The collapse started when Kiana came to the door

Chapter 4: World Structure and Lost Rosemary Proposal (k)

While Theresa was having a headache because of the two Kianas, on the other side, Li Shubai, who had two thick dark circles under his eyes, was having a similar headache because of a completely different thing.

Nearly forty-eight hours had passed since he woke up from his unconscious state. During these forty-eight hours, Li Shubai almost forgot to eat and sleep and read through most of the information uploaded to the computer in the study by Guanxing and the others.

Even though his memory became blurry and his body shrunk like a child due to entering [Power Saving Mode], his thinking pattern did not change much.

It’s better to say... Even if he really turned into a child, Li Shubai, who was about ten years old, was still a person with considerable self-control.

This valuable talent enabled him to achieve quite impressive results in the exam-oriented education system of his previous life. It also allowed him to calm down very quickly and absorb new knowledge that he had already mastered once without losing his memory.

...Of course, it was also because after forty-eight hours of emergency tutoring that he had a general understanding of the current situation of the world, that Li Shubai rubbed his eyelids that were getting hot and painful, and slumped weakly in the chair next to the desk.

The world invaded by the concept of collapse was really nonsense to the point of being speechless. The information he had seen made him feel extremely pitted... For example, the human history of this world was not millions of years, but only less than 50,000 years; the advanced civilization with a super-modern level had already experienced one or perhaps several destructions; humans did not gradually learn how to use tools and fire in the process of fighting against nature, but the pioneers who survived from the pre-civilization era 50,000 years ago gradually let primitive humans acquire these skills in a subtle way; earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons and other natural phenomena, and even the Black Death that raged in Europe, all had the shadow of collapse behind them; Einstein and Tesla, two great scientists who should have become characters in history books long ago, are still working for an organization called Anti-Entropy...

After reading a series of strange materials that were comparable to the new edition of textbooks from a certain Far Eastern country in his previous life, Li Shubai also roughly understood the basic structure of the collapsed world.

In short, any major event or large-scale natural disaster large enough to be recorded in history books is basically inextricably linked to the collapse.

Based on the characteristics of Honkai, the elite humans in this world can be said to be a completely different species from ordinary humans, both from a taxonomic and biological perspective.

After all, if it were an ordinary human, no matter how much he trained himself to the limit, relying on the body supported by human bones which are mainly composed of calcium carbonate, it would be impossible for him to kick over a drone flying at high speed with one foot.

For the same reason, almost all the top talents in this world have been recruited by the Destiny that controls the intelligence of Honkai. Except for North America occupied by Anti-Entropy, important cities in almost all countries have Valkyrie troops stationed there that are capable of easily defeating any ordinary military organization.

Even with the checks and balances of anti-entropy, the two largest anti-Honkai organizations have built a relatively harmonious and friendly basic structure for this world through silent and tacit understanding. If any country encounters difficulties caused by Honkai, assistance from other countries will immediately arrive, and there will be almost no major friction between countries.

...So in this world situation, what should I do? Li Shubai couldn't help but feel a little entangled.

Rationally speaking, his best option now was to do what Guanxing and Rita had suggested, and just lie down in Sky City and do nothing. After all, with his memory blurred, the power he could use was quite limited. In addition to this tender body that, according to Youlandel, was already comparable to an S-class Valkyrie even after turning ten years old, most of his original [Captain] abilities needed to be slowly adapted during the memory recovery process.

Although forcibly exerting power beyond the limit will not cause any harm, it will inevitably slow down the speed of memory recovery.

In terms of efficiency, it seems that no matter what kind of efforts I make, the efficiency of the final benefits is far less than waiting peacefully in this mansion for half a year to slowly recover.

However, as a man obsessed with involution, Li Shubai didn't think he could really do as Guanxing and the others said and wait here peacefully for his strength to recover.

After all, there were no missing parts of his body, and although there were some minor problems with his brain, he was not really demented. He knew that the destined moment would come in about three years, but he did nothing and stayed in this world for about half a year... Just thinking about it, Li Shubai felt a sense of crisis as if he was sitting on pins and needles.

Just when Li Shubai was struggling with the problem, there was a knock on the study door.

"Please come in." Li Shubai rubbed his face and shouted with forced energy.

With the slight friction sound of the hinge joints, the door was gently pushed open from the outside, and the crisp footsteps came from far away.

"Captain, have you stayed up late again?" Long-haired Rita [Lost Rosemary] in a maid's dress stood elegantly behind Li Shubai's desk. Her gentle wine-red eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness mixed with worry.

"Don't worry about me." Li Shubai stretched out his legs and pushed against the wall on the desk, letting his chair lean back slightly with his back feet as the fulcrum. He rested his head on the back of the chair and unconsciously looked up at Rita's bright and beautiful face and the proud peaks covered by the white maid outfit. His tender face blushed slightly, and then he put the chair back in place without leaving any trace. "Ahem, after all, there is the so-called power of collapse in my body. Even if I stay up for a night or two, it shouldn't be to the point where it will harm my body."

"But you haven't left the computer screen in the past two days, right?" Rita [Lost Rosemary] stretched out her hands and gently pressed Li Shubai's shoulders. "Even if your body won't be harmed by staying up late, mental fatigue will still accumulate bit by bit when you concentrate. While working hard, Captain, don't forget to combine work and rest."

"So I'm going to rest now." Li Shubai narrowed his eyes slightly, "Are you here to call me to have breakfast?"

"Although I do have this plan, as the captain's Valkyrie, in this situation, what Rita should do more is to help the confused captain solve his problems." [Lost Rosemary] glanced at the screen and raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "Captain, do you think that I can't spend the next six months of recuperation peacefully?"

"You guessed it all." Li Shubai touched his nose, feeling awkward for some reason. "Did I cause you any trouble?"

"Don't think like that." [Lost Rosemary] gently touched Li Shubai's head, "For us, the captain's affairs will never be considered trouble."

"Even if it's just this kind of boring and meaningless entanglement?" Li Shubai said.

"How can this be called boring and meaningless?" [Lost Rosemary] smiled, "No matter what, you are worried about the situation in this world. If this can also be called meaningless, then there is probably nothing meaningful in this world."

"You seem to think too highly of me." Li Shubai shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Except for special situations where the meaning of survival has been lost, if you know that this world is about to end, as long as you still have the will to survive in your heart, even ordinary people should not choose to sit and wait for death."

"So, in the eyes of the captain, this will to survive is meaningless to humans?" [Lost Rosemary] asked in a gentle tone.

Li Shubai was speechless for a moment. After being silent for a long while, he shook his head silently.

"Since this is not a meaningless worry, why do we think it is a trouble?" [Lost Rosemary] said, "So, there is no need for you, Captain, to worry about this alone."

"Well, I can't argue with you." Li Shubai shrugged, frankly admitted that his eloquence was not as good as [Lost Rosemary], and naturally led the topic to another direction, "You said you wanted to help me solve my problems. Could it be that you already have a solution to the trouble I just mentioned?"

"Rather than calling it a solution, it's better to say... it's a small proposal." [Lost Rosemary] closed one eye, raised one of her fingers, and a playful smile appeared on her elegant and charming face.

"Proposal?" Li Shubai tilted his head, puzzled. "What kind of proposal?"

"Captain, did you watch the live broadcast from the Mandate Headquarters to the whole world just now?" [Lost Rosemary] asked.

"I have seen it." Li Shubai nodded. "After all, Tianming is the world's largest anti-Honkai organization and a violent organization at the top of the world. It is normal for an outsider like me to be interested in the important moment of its leadership change, right? In a sense, I have also witnessed the history of this world."

"Since you have also watched the live broadcast of the Destiny Headquarters, you should have also seen the two candidates who will be the Archbishops?" [Lost Rosemary] smiled, "Aren't you going to express any opinion on this, Captain?"

"What can I feel? Although I was surprised to see Kiana and Yulandel in the live broadcast, I also saw in the information you gave me that Yulandel in this world should also be the strongest Valkyrie in the destiny, right? The strongest Valkyrie inherits the position of bishop... It is indeed a bit surprising, but it is not to the point of being unacceptable." Li Shubai spread his hands, "After all, they should not be Kiana and Yulandel beside me, right? Didn't you say that all the Valkyries following me are parallel world isotopes from other worlds?"

“……”[Lost Rosemary] smiled silently.

“……” Feeling the strange silence behind him, Li Shubai suddenly fell silent.

After a moment of silence, Li Shubai raised his head and looked at the [Lost Rosemary] with a subtle smile on his face. He opened his mouth and asked stutteringly: "They... shouldn't be Kiana and Yulandel beside me... right?"

"Captain, why don't you guess what the truth is?" [Lost Rosemary] smiled brightly.

"I don't want to guess!" Li Shubai was dumbfounded. "Don't tell me that you guys quietly usurped the power of the world's highest violent organization? Did Otto force you to abdicate?"

"You have misunderstood us, Captain." [Lost Rosemary] said with a smile, "We have never forced the Bishop to do anything. Everything he did was based on his own initiative."

"..." Li Shubai raised his palm and touched his forehead. He felt an absurd feeling for some reason. "... In other words, if we look at it from the perspective of a superior-subordinate relationship, as long as you still acknowledge that you are my Valkyrie, then... in three days, I will be the most powerful person in the world?"

"Oh, don't you have the feeling and awareness that you can walk sideways in this world?" [Lost Rosemary] joked.

"Who would have such a strange self-awareness?" Li Shubai had a headache. "Well, even if it's true as you said, you have actually controlled the Destiny Organization of this world... then you can't really let me be the bishop of Destiny, right? Let's not talk about the problem of ability. According to what you said at the beginning, we won't stay in this world for a long time, right? Will the public authorities who intervene here without authorization really mess up the history of this world when they leave?"

"You can rest assured about this matter." [Lost Rosemary] said, "Half a year is enough for them to complete their mission?"

"Enough for them to complete their mission?" Li Shubai frowned. "Who are they? What is their mission?"

"Of course, it is the mission to train successors for the destiny of this world." [Lost Rosemary] smiled, "So, let's get back to the topic we started with."

"Since you, Captain, have the same problem as Yulandel, then why don't you do the same as Miss Kiana and Lady Yulandel and temporarily complete some work within your capacity for the destiny of this world during this half year?"

Chapter 4: Kiana in Action (k)

Intrinsic World, January 2014, 1, 13 a.m. Far Eastern Time.

In the dead of night when all the trees and grass were asleep, the lights in other houses near the three dormitories in the west area were also turned off.

On the second floor of the dormitory, accompanied by the sound of a window sliding, a ball of white fur stole its head out from the pitch-black bedroom.

The little white-haired ball looked around like a thief, and after confirming that no one was passing by, she crawled out of the house and jumped out of the window towards the corridor below.

The next second, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the empty dormitory area. Under the light of the street lamps, a white bug suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the deserted street, running wildly.

If we talk about the time when they arrived at the Hyperion, the Herrscher of the Void who used the sun umbrella and spring water even returned to the Hyperion earlier than Kiana, the Herrscher of the Fire. Naturally, the spring elves did not participate in the discussion about the sudden incident of the captain turning into a child like the Herrscher of the End. So Kiana has never really seen this elf lady who looks like Sirin.

She only knew that if the data recorded by the Hyperion was correct, this Spring Elf, whose temper seemed as cold as Sirin's, was actually a kind-hearted person like them, the Valkyries.

In other words, if Kiana makes a sincere request to the Fountain Elf with a serious attitude, the other party will most likely not refuse her.

But after stepping out of the window and heading out to find each other, Kiana discovered a very serious problem.

"Although I have decided to seek help from the spring elf, do you know where she lives now, Xilin?"

——Yes, just like what she said to herself at this moment, Kiana set out to seek help from the Spring Elf, but she had no idea where her dear aunt had arranged the elf lady who seemed like the Herrscher of the Sky.

[How can I, who has been trapped in your body, know something that you don’t even know?]

Xilin's cold voice echoed deep in Kiana's mind.

"Hmm... I just remember that she seemed to be arranged to live in another dormitory by her aunt. Do you want me to look for her in each dormitory one by one?" Kiana slowed down her pace and whispered in embarrassment, "If that's the case, it would take too much time."

[Stupid, have you forgotten what you are?]

"Why are you suddenly swearing?" A hint of anger appeared on Kiana's face.

[Damn... Why would a guy like you be...]

Xilin's voice sounded quite unhappy.

[I'm only saying one thing, listen carefully, as Herrschers with complete power, whether it's you or me, we can easily smell the "information" written in the "collapse" smell.]

"...Why does it sound like a puppy?" Kiana had a subtle expression.

[Even if it really is a puppy, that puppy should be you instead of me... Tsk, no, that's not the point we are discussing.]

Celine said.

[The important thing is - even if you can't figure out where that guy is, can't you use the senses of the Honkai side to search for her breath? Even if it's just a projection of the world bubble, that guy is also a Herrscher of the Void like us. As a Herrscher of the Void, can't you sense the desire hidden in the other party's instinct from the air? ]

[——The desire to distort the world, distort space, and make everything in the world fall into endless calamity!]

Kiana couldn't help but shudder, and said with a vigilant expression: "Hey... I say, you are not going to cause trouble again, are you?"

Xilin felt a little tired.

[This is just an intuitive description... Don't tell me that you have never experienced similar feelings from those other "selves"?]

"What's the feeling?"

[…Have you accepted the power of the Ruler of the Sky from me?]

Xilin felt a little numb.

[Why do I need to teach you this knowledge, which should be the instinct of a Herrscher, one by one?]

"Uh..." Kiana's eyes wandered, "I... Of course I can use the power of the Herrscher! It's just... I'm not very experienced."

[Enough! Change people!]

"Hey……"

Just as a syllable came out of her lips, Kiana's pupils suddenly flashed gold.

After completing the personality switch while Kiana was off guard, Xilin stopped, looked around, and then narrowed her eyes slightly.

[What do you want to do?! Why did you suddenly——]

"Shut up! If you weren't so disappointing, do you think I wanted to risk being noticed by others and forcibly control your body?"

Xilin stopped Kiana from speaking in a cold voice.

The next second, she raised her arms, placed her palms in front of her eyes, and snapped her fingers.

With a crisp snap of fingers, a deep space crack appeared out of nowhere in front of Xilin.

"Humph... You can't even do something as simple as that. You're such a useless guy."

[......]

I don’t know if it was because she knew she was in the wrong, but when Xilin directly dissed her, Kiana did not refute as she did in the past, but shut her mouth silently.

Xilin did not have any intention of pursuing relentlessly. After opening the space crack, she raised her foot without hesitation and stepped into the space crack that connected herself to the current location of the Spring Elf.

"Hey you……"

Knowing that she had successfully arrived at the side of the Spring Spirit, Xilin, who had just spoken a few words, fell into silence after seeing the scene in front of her.

In the dark house, the screen with the game screen flashing rapidly emitted a faint fluorescent light. The clicking sound of the arm buttons being pressed rapidly mixed with the sound effects of various swords and guns and the angry shouts of game tasks were endless. The tempting aroma of the heavy taste of instant noodles unreasonably invaded Xilin's sense of smell from the moment she stepped into this space.

"Huh? Who?"

Perhaps she noticed that someone had suddenly come to her side. The silver-haired girl who was fighting fiercely in the virtual game world moved her ears, pressed the pause button reluctantly, and turned her head back.

——Then he met the gaze of the dazed blue-eyed girl.

"..."

"..."

The space crack closed silently, and the clear golden eyes of the Spring Elf and Kiana's blue eyes, which showed a little bit of stupidity and daze, reflected each other's similar appearance and posture.

The paused monitor was still emitting a faint electronic fluorescence. Outside the window was a full moon hanging high in the south. After a long silence, the Spring Elf spoke first:

"Why? You wouldn't visit someone else's bedroom without the owner's consent just to see my beauty with your own eyes, would you?"

She put the handle aside as if nothing had happened, and straightened her body that was originally curled up on the sofa. Her noble and elegant golden eyes were full of inviolable arrogance and indifference.

If the whole room was not still filled with the smell of instant noodles and the paused game screen was not still emitting a faint electronic fluorescence, perhaps Kiana would subconsciously regard everything she had seen before as an illusion.

...Speaking of which, that guy is really weird. Why would he just shrink back on his own after taking someone else's body without permission?

Kiana, who was complaining about Sirin's unreliability in her heart, rolled her eyes and, after organizing her words, decided to throw a straight ball to this Fountain Elf who was said to be a very nice person:

"Um... I have something to ask of you."