At Leo and the others' current speed, accumulating 100,000 points of [Imaginary Energy] would take about five days.
If they grinded a few more [Honkai Erosion Points], the speed should be even faster.
However, the nearby [Honkai Erosion Points] had been pretty much cleared out by them, leaving only a few high-difficulty [Instances].
But precisely because they were high-difficulty [Instances], there was no need to rush. The earliest these [Instances] would rupture was still more than a month away; they could absolutely take their time.
"This weekend, let's clear all the [Honkai Erosion Points] in the southern part of [Nagazora City]."
Of course, the [Honkai Erosion Points] Leo referred to were [Instances] that weren't considered difficult for their current state.
After experiencing the two powerhouses—the [Tyrant Old Lady] and the [Lord Shadow Ninja Zombie]—he understood that it was still a bit too forced for his current self to continue challenging [Instances].
After all, to be honest, he really couldn't say for sure what status those two held within the entire [Instance].
Judging from their appearance, they might just be mid-tier BOSSes, or even lower-mid-tier BOSSes.
But even so, both of them had reached [D-Rank], and for him to challenge them with stats that hadn't even reached [D-Rank] was truly reckless!
Therefore, rather than using the [Reset] count on reckless challenges, it was better to grind a few more levels.
Of course, this was also because they had Bronya on their side to investigate intelligence. Otherwise, he would still only be able to use his life to explore for information.
"Mm."
Nodding, Kiana said, "We need to increase our levels as much as possible at the fastest speed."
"Otherwise, even if Bronya provides us with intelligence, we won't be able to utilize it."
Although she had just obtained three [Honkai fragments], the upper limit of these things couldn't stack; they could only extend the duration.
In other words, even if she swallowed all three [Honkai fragments] in one breath, she would still only be at a level slightly stronger than the [Tyrant Old Lady] and her ilk.
Precisely because of this, she understood the importance of letting Leo improve now.
After all, only if Leo became stronger could he help her retrieve the most important [Soul]. Otherwise, with her stats as an ordinary person, it would indeed be difficult to give Leo much help in subsequent battles.
"Then let's grind those restricted [Instances] together as well."
Understanding Kiana's meaning, Leo said, "But in that case, we must save the [Reset] count for resurrection first to avoid a total wipeout."
Among the high-difficulty [Instances] Kiana mentioned, there was one with the longest time limit, which wouldn't rupture until two months later.
In other words, it was very likely that a BOSS was hidden inside!
Of course, they certainly wouldn't be so reckless as to challenge such an [Instance], but for those with a time limit of one month, they could still give it a try.
"When necessary, I will use the [Honkai fragments]."
Understanding Leo's worry, Kiana also spoke bluntly, "However, given our strength, there shouldn't be any problem."
It was precisely because she had the [Honkai fragments] as a trump card that she dared to attempt this.
"Okay."
Also understanding that the upper limit of the [Honkai fragments] wasn't actually high, Leo nodded and said, "Anyway, we'll see when the time comes. For these few days, prioritize grinding the monsters inside the [Instances]. We can go a bit deeper where appropriate to see if there are any small mobs we can farm, but if we encounter a BOSS, we must flee!"
He didn't fear death, but he didn't like meaningless sacrifice.
"Mm, let's do that for now."
Affirming Leo's prudence, Kiana said, "Next, it's time to check today's harvest!"
As she spoke, she took out all the documents hidden in her clothes.
Although these documents were stained with the sweat she shed during battle, and some were even torn, basic reading was still not a problem.
And what was surprising was that, clearly, these documents came from the [Tyrant Old Lady]'s office, yet they didn't have a strange smell.
It was evident that this old lady was quite particular about cleanliness.
It's just that the kitchen was dirty to that extent and she ignored it; her stance was really hard to explain.
However—
"This is the back kitchen's procurement list..."
Taking those documents and reading them, Leo didn't find any major problems on them.
Summary: It was all pre-made meals!
Undoubtedly, a small portion of the pre-made meals on the procurement list was now in his [system space].
Since [Tongzi] judged that these pre-made meals were edible and even had some special effects, he tentatively believed that this old lady hadn't cut corners on the ingredients.
"Doesn't that imply the data I brought back is meaningless?"
Hearing Leo say this, Kiana couldn't help revealing a dejected expression.
Of course, she didn't feel that her efforts hadn't been exchanged for credit, but rather that this data was an opportunity Leo had taken risks to win for her, and in the end, she hadn't brought back any results.
However—
"No."
Shaking his head at Kiana, Leo spoke bluntly, "The content above is still quite important."
"Hmm?"
Slightly stunned, Kiana had a face full of disbelief.
"Don't say such things to comfort me."
"Really."
Somewhat amusingly reaching out to rub Kiana's silky, snow-white long hair, Leo laughed, "Look at the dates and quantities on the procurement list."
"In the final few days, the [Canteen] suddenly procured a massive amount of food."
"It is evident that the [Canteen] itself was also one of the participants in the plan."
"As well as—"
After stating the most obvious intelligence first, he added, "The manufacturer providing the ingredients."
Looking at the words "Schicksal Corporation" in the manufacturer column, his expression couldn't help becoming extremely subtle.
"Eh?"
Following Leo's gaze, only then did Kiana notice the manufacturer's name.
"Does the [Otto] of this world also run this kind of business?"
In fact, her expression also became somewhat odd.
However—
"No, no."
Shaking his head, Leo said, "Theoretically speaking, Mei's event was single-handedly orchestrated by [Anti-Entropy], and [Schicksal] actually played a role in cleaning up the mess during this process."
"Of course, this is mainly because the [Far East] is stationed by [Theresa]. If it were changed to [Otto], one really wouldn't know what kind of human tragedy would be triggered."
It really wasn't him looking at people through colored glasses, but [Otto]'s battle record could only be described as authoritative... this is called reputation!
"That's true..."
Understanding Leo's meaning, Kiana switched her train of thought and said, "Then conversely, since [Schicksal]'s name appeared here, is it possible that within the world of the [Honkai Domain], [Anti-Entropy] simply doesn't exist?"
After all, she was someone who had overcome thousands of difficulties and dangers to become the God of Earth; her brain now was exceptionally sharp.
"Correct."
Nodding, Leo continued along with Kiana's words.
"If everything is truly dominated by [Schicksal], then things all make sense."
Given [Otto]'s unscrupulous methods, creating such a terrifying [Chiba Academy] would be reasonable.
"But judging from the current information, the people participating in the event don't understand the [Honkai]."
Agreeing with Leo's thought, Kiana still couldn't figure this point out.
"According to my speculation, this might be their way of opposing the [Honkai]."
Revealing a serious expression, Leo explained, "Otherwise, there's no reason for that old lady to prioritize attacking [Zombies]."
"And the reason she turned to attack you was also because you possessed a high concentration of [Honkai energy]."
"In other words, these monsters that still retain human characteristics are in a state of even greater hatred towards the [Honkai]."
"Of course, perhaps they don't know this is the [Honkai], or perhaps they have a name they call it themselves."
In his view, the biggest harvest tonight should be that the entire [Honkai Domain] was divided into three factions.
—The humans of the original world, the [Honkai], and them, the outsiders!
Undoubtedly, as outsiders, they were the weakest party, so provoking the two sides to fight was the most advantageous method for them.
"Mm..."
After listening to Leo's explanation, Kiana nodded and said, "Then that indeed makes sense."
"It's just that saving the world by sacrificing others is truly sorrowful."
"It may not necessarily be saving the world."
Shaking his head, Leo spoke bluntly, "Think about that teacher from the [Swimming Club]; even at that time, he still wanted to satisfy his own selfish desires."
"In other words, perhaps there are indeed idealists among them, but more are definitely idiots fishing in troubled waters, or who simply haven't realized the world is on the brink of destruction!"
In his view, the birth of such a [Honkai Domain] might be related to this teacher from the [Swimming Club].
If only the other party hadn't lost Kiana's soul fragment, perhaps it would have been another story.
One could only say, one fears the idiot having a sudden bright idea!
"Indeed."
Nodding again, Kiana said, "No matter which world, there will always be people like this who can't see the situation clearly."
"However—"
Pursng her lips, she asked again, "Do you think the true mastermind is [Schicksal]?"
"Or rather, the [Otto] of this world?"
"Of course that's impossible."
Without any hesitation, he denied it. Leo said bluntly, "If it were just [Otto], that would be easy to deal with."
"Okay..."
Amidst Kiana's skeptical gaze, he spoke frankly, "Indeed, he's not easy to deal with."
"But compared to the known enemies, [Otto] is definitely a relatively easy-to-deal-with existence."
"The real difficulty lies in: how does he know all of this?"
"Moreover, we are currently basing this on the existence of someone like [Otto], while the other party might just be 'Schicksal', but not [Otto]."
"Anyway, before confirming the name of the opposing leader, we're just hypothetically assuming the opponent is [Otto], that's all."
Pausing slightly, seeing that Kiana understood, he continued, "Then, even if the opponent's identity is confirmed, how the opponent acquired such means is what's most worthy of our vigilance."
"After all, let alone an Earth God like you, even a [Herrscher] is actually not easy to capture."
"For a mighty power like this, only the [Imaginary Tree] can achieve it. But the Tree itself wouldn't do such a thing; it must be that someone invoked the mighty power of the Tree to achieve all of this."
In the final analysis, although it was confirmed that the [Chiba Academy] within the [Honkai Domain] was caused by "Schicksal," it was like peeling an onion; he had merely peeled back one layer of it.
However, this could tentatively count as a hard-won victory.
"Then the faction hiding behind this is truly terrifying."
Understanding what exactly Leo was worried about, Kiana's expression couldn't help becoming somewhat grave.
After all, if it really was an enemy of this degree, then the difficulty of wanting to resolve it wasn't just generally great.
Even if her main body descended personally, facing the Tree, her strength would be insufficient.
Now—
Looking at Leo, she understood that only by gathering more [Strength] for him could they find a way to break the deadlock.
—It looks like I have to work hard to make everyone accept him!
Although she understood that this matter looked very weird no matter how one looked at it, facing such an oppressive enemy, she could only resort to this inferior strategy.
"What are you thinking about?"
Seeing Kiana looking at him in a trance, Leo thought Kiana was worrying about the future... Of course, saying that wasn't wrong.
But he didn't like making the atmosphere so heavy, so he pulled Kiana into his arms.
"Rest assured, with me here, there will come a day when I make that true mastermind receive the punishment they deserve!"
If it were just death, in his view, that would be letting the opponent off too easily.
Just the resentment condensed in the [School building] made it impossible for him to spare the opponent so easily.
"Mm, I believe you."
Resting her head against Leo's chest, Kiana felt she was exceptionally calm at this moment.
This inexplicable sense of security even made her somewhat sleepy.
"Alright."
Feeling Kiana's dependence, Leo laughed, "It's about time to sleep."
Understanding that Kiana didn't have any extra thoughts, he shifted his body slightly. After also pulling the deeply sleeping Mei aside into his arms, he lowered his head and kissed Kiana's head.
"Mm..."
Seeing that Leo didn't have that kind of intention either, Kiana followed her drowsiness and actually fell asleep in Leo's arms.
There was no helping it; she had contributed quite a lot tonight.
And don't look at how she used the power of the [Honkai fragments]; she also needed to guide the power during this process.
With her current [Energy] of an ordinary person, this step actually consumed a considerable amount of mental effort.
Leo also understood this point, which was why he didn't continue exploring.
After all, if there really were still strong enemies, even if Kiana had three [Honkai fragments], the burden on her was still too great.
If it were only Leo alone, he would definitely charge forward with his head down.
But now, he wouldn't treat his life as if it weren't a life anymore.
Closing his eyes, he also gradually sank into dreamland.
To be honest, originally he thought he would see [Raiden Mei] after falling asleep, however... he actually fell asleep!
Until—
"Time to get up for school."
Mei's cold voice woke him from his sleep.
To be fair, with Mei changing her voice line like this, he couldn't quite react for a moment.
After all, last night, Mei's voice beside his ear was so charming and pleasant to hear.
"What are you thinking about?"
Seeing the look Leo gave her wasn't right, Mei couldn't help frowning slightly.
"Nothing."
Smiling at Mei, Leo climbed up from the bed.
Only—
"Where is Kiana?"
Seeing the space beside him empty, he couldn't help becoming curious.
After all, theoretically speaking, she should be staying in bed with him.
However—
"Kiana..."
Revealing a puzzled expression, Mei asked, "Who are you talking about?"
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