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Durandal and Rita swiftly departed.
They had numerous tasks to attend to, and even their training could no longer be as focused as before. Despite Rita and Amber's efforts to alleviate some of Durandal's workload, certain decisions still required her direct involvement.
As a leader, she could no longer indulge in personal leisure time.
Xia Chen watched them leave alongside his companions.
Later, Ana remarked, "Lady Durandal seems under immense pressure; it's been ages since she last visited the training grounds."
"I suppose it's an inevitable part of becoming a leader," Xia Chen shrugged and said, "The greater your power, the greater your responsibility."
"Sounds nice, but why haven't I seen you sharing any of that responsibility?"
Currently, at Schicksal Headquarters, Xia Chen was arguably the one with the most downtime.
Durandal and Rita handled numerous responsibilities, while Ana and Wendy focused on clearing external Honkai incidents. In contrast, Xia Chen's only task was assisting with laboratory tests; he had virtually no other duties.
Naturally, this stemmed from his alignment with Otto during the Klostern incident.
Despite the complex internal dynamics, even Durandal understood some hidden secrets involved. However, considering Anti-Entropy as allies to be appeased, Xia Chen's position remained largely ceremonial.
"If I were to share those responsibilities, wouldn't you get incredibly jealous?" Xia Chen teased playfully.
Ana, being quite sensitive, instantly blushed. "Wh-who would be jealous?"
Sakura quietly slipped away, feeling uncomfortable with such flirtatious banter.
Wendy, on the other hand, pretended not to hear and continued her training undisturbed.
After chatting casually for a bit, Xia Chen also began his own training regimen.
Regardless of the circumstances, one must never neglect their personal strength. After all, in this world, abandoning power meant forfeiting one's life.
Once again, the vast training ground echoed only with a few soft breaths.
Meanwhile, at Anti-Entropy's Salt Lake Base.
Following Klostern, everyone there was immersed in confusion.
Schicksal could bolster their team's confidence by creating new armors, while Anti-Entropy relied solely on the Moonlight Throne. With the failure of Entropy Reduction, they urgently needed a new approach.
Regardless, maintaining belief in overcoming Honkai remained crucial.
Previously, Durandal had informed Einstein about Siegfried's situation, providing some relief to Kiana and Theresa. Since then, they have been diligently training using Anti-Entropy's facilities.
Anti-Entropy, once Schicksal's North American branch, maintained their methods and equipment for training Valkyries even after breaking away from Schicksal.
Although Einstein and Tesla advocated solving problems with armor, practical limitations greatly constrained machinery usage.
For instance, precise tasks required human dexterity that machines couldn't replicate.
After decades, Anti-Entropy revived their Valkyrie training program. Unlike Saint Freya or Schicksal Headquarters, they incorporated virtual imaging technology for highly efficient training.
However, both Einstein and Theresa were well aware this only addressed symptoms, not the root cause.
Moreover, humans were not Honkai Beasts; they had their limits.
Not everyone could obtain Stigmata, and even if one possessed them, it didn't guarantee boundless potential. Theoretically, there is an upper limit to human capabilities, making humanity's ceiling far too insignificant compared to the Herrscher of Finality mentioned in the data.
Even the strongest ant cannot move a human foot—such is the constraint imposed by biological hierarchy.
The solution before humanity, seemingly straightforward, was clear: elevate their biological hierarchy.
Undeniably, the Stigmata hidden within genes held the key to this advancement. However, both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal's research on Stigmata remained superficial at best.
"Ahhh, so annoying!" Tesla ran his fingers irritably through his hair. "I'm a physicist! Why am I being asked to specialize in genetics?"
"Please be patient, Dr. Tesla," Einstein responded with her usual cold tone. "After all, I'm also learning bioengineering, aren't I?"
"At least bioengineering has some overlap with physics, but I know absolutely nothing about genetics."
"Knowledge transcends disciplines. And considering your intellect, Dr. Tesla, you should manage just fine, no?"
"Heh, how can a normal person's intellect comprehend such abnormal power as Stigmata?" Tesla quipped sarcastically. "Rather than this, I'd rather continue focusing on Big Guy and have it deal with the Herrschers."
"Although I wish to support Dr. Tesla's research, our biggest issue now is the lack of sufficient time."
Einstein sighed, "The news that Finality will destroy all human creations is truly the most despairing."
"Hold on, mophead," Tesla suddenly questioned, "Where did you get the idea that everything artificial will be destroyed by Finality?"
"Schicksal disclosed information from the previous civilization era, Dr. Tesla. Don't tell me you haven't read it."
"No, that's not what I meant."
Tesla seemed to grasp something and continued, "What I'm asking is, what criteria does the Herrscher of Finality use to distinguish between artificial objects and natural ones?"
"We all know natural objects are resources found within nature, but there lies a paradox here. On Earth, would rare metals from Mars be considered natural or artificial?" she asked, "Surely, the Herrscher of Finality must have some standard for making this distinction."
"Dr. Tesla, what do you mean?"
"I mean, we could deceive the Finality Herrscher."
As if struck by inspiration, she responded, "Since it can destroy artificial creations, why not disguise them as natural ones instead?"
"How would we achieve that? Through visual deception? But with such beings' existence, visual deceit seems unlikely." Einstein frowned, then considered another possibility: "Or perhaps you're suggesting conceptual deception?"
By altering the Finality Herrscher's perception of 'artificial' versus 'natural,' they might deceive it effectively.
Exchanging glances, they both blurted out simultaneously, "Honkai!"
If the Finality Herrscher is itself a creation of Honkai rather than human-made, it implies that its judgment on artificial creations follows its own distinct criteria—criteria rooted in Honkai itself.
"The emergence of the Finality Herrscher signifies not just the end of civilizations but also the disappearance of Honkai itself. Perhaps we should shift our perspective; the Finality Herrscher may hold the key to overcoming Honkai."
Tesla's thoughts quickly aligned: "In other words, strictly speaking, allowing the Finality Herrscher to manifest means Honkai has already been defeated."
"So what we need to figure out is how to prevent Finality from destroying human civilization..."
"Mophead, I already have a research direction."
"Me too," Einstein sighed with relief. "Dr. Tesla, I must admit, sometimes your brain does come up with good ideas."
"Of course, my intellect is humanity's precious treasure," she replied.
Einstein continued, "Let's enlist Theresa and others for assistance; there's much work ahead of us."