Irene looked at the wristband on Pardo's hand. If it could truly allow free entry and exit from the Sea of Quanta...
Did that mean she could go find Seele ahead of schedule?
As for what to do if she bumped into Kevin? That didn't matter. Irene actually intended to have a word with Kevin, to get him to go trouble a certain someone.
She believed that once Kevin heard the news, he wouldn't think of coming back for at least a year. As for whether he could successfully trouble that person, it depended on how deep and how cowardly that person was hiding.
Meanwhile, Vill-V's introduction wasn't over yet. "At the same time, this wristband has a third function, which I consider the most excellent function~"
"As for this third function..." Vill-V wore a smile on her face. She took off the top hat on her head and pulled out a treasure chest, obviously much larger than the hat itself, holding it in her hands.
"Come, Pardo, open this and take a look~"
"Huh?" Pardo took the treasure chest from Vill-V with a confused look. Then, right in front of everyone, she opened it. At that exact moment, a ray of light instantly flashed across the surface of the bronze-colored wristband.
Subsequently, that light projected directly into the treasure chest, illuminating the entire interior with a blinding golden glow. Pardo looked at the light that was about to blind her eyes, then turned her head to look at Vill-V.
Seeing that Vill-V was only smiling, Pardo squinted at the glittering golden chest and casually picked a wrench out of it.
"Say, Sister Vill-V, did you just take one of your own tools and..."
Before Pardo could finish speaking, the wrench in her hand began to flow with rainbow-colored light. The bright radiance made Pardo reflexively let go.
The wrench fell to the ground with a crisp clang, and the flowing brilliance upon it gradually disappeared.
"Sister Vill-V, what on earth is this?"
Although Pardo already understood. This was probably another one of those magical little functions Sister Vill-V added to equipment—completely useless, purely for the sake of showing off. If it wasn't for showing off, then it must be for some other big performance.
These kinds of magical little functions existed on the vast majority of equipment produced by Vill-V. Even on Pardo's two Chakrams, the claw marks formed by the three blades of Sword Qi unleashed by infusing Honkai energy during an attack were not controlled by Pardo.
Rather, they were Vill-V's masterpiece. As for the purpose? That could be considered combat assistance, but obviously, the main reason Vill-V added this function was because Pardo was a little kitty, and when a cat swipes its claws, it naturally leaves scratch marks.
Yes, the reason was that simple. Or take the Cosmic Juggernaut for example. That thing didn't just look like a locomotive on the outside; it actually had a driver's cab and could genuinely emit the sound of a steam train.
And if it were actually placed on railway tracks, it could truly run on them with everything functioning normally. One could say that whatever a steam locomotive could do, the Cosmic Juggernaut could do too.
But the Cosmic Juggernaut didn't need to go on any tracks; it was the Space Divine Key! So, from the moment it was built, this function had never been used.
"Omni-Chromatic Dazzle Mode~" Vill-V leaned in next to Pardo and held up the wristband in Pardo's hand, as if displaying some rare treasure.
"It can use projection to precisely cover crates or any items inside them. Based on your mood and the rarity I judge, it will equip them with different levels of lighting effects."
"Isn't it incredibly cool and filled with artistic aesthetic?"
With Vill-V's introduction, the originally bronze-colored wristband also burst forth with light, cycling back and forth between rainbow starlight and other effects to demonstrate its power. The group looked at the wristband, which had become gaudy and flashy, and fell into a bout of silence.
"...So, what is the use of this function?" Irene couldn't help but ask.
"Use?" Vill-V said self-righteously. "Of course it's to look good! How can a great invention lack aesthetic value? Don't you think a magical magic equipment that shuttles between reality and the quantum must also be dazzling enough to match its status?"
Pardo looked at her wrist, which had become sparkly and shiny, and felt like crying without tears. What was she supposed to do when she went to 'restock' goods? She'd just open a box, and it would explode with light—wouldn't that plainly expose her?
But Vill-V didn't care about Pardo's reaction. If she cared about such things, she wouldn't have added so many random functions.
"So, this is the Anti-Kevin Armament Model 777 I developed specifically for Pardo's constitution. I even specially gave you this '777' symbol, which represents the luckiest symbol on a slot machine."
"I believe it has perfectly solved all your problems, my dear assistant!"
Pardo looked down at the wristband, which was still constantly changing light effects, then looked up at the smile on Vill-V's face, and nodded with some difficulty.
In any case, with this wristband, she wouldn't have to gamble on luck to activate Quantization every time. She could formally incorporate Quantization into her combat system.
It could be said to have resolved her biggest problem, but the light effects of this wristband might become another big problem for her.
Pardo looked up, wearing an ingratiating smile on her face, and looked at Vill-V: "Um, Sister Vill-V, can this light effect function be turned off?"
"Of cour~~~se..." Vill-V dragged out the tone. Amidst Pardo's expectant gaze, a mischievous smile rose on Vill-V's face. "...not! This is a function the great Vill-V tailored specifically for you."
"It lets you feel the thrill of opening a treasure chest with every drawer and every box you open~"
"...Thank you, Sister Vill-V." Hearing Vill-V's words, Pardo knew that disabling this function was impossible. Just like back then, when Dr. MEI tried her best but failed to stop Vill-V from making the Cosmic Juggernaut into a steam locomotive and giving it all the functions a steam locomotive should have.
She would just have to treat this light effect function as a spice of life, and a new challenge during her 'restocking' runs, right?
Thinking on the bright side, at least the other serious functions of the wristband were very effective for her.
"Alright, since the problems are solved, we should prepare for our return trip." Irene clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"The leave I asked for is almost at its limit. If I don't go back, Principal Theresa will probably be worried to death about me."
"? Is Miss Irene leaving already?" Elysia immediately revealed a regretful expression, leaning in to link arms with Irene. "Stay a little longer~"
"There are still many interesting places in the Realm I haven't taken you to! And look, Little Corruption just arrived not long ago..."
Irene smiled helplessly and gently patted Elysia's hand. "I'm only leaving the Realm, not never coming back. Isn't the door to the Elysian Realm always open for me? Besides, I still have to resolve matters outside."
Hearing this, Elysia let go of Irene's hand and nodded to her with a smile. "Then do your best."
"Well then, before leaving, I still have to go find Lixue and bring her back, and also make a trip to Dr. Mobius's place." Irene said as she stood up, stretching her somewhat stiff body.
"Do you need me to accompany you?" Kallen shouldered Judah, looking ready to set off at any moment. "It just so happens I can walk with you for a bit."
Irene shook her head. "No need. It's just to say goodbye and handle a small matter. You and Pardo can rest for a bit; I'll be back very soon."
Finding Lixue proved much simpler than Irene had imagined. With Elysia's hint, Irene found Lixue sparring with Hua in a quiet corner of the Realm.
At this moment, the two seemed to be sparring. Although unlike the outside world, where she had developed things like Taixuan Sword Qi along the way, Hua hadn't just been standing around idly for these 50,000 years.
She hadn't developed Taixuan Sword Qi, but her martial arts skills had improved significantly. Sparring with Lixue was no problem at all.
During these 50,000 years, Hua had trained with every weapon she could practice, use, or access, reaching a level of mastery with each. After all, 50,000 years had passed; even a pig could become a spirit in that time, let alone Hua, whose talent was actually quite good.
Every weapon, every stance, could be called perfection, wielded with ease. She even gave a pointer or two regarding Lixue's sword moves.
After all, Lixue did call her Master, even if it was her future or real-world self. Moreover, compared to being waited on by Lixue, Hua much preferred to teach.
At least it wasn't as awkward.
Seeing Irene arrive, Lixue retracted her stance and turned to look at Irene. "Miss Irene, why have you come?"
"We've been in the Realm for a while; it's time to go back," Irene said with a smile, while looking at Hua. "Senior Hua, thank you for your guidance to Lixue during this time."
Hua shook her head gently. Her voice remained flat, but her eyes softened slightly. "Lixue is a good student. She works very hard. You... are leaving?"
"Yes, there are matters outside that need handling." Irene nodded. "But we will come again. This is just a temporary departure. After all, there are many things outside that require our attention."
"I know." Hua nodded. "We are merely phantoms of the past. Matters of reality must still rely on you all. I hope you can achieve what we failed to do back then."
Hearing this, a trace of reluctance flashed in Lixue's eyes, but she nodded obediently. She turned her head and bowed to Hua. "I understand, Master... Thank you for your teachings these past days. Lixue has benefited greatly."
Hua looked at Lixue, silent for a moment. Finally, she reached out and gently patted Lixue's shoulder.
"Practice diligently, do not slack off. If you have questions... you may come at any time."
These simple words caused Lixue's eyes to freeze slightly, and then she nodded vigorously. "Yes! Disciple will surely remember Master's teachings!"
After bidding farewell to Hua, Irene had Lixue go to the lobby first to wait for them to regroup. Then, she turned and stepped into the portal leading to Mobius's laboratory.
Stepping into Mobius's laboratory once more, Irene found the atmosphere here seemed... even heavier. At least Fuxi and Nuwa were processing the mountain of documents before them with lifeless eyes.
Obviously, after resolving Rin's matter, Mobius had shifted more work onto the two little Doctors.
Or perhaps Mobius felt the two had been trained enough and could return to a normal workload.
"Hmm? Lab Rat, why are you back again?" Mobius sat in her suspension chair, casting a lazy glance at Irene who had just entered. "Could it be there was something you didn't understand in the previous lessons? I don't offer after-sales service~"
"No, Dr. Mobius." Irene smiled. "I came to say goodbye. We are preparing to leave the Realm."
"Oh?" Mobius raised an eyebrow, seeming unsurprised. "Finally leaving, huh? That's good. After all, evolution requires change. Staying here forever means you won't encounter change."
"Don't waste your talent, alright?"
This typical Mobius-style statement made Irene chuckle. Just as Mobius watched Irene preparing to say something, she saw Irene pull a test tube from behind her back.
"Before leaving, I'd like to ask Dr. Mobius to help me research this."
"What is this?" Mobius took the test tube, looking at the tiny bit of liquid at the bottom with some confusion. "Some kind of potion?"
"This is a Honkai Resistance Enhancement Reagent I obtained by chance previously," Irene explained. "It can significantly increase the user's resistance to Honkai energy within a very short time."
"The effect is extremely significant. I'd like to ask you to analyze its composition and mechanism of action to see if there's any possibility... of finding a way to mass-produce it."
This thing was the last bit of Honkai Resistance Enhancement Potion Irene had been hiding. She refused to believe it—with the combined abilities of the two big scientific shots from Anti-Entropy and Mobius, could they still not replicate it?
If even this couldn't be replicated, then Irene would accept it; this was just the mighty power of the System.
Mobius looked at the tube of reagent in her hand, the corners of her mouth curling into a playful smile, swallowing the words she was about to say back into her heart.
"Interesting... An enhancement potion? I'll try researching it."
It seemed she couldn't leave now. Aside from the Elysian Realm, Mobius didn't know where to find a qualified laboratory. The plan to borrow Irene's ability to leave would have to be temporarily shelved.
It wasn't like Mobius couldn't understand just how strong this potion's importance was for humanity. One could say that Honkai Resistance was a crucial indicator of whether a person could participate in the battlefield.
Mobius had seen countless talented soldiers who wanted to undergo the MANTIS surgery but were blocked directly by the words 'Honkai Resistance'.
How many excellent commanders had died directly from Honkai corruption while commanding because of Honkai Resistance issues?
You might have brains, martial force, and talent, but you didn't necessarily have Honkai Resistance. This was why Dr. MEI worked so hard to develop Stigmata technology.
It was to enhance the Honkai Resistance of the majority, so those with talent wouldn't be unable to step onto the battlefield for the sole reason of Honkai Resistance.
"Klein, record this. New research project."
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