In This Materialistic World...

The Flame-haired maiden paused slightly—she really hadn't thought about this aspect.

"Uh... in order?" she said uncertainly, then, remembering what Persephone had said earlier, she immediately changed her mind. "In accordance with my mind and understanding?"

"Correct, according to your mind and understanding." The purple-haired Doctor nodded. "In the past, your heart was that of a solitary traveler. Therefore, the worlds you arrived in were all untouched by other travelers. Your journey was always a solitary one. But now, you are no longer closed off, no longer dancing alone. So, when you travel to the Dream Realm with companions, the Dream Realm you arrive in will also include worlds visited by other travelers."

"Lothric was a place you visited before your transformation, so it was the last one where you didn't encounter any unexpected situations. And after that, Teyvat, God Slayer Earth... didn't you notice that your experiences in those two worlds were subtly different?"

Miss Surtr lowered her eyes.

Different... Ah, indeed different. Two visitors from another world have appeared in the world of God Slayer: that apocalyptic starlight, and Kazami Yuuka, whose allegiance is unclear, but who is definitely a traveler as well. And Teyvat ... those Hilichurl, those strange pulses deep within the earth. The ambiguous attitude of the Yuheng and the unreasonable wariness of the Wind God towards this outsider... So, the continent of Teyvat has indeed, before I did, welcomed the power of another realm?

However, he had already dealt with the situation on Earth, the land of the God Slayer. The ending wasn't great, but at least everyone could laugh. But the Teyvat continent he had hastily left...

"Don't worry about Teyvat, I've made arrangements." Persephone spoke reassuringly before the red-haired woman could show any weakness. She raised her hand and pointed to her eyes. "Mind implantation, just like I did with Talulah and Alina. Before leaving Teyvat, I implanted my thoughts into a waitress in a tavern. And if nothing unexpected happens, she will gradually acquire my way of thinking over time, or perhaps, become another version of me."

"I will handle the problems there... If you arrive in Teyvat again sometime in the future, then you can retrieve me upon your return. Release the implanted being to set them free. And if you do not arrive in Teyvat again, it means that the crisis in that world has been resolved by 'me'. In that case, sacrificing the wisdom of a young girl in exchange for the peace and stability of a world, I think it is a very worthwhile deal."

She looked up at the only companion she truly trusted.

Then Miss Surtr flicked her forehead lightly.

"Next time you do something like this, you have to tell me. Even if you can't do it beforehand, you have to tell me afterwards."

Her actions and attitude prompted Persephone to rub her head in agreement, pout, and show a wronged expression.

Aren't you angry?

Why are you angry?

"You are not bound or controlled by me, Persephone." Miss Surtr gently stroked the soft hair of the Rhodes Island Doctor. "You are my companion, someone I want to protect, someone I want to take care of. If you make a mistake, I will share the consequences with you. If you achieve something, I will rejoice with you."

"If you don't feel happy, then I will sing and celebrate for you. And whether the path you take is right or wrong, I will be with you."

Her words came from the heart, sincere and earnest.

Even someone as cold-blooded and ruthless as Persephone would instinctively turn his gaze away when faced with her eyes.

"We'll discuss this later," Persephone, seemingly a little flustered. She stood up and led Miss Surtr in another direction.

Was she shy? — For a few brief seconds, Miss Surtr had this thought in her mind. She almost couldn't resist teasing or bullying the Rhodes Island Doctor who rarely showed such an evasive attitude. However, just before she was about to do so, she suddenly realized that the direction she was heading seemed somewhat familiar.

—This is... the place where Skadi's ritual leads to the abandoned city?

"Persephone ..." she began instinctively. "What are we doing...?"

Then she immediately received a definite answer.

"Yes, you guessed right." The purple-haired Maiden Doctor's tone returned to calm and composed.

"It's Skadi."

Additional memory fragments may be added in the near future, but these will not be counted in the update.

Chapter 154 In this materialistic world...

Skadi...

Approaching the abandoned area from the real world, what came into view was an urban wasteland that was not much different from what it had been just hours before. Skadi lay dormant beneath layers of rock and soil, while numerous drones hovered nearby, monitoring and controlling everything suspicious or not.

Persephone had already mastered the use of divinity; she simply stretched out her hand, and a hundred-meter radius around her was enveloped and swallowed by darkness.

Darkness appeared and vanished, manifesting as a kind of Originium Arts involving mass-energy conversion. Once all the mass was converted into energy and absorbed and transferred by Persephone, the unnatural chamber directly above Skadi disappeared, and the white-haired, red-eyed Aegir, whose eyes remained closed, was thus exposed to the light.

Skadi seemed to be fine—outwardly, she appeared calm and composed, and her vital energy was as abundant and vigorous as ever.

"She...?" Miss Surtr expressed her doubts at just the right moment.

"She doesn't seem to have any problems." She knew Persephone would give her the answer.

"You're too strong," the Rhodes Island Doctor explained. "The puddles that beasts can see will evaporate the moment the sun turns its gaze toward them. You can't see the anomalies because your presence is far too overwhelming compared to them. Unless you can control every bit of energy and influence emanating from you at all times, you're destined to gain nothing in these specific situations."

"Uh... my fault?"

"It's not your responsibility, so how can it be your fault?"

The purple-haired girl shook her head slightly. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers, sending a tangible shockwave sweeping across the sleeping Skadi and the Skadi ritual surrounding her. With her movement, a faint, eerie trail, like black smoke, flashed through the atmosphere, vanishing completely before Miss Surtr could even look at it—or rather, just before she was about to—leaving not a trace.

Miss Surtr didn't see it.

But Persephone had made preparations in advance—the large number of drones she controlled had already thoroughly monitored everything around her. In other words, it was a comprehensive, real-time, 3D video surveillance system.

"As you can see. This is what you have overlooked." Persephone demonstrated and explained. "You cannot see it because you are too strong and it is too weak. However, its weakness is only relative to you. For all living beings on this earth, this kind of thing is still a terrible and horrific threat."

"Of course, I don't count among the masses. So there's no need to worry about me," Persephone added. "Being a little weak has its advantages. I've deliberately stayed at this stage to preserve the concepts and perspectives I can use at this lower level."

She saw Miss Surtr open her mouth, her eyes gleaming with a complex light.

—Was it my fault?

—Is it because I... focused too much on the big picture and neglected the details?

"No need to worry, Surtr. This situation is rather unusual."

"Some unknown... dark force, probably related to Skadi's race, has bound her. And she is bound because her will has left her body. She has broken free from your protection. So these... darknesses, you cannot see them. Because they are like shadows cast on water. Your power will evaporate the water and dispel the shadows. But the source of the shadows still exists, because it is too far away from you."

She explained and comforted her.

"This is a special situation. Under normal circumstances, if Skadi were by your side, all this evil and darkness would be completely dispelled the moment it showed hostility by your naturally emanating will and authority—you are her sun, and she fell into darkness because she chose to leave the sun's rays."

Miss Surtr then regained her composure.

Close your eyes, breathe gently, and then slowly open them.

"What should we do?" she asked—and she was confident that Persephone had already devised a suitable solution.

"Let's look at it from a different perspective," Persephone replied calmly. "I have a feeling, I've noticed some clues. These...unknown anomalies aren't entirely aimed at Skadi. They have another purpose, though their true purpose is still unclear. But I always like to nip a crisis in the bud."

"... Xingshan?"

"Possibly, but we can't be too sure— Surtr, do you remember how you entered the Imperial Consciousness?"

"Uh... you can just close your eyes and think about going?" The Flame-haired maiden blinked slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Or is there some complicated procedure involved...?"

"..." Persephone seemed to choke for a moment.