NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 440: Answer Me!
"I thought you'd forgotten you had a Herrscher in your base." Mei stood up, her expression calm and collected as she met Kevin's icy blue gaze.
It had been four or five days since she joined World Serpent, and aside from their initial meeting, she hadn't seen him since. If she hadn't known his identity, she might have thought she'd been scammed.
"You're mistaken. World Serpent doesn't break agreements with its allies. Accessing the Elysian Realm simply requires some preparation." Kevin shook his head, his voice as cold as ever.
"Besides, there are some things you need to know before entering the Elysian Realm." He stepped aside, revealing another figure standing behind him.
Mei noticed a petite girl who, at first glance, resembled Bronya. But upon closer inspection, the differences were clear.
"And this is…?" She looked at Kevin questioningly.
She knew World Serpent's goal was to eliminate the Honkai, but she sensed no Honkai energy from this girl. She seemed like an ordinary human.
Kevin didn't answer, merely glancing at the girl before turning and leaning against the wall, giving them space to talk.
"Miss Raiden Mei, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Prometheus 17th, a super AI from the Previous Era."
The moment 17th spoke, the distinctly mechanical tone of her voice caught Mei's attention. She frowned, using her powers to scan the girl again, and realized that beneath her human appearance was a complex structure of mechanical components.
Yet somehow, there was no outward sign of her mechanical nature. Stranger still, when Mei's powers scanned her, it wasn't that she sensed no Honkai energy, but rather an overwhelming amount, far beyond her normal perception range.
"An AI? So you're World Serpent's secret weapon against the Honkai?" Mei's initial dismissiveness vanished, replaced by caution.
"I merely assist in the implementation of the plan. If you have any questions, Miss Mei, you can ask them after you leave the Elysian Realm. I'm here to inform you of two crucial pieces of information."
"Go ahead."
"First, the Will of the Honkai in this era has been eliminated. From now on, Herrschers will emerge according to a predetermined sequence, but their forms and identities will be unknown. The Herrscher of Thunder, however, controls electromagnetic waves and possesses a far greater range of perception than other Herrschers."
"Therefore, I require you to use your abilities to detect these nascent Herrschers. I will grant you access to my chat room, allowing you to enter the Herrscher network."
"What?" Mei frowned, processing the information. She quickly grasped the implications. "You want me to help you monitor new Herrschers? But how do you know the Will of the Honkai is gone?"
"That brings me to the second piece of information." 17th raised her hand, emitting a unique magnetic field perceptible only to Herrschers.
After a moment of hesitation, Mei connected to the network, instantly understanding.
"Wait, you're saying you're the Will of the Honkai? The Previous Era achieved that level of technology?" Mei clearly sensed her connection to the Herrscher chat room. But with the network severed, she couldn't contact the other Herrschers.
However, since 17th had transferred ownership of the chat room to her, while she couldn't contact the others, she would be notified if anyone new joined.
"Second, the Will of the Honkai was eliminated by someone I commissioned from The Obsidian Concord. World Serpent has an agreement with them. You don't need to worry about your identity being exposed."
This second piece of information was even more shocking. As the nominal leader of The Obsidian Concord, Mei knew her organization was secretive, but she hadn't imagined they were capable of eliminating the God of the Honkai.
Suddenly, she felt the weight of her responsibilities increase significantly.
"The Elysian Realm is a database containing the history of the Previous Era. It also holds the legacies of some of the pioneers. I hope you can gain strength from it." 17th turned and walked towards Kevin. "I'll ensure your safe entry, but I can't guarantee your safety inside. If you encounter any life-threatening danger, contact the outside world immediately. I'll activate the emergency retrieval protocol and erase all data within the Realm."
Mei's heart sank. She had assumed the Elysian Realm was simply a database, but the warnings from Raven, 17th, and even Ren suggested otherwise. This place was clearly dangerous.
"Are we done? Let's go." Kevin, who had been watching them, glanced at Mei and led the way deeper into the base.
Passing through a metal wall, Mei entered an underground tunnel. The walls were made of a strange material. Compared to this long tunnel, the base, despite extending dozens of meters underground, felt like a surface structure.
17th floated silently beside them. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the dark tunnel. As Mei considered the dangers of the Elysian Realm, Kevin spoke.
"Raiden Mei, if you're afraid, I can still give you a chance to back out."
"Are you insulting me?"
"No…"
Kevin walked ahead, his expression hidden from Mei. Silence fell between them once more.
As they neared the end of the tunnel, Mei broke the silence. "Kevin, why do you think birds fly?"
It was a question Ren had once asked her. Her answer had been "to find new hope." Now, looking at the weary figure before her, she wanted to hear his answer.
"…" Kevin paused, then said, "Perhaps you'll find your own answer after you leave the Elysian Realm."
A brightly lit space appeared at the end of the tunnel. Stepping into it, Mei was surprised to see a cavern the size of a small town carved out of the earth, filled with massive quantum computers, forming a giant data center.
"This is… the Elysian Realm?"
"Just the external systems that maintain it." 17th replied, heading towards the machinery, leaving Mei and Kevin alone.
"…" Kevin's gaze was complex, but he remained silent.
"…" Mei pursed her lips, staring at him. Finally, she couldn't hold back. "Is there anything you need me to do after I enter?"
"…Ask a girl named Elysia if she's doing well." After a long pause, Kevin finally spoke.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"I don't have the courage to face her."
Mei was taken aback. She hadn't expected such words from the stoic Kevin. She quickly realized, "So, when you asked me if I was afraid earlier… you were actually asking yourself."
Kevin turned away, offering no response, his back rigid.
As an AI, 17th was efficient. The machinery was quickly prepped. 17th guided Mei to a special room and instructed her to lie down in a capsule-like device.
"Don't worry. We'll maintain your bodily functions. All you need to do is protect your consciousness."
Reassured by 17th's calm voice, Mei closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into nothingness.
[Elysian Realm, activating!]
And as she lost consciousness, another faint consciousness, carried along by 17th's chat room connection, slipped into the Elysian Realm with her.
Emptiness. Nothingness.
When Mei awoke, she wasn't in the Elysian Realm, but in a pure white void.
"Did something go wrong with the equipment?"
She frowned, then relaxed. "Or… do I need a key?"
Mei remembered the three items Ren had given her before she joined World Serpent. One of them, a crystal flower, was supposedly the key to the Elysian Realm.
She checked her pockets, relieved to find all three items still with her.
"Is this… really just a database?" she wondered.
Taking a deep breath, she held the pink crystal flower in her hand and spoke a name.
"Answer me, Elysia!"