Chapter 142

Perhaps it was because it was a different person, Kevin's attitude was different.

Or perhaps because he couldn't find a reason to refute Elysia's words after she had talked for so long, and finally encountered a silly person spouting nonsense, Kevin's tone suddenly became much colder.

Kevin: "Hua, even you believe that the reason people in this Current Era have come this far is because their circumstances are inherently different from ours..."

Elysia: "Hehe~, Kevin."

Kevin: "..."

Kevin only said half of what he was saying, and then fell silent, with Elysia still beside him.

The scene resembled that of an old father who, to appease his daughter's feelings, couldn't reason with her even when he was right.

This is terrible.

Gray Serpent: "My Lord, let me convey your will."

Kevin: "... Okay."

Gray Serpent: "Since five thousand years ago, the Immortal Crimson Bird Shenzhou, shielding it from the Honkai of Shenzhou. Schicksal possesses several Divine Key, researching Stigmata technology, and the Valkyrie fight against Honkai to protect the world to this day."

Gray Serpent: "The peace the world enjoys today is not a success of humankind itself, but the result of countless sacrifices made for it."

Gray Serpent: "The sacrifice of life, the sacrifice of effort, the sacrifice of failure—they left seeds of hope for those who came after, exchanging sacrifice for experience."

Whether it's the Stigmata genes within the human body or the Divine Key, which are most effective against Honkai, these are all legacies left by the people of the Previous Era to the Current Era.

Perhaps the most important of these is experience.

The experiences of countless people in the Previous Era, gained through their own lives and sacrifices, were lessons learned from failure.

Gray Serpent: "The Honkai is rampant now, but humanity still has the means to control it. I think you know very well why."

Kiana: "... Because of the Divine Key, and the Valkyrie gave everything for it."

Himeko Murata: "But the Valkyrie's power relies on Stigmata. Stigmata are not abilities that humans are born with, but rather creations of Mobius."

There is no such thing as a favor without a reason. Teacher Himeko thought of the Valkyrie who sacrificed themselves to fight against the Honkai.

Without Stigmata, how could fighting Honkai Beast with a mortal body be so easy?

Gray Serpent: "That's true, but humanity isn't without outstanding heroes these days. For example, the bishop of Schicksal developed Artificial Stigmata, ensuring the number of Valkyrie."

Very few people are born with Stigmata and are able to awaken them, but Schicksal's Artificial Stigmata largely make up for this deficiency.

Gray Serpent: "But it's still a case of one generation planting the trees so another can enjoy the shade. And unfortunately, that bishop's ambitions lie elsewhere; he's selfish and has ulterior motives."

Theresa: "Grandpa really did something very useful..."

Gray Serpent seems to know Otto even better than she does.

By creating Artificial Stigmata, the Valkyrie of Schicksal are granted the power to protect the world and maintain its operation amidst the Honkai.

Bishop Otto's actions are worthy of his current position.

Gray Serpent: "A pioneer once said that the fate of those in Current Era should be left to themselves, but I cannot agree with that."

Su: "..."

Gray Serpent: "From the moment the Stigmata became part of the human genome, and our Divine Key became their weapons, the fate of those who followed was already intertwined with ours."

Gray Serpent is indeed an expert in negotiation and rhetoric.

If Kevin had presented this theory at the Sea of Quanta, Sue's theory might not have been so convincing.

Sue: "In that case, we should not prescribe their fate as gods. What the pioneers should do is pave the way for those who follow and accompany them through difficult times."

Gray Serpent: "Of course, but that brings us back to our previous topic."

Sacrifice.

In its Fifty Thousand Years lifespan, the Gray Serpent personally experienced and witnessed the blood-stained drama.

Gray Serpent: "The world is not a beautiful place. Sacrifice is the eternal theme of human history. The strong sacrifice for the weak, heroes sacrifice for ordinary people, ancestors sacrifice for future generations, Valkyrie sacrifice for ordinary people."

Gray Serpent: "Sacrifice is divided into two types: voluntary sacrifice and forced sacrifice."

Gray Serpent: "But regardless of the type, the victims paid with their most precious lives, and the minimum requirement for those who survive the sacrifice of others is that they must be worthy of such a sacrifice."

After a long discussion of theory, the Chat Group fell silent.

Kiana: "Auntie, what should I do? What he said actually makes a lot of sense?"

Theresa: "Don't look at me, I can't argue with him either!"

Previous Era, Gray Serpent's life experiences have given him a unique understanding of human beings, and his theories quickly confuse everyone else.

Durandal: "Even so, this is not a reason for you to justify the Stigmata Project."

Sacrifice is noble, great, and selfless.

The Valkyrie are precisely that kind of people—unwavering in their will and beliefs, who protect the world's order through their own sacrifice.

But to achieve the goal of defeating the Honkai through the sacrifice of countless people is not sacrifice, but slaughter.

Gray Serpent: "Of course, I'm not trying to convince you that Valkyrie with hearts full of hope and justice cannot understand the resolve we bear."

Gray Serpent: "But Miss Bianka, please don't forget one fact: the power [Durandal] within you was also obtained through the sacrifice of those who came before you."

To achieve the technology of controlling and manipulating microscopic particles to change macroscopic properties, the Fire Moth created a supercomputer with supercomputing power.

--Durandal.

It possesses seven basic units: Courage Crystal, Intuition Crystal, Freedom Crystal, Ethics Crystal, Prosperity Crystal, Crystals of Reason, and Dominion Crystal.

Only those who possess the seven qualities of courage, confidence, compassion, kindness, vitality, and composure can harness her power.

Durandal: "Of course, I became Durandal's vessel, gained its approval, and also shouldered the mission of protecting humanity."

Durandal knew exactly what she was doing, and her will was unwavering.

While Gray Serpent's words made some sense, they couldn't fool the determined Valkyrie.

Gray Serpent: "That's truly a pity. People with different beliefs are destined to be unable to understand each other, and their positions place us on opposite sides."

Chapter 135 What does Elysia need the Fenghuang Down for?

Kiana: "That Gray Serpent guy, although he does inhuman things, what he says actually makes a lot of sense. But we won't be fooled by him."

Raiden Mei: "We understand, but as Valkyrie, we cannot agree to the Stigmata Project."

Gray Serpent: "That's a real pity, young lady. I personally think you have the potential to become one of us."

The World Serpent are all surrounded by a group of executives who support the Stigmata Project. Gray Serpent originally thought highly of the Mei, believing that she had a lot of talent in this area.

Raiden Mei: "I'd be honored to decline."

She is herself, the Valkyrie of the St. Freya Academy, and she is nothing like that chuunibyou (delusional) version of herself.

Elysia: "So Kevin, after hearing all that we've said, do you still want to continue with the original Stigmata Project?"

Kevin: "... Prove it to me."

Elysia: "Alright, this little coin has the power to bribe the Imaginary Law. Compared to parasitizing Current Era and consuming their future, don't you think it's better to have a second chance and start over?"

Unfortunately, Elysia had already traded her only Life Coin with Pardo.

Elysia: "This time, we've learned from our experience and mistakes, and we won't fail so easily, time and time again, like last time!"

Kevin: "Bribed the Imaginary Law..."

Time reversal, changing the past—it sounds impossible... well, it's still possible.

As far as Kevin knows, there is a way to do something similar by relying on the Second Divine Key: Thousand Worlds of Chariots.

But that comes at a huge cost, and it also requires deceiving the laws of Imaginary; in practice, it's far more difficult than it seems in theory.

What Elysia said sounded like a small business, which seemed very mysterious.

But that's what Elysia said, Kevin chose to believe her.

She never lied, and she only ever told one lie in her life, which was always so reliable.

Vill-V: "The Life Coin... I still have one here, but I've been working overtime at the Spiral Workshop for so long that I haven't had a chance to use it."

Kevin: "... What do you need me to do?"

Elysia: "What do I need you to do? That's a tough question for me... People from the Previous Era could be resurrected and come to the present, so Kevin and Hua should be able to go back too."

The problem is, Hua hasn't gone back even once so far.

Because apart from the Flame-Chasers, no one else has ever received Life Coin, not even those in the trial version.

Fu Hua: "Hmm... So far, I haven't seen a single Life Coin, nor have I gone back even once."

Kiana: "Oh yeah, we've seen all sorts of weird and wonderful items, but we've never gotten a single Life Coin. System, are you targeting us?!"

Himeko Murata: "Uh... Kiana, have you ever considered the possibility that the Life Coin only works on the dead?"

Kiana: "It seems so."

The ability to bribe the Imaginary Authority, jump between world lines, allow the deceased to enjoy a day of life again, and alter the course of the past.

It's definitely not meant for living people.

Elysia: "Then Kevin, just wait for our good news."

What can we do? What else can we do?

Elysia also wants Kevin and Hua to go back and work overtime together. They're both Flame-Chasers, and having two more people to share the burden... joining the fight against the Honkai would be a good thing.

But she couldn't exactly persuade Kevin to commit suicide, and then spend all day in Death Space chatting and slacking off, could she?

[Q&A begins.]

[What was Elysia's purpose in deceiving Fu Hua and borrowing the Fenghuang Down?]

[A: Used to counter the terrifying Herrscher of the Previous Era.]

[B: Used to prank Pardofelis.]

[C: Used to prank Kevin.]

[D: Used to prank Sakura.]

Fu Hua: "Elysia borrowed the Fenghuang Down more than once, and you used it for a prank?"

Fifteen times or sixteen times, Fu Hua couldn't remember.

All she remembered was that Elysia had explained to her that she was borrowing the Fenghuang Down to do something serious and meaningful; she never expected it to be used for a prank.

Elysia: "Hua, why do you suspect me of playing a prank right away? Can't I use Fenghuang Down to fight against the terrifying Herrscher?"

Fu Hua: "..."

Theresa: "We'd believe anyone else, but Elysia, you're the kind of woman who was always thinking about touching Mei in the Previous Era Elysian Realm. It'll only be when you stop playing pranks that people become suspicious."

Kevin, Pardofelis, Sakura... one of these three must be a victim.

It's possible that all three are true.

Elysia: "Ugh... why don't you believe me? Do I look like the kind of girl with bad intentions?"

Raiden Mei: "So, who did you prank with it?"

Elysia: "Let me think... Kevin?"

[Correct answer.]

[Congratulations to Elysia for receiving the reward: One Life Coin.]

Kevin: "..."

In the Sea of Quanta, the Ancestor stood with his arms crossed, silently watching Elysia without saying a word.

At the same time, the exposed images also appeared in his mind.

[In the scene, Elysia finds Hua and comes to borrow the Fenghuang Down again.]

"Don't be so stingy, Hua. I'll only do this once to make a promise to you."

"But you've already borrowed Fenghuang Down at least sixteen times."

"Huh?!"

Elysia's eyes widened, as if she hadn't expected Hua to remember so clearly.