Collapse, Kaslana's Way of Survival

And if I remember correctly, today should be the day Bianca and the others are scheduled to come back?

Kainuo's eyes lit up slightly, and without hesitation he grabbed his coat and put it on before running all the way towards the Second God's Key activation facility.

Even though she had been in and out of the Quantum Sea several times, Bianca still had a certain degree of resistance to the idea of ​​crossing the channel opened by the Second God Key.

After all, the Quantum Ocean wasn't a normal dimension like a street market, and the Second God Key's manipulation of space wasn't as convenient and flexible as the Herrscher of the Void's power. Therefore, crossing the tunnel wasn't a snap; instead, it felt like being trapped in a washing machine, a dizzying experience—not unbearable, but certainly not enjoyable either.

But at least this time, Bianca looked forward to the return trip.

When the dizziness faded, Bianca opened her eyes. She turned her gaze and nodded to Changguang, Kohaku, and the others who had been waiting at the door for a long time. Finally, her eyes fixed on Kaino, pursed her lips, and waved to him.

"Hi, Bianca, long time no see." Keno, who had hurried over with beads of sweat still on his forehead, also smiled and waved. He then glanced at Otto, who was standing beside him with a smile on his face, "and the former bishop who returned after only three days away."

"Long time no see, brother." Bianca nodded.

"Well, actually, I'd like to stay in the Quantum Ocean for a while longer. After all, there's a lot of interesting things to observe there—like the two Anti-Entropy Leaders and Kaslana's ancestors facing each other from afar." Otto spread his hands. "But there's nothing I can do. Little Theresa's coronation ceremony is today. I promised her I'd be there, so I can't miss it."

"Speaking of which, where's our lovely little Theresa?" Otto said, glancing around. Not seeing the white-haired figure, he clutched his hand to his heart in disappointment. "It's so rare for her grandfather to come back, and she didn't even come to see him? Oh, my, it really broke the old man's heart."

"Your Excellency, Bishop, although you are no longer in office, please maintain the most basic etiquette standards as a former bishop, otherwise it will inevitably cause unnecessary misunderstandings about the Mandate of Heaven." Amber reminded kindly.

"As for Lady Theresa... Using the Feather Dust to study day and night for so long seems to have caused some confusion in her sense of time. Therefore, it's understandable that she can't remember the time of your return."

Otto's face fell slightly in frustration.

Seeing that continuing the conversation might involve himself who had almost forgotten the time, Kainuo coughed twice and quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, Bianca, did your trip go smoothly?"

Before Bianca could say anything, Otto spoke up, "Isn't it obvious? You can easily guess it just by looking at the expression."

"..."

How did you become so talkative?

"The bishop is absolutely right. Both his and my goals were achieved very smoothly this time." Bianca stretched out her right hand and clenched her fist, revealing a rare knowing smile.

The existence of the bubble in her inner world was no longer tied to her life, which relieved a lot of pressure in her heart. And with Xiaoyou's help, her strength was further improved, which made her feel an unspeakable comfort.

"But I'll tell you about these things later, brother... Speaking of which, didn't father and Kiana come to the headquarters?"

Noticing that two white-haired people who were supposed to be there were missing, Bianca asked.

Although his and the bishop's return was not a big deal, if the two of them, who were also Aunt Theresa's family members, wanted to attend her coronation ceremony, they should have arrived at the Mandate Headquarters by now, right?

In that case, based on their personalities, they should come to see me.

"They didn't come." Keno, who understood Bianca's intention, shrugged and glanced at Otto, who was smiling brightly.

"Let's not talk about Dad. It's fine for him to attend the ceremony for my period, but he would definitely be very reluctant to meet Otto. The same goes for Kiana. We also have to consider whether her other personality would suddenly become angry when seeing Otto."

"Of course, there's also the fact that Saint Freya has reopened. Whether it's my dad, who was temporarily drafted in as a teacher due to a shortage of teaching staff, or Kiana, who has poor grades and needs to attend classes, they all have to stay in school now."

Kainuo was obviously tired when he said this.

As the acting principal, Ji Zi is obviously much more powerful than Theresa Chen Zhi. If she didn't have a formal Valkyrie organization and could go out openly, she might have been taken back by the other party.

"Well, it seems that even after Little Theresa gave up her power, Saint Freya is still thriving."

Otto didn't pay any attention to what Kaino said. He joked in a frivolous tone and pointed at the door.

"Let's go see Theresa quickly. Since her perception of time is a little confused, she might have forgotten that the ceremony is going to take place today. We have to help her."

After a pause, Otto continued, "Also, after the ceremony, Keno, remember not to leave yet. I need to remind you of something... By the way, we also need to have a good talk about our agreement."

"Of course, if you want, Bianca, you can come along."

Chapter 273: A strong sense of déjà vu

As an organization evolved from a religion, like Saint Freya and Klosten, Skyward Sword also has a magnificent cathedral on its headquarters floating island.

Putting aside the question of whether it is stupid to create a small wonder on top of a big wonder, this church has not really played any role.

Because he was busy with experiments and resurrecting Kallen, Otto, who did not believe in God, had no interest in praying or doing evangelism in the church. Even if he had free time, he would spend it playing games and taking care of Theresa. Since there were no orthodox nuns in the church, the cathedral gradually became deserted.

After all, we can't expect those crazy researchers and the Valkyries wandering on the front lines of the battle to come here to pray whenever we have time, right?

But this was, after all, the first succession ceremony for the Mandate of Heaven, nearly five hundred years removed, marking the first transfer of power since the reforms. The coronation of Theresa, who had served as Crown Prince for fifty years, naturally couldn't be taken lightly, so the cathedral on the floating island was finally officially opened.

The cathedral was packed with the majority of the institute directors and Valkyrie team captains who were able to attend, as well as Keno and a former bishop who were able to attend due to nepotism. They stared at Theresa who was standing at the podium in gorgeous nun's clothes and reciting her oath.

"...As I said, from now on, I and Destiny will remain steadfast in standing on the front lines against the Honkai until it is completely resolved, or until we all perish."

As Theresa's voice died down, everyone in the cathedral began to applaud. Seeing this, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief, and her heart, which had been hanging in the air, slowly settled.

Although she knew that no one should be so stupid, no one interfered at the moment of the Archbishop's power transfer. So after she successfully took over the power, even if some people had inappropriate thoughts because of Otto's departure, she was confident that she could rule them without relying on force.

With such confidence, Theresa tapped Judas beside her. The booming sound, like a gong, instantly silenced the noisy applause. After waiting in silence for a few seconds, Theresa slowly spoke.

"Alright, that's it. I've already handed over the future management policy to Amber. Everyone, just wait quietly for notification on everything from funding transfers to equipment allocations."

The order to disband was issued, and many members who participated in the ceremony stood up and left the cathedral one by one. The cathedral had been bustling for less than an hour, leaving only Keno, Bianca and a few others.

Seeing that the people left behind were all acquaintances who knew her true nature well, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief and happily carried Judas on her back, turning back into the teenage Theresa.

...something seems to be wrong?

Snap, snap.

Otto smiled at Theresa and clapped his hands again.

"Theresa, you spoke well today. To be honest, it completely exceeded my expectations and once again proves that I was right in entrusting you with my destiny."

"Grandpa, please stop making fun of me. I'm obviously far inferior to you."

Faced with Otto's compliment, Theresa did not resist this time. Instead, she pouted and showed an embarrassed expression.

"I'm not kidding." Otto shook his head. "When I first became the Bishop of Heaven's Mandate, I wasn't necessarily any better than you."

"But Grandpa, you were less than thirty years old at that time, right? And you actually deposed the previous generation and took the throne yourself!"

"Oh my." Otto's eyes widened in surprise. "Could it be that little Theresa still harbors ambitions to rebel against fate and become a bishop on her own?"

"...How is that possible?" Theresa looked away guiltily. When she first learned that Kayno was still alive and that Bianca was the real Kiana, she actually thought about going against her destiny. This was one of the reasons why she formed an alliance with Anti-Entropy.

Otto smiled knowingly and said nothing. He glanced at Keno and Bianca who were watching silently beside him and took a breath.

"Alright, Theresa, your job as bishop shouldn't be easy, right? Go take a break now. I still have something to discuss with Kainuo and the others."

Theresa was stunned, her expression a little surprised.

"Grandpa, is it so urgent?"

Otto had already told her that he planned to rely on Keno to face death and save Kallen. Although she was reluctant, Theresa understood and had already prepared herself mentally. After all, this was his life goal.

But no matter how urgent it was, he wouldn't turn around and prepare to die just after his granddaughter took over the destiny, right? ? ?

"Ahem, little Theresa, please don't misunderstand."

Otto guessed what had surprised Theresa and quickly began to explain.

"Although I'm indeed eager to realize my long-cherished wish, I've already waited five hundred years, so I won't rush into anything... At least I still have a few days to rest and make more thorough preparations."

"Whatever you say."

Theresa pursed her lips, carried Judas on her back, turned around and left the church without looking back.

Kaino scratched his face and looked at Otto with some curiosity.

"What do you want to do by leaving us two?"

The details of the transaction between the two had been explained clearly enough, and he didn't think there was anything else that needed to be said specifically between them.

His gaze naturally shifted from Theresa's gradually disappearing figure to Keno and Bianca. Otto touched his chin and suddenly laughed.

"You know, Keno, even though I've done many wrong things, I'm actually a man who keeps his promises," Otto said seriously. "This is especially true for my old friend."

"Just say what you want to say. There's no need to beat around the bush."

Otto didn't care about being choked. He shrugged and continued speaking naturally.

"To put it simply, a long, long time ago, I met a friend—well, let's call her a friend. She was seriously injured and fell into a deep sleep, and I promised her that I would wake her up before her long-cherished wish was fulfilled."

Kainuo's expression became even more puzzled. "What does what you said have to do with me?"

Otto smiled softly and said, "Of course it does."

"Although she can't compare to the Red Kite Immortal at his peak due to her ordinary body, she can use the Grand Void Sword Divine without restrictions. She has a high probability of defeating Kevin, who is now much weaker than before."

"I know the remaining ordinary Herrschers pose no threat to you... but facing the Herrscher of the End, you will at least need the help of other powerful ones, right? And her presence will more or less help you."

Kainuo frowned slowly, and his expression became more and more strange.

Why does this description sound so familiar?

"Wait a minute," interrupting Otto, Kainuo asked tentatively, "The person you're talking about...isn't it Cheng Lingshuang?"

Chapter 274 Both of them?

Otto was slightly stunned when he heard this strange yet familiar name.

"You even know about her?"

The past between him and Kallen could be inferred from many sources. Bianca's true identity could be attributed to blood familiarity and gossip from somewhere unknown, but the name Cheng Lingshuang from five hundred years ago... should have been completely buried in history.

After all, he didn't mention this matter, and Fu Hua couldn't tell anyone about it.

How on earth did you know that?

"Brother, do you know this person?" Bianca asked from the side.

"I'm probably just familiar with it, not that I'm familiar with it. The story is a bit long, and it's related to the time when I disappeared. If you want to know, I'll tell you slowly when I have the chance."

Kainuo shook his head and distanced himself from his cheap master.

She had spent less than a year in Shenzhou, the world she had been in, in the priest's world. Most of the knowledge about the Taixu Sword God was taught to her by Li Suchang, and her further mastery of the Taixu Sword God was attributed to Fu Hua's teachings.

The two of them are really unfamiliar with each other.

"Okay, I'll just assume you're just a clue. It has nothing to do with me anyway."

Otto shook his head, then knocked twice on the desk where Theresa had given her eulogy. With a rumbling sound, a dark tunnel appeared on the floor.

Keno blinked at the sight.

So what? Are you building a tunnel on the floating island?

"But unfortunately, you guessed wrong... Well, although Cheng Lingshuang does meet the conditions you just mentioned, she died five hundred years ago and there is no possibility that she would be alive today."

"The answer to the mystery is right here. The third S-rank Valkyrie that Skyfate has been promoting but never revealed is right here. Why don't you go in and take a look?"

Otto turned around and stood at the entrance of the tunnel, like a brothel owner soliciting customers, smiling and inviting Keno and Bianca.

Pulling Bianca, who was about to step in obediently, Keno said, "You go in first."

Otto's expression froze: "You should trust my character."

"I asked you to go in first because I trust your character." Kainuo replied with a smile.

Although Otto couldn't possibly attack them now that the cooperation was about to enter a critical stage, and he couldn't beat the two of them if he really tried, who knows if he would suddenly want to play a prank on them before leaving?

Although Otto was able to perform such a miraculous operation as releasing Honkai beast to save Kallen, Kayno could not guarantee that his mind was always normal.

Otto pursed his lips, sighed softly, and without further argument, stepped into the secret passage first. Behind him, Kaino and Bianca exchanged a glance, then followed in tacit agreement.

Although it was hidden fairly well, the interior of the passage didn't look like a secret passage at all. It was bright and clean, not much different from a normal corridor in Tianming. After crossing this not-too-long passage, Keno and Bianca followed Otto into a secret room. A large hibernation chamber was prominently placed in the center of the room.

"Here, this is the old friend I wanted to introduce to you, but she's soundly sleeping right now, so you have to wait for me to wake her up before introducing her."

Otto said as he walked to the side of the hibernation chamber, connected his personal terminal to the latter and started operating it quickly.

"Her?" Kainuo raised his eyebrows. "Is it possible that none of your old friends are men?"

He really had no impression of having met any men around Otto, and the few men Siegfried had could not be called Otto's friend at all.

"I don't think you have the right to criticize me. Besides, I do have a close friend of the same sex, but unfortunately, I ended up having to kill him because of our different ideologies."

Otto casually refuted Kainuo's words, and his hand operating the screen suddenly stopped.

"Okay, the hibernation program has been lifted. She will wake up in a moment."

"Don't give me that. I have a lot of same-sex friends." Kainuo rolled his eyes.

While a few people were joking around, the hibernation chamber began to slowly spray out cold air. Seeing this, Kainuo and the others subconsciously quieted down.

After a while, the hatch opened, revealing a brown-haired girl who was familiar to Keno, leaning against the hibernation capsule and sleeping soundly.

"...Li Sushang?"