Even the seemingly wonderful school life Kiana and the others enjoyed now was nothing more than Otto's deliberate arrangement.
Whether for himself or the people around him, he wanted to protect this peace. To do that, he needed sufficient strength...
Before the predetermined crisis arrived, he had to increase his power as much as possible to face it.
He had a fairly clear plan, and he had already mapped out his next steps.
—He was leaving the Far East and going to Britain alone.
Target: Chariot of Sanctus
A few days later, London, Britain.
This historic city was still bustling with people, its streets crowded with pedestrians.
Ming Yu had changed into a light outfit and walked along a path through the square.
He had applied to Theresa for this trip to Britain under the pretense of a vacation, so rather than taking a Schicksal battleship, he had obediently flown from the Far East to Britain like an ordinary person.
Following the path through the square, he soon arrived beside the Thames River.
Ming Yu had come here for only one simple purpose—
To find the key item that could help him enter the Sea of Quanta.
He had originally considered searching within Schicksal for a way to enter the Sea of Quanta, but after the incident involving Joyce in the virtual world, he had no choice but to abandon that idea.
If he wanted to use the equipment Durandal and Rita Rossweisse had used to enter the Sea of Quanta, he would have to deal with Otto. For now, it was better to find another way and keep his distance from that petty Schicksal Overseer.
If he did not rely on Schicksal's equipment or the Eye of the Abyss possessed by Anti-Entropy, then there was only one final possibility for Ming Yu to enter the Sea of Quanta.
—The Second Divine Key, which Schicksal had yet to discover and recover at this point in time.
The Key of Eternity: Chariot of Sanctus.
As a God Key that replicated the Second Herrscher's power, it could both open a passage to the Imaginary Tree and unlock the gate leading to the Sea of Quanta.
It was now 2014. At this point in time, that Void Key was still dormant above the Thames River in London, Britain.
Or rather, it had remained quietly dormant above the Thames River for two thousand years, never changing its location.
Yet thanks to the concealment technology of the Previous Era, without intelligence, no one would imagine that a God Key had been placed so openly above a city teeming with people.
There were still more than six months before Otto sent his two capable subordinates, Durandal and Rita Rossweisse, to investigate and search for Chariot of Sanctus. Ming Yu still had ample time to find it first.
The reason he had not considered seeking out and relying on this God Key before was that, with his abilities alone, there was simply no way he could control such an enormous locomotive.
This thing was very different from other God Keys. Calling it a "weapon" was probably a stretch; its overall form resembled the front section of a train.
It was simply too huge. For an individual, hiding it was almost impossible.
Moreover, even if he truly found a way to obtain Chariot of Sanctus, he would have no way to keep it afterward. In Otto's plan, Chariot of Sanctus was an essential item on the path to reviving Kallen. If Ming Yu took it first, his conflict with that man would undoubtedly arrive much sooner.
—But things were different now.
Having learned Projection Magic, Ming Yu no longer needed to truly obtain Chariot of Sanctus.
He only needed to make contact with that Void Key before Otto and the others did. Afterward, he could use Projection Magic to create an imitation of Chariot of Sanctus and open a passage into the Sea of Quanta.
That way, he could avoid clashing with Otto ahead of time while also fulfilling his promise to Bronya by heading into the Sea of Quanta to search for Seele.
Of course, Ming Yu wanted to find Chariot of Sanctus for more than just Bronya and Seele. There was another, more important reason—one that could even be called urgent:
To prepare a contingency and secure a way out for himself.
After Otto had attempted to erase him once, Ming Yu had been constantly thinking about how to ensure that he could survive a likely future conflict with the Schicksal Overseer.
Relying solely on Time Reversal was not completely safe. He had to find somewhere even safer.
With the Schicksal Overseer's authority and abilities, it was entirely possible for him to create an inescapable trap that would kill Ming Yu for good.
It could be said that on Earth today, aside from a select few, no one could escape the pursuit of this genuine "King of Humanity." After all, powerhouses such as Durandal and Fu Hua were still allies in his plans.
The only place Ming Yu could think of where he could truly evade Otto's pursuit was probably the Sea of Quanta, beyond Earth itself.
That nearly boundless "ocean" was indeed filled with all kinds of unknown dangers, but at the same time, it was also an excellent refuge.
Ming Yu wanted to acquire a projection of Chariot of Sanctus first, ensuring that he could vanish from Earth and retreat into the Sea of Quanta whenever an emergency arose.
As long as he mastered Chariot of Sanctus, he would not have to worry about becoming lost in the sea like Kevin and being unable to find a way back. He could return to the proper world at any time.
In short, once he obtained a projection of Chariot of Sanctus, he could both try to bring Seele back and secure an escape route for himself. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Standing by the scenic riverbank, Ming Yu began his attempt to search for Chariot of Sanctus.
Projection Magic, activate.
A golden chain appeared in his palm. It was a small part of the Oath of Judah.
He did not need to project the entire cross right now. He only needed to search for his target discreetly.
As a God Key of binding, the Oath of Judah possessed the ability to search for and locate Honkai energy over a wide area, making it highly sensitive to Honkai energy.
When its tracking function was pushed to the limit, it could precisely search for targets within a maximum range of two hundred kilometers.
Now, Ming Yu merely wanted to locate Chariot of Sanctus at close range, so naturally, it was not too difficult.
Sure enough, the golden chain projected by Ming Yu began to react. Its Soulium body started trembling, and its arrowhead floated on its own, pointing in a certain direction.
Although it could be affected by other nearby objects and lifeforms possessing Honkai energy, he had enough time and patience to eliminate possibilities one by one.
Of course, even after locating Chariot of Sanctus's precise position, there was still one problem he had to face.
—At this moment, Chariot of Sanctus was still a God Key guarded by World Serpent. It was not ownerless.
As a God Key capable of opening a passage to the Sea of Quanta, Ming Yu had every reason to believe that World Serpent valued it immensely.
If Otto had not later stolen the Second Divine Key, Ming Yu believed that World Serpent's people would definitely have activated Chariot of Sanctus and attempted to bring back their sovereign, Kevin Kaslana, from the Sea of Quanta. After all, Kevin had originally been sealed into the Sea of Quanta by Chariot of Sanctus.
As for why they had not attempted it yet... naturally, it was because Su, the Previous Era pioneer who owned Chariot of Sanctus and had personally sealed Kevin in the Sea of Quanta, had not yet passed away. This God Key still had an owner.
In short, World Serpent's guard over Chariot of Sanctus was certainly extremely strict. There might even be numerous spies lying in wait nearby, watching it.
If he wanted to remove the external defenses and make contact with it, he would inevitably be obstructed by World Serpent.
And if he remembered correctly, the Second Divine Key itself was guarded by an armed puppet modeled after Kevin.
It was said that puppet possessed nearly one percent of the original's strength—
It could be said that approaching Chariot of Sanctus would indeed be no easy task.
But this was truly the best target he could attempt right now, so he still intended to give it a try.
Ming Yu followed the golden chain forward while considering his plan.
Before long, the golden chain pointed at a figure and stopped moving.
Hmm, this was what one would call a false target. After all, he did not have detailed data on Chariot of Sanctus and could only use Judah to eliminate targets one by one.
Ming Yu looked up, only to be slightly startled.
It was a familiar face—a blonde girl.
—Schicksal's S-Rank Valkyrie, Durandal!
Borrowing Your Hand to Challenge It
One day earlier, Schicksal Headquarters, the Floating Island.
"Report, Overseer. Ming Yu has departed from the Far East and is heading to London for a vacation."
Inside the Schicksal Overseer's control room, Amber reported the news seriously.
As a key surveillance target, every move Ming Yu made was actually under Otto's control.
The recent Anti-Entropy invasion, along with Ming Yu's outstanding contribution during it, had caused Otto to further elevate the importance he placed on the young man.
—Where exactly did he come from? Was there some mysterious organization behind him? How much strength was he hiding?
All of these were unknowns.
"From the Far East to London... traveling such a great distance for a vacation. Is he searching for someone or something?"
Otto swirled his glass of red wine and thought thoughtfully.
The so-called "vacation" was obviously just a cover. Traveling alone to Britain, Ming Yu certainly had a purpose of his own.
But no matter how intelligent Otto was, he could not deduce anything without any information.
Therefore, it was necessary to arrange for someone to investigate and gather intelligence.
Schicksal Headquarters was located in the Mediterranean, and Europe was the region Schicksal controlled most firmly. Schicksal's informants were everywhere, so monitoring Ming Yu's itinerary would not be particularly difficult.
But beyond that...
Otto pondered for a moment, formed an arrangement in his mind, and asked Amber beside him:
"Amber, has Durandal completed her mission?"
As Schicksal's strongest S-Rank Valkyrie, that blonde girl was either carrying out a mission or on her way to one.
Even when she occasionally rested, she spent her spare time in the physical training room.
Her unparalleled talent, combined with a personality more diligent than anyone else's, had created this young yet extraordinarily powerful S-Rank Valkyrie.
Even Otto, with his vast experience and more than five hundred years of life, sometimes had to sigh. The term "S-Rank" could no longer adequately describe that girl. It would be better to create a separate "Durandal Rank" for her.
"Durandal has just completed her mission and is currently on her way back. She will return to Headquarters today."
Amber lowered her head to check the information before answering.
"Perfect. Let Durandal take some time off and rest. As for the surveillance and investigation... leave that to Rita Rossweisse."
The blonde man smiled as he pressed a communications button and conveyed the mission requirements to the other S-Rank Valkyrie.
Beside the Thames River.
Guided by the Oath of Judah, Ming Yu had run into Durandal, who happened to be here as well, before finding Chariot of Sanctus.
She wore casual clothes: a short white jacket with gray trim and black shorts. Clearly, like Ming Yu, she was not currently on a mission.
Just as Ming Yu noticed Durandal's presence, she saw him as well.
Durandal studied his face intently for several seconds, then smiled and said:
"Hello. I know you. You're Ming Yu from the Far East Branch."
"Hello, Miss Durandal. I didn't expect you to know me."
Ming Yu nodded.
"Of course. You're quite famous among the Valkyries."
The silver-haired girl said with a smile.
—Although not every Valkyrie had been trained at St. Freya Academy, the appearance of the first male student in the academy's history was still something worth gossiping about among Schicksal's girls.
After all, the previous male Schicksal knight dated back more than a decade—to the legendary Siegfried Kaslana.
At their age, they were naturally curious about such things, so all kinds of information and even photographs of Ming Yu had spread from person to person through the internet and forums, circulating at Headquarters and various branches.
Ming Yu helplessly rubbed his forehead.
"If possible, I'd rather not be famous for that..."
"But Ming Yu, why are you in London?"
Durandal asked somewhat doubtfully.
It did not take her much time to travel here from Headquarters in the Mediterranean, but the Far East was quite a long way from Britain.
Naturally, Ming Yu produced the explanation he had prepared long ago:
"I heard Headmistress Theresa mention the scenery in Europe, so I took the opportunity to come over and look around."
To conceal his true purpose, he would also spend a few days visiting other countries on the European continent besides London, treating it as a genuine trip.
Before you continue