Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

"That was you in the past, just like I also hate myself when I was a brat."

"Frederica is so honest."

Melutina hugged her and buried her face in her chest... though she didn't quite reach it.

"You... I'll let it go today since you're so weak."

Dr. Tesla was like a deflated balloon.

So, are you planning to tell us something?

“That is the Ninth Divine Key, Star Sea… no, its current name is Star of Eden. It is a weapon created by the previous civilization to fight against the Honkai, and as you know, it is made of Soul Steel.”

After burying her face in her chest, Melutina spoke honestly.

"Hey, what kind of weapon is it that needs to be forged with soul steel? That's way too extravagant."

Dr. Tesla was taken aback.

"No, compared to what's inside, even soul steel becomes insignificant..."

Melutina said softly.

“You and Lisser must have learned something from Otto… The core component used to create this weapon is the Herrscher Core.”

"What did you say?!"

Dr. Tesla jumped up abruptly, his lips trembling.

"That, that thing isn't..."

"The Holy Judgment of Heavenly Fire, the Oath of Judah, and the White Flower of the Black Abyss—these are the three strongest weapons of Destiny, all crafted in this way and also called the Keys of God."

Melutina continued,

"In other words, what you have obtained is the same as the supreme treasures passed down through generations by destiny."

"How many of the Ninth Divine Keys are there in total?"

"Dr. Tesla asked."

"...thirteen items."

Melutina paused subtly; the number thirteen made her involuntarily pause.

"The sixth divine key is Black Abyss White Flower, the seventh divine key is Heavenly Fire Judgment, the ninth divine key is Star of Eden, and the eleventh divine key is the Oath of Judah."

In addition, Otto himself also possessed the First Divine Key, the Void Treasury.

"hiss……"

“You should not use the Star of Eden casually… The Key of God is not something that just anyone can use. Let Lisel keep it for now, and give it to Joyce when the time is right.”

"Wait, wait, wait, for Joyce?"

Dr. Tesla clicked his tongue.

"Is he...is he alright?"

"It's more accurate to say it's perfect. The Star of Eden, also known as the Devouring Key, is a divine key that controls gravity and can even create a pseudo-black hole."

Melutina shrugged.

“You know what I mean, right? So, among the Divine Keys, the Star of Eden is also an extremely powerful and dangerous one. But Joyce can control it, even… simulate it. This is the power of the First Herrscher, and Joyce will do it far better than Otto.”

“No, no, no, although we’ve discussed this possibility… and you’ve confirmed it. But, but shouldn’t it be the other way around? That guy…”

Dr. Tesla shook his head repeatedly.

"He is special, very...special."

Melutina said,

"Rather than saying, it's quite unusual that, even though the Berlin Collapse happened so long ago, it's still behaving like an incompetent pushover...isn't that unusual enough?"

"If it weren't for that, he would have been torn to pieces by the scientists of destiny long ago... although it might also have been the other way around."

Dr. Tesla complained,

"Alright, alright, I'll tell Dr. Planck and the others exactly what you said. By the way, do you still have any Divine Keys?"

"That's outrageous! Are you trying to drain me dry?"

"Okay! Okay! Speak!"

"Yes... I am grateful."

Melutina thought for a moment.

"I'd say three items."

"...You didn't bring it with you, did you?"

Dr. Tesla suddenly had a bad feeling.

"No, I only brought one item. There's no way I would bring a locomotive with me."

"...The designers of the pre-civilization had truly unique tastes."

Dr. Tesla found it difficult to combine the locomotive with the Divine Key.

"She was thought of the same way in the previous civilization... Well, if she hadn't turned the fourth Divine Key into an artificial satellite, maybe the later Divine Keys would have been just as interesting."

Melutina shrugged.

"However, as it turns out, her ideas are almost always proven to be correct in the end."

"Um, she also built that satellite? She really is a... genius."

Dr. Tesla felt it was difficult for him to evaluate the creator.

"Well, it's said that she can also perform magic tricks with absolutely no scientific value, make radios that explode and have music, and turn hats into weapons."

"Are you sure it's... just hearsay?"

Dr. Tesla squinted.

"of course."

Melutina blinked, her expression unchanged.

Chapter Five: Distant News

Dr. Liesel Albert Einstein said, "I am just an ordinary person, no different from anyone else."

Dr. Frederica Nicholas Tesla said, "I am a useless idiot."

Dr. Emma Planck said that I should follow my innermost beliefs.

Dr. Meludina Carl von Linnaeus said, "I am special, but I am not a bad person."

Who exactly was Walter Joyce, this man?

I doubt anyone else has thought about this question as repeatedly as I have.

My first and last name were given to me by Dr. Einstein. I don't understand why she took such good care of me, but it is true that I benefited from her kindness.

The common sense I learned later was all thanks to Dr. Linnaeus, whom I met by chance in the library.

After I was officially stopped being experimented on, I became Dr. Einstein's and Dr. Tesla's assistant, responsible for their entertainment and leisure.

This really put me in a difficult position. Dr. Einstein was quite casual, but Dr. Tesla was clearly very picky.

"Hey young man, you should be thinking that you have a perfectly legitimate reason to go out and have fun with two beautiful girls, and you even get paid for it... There's nothing happier in the world than that. If there's any trouble, it'll just be Frederica's iron fist at most."

Dr. Linnaeus had good relationships with many people, and she would address her friends by their first names or nicknames.

Just as Dr. Einstein insisted on calling Dr. Tesla "Dr. Tesla," Dr. Linnaeus called them "Liesel" and "Frederica."

"Using names, especially nicknames, helps to build relationships."

After Dr. Linnaeus said that, I would privately call Dr. Einstein "Einstein," and she didn't react to it.

However, according to Dr. Linnaeus's guidance, when Dr. Einstein did not explicitly show any aversion or remain silent for a long time, it was generally a case of tacit agreement or a relatively good mood.

And so, with trepidation and unease, I lived a long, peaceful life. In fact, if it could have continued indefinitely, I think that would have been the happiness of an ordinary person.

……

"Oh, thank you."

Joyce, holding the gifted collection of Chinese poems, looked at the girl who called herself "Dragon Lady" and was somewhat at a loss.

"Sorry, I just felt it was a chance to chat for a bit."

Fu Hua realized that her behavior was somewhat abrupt.

“Yes, if the identity of Valkyrie makes you uncomfortable, you can think of me as Melutina’s friend. This identity comes to me earlier than Valkyrie.”

"So you're Dr. Linnaeus's friend."

Joyce breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'll work for Otto for now... but I don't need to go to any extremes for him."

Fu Hua had her hands in her pockets.

"I've decided to ignore this ambiguous instruction... you can rest assured."

"Oh, it's related to me?"

“Well, since Melutina has intervened, I shouldn’t interfere out of a sense of duty as a friend.”

Fu Hua explained,

"So, this is just a souvenir, don't worry about it, I'll be leaving soon anyway."

"So fast?"

“Yes, I heard you recently met with Leanna… She’s an upright person. I don’t know what Otto is up to, but it’s clear that Leanna won’t be manipulated by him.”

"It was just some conversation at Highgate Cemetery... Miss Fu Hua, won't you go see Dr. Linnaeus?"

Joyce actually couldn't keep up with Fu Hua's pace.

As for Leona, she was the S-rank Valkyrie he encountered when he was feeding cats in the cemetery.