"According to the energy fluctuation analysis, the response just now was closer to an instinctive reaction of the world's underlying'self-preservation mechanism' rather than a manifested consciousness."
The system explained, "However, the objective has been achieved."
"Fine."
Black Herta stopped dwelling on it, her gaze sharpening again. "Then, prepare to enter. The advantage of time flow is on our side, but we still need to bring Huo Huo back as soon as possible, lest Aha arranges some strange 'competition' for her over there again."
"Ma'am, regarding this..." A rare hint of hesitation appeared in the system's voice.
Black Herta looked at it.
"You might... be unable to enter directly."
The system spoke in its steadiest tone, saying words that made Black Herta's eyelid twitch. "After the 'communication' just now, while the other party opened the passage, they also applied an extremely strict'status filter.' With your current form and power level, especially the aura of Origin you just displayed, you will be automatically identified by the passage as a 'high-status intrusion.' This would trigger the other party's ultimate defense mechanism—potentially causing that time slice to collapse directly or triggering full-scale hostility from its 'Guardian' (the Throne of Heroes)."
Black Herta: "...And so?"
"So, you need to dispatch an individual whose status is low enough, yet whose abilities are sufficient to handle the Holy Grail War environment, and who is completely under your control."
The system summarized, "In short, you need to send a 'Proxy'."
Black Herta was silent for a full five seconds.
Then, she raised her hand and gently pressed it against her forehead.
"In other words,"
She spoke one word at a time, her tone filled with speechlessness, "I just went through all that trouble to 'persuade' (scare) the administrator of that world into giving me a pass."
"And now, the administrator says: 'I've given you the pass, but you're too big to get on the bus yourself, so send your little brother or sister instead.'"
"—Is that it?"
The system was silent for a moment, seemingly performing a rigorous analysis of the metaphor, then nodded. "...That is one way to understand it, Ma'am. Although the metaphor is slightly crude, the logic is basically correct."
Black Herta lowered her hand, her purple-black eyes gazing at the pure white ceiling as she let out a helpless sigh.
What a mess.
The air was thick with the characteristic salty, fishy scent of the sea breeze.
The sky was leaden gray with low-hanging clouds, making this city named Fuyuki appear exceptionally somber.
Long Night Moon held a black umbrella, her crimson eyes calmly scanning the street before her.
Low houses, closed shops, the faintly visible spires of a Western-style church in the distance... everything was starkly different from the cosmic scenery she was familiar with.
The energy environment was also unusually dense. A fundamental force known as 'Mana' permeated the air and the ley lines, distinctly different from Honkai Energy or the power of a Path, carrying a certain ancient scent.
"System link stable, environmental parameters recorded."
She whispered to herself, more like reporting to a distant existence.
She raised her hand, her fingertip tracing a line in the air. A purple rune, visible only to her, flashed and vanished, completing the preliminary space-time anchor confirmation.
"Arrived safely."
She spoke to the air, her voice transmitted back through the invisible link. "Coordinates confirmed: Fuyuki. Time flow matches expectations. No large-scale hostile energy reactions detected, but the basic Mana environment is... high. There are multiple weak but qualitatively distinct independent energy sources, suspected to be local 'Servants' or 'masters'."
On the pure white light screen of the System Space, the image and voice of Long Night Moon were clearly reflected.
Black Herta nodded slightly. "Good efficiency. Make it quick—locate Huo Huo and bring her back. Wherever the traces of 'Elation' are, start looking from there. Be careful to avoid large-scale local conflicts, especially that 'Holy Grail War'."
"clear."
Long Night Moon replied, closing her umbrella and preparing to begin sensory tracking.
She turned around, about to call out to her companion, "Stelle, we..."
Her words cut off abruptly.
She saw that Stelle had somehow already exited her standby state and was now squatting by a green metal trash can with katakana printed on it at a street corner. Her golden eyes were staring unblinkingly at the bin's body, as if it were some unknown wonder worthy of deep study.
She even tilted her head slightly and reached out a finger, seemingly wanting to poke the lid.
Long Night Moon: "..."
She walked over and gently tapped the ground with the tip of her umbrella.
"Stelle."
Stelle looked up, glanced at her, then back at the trash can, and stated calmly, "It's still a bit different from the trash cans in Belobog and the Xianzhou."
Long Night Moon raised her hand and gently pressed her temple. Her tone remained soft but carried a hint of unquestionable authority. "Mission priority, Stelle. The trash can... can wait until later."
Stelle looked at her, then took one last glance at the trash can that seemed so alluring to her, before slowly standing up, patting off non-existent dust from her hands, and returning to her silent, following posture.
In the System Space, Black Herta watched this little interlude on the light screen, the corners of her mouth curling upward.
Stelle's obsession with trash cans remained so'stable' even across universes.
(This mission sounds relatively simple...)
She pondered, (It's just finding and bringing back an individual who was accidentally swept in. At most, we'll face some local magi and Heroic Spirits. With Long Night Moon's abilities and Stelle's adaptability, as long as they don't actively get involved in the center of the struggle for the Holy Grail, there shouldn't be any major problems.)
Moreover, the reward was a full 2% repair progress.
Compared to the slow progress from all the previous trouble, this mission was practically a 'generous giveaway'.
Although her intuition told her that anything Aha was involved in would never truly be'simple,' at least the surface goal was clear.
Her tense nerves relaxed slightly. She turned to the system standing silently beside her. "How is the progress of 'Path Simulation'? The adaptability adjustments for the Flame-Chasers."
The system immediately pulled up another set of data panels, displaying the icons of the thirteen Flame-Chasers. Most were lit with a pale gold glow representing'Simulation Complete,' while only two icons still flickered with a blue light representing 'In Progress.'
"Overall progress is 84.6%."
The system reported, "Basic Path concept implantation and power rule adaptability overwriting have been completed. The simulation processes for the remaining two individuals—Kevin and Elysia—have encountered expected logical conflicts and delays, requiring more precise calibration."
Black Herta's gaze fell on those two names, and she nodded. "As expected. The 'Deliverance' carried by Kevin requires extreme caution when mapping to the Path of the Honkai: Star Rail Universe; any slight mistake could trigger a rule backlash. Elysia... the essence of her existence is inherently special. The authority of 'Origin' could create complex resonances with 'Remembrance' or even 'beauty.' Precise adjustment is necessary."
These two were indeed the 'high-end combatants' among the Flame-Chasers and the most complex existences.
To have completed the simulations for the other eleven so quickly had already exceeded her expectations.
"Speed up the progress, but ensure stability above all."
Black Herta instructed. "Once their simulations are complete and they have identities that allow them to safely operate and exert influence under the rules of the Honkai: Star Rail Universe, the 'persuasion' work targeting the remaining Golden Descendants can fully commence."
Thinking of those Golden Descendants still trapped in various confinements... perhaps she wouldn't need to wait for the repair progress to break the 50% threshold—the originally estimated critical point—to use the power of these Flame-Chasers to liberate them one by one.
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