HHR 121-130 (Patreon)

Chapter 121: Thanks for the Invitation. First Day of My Trip, I Picked Up Myself

The instant the shimmering corruption marks faded, Kiana's knees buckled. A sudden, sharp pain nearly paralyzed her, and her vision went white for several seconds before she regained consciousness.

Once her vision returned, she immediately clutched her neck with both hands, breathing heavily. Her deep blue eyes were filled with intense shock and existential doubt, while cold sweat beaded on her smooth forehead.

Seeing Kiana's existential crisis and inability to utter a single word, the Store Manager sighed. He pulled a handkerchief from a drawer behind the counter, went into the kitchen, turned on the tap, soaked the handkerchief, then returned to Kiana, who was still panting heavily. He casually draped the cold, wet handkerchief over her face.

"Wipe your face. Take your time eating. While the power of the sky isn't exactly powerful, it's still far too dangerous for you right now. I advise you not to use that power carelessly."

"Oh, oh..." Kiana nodded, her spirits somewhat low. She moved her hands from her neck, took the wet handkerchief the Store Manager offered, and gently wiped away the cold sweat and tears on her face.

The remaining tears and sweat on her face mingled with the cold water in the handkerchief. As she wiped her face, the cold water slowly squeezed out, dripping onto the ground and splashing into tiny droplets.

Beside Kiana, Raiden Mei and Theresa exchanged a glance and simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because the return of the Void power had been so effortless, Kiana appears to have little awareness of its corruption when re-establishing her connection with the Herrscher Core. As a result, the backlash occurred almost instantaneously.

The corruption of Honkai on the human body has always been relatively subtle. In a sense, whether someone possesses natural or artificial Stigmata, they are constantly enduring the corruption emanating from Honkai.

However, the minor corruption caused by Stigmata does not exceed the Honkai resistance the Stigmata provides.

In most cases, when Honkai energy corrupts a person to the point where the corruption patterns are visible to the naked eye, it means it is already too late to do anything. Excessive Honkai energy will immediately push the corrupted person into the abyss, turning them into a zombie driven only by bloodlust. For most Valkyries, being corrupted to this extent will only lead to being killed by their own comrades because, for a Valkyrie who has become a zombie, death is the best outcome.

As a member of the Kaslana clan and a Herrscher, Kiana certainly would not turn into a zombie as easily as an ordinary Valkyrie. But honestly, when Theresa saw those terrifying patterns appear across Kiana's skin, she was almost prepared to use the Oath of Judah to forcibly suppress the Honkai energy.

Neither she nor Raiden Mei had expected the Honkai power, so terrifying in the eyes of these Valkyries, to dissipate so quickly with a snap of the Store Manager's fingers.

Compared to Raiden Mei and Theresa, Kiana, who had already experienced her power being forcibly taken away once, was not too surprised. Although she was competitive and unwilling to admit defeat, Kiana had to acknowledge that this seemingly young Store Manager's understanding of Herrscher powers, Honkai, and even herself—Kiana Kaslana—far surpassed her own.

If she had not encountered this café, the Herrscher that constantly threatened her life wouldn't have been treated like a plaything to be manipulated at will by the Store Manager.

Furthermore, judging from Raiden Mei's experience as the Herrscher of Thunder from the near future, it seemed that, for this Store Manager, not only her Void powers but also every other type of Herrscher power was something he could easily control.

Thinking of this, Kiana, like Theresa and Raiden Mei, could not help but let out a soft sigh of relief.

Although being completely at his mercy made her slightly frustrated, the good news was that this young Store Manager seemed more than willing to lend her a helping hand whenever she lost control.

Compared to the constant threat of having her body seized by the Herrscher persona, having someone far stronger than herself willing to protect her made her current situation undeniably much better.

Realizing that she was unlikely to die no matter what she did, Kiana's mind started working again. She had already embarrassed herself in front of the Store Manager and owed him countless favors.

So why not...

"Don't even think about it! You're using this café like a Fountain!?" the Store Manager snapped.

"...I haven't even said anything yet??" Kiana asked, bewildered.

"With your stubborn, single-minded way of thinking, finding yourself unable to control your aerial powers in a place where trying anything won't hurt, do I really need to guess what you'll do next?" The Store Manager gestured toward Raiden Mei and Theresa.

"Leaving me aside, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up on the spot by your Aunt Teri and the people chasing you?"

"Uh..." Kiana's scalp tingled as she hesitantly looked at Theresa and Raiden Mei standing beside her.

To Kiana's surprise, Raiden Mei and Theresa did not seem about to get angry. Instead, they both wore thoughtful expressions, as though silently considering the feasibility of a certain idea.

Seeing their thoughtful expressions, the Store Manager was taken aback. Then he suddenly realized something, and his face darkened.

"Hey, you two aren't really planning to let this wretched thing stay in my shop forever, are you?"

"But we have no choice," Kiana hurriedly interjected before Theresa and Raiden Mei could answer. She spoke somewhat awkwardly.

"After all, only in this café can I slowly learn to control that Herrscher power. Dear Store Manager, you wouldn't leave a weak girl like me, powerless as a chicken, to face the Herrscher's threat alone, would you?"

Kiana's affected tone and manner sent chills down the Store Manager's spine. He could not help taking a step back.

"Hiss... don't be like that. Be a little normal. I'm scared."

Even Theresa and Raiden Mei, who had spent a great deal of time with Kiana, were stunned.

They simultaneously pressed their hands to their foreheads, as though checking whether they had a fever or were hallucinating. Even so, neither of them intended to interfere with Kiana's decision. In their view, as long as the Store Manager himself had no objections, leaving Kiana in this café to learn to control her Herrscher powers under his supervision was probably the best option for everyone.

Seeing Theresa's and Raiden Mei's conflicted yet unwavering expressions, Kiana's face lit up with delight. The young Store Manager could only roll his eyes and shrug.

"Fine, fine. Your whole family is bullying a mere café store manager like me. I give up."

"I wasn't planning on letting you off so easily anyway. I still haven't settled accounts with you and that Mei for damaging things in my café."

Kiana's expression turned awkward.

"Uh, why are you still thinking about that furniture?"

"Oh? What do you mean? Are you finally going to throw caution to the wind and renege on your debt?"

The Store Manager glared at Kiana. "My shop has only been open for two days, and you two have already smashed almost a third of everything! How could I forget so quickly?"

"No, no, no! How could I possibly renege on my debt?" Kiana quickly waved her hands.

Listening to the conversation between the Store Manager and Kiana, Theresa sensed that something was amiss. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Kiana with stern authority.

"What are you talking about, Kiana? Did you cause trouble again while you were away?"

Kiana was on the verge of tears.

"I didn't! It was clearly the Herrscher of the Void who suddenly—"

Suddenly...

"Yes, yes, yes! That's it!"

Under Kiana's stunned gaze, Raiden Mei rushed forward with a beaming smile and covered Kiana's mouth.

"Headmistress, Kiana and I caused a little trouble at this café last night, so we'll probably have to stay here and work to pay off our debts for a while."

"Ughhhhhh—????"

Mei? What are you saying, Mei?! It's clearly that Herrscher of the Void—

Kiana's eyes widened with disbelief as she stared at Raiden Mei.

The Store Manager rested a hand on his forehead and sighed softly.

This scene somehow felt strangely familiar.

"Mei accidentally got into trouble along with Kiana too?" Theresa asked, somewhat surprised. Her expression immediately softened. "It seems it was simply an accident."

Kiana: "???"

Wait, Aunt Teri, your favoritism is way too obvious! ??? Are you my Aunt Teri or Mei's Aunt Teri?!

She was completely dumbfounded.

"You're both adults now and need to take responsibility for your words and actions. Since Mei and Kiana have already reached a compensation agreement with the Store Manager, I won't interfere in your private matters any further."

With that, Theresa walked up to the Store Manager and gave a slight bow.

"Mr. Store Manager, I'm very sorry. It seems my two students have caused you trouble. As their elder, I apologize in advance. They will probably be bothering you in this café for a while longer, so please bear with them."

"The way you're entrusting them to me makes me feel rather conflicted," the Store Manager said with a wry smile. "...Never mind. It's just a couple more pairs of chopsticks. We're not so poor that we can't support two more people."

With the Store Manager's agreement, the major events in Arc City in 2017 finally came to a complete end.

Kiana and Raiden Mei remained at the café as temporary staff. Theresa, Bronya, and Tesla gave them a few final instructions before departing.

2017 was a turbulent year. Even with Kiana temporarily settled, it did not mean Theresa and Bronya could relax. Especially after learning that Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Thunder who had encountered the Herrscher of Corruption, had actually been killed only a few months later than in their own timeline, Theresa and Bronya immediately realized they needed to prepare for the major events to come as soon as they left the café.

Before leaving, Bronya gave her final instructions to her three-years-younger self. Theresa walked to the booth sofa against the wall and looked at her three-years-younger self and the three-years-younger Kiana lying on the sofa with a complicated expression. After a moment's hesitation, she said,

"You two should prepare yourselves for Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void's consciousness to fight back."

"Don't pay the same heavy price we did."

Looking at the slightly sorrowful expression on her counterpart's face, Theresa—now over forty years old despite the three-year time difference—could not help but feel a pang of sadness.

She hesitated for a moment before asking quietly,

"In your world, was there anyone... who sacrificed themselves when Kiana lost control?"

"Yes." Theresa from 2017 nodded heavily, succinctly identifying the victim. "That alcoholic."

"That woman?!" Theresa from 2013's pupils contracted slightly. She then took a deep breath. "Thank you for the information. I'll make sure she doesn't follow the same path as in your world."

"That's all for now." Theresa from 2017 turned her gaze toward Kiana, who was still unconscious, her expression softening slightly. "She's a good child. Treat her well."

"I know, even without you saying it." Theresa from 2013 nodded with a smile. "After all, Siegfried entrusted her to me. Although that bastard always acts so mysteriously, he's still that person's husband. Since she's his acknowledged daughter, that person... will probably acknowledge the child as well, regardless of her background."

Theresa from 2017 smiled as well.

"Then that's all for now. Bronya, Dr. Tesla, let's go. Don't keep Welt waiting outside too long."

Just then, the café door suddenly opened.

A somewhat exhausted voice drifted into the lobby from outside.

"Um... can anyone come and lend a hand...?"

The voice stunned everyone in the lobby.

Everyone turned toward the door in unison. The moment they saw the scene outside, everyone from 2017 froze as though struck by lightning.

A red-haired girl with a high ponytail stepped awkwardly into the café, carrying a woman whose face bore a striking resemblance to her own over her shoulder. Her expression was one of utter speechlessness.

Thanks for the invitation. It's the first day of my trip, and I picked up another version of myself. I don't even know whether she's dead or alive. What should I do?

Waiting online. It's urgent.

---

Chapter 122: The Herrscher of Thunder Who Makes Your Scalp Goosebumps

Everyone in the café was shocked to see the red-haired girl enter with the adult woman slung over her shoulders. Those who recognized the adult woman were astonished by her identity, while those who didn't were shocked by her injuries.

The Store Manager reacted almost instantly the moment the two entered. He raised his hand, and unparalleled creative power transformed into two warm white beams of light that shot directly into their bodies.

Not only was the adult woman, whose body was almost completely covered in injuries, affected, but even the red-haired girl carrying the unconscious woman into the café was beginning to show signs of Honkai Corruption.

Her request for help at the café entrance wasn't because she couldn't carry the adult woman.

Although still young, she had already passed the Valkyrie test, and her physical abilities were undoubtedly exceptional. However, due to the Honkai energy surrounding the adult woman, her skin, just like Kiana's before, was covered in ominous shimmering lines.

The moment the warm white light entered their bodies, the corruption lines covering the red-haired girl's skin vanished instantly. The adult woman on her shoulder also regained vitality under the power of creation.

An incredible healing process was underway. Her skin was repaired first, the charred flesh gradually sloughed away, her damaged eye lens regenerated, and the congealed blood flowed back into her veins as her heart rate rapidly increased. Even the broken bones, invisible to outsiders, were forcibly repositioned by powerful muscle contractions, and the fractures fused together until they became whole once more.

Seconds later, the miraculous healing was complete. Aside from the damage to her armor, her body showed almost no signs of injury.

"Himeko-sensei!"

After a brief moment of shock, Kiana rushed to the door. She watched in disbelief as her beloved teacher, whom she had thought she would never see again, went from a near-corpse-like state to her familiar appearance within seconds. A look of ecstatic joy flashed across her face.

But soon, her expression froze.

Besides her, two other people appeared in a flash before the two red-haired women, their expressions grave.

The two who arrived were the young Store Manager and Fu Hua, who was still in a semi-transparent state.

The young Store Manager stepped forward first and carefully examined the red-haired girl's body.

"Are you alright?"

"It's alright." The red-haired girl, whose condition had immediately recovered after the Honkai Corruption marks disappeared, shook her head.

"I'm a Valkyrie, after all. I shouldn't be unable to withstand even this little bit of torment."

The Store Manager breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to the adult woman resting on the red-haired girl's shoulder. He opened his mouth but ultimately chose not to voice his many questions. Instead, he carefully took the now-healed woman into his arms.

There were priorities, after all. Before figuring out why the young Himeko who had taken a Hyperion from him had suddenly found the Himeko from the Original World, the condition of the Original World's Himeko was far more urgent.

He sighed softly and exchanged a glance with Fu Hua, who floated in midair. Both saw the same heavy expression in each other's eyes.

Yet neither the Store Manager nor Fu Hua immediately spoke about what they had discovered.

The Store Manager turned and gestured to Kiana with his chin.

"Go help me move a few sofas together."

"It's done!"

An impatient shout came from the lobby. It was Raiden Mei. Four square booth sofas had somehow been pushed together. Several people from 2017 surrounded the assembled sofa, their eyes filled with urgency.

The young Store Manager walked over without ceremony and carefully laid the adult woman's body on the makeshift bed.

Although neither the Store Manager nor Fu Hua spoke immediately, Kiana keenly sensed that something was wrong from their expressions. The joy she had just felt upon seeing her beloved teacher instantly gave way to fear, and a faint sense of dread crept into her heart.

She pursed her lips and couldn't help asking, "Is Himeko-sensei alright?"

"I'd love to say she's fine... but..." The Store Manager sighed as he reached out and gently pried open the eyelids of the woman lying on the sofa. "...See for yourself."

The moment her eyelids were opened, the pupils of everyone from 2017 contracted sharply.

Without a doubt, the Store Manager's restoration of Himeko from the Original World had been flawless. Her breathing had returned, her heart was beating steadily once more, and even her complexion was gradually recovering. However, her pupils remained lifeless and unfocused.

"This body has no soul," the Store Manager said, releasing her eyelids with a soft sigh.

Kiana's body trembled slightly. Although the emotional roller coaster had nearly driven her to the brink of collapse, she desperately tried to remain composed in front of her teacher.

In a trembling voice, she asked, "Why... why is this happening...?! What does it mean she has no soul? Store... Store Manager! You're so amazing. You must have a way to bring Himeko-sensei back, right?!"

"Calm down and let me think about what happened."

Hearing Kiana's trembling voice, the young Store Manager rubbed his temples, his brows tightly furrowed. "I can sense that before entering this café, although she was barely clinging to life, she wasn't completely dead yet. Otherwise, even the power of creation couldn't have repaired her body..."

"...So when she realized she was about to die, she transferred her remaining consciousness out of her body?" The Store Manager scratched his head. "But I remember Himeko isn't capable of transferring her consciousness... Ah—that's right—!!!"

"What's wrong? Did you remember something?" Kiana asked anxiously.

"Gem of Haste!!" The Store Manager turned toward Kiana. "Could you check whether the Gem of Haste is still in her armor? No, Mei. You should have seen the information about the Key of Blankness and know where the Herrscher Core is embedded. You do it."

"Me?" Raiden Mei from 2017 stepped forward. "What do you need me to do?"

"Not you. The Store Manager was probably talking to me."

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei gently pushed her former self aside. She walked over to Himeko from the Original World, quickly examined her armor, then reached without hesitation toward a small orange-and-black compartment below her neck.

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei opened it, and her expression darkened.

"...It's gone."

She recalled Kiana's condition in her own world, and an extremely ominous premonition rose from the depths of her heart.

In Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei's world, Kiana had already become the Herrscher of Flamescion months ago. Although she hadn't witnessed Kiana's transformation herself, she could roughly guess how Kiana had inherited the power that should have belonged to the Herrscher of Flamescion through the Gem of Haste.

A Herrscher Core inherently possesses the ability to store consciousness and souls.

If Himeko-sensei's soul had indeed transferred into the Gem of Haste before realizing she was doomed, just as the Store Manager had speculated, then when Kiana became the Herrscher of Flamescion, wouldn't Himeko's soul have also...?

This possibility, which could only be described as utterly absurd, left Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei's mind reeling. She pressed a hand against her forehead, overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of it all.

If Himeko-sensei had truly died, Kiana inheriting the Gem of Haste would have been completely natural. Himeko-sensei herself would probably have been overjoyed to see Kiana become the Herrscher of Flame.

But the problem was... just when everyone believed Himeko-sensei had died—and objectively speaking, her survival had been almost impossible—her dying body had somehow been brought here by someone who looked like a younger version of herself.

Moreover, that body had been miraculously restored by the Store Manager.

Believing she had no hope of survival, Himeko-sensei transferred her consciousness into the Gem of Haste. She became the flame that ignited Kiana.

After Kiana inherited that flame, another Himeko retrieved her body and brought it into the café...

Once all the clues came together, Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei was completely stunned. She didn't even know how she could explain this absurd situation to the Kiana from her world. It felt like being Cú Chulainn.

Bringing a fully healed Himeko to Kiana and saying they had saved Himeko-sensei except for her soul?

Then explaining that the missing soul had burned itself away when Kiana became the Herrscher of Flamescion?

Although Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei had absolute confidence in the Kiana of her own world, she still felt that if Kiana learned the truth, something terrible might happen.

The real question was... what should they do about Himeko-sensei?

Should they simply leave her like this?

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei could never do something so disloyal. Himeko wasn't only Kiana's teacher but hers as well. Now that Himeko's body had been saved, she couldn't forgive herself for giving up.

But the problem remained: how could they retrieve Himeko-sensei's soul?

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei's rapidly changing expression caused everyone else, who came from the same era, to grow equally concerned.

"Mei... Mei, do you know something?" Kiana, who understood Raiden Mei well, couldn't help asking.

"I..." Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei hesitated. A rare trace of embarrassment appeared on her usually cold and aloof face since joining World Serpent.

"If you know anything, please tell us," Raiden Mei urged.

"Don't pressure her," the Store Manager sighed softly. "She's probably questioning her entire existence right now."

"..."

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei looked troubled.

"Um, Store Manager... what do you think we should do in this situation?"

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei, who had vowed to eliminate all enemies after joining World Serpent, appeared unusually timid. Knowing she probably couldn't solve the problem herself, she ultimately turned to the person she considered the most reliable in the lobby.

"What else can we do? It just gives you another reason to lure Kiana from your world here."

The young Store Manager looked troubled. If it had been a being from a World Bubble, then even if the soul had dissipated, he could have forcibly retrieved it. But the Original World was different. If Himeko from the Original World had still retained her consciousness before entering the café, it would have been manageable. Unfortunately, before his own Himeko could retrieve her battered body, she had already transferred her soul away.

In this situation, even the Store Manager was powerless.

Just then, Dr. Tesla, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke.

"From what you're saying, Himeko transferred her own soul into the Gem of Haste?"

"More or less," the young Store Manager replied. "What are you getting at?"

"Then why not retrieve the Gem of Haste? Since your Himeko was able to find Himeko from the Original World, shouldn't that also mean the Gem of Haste, which was stranded in the same Imaginary Space as her body, could be retrieved as well?" Dr. Tesla asked in confusion.

"If it were anything else, it would be possible... but the Herrscher Core is a little special," the Store Manager replied.

"Special? What's so special about it?" Dr. Tesla asked in surprise.

"Your Anti-Entropy has one Herrscher and several Herrscher Cores, so you should have conducted fairly extensive research on them, right? The essence of a Herrscher Core is a 'fixed point' placed in the Original World by the Cocoon, giving it an extremely high degree of uniqueness. I don't know how the Himeko in my café managed to find Himeko from the Original World, but unfortunately, if it were the Gem of Haste, once it was taken away by the Herrscher of Legion, it would never reappear in the Sea of Quanta."

As he spoke, the Store Manager himself became increasingly puzzled.

"After all... logically speaking, Himeko from the Original World shouldn't have encountered the Hyperion operating within the Sea of Quanta. Himeko, how exactly did you meet your counterpart from the Original World?"

---

Chapter 123: Flamescion - Danger

“I don’t know.” Young Himeko shrugged, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes. “You don’t expect someone like me who is born from a World Bubble to figure out what I’ve bumped into on my journey, do you? I haven’t even finished reading the Hyperion’s operating manual you created.”

“Uh… okay, sending you out without any preparation does seem a bit hasty.”

The Store Manager scratched his head guiltily, then stood up. “I’ll go check out the situation on the Hyperion first. Anyone want to come along?”

“Huh? We can come too?” Herrscher of Thunder – Raiden Mei was taken aback. “Doesn’t this Cafe separate everyone’s worlds?”

“This café is located at the singularity of the Sea of Quanta. It only separates you from your original worlds in normal dimensions,” the Store Manager said.

“So, while we can’t interfere with each other’s worlds, we can still reach the same Sea of Quanta?” Dr. Tesla asked.

“The Sea of Quanta is itself a plane extended from the contents overflowing into the gaps between different worlds. Theoretically, as long as you can enter the Sea of Quanta, even without going through my café, you all have the opportunity to enter each other’s worlds. It’s just that because your worlds are all directly controlled and recorded by the ‘Cocoon,’ you can’t interfere with each other,” the Store Manager said calmly.

"But there’s no such restriction in my sea area. Even if there originally was one, I can remove it.”

“The ‘Cocoon’ can even do that?” Herrscher of Thunder – Raiden Mei frowned.

“Of course. I am on par with the ‘Cocoon.’ In a sense, what I can do in the Sea of Quanta is the same as what the ‘Cocoon’ can do in your Original World.” The Store Manager nodded slightly, speaking earnestly. “However, compared to me, the ‘Cocoon,’ which governs your world, is a far more unreasonable entity.”

“…Enough of that. Those of you who want to follow, come along.”

With that, the Store Manager opened the café door and walked out.

The people in the lobby exchanged glances, and the group from 2017 immediately followed.

Bronya from 2013 hesitated for a moment before following as well.

Although her future self had shared most of the information she knew about Seele, even her future self, three years later, couldn’t claim to know much about the Sea of Quanta.

For them, the Sea of Quanta, an anomalous dimension located in the rift between worlds, remained shrouded in mystery and unknowns.

Finding Seele in her world couldn’t be achieved solely through information from the future.

First, no one could guarantee that her future trajectory wouldn’t follow the same path as Bronya’s in 2017 after entering this café.

Second, she lacked the patience to wait for over three years in the Original World, even after knowing how to find Seele.

…Although Bronya in 2013 knew the chances of her request being answered were slim, she still wanted to enter the Sea of Quanta immediately after today and embark on her journey to find Seele, if possible.

Entering the Sea of Quanta was clearly not something she could accomplish alone.

If… she could follow the older sister named Himeko and explore the Sea of Quanta together, the hope of finding Seele would be much greater than doing nothing now.

Theresa from 2013 hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to go with her. Instead, she consciously stayed in the café to care for the unconscious Himeko and Kiana, who was still unconscious on her side.

She believed that three years later, she would have handled things well for Himeko in their world.

Compared to worrying about Himeko three years from now, what was more important for Theresa in 2013 was ensuring that the people in her world wouldn’t repeat their mistakes.

Theresa in 2013 had ample confidence in this.

Rita from 2013, her face full of sorrow, sighed helplessly.

—Meanwhile, aboard the Hyperion piloted by Himeko in Sapphire City.

Upon exiting the café, those following the Store Manager couldn’t help but show expressions of astonishment.

“Although I had a premonition just from hearing the name, this really is… almost exactly the same as our Hyperion,” Theresa, the current commander and captain of the 2017 Hyperion, couldn’t help but exclaim.

“It just looks similar.” The Store Manager’s expression held a hint of melancholy. He glanced around the empty corridor filled with electronic devices, his eyes full of nostalgic longing, like someone reuniting with an old friend, yet still haunted by lingering fears of the past.

While the Hyperion was undoubtedly his lifeline during his time as captain, allowing him to sustain himself and navigate his journeys, his feelings toward the ship remained incredibly complex.

Back when he first became captain of the Hyperion, he wandered aimlessly through the Sea of Quanta for centuries without encountering a single living soul. The World Bubbles were utterly deserted.

Alone on the empty ship, he suffered countless mental breakdowns and attempted suicide countless times, only to awaken a second later on the Hyperion’s treatment table. Recalling those times now… he certainly didn’t want to relive them.

If he hadn’t modified the underlying rules of the Sea of Quanta, preventing the gaps between World Bubbles from becoming so vast that it would take the Hyperion hundreds of years to navigate, he wouldn’t have so easily allowed Himeko from Canghai City to embark on her journey to explore the Sea of Quanta.

After a brief sigh, the Store Manager waved behind him.

“Follow me.”

Everyone who had stepped out of the café exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and silently followed the Store Manager.

The Store Manager walked quickly. The café door was located at the entrance to a crew cabin. Outside was a white corridor. Theresa, the current captain of another Hyperion from 2017, quickly discerned their destination from the Store Manager’s route.

“Are you taking us to the bridge?” Theresa couldn’t help but ask.

“Hmm, let’s go check the situation outside from the bridge first.” The Store Manager nodded. “Judging from the way Himeko from the Original World entered the café just now, she must have been picked up by our Himeko not long ago. With the Hyperion’s intelligence, when it detected the anomaly, it should have taken emergency braking measures immediately, anchoring the ship at the location where the anomaly occurred. You know better than I do where your world’s Himeko disappeared. It was an imaginary space constructed by the Herrscher of the Void. Under normal circumstances, unable to leave the imaginary space, Himeko shouldn’t have encountered the Hyperion sailing through the Sea of Quanta. However, theoretically speaking… the possibility isn’t zero.”

Tesla immediately realized.

“You mean… quantum layer infiltration?”

“That’s right. Essentially, imaginary space is also a type of parallel space, and it naturally has gaps with normal-dimensional space. The Herrscher of the Void’s ability is to ignore those gaps and forcibly open the gates between the two spaces.” The Store Manager nodded. “Conversely, when an artificially created imaginary space collapses because the person maintaining the Herrscher’s power is gone, or when the Herrscher’s power output is insufficient, the ‘gate’ connecting the two spaces weakens to the point where it can no longer fully connect the two worlds. At that stage, the incomplete spatial rift allows both spaces to be simultaneously invaded by the Sea of Quanta, resulting in quantum layer infiltration.”

“So, if I’m not mistaken, this Hyperion must have stumbled into that collapsing imaginary space by chance, following the rift opened by quantum infiltration after the imaginary space constructed by the Herrscher of the Void began collapsing.”

The moment the words left his lips, a slight tremor ran through the ship.

Unbeknownst to them, the slowly ascending elevator had already brought them to the bridge entrance.

The Store Manager stepped out of the elevator, his expression grave as he gazed at the scene outside the porthole.

As he had expected, the view outside was a collapsing artificial space.

Suspended in midair was a monochromatic Hyperion, slowly disintegrating from the outside. Images of the ship’s sides were displayed on either side of the porthole. A shrinking dark crack tightly gripped the Hyperion’s hull, preventing it from moving at the bottom of this imaginary space.

“This is… the final battlefield between Himeko and the Herrscher of the Void?” Theresa murmured.

Everyone else in the elevator wore solemn expressions, Kiana’s eyes especially heavy with grief. Just as the Herrscher of the Void’s consciousness could constantly perceive the outside world even while controlling her body, Kiana could still sense everything happening around her through that body.

This imaginary space was not only the final battlefield where her respected teacher called back her student’s consciousness, but also the scene where she witnessed “herself” murder her teacher.

Although no one would place this guilt on Kiana, she couldn’t forgive herself.

The Store Manager took a deep breath, vanished from everyone’s sight in a flash, and then they saw him leap through the bridge’s porthole onto the ship.

Kiana clenched her hands, her palms sweating with nervousness. Deep inside, she desperately prayed that the “soul” of Himeko-sensei had not departed immediately.

Soon afterward, the Store Manager returned to the bridge and silently delivered the devastating news that made her heart leap into her throat.

“...” Theresa bit her lip. “…Couldn’t find it?”

“Yes.” The Store Manager nodded heavily. “Just as I suspected, after the Herrscher of Legion from another world retrieved the Gem of Haste, this artificial imaginary space no longer bore any trace of the Gem of Haste.”

“The Herrscher of Legion… was the Herrscher of Legion already born by then?” Herrscher of Thunder – Raiden Mei frowned.

“I don’t know whether the Herrscher of Legion of this world has been born, but often the order of time is not important. For imaginary space and the Sea of Quanta, which exist in different dimensions from the real world, the causal order is more important.” The Store Manager shook his head. “Because, in a world dominated by the ‘Cocoon,’ time itself is something that can be rewritten.”

“As for Himeko in the Original World, after she fought the Herrscher of the Void, in the time recorded by the ‘Cocoon,’ Himeko after that point in time was and would only ever be in the same state. In other words, apart from the world where Theresa was three years ago, where even the Third Eruption didn’t happen, all of you living in worlds after 2017 have only one outcome for Himeko. From this perspective, everyone in your worlds can regard the empty shell that Himeko in my shop retrieved as the ‘Himeko Murata’ from your own world.”

“Compared to Himeko’s situation, the situation with the Gem of Haste is a bit more complicated. This is because the Gem of Haste itself was projected by the ‘Cocoon.’ The ‘Cocoon’ has a stronger grasp over things that originally belonged to it than it does over Earth, which it targeted later. Therefore, unlike Himeko in 2013, whose outcome could be changed as long as the corresponding event had not yet occurred, regardless of whether the Herrscher of Legion has been born in your world, as long as the Gem of Haste was retrieved by the Herrscher of Legion within the time recorded by the ‘Cocoon,’ we cannot find the Gem of Haste in this imaginary space first.”

“They…” Kiana gritted her teeth, silently adding Them to the list of enemies she absolutely had to defeat. A fierce fighting spirit burned within her.

“So, if I can defeat them and retrieve the Gem of Haste, I can save Himeko-sensei, right?”

“There’s another way besides defeating them,” the Store Manager said with a strange expression.

“What way?” Kiana asked quickly.

The Store Manager pointed to Herrscher of Thunder – Raiden Mei.

“I’ve already said it. Let her lure Kiana from her world to my café.”

“If I remember correctly, Kiana from her world has inherited the power of the Gem of Haste. Although, during this inheritance process… it seems that Himeko’s remaining consciousness within the Gem of Haste was burned away. However, Fu Hua should know best that even burned consciousness leaves behind remnants. If I can lure Kiana from that world to my café and use those remnants, I should be able to try to reconstruct Himeko’s complete consciousness.”

“So…”

Everyone on the bridge focused their attention on the embarrassed Herrscher of Thunder – Raiden Mei and spoke in unison.

“…Please?”

“Uh… I’ll try my best?” Herrscher of Thunder – Raiden Mei said in a complicated tone.

---

Chapter 124: Case Files

From a certain perspective, deceiving people is actually a skill.

In particular, for Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei, who existed at this point in time, gaining the complete trust of Kiana, who had suffered several betrayals, was no easy task.

Cats are known for holding grudges, and Kiana was no exception.

However, at this moment, not a single person present harbored even the slightest doubt that Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei would bring Kiana from her world to the café.

This included even Kiana herself from 2017.

Kiana approached Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei with a serious expression. Facing this "Raiden Mei," who felt slightly unfamiliar yet fundamentally familiar despite only a few months having passed, she immediately expressed her trust.

"It's alright, Mei. Although I don't know exactly what you've endured over the past few months, I believe your Kiana will still trust you completely."

Then she immediately forgave Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei on behalf of her other self for deceiving Kiana.

"Don't worry. I swear in Kiana's name that my other self absolutely won't blame you."

"..." Seeing Kiana from 2017 so readily betray her other self, both Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei and Raiden Mei from Arc City twitched at the corners of their eyes.

They weren't necessarily doubting Kiana's words. After all, no matter which world Kiana came from, she would undoubtedly hold deep respect and regret for the teacher who saved her life.

The two Raiden Meis from different timelines also believed that once Kiana learned everything Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei had done was to save Himeko-sensei's life, she would ultimately forgive her from the bottom of her heart, regardless of what had been done to her.

Frankly, if this café hadn't been so incredibly mysterious that convincing anyone of its existence on short notice would be nearly impossible, Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei wouldn't have even considered using deception to lure Kiana from her own world.

After all, if Kiana knew there was a way to save Himeko and the price was acceptable, she would definitely try.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.

Even if she told her Kiana about the café truthfully, Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei didn't think her Kiana would immediately believe something so bizarre.

"No matter what, even if we manage to bring Kiana from her world to my café, it's not something we can do today."

The Store Manager waved his hand and slowly walked toward the open elevator.

"It's getting late. For now, Himeko's body from the Original World can stay in my café. You don't need to worry too much."

He paused, then looked at the girl Himeko beside him.

"Himeko, should I help you move the Hyperion out, or should we just leave it here?"

"Let's leave it here for a while. After everything that's happened, I'm not in the mood to continue my journey anytime soon." The girl Himeko sighed.

"What time is it?"

"Around four o'clock," the Store Manager replied casually.

"No wonder I'm feeling a bit hungry..." Himeko muttered to herself. "I think I'll have dinner at your shop."

"Sure, I'll prepare it for you later." The Store Manager nodded, then turned his gaze toward the group that had followed him onto the bridge. "Does anyone else want to stay for dinner? There are a few customers to serve tonight, so if anyone wants to stay, I need to let Rita know beforehand."

"You have customers to serve. Why are you asking us if we want to stay?" Theresa from 2017 tilted her head in confusion.

"They didn't book the whole café, and serving one table won't stop me from operating normally," the Store Manager said. "I just wanted to estimate how much food we needed, so I asked on behalf of Rita and Mei. Of course, whether you stay or not is entirely your choice."

"..." Theresa from 2017 thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Forget it. The Hyperion... I mean, the Hyperion in our world is still waiting for us to return. Although we didn't bring Kiana back, as their commander, I still need to return as soon as possible and let everyone know we're safe."

After saying that, Theresa turned her gaze toward Bronya and Dr. Tesla.

"What about you two? Bronya, Dr. Tesla, do you want to stay with Kiana and Mei?"

Bronya from 2017 pondered for a moment.

"Then Bronya will stay for now. After all, it's a rare opportunity. Before leaving this café, Bronya wants to ask Mei and Kiana what they've been through lately."

"I think I'll go back with you." Dr. Tesla gently adjusted her glasses. "I want to get back as soon as possible to discuss the coffee shop with Mophead."

Seeing that the Arc City guests had already decided whether to stay or leave, the Store Manager turned his attention to Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei and Bronya from 2013.

"What about you two? Are you staying?"

Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei nodded.

"Then I'll gladly accept. If you're short-staffed, I can lend a hand."

The Store Manager waved his hand without outright refusing.

"We'll see. What about you, Bronya?"

Bronya from 2013 was taken aback.

"Can Bronya stay too?"

"I own the shop. If you can afford to eat, I have no reason to turn away a customer, right?" the Store Manager said.

"So I have to pay..." Theresa from 2017 said, somewhat speechless.

"What? The Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Branch wants to dine and dash?" The Store Manager rolled his eyes. "I've been working so hard for all of you without getting any benefits in return. At the very least, I should make a profit from the meal. My shop's prices are already very reasonable."

"No, that's not what I meant." Theresa from 2017 shook her head with a helpless smile. "I just think that, with your abilities, running a coffee shop is a bit of a waste of your talent. Someone as capable as you doesn't seem like the type to be short of money."

The Store Manager instantly became alert.

"No way! My wife and I are running our store perfectly well. Don't even think about dragging me back to be some kind of captain. Not only do you siphon off all my salary to buy Homu comics, but I'm also the one doing the dirtiest and hardest work. All I do is sweep decks, and I don't even get a break during my vacation. While everyone else gets a proper rest, I'm left to single-handedly wipe out Anti-Entropy's mechs... Heh heh heh... It's all tears. Why didn't I realize it sooner and switch to Anti-Entropy? At least they guarantee job placement after retirement, and those jobs are even in Fortune 500 companies. World Serpent isn't bad either. At least they pay well. I must have been out of my mind to stubbornly stick with Schicksal back then..."

By the end, the Store Manager seemed to have entered a mystical state of oblivion, muttering to himself incessantly like a torrent of bitter grievances.

Listening to the Store Manager's resentful muttering and somewhat eerie laughter, everyone in the hall looked at Theresa suspiciously. Kiana even showed an expression of indignation on the Store Manager's behalf.

"Aunt Teri, even if you're the Commander and the Dean of St. Freya, you can't exploit people like this! Look at you. You've driven someone to the point of wanting to switch sides to Anti-Entropy. He's a captain, after all. Isn't assigning him to clean the deck a bit too insulting?"

"What a joke?! When have I ever exploited anyone?!"

Theresa was stunned. Feeling the piercing gazes around her, she instinctively wanted to refute this baseless accusation immediately and righteously.

But for some reason, she sensed an extremely eerie truth in the Store Manager's incessant muttering, as though she really could have done those things.

She could only force a smile and shout, "Slander! This is pure slander! I... I... I am the current captain! How could I possibly send the Hyperion's captain to sweep the deck? As for overtime, I don't deny that Schicksal uses overtime to take up vacation time during emergencies, but we are a military organization! How can the military not be deployed during vacations? Besides, our overtime pay is set at the highest standard! How could we arbitrarily deduct someone's salary?!"

"Oh?" Tesla chuckled. "Theresa, I didn't expect you to actually use your subordinate's salary to buy Homu comics."

"I-Is that the point?!?!?!" Theresa nearly spat out blood.

"It's alright. You may not welcome him, but we at Entropy do! I never imagined he'd even considered switching jobs to Entropy."

Tesla ignored Theresa's outburst and patted the Store Manager on the shoulder with a smile. "Hey, Store Manager, are you still planning to switch jobs? How much does Schicksal pay you? I'll give you five times that!"

The muttering Store Manager froze completely, a look of terror appearing on his young face.

"You still want to give me five times the salary Theresa withheld from me?"

"???" Tesla was stunned into silence. "You work at Schicksal and still have to pay out of your own pocket? Holy crap! What a rip-off!"

"Listen to me!! When have I ever withheld your salary?!" Theresa was practically going crazy.

After a moment of frantic frustration, Theresa gasped for breath, feeling an indescribable exhaustion.

"You... How much salary do I owe you? Do you have a payslip? Whichever Theresa deducted your salary, I'll pay you back right now, okay?!"

"Really?" The Store Manager beamed, then scurried over to the control panel on the bridge and made a few quick adjustments.

A long slip of paper emerged from the printer beneath the control panel.

"You said it. No take-backs," the Store Manager said as he handed the slip to Theresa with a broad smile.

"...I—" Theresa's face darkened as she gasped for breath.

Suppressing the urge to unleash a torrent of abuse, she snatched the long slip from the Store Manager's hand and quickly glanced through its contents. At the bottom was Schicksal's anti-counterfeiting mark.

"..."

What the hell?

This Hyperion really is Schicksal's?!

Let me see...

Electricity bill XXX, paid by: Captain Hyperion, Sailor.

Valkyrie armor repair cost XXX, paid by: Captain Hyperion, Sailor.

Weapon maintenance cost XXX, paid by: Captain Hyperion, Sailor.

Homu Adventure 15 XXX, paid by: Captain Hyperion, Sailor...

Looking at the shocking figures listed on the receipt, Theresa's eyes widened in horror.

"Why are you paying for the electricity and repairs yourself?! Didn't Schicksal in your world cover those expenses for you?!"

"No." The Store Manager shrugged wearily. "I've been a Captain for so long, and all my salary has gone into the Hyperion and your comic books. Schicksal hasn't reimbursed me a single penny. If it weren't for your free room and board, I don't know how I would've survived."

"Wait—!" Suddenly, Theresa stared at a certain item on the receipt, then unfolded it toward the Store Manager with an ashen face.

"What's with this largest-size condom?"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough—!!!"

Everyone on the bridge choked on their own saliva as coughing filled the air.

"Uh..." This time, it was the Store Manager's turn to freeze.

He felt a little guilty.

"Private... private needs. Schicksal shouldn't interfere with an employee's love life, right?"

"Then what about all those black stockings and white knee-high stockings?" Theresa gritted her teeth, her voice trembling slightly for some reason.

"Why... why are there several pairs in my size?!"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough—!!!"

The coughing grew louder and more frequent.

A series of piercing gazes instantly shifted from Theresa to the Store Manager.

"I..." The Store Manager, sweating profusely, stammered, "It's just... a coincidence. You can't stop people from buying clothes in your size, can you?!"

"Then explain why you bought so many of these... things in different sizes?!"

Theresa blushed.

"Short nurse uniforms... lace nun's habits... plunging skirts... and even whips and candles?!? Chains... bandages??? With Schicksal's medical technology, a wound covered with a bandage would heal in two seconds, right?!"

"Tell me the truth! What did you buy all this for?!"

---

Chapter 125: Miss Hare, Who Caused Trouble as Soon as She Arrived

The instant Theresa's sharp, childlike shout rang out, almost everyone's face flushed an uncontrollable crimson. Theresa's own face turned a deep, almost blood-red shade.

Unlike the Theresa from 2013, who had been insulted by Mei before even arriving at the café with the line, "You're the Store Manager's girlfriend," this Theresa from 2017, while aware of the café's unusual nature, was unaware of the connection between "Theresa from another world" and the Store Manager.

Even the heavy breathing and seductive, almost irrational moans she heard leaking from the second-floor door when she entered the café only made Theresa from 2017 think that the café's Store Manager was rather... romantic... yes, romantic, to the point of influencing others. She never considered that among those "influenced" was "herself" from another world.

Theresa was about to faint.

She was truly about to faint from embarrassment.

As the headmistress of St. Freya Academy, she paid close attention to Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya.

After all, two of the three were Herrschers, while the other was a former confidante of the Anti-Entropy Enforcers.

Although Theresa did not subjectively want to doubt them, as the commander of the Far East branch, she had to be responsible for the entire branch under her command.

Therefore, Theresa was intimately familiar with the basic parameters of Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya.

She stared at the long receipt, more than half of which was filled with "that kind of" items. Some even listed sizes that were so familiar they were almost jarring... An indescribable sense of shame and intense fear surged into the depths of her mind.

She was, after all, someone who had lived for nearly half a century. Although Theresa had always been well protected by Otto, she was not so ignorant that words such as "sexual," "package," and "openwork" could be thrown at her without her understanding their implications. This long receipt was not merely a record of purchases made by the Store Manager during his time aboard the Hyperion. It was evidence of countless sins presented before a court.

No matter how eloquently the Store Manager argued, with such overwhelming evidence, there was no possibility of overturning the verdict.

"Uh..." The Store Manager was sweating profusely and felt a little guilty.

Under normal circumstances, he would not have felt guilty at all. As a traveler who had traversed various World Bubbles for years, the Store Manager was the most capable among everyone present of distinguishing people who shared the same identity across different worlds. Logically, even if he had done something to Theresa from another World Bubble, he should not have shown any hesitation in front of the Theresa standing before him.

However, this sudden exposure stemmed from his unintentional expression of resentment toward the Theresa before him—resentment born from his past oppression at the hands of another Theresa from another World Bubble.

The unity of duty and right.

Since he had subconsciously vented those lingering resentments onto the innocent Theresa before him, then conversely, despite having done nothing to her, he naturally had to bear the shame and indignation she felt through her empathy for "the Theresa from another world."

"I just... just did things that made both of us happy..." The Store Manager scratched his head and muttered under his breath. "...You always happily scratched my back until it was covered in marks..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't describe it so clearly!!"

Theresa's scalp tingled as she raised her hand, her face flushing even more. She slammed the long receipt into the Store Manager's face, her voice trembling with indescribable panic.

"You... what's your relationship with Theresa from another world...? I... I don't care! Go get reimbursed by her yourself! Don't try to pin the deductions on me!"

Compared to continuing to pursue the Store Manager's misdeeds toward Theresa from another world, Theresa from 2017 chose to protect herself and decisively cut ties.

"Oh..." the Store Manager replied sullenly.

You're acting all aggrieved?! I'm the one who should feel aggrieved, okay?!

Theresa bit her lip slightly and silently trudged into the elevator with her short legs.

Although she outwardly declared she would make a clean break, once inside the elevator, strange images uncontrollably flooded Theresa's mind: "herself" in a nurse's uniform playing nurse with the Store Manager; "herself" in a nun's habit forgiving the Store Manager's sins; and "herself" in an office uniform leaning against the Store Manager in the office while being repeatedly bumped... Because every image featured "herself," Theresa even unconsciously imagined them with her own voice.

...Aaaaaaah! What am I thinking?!

She clutched her head, her petite body writhing like a maggot roasting over a fire.

Trouble, begone! Trouble, begone!!!

Watching Theresa's silent panic as she entered the elevator, everyone in the lobby exchanged glances in tense silence before quickly averting their gazes.

"Ahem." Kiana and Raiden Mei from 2017 coughed in unison before casually stepping into the elevator.

The Store Manager raised his hand with a forlorn expression and removed the receipt Theresa had thrown at his face.

This truly was a case of shooting himself in the foot.

In the ensuing silence, the group returned from the bridge to the café's lobby, all looking utterly disheveled.

The moment the café doors opened, the scene inside stunned everyone standing outside.

A cross nearly as tall as a person stood in the center of the café, with dozens of golden spears fanning out around it. Theresa from 2013 stood behind the cross, baring her teeth like a frightened animal at the figure floating in mid-air.

The figure floating in mid-air, seemingly oblivious to the hostility radiating from the person before her, smiled. Her mysterious purple eyes gleamed with the excitement of a child who had just discovered a new toy.

The instant the café doors opened, everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward the entrance. Seeing that it was the group who had gone to observe the situation aboard the Hyperion under Himeko's control, Theresa from 2013 visibly brightened.

"Store Manager! A troublemaker has come to your store!" Theresa from 2013 gripped the giant cross eagerly. "Come on! I'll help you! Everyone, let's take down this lying troublemaker!!"

"It seems this little Theresa, whom I'm meeting for the first time, isn't very welcoming," the figure floating in mid-air said with a smile as she scratched her long hair. "But resorting to force without any proof that the other party is lying isn't something a qualified leader should do, is it?"

"Enough nonsense! You didn't enter this café through normal channels. You forced your way in from the Sea of Quanta!" Theresa from 2013 drew a golden spear of light from her cross and assumed a fighting stance. "The moment you broke through the entrance, I saw what was outside! It couldn't possibly be part of the real world! And weren't you the one who resorted to force first? If I hadn't used Judah to suppress those human-like things you summoned, you would be the one attacking us right now!"

"Furthermore... you're not even human, yet you dared... dared to impersonate that person..."

Theresa from 2013's eyes blazed with barely restrained fury. Although her position as commander of the Far East branch prevented her from being completely consumed by rage, it was obvious she had reached the limit of her patience with the figure floating in mid-air.

Likewise, Theresa from 2017 felt a flash of anger upon seeing the figure.

She raised her hand, and another massive cross slammed into the wooden floor beside the door with a dull thud.

Since she was not the owner of the café, after retrieving her weapon, Theresa from 2017 turned her head slightly and looked toward the Store Manager with a questioning gaze.

"What do you think, Store Manager?" she asked quietly. "Do you need our help to subdue her?"

"This is truly..." The figure floating in mid-air shook her head with a wry smile and said flippantly, "It seems you won't even give me a chance to explain."

"..."

The Store Manager glanced at the two Judahs embedded in the wooden floor, the corners of his eyes twitching as he rubbed his temples.

He sighed.

"They say you forced your way into my café from the Sea of Quanta?"

"That's an undeniable fact." The flippant figure floating in mid-air nodded with a smile. "But when I tracked down this 'fixed point,' I truly didn't expect the surrounding space to be so chaotic that it would completely immobilize me."

"So that's your prepared excuse for barging into my store fully armed and provoking Theresa's vigilance?" the Store Manager asked.

"When people are in a crisis, they always want to do everything they can to escape." The flirtatious woman floating in mid-air shrugged innocently. "In real-world terms... wouldn't this count as 'emergency avoidance'?"

"The rules regarding emergency avoidance don't apply when you deliberately head toward a dangerous area. Don't tell me you were completely unaware of the potential dangers surrounding a 'fixed point.'" The Store Manager rolled his eyes.

"Oh dear, it seems my argument failed?" The figure clapped her hands. "Could you tell me what kind of punishment I'll receive?"

The Store Manager sighed, turned around, closed the café door that revealed the Hyperion corridor, then reopened it a moment later.

...

For the first time, the previously flirtatious figure showed a hint of embarrassment upon seeing the scene outside.

Within the chaotic blur of colors, countless figures lay scattered, broken, and piled upon one another, while an enormous, unmistakable hole gaped directly before them.

"You're really something, aren't you?" the Store Manager said sarcastically. "You actually managed to punch a hole through a space completely fixed within the Sea of Quanta. Even the Herrscher of Finality couldn't shatter this space with a single attack, yet you did. Why don't you become the Finality of your own world?"

"Uh..." The flippant figure chuckled awkwardly. "Thanks for the compliment?"

The Store Manager closed the door, pointed outside with his thumb, then pointed at the cracks created by the two Judahs with his index finger.

"Fix the hole in space outside yourself. As for the two holes Theresa made after your appearance and fighting stance triggered her reaction, go find matching floorboards in the real world and repair them yourself."

"And another thing, why are you here?" The Store Manager looked around. "Where's your guardian?"

???

Hearing the word "guardian," everyone in the hall was filled with confusion.

"But I don't have a guardian." The flippant figure blinked. "If I had to say, I'd be considered half a guardian to some AI."

"That AI you're talking about probably thinks the relationship between the two of you is the other way around..."

The flippant figure chuckled.

"So this Store Manager seems to know Number Seventeen?"

"I not only know Number Seventeen, but I also know who should be held responsible for this situation."

The Store Manager glanced at the woman with a flippant expression before suddenly turning his gaze toward Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden Mei, and extending his hand.

"This loss was caused by someone from World Serpent. How about we cover it for her first?"

"?" Herrscher of Thunder Raiden Mei was stunned. "You're from World Serpent?"

"I only have work experience with World Serpent. During my time there, I was a key member of Project Stigma, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews from nearly seven billion users upon its launch." The woman clapped her hands. "I think I've seen this lady's file in World Serpent's database. It seems to be... Miss Red Electric Dragon, right?"

"?"

----

Chapter 126: Welt Yang's Good Friday

In the spacious lobby, the Store Manager and the flirtatious woman who had barged into the café sat facing each other at a table.

The Store Manager rested his elbows on the table, his fingers interlaced and his eyes cold. "Name?"

The flirtatious woman's face, as always, displayed a gentle yet playful smile. "Misteln Schariac."

"Age?" the Store Manager followed up.

"Hmm... six years old? Maybe five?" A hint of confusion crossed Misteln's face.

The Store Manager paused for a moment. "...Gender?"

Misteln smiled. "Take a guess."

The Store Manager narrowed his eyes slightly. "...Be serious."

Misteln's smile remained. "But I'm very serious."

"..."

Thud!

The Store Manager silently slammed a pair of black-and-gold pistols onto the table.

"Alright, alright, I surrender. I really can't take a joke." Misteln raised her hands in a standard French military salute. "Taxonomically speaking, I'd say I'm a woman. At least, that's what I think."

"Why did you barge into my café?" the Store Manager asked calmly.

"Hmm... do you want the truth or a lie?" A knowing smile played on Misteln's lips.

"You can choose to lie, or I can choose to throw you out right now and reinforce the outside space to ensure you can never come back." The Store Manager's lips curled slightly.

He understood the principle of striking a snake at its vital point better than anyone. For someone like Misteln, who loved to have fun, no punishment was more severe than letting her watch her fun slip away right under her nose.

In fact, it was very effective. Upon hearing the Store Manager's calm words, Misteln's expression visibly stiffened.

After a moment, she sighed softly, a tearful expression crossing her face. "You really are impossible to get through to, aren't you? Even though I look so cute, why must you be such a mischievous child?"

Before the Store Manager could respond, the two Theresas around the table spoke in unison. "That's none of your business! And stop making that affectionate expression with Cecilia's face!"

After speaking, the two Theresas exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of mutual understanding in each other's eyes.

Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei covered her face, letting out a long sigh filled with utter helplessness.

She regretted staying in this café just to watch the amusement of "herself" from other worlds. If she had immediately abandoned the café and run away as soon as she realized it posed no threat to Elysian Realm, she wouldn't have had to face these so-called "colleagues," who had clearly offended many people in the hall.

But there was no way around it. No matter how much she wanted to turn away, she had to face the facts. Besides, she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard the bombshells this woman had dropped. So, after escaping reality for a while, Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei finally removed her hands from her face and forced a calm expression.

"The Store Manager said you're from World Serpent?"

"Oh, Miss Red Electric Dragon, out at this hour, haven't you heard of my codename yet?" Misteln laughed.

"...If you use that codename again, believe me, I'll shock you!" Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei's face darkened.

"That would be an honor." Misteln's eyes suddenly lit up, and she generously extended her hand toward Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei.

"If I were fortunate enough to be the first person in World Serpent to use the Herrscher of Thunder's electricity, it would mean that our relationship is already closer than the other executives, right? Raven has been complaining to everyone about that legendary Herrscher lady who won't let anyone use her electricity, won't let anyone ride her dragon, and won't even let anyone touch her horns... Ah, if it's alright, could you use those horns to shock me?"

Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei looked away, visibly embarrassed.

At the same instant, a fair hand sneakily reached toward Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei's head, and then...

"Oooooooooooooooo—! Ooo..."

...The instant her hand touched the demon horns, Kiana from 2017's silver hair stood on end from the electric current, her body stiffening.

Everyone in the hall froze simultaneously. Raiden Mei from 2017 hurriedly reached out to Kiana.

"You... what are you doing?! Kiana! Let go right now!"

And so, another person was electrocuted, and the smell of something burning gradually spread.

Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei's eye twitched slightly as she silently withdrew the electricity that had inadvertently leaked from the demon horns.

"You two... what are you doing?"

Leaving aside the idiot Kiana from a different time, why was this "me" from a few months ago also acting so stupidly?

Had she been in this café for too long, so Kiana had dragged down her IQ as well?

More importantly, why would the mighty Herrscher of Thunder be electrocuted? Was she really that embarrassing before? Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei thought to herself.

Kiana opened her mouth, exhaling blackened air from her lungs.

"I... I was just a little curious about what they felt like after hearing what this woman said... After all, my Mei doesn't have them..."

Her voice crackled with electricity as though accompanied by electronic music.

"..."

Hearing Kiana's blunt words, Raiden Mei, whose mind was still buzzing from the electric shock, suddenly felt a surge of anger.

What did she mean by "My Mei doesn't have them"?! Just because she had a pair of horns, did that Raiden Mei think she was so much better than her?!?

Seeing that Kiana was starting to steer the atmosphere off track again, the Store Manager quickly coughed and sternly slapped the Judgment of Shamash onto the table.

"Quiet! Quiet! Be serious! Be serious! I'm still interrogating this criminal who suddenly barged into my store! Don't make the atmosphere so casual!"

Although he said that, Kiana's interruption made the Store Manager himself a little less serious. He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Misteln, right? You came to my café all by yourself. Do people from your world know?"

"Yes, they know. I'm not completely clueless. I notified Number Seventeen before entering the Sea of Quanta."

"Did she agree to let you come?" the Store Manager asked.

"Well..." Misteln smacked her head. "Eh?"

"You... what are you talking about..." The Store Manager looked tired.

"I won't stop you from having fun here. But first, you need to fix the hole you made in the Sea of Quanta. Second... if you want to come to this café, remember to use the main entrance next time."

"The main entrance?" Misteln blinked innocently. "But I can't reach the main entrance of your café by ordinary means."

"Then call over the Finality bug from your world and discuss where to open a portal connecting to your world," the Store Manager said.

"What's a Finality bug?" Misteln tilted her head.

"...Short for Kiana, the Herrscher of Finality."

Misteln's lips curled slightly. "That's... an interesting abbreviation."

Kiana from 2017 felt like she was being attacked, but she had no proof.

Both Theresas were stunned and asked in unison, "No, that's it?"

"What else do you want? All she did was smash the door of my store and a patch of road outside. I can't just lock her up for that." The Store Manager shrugged innocently.

"..."

While the logic was sound, seeing this frivolous woman with Cecilia's face let off so easily left the two Theresas feeling uneasy.

The Store Manager glanced at the clock on the wall.

"It's 4:30, almost time to prepare dinner... Those who need to leave can go. Those who want to stay, find a seat. I'm going out for a bit, so I won't be serving you for now."

"Where are you going?" Theresa from 2017 couldn't help but ask.

"A customer sent me a new design this morning, and I'm planning to get some new ingredients from there. The Belloberg batch is a little too different for most people's tastes. Since they come to my café, which allows them to travel between different worlds, I can't just serve them all the ingredients Sirin brought back because they're from the same world as her. What would that say about my reputation as the Store Manager?"

The Store Manager answered casually, then turned and looked around the café.

He thought for a moment, then pointed at Kiana.

"Go upstairs, wash up, change into clean clothes, and come help me carry my things later."

Kiana was taken aback. She looked around uncertainly before finally pointing at herself.

"Me? You want to take me to another world?"

"What? You don't want to?" the Store Manager asked.

"It's not that I don't want to..." Kiana shook her head. "Is it okay to take me to another world?"

"What's the big deal about buying something? It's not like you're using your own power. Besides, your Herrscher abilities are no different from a baby's in their eyes." The Store Manager patted Kiana on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

*That's an interstellar civilization active in the universe. Taking you there will broaden your horizons and give you a wider perspective. After you've seen more of the world, you'll find that the problems bothering you aren't so big after all."

"Interstellar civilization?!"

This time, not only Kiana, who had been patted on the shoulder, but everyone in the hall was stunned. Dr. Tesla, the most scientifically accomplished person present, widened her eyes in astonishment.

Herrscher of Thunder - Raiden Mei, her mouth slightly agape, spoke in a voice distorted by utter astonishment.

"Your café... can connect to interstellar civilizations?!"

"Me! Me! Me! I want to go too! Can I come along???"

Tesla waved her arms excitedly, her eyes gleaming like fluorescent lights. "I'm very strong! Although I can't compare to those Valkyries, carrying something is definitely no problem! I certainly won't hold you back! Take me with you!!"

"Wait! Dr. Tesla?! You can't leave! Dr. Einstein and the others are waiting for us to go back!" Theresa from 2017 was completely dumbfounded.

"You guys have Mophead, right? Kiana's problems have been mostly solved by this café anyway, so one more person won't make a difference!" Tesla grinned.

"Don't worry, Theresa! I believe you can lead everyone well!"

"Thank you so much for trusting me! You're relieved, but I'm not!!" Theresa from 2017 said exasperatedly.

She immediately realized that expecting Dr. Tesla, whose rationality had been completely consumed by her intense thirst for knowledge and curiosity, to come to her senses was impossible.

So, she quickly turned her pleading gaze toward the Store Manager, hoping that this young Store Manager, while somewhat unsettling in matters of the heart, was consistently reliable enough to pull Dr. Tesla's rationality back.

A person whose face practically screamed, I want to go to space and see interstellar civilizations!

"Store Manager—you certainly don't want customers of this café wandering off to other worlds, do you? That would definitely cause you trouble, wouldn't it?!"

Under Theresa's expectant gaze, the Store Manager's expression turned serious, his eyes heavy, as though he were about to make a decision.

Deep down, she nodded repeatedly.

Yes! That was the serious expression!

Say it!

Say "No!" firmly and clearly to this brain-dead doctor!

If she still wouldn't listen, Theresa could even force her back, as long as the Store Manager said it—

"Hiss... now that you put it that way, it doesn't seem impossible!"

Under Theresa's stunned gaze and Dr. Tesla's ecstatic gaze, the young Store Manager, as though suddenly realizing something interesting, broke into a knowing smile.

"Fine! You have five minutes. Go pack with Kiana, and we'll go see what that guy's journey is like!"

"What—!!" Theresa's scalp tingled. "Are you kidding me?!?!?!"

Betrayed.

Her trust had been betrayed.

Meanwhile, for some reason, almost everyone could detect a smug, almost mocking, "Damn, this is going to be interesting!" vibe in the Store Manager's words.

Misteln's expression became somewhat subtle.

It seemed this Store Manager... shared a similar nature with her.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the galaxy, Welt Yang suddenly sneezed loudly.

---

 Chapter 127: Qingque: Marshal, You've Become a Heliobus?!

As a staunch advocate of epicureanism, the Store Manager firmly believed that life was about pursuing happiness.

In this world, only beauty and fun were truly worth cherishing.

The café door opened, and the crisp sound of heels striking the floor rang out. The moment Kiana and Dr. Tesla stepped out, their eyes widened simultaneously.

"This... this is... an interstellar civilization?" Tesla stammered. "They've even disappeared from their own planets?"

Kiana's body trembled slightly, and Fu Hua's semi-transparent figure rapidly materialized in mid-air.

She looked around, a hint of astonishment involuntarily appearing on her usually calm, even somewhat rigid, face.

But the reason for her astonishment was different from Dr. Tesla's.

"As expected..." Fu Hua murmured. "During that brief glimpse earlier today, I sensed a striking resemblance to the ancient style of Shenzhou. Now that I can see it clearly, most of the artifacts here are remarkably similar to the cultural style I once cultivated on the Shenzhou continent and passed down through generations."

"Now that you mention it... it does seem somewhat similar." Tesla stroked her chin. Although history and culture weren't her specialty, as a researcher who already knew that "more than one human civilization has existed on Earth," she had conducted in-depth research in these fields.

While she wasn't entirely sure of Fu Hua's exact identity, after witnesStelleg someone almost identical to Fu Hua among the Flame-Chasers not long ago, Tesla had a general idea of Fu Hua's identity. Therefore, she wasn't particularly surprised by Fu Hua's claim that "the civilization of the Shenzhou continent was spread by her."

Kiana looked around at the scene, her bright blue eyes filled with surprise and curiosity like those of a child who had suddenly discovered a toy she had never seen before.

Personally experiencing a scene that should exist only in science fiction movies was undoubtedly an overwhelming experience for a young person like her, who was in the most energetic stage of her life. Under normal circumstances, she probably would have already run off like a runaway husky, the kind that even ten Theresas couldn't hold back.

Fortunately, although Kiana's personality and intelligence had increaStellegly shown signs of decline Stellece arriving at the café, she hadn't completely lost her mind. After swallowing hard and desperately suppresStelleg the urge to run off, she turned her eager gaze toward the Store Manager, her voice filled with unmistakable pleading.

"Store Manager, what should we do now?"

"First, get some identification from the highest-ranking leader here," the Store Manager said.

"Is everything alright? People like us who suddenly appeared in this world are practically illegal immigrants, right?" Dr. Tesla asked.

"No problem. I have a few acquaintances here. If they can vouch for us, getting valid identification to travel in the Luofu shouldn't be difficult."

The Store Manager extended his hand, and two small syringes appeared out of thin air in his palm. "These are synesthesia beacons. They can eliminate communication barriers caused by language. Fu Hua is now similar to a Memetic entity, so she naturally has the means to ignore language barriers. You two don't. Get a shot."

Kiana and Tesla did as instructed, injecting the liquid from the micro-syringes into their arms. Kiana muttered under her breath, "If I'd known about something like this earlier, why would I have bothered memorizing all those foreign-language words..."

The Store Manager took out his phone and opened Welt Yang's profile.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Are you there?

Welt Yang: ?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): I arrived in the Xianzhou. Come pick me up!

Welt Yang: What brings you here?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Your Stelle helped me open a shop in the Luofu, so I came.

Welt Yang: Stelle's been to your shop before? No wonder she suddenly has another Divine Key...

Welt Yang: Send me your coordinates.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Send me your coordinates. I'll bring everyone over.

Welt Yang: Who else did you bring?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): A picture.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Your wife, and a bug.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Send me your coordinates.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): ?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Where are you?

You tapped Welt Yang.

You tapped Welt Yang.

Message sent, but rejected.

"Damn, he's got guts, daring to block me," the Store Manager muttered. He exited the chat window and scrolled to Stelle's avatar.

You tapped Galaxy Baseballer.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Are you there?

Galaxy Baseballer: ?

Galaxy Baseballer: What are your orders, Godfather? The weapon works well. Anything else?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): ?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Old Yang, where are you?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Something funny. Send me the coordinates.

Galaxy Baseballer: ?

Galaxy Baseballer: That's not a good idea.

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): He abandoned his wife back home and went on an adventure, so I brought her here.

Galaxy Baseballer: !!!

Galaxy Baseballer shared location coordinates with you.

Galaxy Baseballer retracted a message.

Galaxy Baseballer: Hey, Store Manager, I don't think I've ever offended you, have I?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Changed?

Hyperion Café Store Manager (Delivery via Didi, 30-minute express): Accept reality, Old Yang. And what are you so guilty about? The person I brought isn't Dr. Tesla from your world.

Galaxy Baseballer: But you can't do that at a time like this...

Galaxy Baseballer retracted a message.

Galaxy Baseballer shared location coordinates with you.

Galaxy Baseballer: Come quickly! March is keeping Mr. Welt occupied for you.

"Pfft." Looking at the message Stelle sent, the Store Manager chuckled.

"Who are you chatting with? Why are you so happy?" Kiana couldn't help asking.

"Nothing. I just thought of something amuStelleg." The Store Manager shook his head. "Let's go to my friend's place."

He raised his arm and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the surrounding scenery spun for a moment before everything plunged into darkness.

Compared to the vibrant, bustling Central Starskiff Haven, this massive man-made platform suspended in mid-air looked like nothing more than a tool.

The three people and the soul stepped onto a long floating corridor. The moment the Store Manager, Kiana, Dr. Tesla, and Fu Hua, who floated in mid-air, appeared, everyone nearby gasped in shock. A small brown-haired girl leaped backward several meters, her voice trembling.

"It's... it's a Heliobus!!!"

Compared to this innocent little girl caught in the crossfire, everyone else, though equally startled, quickly recovered after a brief moment of astonishment.

"Wow! We really got here in no time!" March 7th's eyes widened. Beside her stood a middle-aged man with his back to the group, his head lowered and his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Long time no see," the Store Manager said with a smile. "Your journey is still as arduous as ever."

Even a mischievous girl like March 7th couldn't help feeling helpless. She shrugged and spread her hands.

"I'm used to it, I guess..."

After her helplessness came a surge of intense curiosity.

"By the way, Store Manager, you said you brought Uncle Yang's family along. Who are they? Let us meet them! Uncle Yang, stop hiding. You finally have a chance to reunite with your family. You can't keep running away."

"Uncle Yang?"

The name caused Kiana and Dr. Tesla, who hadn't even had time to react, to freeze.

They simultaneously followed March 7th's gaze to the middle-aged man's back. Tesla's pupils visibly contracted.

"Joachim? What are you doing here?"

She instinctively covered her mouth after blurting out his name, realizing that it was common for the same individual to exist across different universes. Although this Welt Yang looked almost identical to the one she knew, that didn't necessarily mean he was the same person.

Calling someone by name without knowing them was clearly inappropriate. Although Dr. Tesla had a fiery temper, she wasn't unreasonable and was prepared to answer any questions or doubts.

"Yo... yo..."

However, the other man's reaction was completely different from what Dr. Tesla had expected.

The middle-aged man, almost identical to Welt Yang, slowly turned around. His face, noticeably more mature than the Welt Yang she knew, was covered in cold sweat. His expression was as guilty as Kiana being caught red-handed by Mei sneaking junk food in the kitchen. His voice trembled violently.

"O-Okay... long time no see, Tesla."

"..."

Huh? He knows me?

Dr. Tesla was startled, then immediately realized that even if this Welt Yang wasn't the individual she knew, there was definitely an inseparable connection between them.

"Are you really Yang? How did you end up alone in an interstellar civilization? What's going on?"

"There are... very, very deep reasons..." Welt Yang said with a bitter smile. "In short, it's not something I can explain in just a few words. Perhaps... we can discuss it in detail after we deal with the Stellaron in the Luofu?"

"That's just a stalling tactic, isn't it?" the Store Manager said with a laugh, unwilling to miss the drama.

Welt Yang scratched his head, sighed deeply, and couldn't help glaring at the smiling Store Manager.

"Um..."

At that moment, realizing that the people who had suddenly appeared weren't Heliobi—well, there did seem to be one Heliobus—but in any case, they were clearly acquaintances of these Trailblazers, the brown-haired girl who had leaped away earlier cautiously returned, forcing a smile.

"Guests, shouldn't we... go see the Grand Diviner?"

The diviner, a master of slacking off, had already sensed trouble radiating from this group. She knew very well that, according to the Luofu's laws, as a member of the Divination Commission, she was obligated to report a Heliobus escape to the Ten-Lords Commission immediately.

However, first, she was only a low-ranking diviner and lacked the strength of the others present. Faced with a Heliobus, she was naturally powerless. To ensure her own safety, it was reasonable not to report what she had witnessed immediately.

Second, the Heliobus floating in mid-air appeared to have possessed the unfamiliar silver-haired girl. However, no one present seemed concerned about its existence. The silver-haired girl even whispered to the Heliobus possessing her from time to time.

Therefore, it was reasonable to conclude that this Heliobus posed no threat to the guests' lives. Qingque herself sensed no danger from Them; instead, They gave her an inexplicable sense of warmth.

And finally—

By the Reignbow Arbiter!

Why had that famous Marshal become a Heliobus?!

Qingque felt completely numb.

If the previous reasons had merely been excuses to justify slacking off—and if she still intended to diligently report everything to the Ten-Lords Commission afterward to prevent the Heliobus from ruining her peaceful slacking environment—then this final reason made Qingque genuinely feel that she should absolutely not interfere with the current situation.

The Grand Diviner was only a short distance ahead. Compared to a low-ranking diviner like herself, this matter was best left for the Grand Diviner to handle personally.

Today, Qingque was still striving toward her grand ambition of slacking off.

---

Chapter 128: Attempt to Steal a Chicken Backfires

"So, where are you in the main storyline right now?"

In the dim light of Stelle, several people walked side by side behind the little fortune teller, slowly making their way toward the large, glowing object directly ahead. The young Store Manager casually struck up a conversation with the indifferent-looking gray-haired girl.

"Main storyline... you mean the events we're currently experiencing?" Stelle asked calmly in a sharp, resolute voice.

"Something like that," the Store Manager replied.

"How much do you know about our current situation?" Stelle countered.

"To be honest, I don't remember much about your situation. I just vaguely recall... what happened on the Xianzhou Luofu, from beginning to end, didn't have much to do with you guys." The Store Manager glanced at the group walking side by side. "By the way, what about the guy who came into the store with you last time?"

"Dan Heng?" Stelle took out her phone, opened the chat window to Dan Heng's profile picture, quickly typed a message, and sent it.

Galaxy Baseball Man: Are you there? When will you arrive?

Message failed to send.

"No signal. He probably ran into some predictable skirmish," Stelle said casually, putting her phone away.

"...Uh, I hope he's alright," the Store Manager said with a shrug.

"What are you guys talking about?" At that moment, March 7th peered over from the other end of the group, blinking her curious eyes.

Kiana, Tesla, and Hua, who was floating in mid-air, also turned their gazes toward the Store Manager and Stelle.

"Just discussing your current situation." The Store Manager stroked his chin. "Logically speaking, the three of you—having either lost your past or your memories—should inevitably get stabbed in the back sometime in the future and awaken a new power, a second personality, or something like that. That guy named Dan Heng, judging from his appearance and style of dress, was probably from the Xianzhou a long time ago."

"Eek! What do you mean by 'stabbed in the back'?! Don't suddenly say such scary things! That sounds terrifying!" March 7th's shoulders twitched as she shrank back.

"See this silver-haired girl next to me?" The Store Manager pointed at Kiana and smiled. "Her name is Kiana. She's lively and cheerful, just like you. She's a very easygoing, happy, sunny, and positive girl—perfect as a friend."

"Huh?" Kiana and March 7th both paused, instinctively turning their gazes toward each other.

Welt Yang also turned his head, pondered for a moment, then remained silent, with only a strange expression in his eyes.

The Store Manager of this café was unusual.

This was something Welt Yang had realized the moment he entered Hyperion Café. Although Welt Yang had no memory of ever visiting this café in the past, and in the stories he knew of Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and the others there was no mention of such a place.

However, after meeting Mei, who had not suffered the Third Eruption, Welt Yang already understood that even if he could not directly interfere with their past, this café did indeed possess the ability to connect different worlds across time.

As a Pathstrider, Trailblazing had become Welt Yang's mission, the force that allowed him to transcend the past. The four elements of "exploration"—"exploration," "understanding," "establishment," and "connection"—had already been committed to memory. From his perspective, although the café's Store Manager did not seem to like actively interfering with other worlds, the café's existence still perfectly embodied most of the principles of Trailblaze.

However, compared to the Astral Express, which traveled between different worlds across the galaxy, this café seemed more like it was exploring unprecedented possibilities among parallel worlds.

Welt Yang knew Kiana Kaslana very well and was familiar with her past.

Just as the Store Manager had said, Kiana was a lively, cheerful, and optimistic girl. He also believed that if Kiana and March 7th got to know each other, the two girls with such similar personalities would definitely become very good friends.

But... Kiana with Hua floating around her... if he remembered correctly, shouldn't this have been the Kiana who had only recently experienced the Herrscher's loss of control?

Welt Yang raised a hand to gently adjust the glasses that had slipped slightly down his nose, a bead of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Is that so?" Hearing the Store Manager suddenly introduce the girl beside her, March 7th's eyes lit up with surprise.

Although she instinctively felt the timing of the introduction was abrupt and strange, her simple mind failed to grasp the Store Manager's sinister intentions.

"Hello, Kiana. My name is March 7th. Since the Store Manager said so, let's get along well."

"...Y-you... hello." Kiana replied awkwardly, her expression inexplicably guilty. She turned to look at the Store Manager's smiling face with a pleading gaze. Fu Hua, floating in mid-air, looked away and raised a hand to her forehead, her face full of helplessness.

"Huh? Why are you making that face all of a sudden?" March 7th asked in surprise. "We're not that scary, are we? Didn't your Store Manager say you're a very cheerful person?"

"Probably because she recently thought about shooting herself, so she feels a bit guilty about being described as 'easygoing, happy, and sunny,'" the Store Manager said casually.

"..."

Kiana wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

"Uh...!" March 7th's face visibly stiffened.

Shoot herself?

She blinked at Kiana, whose embarrassment was so overwhelming that she seemed ready to dig herself a three-bedroom apartment with her toes, completely bewildered.

How could those four words possibly be associated with "easygoing, happy, and sunny"?!

Would anyone in this world really want to commit suicide because they were "easygoing, happy, and sunny"?

Before March 7th could recover, the Store Manager added insult to injury with a smile.

"Relax. After all, you've probably gone through something similar to her, and her personality change is a process you'll likely experience yourself. Being nervous now won't help."

"???" March 7th was stunned. "Y-you... how could you curse me like that?! How could I possibly want to shoot myself?!"

Welt Yang could not stand it anymore.

"Store Manager, you're making fun of this young girl's past wounds. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it?" The Store Manager glanced at Kiana. "Are you injured?"

"Injured! The kind that can't be healed!" Kiana glared at the Store Manager. Hearing him ask that question made her furious. "Can't you at least consider other people's feelings?"

"???"

Welt Yang was completely bewildered.

What did she mean by "consider other people's feelings"?

He felt that the Store Manager's joke had already gone too far. Logically speaking, given the Kiana he knew from this point in time, the fact that she had not exploded in anger was already an extraordinary display of restraint.

But... wasn't that restraint a bit excessive?

Welt Yang subconsciously turned his gaze toward Tesla, his closest confidante among everyone present. Tesla, keenly sensing his confusion, shrugged and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"He controlled the Herrscher persona within Kiana, and then our Himeko was brought back by... someone from his shop."

"..."

Oh, I see.

That explained it.

But if that was the case...

Welt Yang turned a subtle gaze toward the Store Manager. In an unusually flippant tone, he joked.

"So I don't need to care about this woman's Herrscher Core anymore."

"..."

The Store Manager's expression froze.

"I'm retired. Don't expect me to work overtime,"

Stelle immediately said, understanding Welt Yang's meaning. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"..."

The Store Manager remained expressionless.

"Hmm... why should I care whether other worlds live or die?" March 7th continued.

"..."

The Store Manager's face darkened.

Kiana, Hua, and Tesla were utterly bewildered.

What did this mean?

Why were these people suddenly saying such strange things?

Why had the Store Manager's expression suddenly become so unpleasant?

Before anyone around the Store Manager could ask, Welt Yang walked over with a beaming smile. His mature face looked as kind as that of an elder.

He gently patted the Store Manager on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.

"Young man, don't always speak so confidently. Don't wait until the boomerang comes back and hits you before you realize how much it hurts."

"Shut up," the Store Manager said, glaring at Welt Yang.

"Alright, I'll stop. Don't be angry." Welt Yang still wore a smile. He raised his hands, his tone gentle and soothing, like an elder calming a child throwing a tantrum.

"..."

Damn it!

I came here to watch this guy make a fool of himself. Why have I become the source of everyone's amusement instead?

The Store Manager's lips twitched for a moment. After taking a few deep breaths, a kind smile appeared on his face.

"Speaking of which, Old Yang, I think you should be more concerned about your own situation than mine, shouldn't you?"

"Um... everyone?"

Just then, a weak voice came from directly ahead.

"W-we've been standing at the entrance to the Matrix of Presence for quite a while now. Shouldn't we... go see the Grand Diviner?"

The young fortune teller looked at the somewhat awkward group with trembling legs and an embarrassed smile.

"Of course, if everyone hasn't finished talking, I-I can report to the Grand Diviner first. As for leading the way... the core of the Matrix of Presence is just ahead. Just keep walking straight, and you'll see the Grand Diviner."

The implication was obvious: she had already brought them to the Grand Diviner, so could she finally go back and slack off?

"..."

The Store Manager glared at Welt Yang, who immediately turned away, his smile disappearing.

"Thank you for your trouble. Let's go in directly. We can't keep the owner waiting."

The little sparrow, who was always tempted to run away, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then please follow me, guests."

Not far away, at the core of the Matrix of Presence...

Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan watched the large group standing at the entrance, their expressions complicated.

In fact, with their keen senses, they had detected the Store Manager and his group the moment they teleported in.

However, neither Jing Yuan nor Fu Xuan had immediately intervened when these unfamiliar guests suddenly appeared.

They did not know the strangers' intentions, and the strangers had appeared directly along the route the Astral Express crew would take.

If these strangers had arrived beside the crew because the crew had provided their coordinates and they had used some kind of spatial teleportation, then there was no reason to attack them. As the hosts, they simply needed to wait for their arrival.

In the end, the strangers really did seem to be visiting them alongside the crew.

Therefore, after confirming that there was no conflict between the crew and the strangers, both Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan, appearing as projections, chose to remain where they were and wait.

Then, the moment the group reached the entrance, both of them were simultaneously stunned by the semi-transparent figure floating in mid-air.

Whether it was Fu Xuan, the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, or Jing Yuan, the General who commanded the entire Luofu, both knew—and had even met—the legendary Marshal of the Cloud Knights. Given their status within the Xianzhou, seeing the Marshal normally would not have frightened them as it had Qingque. At most, they would have felt respect.

However, if the legendary Marshal had lost Their body and was floating in mid-air like a ghost, that was an entirely different matter.

Standing at the center of the formation, the two felt an intense unease, as though a thousand cats were scratching at their hearts. Countless questions flooded their minds.

Why had the Marshal lost Their body?

Why were They possessing a little girl?

Who exactly were these people?

Watching the group continue chatting at the entrance instead of approaching, they even felt the urge to drag them over personally.

However, as proper leaders, neither Fu Xuan nor Jing Yuan would do something so undignified. They could only watch helplessly as everyone lingered at the entrance, silently praying that Qingque, who was leading the group, would bring them over as soon as possible.

---

Chapter 129: The Trailblazer's Thousand Layers of Tactics

Amidst the complex gazes of Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan, Qingque, with an awkward smile, led everyone over to the two.

“Grand... Grand Diviner, although I haven't received your orders yet, I... I'll bring the guests over to you first. Do you think I should...?”

Fu Xuan didn't answer Qingque's words. She only stared intently at the semi-transparent figure floating in midair.

Hua hesitated for a moment, then gracefully landed, turning her gaze toward the Store Manager while remaining silent.

To be honest, although Hua also harbored considerable curiosity about this interstellar civilization, which was so similar to Shenzhou, she wasn't particularly fond of crowds.

Compared to Kiana and Dr. Mei, who were completely unable to settle down after arriving in the Xianzhou, Fu Hua initially had little intention of manifesting herself from Kiana's body.

Before leaving the café, the Store Manager instructed Hua to reveal herself in the Xianzhou.

While the Store Manager wasn't entirely afraid of the Xianzhou Luofu, he had intricate ties to the precursor of Xianzhou civilization. He didn't want to antagonize the Xianzhou Luofu unless absolutely necessary and had already largely determined his stance before visiting.

Having decided to establish a cooperative relationship with the Xianzhou Luofu, the Store Manager couldn't allow his café staff to be unable to move freely on the ark sailing the Sea of Stars.

Although he couldn't quite recall the specific storyline of the game he had played before his transmigration, Honkai: Star Rail, based on his understanding of the game company before his transmigration, the factions and civilizations built around "that country" shouldn't be opposed to the first-person protagonist, Stelle.

Under these circumstances, obtaining identification that allowed free movement within the Luofu became extremely important.

The quiet atmosphere was finally broken by Jing Yuan. Perhaps sensing something, his expression shifted from surprise and seriousness to a slightly languid one. He smiled and raised his hand slightly toward Welt Yang, the head of the Astral Express.

“As expected of the legendary Astral Express. We didn't expect such a pleasant surprise after just a few days. Wouldn't you like to make the introductions?”

Welt Yang nodded.

“It was our dereliction of duty not to inform the General beforehand. To be honest, the sudden visit of these friends was indeed unexpected. Please forgive us, General.”

“You flatter us. We are more than grateful for the help of our friends. How could we be so ungrateful as to reprimand our guests?” Jing Yuan smiled.

“Let me introduce you,” Welt Yang said, gesturing toward the Store Manager. “This is the Store Manager of a café with special abilities. By chance, the entrance to his café became connected to your Luofu...”

He trailed off, then suddenly stopped.

Realizing Welt Yang's predicament, Stelle quickly interjected, “At Central Starskiff Haven, at the end of Xuanye Avenue.”

“Uh, yes, that's the place,” Welt Yang coughed awkwardly.

“A café Store Manager with special abilities... I see. Quite a unique and interesting identity.” Jing Yuan stroked his chin, turning his gaze toward the Store Manager. “May I ask your surname, Store Manager?”

“My surname is Yu, and my given name is Fan. Fan, as in smooth sailing.” The Store Manager chuckled. “If Your Excellency doesn't mind, you can simply address me as Store Manager, just like the other customers.”

Jing Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

“You are quite an extraordinary person, Your Excellency. However, if I may be so bold as to ask, are you perhaps... a Memokeeper?”

Stelle blinked, then suddenly seemed to realize something. Her gaze snapped toward the Store Manager.

“Oh right! Your café seems very similar to that place that suddenly appeared on the Astral Express!”

“With my activities regularly opening new café doors on new maps and even giving me new limited-edition weapons...” Stelle's eyes brightened as she spoke. “Store Manager, is your café, like that Memokeeper who opened an Abyss for me on the train, some kind of permanent event with regular sign-in rewards?”

“...You just said the word 'Abyss,' didn't you?”

The Store Manager rolled his eyes, then sighed.

'First, I need to clarify one thing. I haven't given up my body. While I do have the ability to travel between different worlds through memes, and I can indeed modify people's memories on a large scale to some extent, these abilities don't share the same fate-based power system as your world. They also have absolutely nothing to do with anything like Memokeepers.”

“It's just that, in terms of the manifestation and application of power, I can mostly do what Memokeepers can.”

The Store Manager shrugged.

“You are more candid than I expected,” Jing Yuan chuckled. “However, since you can do something similar to a Memokeeper, that also means... Diviner Fu?”

He lowered his gaze slightly, a hint of interest flickering in his eyes beneath his tousled bangs.

“Was this situation within your expectations?”

“Tsk...” Fu Xuan couldn't help but glare at Jing Yuan, her voice filled with resentment. “General, you should know very well that divination isn't just empty talk. Even the Matrix of Presence, with its ability to erase all traces using memes, can only detect a few clues when forced to operate at excessive power. If you have doubts about the divination results, why not confront the Wisdomwalker directly?”

After sarcastically responding to Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan briefly closed her eyes, let out a long breath, and then reopened them.

“My apologies to everyone from the café, especially you, Store Manager. I am Fu Xuan, one of the Six Charioteers of the Xianzhou and the Grand Diviner of the Divination Commission. Since you have come with goodwill toward the Xianzhou, I should have welcomed you with open arms. However, Heaven and Earth are not in their proper positions, so I must first deal with the current matter and then find another opportunity to entertain you distinguished guests.”

“...Grand Diviner Fu, in front of guests who have come from afar, perhaps it would be better to speak in a way that is easier to understand.” Jing Yuan rested his hand on his forehead and sighed softly.

“...” Fu Xuan fell silent for a moment, unable to resist glaring at Jing Yuan again. However, she knew this was not the right time to confront this unruly General. Suppressing her inexplicable irritation and frustration, she continued.

“I am already aware of your ability, which is very similar to a Memokeeper's. Although the Matrix of Presence can gather information encompassing all 'possibilities' from the past to the future, it is undeniable that even the Matrix of Presence, which has extended its reach throughout Luofu, has its own detection limits. Your presence is perhaps the best proof of that.”

“Under the influence of the Stellaron and the 'Unknowns,' the divination accuracy of the Matrix of Presence has deviated by a full eight percent. This is unprecedented since the Matrix of Presence was built. Such a large deviation cannot be corrected in a short time, and I cannot tolerate such errors in the calculations. Therefore, since this Store Manager possesses powers similar to those of a Memokeeper, I hope you will handle the interrogation.”

Fu Xuan pursed her lips, her tone inexplicably aggrieved and unwilling.

“I wonder if this Store Manager is willing to accept my— the Xianzhou Luofu's—commission?”

“Interrogation?” The Store Manager blinked, momentarily confused. “Is there some wanted criminal you've locked up in this so-called Matrix of Presence?”

Just then, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

He turned around and saw that their usually cool and aloof Trailblazer had somehow appeared behind him. Her strikingly handsome face, usually the epitome of a lesbian heartthrob, now showed a hint of pleading.

Unlike her previous shameless request for weapons, Stelle suddenly became reserved after hearing Fu Xuan's request, as though she had completely changed.

“What's wrong?” the Store Manager asked in a gentle tone, somewhat surprised.

Although reluctant to acknowledge this seemingly sinful "adopted daughter," the Store Manager, having once played her as a game character before coming to this world, found it difficult to truly regard this handsome, slightly arrogant, aloof beauty as a complete stranger.

Therefore, seeing the Trailblazer's sudden awkwardness, he instinctively spoke as gently as possible.

“...” Stelle pursed her lips, then suddenly leaned close to the Store Manager's ear and whispered

“Um, dear adoptive father... the criminal up ahead is my mother...”

“Why the sudden use of polite words?” The Store Manager was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding.

Stelle quickly shook her head.

“No, I mean... that criminal is my mother.”

“...?”

MiHoYo's game protagonist actually had both parents?

Oh wait, that might be a bit offensive to Kiana and Rose...

Wait a minute.

With a flash of insight, strange memories resurfaced in his mind.

The Store Manager thought for a moment, then turned to Stelle and whispered, “I don't remember much about your situation. Could you describe it in more detail?”

“Actually, I don't remember much either,” Stelle lowered her voice. “But... I have a strange feeling that the woman detained here by that little Grand Diviner is someone very important to me.”

“A woman?” the Store Manager asked.

“Yes. Like I said, that's my mother,” Stelle replied.

“So you have a mother now, yet you keep calling me 'godfather'?” The Store Manager sighed in exasperation. “Aren't you afraid your mother will get angry?”

“She won't blame me.” Stelle shook her head and hesitated for a moment. “Besides, compared to Kafka, I always feel that you, my godfather, treat me better.”

“Although you said you can't remember anything about me, you didn't hide anything from me or speak in riddles. You honestly told me about our relationship the first time we met, and you also let me know part of the true nature of this world by revealing the fact that 'you once played me.' So... I don't want to hide anything from you either.”

“...”

The Store Manager gave her a weary look.

“No. Even if you say such sentimental things, it doesn't change the fact that you're planning to dump all the problems and conflicts on me,” he said softly.

“Hmm... hehe?” Stelle chuckled awkwardly.

“Wait, why does everyone know this trick?! Aren't you all afraid Wendy will come after you for licensing fees?!”

“...Oh, my dear godfather, please help me!” Stelle shook the Store Manager's arm. “Don't hit my mom too hard, okay? Please~”

“Ahem.” Fu Xuan coughed, her face darkening. “I said, you don't think we can't hear anything, do you?”

“Emmmm...” The Store Manager and Stelle both looked somewhat embarrassed.

March 7 blinked her large, clear eyes and muttered blankly, “Are they really that close?”

“This Store Manager is a traveler who journeys between different World Bubbles. He probably met someone like Stelle in one of them,” Welt Yang said with a maternal smile on his lips as he watched the Store Manager and Stelle whisper to each other. “He understands Stelle well and knows how to interact with her. And March, you know Stelle's situation. She's lost most of her memories. It's only natural that she'd instinctively want to be close to someone she knows well and who is willing to take care of her.”

“That's true.” March 7 nodded. Perhaps because the phrase “lost most of her memories” resonated with her, a hint of envy crept into her gaze as she looked at Stelle.

How wonderful it must be to find someone you could rely on without hesitation.

Such a person was probably what people called family.

Meanwhile, while March 7 and Welt Yang were lost in their own thoughts, Fu Hua and Kiana, who had a deeper understanding of the Store Manager's true nature, both wore strange expressions.

They exchanged a glance, each seeing the same look of helplessness in the other's eyes.

“Ah, he's only been out for a few minutes, and the Store Manager is flirting with girls again.”

They both thought to themselves.

“How are we going to explain what happened here to the others when we get back?”

--

Chapter 130: A Profound Soul

When the beautiful woman, now without her light makeup, was escorted by several Cloud Knight soldiers to the edge of the Matrix of Prescience's perimeter, she almost immediately turned her gaze toward several figures she had never seen before.

Her gaze swept over Dr. Tesla, Kiana, Fu Hua, and the Store Manager. It paused briefly on Fu Hua before finally settling on the Store Manager.

"So it's you," she said. "The one who kidnapped that child from my side."

"Don't slander me." The Store Manager rolled his eyes. "When did I kidnap anyone from your side? She came to me herself."

"..."

The beautiful woman was speechless for a moment. Her stunningly beautiful face, even without makeup, displayed an expression of unspoken frustration.

She remained silent for a long time before speaking again. "You prevented that child from receiving Qlipoth's gaze. Logically, after she left that frozen planet, we should have tried to keep you away from her. But while preventing her from contacting 'Preservation,' you also bestowed upon her a triple power akin to 'Destruction' and 'Abundance.'"

She paused for a moment, then sighed softly.

"...Personally speaking, even if my power wasn't enough to match yours, I should have tried to persuade you to stay away from that child because your presence is of no benefit to her future or growth. But selfishly, I don't want to interfere with her choices. After all, whatever path she takes, she can only reach the future Elio has chosen."

"In this process, making choices according to her own will is probably the only freedom that child has left."

The Store Manager shrugged.

"What's the point of telling me all this? Go say those sentimental things to Stelle yourself. I'm just here to help the Grand Diviner interrogate you about your crimes. After that, I still need to go to the grocery store to buy supplies."

"What an insensitive man." The woman sighed again. "He's my husband in name only. Can't you be a little gentler with your woman?"

"...Don't cause trouble, I'm warning you." The Store Manager glared at the woman's helpless face.

"The father-daughter relationship that child have been proclaiming everywhere is still far from settled. Besides, even if I accepted the role of godfather, it doesn't mean we have any special relationship. I'm a married man. I can't control whether Stelle calls you 'Mom,' but we should each mind our own business. Don't randomly pair other people up as relatives."

"I say, even if you two want to flirt, shouldn't you find a private place?"

Fu Xuan could no longer tolerate the conversation between the Store Manager and the beautiful woman. "One of you is a wanted criminal of the Xianzhou awaiting interrogation, and the other is a detective commissioned by us. Flirting like this in public is a bit disrespectful to the General and me, isn't it?"

"Hehe." Jing Yuan's projected form let out a cheerful chuckle. "Don't be so tense, Fu Xuan. Didn't you notice? Although he didn't directly use that special ability similar to 'Remembrance,' the Store Manager's interrogation began the moment they met."

"Oh?" Fu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that? Why didn't I notice?"

"As you can probably tell from their conversation, the Stellaron Hunter has a deep connection with the Trailblazer on the Astral Express. Judging from Kafka's words, before arriving at the Xianzhou, Elio, the Stellaron Hunters' fate-seeing leader, somehow guided her future toward a point where she would intersect with Aeons. However, that predetermined future was disrupted by the Store Manager of that café."

"This reveals two things. First, while the Stellaron Hunter has dealings with the Astral Express, she has no connection whatsoever with the Store Manager. They and the Store Manager are like parallel lines that have never intersected. Therefore, in this incident, compared to the Stellaron Hunter and the Astral Express, the Store Manager's position is actually the most neutral."

"Second, just as the Divination Commission's Matrix of Prescience lost its precision after his arrival, even Elio, the leader of the Stellaron Hunters who claims to see all possibilities, cannot observe or interfere with the Store Manager's existence at will."

"Based on this characteristic, the Store Manager is destined to bring unimaginable trouble to the Stellaron Hunters' future plans. In fact, that trouble has already begun. Therefore, the Store Manager's position is destined to be diametrically opposed to that of the Stellaron Hunters. They cannot stand on the same side."

"Don't let their constant calling each other 'husband' and 'godfather' fool you. They're incredibly cunning behind the scenes," Jing Yuan said with a smile, his tone full of admiration.

"..."

Wait... how did I not realize I was having such a profound exchange with this woman just now?

The Store Manager blinked, his pupils reflecting the same blank, innocent look as Kiana's.

"I see."

Clearly, Fu Xuan believed him. Although Jing Yuan was rather unreliable in daily life, from a professional standpoint, Fu Xuan didn't think he was the type to speak carelessly on such an important matter.

"However, if the Store Manager and the Stellaron Hunter are destined to oppose each other, why didn't he simply use that memory-intervening power on her directly instead of engaging in a verbal battle? Isn't he worried about being bewitched by her Spirit Whisper?"

"This..." Jing Yuan was momentarily speechless, unsure how to smooth things over for the Store Manager.

Because everything I just said was simply to fool you. I didn't sense any confrontation in their conversation. But now that things had reached this point, I couldn't possibly admit it outright.

He could only give the Store Manager a helpless look, signaling him to get down to business before finally adding, "It's probably just the Store Manager's personal style."

"..."

The Store Manager was silent for a moment.

"I'm going to intervene in your memories. Is there anything else you want to say?"

The beautiful woman smiled.

"Then please, husband, witness your wife's fate for yourself."

"I told you not to casually claim family ties with me..." The Store Manager shook his head.

"...Never mind. I'm not interested in your story anyway."

He raised his hand and spread his fingers.

An invisible domain rapidly expanded as imaginary feathers fluttered freely through the air. The power of his consciousness was fully activated, and invisible waves of force instantly made the surrounding air feel heavy. Blinding arcs of electricity flashed across the ground while the spreading shockwaves whipped at everyone's clothes.

Suddenly, a dazzling light shone from the woman's smooth forehead.

The light separated from her skin as countless imaginary feathers swarmed toward it. They ultimately merged with the nearly tangible light, forming a feather that had completely solidified into matter.

At the Store Manager's gentle beckoning, the feather slowly floated into his palm, hovering silently above it.

The woman's body trembled. She stumbled, nearly losing her balance, and rapid breaths escaped from her unadorned lips.

Stelle instinctively took a step toward the beautiful woman. After a moment of silence, however, she did not go to her side.

"Huff... huff... It really is... much rougher than I imagined."

She gasped for breath, her eyes unfocused as she gritted her teeth and struggled to remain standing.

"There's no other way. To gain the trust of the Xianzhou, we have to let them directly access your memories." The Store Manager shrugged. "I'm just here to buy goods and watch that bastard Old Yang's antics. I'm not interested in your conflict with the Xianzhou Luofu. I don't want to scream and scratch over a bunch of people I have nothing to do with. That would just make me look stupid."

"..."

Although those words weren't directed at anyone in particular, Jing Yuan still felt a strange sensation, as though he had suddenly been kicked in the middle of the street.

"Which of you will do it?" The Store Manager turned toward Jing Yuan's projection and Fu Xuan's petite figure.

"You're planning to show me that woman's memories directly?" Fu Xuan asked.

"Yes."

"Then hand over the feather containing her memories."

Fu Xuan nodded and extended her hand toward the Store Manager.

"Alright. The feather will remain in physical form for about twenty minutes. As one of the Six Charioteers, you shouldn't lack the means to read such materialized memories."

"...You don't need to provoke me like that." Fu Xuan glared at the Store Manager. "Now that you distinguished guests have fulfilled the Xianzhou's request, we will naturally grant the promised access rights and the operating rights for your coffee shop immediately."

Jing Yuan continued, "I've already entered the Store Manager's information into the Xianzhou's registration system. From today onward, your coffee shop is a fully compliant business officially recognized by the Luofu."

"There's one more thing..."

At that moment, Jing Yuan's projection turned toward Fu Hua's semi-transparent figure.

"Regarding this lady, I have a favor to ask."

"Go ahead," Fu Hua nodded.

"I don't know how much you know about the Xianzhou Luofu or why you brought this lady, who resembles a Heliobus, with you. However, as a General, since I've already acknowledged your legitimate status within the Luofu, I still need to inform you in advance that this lady's appearance... is far too similar to that of a certain high-ranking figure of the Xianzhou."

"...You mean I look a lot like one of your high-ranking officials?" Fu Hua frowned.

"Yes. Everyone on the Astral Express should have heard of that person." Jing Yuan nodded. "The Marshal of the Cloud Knights—Hua."

"..."

Upon hearing that single name, Fu Hua's vision blurred for a moment.

Kiana and Dr. Tesla were even more surprised, while Old Yang, who had already been somewhat prepared, remained calm.

"Hua? Isn't that name..." Kiana murmured.

Although Fu Hua had not yet revealed her full identity, Kiana clearly remembered that not long ago, among the thirteen warriors from the same world as the Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden Mei, who had visited the café, one was named Hua.

That warrior was youthful and quiet, with an appearance identical to Fu Hua's. From their conversations, Kiana had also sensed a close relationship between the warrior named Hua and Fu Hua.

"...Were you aware of this?" Fu Hua turned toward the Store Manager and asked in a complicated tone.

After spending so much time at the coffee shop, she wasn't incapable of accepting the possibility that another version of herself existed in another world. Even so, Fu Hua honestly wasn't mentally prepared to confront this so-called "other self."

"I'd say I expected it to some extent." The Store Manager shook his head. "I haven't met this world's Marshal of the Cloud Knights either, but I do know that someone with the same name as you exists. Rather than letting you meet her suddenly without any preparation, I thought it would be better to use the Luofu as a stepping stone to prepare you mentally."

"And... it's not just that. That marshal... how should I put it..."

The Store Manager hesitated for a moment.

"Well, I think, in a way, she might need your help."

"My help?" Fu Hua asked doubtfully. "This may sound a bit boastful, but if she's a Marshal, then my counterpart's status and position in this world's Xianzhou couldn't possibly be lower than mine. And since she belongs to an interstellar civilization like Stelle's, she's unlikely to be weaker than I am. What qualification do I have to help her?"

Suddenly, Jing Yuan interrupted Fu Hua.

"On that point, it's not so simple to draw a conclusion."

He looked at Fu Hua with a complicated expression.

"Similar flowers from different worlds... Although I've never personally seen such a legendary phenomenon, I know that across countless worlds, two completely identical people may exist. Their experiences and personalities may differ, but in certain essential aspects, they share a considerable degree of commonality."

"Although you are not the Marshal of the Xianzhou, and in terms of sheer strength and physique you are even inferior to some of us Heavenly Generals, there is one thing in which you, who is also named Hua, surpass even our Marshal."

"This..." Fu Hua looked puzzled. "Could you elaborate?"

"I don't know how to describe it precisely, but I could tell from the very first glance. Perhaps because of environmental factors, your power is not particularly great. Yet perhaps because of your different experiences and past, your soul is even more profound than that of the Marshal I know."

---