"She's called Herta." Ruan Mei smiled faintly, her gentle gaze softly resting on the two of them.
----------------------------------
Meanwhile, in Godzilla's dream, a familiar guest arrived.
Wearing a coat and sunglasses on her forehead, Kafka looked at Silver Wolf curiously, as if she wasn't here on a mission but on an outing.
"How did you find this place?"
"I often go to Herta's space station to stargaze. Although she didn't leave many useful clues, even a little is enough." Silver Wolf chuckled.
Kafka nodded slightly.
Indeed, with Silver Wolf's abilities, although it was unrealistic to find Herta's true body, but if it was just a puppet, it was still possible.
If not for their various talents, the Stellaron Hunters couldn't have lived so freely for such a long time.
As for their method of entering the dream, of course, it was an unorthodox one.
Godzilla's dream was right there, anyone who could sense it could enter.
Confidently and openly laid out in plain sight, as if certain no one could possibly overturn him in his own dream.
And indeed, that was the case. With his powerful dreamscape covering all of Penacony, forcibly seizing its ownership, Godzilla had no fear of confrontation within dreams.
And no one would be foolish enough to fight Godzilla inside a dream.
As for reality...
It was better to think about how to deal with things in the dream first.
"Let me see what it is that Elio wants us to pay attention to," Kafka said.
Godzilla couldn't possibly be unaware of them entering his dream, but considering their good relations, this mission was merely about gathering intelligence.
They wouldn't directly confront him. Of course, no one thought it possible to truly oppose Godzilla either.
She felt no fear, but she also shouldn't die so easily.
After all, the Astral Express was still running, so how could she stop moving forward?
Just then,
"Eh? Another new guest? Whoa!"
A clattering sound of someone tripping came from behind. Hard to believe someone could stumble even in a dream.
"Oh? Long time no see, Miss Memokeeper."
"I feel the same, Miss Silver Wolf." Looking at the newcomer, Silver Wolf took the initiative to greet her.
She wasn't unfamiliar with the Memokeeper; several times before, she had used her abilities to drop by and got along well with her.
After all, who could refuse a slightly silly and adorable Memokeeper? And the Memokeeper had shifted from wary at first to happy at gaining a new friend.
The Stellaron Hunters weren't nearly as evil as the company claimed.
"Are you here to see Godzilla, Miss Memokeeper?" Kafka asked.
The Memokeeper nodded and replied.
"I don't usually have much to do, so I just come out to play."
"..." Silver Wolf was speechless. She too wanted to laze around all day stuck in her room playing games.
Ignoring the phantom images above Silver Wolf's head of her slacking off gaming in various poses, Kafka softly asked: "Miss Memokeeper, you seem quite familiar with this place. Could you explain it to us?"
"Of course! Hmm, let's start from the very beginning when I first discovered it."
...
The matter wasn't complicated. But it was unexpected.
If it was within expectations that the Garden of Recollection discovered a unknown but hidden star domain, then Godzilla entering in the form of a dream and turning that world into a medium was far beyond what they had anticipated.
The past cannot be changed. Not even the Aeons could reach into it.
Perhaps someday in the future an Aeon related to time might be born, but at least for now, such an existence was not permitted in the universe.
"And there's also Mr. Welt from the Astral Express, it seems he's been affected too."
Kafka's eyes flickered.
To directly influence the present from the past, what unimaginable power.
That's why they had come.
"For now, let's go find Miss Kiana. It's been so long, I wonder if she's still around."
Hearing the Memokeeper's cheerful voice, Kafka and Silver Wolf exchanged a glance.
...
The Moon.
Kiana peeked out stealthily, shut down all possibly risky communication devices, activated the H2O processor, and pulled out a box of quick emergency supplies.
After waiting three minutes, finally,
"Huu huu huu..." White steam curled upwards.
Rubbing her hands together, Kiana grinned and picked up a fork to twirl a bundle.
"Ssshh, " She swallowed a mouthful and trembled with satisfaction.
"Ahhh, perfect. Instant noodles really are the most perfect food in the world!"
"But instant noodles aren't healthy."
"What's unhealthy about them? I've been eating them for years, how could that, "
Before she could finish, her hands clutching the noodles suddenly froze. Time itself seemed to solidify; each second unbearably vivid.
Her head turned mechanically, and three gazes, curious, probing, and smiling with narrowed eyes, fell upon her.
Each one different.
Seeing who it was, Kiana exhaled in relief and muttered: "Scared me half to death, I thought Mei and the others had come."
Miss Memokeeper wasn't unfamiliar with Mei, gentle, caring, someone good at looking after others.
But why was Kiana so afraid of Mei? The Memokeeper tilted her head in confusion.
She remembered Kiana and Mei got along very well.
Also... Was this really what an Emanator should be eating?
Looking at the cup noodles Kiana clutched like a treasure, the Memokeeper's confusion deepened again.
From such a distance, her very presence caused waves strong enough to be detected at Emanator level, at least upper tier.
And yet someone of that level treated instant noodles like a precious gem? Could this be some kind of "cherishing hardships of the past"?
"Anyway, putting that aside, you haven't been here in a while. And these two are...?" An awkward topic shift.
But when Kiana clearly saw Silver Wolf's face, the fork in her hand slipped and fell into the noodles.
"Bronya??"
"Bronya? You know the Great Guardian of Jarilo-VI? But I'm not her. My name is Silver Wolf, and this is Kafka."
"Hi."
After a brief mental struggle, Kiana finally believed the Silver Wolf before her wasn't some secret alias of Bronya's.
Just an isotope who looked alike. It wasn't like she hadn't seen that before.
Small matter.
After introductions, Miss Memokeeper spoke.
"This time I just came to chat with you. It's been a while since I was here, and since I had the chance today, I thought I'd stop by. As for these two, honestly, I don't know why they're here."
The Memokeeper truly didn't know.
Although she knew the Stellaron Hunters weren't villains as rumored, such cryptic missions were better left unspoken, she feared that just listening might cause her memetic state to collapse back into a physical form.
Kiana looked curiously at Kafka and Silver Wolf.
Seeing that, Kafka spoke up.
"We only came here to investigate some suspicious matters. We won't do anything out of line. Of course, if Miss Kiana doesn't trust us, perhaps you could spare some time to show us around."
Kafka was frank. Mostly because she had no choice.
According to the Memokeeper, this girl before them could unleash power detectable as Emanator-level from afar.
At close range, at minimum, a top-tier Emanator. Words were useful, but only with the right targets.
If someone suggested she use her Words of Command against an Emanator, she'd probably just pull out her twin guns and unload into whoever said it.
"Ah no, I'm just curious. After all, we usually don't get outsiders here. Didn't expect so many at once." Scratching her cheek, she mumbled.
Usually, when Kiana was alone facing danger, her intelligence temporarily spiked. But the moment she had companions at her side, or felt strong enough to brute-force through a situation, you couldn't expect a shred of rationality from this "stupid bug."
But one thing she said was true. +Their world rarely received visitors, yet lately, they had seen many at once.
Still, that wasn't a bad thing. Or so Kiana thought.
While chatting with Miss Memokeeper, she learned that although some parts of the outside world were chaotic, most regions still followed order.
Her own strength was also within the top tier of the universe.
Adding to that, Welt traveled around with the organization called the Astral Express, building connections.
When the day came that they broke out of the universe, with their strength they would surely live well.
Thinking of Welt, Kiana's expression stiffened.
"Have Mr. Welt come back for a while?" After hearing Kiana's request, Miss Memokeeper tilted her head and pondered.
"I don't know if it's possible. If he could return home, I think Mr. Welt would be happy, I just don't know if he has the time."
The Trailblaze journey of the Astral Express never ceased, and Welt was that kind of calm-at-a-glance type; people like that were generally very busy.
Miss Memokeeper couldn't say whether Welt had time to return.
She still wasn't that much close with the Astral Express.
"It's fine, just asking is enough. Uncle Welt has been gone for so long without a word. If it weren't for the messages you delivered earlier, I'd have thought something happened to him."
Calling Welt back wasn't Kiana's idea, but Tesla's request.
It was just that Kiana hadn't met Miss Memokeeper for a long time, and couldn't get in touch with her. Luckily, it was only a short delay.
...
Astral Express.
"Achoo!" Welt, who had been admiring the potted plants, suddenly sneezed without warning.
"Caught a chill? Should I have March bring some medicine for you?" Himeko chuckled.
"No, just a coincidence." Waving his hand casually, Welt replied indifferently.
But even so, there was a constant sense of unease lingering in his heart.
As if... something was approaching him.
...
Sea of Quanta.
The Sea of Quanta, having completely returned to its usual stillness, stood with a drifting black mountain.
Many world bubbles had witnessed this mountain suddenly appearing and suddenly vanishing.
No one knew what it was. The suppression from that kept them silent, not daring to act recklessly.
Some unlucky world bubbles would occasionally encounter signs of movement from that mysterious existence.
The already chaotic world bubbles once again fell into even greater disorder.
For example, this world bubble.
"What is that! A monster, it's a monster!"
"Is our world going to be destroyed? Haha, this rotten world should've been destroyed long ago!"
"¥% ...* %¥ If you can't speak properly then shut up! Everyone, find a place to hide quickly!"
Amid the chaotic crowd, someone standing in the street stared blankly at the dark silhouette looming over the world bubble.
"What is that?"
Erwin Reanna Schrodinger.
One of the founding members of Anti-Entropy.
One who disappeared into the Sea of Quanta after the final battle.
Schrödinger's genius mind allowed her to understand most phenomena in the world. Generally speaking, even for phenomena she had never encountered, she could deduce some reasons based on her experience. Without exaggeration, what had she not seen before?
Yet today... This, she truly hadn't seen.
And according to her experience, that thing was alive, a living being! A lifeform within the Sea of Quanta!
Schrödinger instinctively wanted to chase after it and investigate.
But in the blink of an eye, that strange creature had already darted far away, too far to keep up.
Helplessly, Schrödinger could only give up the thought.
Suddenly, she realized the distance between her and that dark silhouette had shortened.
Looking back, She was flying.
To be precise, within a radius of about fifty meters around her, the ground had risen into the air.
Not just her, but many other large and small fragments were also floating upward.
Clearly, this wasn't her own hallucination.
Normally, world bubbles would gradually dissipate after entering the Sea of Quanta. But in this process, accidents often occurred.
Either the Quantum Shadows discovered these world bubbles, or the intensity of the struggle between the Sea of Quanta and the Imaginary Tree had escalated again.
In short, the rate at which world bubbles disappeared was not fixed.
"Um, Mr. Godzilla, it looks like those people over there are in danger." Seele timidly nudged the drowsing Godzilla, speaking in a soft, fearful voice.
Hearing her, Godzilla instinctively looked in that direction, his eyes narrowing.
A cat!
His thick tail stopped idly swishing, shot forward with a "whoosh" to hook the stone slab under Schrödinger's feet, then with another "whoosh" yanked it back.
Quick and simple.
Before Schrödinger could even react, she found herself pulled to the very creature she had tried to chase earlier.
This time, she clearly saw its true form.
A mighty beast radiating scorching heat.
Godzilla fixed his gaze on the drifting cat within the Sea of Quanta.
Schrödinger's eyes also met Godzilla's.
Expression calm... though it was just her natural poker face.
"Um, miss, did you encounter danger just now?"
At that moment, Seele spoke, breaking the tense atmosphere. Schrödinger subconsciously glanced at her and froze.
"Your condition..." Quantumized. Schrödinger hadn't expected to see such a perfectly quantumized form again, and in such a young girl, no less.
Thinking of this, her brows furrowed slightly.
But now wasn't the time to ask. Turning back toward Godzilla, Schrödinger spoke.
"Hello, I am Erwin Reanna Schrodinger, nice to meet you."
"Mhmm."
Godzilla's vertical pupils shifted slightly, a response was sent directly to her mind.
Schrödinger forced herself to accept this as a form of communication. After all, just one of his eyeballs was several times larger than her entire body. If he made any big movements, the consequences would be terrifying.
"This is Mr. Godzilla," Seele said again.
Godzilla...
Schrödinger searched her memory, confirming she had never encountered such a creature. Slowly, curiosity and an urge to investigate surfaced in her eyes.
No matter what, as a researcher, Schrödinger never lacked interest in the unknown.
...
For now, she set aside the matter of Godzilla. Schrödinger understood that such a miraculous creature couldn't be figured out in a short time. Besides, its combat strength clearly exceeded all standards , not someone to provoke.
Yes, a "being" capable of tearing down buildings with its claws.
"And so, I drifted in the Sea of Quanta for a long time, and then I met Mr. Godzilla. Miss Schrödinger, are you okay?"
Seeing Schrödinger's already gloomy expression grow darker, Seele cautiously asked.
"... I'm fine."
How could she possibly be fine!
Right now Schrödinger wanted nothing more than to rush back to the real world and punch that bastard Cocolia!
Back then, when they founded Anti-Entropy, it was never for these kinds of experiments!
Schrödinger wasn't good with words. Einstein had called her a spoilsport, Tesla called her gloomy woman. But no matter the nickname, they were all friends, like-minded companions moving toward the same goal.
When they founded Anti-Entropy, it was to protect this world.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but her anger gradually cooled.
She knew that while trapped in the Sea of Quanta, she couldn't do anything to those in the real world.
For now, the only option was to see if she could find a chance to return.
For the first time, Schrödinger's longing to go home reached its peak.
Anti-Entropy was not supposed to be like this. Looking at the endless scenery of the Sea of Quanta rushing past her, Schrödinger's heart grew firm.
And yet... Glancing down at the ground beneath her, then up at the endless passing scenery, her feelings grew incomparably complex.
The Sea of Quanta... it should be dangerous, right?
Turning her gaze to the colossal creature spanning as far as her eye could see, Schrödinger felt as though much of her past knowledge had been overturned.
Was it that she could no longer keep up with the times, or that the world before her had become far more bizarre?