"Fully embracing the power of Destruction is no easy task, especially with that giant Arbor in the way. Makes the whole 'construction project' quite tricky."
"Still, it's a good thing you're currently wrapped up in the Arbor. Ruan Mei has proposed an 'induced cultivation' plan for it, which can coax the Arbor into producing some of the substances needed for your transformation."
"Plus, as the Arbor channels energy into you, it'll gradually alter your physical condition... Just, you know, maybe don't mention this to the Xianzhou folks."
"So... the treatment's already started? I just have to wait now?"
Lynelle tilted her head. "It feels... kind of unreal, doesn't it?"
"That it feels unreal is precisely the point. This is Ruan Mei we're talking about. If even she needed a big, flashy production to save you, then your problem would truly be dire."
Herta let out a light humph. "Count your blessings. The other day, I took a look at the medical file of another case involving contact with Destruction power that Ruan Mei is handling."
"Let's just say... compared to her situation, yours is practically easy mode. At least you're safe as long as you stay within the Arbor."
"That poor girl... 'Soul scattered and spirit vanished' isn't even an overstatement for her condition."
"Tingyun...?" Lynelle thought for a moment. "You know, I don't think her family knows she's still alive."
"She has a family?" Herta paused, surprised.
"Well... it's probably best not to tell them just yet. Honestly, even Ruan Mei isn't sure if that Foxian girl will pull through; it depends on her own will to live."
"So... let's wait for the outcome over there before saying anything. Giving hope only to snuff it out later is the cruelest thing."
"Yeah, I agree with that." Lynelle nodded. "So, what should I do now...?"
"Sleep." Herta's reply was blunt. "The moment you're awake, the Arbor gets all excited, like a kid clinging to its mother."
"Besides, didn't you tell me just the other day that things were reaching a critical point in that other world of yours? This is the perfect chance to go deal with that."
"Otherwise, once you head off to Penacony, who knows if you'll even be able to get back to the Honkai side."
"Oh, and another thing—since you're dreaming inside the Arbor, I can't record the dreams. So, make sure that system of yours saves a copy of the storyline for me. Being a hiatus ghost is a bad habit."
"A kid clinging to its mother... Well, that analogy isn't wrong, I suppose."
"Strictly speaking, it was only after I used the power of Corruption to implant a notion into the Arbor that it developed this rudimentary sentience." Lynelle scratched her head, slightly embarrassed.
"As for the storyline... you just reminded me. I've been putting off Silver Wolf for ages too. This is a good time to finally make the cartridge for that new game."
"That shorty?" Herta immediately perked up. "Well, remember to set the cartridge password to [Madam Herta is a peerless gem!], and it has to be voice-activated!"
"Dream on, my dear Lady Herta. Silver Wolf uses Ether Editing; there's no way she'd ever say something like that. At most, she might get Firefly to help shout it for her..."
--+--
Although Lynelle had told Herta that a critical juncture had only recently arrived, the truth was, she'd been frequently traveling between the two worlds ever since she'd first been locked away in the Arbor.
After all, trapped inside the Arbor with no games to play and no one to fool around with, and having to wait for Stelle or Herta to visit if she wanted to tease them—to stave off the boredom, Lynelle could only turn her attention to Wendy.
Because, while the lovely Miss Wendy had been the one to initiate things last time, deep down she was still a relatively shy girl.
At the very least, Lynelle could still occasionally gain the upper hand, making it a challenge, but not an impossible one.
Of course, before hopping over to the Honkai world, Lynelle had made sure to ask Customer Service Kiana-chan for a detailed explanation of her situation—after all, bringing her current Abundance-and-Destruction-powered self over to Honkai to play 'bomber' would be a bit too... divine.
And the answer Customer Service Kiana-chan gave her at the time was...
[Actually, even if you could fully master the powers of Abundance and Destruction, there's no way we'd let you take all of it back to the Honkai side.]
[For one thing, an excessive amount of Path energy—especially the near-one-tenth Herrscher-level energy you'd have upon full mastery—could easily attract the gaze of an Aeon. Considering the timeline you're in right now, it's better to be cautious.]
[And another reason... Transmitting that much energy would also consume a significant amount of power from my end.]
[According to the system's underlying logic, the cost of overloading a single transmission is a reduction in the total number of transmissions possible. That's a cost neither of us wants to bear.]
[However, I was prepared for this scenario. Even before implementing the whole plan, I specifically left a backdoor for you.]
[After you return to the Honkai side, you'll receive a special character card. That card only has a cooldown period; it has no usage limit.]
[Activating it will allow you to assume your 'prime' form for a certain duration.]
[Of course, you definitely can't use it right now... since you haven't yet balanced the powers of the two Paths. Using that card now would probably turn you into a big boom on the spot.]
With Customer Service Kiana-chan's explanation, Lynelle felt much more at ease traveling to and from the Honkai world.
Of course, while she was curious about the whole 'heroic' act of summoning herself and channeling herself, Lynelle wasn't foolish enough to actually attempt a self-detonation in Oceania—she had no desire to have an angry Miss Wendy pin her to the bed and subject her to a whole night of 'automatic massage' service via high-speed vibrating cyclones.
And so, amidst this (debatable) era of peaceful days, time in the Honkai world quietly slipped into September.
For the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, September 2014 was an exceptionally special month.
It was the time when the main storyline began, the very day the Selene descended upon the skies of Sapphire City.
Of course, while later plot developments revealed that the Selene was actually the prototype of Anti-Entropy's plan to counter the Herrscher of Finality, subsequent and repeated shifts in the situation led to the plan being altered beyond recognition by the time they actually faced the Herrscher of Finality.
However, Lynelle didn't participate in this 'place where the dream began.' Because, on her end, she was also about to return to St. Freya.
In this lifetime, since Ragna had become the head of the Oceania branch, she had facilitated quite a bit of collaboration between the Far East branch and the Oceania branch.
A joint education program was naturally one of them, and the Valkyrie exams scheduled for the end of September happened to be the inspection date Ragna and Murata Himeko had settled upon.
Through the St. Freya Academy students' routine assessments, Himeko would seize the opportunity to showcase the educational results of the St. Freya branch.
Not only would representatives from the Oceania branch be attending, but even Schicksal headquarters would send people to observe.
And among the delegation sent by the Oceania branch, Wendy and Lynelle were, of course, included.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.