Chapter 488

Inside the Sumeru Mustard Seed, Shen Gonglin and Durandal were waiting for Seele's response, but after a long time, no good news came back. They couldn't wait any longer, Shen Gonglin felt he had to do something, which was why he stayed there.

"Durandal, I'll be heading off now. You and Sushang, please be careful."

Shen Gonglin stood up. Her Herrscher Authority had not fully recovered, but given the current situation, she probably couldn't wait until she was fully recovered. She had to bring that girl back as soon as possible. Durandal nodded in agreement. Although she was still a little worried about Shen Gonglin, they both had their own things to do.

"Okay, I will begin the path to the Sea of Quantum. Shen Gonglin, be careful."

Through Gnius, Durandal opened a passage to the Sea of Quantum before Shen Gonglin. After watching Shen Gonglin's figure disappear into it, the girl's mood became somewhat heavy. Although she had complete faith in Shen Gonglin's strength, this... Her only hope was that Shen Gonglin wouldn't get lost.

This was practically an impossible task. Even under normal circumstances, Shen Gonglin would get lost, let alone in this Sea of Quantum that had never been explored to such depths... Durandal only felt regret after Shen Gonglin left. She shouldn't have acted so impulsively, even if it was a last resort. Now, she just hoped that Shen Gonglin would be alright.

Are these things what the World Bubble is?

Watching the constantly shifting shadows before her, Shen Gonglin understood what these things represented. Each bubble was a completely different world. Perhaps in one bubble they were mortal enemies, but in the next bubble, they might be comrades fighting side by side. These bubbles were all in a broken state, which meant that inside... well, never mind, I can't figure it out. Thinking about such things is usually done by strategists. A leader like Shen Gonglin only needs to do what she wants to do.

According to the coordinates given by Durandal, the World Bubble Seele was in before should be...

[On the left.]

Just as Shen Gonglin was contemplating the World Bubble before him, a voice suddenly rang out in his head. It seemed to be a voice directly entering his consciousness. Good heavens, was this the mastermind's hint? What, on the left? Under these circumstances, how could Shen Gonglin possibly believe such an unknown hint? If she said left, then it must be on the right!

Without hesitation, Shen Gonglin chose the right-hand World Bubble and rushed into it, while the voice that suddenly appeared in his consciousness became furious.

[You idiot! Can't you even tell left from right? How can you so confidently choose the completely wrong path? What's wrong with your brain?]

As soon as she entered the World Bubble, the undisguised accusation rang in her head. Shen Gonglin chuckled softly. Although she didn't know what was going on with the voice in her head, seeing her exasperated appearance, there was no doubt that her choice was correct. She must be angry because she hadn't followed her steps and had fallen into the trap. But who could blame her, Shen Gonglin was just that clever and resourceful.

[What are you so smug about? Would I ever hurt you?! You wanted to find that girl, so why didn't you listen to me? Shen Gonglin, we've already done so many intimate things, why don't you trust me? You trust this old fogey but not me, that's... yes, favoritism!]

The voice in his mind sounded incredibly angry, and the smug smile on Shen Gonglin's face turned somewhat awkward. He hadn't heard that voice for quite some time, so he hadn't really recognized it when he heard it just now. However, "old relic"... that unique title made Shen Gonglin realize the source of the voice.

"Is it... Little Herrscher of Consciousness?"

Shen Gonglin tentatively spoke up. If it really was her, then she had truly been outsmarting thin air just now, which was rather embarrassing.

"Of course it's me! Who else do you think I am? Honestly, after being dragged into this kind of space and finally managing to contact you, you... Shen Gonglin, who do you take me for? Why don't you believe me?"

The voice in her mind was intermittent, indicating that the connection was not stable enough. Faced with the girl's question, Shen Gonglin remained silent for a moment before giving her answer.

"I've come to regard you as the will of the Honkai God."

[...Good grief, Shen Gonglin, those people who say you have an exceptionally high IQ are just fooling me, aren't they? You're actually about the same level as Kiana?]

The voice of the Herrscher of Consciousness in her mind paused for a long time. Finally, she even gave this evaluation. "Shen Gonglin is not smart at all. He's just a fool. What kind of Honkai God consciousness is he? He can't even recognize his own voice? Does Shen Gonglin even believe in the existence of gods? How does he understand the existence of gods? That detached and bizarre will that understands and controls everything. But if that's the case, why has no one ever seen it with their own eyes?"

Shen Gonglin was speechless and fell into a state of self-isolation. This was indeed her fault. If she had honestly chosen the left side, she probably would have been able to find Seele. But now... indeed, life is full of choices, and choices can lead to infinite possibilities.

As expected of Shen Gonglin, even in a situation like this, she can still use such a philosophical explanation to justify her irrational actions. Little Herrscher of Consciousness speechless.

[Speaking of Kiana... actually, it's not wrong for you to come to this World Bubble. Keep moving forward. The help I can offer in this way is limited, so please come find me as soon as possible.]

Little Herrscher of Consciousness suddenly gave Shen Gonglin the feeling of a Class President, but before he could ask any more questions, the voice in his mind suddenly disappeared. Shen Gonglin wanted to talk to her but there was no response. She could only provide limited help in this way. He should find her as soon as possible.

What are you looking for?

Unable to understand, Shen Gonglin could only continue walking forward. After walking for a short while, Shen Gonglin came across a sea of flowers in this bizarre and fantastical Sea of Quantum. The person lying in the center of the flower sea immediately caught Shen Gonglin attention. This sleeping beauty... isn't that Kiana?!

It feels like it's been ages!

Chapter 311 Shafulin, Awakens

In that sea of white flowers, a white-haired girl was sleeping peacefully, like Sleeping Beauty waiting for a prince to come and kiss her awake. However, no prince came. Instead, it was Shen Gonglin. How could someone as upright as him do something that would be considered perverted by those who write about princes? What kind of nonsense is it to secretly kiss a girl while she is asleep?

Let him actually provide the wake-up call service.

"Wake up, wake up, Kiana, wake up quickly... the sun's already high in the sky. Cosmic Superman, open your eyes, I'm Shafulin."

Sitting next to Kiana, Shen Gonglin reached out and gently patted Kiana's fair face. The sleeping girl was inexplicably patted several times. She slowly opened her eyes, her lake-blue eyes clear and bright. Where was she? Who was the Cosmic Superman? And who was Shafulin?

"Kiana, you're finally awake! A guy named Shafulin beat you up and then ran away. I was so worried about you."

The hand that was about to continue naturally changed direction. Shen Gonglin brushed the hair off Kiana's face and helped the girl up. The girl was clearly still in a daze, so she probably didn't know who had hit her. Kiana rubbed her head and sat up. Just now... just now she seemed to have heard Bronya's voice? But why would she hear Bronya's voice? Shouldn't she be at Schicksal Headquarters? Bronya was at Salt Lake Base, how could she have heard it? And Shen Gonglin... wait, Shen Gonglin should also be at Salt Lake Base.

The girl's confusion was obvious. The scene unfolding before her was filled with an incomprehensible sense of disorder, something that a sane person should not be able to see. Kiana looked around. Even though her companions had already set foot here and given her a detailed description, Kiana still could not immediately identify where she was.

This must be what is known as the Sea of Quantum, a concept that is not easy to understand or clearly articulate.

"Am I dreaming... Shen Gonglin, let me pinch you."

Kiana concluded that she was dreaming. After all, she should have just arrived at the Schicksal training ground before this. So she just fell asleep and had a lucid dream. Kiana was not surprised at all that Shen Gonglin appeared in her dream. After all, she dreamed about Shen Gonglin all day long. The girl reached out to pinch Shen Gonglin's face, but he pinched her first.

"Aren't you being a little arrogant? Do you think anyone can just pinch my face?"

Shen Gonglin grabbed the girl's cheek. Did this girl think she was dreaming? She was still the same Kiana. Before, she thought she was a subject in a simulation training exercise, and now she thought she was someone in a dream. She really deserved a beating.

"Ouch! Eh... Is this... a dream?"

The pain in her cheek made Kiana realize her current situation. Come to think of it, she hadn't been dreaming for a long time. After truly mastering the power of the Herrscher, Kiana's sleep had been sound and peaceful, and she no longer dreamed about things like before. At most, it would be some embarrassing dreams that she couldn't tell others. So what was going on now?

"It shouldn't be a dream... I can't really say for sure, who knows? Anyway, a lot has happened during this time. You want me to tell you in detail, but I can't."

Since he only had a superficial understanding, Shen Gonglin could only tell Kiana what he could make clear and what she could understand. After listening to Shen Gonglin's description, Kiana felt like her head was about to explode; it really didn't sound like something easy to comprehend.

"... In short, let's look around first. Maybe we can find some interesting memories here."

Kiana didn't fully understand the situation. The girl subtly mixed up the current situation with the dreaming method that the Herrscher Core had imposed on her. In short, exploring the surroundings was the only thing she could do. She couldn't just stay here. It was a rare opportunity to be alone with Shen Gonglin, so wandering around wouldn't be bad.

Shen Gonglin did not refuse, and the two began to explore the Sea of Quantum aimlessly. She had indeed heard Bronya's voice just now. Although the tone was completely different from Bronya's usual emotionless voice, it was definitely Bronya's voice.

"Durandal is on the moon? This really makes me wonder if I'm dreaming... Speaking of which, Shen Gonglin, when are we getting married? According to Sister Purple, you'll be turning seventeen soon, which means you're a year older and one step closer to marriage, right?"

It's unclear how Kiana steered the conversation this way, but the girl casually mentioned it. She didn't know Shen Gonglin's birthday or age before, but now that Yukari Yakumo is here, Kiana managed to find out. Sure enough, he's a bit younger than her, but that doesn't matter. After this battle, Kiana wants to go back to Shen Gonglin's hometown and get married.

"Pah! Don't you know it's very unlucky to say things like that? Why are you planting flags for no reason? What's with all this talk about going back to your hometown to get married? I've told you so many times, you're not allowed to say things like that before a fight."

Shen Gonglin covered Kiana's mouth and said irritably. Kiana rolled her eyes speechlessly. She was just saying it casually. Even if they went back after this battle, Theresa wouldn't let her and Shen Gonglin get together. The main reason was that he was too young. Shen Gonglin, can't you grow up faster? Hurry up and reach the legal marriage age so you can marry me.

Don't keep yourself waiting too long.

"Okay, okay... Hey, it really is Bronya, but why is she wearing that outfit?"

Kiana pulled away from Shen Gonglin's hand with a disgruntled expression, then suddenly saw a figure in front of her. It was clearly Bronya, but Kiana had never seen the clothes Bronya was wearing before—it had a cyberpunk vibe... Kiana quickly ran to Bronya's side, but before she could even touch her, just by getting close, the figure of Bronya had just seen vanished like a bubble.

What's going on? Was it really just my dream? Has it become this unstable?

Chapter 312 Gathering Together

"So this is how Bronya is in my dream? It's a bit unexpected. I always feel like she's not quite the Bronya I really know."

Kiana sighed. Although the illusory figure had vanished, she remembered its words perfectly. Unlike its usual quiet and composed demeanor, Kiana had seemed noticeably more lively. So this really must be a dream; otherwise, how could Bronya possibly have such a feeling Bronya?

"It feels like Bronya might be from another World Bubble... Ah, Durandal told me that the course of the world might be different in other World Bubble. For example, Otto is known as a major villain in our world, might be a savior in another World Bubble. And Bronya might have another side to her."

Shen Gonglin explained the current situation, and Kiana became somewhat concerned after learning about this possibility. She wondered what she would be like in another World Bubble, but the only thing she was certain of was that no matter which World Bubble she was in, she would probably fall in love with Shen Gonglin. If that's the case, maybe she would already be married to Shen Gonglin in one of the World Bubble.

Kiana is overthinking things. No matter how many World Bubble, there's only one Shen Gonglin. So, the possibility that Kiana might already be married to Shen Gonglin is something she has to create herself.

Just then, Kiana and Shen Gonglin suddenly heard a wild laugh. Upon hearing the laugh, Kiana did not immediately take action. After all, she knew that laugh so clearly. Strange, why did she dream of the Herrscher of Consciousness?

Kevin, we've ultimately gone our separate ways. Friend or foe, the choice is yours!

Kiana followed the sound, and the Herrscher of Consciousness's voice was highly recognizable. However, the result was the same as before. Before Kiana could even reach out to touch it, the Herrscher of Consciousness's phantom image vanished. Was it the same situation as before...?

Shaking her head, Kiana began to believe that this was not a dream. No matter how she dreamed, this situation would never occur. It felt as if someone was giving her a suggestion. Shen Gonglin had said before that the Herrscher of Consciousness seemed to be guiding them. Because of Shen Gonglin, Kiana believed that she would not harm them, but this... Before Kiana could think further, the monster unique to the Sea of Quantum had appeared. In any case, the battle had to begin.

Kiana clenched her fist, preparing to unleash the power of the Herrscher of Flamescion, but the Herrscher Authority, which had already been subdued, was now unusable. What was going on?

"Let me do it."

Shen Gonglin was about to step forward, but Kiana stubbornly stood aside. Even if she couldn't use her Herrscher Authority for the time being, she could still fight. The Valkyrie Armor's built-in spatial technology was still usable. Kiana drew the red broken sword from it, and the girl smiled at Shen Gonglin. Shen Gonglin instantly understood her meaning, shook her head helplessly. "If you're so lively, then go alone. Do you have to fight side by side?"

Even without the Herrscher Authority, I can still annihilate the enemy!

Kiana hadn't fought alongside Shen Gonglin for a long time, and she was full of energy. This reminded her of when she was still wandering in Sky City. Back then, she wasn't as strong as she was now, and she didn't dare to use her Herrscher powers too much. But now... it was like going back to Sky City.

"Heavy-duty Rabbit, fully armed and deployed!"

However, someone seemed unwilling to let Kiana "enjoy" here. With a familiar, emotionless voice, the enemy in front of them was instantly eliminated. The familiar voice made Shen Gonglin and Kiana turn their gazes in surprise. In their eyes, the familiar figure appeared right in front of them. Bronya, without a doubt, was the Bronya they knew.

"Shen Gonglin, I've found you."

Floating in mid-air, Bronya came to Shen Gonglin's side and looked at him. The girl's gray eyes seemed calm, but upon closer inspection, Shen Gonglin could clearly see the joy in them. Kiana, on the other hand, was a little unhappy. This emotionless loli acted as if she didn't even see her. Why did she leave her aside and stare at her fiancé like that?

Your role is either bridesmaid or flower girl, so you need to understand your position.

"Ahem, Bronya, what's going on here? Those monsters from before..."

Kiana stepped between Shen Gonglin and Bronya, blocking Bronya's view. Now this girl is starting to have the concept of "food protection." What exactly does this silly little Bronya want to do? Does she want to steal her family's food too?

"It's the Quantum Shadow, and this place is undoubtedly the Sea of Quantum. And Bronya just saw many phantoms... I'm afraid those are projections scattered between the World Bubble."

Bronya didn't seem to care that Kiana was blocking her way from Shen Gonglin. The two exchanged information briefly, and Bronya gave the same assessment as Shen Gonglin: this really was the Sea of Quantum. But Kiana had never known that the way to enter the Sea of Quantum had become so easy.

Bronya said that they went through a lot of trouble back in Sea Abyss City.

"But... entering the Sea of Quantum shouldn't be as easy as taking a nap, right? Before being woken up by Shen Gonglin, I remember I was at Schicksal's training grounds. Yes, that's right, I was preparing to train with Durandal, and I even greeted her."

Kiana racked her brains. She remembered very clearly what happened before she lost consciousness, and then she knew nothing more. When she woke up, she was already in the Sea of Quantum. Then Shen Gonglin told her that the Stigmata Plan had begun, which made Kiana feel as if she had just taken a nap and then slept until the last version.

"Indeed, perhaps this is related to the so-called degree of adaptation... Bronya even came here in a fully conscious state. At that time... it can be said that the spatial fluctuations started without any warning. Therefore, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that the current situation is just some kind of large-scale illusion."

Bronya said earnestly, but Kiana couldn't agree with this possibility she was imagining.

Chapter 313 The Abnormal Behavior of the Quantum Shadow

"You call it an illusion? I can't agree with that. After all, Shen Gonglin is here too. The feel of this... I just can't believe it's an illusion. There's no doubt it's the real thing."

Kiana reached out and pinched Shen Gonglin's cheek, saying very seriously, "If this is an illusion... then Kiana can only think of the illusion she encountered back in Mount Tai Xu. Otherwise, how could it be so real?" Bronya, seeing Kiana's reaction, also came over and pinched Shen Gonglin's cheek with her fingers. She was right, this feeling didn't seem like an illusion.

With his cheeks pinched by the two men, one on each side, Shen Gonglin felt like he was about to lose his temper. He rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless. If the situation weren't so bad, he would have loved to teach these two a lesson in the rules of the Shingu family.

"Hmm, Kiana, you make a good point... However, aside from this somewhat absurd situation, there's only one possibility left: some kind of power can ignore the limitations of space and objects. Considering your and Shen Gonglin's omnipotence in space, you could forcibly transfer the other party and seal them in the Sea of Quantum. Compared to that... the possibility that this is just a large-scale illusion is more reassuring."

Although Kiana is a smart girl, her constant Kiana behavior is just because she's too lazy to think. However, when it comes to analyzing situations, Bronya is definitely superior. The girl rested her chin on her hand, pondering the current situation, and only spoke after organizing her thoughts.

"If this forced transfer of multiple people is a real method... it certainly wouldn't be used only on us. On the other hand, although it feels subtly different from when Bronya entered the Eye of the Abyss, there are no flaws here that suggest it's an illusion. So we can conclude that even if this is indeed just an illusion, the person who created it must have a very deep understanding of the Sea of Quantum."

Bronya's brain is indeed much more useful. After she said that, Shen Gonglin and Kiana seemed to have a sudden realization. However, the girl had just mentioned that there was a subtle difference. After thinking for a moment, Shen Gonglin asked the question: what exactly does this subtle difference refer to?

"Good question. Bronya believes that there is a special case here that is theoretically almost impossible. How should I put it... well, the space we are in, which belongs to the Sea of Quantum, could perhaps be said to have been conquered. Although the principle is still unconfirmed, it seems that a certain World Bubble broke through the boundary, making this small area of the sea its satellite or subordinate unit."

She started saying things that Shen Gonglin couldn't understand again. Shen Gonglin had given up trying to think. When Bronya was considering this question, the answer seemed to have been injected into her head. Kiana tried hard to digest the answer she heard from Bronya. Could such a mysterious thing really be possible? No, my head hurts so much. I feel like my brain is about to grow.

"Generally speaking, it's impossible, unless... No, there's no point in thinking about that now. In any case, if we don't try to leave here, all our guesses are probably meaningless... It seems that something is coming to welcome us again, which is one of the reasons why we have to find a way to leave."

Before Bronya could finish speaking, the Quantum Shadow that had just been dealt with reappeared. These monsters seemed to be impossible to eradicate. Shen Gonglin and Kiana charged ahead, while Bronya provided fire support from the rear. Like Kiana, she was also unable to use the powers of Herrscher. Fighting these things was pointless. Now, what should they do?

"Bronya will provide covering fire and clear a path. Shen Gonglin, Kiana, break out in that direction. Kiana, lead the way."

Even in this critical moment, Bronya was able to calmly issue commands. Given Shen Gonglin sense of direction, fearing he might lead them astray, Bronya instructed Kiana to choose a direction to break out. Bronya had already noticed this direction before; before she noticed them, the Quantum Shadow had been moving in that specific direction, as if they were gathering troops there. Therefore, there must be something special in that direction.

"Although we don't know what's in that direction, or whether it's related to the previous conquest of this place... there's definitely something fishy about it, so it's necessary to go and explore."

The three of them moved forward steadily. The formation of the three-person team reminded Kiana and Bronya of the past. Back then, they and Mei had the same battle formation. And now... Kiana shook her head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts in her heart.

"However, I didn't expect that Bronya's powers couldn't be used smoothly either. This shouldn't be a side effect that would occur on its own when she's in the Sea of Quantum."

Bronya is currently in the same state as herself; she can only control the Heavy-duty Rabbit for moderate combat. This makes the two girls, who are used to using Herrscher Authority, suddenly feel like they've gone back to square one. They didn't realize that not being able to use Herrscher Authority would have such a big impact on their combat power.

"Hmm. This is another inexplicable matter. It's quite possible that what they're targeting is... No, the evidence isn't sufficient yet, and it's too early to make that judgment. Hopefully, things haven't developed in the direction Bronya feared. In any case, let's keep pushing forward."

Commander Bronya directed the squad to continue their advance. These Quantum Shadow were troublesome, but she couldn't truly stop their progress. The three-person squad quickly arrived at the area where the Quantum Shadow were gathered, and their activities were puzzling. These Quantum Shadow were...

"Are they... attacking space?"

Watching the actions of the Quantum Shadow ahead, Kiana hesitated before speaking. The Quantum Shadow was attacking a region in turn, and cracks had already appeared in the space of that region. Kiana couldn't understand how space could be torn apart by such attacks.

"As expected, this kind of conquest comes at a considerable cost. These Quantum Shadow are not the ones carrying out the conquest, but rather the ones that result from it."

Bronya is speaking in a language I can't understand again, but the crucial thing is that Kiana seems to understand her this time. What should I do? It seems like I'm the only one who's become stupid now. Shen Gonglin is starting to miss Li Sushang a little. I can't be the only one who's stupid!

Chapter 314

[Oh, don't overthink it. Just follow my instructions. Remember, this time, absolutely do not trust yourself... Never mind, telling you this is less useful than guiding them. Remember, absolutely do not trust yourself!]

Shen Gonglin was listening to the lecture as if it were gibberish when suddenly a voice rang in his head. It was something that affected his consciousness. Little Herrscher of Consciousness? He had heard Little Herrscher of Consciousness's voice before, but the connection was lost after he came to the Sea of Quantum. How could he hear it again now?

Just as Shen Gonglin was about to pursue her, Little Herrscher of Consciousness lost contact again. Because of Shen Gonglin's unique nature, the influence of "consciousness" on him was too obvious. Also, over 90 pounds of this guy's 100 pounds were rebellious; guiding him like that would definitely lead him astray. Little Herrscher of Consciousness had already proven this. So, it was better to use subtle suggestions within someone else's consciousness. They had lived together for so long, yet this guy...