A New Journey

Main Mission:

Gain control of the world.

Advance the level of civilization.

Side Missions:

Secure a territory (depending on the situation and timing, this could be an empire, a legion, or something else).

Establish an industrial base.

Develop productivity.

Join an official faction or rebel to establish your own....

As Selene filled out the information on the form she had casually created, she enthusiastically assigned herself various tasks. After all, having goals and plans is essential—she couldn't just wander aimlessly.

Moreover, as a seasoned Age of Empires player and a fan of the "farming and building" playstyle, Selene had no shortage of ideas!

With this in mind, Selene busied herself refining her various plans while waiting for Sebas to return.

...

The next day, Selene slept soundly, unconcerned about how Sebas was faring.

In the underground garage of her estate, Selene stood in front of her collection of sports cars, pondering whether to take one of her beloved cars with her...

Suddenly, she sensed a spatial disturbance coming from the living room. Selene smiled, "Looks like Sebas succeeded."

Locking onto the location of the spatial fluctuation, Selene's figure vanished in an instant.

In the living room, Sebas, dressed in his black butler uniform, tall and impeccably upright, stood beside the coffee table. His usually stern face softened as he sensed his mistress's presence.

"Sebas!" Selene's voice, full of excitement, echoed through the air before she even appeared.

"My lady." Although Sebas was pleased to see Selene, he didn't forget his role and immediately placed a hand over his chest, bowing respectfully.

"How much did you manage to get?" Selene walked over, gesturing for him to rise, her voice tinged with urgency.

It was understandable for Selene to be a bit impatient—after all, who wouldn't be thrilled to get their hands on the most powerful weapons in human history, especially when they now belonged to her?

"They're all stored in my spatial space, my lady. Please, follow me." Sebas said as he opened the entrance to his storage space and led Selene inside.

"You didn't leave any loose ends, right?" Selene asked.

"Rest assured, my lady, all traces have been dealt with... And given the current chaos following their destruction efforts, they don't even have a clear understanding of their own records, so they won't notice anything missing," Sebas replied dismissively.

After inheriting a significant portion of the Soviet Union's military-industrial complex, Ukraine became one of the largest nuclear powers in the world. Upon independence, they inherited around 3,000 nuclear warheads, making them the third-largest nuclear power globally at the time.

These weapons included 176 nuclear cruise missiles, 2,500 tactical nuclear missiles, 1,200 intercontinental missile warheads, and 170 nuclear missile silos. Ukraine also possessed the technology to design and produce intercontinental missiles.

However, due to poor governance, corruption, and internal chaos, Ukraine squandered its inherited assets. This decline made it an easy target for Selene.

"It's either you or me—better you than me!" Selene thought as she entered the boundless space filled with a purple-red glow. Amidst the twisted spots and lines, her eyes immediately focused on the dozen or so nuclear warheads quietly resting on the purple "floor."

Unlike the enormous weapons depicted in media, these warheads were small, conical, and colored in a grayish-green hue.

Sebas's voice broke the silence, "There are three types of warheads here:

SS-N-18 missile MIRV warheads: 3 units / 500 kilotons each, totaling 1.5 megatons.

SS-N-19 missile MIRV warheads: 4 units / 100 kilotons each, totaling 400 kilotons.

SS-N-20 missile MIRV warheads: 10 units / 200 kilotons each, totaling 2 megatons."

"I apologize, my lady. Due to their official destruction efforts, most warheads have been destroyed. No one knows exactly how many remain, not even they themselves. These were all I could locate through piecing together remnants of information," Sebas explained, his tone tinged with disdain for the incompetence and corruption of the officials.

But it was precisely this incompetence and corruption that allowed Sebas to quietly acquire so many powerful weapons. Trying this elsewhere would have been nearly impossible!

"...It's a bit of a shame to only get these 'small toys,' with no chance of getting the 'big ones' like intercontinental ballistic missiles," Sebas lamented. However, he knew that acquiring even these was the limit—anything more significant would be too well-guarded, despite the prevailing corruption.

"This is more than enough; it's already a great achievement." Selene smiled and shook her head, dismissing Sebas's regrets. She had initially planned to obtain just one warhead, but Sebas had outdone himself.

"But... how exactly did you manage to get these?"

"It was actually quite simple—illusion, hypnosis, suggestion. By accessing and altering the memories of relevant personnel, combined with some information gathering and a bit of personal searching. As for whether they'll discover the theft... heh, with their chaotic management..." Sebas chuckled, clearly unimpressed by Ukraine's oversight.

With a wave of her hand, Selene stored these "big guns" in her imaginary space and then signaled Sebas that it was time to leave.

Tomorrow was the day she would set off on her new journey, so today Selene needed to tie up a few loose ends. Since she planned to take Sebas with her, she had to choose someone trustworthy to take over his duties.

For this, Selene had selected Shuji Matsuzaki, with Kiyama Harumi as a possible research deputy—she could be persuaded by holding something over her. As for Aoki Yoichi, he would be entrusted with managing the Destiny Research Institute.

In addition to producing enough low-concentration Honkai crystals, Selene also needed to inform Aleister.

"A new journey is about to begin..."