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Kevin did not respond.
In truth, he already had an answer deep within his heart, but he couldn't voice it. Speaking out would betray a fundamental belief.
There is no perfect solution; silence remains the only choice.
"Perhaps we should not put him on the spot further."
A gentle yet powerful voice suddenly echoed. The timeless leader turned around, revealing a woman wearing glasses with a warm smile on her face. Despite this amiable demeanor, she exuded a commanding presence that demanded respect.
This charismatic aura was something even Ana lacked; one could argue that Ana had never encountered such qualities in anyone before, until now, witnessing it in this ordinary individual standing before them.
It became clear why even the rebellious Senti submitted so willingly to her. It wasn't merely due to Hua's influence ingrained in their essence, but rather, there was an inherent magnetism about her—a quality that captivated upon first glance, compelling others to instinctively rally under her leadership.
She was the true leader of the Fire Moths, the greatest scientist and ruler from the previous civilization—Dr. Mei.
"Greetings, Dr. Mei, may I address you as such?"
After a moment, Ana spoke softly with a smile.
"Of course, esteemed guest." Dr. Mei's voice remained as gracious and composed as before.
"I sense a familiar aura from you. Could it be that you are this era's Herrscher of Finality for the intrinsic world?" Mei gazed intently into Ana's eyes, her stare fixed as if seeking the answer she desired on Ana's face.
"Not at all. After all, this generation has just witnessed the Herrscher of Domination, with the Herrschers of Binding and Corruption yet to arrive," Ana replied calmly.
"In any case, persuading him to accompany you here suggests that you must be the one destined to break free from fate in this era."
Despite not finding the desired response on Ana's face, Mei maintained her graceful demeanor.
"It may indeed be so. However, I have come here with a request. As compensation, I will address the existence issue of this world bubble and provide some guidance and assistance regarding personal emotional matters."
Dr. Mei chuckled softly, then asked, "Your Excellency, truly intriguing. May I inquire what name should I address you by?"
"Hmm, simply call me Ana."
"Well, Lady Ana, could you share the nature of your request?"
Continuing her query, Mei asked and then explained, "For someone like you to personally visit, it must be of utmost importance."
"Hmm, not necessarily important compared to the emotional guidance I can offer. However, this issue is one only a great scientist like yourself could potentially resolve." Ana paused briefly, her expression turning slightly serious.
"Doctor, do you know how Kalpas underwent the Metamorphosis Surgery?"
Kalpas' surgery was performed by Mobius, but as the head responsible for Fire Moth-related matters, Mei should have been aware. Still, it couldn't be ruled out that Mobius might have kept secrets from her.
"Well, I must admit, I'm not privy to that information." A hint of discomfort showed on Mei's face.
"In that case, please take a look at this first, Doctor."
With that, Ana handed over the container holding Kalpas' heart to Mei. At this point, she no longer cared whether Mei knew about Kalpas' surgery; it wasn't crucial.
"This is..." Mei pushed her glasses up, her eyes revealing a change upon seeing the contents of the container.
"I found this in Mobius' laboratory. It's part of his collection—and specifically, it's Kalpas' heart."
"I see."
A realization dawned in Mei's eyes, suggesting she genuinely was unaware of this matter. Of course, it could also have been a well-acted performance.
As a competent leader, Mei was equally skilled at playing her role convincingly. Otherwise, controlling superpowered MANTIS operatives as an ordinary person would seem implausible.
"In that case, let me be straightforward, Doctor."
"Do you think it's possible to revive Kalpas himself with just this heart? Or put another way, do you believe his consciousness or soul might still reside within it?" Ana asked earnestly.
"Research on souls and consciousness... My knowledge in these areas is limited... However, such a possibility may indeed exist, provided this heart remains alive." After a moment of contemplation, Mei replied.
"This would require dedicated study and time."
"That's fine, I can wait," Ana nodded. She never truly expected Kalpas to be fully revived, so conducting research now posed no harm. As for creating clones or similar options, it would depend on Mei's plans.
In any case, this could only serve as a hope, a goal.
"Well then, since we've addressed this issue temporarily, let's move on to other matters."
As Ana spoke, she turned her gaze towards Kevin, who had been silently standing nearby.
"Hey, enough with the silence already. Don't you think it's time to say something?"
"..."
Despite Ana's urging, Kevin remained silent, even lowering his head, appearing somewhat fearful.
It was hard to imagine that this was the former World Serpent Lord Kevin, the hero who had vigilantly guarded the depths of the Sea of Quanta for millennia alone.
"Come on, at least show some reaction! Do you think my time is insignificant?" Ana frowned, looking at Kevin with evident irritation.
"..."
"No, I went through great effort to create this opportunity for you. You shouldn't take it lightly. Besides, once everything is over, do you really plan to just walk away like that?" She exclaimed, clearly exasperated.
This was absolutely out of the question for Ana. As a highly competent and reliable worker, there was no way she would let Kevin escape. His MANTIS physiology allowed for a lifespan beyond imagination, meaning as long as Kevin was on Earth, she could remain worry-free.
Her most direct purpose for coming here this time was to resolve Kevin's personal matters, ensuring he would diligently work for her. She couldn't afford to see her plans go awry.
However, no matter how Ana tried to provoke or entice Kevin, he remained completely unresponsive, like a wooden statue. After her failed attempts, Ana felt as if she had turned into a clown.
"This is truly outrageous! I'm your superior, Kevin, the one who helped you end your long mission. At least give me some reaction, you stubborn man!"
Feeling utterly exasperated, even her Present World avatar started searching online for ways to make a thousand-year ice block speak.
"Let me handle it, Lady Ana."
Just when Ana was at a loss, Mei finally spoke up from the side.
Honestly, Ana had been waiting for these words. As the saying goes, "the person who tied the knot must also untie it," and Dr. Mei was that very individual. Ana knew well that she couldn't get Kevin to open up; she was simply waiting for Mei's intervention, yet she couldn't show it too blatantly.
It was indeed quite challenging.
"Excellent, then I'll leave this to you, Doctor. You two go ahead and enjoy your time together. Bye-bye, I'll go see about resolving the world bubble issue."
"I appreciate it, Lady Ana." Mei smiled and waved, bidding a temporary farewell before slowly approaching Kevin.
"Kevin..."
From a distance, Ana observed Kevin and Mei for about thirty seconds before eventually turning her gaze away.
Hmm, she knew her actions weren't entirely fair. Moreover, given Mei's perceptiveness, it was likely that Mei could discern Ana's intentions. However, Mei had no real reason to refuse.
Whether bringing Kevin here or finding them future tasks, although calculated moves, they led to reasonable outcomes and choices.
At least, Ana believed these were justified decisions. As for Mei's current demeanor... it didn't necessarily reveal much. Once again, as a leader, Mei is a skilled actress, making any displayed reaction potentially insincere.
But Ana understood that Mei's love for Kevin was genuine, and that alone sufficed. After all, all her plans revolved around him.
People often say it's easier to bully the honest ones, but the issue is that only they can be easily targeted. Would one dare to mess with others and stand a chance?
"Never mind, let's focus on handling this world bubble first!" Ana murmured, her eyes gleaming.
For her, all she could do was provide temporary relief without addressing the root cause—preventing the imminent demise of this world bubble.
The Herrscher of Finality caused everything here, and naturally, only the Herrscher of Finality, wielding control over time, could reverse it.
Currently, this world stands at the brink of destruction, having reached its chronological end. If time were allowed to flow normally, the entire world bubble would instantly cease to exist.
Therefore, what Ana needs to accomplish is using her Authority over time to slightly advance the timeline of the world bubble, which may sound challenging.
For Ana, however, it was merely a minor task.
The true Herrscher of Finality could reverse Earth's time by fifty thousand years, while she now only needed to slightly revert a few days, making it insignificant for her abilities.
With this thought, Ana promptly exerted her power. First, she gathered all humans within the world bubble and placed them in a designated area, similar to what future Otto would do at Kolosten.
Next, she applied her Authority across the entire world bubble, excluding the specified region.
In essence, if future Otto failed to achieve his goals and desires, the world beyond Kolosten might indeed have reverted back five hundred years, coinciding with the execution of priestesses. This scenario was both possible and feasible.
Furthermore, Nagamitsu later confirmed this possibility.
As the Finality Authority manifested, time within the world bubble began to flow backward, transforming everything around her to five days prior, before the temporal freeze.
Yes, precisely five days earlier.
In Ana's view, reversing time may not even have been necessary, but she felt that Kevin and Mei deserved some intimate time together! So, she decided to grant these few days for their free use.
Tsk tsk, what a considerate boss she truly is.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, this was just the first step in saving this world bubble. Yes, there remained the most crucial and critical next step, akin to what occurred with Bianka and her world bubble.
Kevin would anchor this world bubble to himself, integrating it with the Imaginary Tree and transforming it into a part of the Real Number World. Consequently, this world bubble would effectively become a genuine parallel universe, ensuring its long-term existence.
On the surface, this task seemed less challenging than Bianka's case due to the smaller size of this world bubble. However, in reality, it was more complex—this world bubble was born from the power of the Herrscher of Finality and also destined for demise by that same force. Additionally, Mei, a significant leader, resides here, making the anchoring process significantly harder.
Otherwise, why wouldn't the World Serpent choose to save this world bubble? It doesn't make sense for Schicksal to have such capability while the World Serpent lacks it, especially considering Mei, the esteemed doctor, is present within this bubble.
The complexity must indeed surpass imagination.
Of course, now with Ana as the Herrscher of Finality, everything becomes feasible, at least providing them with more opportunities to trial and error.
If the first Fusion attempt fails? No worries; she can simply revert time again. With multiple tries, success will eventually be achieved—the goal is steady progress towards happiness.
After all, Ana has truly invested heavily to secure Mei and Kevin's allegiance.
Primarily because these two individuals alone could rival an entire era, making any investment worthwhile, regardless of the stakes.
Meanwhile, in the Honkai World's Elysian Realm.
After extensive exploration, Raiden Mei finally confronted Mobius. This marked Raiden Mei's first genuine encounter with a Heroic Spirit.
The outcome was predictable; with other Heroic Spirits present, Mobius' plan had no chance of success from the start, rendering everything futile.
However, this experience allowed Raiden Mei to grow significantly, increasing her anticipation for unraveling the true secrets hidden within the Elysian Realm...
In the real world,
Finally, Version 5.1, "Flawless Paradise," came to an end. Yet, Captains mourned its departure not at all, as they eagerly awaited the arrival of Version 5.2, "Infinite Destiny"!
The PV for Version 5.2 had already provided players with a wealth of information. However, some content raised doubts about potential misrepresentation, as misleading teasers were a common tactic in games like Genshin Impact.
The official trailers often hinted at upcoming features but presented them out of context. Without considering the full narrative and subsequent developments, it was impossible to predict the actual outcome.
Nevertheless, the PV's music was captivating, and during the eagerly anticipated version preview that followed, Lady Raven finally made her debut on the ship.
Unfortunately, what initially seemed like a promising start turned out to be a nightmare that became a laughingstock...