Honkai, Kaslana's Way of Survival

"The Imaginary Tree grants the world its rules, but only those rules. Humans, born within these rules, can't survive long in the chaotic and disordered Quantum Sea. While Fusion Warriors can survive a bit longer, the success rate of the Fusion Warrior surgery is too low and difficult to generalize. It's impossible to do it for everyone."

"Our plan is to supply the anchor points to extend the world's lifespan, and have Fu Hua and the others constantly searching for people who can perform what you call inverting world bubbles."

Chapter 44: A Farewell, Long or Permanent

"If you put it that way, I understand everything."

Kaino nodded.

He really did understand. It seemed the Book of Xuanxuan had put a lot of effort into simplifying the theory.

"So tell me, what do I need to do to invert a world bubble into my body?"

"Actually, the steps are simple. The overly complicated work can be left to the artificial intelligence Prometheus."

The Book of Xuanxuan's eyes emitted another burst of blue light, and a lance somewhat similar in appearance to Abyss Flower was projected. Many strands branched out from the tip of the spear, spiraling together to form the body and handguard.

Looks pretty cool.

"Rhongomiant—Doctor Mei's initial choice when creating the first God Key. It was later discarded because it couldn't maximize the performance of the Herrscher of Reason core."

"Even so, it's still a weapon forged from Soul Steel. Moreover, because its original purpose was to create the first God Key, it's also equipped with a subprogram of Prometheus. So, after the final battle, Doctor Mobius modified it into a calculation tool for inverting world bubbles."

The Book of Xuanxuan closed the projection.

"Of course, it's with Kevin now—initially, the doctors planned to have Kevin be the one to invert the world. But unfortunately, even Kevin's Honkai energy reserves aren't enough to support the world inversion."

"Although I haven't met Kevin, he must be very strong, right? After all, he's the only one who has survived in the Quantum Sea until now."

"Of course, it's no exaggeration to call Kevin our civilization's strongest warrior."

"But even he couldn't invert a world bubble into his body. Just how much Honkai energy is required for inversion?"

Out of curiosity, Kaino asked.

"After all, it's a world bubble containing the entire solar system. It's very difficult to invert it directly with individual power."

The Book of Xuanxuan waved its small hands.

"Of course, for you, it's definitely something you can succeed at, since your Honkai energy is infinite."

"Are there any side effects to inverting a world bubble?"

Kaino confirmed.

"Like a sudden increase in appetite or a sudden love for bitter melon? I'd like to be mentally prepared."

"We haven't actually inverted a world bubble before, so how would we know? But we can roughly estimate it through our calculations."

The Book of Xuanxuan shook its head and floated to a spot not far in front of Kaino.

"For you… the amount of Honkai energy you can freely mobilize during the initial period of inverting the world bubble should be very small. Rhongomiant will use Su's power to constantly adjust the inversion form of the world bubble in your body, thereby making the world bubble more stable."

"This stage won't last too long, about a week or so. Honkai energy can meet all the energy needs of your body, but if you're not used to not eating, it's best to bring enough food. After all, I see you like to eat."

"You were the one who snatched my food back then—speaking of which, what should I do if I encounter something like a Honkai beast? There are similar things in the Quantum Sea, right?"

Kaino asked.

"It's okay, after all, you have Judgement of Shamash… and it's not just disadvantages. There are benefits to inverting a world bubble into your body."

Noticing Kaino's face becoming subtly strange, the Book of Xuanxuan quickly continued:

"After the world bubble stabilizes in your body, it will emit an energy no weaker than Honkai energy to feed back to you, and Su's power will also help you use this energy more conveniently. This is more or less a benefit for you, right?"

"Oh, right, one more thing."

The Book of Xuanxuan tapped its little head and quickly added.

"Your body is connected to the Imaginary Tree, so the rules of the world may automatically complete after the world bubble is inverted into your body. In that case, the anchor points will slowly disappear, and I'm not sure what will happen during that process."

"It might make your appetite increase greatly, or it might grant you the authority of all the Herrschers. In short, it won't cause you any negative effects… Of course, the greater possibility is that nothing will happen."

Kaino nodded: "Okay. Last question, if the world bubble is inverted into my body, can I still come in here?"

"Eh?"

The Book of Xuanxuan was stunned.

"Of course you can't come in when the world bubble is in your body. But if you want to come in, you can put the world bubble back into the Quantum Sea first and then come in. It's just a bit of trouble."

"If you miss us in the future or encounter any difficulties that you can't solve, you can do that."

"Okay."

Kaino indicated that he understood.

"There's still plenty of time, I want to go see my friends first—don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"Is it Sushang and the others?"

Fu Hua, who had been idling for a long time due to memory loss, spoke up.

"No… Mount Tai Xu to Yi Xin Mountain Villa isn't close, who knows where they are now. If I look for them little by little, three days will definitely pass. I'll see Li Sushang and Master again when I have the chance in the future. I want to say goodbye to those friends I've spent the last few years with in this world."

Kaino waved his hand, feeling somewhat helpless about this.

If possible, he would like to say goodbye to everyone he knows. After all, if there are no accidents, he won't be entering the Quantum Sea for a long time. It's not like he's an orphan without any relatives in his own world. Why would he run to the Quantum Sea when he has nothing to do?

Besides, what are the odds of successfully inverting a world bubble? Doing it once or twice is one thing, but constantly taking it out and putting it back is bound to cause problems.

It would just be a shame to miss out on the gifts Cheng Lingshuang and Li Sushang were going to give me.

"In that case, go do what you want to do."

Fu Hua nodded knowingly.

"We'll be here waiting for you."

The time difference between the Saintess Orphanage and Mount Tai Xu isn't significant. It wasn't long after dark that a few rooms in the orphanage still had their lights on.

Like Theresa, who had come of age and been promoted to management, no longer needing to adhere so strictly to the orphanage's rules, or the priest who tried to repair the God Key Void Archives every night before bed.

Standing in front of the priest's door, Kaino looked melancholy.

If he remembered correctly, his journey to Shenzhou had also begun by entering this room at night. Now, several months later, it was also ending with him entering it at night.

Fate... how truly magical.

Kaino knocked on the door.

"Hmm? Theresa? Come in."

The priest's voice inside sounded surprised, likely not expecting anyone to knock at this hour.

After all, the rules within the orphanage were quite strict.

"You're getting senile, Father. If Theresa knocked, the sound would be coming from much lower."

Kaino pushed open the door and stepped inside, taking the opportunity to tease a certain one-and-a-half-meter-tall cutie.

"Kaino?"

The priest looked pleasantly surprised, a smile spreading across his face. He stood up and pulled a chair over from the side.

"I didn't expect you back so soon. It seems your journey to Shenzhou went well?"

"Yes, quite well... I found the Immortal, and I've found a way back."

Kaino nodded, sitting down after the priest did.

"So, you're going home?"

The priest understood Kaino's meaning. The joy on his face faded, replaced by a hint of reluctance.

Truth be told, the priest was the one Kaino was closest to in the orphanage. The Kaslana bloodline made the priest treat him like his own child, while the priest's saving grace and upbringing made Kaino see him as a second father.

"Coming over at this hour... are you planning to leave tomorrow? Won't you say goodbye to Theresa and the others?"

"Yes. I promised to help the Immortal with something and need to hurry. And if nothing goes wrong, I might not be back for a very long time."

Kaino's expression was complicated.

He was never very good at saying goodbye.

"Is that so? You've grown up, and it's time to walk your own path."

The priest sighed, a smile returning to his face.

"Then at least when you get married to the one you love, come back with your wife and let me have the chance to give you a wedding gift."

Kaino nodded, his expression serious and earnest, with a hint of embarrassment.

"Definitely."

Chapter 45: World Inversion

Returning to Mount Tai Xu, Kaino placed the purple mask in his Imaginary Space, feeling melancholy.

It was the violet mask that the priest had given him before he left, the one Saintess Kallen had worn when she robbed the rich to help the poor.

Even in the most difficult and confusing times, the Saintess remained true to her original intention, upholding her justice in her own way. Kaino, I'm giving it to you, hoping you can do the same.

Those were the priest's words.

Now he was about to leave the elder who had been with him for the most important five years of his life, embarking on the path to find his blood relatives.

"You're back?"

Seeing Kaino's figure reappear before her, Fu Hua said:

"There's still plenty of time. You could have talked a little longer."

"No, there's no need. Let's start a little earlier, to avoid any unexpected events."

Besides, the sooner it was over, the sooner he could see his family in the original world.

Although Bianca was currently with Schicksal and he might not be able to see her, and his old man and K423 were nowhere to be found, he still knew his great-aunt's phone number.

Harassing Theresa of the orphanage was nothing compared to harassing his great-aunt.

No... things were about to start, so he should be serious.

Kaino patted his face, turned to look at the Book of Xuanxuan, and his expression became serious.

"So, next I just go to the Quantum Sea to find that Kevin, right?"

"Wait a moment, here, take this."

Fu Hua handed Kaino a badge as she spoke.

Kaino took it.

The badge felt like it was made of some special alloy, with a golden ring inlaid on it, and a moth carved above that.

"Is this the badge of that Moth Chasing Fire organization, Fu Hua?"

Kaino tossed it up and down subconsciously. When the ring between the moth and the badge caught the light, it refracted a burning, flame-like radiance, making the moth shine brilliantly.

As if it were chasing flames.

"Yes, this is the badge of Moth Chasing Fire. Everyone who joins the organization is issued one."

Fu Hua recounted the origin of the badge, but her expression showed little reminiscence, only calmness in her eyes.

"Take it. Kevin will understand who you are and won't attack you because of your Herrscher abilities—though Kevin is powerless and unable to hurt you at this point anyway."

"Ah, here are the coordinates of Kevin's location."

The Book of Xuanxuan projected a set of coordinates for Kaino to see.

"Since Su sent them to us a long time ago, there might be a slight discrepancy. Pay attention to that when you get there."

"Prometheus will tell you the rest of the specific steps. As an intelligent program within Rhongomiant, she knows more than we do. Besides, Rhongomiant is in Kevin's hands, so you can take it over directly when you arrive."

"Also, here."

Fu Hua suddenly spoke, holding up dozens of Feather of the Underworld feathers in her hand.

"If you, who carries a world bubble, die, we will fall into the Quantum Sea again. Take these feathers for self-defense. Although your special consciousness is not afraid of such attacks, it will prevent you from being helpless against enemies who specialize in targeting consciousness."

Kaino blinked. Actually, he had taken the opportunity to analyze Fu Hua's Feather of the Underworld during the usage test last time.

But he shouldn't tell her that now.

Putting away the Feather of the Underworld fragments and the badge, Kaino nodded to Fu Hua and the Book of Xuanxuan.

"Take care."