The Departure! Destination: Nine Nether!

"Knock, knock, knock!" Just as Sheng Jiu was sleeping soundly, a rapid knock at the door interrupted his sweet dreams.

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

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

"Oh, okay, coming!" Most of the sleepiness had already left Sheng Jiu. He opened the door at once, and Kiana grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and dragged him along. "Hurry, hurry! Come with me!"

"What's going on? Don't rush—tell me slowly."

"Class Monitor's back. She seems to have brought some important intel."

The two soon arrived at Theresa's office. The cramped room was bustling with activity: Himeko, Bronya, Yae Sakura, Fu Hua, Theresa, and the newly arrived Sheng Jiu and Kiana—seven people in all—had gathered around Theresa's desk.

"Ahem. So, now that everyone's here..." Fu Hua cleared his throat. "I'll begin."

"Here's a summary of the information I gathered during this trip to Shenzhou." Fu Hua unfolded the red cloth spread across the desk, revealing several ancient scrolls.

"Over the past six months, I've visited most of Shenzhou's antique markets and investigated the various legends about Nine Nether. I've come to the following conclusion: there's a ninety-percent chance that Nine Nether lies buried beneath the East Sea."

"Everyone, take a look here." Fu Hua opened one of the scrolls, revealing its text. "You may not be able to read Shenzhou's script, so I'll translate it for you. In ancient times, when Honkai Beasts first erupted in Shenzhou, the court was incompetent, and its army was no match for the monsters. The Honkai Beasts slaughtered innocent people at will. Just as everyone was falling into despair, a mysterious young woman appeared and saved the people of Shenzhou from their predicament."

"She carried a golden sword that could slay every Exotic Beast in the world. After appearing, she led the people of Shenzhou in driving the Honkai Beasts out of their land. In later generations, people revered her and called her 'Ji Lin,' meaning 'the Emperor descended to the mortal world.'"

"Ji Lin brought peace to the people of Shenzhou and helped them rebuild the walls that protected them from the beast tides. She became a hero in their eyes. Later, to destroy the giant beast Chi You, Ji Lin sacrificed herself to seal it in Nine Nether. To commemorate her, people built Ji Lin's tomb in Nine Nether."

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

"Huh? I've been in the Far East since I was twelve. How could I possibly read them?" Sheng Jiu gave Kiana an exasperated look.

"...So, I believe our primary goal on this trip to Shenzhou should be to try to find Nine Nether and do our best to locate the Stigmata that Ji Lin is said to have left behind. With them, perhaps we'll be able to improve the Artificial Stigmata we use now, so that users no longer have to suffer such severe side effects."

Theresa fell silent for a long moment, then spoke slowly. "In that case, Sheng Jiu, you and the others will accompany Fu Hua to investigate. I'll wait with the Hyperion on the outskirts of Shenzhou. Shenzhou is a special nation. Even without Schicksal's help, it has the strength to resist the Honkai independently. That's why Schicksal has never established a branch there."

"Theresa, let me come along this time. I can help." To everyone's surprise, Himeko volunteered for the mission. Sheng Jiu and the others stared at their usually unenthusiastic teacher in astonishment.

Theresa and Himeko looked at each other, their gazes meeting in midair. Theresa sighed softly, then nodded.

Kiana was the first to react. She grabbed Yae Sakura and began spinning around the office, cheering. "Great! We get to go on another trip! Shenzhou, here we come!"