Raven ultimately left because it was now Chen Ran and Wendy's time together.
Clearly, they were long-lost lovers, yet at this moment, there was not a hint of romance between them.
Wendy looked at the departing Raven and said to Chen Ran, "Natasha was a bit anxious too; please don't blame her."
"I won't; she is the normal reaction a person should have."
Chen Ran sighed, "If someone were to toy with my fate, I would be angry too. Anger is an emotion that only normal people have, and I envy that."
"Because right now, even if I wanted to vent my anger, I wouldn't know who to direct it at."
In fact, he could completely stop the simulation.
The system did not require him to keep simulating; as long as he had the confidence not to simulate, he could defeat Finality.
Of course, Chen Ran felt that even if he simulated, he had no confidence in defeating Finality.
Chen Ran understood in his heart that his greatest gain should be the Dead Sea Scrolls and the 11 dimensions recorded within; only by understanding this could he have the means to defeat Finality.
The rest of those gains were essentially just extras.
He had simulated several times just for those extras.
Wendy seemed to hesitate to speak.
Chen Ran smiled and said, "Just say what you want; or is it inconvenient for you to tell me?"
"Nothing."
Wendy said gloomily, "Have I not told you that I went to find Kevin with Bishop Otto?"
She recounted the transaction between Otto and Kevin, including the matter regarding Kiana.
Then, Wendy said, "And then, I met Elysia and asked her about you. Elysia told me that she hadn't found the Chen Ran who is alive until now."
In the world fifty thousand years later, Chen Ran had not set foot.
"An expected result," Chen Ran said. "The Stigmata terminal on the moon is also looking for me, so it seems I might have died."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wendy covered his mouth.
"You mustn't say that."
The girl's eyes turned red as she said seriously, "Just like Senior Cecilia's fate was changed, you can also change your own fate."
"Alright, let's not talk about this."
Chen Ran wrapped up the topic and paused before saying, "Let's discuss the current situation, the Starway to Heaven, and the matter regarding the Herrscher of the Void."
He and Wendy walked outside, looking at the Starway to Heaven that seemed to lead to the abyss.
Wendy teased, "Do you remember Ana?"
Chen Ran felt a bit awkward and asked about her current situation.
At that time, he had been like a madman, wanting to create the fifth Honkai.
The result was that if Wendy hadn't stopped him, he would have become a scoundrel like Cocolia.
Even so, he still felt a bit embarrassed.
Wendy said, "The result wasn't good."
"Manila experienced a Major Honkai Eruption, and that Honkai destroyed the Snow Lotus Squad that Ana was part of." She said, "Now Ana is alone at Schicksal Headquarters, and her mental state is not stable."
Chen Ran was slightly taken aback.
The Manila Honkai that was supposed to happen still occurred.
According to the plot, Ana would still come to the Coral Island area to station.
She said, "Besides Manila, many large cities have also experienced Major Honkai Eruptions, and there are speculations that Kiana's return triggered this."
Chen Ran pondered.
The essence of Honkai was still the entropy difference caused by the inside and outside of four-dimensional space; Kiana's return exacerbated this entropy difference.
Of course, he didn't fully understand the real theory; he only knew that he needed to visit Anti-Entropy.
Wendy linked her arm with Chen Ran's and said, "As for Kiana, she was taken away by Cecilia and is now at Saint Freya."
Chen Ran nodded; this was somewhat expected.
Cecilia was not dead, which was the best news.
Even though she was now in her thirties, she was still undeniably Schicksal's number one Valkyrie.
Wendy seemed to hesitate again.
Chen Ran smiled and said, "If there's anything else, just say it directly; there's nothing we can't be honest about, right?"
Wendy nodded, "Actually, it's nothing much; it's just that your relationship with Elysia seems to be quite good."
In the end, she still did not mention the matter Otto wanted her to probe.
Chen Ran hoped to save that era, which was actually in opposition to Otto's direction.
Otto hoped to use Wendy's words to dissuade him, but Wendy ultimately suppressed this matter and turned to talk about trivial things regarding Elysia.
However, her words left Chen Ran slightly taken aback.
"My relationship with her…"
If we were to talk about the present, his relationship with Elysia was purely that of someone he could have a few conversations with.
Even Elysia was directly as close as sisters with Eden, whom she had just met, but to him, it was merely a matter of chatting a few times?
Yet, on the moon in 2000, and earlier on the Starway to Heaven, Elysia had a perfectly appropriate ambiguity with him.
Could it be that in the future, he and Elysia really had a good relationship?
He hesitated for a moment and said, "If I said our relationship is bad, that would definitely be a lie. But to say it's very good, honestly, I don't feel that way."
Wendy smiled faintly, "Should I be happy that I got to know you earlier?"
She directly pinched Chen Ran's soft flesh at the waist, and he immediately put on a mask of pain.
"Stop it, I promise, I absolutely have nothing to do with Elysia."
Wendy merely responded with a nonchalant "heh."
She looked at Chen Ran's profile, and a conflict flashed through her mind.
Wendy really wanted to be part of Chen Ran's past; she hoped he could come to his future in a real way, not just through time travel.
But would there be such an opportunity?
When Bishop Otto and Kevin both turned their attention to Chen Ran, it meant that Chen Ran was not only going to be at odds with Honkai but also with the rulers of the entire world.
Most importantly, how would he step out of the time he was jumping through?
But if he stopped jumping through time, would that mean he would never intersect with her again?
She said, "Let's go stargazing tonight; I haven't been with you for a long time."
Chen Ran was slightly taken aback and nodded, "Sure."
"We've never really been together like this."
…
…
"Ugh, Mei, I'm really stuffed."
At Saint Freya, in the Valkyrie dormitory.
Kiana instinctively tried to stand up from the dining table, but with a single glance from Mei, she obediently sat back down.
Mei said lightly, "You've suffered so much; even if you're stuffed, you still have to eat."
On the table were dozens of dishes, and in front of Kiana, there were already several empty bowls.
"Actually, it wasn't that hard," Kiana mumbled.
Until now, Kiana felt as if she were dreaming.
She found the designated Stigmata space using the spatial lens where Eden was located.
Then, after hanging her consciousness in the Stigmata space connected to the entire domain, she actually returned.
It was like a time machine or a teleportation portal.
In any case, Kiana had no idea; amidst Chen Ran's elaborate explanations, all she remembered was something about time crystals.
It was just magical, simply magical.
Cecilia, sitting nearby, smiled brightly, "Alright, Mei, there's no need to force Kiana."
After Kiana became the Herrscher of the Void and appeared in Siberia, Cecilia was the first to bring her back to Saint Freya.
That was how they ended up having this meal today.
Not only was Theresa here, but Himeko, Cecilia, and the real Kiana were also present.
The real Kiana looked at Kiana, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Theresa looked at Kiana and then at the real Kiana, her eyes revealing a hint of confusion.
When Kiana went fifty thousand years ago, Theresa lost her memory of her.
She also didn't think Cecilia had given birth to twins.
Strange, what exactly happened in between?
Theresa had no idea what was going on, but why did Mei seem so familiar with this Kiana, while Cecilia and her niece also knew of her existence?
It felt as if the whole world was keeping secrets from her.
As if sensing her confusion, Cecilia smiled and said, "Kiana, ah, having two Kianas really makes it hard to tell them apart. How did Siegfried come up with that name?"
At that moment, Siegfried was not present, and Kiana awkwardly said, "Actually, you can just call me Sirin; I used that name fifty thousand years ago."
Theresa seized the opportunity, "Fifty thousand years ago, what exactly was that?"
Himeko also chimed in, "I'm equally curious."
Kiana blinked and said, "Let me explain; although it might be a bit confusing."
As she slowly elaborated, Theresa, Himeko, and the real Kiana heard a 'story.'
Theresa was somewhat surprised, "So much happened? Why didn't I know about any of this?"
Kiana shook her head in response, "I don't know."
"Oh, but I came here with a mission."
Her eyes sparkled, "That is to establish a connection across the domain."
Kiana pointed to her brain, "I've forcibly memorized the methods, but it's not the kind of rote memorization; it's similar to a memory device I used in a special Stigmata space fifty thousand years ago."
As Kiana spoke, Cecilia and the others also understood what the so-called connection across the domain was.
In simple terms, it was an information channel established in the consciousness space, and this channel could simultaneously transmit information carriers from fifty thousand years ago.
However, the dimensional channel established by information must have strict filtering; the connection across the domain can only be accessed by Stigmata holders.
Perhaps at this moment, Chen Ran did not know that this was the true Project Stigma that Kevin was going to carry out.
And after Kiana finished explaining in one breath, everyone couldn't help but frown.
The real Kiana finally had the chance to ask a question that had been on her mind.
"If that's the case, can I communicate with the other me, Bianka?"
The real Kiana had been troubled by Bianka.
She went fifty thousand years ago, claiming to challenge the Herrscher of Finality. However, even she knew that if Finality were easy to challenge, there wouldn't be the current civilization of this era.
Compared to the Kiana who was now rubbing her belly and the Bianka who had gone fifty thousand years ago, she was the one who was surplus to the world.
A space cannot spontaneously generate matter, so she and that Bianka were destined not to coexist in the same time.
That was why it was Kiana who returned, not Bianka.
Kiana tilted her head and said, "Theoretically, there shouldn't be a problem, but in reality, sigh, the current Fire Moth is a mess. Chen Ran has to seek refuge outside of Fire Moth, and I was even interrogated."
The girl's experience fifty thousand years ago was like "Robinson Crusoe," while Theresa listened, becoming increasingly confused.
Who was Bianka?
Although Kiana said a lot, Theresa felt her confusion growing.
"Cecilia."
She felt like a drowning person signaling for help to Cecilia.
"If it's convenient, could you tell the complete story from your perspective?"
Kiana scratched her head, "I'm sorry, Principal, and Teacher Himeko; I forgot you don't have this memory."
Cecilia said, "Well, this needs to start from the year 2000... but 2000 wasn't the beginning of the events either. Indeed, time being chaotic is troublesome."
Through her explanation, Theresa finally realized what aspect of memory she had lost.
Theresa had never thought that Cecilia had actually died once, and Himeko had too.
The Second Herrscher Sirin and Kiana had such a connection, and this was all known by the bishop named Otto.
Theresa frowned deeply.
Himeko smiled wryly, "So much happened. Oh, by the way, is Bronya's absence related to Chen Ran?"
A few months ago, Bronya left Saint Freya.
And since then, she had not returned.
Kiana suddenly realized, "Oh right, I haven't asked why Bronya isn't here."
"Wendy would know better about that." Raiden Mei paused and said, "I know she contacted Chen Ran before leaving."
"Chen Ran's matters won't be hidden from Wendy."
"Such feelings exist... wait, isn't Wendy fifteen this year?" Himeko was shocked.
Although love is free.
But Wendy's age is a bit too young.
However, this was a different matter, and no one would say anything about it.
Cecilia smiled and said, "Let's talk about the connection across the domain; I'm also very interested in the events from fifty thousand years ago."
She still had a daughter lost out there.
…
…
"The night is really beautiful tonight, don't you think, Kevin?"
In the World Serpent's base.
Kevin, who had just come out, looked at the girl in front of him and said lightly, "What is it?"
"Oh, you really haven't changed at all."
Elysia's eyes still sparkled with mischief, "I thought by now you would be more mature and better at hiding your thoughts."
"Not necessary."
The indifferent three words were like ice.
Elysia sighed, "Kevin, has anyone ever told you that you're a buzzkill?"
"Once."
Kevin, still maintaining his youthful appearance, had a slight flicker in his eyes.
Living fifty thousand years later, perhaps only memories could soften him a bit.
But that was all.
"If you're here to persuade me to give up Project Stigma, then you should give up." Kevin said, "No one knows the significance of Project Stigma better than I do."
Elysia tilted her head, "Then what if I say Project Stigma is bound to fail?"
"Because of Chen Ran?"
"Because of fate."
Elysia smiled brightly, "Don't forget I'm a very special existence; although I'm also troubled by why it has to be me."
"However, I'm just here to remind you; I won't stop you, but you also won't change the final outcome because of me."
Kevin said indifferently, "If there were no purpose, you wouldn't be standing here."
"Oh, so our friendship is that fragile? But you're right."
Elysia took a deep breath and said, "Kevin, what will you do to Chen Ran before Project Stigma truly starts?"
"Lock him in the Sea of Quanta or the Imaginary Tree."
Kevin did not hide it: "He is the biggest variable in the plan."
"Only this way can he not affect time. Sigh, it seems all the secrets about Chen Ran have been thoroughly researched. Let me guess, this suggestion was given to you by MEI, right?"
Kevin did not speak, but that was already a tacit acknowledgment.
Elysia smiled brightly, "You don't seem worried that I will stop you."
"You won't."
Kevin said matter-of-factly, "You stand on the side of humanity."
He naturally assumed that Elysia was on the same side as him.
This made a slightly troubled expression appear on Elysia's face.
"Well, you're right; I am indeed on the side of humanity, but Kevin, are you sure what you're doing belongs to the human standpoint?"
"Relying on the global connection to reach a place where Honkai will not appear is his wisdom." Kevin said this.
He continued, "I am merely perfecting this step according to MEI's orders."
Kevin spoke so calmly that Elysia had no room to refute.
She said, "Indeed, Kevin, you really are a man who disappoints girls."
Elysia left.
She did not join World Serpent, nor did she join any other faction.
To Kevin, it didn't matter.
"Contact Jackal, Project Stigma can be prepared."
As long as Chen Ran and Elysia did not stop him, he saw no possibility of failure in this plan.
…
…
Europe, Schicksal Headquarters.
Otto stood in front of the airport, gazing into the distance beyond the clouds.
At that moment, he received a message: "Lord Bishop, the Tianqiong City Divine Medicine you asked me to keep an eye on has shown some movement."
Rita Rossweisse appeared on Otto's communicator.
She said, "According to the original plan, this operation did not involve Lord Schariac. Should we inform the Herrscher of the Void?"
"Of course."
Otto did not want to wait any longer.
He said, "Only then can we gain the trust of our allies, right?"
Rita nodded, indicating that she understood.
Project Stigma was the foundation of the collaboration between Schicksal and World Serpent.
To be precise, the purpose of this plan was not merely to awaken Stigmata; that was just one of the goals.
The most important goal was to enable Kiana to master the abilities of the Herrscher of the Void.
Only in this way could the foundation for the next plan be established.
Otto could not wait any longer and continued to restore the Sirin plan.
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