Imaginary Tree: R-Right? Xia Ling/Otto: Right, right.

It looks exactly like the Seven Thunders of Retribution.

"Uh, sorry, I won't let you do this kind of work again. If you feel uncomfortable... I'll ask Vill-V to give you a full-body treatment when we get back?"

The Seven Thunders of Retribution suddenly trembled violently, not out of joy, but out of fear.

It certainly doesn't want to become some ridiculous weapon that produces firework effects when fired.

"It seems you're not really keen..."

While continuing to comfort Seven Thunders of Retribution, Xia Ling prepared to turn and leave.

However, halfway there, she suddenly turned around and looked at the Honkai Will.

"By the way, if I ask you directly where Otto is now... will you tell me?"

Although theoretically the Honkai Will should be devoid of emotion, Xia Ling inexplicably sensed a sense of helplessness emanating from Him.

Just when Xia Ling thought the Honkai Will would not respond... a series of coordinates were brutally shoved into Xia Ling's brain.

"Ouch—it's so swollen..." Xia Ling suddenly clutched her head. "You really didn't do that on purpose?!"

The Honkai Will did not respond.

"Damn it, you bastard! I'll come back and settle the score with you after my Kiana becomes the Finality..."

Muttering to herself, Xia Ling quickly fled the scene with the gloating Seven Thunders of Retribution.

After obtaining Otto's coordinates "at this moment," Xia Ling immediately continued her journey, since, in a sense, Otto's current coordinates were already quite "far" from the Intrinsic World.

In other words, his plan is nearing its final stage.

"Tsk, will there be a difference in the speed of time in that space? Why haven't I felt how much time has passed before the plot is almost over?" the group teased Jiurei Wu.

While continuously using the "Door" ability, Xia Ling prayed that Otto's movements wouldn't be too fast.

After all, the thought of owing Otto a favor always made her feel uneasy.

Okay, that was actually a tsundere statement. Her real thought was that since they started working together, Otto had almost never cheated her in ways that weren't part of his plans, and had even quietly given her a lot of benefits... As the one who was always the one giving, she was never good at accepting favors.

Moreover, it wouldn't be too difficult for her to give Otto a better ending... Of course, this is assuming Otto doesn't come back to life in his Intrinsic World.

If he dares to rise from the dead in this Intrinsic World, then don't blame Xia Ling for smashing a Simulated Black Hole for him.

"So... we've arrived here after all?"

Arriving near Otto's location, a familiar red desert came into view.

Meanwhile, on top of these "gravel" are some still-dissipating black remains.

"It seems our Lord Bishop just finished plunging into the tree."

Xia Ling quickly approached the glowing giant tree phantom in the middle. When she was very close to the phantom, Xia Ling indeed found what she was looking for.

A golden cube, half-buried in the gravel, is struggling to roll.

"Oh my, isn't this Void Archive? Haven't seen it for a few days, and it's gotten so sluggish?"

"..."

"Don't stay silent! Do me a small favor, and I'll give you a ride back to your Intrinsic World, okay?"

The golden cube finally responded.

"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Tree of Imaginary: Yes, right? Xia Ling / Otto: Yes, yes.

"Simple."

Xia Ling snapped her fingers, "I need you... to show me the way."

"Lead the way?"

Void Archive's voice paused for a moment. "That's right. You've come all this way, so you must want to see Otto one last time, right? Don't worry, I can track the coordinates of the new world line he created."

"Before he left, he used my creation ability one last time—to construct a greatsword-shaped Heavenly Fire Judgment. Therefore, I was able to track him down through the connection with that creation."

"It's not that simple, is it?"

Xia Ling revealed a mysterious smile.

"I need you to help me find more than just this one place."

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

A strange sense of foreboding arose within the Void Archive.

"Let's go."

Before Void Archive could say anything, Xia Ling scooped up the golden cube buried in the soil.

"I'll need you to do a lot of things later... so you'd better get ready to work overtime."

Meanwhile, in the timeline created by Otto, Kallen exists.

Time, which had been still, suddenly began to move again with a soft sound.

In the sky above Kolosten, a blond man covered in wounds, dragging his nearly broken body, descended from the heavens.

As his consciousness gradually returned during the fall, looking at the ground getting closer and closer, and that incredibly familiar yet strangely unfamiliar scene, a genuine smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips.

The Heavenly Fire Judgment appeared in his hand, and he summoned the last of his Honkai Energy, accompanied by a dazzling golden flame.

He flew to the place he had remembered for five hundred years.

... Wajiu Wushan Scar Qi Seal Deleting Aya Dream...

The wind travels through still time.

After leaving Kallen with those unforgettable last words, Otto, now just a phantom figure, appeared before Xia Ling.

"I'm so glad, Miss Xia Ling, that you didn't interrupt me as I was leaving my last words for Kallen."

Otto's consciousness was fading away, but having fulfilled his wish, he still had some time left to answer a few questions for Xia Ling.

At least that's what he thought. After all, the plan he gave Xia Ling at the end was rather rushed, so it wasn't hard to understand why the girl would chase after him here.

As the saying goes, help someone all the way. Besides, strictly speaking, Xia Ling can't be considered an outsider now— Otto doesn't want Theresa to come and rush down the tree too.

"Ask me any questions you may have, but I suggest you pick the most important ones... Otherwise, as you can see, I probably won't have that much time to answer your questions."

As the saying goes, "A dying man's words are kind," and Otto's voice was unusually filled with kindness and contentment. It seemed that fulfilling this long-cherished wish of five hundred years was indeed a relief for him.

"Come on, I don't have the habit of owing favors, especially not to you."

Xia Ling pursed her lips and said something that completely surprised Otto.

"Otto, I ask you, is there another you in this world?"

"Of course not. As the price for opening up a new world line, at least Otto in this world line will be erased."

Otto said matter-of-factly, "This is not an unacceptable price... What, are you afraid that Otto in this world will continue to cause trouble?"

"No, what I'm worried about is the potential issue of minotaurs..."

Xia Ling muttered something to herself, then said seriously.

"Otto, if your timeline started resetting from the moment Kallen died... then at that time, the new Schicksal should not have been established yet."

"Exactly."

"So... you want to watch Kallen overthrow the old Schicksal all by herself?"

"In any case, that's a choice she'll have to face herself..."

This time, Otto remained silent for a moment.

"Some people may die, but they shouldn't die so abruptly, and they certainly shouldn't die because of someone like me..."

"So, what if I could give you a chance to watch Kallen grow up?"

"Miss Xia Ling, that's impossible."

Otto rejected Xia Ling's words without the slightest hesitation.

"You don't understand how the Tree of Imaginary works... On this timeline, the concept of Otto has been erased."

"Everything related to this world, or anything related to the Tree of Imaginary, will no longer accept my existence... Even the world itself is constantly rejecting me. You see, my gradually dissipating consciousness is the evidence."

As he spoke, Otto gave a wry smile.

"Of course I know what a difficult road Kallen will face next... But this is the best I can do, and the most selfish decision I've ever made. As for the rest, even if I wanted to pave the way for her, I'm powerless to do so."

"Yes, the things of this world certainly cannot contain you..."

Xia Ling said meaningfully, "What if... I could wash away your attribute as 'Otto Inling Umbrella Emu O Seven Master (Eight) Spirit * Dream Apocalypse' from the cognitive level of the Tree of Imaginary?"

"Of course, you are still you, but you are no longer Otto in the Tree of Imaginary... So, are you willing?"

"..."

Otto fell into a long silence, so long that his body seemed to dissipate, and Xia Ling thought he was about to give up.

What do you need me to do?

"Hmph, I knew you, a Kallen fetishist, wouldn't refuse."

Xia Ling gave a soft hum and suddenly quickened her movements.

"I don't need you to do anything; it's simply to repay a favor you've done for me."

"Of course, if you really have to give a reason... thank you for creating Theresa?"

"This is truly an unexpected reason..."

Otto turned his gaze to Kallen, who was sitting quietly and soundly not far away, seemingly asleep.

"Don't think about it. If you live long enough in this world, and Kallen lives long enough too..."

"There's a high probability that a Theresa will be born in this world, and she'll probably be related to Kallen."

Recalling the moonlit scene in the Captain's Storyline, Xia Ling sighed softly, "Just think of it as... the inertia of the world."

"Come on, the preparations are complete."

Xia Ling took out something, or rather, this item seemed difficult to describe with the word "thing," since it did not appear to have a physical form.

"Come in. After being baptized by this golden vortex, you will become what is called 'Unclaimed Memories'."

"Of course, that's only on the level of identity. You should still have self-awareness, but remember not to refer to yourself as Otto Apocalypse anymore."

Unclaimed Memories, also from the Sarkaz pigeon's collection, grants the user five strands of thoughts left over from the previous exploration.

However, Xia Ling's purpose here is not to retrieve the thoughts from the previous exploration. Her goal is to transform Otto's "identity" into the "thoughts" left over from the previous exploration.

"This is..."

"Don't be afraid to use it, or don't use it if you're afraid." Xia Ling said confidently, "Don't worry, Xia Ling's products are guaranteed to be of high quality."

"Well... I don't seem to have any other options."

Otto plunged into the golden vortex without hesitation.

"Next... Otto's 'purification' work is complete, it's time to tidy up his new home."

Xia Ling turned her gaze to the "door" beside her.

Inside the door, a puppet version of Xia Ling, carrying a golden cube in each hand, slowly walked out.

One of the Void Archive is being sealed by a ring of golden chains... and the culprit is from another world.

"Xia Ling, you wouldn't be thinking of... using the Void Archive of this world as Otto's 'storage location,' would you?"

The voice of Void Archive was somewhat strange.

"It's not that I don't want to help you, but even if you asked me to, I couldn't completely eradicate the consciousness of the Void Archive of this world for you. Sealing it like this is already my limit..."

"We are all creations of that great one. Although we are highly autonomous, but..."

"I never expected anything from you either."

Without hesitation, Xia Ling tossed the Void Archive aside, and then, to his astonishment, took out a pink metal storybook.