Departure! Target Nine Nether!

"Knock, knock, knock!" Just as Sheng Jiu was enjoying a deep sleep, a rapid knocking on the door interrupted his sweet dream.

"Who is it?" Sheng Jiu called out impatiently.

"It's me, it's me, open up!"

"Oh, coming right away!" Sheng Jiu's sleepiness was mostly gone. He immediately opened the door, and Kiana grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled him along, "Quick, quick, come with me!"

"What's wrong? Don't rush, take your time and tell me."

"The Class Monitor is back, and she seems to have brought important intel."

The two quickly arrived at Theresa's office. The small office was surprisingly lively. Himeko, Bronya, Yae Sakura, Fu Hua, Theresa, plus Sheng Jiu and Kiana who had just arrived, a total of seven people gathered in front of Theresa's desk.

"Ahem, if that's everyone, then," Fu Hua cleared his throat, "I shall begin."

"The intel I gathered during my trip to Shenzhou is roughly as follows." Fu Hua opened the red cloth placed on the table, and several ancient scrolls appeared before everyone.

"For the past six months, I've traveled through most of Shenzhou's antique markets and investigated various legends about Nine Nether. I've reached the following conclusion: Nine Nether has a ninety percent chance of being buried beneath the East Sea."

"Everyone, please look here." Fu Hua opened one of the scrolls, revealing the text within. "You might not be able to understand the ancient Shenzhou script, so I will interpret it for you: In ancient times, when the Honkai Beasts first erupted in Shenzhou, the court was incompetent, and the army was no match for the monsters. The Honkai Beasts wantonly reaped the lives of innocent people. Just as everyone despaired, a mysterious maiden appeared and saved the people of Shenzhou who were in dire straits."

"She carried a golden sword capable of slaying all exotic beasts in the world. After her appearance, she led the people of Shenzhou to drive the Honkai Beasts out of Shenzhou. Later generations respected her and called her 'Ji Lin,' meaning an emperor descended to the mortal realm."

"Ji Lin brought peace to the people of Shenzhou and helped them rebuild the city walls to defend against the beast tides, becoming a hero in the eyes of the Shenzhou people. Later, Ji Lin sacrificed herself to seal the giant beast Chi You in Nine Nether. To commemorate her, people established Ji Lin's mausoleum in Nine Nether."

"Hey, aren't you from Shenzhou? How come you can't read these characters?" Kiana secretly poked Sheng Jiu beside her.

"? I was already in the Far East at twelve, how could I possibly understand these..." Sheng Jiu looked speechlessly at Kiana, who had a look of disdain on her face.

"...Therefore, I believe our primary objective for this trip to Shenzhou is to try and find Nine Nether, and to do our best to search for the legendary Stigmata left behind by Ji Lin. Perhaps with them, we can optimize the current Artificial Stigmata, so that users of Artificial Stigmata no longer have to bear severe side effects."

Theresa remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Then, Sheng Jiu, the rest of you will accompany Fu Hua to investigate. I will wait with the Hyperion on the outskirts of Shenzhou. Shenzhou is a special country; even without Schicksal's assistance, it possesses the strength to independently resist the Honkai. This is also why Schicksal has never had a branch in Shenzhou."

"Theresa, please let me join this mission too. I can help." Unexpectedly, Himeko took the initiative to request participation this time. Sheng Jiu and the others looked at their usually not-so-diligent teacher with surprise.

Theresa and Himeko exchanged glances, their eyes meeting in the air. Theresa sighed softly and nodded.

Kiana was the first to react, grabbing Yae Sakura and twirling around the office with a cheer, "Great! We get to travel again! Shenzhou! Here we come!"