Volume 2, Chapter 48: Ana, Alert Like a Frightened Rabbit

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Rita returned home on the very day after the testing concluded.

She didn't linger even though she found Lady Theresa truly adorable. This wasn't her vacation time; although, had Rita taken it as such, no one would have complained.

Xia Chen accompanied her partway to bid farewell and listened half-jokingly as Rita mentioned, "Just recently, Lady Durandal dreamed about you and ended up being late for training."

"From Lady Durandal's description, that dream seemed quite intense," Rita's words carried a suggestive undertone, enough to make an uninformed person's imagination run wild.

Xia Chen remained silent, fully aware of that particular 'dream.'

By now, he had formed some conjectures about the simulation scenarios.

These were various existing threads of destiny.

The system's capability, however, was to untangle and organize these numerous destiny lines.

Yet, there exists the 'First Law' of Destiny, inherently unchangeable and irreversible.

Once someone discerns their fate, they will invariably follow the predetermined destiny line. It is possible that the very act of discovering one's fate influences their path forward.

This reflects the uniqueness of destiny.

However, the existence of the System Space can transform this uniqueness into multiple possibilities. Of course, some of these possibilities might just be 'feigned alternatives,' suggesting his destiny could have been orchestrated by the system itself.

Xia Chen, not being an expert, couldn't definitively explain this phenomenon.

But what he felt certain about was that regardless of whether it simulated the past or future, those scenarios likely represented events already experienced in this world.

However, he could understand changes to the future.

But where did alterations of the past originate from?

Does this system also possess time-travel capabilities?

Or perhaps...

He has always existed in the past?

With each world akin to a game server, does the system offer rollback functionality?

Naturally, these thoughts were not something he could share with Rita.

"I didn't expect Lady Durandal to still remember me; it truly feels like an honor."

"Hmm, has anyone ever told you that your flattery can be quite awkward?" Rita's eyes sparkled mischievously as she smiled. "If you have some free time, you should visit the Immortal Blades. By the way, Lady Durandal has been training diligently lately, and I'm sure she would welcome you back."

Xia Chen remained silent.

Without using his Authority, he was destined for a thorough beating.

But if he employed his Authority, it would escalate into open hostility between them.

Alternatively, unless he pledged allegiance to Otto, which was unthinkable.

This option was simply impossible.

"I'll visit when I have the chance," he replied with a warm smile. "By the way, Miss Rita, there's actually something I need to trouble you with."

He wasn't sure if Ana had also dreamed about the Honkai incident on Coral Island. Thus, he could only entrust Rita: "Recently, Ana has been under considerable stress. With my duties preventing me from returning promptly, after much thought, I must rely on you to help her cope mentally."

"Otherwise, I'd have to seek assistance from Alvitr and Susannah."

Alvitr was an unyielding workhorse, reliable but always busy.

Susannah, while having a great personality, tended to be somewhat naive.

"They're not bad choices either," Rita smiled. "I'll keep an eye on her, don't worry. As a warrior, Ana is stronger than you might think."

Xia Chen nodded.

He didn't know why Ana chose suicide during that simulation scenario; he lacked an omniscient perspective, and the system provided only that brief message. Consequently, he remained unaware that Ana had completed her garrison assessment but began doubting this transfer order.

Doubting reality based on a dream seemed quite absurd.

If Ana heard someone using events from a dream as real, leading to their panic, she would undoubtedly find it laughable. However, now that it was happening to her, she couldn't bring herself to smile.

This wasn't the first time she had experienced such dreams.

Although each dream's circumstances differed, the vivid realism made it difficult for her to believe they were mere illusions. Moreover, there was the Manila Honkai incident.

It was precisely due to memories from her dream about the Manila Honkai that she managed to save Chen Tianwen.

Similarly, because of recent dreams related to Coral Island's impending collapse, she rushed here like a panicked rabbit seeking Xia Chen's help.

Amber had informed her that the Stairway to Galaxy Project at Coral Island was crucially important. Due to gathering numerous engineers from around the world, Honkai Events have been increasingly frequent on Coral Island.

While these incidents were promptly resolved, addressing only the symptoms and not the root cause posed a significant risk. Therefore, a Valkyrie needed to be stationed there.

Ana hesitated upon receiving this order.

If that dream were true, both her teammates and nearly 1.8 million inhabitants of Coral Island could perish in the Major Honkai Eruption.

And most crucially, Xia Chen was handed over to these unknown 'allies' because she became a Herrscher host...

What chilled her heart even more was that Schicksal, in its attempt to protect her reputation, blamed all faults on Xia Chen.

However, such guilt cannot be easily dismissed with a mere brush-off.

Using her personal connections, Ana investigated this so-called 'ally', World Serpent, and everything related to the Stairway to Galaxy Project. She had consulted her father, but even he had no prior knowledge of the organization called World Serpent.

The House of Schariac, although considered nobility within Schicksal, held no decision-making power over any of its institutions. And truthfully, the Schariac family didn't require such authority.

Once upon a time, Ana believed this arrangement was ideal.

She didn't have to worry about politics or the internal power struggles common in other bureaucratic organizations. Even the Ocean Branch, which interacted most frequently with officials, maintained a relatively harmonious atmosphere internally.

However, the downside was that when Ana needed to gather information, it proved exceedingly difficult.

She was well aware how laughably inadequate her 'personal connections' were compared to Schicksal's resources, yet it was her only option.

Ana's reluctance was documented by Amber and landed on Otto's desk.

Otto's eyes slightly narrowed.

He had no recollection of the Coral Island simulation scenario, so he remained unaware of Ana's suspicions.

However, since when did this child from the House of Schariac become so vigilant? To Otto, Ana resembled a rabbit; although her methods were naive to the point of being amusing, she already displayed the keenness expected of prey.

Otto had not fully disclosed the entirety of the Stairway to Galaxy Project to Xia Chen. Sacrificing a city to survey the Major Honkai Eruption for valuable data was indeed crucial, but that wasn't his only objective.

Simply doing so would be too wasteful, wouldn't it?

Another part of his work involved finding suitable vessels for emerging Herrschers.

"Once dissipated, consciousness cannot return to its vessel."

"But a vessel can attract new consciousness."

His goal was to artificially select the Herrscher through human intervention, gradually seizing the Authorities of 'God' piece by piece.

Only in this way could he uncover the slightest glimmer of possibility.

And within Xia Chen, he saw such potential.

"The plan may need some adjustments now."