry permit granted to the Valkyries by "General Miaojian" Fu Xuan was her unilateral decision.
Even if it was just to avoid making things difficult for that person known as the "Wholesale Mistress of Seats," "Luofu Civil Servant," "Pink Beautiful Girl," and "Tsundere TYPE-C," Yunli had to play the bad guy this time. She had to invite Durandal back to the battleship to "participate in the grand event" and explain the sequence of events clearly.
"Alright."
Bianca said regretfully.
She didn't feel that she and Eleanor were being used. Schicksal and General Miaojian had a common strategic goal this time.
If the S-Rank Valkyries hadn't appeared here, Shuhu, after killing Yanqing, would definitely have gone to the mausoleum to dispose of Fuli and K423.
Of course, this was just Durandal's personal opinion. As for how those two old foxes—schemers, Otto and Fu Xuan, would negotiate, she wouldn't interfere and couldn't be bothered to.
Even though the latter's voice was practically cast from the same mold as Theresa's, when that bastard Otto scammed people, he showed absolutely no mercy.
The total time taken to slay the Eternal Heaven was less than ten minutes. In just that little time, Fuli Chaoslana had already disbanded.
The duration of a fused entity is affected by the amount of energy. If energy-intensive ultimate moves and forms are used during the fusion, the time is further shortened.
Fuli Chaoslana could have normally fought for the full thirty minutes, provided he obediently fought the Eternal Heaven in the Mausoleum World Bubble and relied on "salami slicing tactics" to grind the enemy down.
But he got cocky and insisted on running to the Sea of Quanta to engage in a full-power beam struggle.
After it was over, he patted his butt and left, leaving only an exhausted Fuli standing in place.
The critical part wasn't over yet.
Thump thump thump. Footsteps approached from afar. The boy looked up and found it was Kiana.
"Great King!"
Running over, she extended her hand.
Subconsciously, Fuli shook her hand.
After releasing him, Kiana pointed a finger at the broken Sparrow's Call (Queyu) and the remains of the Brilliant Flames (Huanghuiyan) on the ground.
Raising her hand, clenching her fist, she spoke with righteous indignation: "Why did you break the Ultra Key!"
Her gaze was burning, her tone resonant and powerful.
"And you broke two at once, making up for the quota owed from the Foggy Capital volume."
Bronya rolled out of the Imaginary Space like a train engine. Before she even stabilized, she didn't forget to deliver a venomous follow-up stab.
"It doesn't matter if the weapon is broken; it can be repaired."
Fuli felt a bit guilty saying this himself, so he started shifting the blame again. "I, Fuli, usually hate wasting things the most. I always finish every grain of rice in my bowl. It must be the influence of the other side's personality during the fusion that made me become so dissolute!"
"Don't shirk responsibility!" Kiana said indignantly. "This young miss has been taking meticulous care of her weapons so far. The Galactic Baseball Bat, the Dragon Venerable MK2000 Plasma Sniper Rifle, White Comet, Artemis' Guardian, North Star One-Blade Style - Modified... which one of these isn't in good condition? Unlike a certain Equipment Breaker!"
"Tsk."
She makes so much sense, I'm actually speechless.
Fuli, faced with the cold glares of the girls, reminisced about the Tyrant's Barricade forged by Li-Bao (Yunli) in the previous loop. Leaving other aspects aside, the "Indestructible" property was truly convenient; it didn't even need daily maintenance.
He suddenly remembered something. "Bronya, why did you enter rolling just now?"
"The World Bubble is collapsing. The Imaginary Space is crashing."
The girl spoke concisely.
After the Eternal Heaven was defeated, the AA-Rank World Bubble fused with Him inevitably slid toward destruction.
This ranking was roughly categorized according to the regulations promulgated by the Taixuan Front. Generally speaking:
D-Rank area is equivalent to a village or a neighborhood block;
C-Rank is a town or several small towns;
B-Rank is a county or several counties;
A-Rank is about the size of a prefecture-level city;
AA-Rank is equivalent to a provincial capital or the sum of several prefecture-level cities;
AAA-Rank corresponds to a direct-controlled municipality of Shenzhou or an entire province. At this level, the World Bubble can be called a "Plane." The large World Bubble that landed in Foggy London previously was of this rank.
The total area of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum was around 80,000 square kilometers. Even excluding the Great Lake part transferred away by Fuli Chaoslana, the remaining area was a full 30,000 square kilometers.
This was already an astonishing figure. Note that even Lake Baikal, known as the North Sea in ancient times, has a total area of only 31,500 square kilometers.
Once such a world collapsed—well, since it wouldn't affect the boundless Sea of Quanta in the slightest, the aftershocks wouldn't reach the real world either.
However, it would mean a narrow escape for the trio inside, and there was even a possibility it could collapse into a fleeting pseudo-black hole, taking them along to become "fleeting" as well.
"Prisoner Li" (Fuli), who had just taken an S-Rank head, panicked.
He had only thought about protecting the extinct animals when he used his authority to split the World Bubble in two, completely forgetting that the passage between the real world and the mausoleum was on the Great Lake side.
To untie the bell, you need the person who tied it.
"Kiana! Quickly use your invincible Space Authority to think of something!"
"I'm doing it! I'm doing it!"
The girl closed her eyes to sense, but after a while, she shook her head violently. "No good! The gravitational turbulence caused by the elemental chaotic flow is interfering with my control over the ability!"
"Call Aqua (Sirin)! As long as Aqua launches an attack, everything will be fine!"
"The other me isn't making a sound!"
The consumption caused by Fuli Chaoslana was borne by the fusion materials. Just splitting and transferring the Great Lake earlier had consumed too much of the Queen's mental energy. She was currently curled up in the dark room, fast asleep.
Hearing this, the boy turned his gaze to Bronya, the last hope.
The little girl smiled faintly, took out a small blanket, wrapped herself into a ball, and closed her eyes to wait for death.
"It was Brother who killed Bronya. Bronya won't let Brother go even as a ghost. I guarantee I'll haunt you for three lifetimes."
She was still whispering curses.
"NO—!"
Fuli roared at the sky.
"Woah, you scared me! Little Prisoner Brother, what's wrong with you? If I'm not welcome, Big Sister will leave then."
He directly startled the beauty who had just appeared.
Black hair cascaded down her cheeks like a waterfall. Her pale skin glowed with the cold light of porcelain. A pure white nightgown clung to the curves of her full waist, and her slender ankles dangled slightly beneath the fabric.
Kiana exclaimed: "It's!"
"Living in the Dongfeng Missile Silo, the online-shopping delivery person, Miss Sadako Yamamura!"
Among everyone present, she was the most familiar with her. Every now and then, she would secretly buy snacks online and have Miss Sadako deliver them with free shipping to the Hyperion.
"There's no need to go into such detail." Miss Sadako handed over an unopened package. "Here, take it. Your delivery."
"What's this?"
"The original art book for Honkai: Star Rail Steel Path."
"Oh."
Kiana, who took it, scratched her head. She only played that game occasionally. As a lucky player who got a 6+5 in thirty pulls, she got bored of mobile games pretty quickly.
The art book was also something she won casually during an event; she didn't meet the 340-day login condition at all.
Unexpectedly, it was mailed over at this time.
"Since the goods are delivered, Big Sister is leaving now. Remember to give Little Sadako a five-star review later."
With that, Miss Sadako waved her hand and prepared to return to the well on the phone screen.
Clap!
Two hands, one left and one right, pressed onto her smooth, tender shoulders from behind.
"You can't leave," Fuli said eerily.
"You can leave, but you have to take us with you. Otherwise, Idiot Kiana will leave you a bad review," Bronya followed up immediately.
"Huh? Yeah! That's right!"
Realizing her savior was right in front of her, the white-haired dumpling abandoned her integrity, took out her phone, and started gesturing threateningly, even though there was zero signal.
"Excuse me? You guys play dirty like this?" Miss Sadako was dumbfounded.
"Take us! Take us! Take us!" The three little ones nodded vigorously.
"F-fine... Wait, let's get this straight first. If we really leave like this, one phone will be left behind."
"No problem!" Duck-Duck raised her chin proudly. "Everything on Bronya's phone is backed up on Project Bunny. Let's sacrifice Bronya's!"
Little stars appeared in Kiana's eyes. "Sister is generous!"
Fuli waved his hand grandly. "Brother will reimburse you later! I'll pay for a hundred of them! Cash settlement!"
"Eh?" Hearing there was profit to be made, Miss Sadako's eyes lit up. "Then do I get something too?"
"I'll burn a three-story villa for you! With a spacious courtyard, complete with Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Maybachs, and many other luxury cars, plus cute little maidens to serve you!"
"And during Qingming, Chongyang, and the New Year, I'll burn some gold ingots and bricks..."
"Burn! Burn big ones!"
"Deal! Everyone hold on tight!"
With the guarantee, Miss Sadako beamed with joy. She grabbed the three of them and rushed into the screen of Bronya's phone.
The exquisite, compact phone paused in mid-air for a moment before quickly falling to the ground.
After an unknown amount of time, in the Sea of Quanta, a soft, white, slender hand picked it up.
Hesitating for a moment, she tapped the screen to unlock it.
"Is this... Big Sister Bronya?"
Looking at the coolly dressed Bronya on the wallpaper, the owner of the hand said in surprise.
She hurriedly opened the photo album, scanning through the photos recording daily life one by one.
Unsurprisingly, screenshots of various game records were the most numerous.
"Big Sister Bronya really is still—hmm?"
The girl smiled knowingly, her shoulder-length black hair with blue tints swaying slightly.
Her fingertips slowly slid across the screen. When she reached the bottom, her gaze suddenly tightened.
Like the game screenshots, it was a separate category.
The number of files wasn't large, but it was rarely password-protected.
And that single visible cover image.
"Who... is he?"
Looking at the big, black-haired boy cheerfully playing with Bronya's twin drills, and Bronya who looked disgusted but was actually letting him do whatever he wanted, Seele's eyes gradually lost focus.
"Holy crap!"
"Ah♀!"
"Ouch!"
At the Fish Viewing Pavilion, which had a vertical drop of over 600 meters from Kanas Lake, Fuli and the others were dumped out like beans, piling up one after another.
"Remember my three-story villa and beautiful maids! Don't write the wrong address when burning them!"
Miss Sadako waved her hand, and the whole ghost vanished with a whoosh.
"Get up, get up quickly, I can't breathe."
Bronya, who was crushed at the very bottom, slapped the ground repeatedly, clearly not hearing that speech.
Kiana in the middle had a flushed face. Even though she could move away with a little effort, she just hummed and hawed, refusing to move.
Mostly because being pressed down by Ah-Li felt a l-little comfortable.
"Hang in there! Brother is moving now!"
Hearing his little sister's wailing, Fuli, who was on top, hurriedly shifted his body.
Only then did Kiana reluctantly give up her spot, allowing Bronya underneath to see the light of day again.
"Let's go."
After consecutive fierce battles, the bodies and energy of the young boys and girls were completely drained. They supported each other as they walked out of the Fish Viewing Pavilion, then stopped in unison.
Kanas Scenic Area had three great wonders. First was the Thousand-Meter Dead Wood Embankment, formed by driftwood in the lake being blown upstream by strong valley winds and piling up at the lake's outlet. Second was the giant water monster in the lake—as for what exactly it was, the group not only "tasted" it but also personally exterminated its clan for entertainment.
And the third was the wonder that only appeared after the rain cleared—the Kanas Cloud Sea Buddha Light.
The lake area had abundant annual precipitation and cool summers. After rain, the valleys were often covered by thick clouds and mist, revealing only mountain peaks above 2000 meters, forming a vast and magnificent sea of clouds.
Yes, this was the wonder presented before them right now.
Looking out, the mountains seemed to sink into a milky white sea. Thick waves of clouds surged, filling every gully above Kanas Lake, submerging the verdant forests, leaving only a few of the highest snowy peaks floating like proud, lonely islands on this boundless, slowly flowing pure whiteness.
The sky, washed by the light rain that had just ended, was azure and translucent. Sunlight poured down without obstruction, plating the tops of those snowy peaks with a dazzling golden edge.
In this moment of absolute silence and pure white heaven and earth, a miracle descended.
Above the sea of clouds directly opposite the Fish Viewing Pavilion, a gigantic halo suddenly appeared.
The halo was astonishingly clear, its edges emitting a faint seven-colored glow, while the center was a deep, condensed void, like a portal to another world.
Even more mind-shaking was that in the center of the halo, a massive silhouette of a girl was clearly reflected!
That immense figure, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kiana, was as majestic as a mountain. It seemed condensed from pure light, quietly suspended against the backdrop of the churning sea of clouds—grand, holy, and carrying an overwhelming presence.
Like a Goddess of Earth protecting all living beings, she silently embraced everything, radiating a kind, gentle warmth that made people feel all the beauty in the world.
This was the Kanas Buddha Light. A wonder formed when sunlight penetrated dense water vapor, projecting the observer's own shadow onto the curtain of clouds.
"So magnificent..."
Kiana murmured to herself.
"Yes."
Bronya rarely didn't refute her.
The sea of clouds surged silently beneath their feet. A hundred thousand bolts of white silk seemed to rush up from the valley floor. Mist waves crashed against the gilded eaves of the Fish Viewing Pavilion, splashing up a sky full of flowing silver snow.
The boy's clear voice rang out:
"Do you like it? This gift?"
"G-gift?"
Kiana stared blankly ahead. The lake breeze curled the white hair at her temples, like her father's hand ruffling the top of her head years ago.
Fuli leaned against the wooden railing of the steps, his voice steeped in the scenery. "When I first reviewed the mission summary, I noticed that the pronunciation of Kanas differs from Kiana by only a few letters."
"In my opinion, this is definitely not just a simple coincidence." He raised his hand to catch a falling cloud shadow, letting the golden light flow through his fingers. "Mr. Siegfried hid this surprise in the place name, entrusting Mr. Ryoma to weave this mission clue to guide you here."
Distant mountains suddenly tore through the curtain of clouds, and the lake surface, like ten thousand acres of glazed glass, abruptly spread out before their eyes.
Rosy light melted into gold leaf and poured down. The reflection of the snowy peaks melted into one in the sparkling waves, its soft appearance reminiscent of the cheese rice cake the man had held out to his daughter years ago.
Kiana's fingertips dug deeply into her palms.
The moment the water mist surged up, she finally heard the crashing sound of the cedar forest coming from the unopened gift box on the night of her twelfth birthday.
...