And so, Fu Hua and Theresa walked ahead, with Ji Xuanyang and the other three behind. The group left the cabin and ascended to the deck.
By then, the Hyperion had been anchored for three days over the waters where the Nine Netherworlds were located. Otto had long been aware of the Hyperion's movements, which was precisely a measure Theresa wanted to use to reassure Otto.
Otherwise, she could easily activate the Hyperion's stealth mode to block nearby satellites and radar.
Only by exposing everything to Otto's view could she minimize the man's suspicion.
Just as Otto understood Theresa, Theresa understood Otto, at least on these levels.
Standing on the deck, under the midday sun, Fu Hua did not feel the heat at all.
Of course, the temperature at high altitudes is not high to begin with, and with the moisture-laden clouds appearing and disappearing next to the Hyperion, absorbing a lot of heat, the feeling of standing on the deck at this moment is somewhat similar to springtime.
The pleasant temperature, the bright sun, and the feeling that her mind had been released from some kind of shackles gave Fu Hua the urge to open her arms and enjoy everything.
However, she is ultimately a reserved person and might not do such a thing even when alone, let alone in front of Theresa and others.
So, in the end, Fu Hua only took a few deep breaths to relieve her inner joy, and then extended her right hand, conjuring a pink and white feather in it.
"Now I can use the Feather Dust ability to create illusions and alter everyone's memories without any burden."
Fu Hua smiled and said what Theresa and the others most wanted to hear at that moment.
"Really?!"
Theresa's eyes lit up with surprise: "In that case, we can return to the Hyperion without worrying about Otto or anyone else discovering us. We've been here for so many days, and although we've been sending our archaeological progress reports to the mission system every day, Otto should already be getting suspicious."
Fu Hua's joy at that moment was no less than Theresa's.
It's not that she was happy to have recovered her strength, but no one wants to be injured.
Previously, every time she used Feather Dust, even if it wasn't at zero-rated power, it placed a great burden on her body.
Although she can no longer use the Taixu God Sword as freely as she did in her prime, she can recover after using it once and resting for half a year.
This provides her with an additional layer of protection against Otto.
Five hundred years have passed. She does not know how much Otto's strength has progressed, but she knows the limits of humanity.
Therefore, even though she was no match for Otto at this point, she could still stand in front of the students of St. Freya Academy and protect them from Otto's attacks by relying on the Taixu God Sword.
Fu Hua's recovery made everyone happy for a while. The research on super mutant factor technology could be suspended, as there was still someone on the hospital bed. It was time to start researching the Shaniat Holy Blood.
Thus, Theresa did not dare to remain in the Nine Netherworlds any longer. After briefly organizing the archaeological information from the past few days, she hastily boarded the Hyperion and returned to St. Freya Academy.
Theresa's actions simply went past Otto's psychological limit. She was free from his surveillance for three days, and it seemed nothing would go wrong.
Moreover, Otto had already planned that if Theresa did not take action after three days, he would send Amber to check on her personally.
Upon their return, Theresa and Fu Hua were not idle either. They worked hard on their papers, planning to submit them to a history journal in China upon their return to St. Freya Academy.
Regardless of whether the article is accepted for publication, the entire act must be performed.
The Hyperion was very fast. Since Jiuyou was located in the coastal waters of Shenzhou and very close to the Far East, the group only took an hour to successfully land on the helipad of St. Freya Academy.
The illusion created by Feather Dust took effect as soon as they disembarked from the Hyperion.
Meanwhile, medical staff who had been instructed by Theresa to wait on the runway boarded the Hyperion the moment it landed and transported Himeko from the sanatorium to the academy's emergency center.
Many doctors with extensive experience in treating the corruption of Valkyrie bodies by Honkai energy eyes were waiting for this patient in the operating room.
Outside the operating room, Theresa and the others did not leave but waited in silence.
Theresa and the others' anxiety at that moment was genuine. After all, in the presence of strangers, their memories of the Q&A room had been completely overwritten by the illusory memories, and they had completely forgotten that they had a powerful tool to solve Himeko's current physical problem.
Even Kiana, who is usually the most carefree, was unusually silent at this moment, sitting quietly outside the operating room, waiting for news of the surgery's completion.
The first person to arrive at the academy upon hearing the news was Walter Yang, the leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance who was lurking inside the academy at the time.
At that time, he was a history teacher at St. Freya Academy. His appearance was that of a messy, rigid student, very different from his original image. He had not revealed his identity in two years.
It can be said that, to some extent, Anti-Entropy has always been by Kiana's side, which is both a form of surveillance and a form of protection.
If it weren't for the unexpected incident in Abyss City that required Welt Yang to handle it, leading to him being trapped in the Sea of Quanta, the awakening of the Herrscher of the Void might not have happened as smoothly as Otto had planned.
"Teacher Yang, what brings you here?"
Kiana looked at the newcomer and did not give him a friendly look.
After all, this is the type of person who gave her a zero on her history exam during her own entrance examination.
You should know that the teachers of other subjects did not give her a zero, only because she wrote a few words.
Walter Yang adjusted his glasses: "After all, Professor Himeko is my colleague. Since she is injured, it is natural that I had to come and see her."
In fact, what Walter Yang was thinking was that if the medical standards at St. Freya Academy were not good enough, he would have to find a way to introduce Theresa to the doctor friend he knew in the United States.
While Welt Yang could not prevent Himeko from getting involved in the mess of Honkai and Schicksal, he could at least help deal with the erosion of Honkai energy affecting her body.
After all, Himeko Murata was his student.
However, Kiana misinterpreted Walter Yang's explanation.
Kiana looked Walter Yang up and down: "Himeko-sensei wouldn't like someone like you. If you want to go after Himeko-sensei, at least fix your hair and take off your glasses. Oh, and take off those sloppy clothes you're wearing."
The more Kiana spoke, the more impossible it seemed. Finally, she shook her head and said: "Forget it, I think you should give up hope. It's useless."
Walter Yang: "..."
"Alright, the surgery won't finish anytime soon. Kiana, you all go back to your dormitories first. I'll monitor things here, everything will be fine. It will be dark soon, go back and have dinner, wash up, and finish writing this mission report. I will review it tomorrow. Also, Fu Hua, after dinner, teach Ji Xuanyang about St. Freya. Although Ji Xuanyang has a special identity, she knows very little about this era, so I will arrange her enrollment as soon as possible so she can learn to integrate into this era at the academy."
Although Theresa was also somewhat exhausted, after all, she was Himeko's director and superior, so she naturally had to take responsibility for taking care of her.
As for Kiana and the other students, they naturally have their own things to do.
Hearing Theresa say that, Kiana and the others left the place, albeit reluctantly.
Back at the dormitory, Mei immediately began preparing dinner without saying a word.
However, after preparing a large table of dishes, the three of them, along with Fu Hua and Ji Xuanyang, had little appetite for the sumptuous meal.
After all, Himeko was still in the operating room and her condition was unclear, so how could they eat?
However, at least the others managed to eat a bowl of rice, while Kiana only ate two bowls...
Hmm, something doesn't seem right?
The problem is that everyone usually eats a full bowl of rice, but Kiana usually eats six at once like a dead hungry ghost. Today she only ate two and then stopped eating. Obviously, she was more surprised than anyone.
"Kiana, don't worry too much about Himeko-sensei. The academy has such advanced medical technology that she will surely be cured."
Mei knew that although Kiana usually seemed the most carefree, she valued her companions more than anyone else.
After hearing Mei's words of comfort, Kiana lowered her head and remained silent.
At that moment, a noise was heard from the door of the dormitory's living room.
A white-haired loli dressed in a black nun's habit appeared before everyone.
Seeing Theresa's dejected look, Kiana and the other two immediately changed their expressions.
"I have bad news. I just received a call from the emergency center... Major Himeko, she..."
Hearing this, the expressions of Kiana and the other two turned somber.
But the next instant, Theresa's face revealed a mischievous smile, as if it had been a successful joke: "She is completely out of danger! Although she still can't get out of bed, she will be able to move again after a month of rest! It's a shame. I hoped that girl with the bomb would be seriously injured so I could teach her a lesson for her irascible temper. But it seems that this time that opportunity has vanished."
As she spoke, Theresa took out a copy of the latest Houmu comic and a bottle of freshly squeezed bitter melon juice from somewhere, beaming with joy: "So, let's celebrate health!"
Mei and Bronya: "...Uh, why does the director like bitter melon juice so much...?"
Huh?
Theresa, who had lightened the mood a bit with a joke, soon realized that Kiana, who was normally the most boisterous girl, was sitting quietly to the side.
She walked over to Kiana and touched her braid: "Hey, are you okay? I was just joking with you all."
Theresa thought Kiana was angry about a joke she had made earlier, so she wanted to apologize.
Kiana, sitting in the chair, squeezed her hands over her lap, turned her head to hide the tears welling up in her eyes, and then said: "In the Nine Netherworlds, I was right next to Himeko-sensei, but I couldn't save her at all."
That's right, Kiana is not worried that Himeko's injuries cannot be treated with St. Freya's medical expertise.
What worried her was that her companions and teachers were in dangerous situations and she could not do anything to help them.
Theresa paused for a moment and then comforted her: "It's not your fault. Everyone's abilities are limited."
Kiana shook her head vigorously and loudly retorted: "As the heir of the Kaslana family, I swore to my father that I would protect the people I care about. I can't keep being so lost... Aunt, I want to become stronger as quickly as possible!"
Looking at Kiana that way, Theresa seemed to remember herself back then.
What initially sustained her as she grew stronger was precisely this same belief in wanting to protect those who were important to her.
Although... Cecilia...
Theresa sighed softly, burying her sadness deep in her heart. Standing before her beloved's daughter, she placed her hands on her hips and said with unwavering enthusiasm: "No problem, Kiana. Then, let me give you a hellish training. Get ready!"
Previously, on the other side of Anti-Entropy, after Xing reported the details of the Nine Netherlands mission to Cocolia, Cocolia summoned all the current Executors within the organization to the virtual space ark created by Anti-Entropy.
Among them was not only Cocolia herself, representing the reformists, but also Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla, representing the conservatives.
Since Cocolia was born a soldier, she possessed a very powerful aura. Therefore, even the elders of the Anti-Entropy organization, Einstein and Tesla, could not suppress her in the absence of Welt Young, the leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance.
After all, the latter two are best at scientific research.
After gathering everyone, Cocolia said: "Attention, according to my information, the Third Herrscher is being held captive in St. Freya Academy. Now is the best time to recover it! So, I will begin to explain the details of the plan to recover it."
Seeing that Cocolia had devised her own plan without asking for everyone's opinion, Tesla, who was always short-tempered and outspoken, could no longer tolerate it.
"Wait a moment!"
Tesla interrupted Cocolia: "The Alliance Leader once said that all plans related to the Herrscher must be approved by him. Has he approved this plan?"
Cocolia looked at Tesla with a mocking smile on her lips: "If you are talking about the Alliance leader, isn't she sitting next to me right now?"
After Cocolia's reminder, Tesla noticed that a man dressed in a hooded suit was sitting next to Cocolia.
Tesla, who had a very close relationship with Welt Yang, naturally knew that the person in front of him could not be the true leader of Anti-Entropy. After all, she knew perfectly well that the true First Herrscher was lurking in St. Freya Academy.
In other words, if Welt Young had truly wanted to take action against the Third Herrscher, he would have had countless opportunities to do so in the last two years. He would not have needed to summon these Executors, much less civilians like her and Einstein.
However, these are things that Cocolia cannot be told.
So Tesla could only say: "Chiba would really have to be the leader. He has been elusive all year, constantly changing his appearance and identity. How can you expect me to believe that someone next to you...?"
However, before Tesla could finish speaking, the man sitting next to Cocolia activated his ability and said: "Mr. Tesla, are you doubting me?"
The man conjured the Ninth Divine Key, the Star of Eden, in his hand. Then he manipulated gravity, pressing everyone present, except Cocolia, to the floor.
Feeling the oppressive force emanating from the Star of Eden, Tesla immediately recognized the man's identity.
It seems that Cocolia's madness far exceeds her imagination.
After giving everyone a taste of their own medicine, the man snapped his fingers with satisfaction, releasing the gravitational pressure: "Then, Lord Cocolia, please continue explaining the plan of action."
Cocolia: "Yes, madam."
St. Freya Academy, Valkyrie Dormitory —
After Theresa brought the news that Himeko was out of danger and took Kiana away, Fu Hua took Ji Xuanyang to familiarize herself with the academy.
With nothing else to do, Bronya and Mei started playing a two-player fighting game called "Honkai Impact 3rd," developed by the staff of St. Freya.
This game is quite similar to other fighting games on the market. The most interesting part are the playable characters, all students of St. Freya Academy.
In this way, each of them chose a character with their own appearance and fighting style to play the game, giving the feeling that the two were genuinely fighting each other.
However, it is clear that in the realm of non-real-world video games, it is absolutely a pipe dream for Mei to defeat a professional player like Bronya.
After trying everything to change the result, Mei said disheartenedly: "Oh, I'll never be able to beat Bronya. I lost all night. I really wanted to win one more game before going to sleep..."
Bronya furtively looked at Mei, who had the controller over her head, and after a moment of silence, extended her left hand to help press the special m