Tesla thought what Noldrei had done was absolutely despicable; she couldn't believe he actually dared to say such things.
He wasn't wrong about one thing, though. Kiana truly hadn't been able to fully master her own body yet. This had little to do with how smart or capable she was; it was simply because she had been a carbon-based human for too long and couldn't adapt.
In fact, it was more like her body had adapted to her. The new body had even fulfilled her original body's every need.
Tesla felt Noldrei's actions were outrageous. When had the poor girl ever been tricked like this before?
After the family meeting was over, Tesla buzzed incessantly in Noldrei's ear, insisting that her foster daughter shouldn't be treated this way.
Noldrei didn't answer her right away, merely remarking thoughtfully:
"Tesla? Is it possible that... you're also very easy to deceive?"
The entanglement of the Cocoon of Finality and civilization was actually limited by the essence of its own existence.
Just as Moore's Law is constrained by the development of semiconductors, the extent to which the Cocoon of Finality was bound to civilization was also limited by its own relationship with Imaginary Energy.
The Cocoon of Finality could not possess power exceeding its own upper limit, and the existence of Imaginary Energy just so happened to exceed that limit.
Otherwise, Sirin wouldn't have been the so-called Herrscher of the Void, but the Herrscher of the Imaginary.
Tesla had clearly experienced it all, but being teased like this still ignited a flare of anger in her heart.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm thinking of you here!"
Tesla felt she ought to learn how to whip people with her pigtails. Noldrei was just asking for it.
"Of course I know you're thinking of me," Noldrei explained. "But I really didn't lie to Kiana. I just said I was leaving to help her solve her body's problem; I never said her body's problem was related to Finality. The Finality part was my lie to all of you. Otherwise, why do you think I didn't invite Dr. Einstein to such an important meeting?"
"Compared to you, Dr. Einstein is definitely harder to fool."
It took a moment for Tesla to process that. "What? You're really going to solve her body's problem?"
"Yes, of course I'm solving a problem. I've discovered she's become far too fond of borrowing the wisdom of me, her descendant. I was thinking, I came here to borrow your wisdom!" Noldrei said with a serious expression. "If you all ended up borrowing my wisdom, wouldn't my entire journey here have been for nothing? So, to stimulate the wisdom of you locals, I naturally have to leave and hide far away to let you grow on your own."
Tesla's head was buzzing, her eyes spinning in circles.
She wanted to argue, but found she had no ground to stand on.
'He's actually right...'
Tesla thought about it carefully. If she were Kiana, she definitely wouldn't be willing to let Noldrei go either.
At that thought, Tesla suddenly cursed, "It's all your fault, you jerk! You're too good to her! I never even had thoughts like that!"
"You say that as if you were also born in a lab."
Noldrei shot her a look. Why was a person with friends and family comparing herself to a teenage girl who had been a wanderer? Tesla wasn't a bit ashamed.
Tesla also felt her words were a little out of line.
Her face flushed slightly as she asked, "So, how do you plan to leave? It should be fine to go through the star gate now, right?"
"Of course it's fine. Is the thing I entrusted you to research ready? The area around the solar system is all Imaginary void space. Even if I go out that way, I can't be certain that what's outside is truly the universe beyond the solar system. It's not impossible that I could end up in another universe."
Noldrei would naturally be prepared before leaving. How could he just up and go on a whim?
He still had to take the Herrscher of Sentience with him.
"It's been ready for a long time. It's a special flying vessel incorporating technology from both the Previous Era and the Venusian civilization. I've specifically adapted it for the star gate and even co-developed it with the Sugar civilization."
Tesla was immensely proud when talking about her creation. She waved her hand and summoned a holographic projection to introduce her modified ship to Noldrei.
"Why is it a locomotive?!"
Several question marks popped up over Noldrei's head. Even if it wasn't some kind of spherical design, it shouldn't be a train locomotive.
"Cosmic Juggernaut? You added other things onto the Cosmic Juggernaut?"
Noldrei was very familiar with the Cosmic Juggernaut. Its greatest strength wasn't traversing the Sea of Quanta, but its ability to anchor onto the coordinates of a world on the Imaginary Tree.
So it was understandable that Tesla had chosen the Cosmic Juggernaut as the vessel.
"The Cosmic Juggernaut's train form is... an interesting choice."
Noldrei didn't have much attachment to these bygone modes of transportation. He figured they'd go with whatever was most convenient. Since Tesla was able to finish it in the shortest amount of time using the Cosmic Juggernaut, it meant that modifying it directly was the fastest approach according to her research.
"Anything bigger wouldn't get through," Tesla explained. "Sa's 'Planet-Crosser' design is indeed very good, but that star gate is just too 'small.' It would be very difficult for the Planet-Crosser to pass through in one piece. If you don't want any unexpected trouble, the Cosmic Juggernaut's innate defensive effects are the most efficient."
Noldrei figured this was the best compromise they could make at present, so he didn't criticize Tesla's design any further. Whether it was a locomotive or not was no longer part of his consideration.
"Do we have a corresponding method to pinpoint our location when we return?"
"Of course we do," Tesla said proudly. "Just as the Cosmic Juggernaut sets our world's coordinates on the Imaginary Tree, we will also have a corresponding method to warp back. It's impossible to warp directly from an Imaginary void, but it's completely fine in the normal universe."
She looked quite troubled as she continued, "I have no idea who created these Imaginary tides. They're like those designated monster-spawning zones in online games. No matter how you try to clear them, they just reappear. And because of the nature of Imaginary Energy, conventional physical attacks are hardly effective. The most efficient way to deal with them, ironically, is with Honkai Energy."
Noldrei committed Tesla's instructions to memory. He wondered what the universe outside was like now, whether it was as empty and desolate as it was in his original era.
"I understand. I'll call you when I get out there."
"Don't talk about it like it's instant messaging! Who do you think I've been working for all this time?!" Tesla complained. "I haven't had a proper rest in so long. Even if you're exploiting your employees, there should be some benefits, right?"
Her face flushed slightly as her eyes darted around. "I mean... I should be able to make a request of my own, right?"