Thanks for the invite, I'm in Honkai, leveling up stats

Anna's reply was decisive and forceful, as if she were stating a universal truth.

However, Anna's demeanor only solidified Angelica's suspicions.

"Alright..."

Angelica sighed inwardly, but maintained her gentle smile.

"Then promise Mommy, Anna. Once you find someone you like, bring them home for Mommy to meet, okay?"

"Oh, you!"

Trying to keep her expression neutral, Anna's face finally flushed when she heard Angelica's words. She ran over to her mother, grabbing her arm and shaking it playfully.

"I've always aspired to become a Valkyrie capable of standing on my own! I'm only a B-rank right now, I don't have time to think about such things..."

"Sigh...

My little Anna, you must understand that love is the most elusive thing in this world. It won't wait until you're ready to find you; it will simply slip by your side.

By the time you realize it and try to grasp it, it will have already run far ahead, making it impossible for you to reach..."

Angelica sighed softly, speaking wistfully.

"So... does that mean you have a lot of experience, Mom?"

Anna's heart was still pounding rapidly. She blinked, not really taking in Angelica's words. Instead, she playfully teased her mother with a grin, hoping to change the subject.

"Heh heh..."

Upon hearing this, Angelica chuckled, a hint of pride on her face.

"Back in my day, your mother..."

Chapter 63: Otto's Visit (Sixth update complete, Happy Children's Day everyone!)

The outside world's clamor had no effect on Gwen in his hospital room.

Compared to the rumors, which he suspected were being pushed by someone, the power within his body drew Gwen's attention more.

That night, Gwen, having taken out the Earth Shadow Stone again, stayed up until dawn. Finally, the severely imbalanced Five Elements circulation within his body reached a relatively stable state.

At the very least, the wood element's power was no longer like a leek being repeatedly cut back as soon as it grew.

After overcoming the initial difficult phase, although the Five Elements powers within Gwen's body were not absolutely balanced, they had achieved a relative equilibrium, allowing for basic self-circulation.

With the Earth element power, converted by the Earth Shadow Stone, continuously injected into Gwen, this circulation rapidly grew stronger. The three powers that were originally as weak as rootless duckweed quickly became powerful.

However, that was all Gwen could do.

After all, this was not a world of cultivation. Gwen was merely instinctively pursuing this stability.

As for further development or deeper integration with his body, that was not something Gwen could achieve with a simple thought.

Without a specialized cultivation technique or method, Gwen dared not attempt to deeply fuse his internal organs with the Five Elements Qi.

Fortunately, even though Gwen didn't know what to do next, he had just found a teacher with a sufficiently high level of insight.

Although Kevin also didn't understand how to develop the power of the Five Elements, having integrated the Parvati gene and gone through the Chimera Project, Kevin, as the most powerful Flame-Chaser of the previous civilization, possessed extensive experience in energy control and development.

Kevin could previously develop his powers based on the characteristics of Honkai Beasts, and now he could offer suggestions based on the nature of the five powers within Gwen's body.

As for the anomalous energy within Gwen's body that had suddenly changed from two to five, Kevin was curious but did not inquire.

Kevin could sense Gwen's subconscious protection of his secrets and naturally wouldn't pry unless necessary.

Instead, Kevin focused more on the five energies within Gwen's body.

Although Kevin was unfamiliar with the power of the Five Elements, he was somewhat familiar with the fire element.

His oldest companion was the ultimate flame in this world.

Even Heavenly Fire Judgment's primary power source was the core of the Flame Herrscher, split in two, originating from Honkai energy.

But these five powers within Gwen's body...

Although Kevin saw their mutual conversion with Honkai energy within Gwen, he also recognized that their essence did not originate from Honkai, which was important.

Even in Kevin's eyes, the combined might of the two stones and the energy within Gwen's body was still far from that of a Herrscher. However, the fact that they were distinct from Honkai energy held extraordinary value in itself.

Of course, to truly unleash this value, Gwen's current strength and energy pool were far from sufficient.

Fortunately, to Kevin's relief, the volume of this energy, under the special circulation (Five Elements circulation), was growing rapidly. It might reach a point where it could be effective before the Finality.

From Gwen's perspective, as the Five Elements circulation stabilized and grew stronger through his efforts, his energy attribute increased rapidly without any training or combat, almost matching his mental attribute.

The growth of these two attributes, in turn, spurred the growth of other attributes, allowing Gwen to make relatively stable progress in his strength even while in the hospital.

During Gwen's hospitalization, You Lan Dai Er, Rita, Anna, and other familiar comrades had visited him.

Although Gwen's physical recovery capabilities meant his injuries had fully healed by the fourth day, Otto had specifically instructed Gwen to rest in the hospital for two more days to ensure his safety.

It wasn't until today, after a full week, that Gwen was allowed to be discharged.

Just as Gwen was packing his belongings to leave, an unexpected guest arrived.

"Bishop Otto?"

Seeing the person who arrived, Gwen showed a slight expression of surprise.

"Mm, ready to be discharged?"

Seeing that Gwen had changed back into his own clothes and had a backpack on the bed, Otto asked with a smile.

"Yeah, the headquarters' hospital environment is good, but it's still not as comfortable as home.

Besides, my injuries have long since healed, and staying here is just a waste of medical resources."

Gwen nodded, indicating he'd had enough of the hospital.

"Don't say that..."

Otto shook his head upon hearing this and said solemnly, "Gwen, perhaps you don't have a clear understanding of the future yet—

Compared to ensuring you, a future S-rank, are completely healed without any lingering hidden injuries, the extra resources spent are completely insignificant."

"...Alright..."

Faced with Otto's serious advice and goodwill, Gwen could only nod in agreement.

Immediately, Gwen changed the subject and asked, "So... Bishop Otto, is there a reason you specifically came to see me today?"

"What, can't I come visit our new star of Destiny just because?"

Upon hearing this, Otto replied with a relaxed smile, teasing him.

"Of course, you can."

Gwen also smiled in response, "I'm just a little overwhelmed. You're always so busy, you wouldn't come to see me for no reason."

"Ha..."

Hearing this, and looking at Gwen's equally relaxed smile, Otto's smile softened even more, "Alright, it seems I can't hide anything from you...

Do you remember what I told you before?"

"Are you referring to revitalizing the Caslana family?"

Gwen pondered for a moment and asked tentatively.

"That's right."

Otto smiled and nodded, "With your current strength and reputation, returning to the Caslana family will be no problem—

Even if there are some trivial minor issues, you can easily resolve them."

"..."

Looking at Otto's meaningful smile, Gwen nodded slightly, understanding his meaning—

It was nothing more than the opinions of those collateral relatives whom Otto disdained.

However, given the Caslana family's situation, as long as it didn't violate the bottom line of morality, their opinions were worthless compared to strength.

Clearly, in Otto's view, the combined strength of those people couldn't match Gwen's.

Casually flicking his hand, Gwen chuckled, "I thought we were going to wait until I reached S-rank before making a decisive move to take over the Caslana family, to give those people the biggest shock?"

"Given the current state of the Caslana family, as long as you resolve those minor issues, you'll become the de facto head of the family.

However, to officially become the head, you still need to retrieve one item."

Looking at the motivated Gwen, Otto smiled.

"Heavenly Fire Judgment?"

Gwen answered immediately.

"That's right."

Otto's smile slightly faded, and he said seriously, "Possessing the strongest strength and wielding the Heavenly Fire Judgment, no one will be able to say anything against you."

Chapter 64: For Destiny!

From the perspective of most people in this world, Siegfried, the rebellious youth and later traitorous patriarch, was a disgrace to the Caslana family.

If, at this time, a Caslana family member could defeat this former patriarch and reclaim the Heavenly Fire Judgment, which held immense significance for the Caslana family, almost akin to a family emblem and honor, then no one could openly criticize their becoming the new patriarch.

Even if there were minor flaws, for Otto, they would be as easy as snapping his fingers to resolve.

And for Otto, allowing Gwen to reclaim the position of patriarch, which had been lost after Kallen's sacrifice, was something he wouldn't hesitate to do—

Kallen, back then, had taken pride in her Caslana surname and its meaning from childhood.

Receiving Otto's affirmation, Gwen's heart stirred. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, as if calming his emotions. Then, he slowly opened his eyes, met Otto's gaze, and asked softly:

"So... Lord Bishop, are you planning to have me retrieve the Heavenly Fire Judgment from Mr. Siegfried?"

Gwen needed to know how Otto intended to deploy him. Was he expected to confront Siegfried directly, or was this merely a heads-up?

If it was the latter, Gwen could reasonably conclude that one of Otto's goals in cultivating him was to deal with Siegfried and reclaim the Divine Key, Heavenly Fire Judgment.

But if it was the former...

Gwen would need to consider whether to contact Anti-Entropy beforehand and prepare to make a run for it.

While Gwen considered his own strength to be considerable, he maintained a cautious distance from Siegfried. Siegfried was the first person in a millennium to possess strength on par with Kevin, had been injected with a Hyper-Mutagen, and was essentially half a Thánh-Mark warrior and half a fusion warrior.

Gwen himself needed a coordinated effort with You Lan Dai Er and support from the rear forces just to defeat Ganesha. In contrast, Siegfried could contend head-on with an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, emerge victorious, and wielded the Divine Key, Heavenly Fire Judgment, a devastating weapon.

Even with one arm missing, Siegfried was clearly not someone Gwen could afford to provoke at this time.

If Otto truly intended for Gwen to seize the Heavenly Fire Judgment now, then Gwen could only assume Otto was prepared to sacrifice him as a pawn in a scheme against Siegfried, who represented the strongest human in the current civilization at this specific point in time.

In response to Gwen's solemn inquiry, Otto merely shook his head slightly and patted Gwen's shoulder.

"Child, I know you are confident in your strength, but remember, this world is vast. Maintain a heart of reverence—

Although Siegfried's actions are despicable, you cannot completely disparage the man for that reason alone."