On how PhDs become human evil

Amidst the commotion, Bai Liya dragged Kiana and the others out of the room. She sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Bai Jie casually conjured a computer and plugged in a USB drive.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

After a brief period of static, a man in a white lab coat appeared on the computer screen. The man had the exact same face as Bai Jie, but his hair was white, just like Bai Jie's.

"My other self from another timeline, by the time you see this video, Leah should have already met with you. I'm sorry, I was supposed to go there myself to handle this, but something came up at home and I need to take a little time to deal with it. Please take good care of Leah until I get there; that child is quite a worry."

Who is this polite man who acts like a worried father about his daughter?

Bai Jie knew very well what kind of person he was. Even if the other person was another version of himself, he wouldn't show any respect, let alone speak politely. Besides, he hadn't been polite in years.

Besides, he wouldn't be like a foolish old father, worrying himself sick over his daughter. Even if Kiana and Bailia went to another world, he couldn't... no, it's still possible, right? A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles, and a father worries when his daughter travels a thousand miles.

"Now, let's get back to the main point. The reason I sent Leah to your side this time is because one of my magical beasts ran into your world. Strictly speaking, it was our mistake, and I'm really sorry for the trouble it caused you."

Who is this "sorry sir"?! Please, don't apologize every two or three sentences!

"That monster is a 'Perfect Monster' designed by the Chaldea Casters. It has the characteristic of being immune to 99% of physical and magical attacks, as well as being theoretically immortal. Although its attack methods are limited to its body and fire breath, the power of each is equivalent to twenty times that of Excalibur. To be honest, I am a little surprised that Chaldea could create such a monster."

"About two weeks ago, this monster went berserk. Although my friend Fujimaru Ritsuka went to suppress it immediately, it still managed to escape through spiritual particle transfer. According to our calculations, it is very likely that it went to your world."

"The Perfect Monster has no rationality, only wildness, so it is very likely to cause great destruction to the surrounding environment. Therefore, I ask you to stop it before I arrive. Also, I don't know if it can be called a weakness, but the Perfect Monster's physical resistance and magic resistance are separate and cannot be effective at the same time. The switching time is about 0.5 seconds. This is the information I can provide at the moment."

"Finally, I beg you again—keep an eye on Leah and make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble!"

The recording ended there. Bai Jie pulled out the USB drive, scratched his head, and sighed, "Sigh, this really is..."

Section 481, Chapter 35: I created a new account in Ionia.

Bai Jie was unusually troubled by the information about his future self from another timeline. Although he was a worldly person who had experienced many ups and downs, he was still a little confused when he was suddenly told that a monster from another timeline was going to attack him.

"Immune to 99% physical and magical damage, theoretically immortal, and with a single move it has the destructive power of twenty times that of Excalibur... How on earth were such ferocious monsters created?"

Although there were no images, Bai Jie could imagine from his other self's description just how troublesome that so-called perfect magical beast was. Not to mention the destructive power equivalent to twenty times that of Excalibur—which wouldn't have mattered to Bai Jie even if it were two hundred times stronger—the 99% physical and magical damage reduction was what made Bai Jie cry foul the most. The ultimate move that was supposed to deal a thousand points of damage only dealt ten points of damage. Even Bai Jie, the creator of the cheat, couldn't help but feel that it was a bit excessive.

"This is troublesome. Assuming his maximum health is 10,000, I would need to deal at least 1 million damage to kill him. And considering his immortality... Ah, it's quite fun to use immortality myself, but it's a bit troublesome on the other side. Do I need to prepare a spell to counter immortality?"

As Bai Jie spoke, he opened his hands, and magic circles appeared in his palm like nesting dolls. The runes engraved on the magic circles changed shape and position under Bai Jie's control, and even the flow of magic power within the magic circles was constantly changing.

If other practitioners were to witness this scene, they would surely kneel down in astonishment, speechless, for Bai Jie was doing something that was theoretically impossible.

Generally speaking, the existing spells are already complete, passed down from the distant Age of Gods. From the Age of Gods to the present day, over thousands of years, generation after generation of magicians have developed the civilization of magic to this day. Various spells have been perfected again and again in the hands of those exceptionally talented magicians. Today, these spells have become complete forms with no room for modification. Even a prodigy like Kenneth cannot change the existing spells. At most, he can only make some on-the-spot adjustments to some details according to the situation.

Modifying the technique was already so difficult, but what Bai Jie did went even further.

Magic, which has evolved from the Age of Gods to the present day, is ruthlessly dismantled and shattered in Bai Jie's hands, then constantly reassembled into entirely new magic, much like a chef researching new dishes. Only Bai Jie, as a human being of evil, can accomplish this because of his power of "integration."

Powerful destructive force, effective against undead.

The new magic Bai Jie wanted to create was based on these two key elements. This was no small project, and even Bai Jie couldn't complete it casually. Dealing with immortality was one thing, but the problem was the destructive power. Bai Jie didn't know how much damage that perfect magical beast would have to endure before it died, so he could only keep increasing the firepower while ensuring that immortality was suppressed.

(Hmm... I'll also need to create another dimension later; Fuyuki City can't afford my antics.)

--------------------------

Just as Bai Jie was working on developing new magic, Bai Liya had already started chatting.

"Oh my, I never thought I'd see Athena in her little form. You've always been the older sister on my end. I wanted to see what you looked like when you were little, but you wouldn't let me."

"Oh?" Athena was intrigued by Bailia's words. "Does she exist in another timeline as well? Would you mind telling me about her situation there?"

After thinking for a moment while resting her chin on her hand, Bailia said, "It feels similar to you now, the tone of voice is almost exactly the same, only the figure is different. Aunt Athena over there got back the Gorgon Stone a long time ago and has maintained that... uh... Trinity, right? She's maintained it for almost a hundred years."

"But if I had to say what's different... my Aunt Athena is currently going through menopause, so she's a little irritable."

Bailia's words stunned Athena.

She, Athena, is going through menopause?! What on earth is going on?! What on earth did my counterpart in that other timeline go through?!

"I can understand why Aunt Athena is going through menopause. Although she doesn't care about age, it's understandable that she feels bad seeing my dad and mom showing off their love all the time."

"Wait a minute, didn't you just use a really offensive word?!" Kiana keenly caught a word in Bai Liya's words. "Loser? This goddess is a loser? Isn't my brother on your side on the harem route?"

"No, my dad has a harem. He has over twenty wives, and if you include those he didn't marry or register, it's probably close to a hundred."

Well, it seems the other Bai Jie is also a despicable person who can't control his lower body.

"What's the deal with that 'loser dog'?"

Kiana was even more confused. If he was already so promiscuous, why was Athena still the loser?

"Uh... I only heard about it from Talulah's mother. Apparently, Aunt Athena said that if Daddy didn't love only her, she would never marry into the family. It seems that she had enough of Zeus's temper and couldn't stand philandering men."

Bai Liya's explanation silenced Kiana and the others, their gazes towards Athena gradually becoming playful.

(Clearly liking someone but insisting on finding reasons to say you don't... I guess that's called being a tsundere.)

As a hardcore otaku, Hajime Nagumo stroked his chin and thought.

(I never knew our goddess was such a tsundere! I've learned something new. Luckily, my Yue isn't a tsundere... But tsundere Yue is kind of cute though!)

After briefly imagining the tsundere Yue, Nagumo Hajime felt as if some strange switch had been flipped in his heart, and hurriedly shook his head: "By the way, Shiraiya, do you have me with you?"

"Uncle Shi? Yes, I do."

(Uncle!?)

Nagumo Hajime instantly felt as if an arrow had struck his chest; he never imagined he'd be called "uncle" one day...

"Just to be on the safe side, let me ask what my situation is over there."

"One of my father's craftsmen, he seems to have gone to some unknown world and earned the title of God of Forging. He often stays in his workshop forging some strange artifacts, but he does have quite a few masterpieces. My magic wand was made by Uncle Shi from over there."

"By the way, Uncle Shi over there is also a womanizer who has a harem, just like my father."

"Pfft—!"

Nagumo Hajime was struck in the chest by another arrow.

P.S.: At a friend's invitation, I created a smurf account in Ionia. What's that saying again? To lower the average skill level in Ionia? Whatever, I'll just play it safe.

Section 482, Chapter 36. Bai Liya: Jiuxiao, my wife!

Seeing that Hajime Nagumo was completely devastated by Shiriya's words, Kiana looked at Shiriya and asked, "What about me? Shiriya, what am I like on your end? Am I married to my brother?!"

"No, you are my sister."

Bailia shook her head.

"I don't know what the situation is like on your side, but I only have one Kiana on my side, she's Daddy's and Cecilia's eldest daughter."

"Eh?!"

Kiana was stunned. Although she did know that there was another version of herself who was Bai Jie's daughter, but...

While Kiana was still in a daze, Bailia slowly explained Kiana's situation in her world.

"My dad first went to the Honkai world around 1982. Because of his white hair, he was mistaken for a Kaslana. Although the misunderstanding was later cleared up, my dad was still included in the Kaslana family tree. Then in 1992, he won over our mom, Cecilia—he said that our mom pursued him—and you were born four years later."

"After that, we lived peacefully for a few years. Then, in 2000, the pufferfish Sirin appeared. By then, our parents had already retired from the front lines, but because of the appearance of the Sirin pufferfish, Cecilia's mother had to go back to the battlefield. My father, who couldn't bear to see his wife suffer, led Rhodes Island to Siberia. A hundred people launched a righteous gang fight against the Sirin pufferfish, beating her until she was crying for her parents."

"The Second Honkai ended just like that. After that, Dad stayed in the Honkai world for a few more years until you went to elementary school before leaving."

"My dad didn't tell me what happened after that, but I can roughly guess. Basically, it's the story of him wandering around different worlds, causing trouble, and picking up girls along the way."

Are you so sure?

"Where do you think I got those twenty-odd mothers and dozens of other mothers who aren't even mothers yet?"

Bella's words left Kiana completely speechless.

Clearing her throat, Bailia continued, "It was probably when Dad was a hundred years old. He had wandered around enough and settled down on Itogami Island. He also brought almost everyone related to him to Itogami Island, including my sister Kiana."

"Hey? How's my relationship with my brother over there? Do father and daughter ever argue?"

"It was true more than a hundred years ago. My older sister was going through a rebellious phase back then, and she was always going against Dad. But after two or three years of this, she stopped. Now, my older sister is the ambassador of Itogami Island to the Little Garden, and she leads the four-digit community, Rhodes Island. I think there was a rumor that she became some kind of class ruler, but I haven't seen her for almost twenty years, so I don't remember very clearly."

"A miniature garden? What kind of place is that?"

"Just think of it as an amusement park where many demons and gods have fun. Your old man used to be a guy with a really fierce reputation there."

Although Bai Liya was only mentioned briefly, a place that could amuse gods and Buddhas like Shura and even attract another Bai Jie couldn't possibly be as simple as an amusement park.

(Well, I'll ask my brother to take me there sometime. With his abilities, he can definitely get me to that place called the Little Garden.)

Kiana is very confident in her husband.

"What about you, Bailia? Now that you've told us about us, tell us about yourself. Like, how did you get adopted by another guy, and how did you become a magical girl? I'm really curious."

"Uh... can I not tell you this?"

"No, I'm very curious!"

Seeing Kiana's determined expression, as if she wouldn't let go until she told her to, Bailia sighed deeply. It seemed that no matter which Kiana she was, she was helpless. Was this the natural dominance of an older sister over her younger sister?

“I was found by my father fifty years ago in a small garden.”

"I don't know who my biological parents are. When I had memories, I was already wandering in the lower level of the Little Garden. Relying on my innate ability to control the flow of time, I joined a small community to get by, but not long after, my community disbanded. When I was wandering the streets, my father picked me up and took me back."

"My dad took me to the Rhodes Island base, and the day after I was taken in, I became my dad's daughter. I had no idea what my dad was thinking at the time, and I even thought he wanted to be a ghost father."

“I stayed in the Little Garden for five years. When I was 15, my father took me to Chaldea. For the next five years, I followed Aunt Ritsuka and traveled to different worlds to save humanity. Five years later, my father took me back, and I have been following him ever since.”

In Bai Liya's eyes, Bai Jie was only an average father. She could indeed feel Bai Jie's fatherly love for her, but in other aspects, he seemed so... stupid, such as his philandering habit that he could never get rid of, and his henpecked nature.

However, Bai Liya must also admit that Bai Jie taught her a lot.

"And what about magical girls? How did you become a magical girl?" Kiana pressed. "Your father is a sorcerer, and your mother is a Valkyrie. How did you, as their daughter, become a magical girl?"

"Well... I used to travel around with Aunt Ritsuka and we went to a world themed around magical girls. There were several magical girls in Chaldea, and there was also a swindling fairy. Over time, I developed a longing for the profession of magical girl. I felt that magical girls who swung their wands and defeated enemies in a flashy way and protected the safety of the town were super cool!"

"When I come of age, I will ask Uncle Shi to make me a magic wand, and I will start fighting against dark forces in various worlds in the name of magical girl."

"Hey...I see."

Kiana has indeed watched anime and read manga of this type of magical girl, but she has never actually seen a real magical girl—not counting Theresa's magical girl Teriri, who is already an old lady. Have you ever seen a forty-year-old girl?

"Nalia, do you have someone you like?"