So, what about Noldrei?
He was busy with something else entirely, currently with Vita, dealing with Sa's remaining tentacles in the Sea of Quanta.
The moment Sa's main body traversed into the Eigenworld, Noldrei had used Imaginary Energy to brand her.
To put it plainly, he used Imaginary Energy to stamp something akin to a "Bubble Universe Anchor" onto Sa. This prevented her from losing her way in the vast Sea of Quanta.
As a result, Sa didn't dare to run, nor did she dare to make contact with the tentacles she had left behind in the Sea of Quanta, terrified that a single misstep would lead Noldrei to wipe out her entire nest.
Sa still dreamed of one day regaining her freedom and returning to the Sea of Quanta. At least then, she wouldn't have to bear the responsibility of ensuring the continuation of Venus's civilization.
"To think they were hidden inside a Bubble Universe. Excellent! We just need to simply destroy the bubble!"
A cheerful smile spread across Noldrei's face upon reaching their destination.
This guy didn't consider Bubble Universes to be proper worlds at all. The practical capabilities of the humans within them were completely locked by the rules of that specific bubble.
They were, in essence, mere shadows projected from a real world, utterly unworthy of being called a proper world. Under these circumstances, the humans within could only eke out a meager existence. They weren't accorded the status a normal world should have.
Noldrei's first thought upon seeing such a thing was to just wipe it out along with everything else.
"Can't you calm down for a second?!"
Senti-Mobius found Noldrei's behavior absolutely outrageous. She was here to help, not to annihilate someone's world.
"Little Mei, don't tell me you also believe that your own projection is a human on the same level as you? Don't you know? Under normal circumstances, when a person touches their own projection, they usually just absorb it."
"Therefore, these 'lives' that are incomplete in their very 'form of existence' cannot be called 'human.' They're not even truly 'life,' just fleeting as a mayfly. You'd probably be doing them a favor by erasing them."
Noldrei truly did have a deep understanding of Bubble Universes.
"That's how it works for you. Don't apply your world's Bubble Universe logic to ours."
Senti-Mobius thought about her current job. She certainly wanted to escape Noldrei's control, but her very existence was held hostage by him, making it impossible to break free.
So, all she could do was lie low and be obedient.
Senti-Mobius glanced at the state of the Bubble Universe and explained, "In your world, parallel universes are superimposed on each other. A person can exist in two worlds at once. That's why things like Bubble Universes get crushed into phantoms by the motion of matter."
"But things are different here. Bubble Universes actually have the potential to become new worlds. With the additional support of Imaginary Energy, they can possess the power to anchor themselves, rather than being instantly crushed into a mere 'image' by a parallel world."
Little Senti-Mei's explanation was crystal clear. She possessed memories on par with Mobius as a scientific researcher, so she didn't mince words when it came to these key details.
Noldrei was taken aback and immediately filled with shame. "Oh, crap. I think I might have casually destroyed a Bubble Universe before. I really didn't think much of it at the time."
Little Senti-Mei stared at him, utterly aghast. She knew Noldrei was a chaotic bastard, but she never imagined he had already targeted a Bubble Universe. She could only wonder what terrible luck had befallen that world.
"I heard from Kevin that you can create a Bubble Universe using your own memories. Doesn't that mean I could make a bunch of new worlds to play with?"
A brilliant idea struck Noldrei.
"What are you planning?" Little Senti-Mei watched him with suspicion.
"I was just thinking of making a mini-replica of my world. Maybe it's possible to create a whole new world that way. Senti, don't you think that's a great idea? A new civilization that fights its way out of a Bubble Universe? Is that possible?"
Senti-Mobius fell into deep thought. She found Noldrei's idea incredibly interesting.
But why let Noldrei have all the fun? She could use Mobius's memories to create a Bubble Universe that conformed to them!
At that moment, the two were in perfect sync, like kindred spirits.
Senti-Mobius struggled internally for a long time before she managed to restrain herself. She was the Herrscher of Sentience, not Mobius. She absolutely could not think about these things using Mobius's way of thinking.
But she was torn. She really, really wanted to know what kind of Bubble Universe her own memories could create.
If Kevin could do it, the power of Senti-Mobius was certainly worth a try. Even if she couldn't, she could borrow Noldrei's power to test it.
Mobius's memories were severely influencing the Herrscher of Sentience's thought processes, which she found deeply troubling.
"Little Mei, look, we're such good friends already. You can just call me Third Brother! When we have the chance to drain the Imaginary Energy in the future, the many parallel worlds will entangle and twist together once more, and these Bubble Universes will disappear all the same."
"It's just a matter of disappearing now versus disappearing later. It's a fundamental flaw in their existence. You don't need to feel guilty about it."
For Senti-Mobius, this was absolutely not a matter of conscience. Whether it was Mobius or the Herrscher of Sentience, "conscience" wasn't something she had in abundance.
It was simply that she believed this shouldn't be done.
Senti-Mobius had a gut feeling that if they really did this, the Cocoon of Finality's method of utilizing Imaginary Energy would develop extremely dangerous internal contradictions, leading to a disastrous collapse.
The quantum mechanics and underlying energy structures of the two worlds were fundamentally different. Naturally, the Honkai, which was highly bound to the Eigenworld's Imaginary Space, would also be interconnected and influenced.
In that case, wouldn't she, the Herrscher of Sentience, be doomed?!
Even just for the sake of her own life, she couldn't let Noldrei go around probing the underlying structure of the current world.
She refused him decisively. "I reject your proposal, and I will actively stop you from carrying out such an action. According to the 'Three Laws of Civilization' we agreed upon, the human lives within Bubble Universes are also subject to the same fundamental principles."
Senti-Mobius said with a cold expression, "I can permit you to control and modify the direction of human evolution, but I will never allow you to destroy the principles of human civilization that we have worked so hard to establish."
Senti felt ridiculous even as she said these words. Her interests as a Herrscher were actually aligned with humanity's under the framework of the "Three Laws of Civilization." No wonder the goddamn Honkai couldn't beat Noldrei.
Noldrei was slightly surprised by the Herrscher of Sentience's attitude but didn't press her to accept his idea.
After some deep consideration, Noldrei decided to respect the decision made by the Herrscher of Sentience, who now considered herself part of humanity.
"We'll do as you say, then. We'll just focus on clearing out Sa's tentacle remnants."
Miss Shigure Kira, still active within the Bubble Universe, had no idea she had just narrowly escaped a calamity.
In that fleeting moment, her fate had, by pure coincidence, become intertwined with that of a Herrscher.