A puppet body, such novel technology.
---------------------------------
The perspective gradually pulled back.
No, that's not right!
It's not the perspective pulling back, but rather,
As Godzilla, who had been blocking their view, slowly moved aside, the pupils of the three Anti-Entropy members, Welt, Tesla and Einstein shrank sharply.
So huge. Such an overwhelming pressure. None of the three were faint of heart.
Back when they fought against Schicksal, they had turned an entire city upside down.
Although Tesla and Einstein lacked physical might, their knowledge made up for that shortcoming.
Even so, when the three laid eyes on that colossal figure, they couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
Too big. The sense of intimidation was too strong.
Even though they were separated by a barrier, every muscle in their bodies screamed at them,
Danger!
They had no doubt that Godzilla could tear through that membrane without effort.
With Godzilla's power, it was child's play.
But Godzilla swished his tail and ignored them.
It was just a passage linking the outside world and the Sea of Quanta. Given time, he could open countless such passages.
But when moving between the two sides, he never needed a pathway.
After calming down, Tesla looked at Schrodinger excitedly.
"Schrodinger, where have you been all these years? We three could never find you!"
Schrodinger spoke.
"During this time in the Sea of Quanta, I too tried to find a way back, but it never worked. Most of the time, I wandered in the Sea of Quanta. Sometimes I entered World Bubbles to rest and search for a way to return."
She said it so simply, as if it were just a casual trip to some tourist spot. But the three knew very well that her life had not been easy all these years.
Looking at her now, it was obvious she bore the erosion of the Sea of Quanta.
Or perhaps it was the quantumization from before.
Still, all that was trivial now.
The important thing was, she had returned.
"This must be Miss Seele, right?"
After a brief exchange with her old friends, Einstein looked at the timid Seele beside Schrodinger.
"Yes." After following Schrodinger for some time and hearing their conversation just now, Seele already knew who these people were.
The Anti-Entropy leader Mr. Welt, Dr. Tesla, and Dr. Einstein.
All were famous figures in the outside world.
Standing before such great people, Seele naturally felt restrained.
"Don't be nervous, we're here to bring you home."
The timid little girl stirred a sense of affection in them.
Their resentment toward Cocolia deepened further. To let such a small child participate in experiments, utter nonsense!
If Cocolia were here right now, Tesla would've already landed a punch on her.
"This passage seems to stabilize our forms."
Schrodinger's probing gaze fell on the swirling vortex of the passage, her look of inquiry making Seele blink.
So this was the attitude Miss Schrodinger spoke of? Seizing every possible chance to study. Indeed, it was through endless effort that Teacher Schrodinger became a world-renowned scholar.
Seele silently made a decision. She would also definitely study hard!
Well, her academic level during her time in the Sea of Quanta had… basically stagnated.
After all, she couldn't exactly expect to find textbooks floating around in the Sea of Quanta.
Even being able to rest occasionally inside a World Bubble was already a huge blessing.
And then there was Mr. Godzilla, who didn't mind her staying nearby.
She turned slightly, looking gratefully at him.
If not for Godzilla, she would've already died under the siege of those quantum shadows.
Just then,
"Hi~~ I'm back… eh?"
Miss Messenger poked her little head through the door, staring blankly at the lively scene before her, momentarily unable to make sense of it.
After a long pause, she said: "Um, you guys…"
...
Miss Messenger was a bright and cheerful, but a naive girl.
When Schrodinger and Seele were finally freed from this strange place, she jumped for joy.
"The Sea of Quanta, even the Garden of Recollection doesn't know of this place." She marveled.
The Garden of Recollection was interested in memories. Memories that could stir the heart.
Most of the time, the Garden was silent.
But Miss Messenger thought that if they learned of a place like this, they would definitely be intrigued.
There was no force in the entire universe that wouldn't be interested in this place.
Especially scholars. Whether from the Genius Society or the Intelligentsia Guild, a realm so full of the unknown was irresistible.
Oh, wait, they already had one Genius here. That was fine then.
"Let's begin, quantum return." Herta spoke indifferently.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, and with their own excitement, Schrodinger and Seele simultaneously touched the passage that Herta had created.
Their feet touched the floor, at long last, their native world. Breathing it in, Seele and Schrodinger dazedly looked around.
"Is this… are we back?" Seele murmured.
"Yes, you've returned."
In the Stigmata Space, the other Seele gave her the final answer.
Her perception was far sharper than that crybaby's.
"Heh, I thought the two of us would be stuck in that cursed place forever." She chuckled softly.
Until now, she truly believed she and Seele would spend a lifetime in the Sea of Quanta.
Of course, whether the quantumized Seele could age normally was still a question.
But one thing was certain. They had returned.
"Hooray! Great success!" Tesla didn't care about anything else, raising her arms and jumping in delight.
After working so hard for so long, they'd finally succeeded, how could she not be happy?!
"Bronya…" Hearing the other Seele's words, Seele's first thought was of Bronya and everyone at the orphanage.
She had been gone so long, how were they all doing?
"What's wrong?" Noticing Seele's joy fade into worry, Einstein asked gently.
Caught off guard yet eager to know, Seele nervously rubbed her hands together before timidly voicing her thoughts.
"Bronya… and everyone at the orphanage…" Einstein nodded slightly, then glanced at Welt, who was standing by.
…
Indeed, of everyone present, he was the one who knew most about this.
After learning of Cocolia's misdeeds and taking full control of Anti-Entropy, Welt had visited the orphanage children many times.
Under Anti-Entropy's protection, the kids lived relatively comfortably.
As for Bronya…
"Bronya is currently at St. Freya Academy. Once things here are settled, I'll take you straight to her." Welt spoke, his voice warm.
Seele nodded vigorously, her little face full of contentment.
Knowing Bronya and everyone at the orphanage were safe, that alone was enough to fill her with joy.
If she could see them again, all the better.
Watching Seele's satisfied expression, Welt felt his heart ease as well. As for whether bringing Seele to St. Freya would be a problem…
If it were any other Schicksal base, Welt could guarantee, there would absolutely be trouble.
But St. Freya? No exaggeration, it felt like home to him.
Three words: peace of mind.
...
St. Freya.
On her rare vacation, Bronya decided to spend the entire break holed up in her room playing games.
As the top-ranked player "Silver Wolf," only her formidable skills could defend her throne.
Every leaderboard's number one could only belong to Silver Wolf!
…except the pay-to-win ranking.
"Strange… Bronya keeps feeling like someone is talking about her."
She glanced around cautiously. After confirming the curtains and door were shut tight, she listened carefully outside. Once certain no one was there, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Although Mei wouldn't overly interfere with Bronya's gaming, spending the entire holiday cooped up in her room playing was definitely not acceptable.
Being dragged outside to get some sun was unavoidable.
…
Unknown to outsiders, some people in the world began to gain new privileges.
The privilege to bathe in sunlight.
"What are you doing, Seele?" Humming a little tune, Tesla passed by and noticed Seele sitting by the cliffside, troubled.
"Eh? Oh, it's Dr. Tesla." Hearing the voice, Seele turned around and responded.
Tesla sat down beside her and curiously asked: "Worried about Bronya? Don't worry, she's living quite comfortably at St. Freya lately. I even have her game purchase receipts."
The Silver Wolf account was quite famous in the gaming world.
Noticing Seele's concern, Tesla deliberately investigated Bronya's recent activities.
After confirming that the little twin-turbo girl was living happily and carefree, Tesla felt reassured.
But unexpectedly, Seele shook her head.
"No?"
"Seele is thinking about how to thank Mr. Godzilla." Seele spoke.
"If it weren't for Mr. Godzilla's protection, Seele wouldn't be able to return now. So I want to thank him, but I don't know what he needs."
That was what troubled Seele.
She was very gentle. And unwilling to trouble others.
Whenever she did trouble someone, she would feel guilty and want to make up for it.
Mm, such a particularly gentle little one.
Toward Godzilla, Seele always held deep gratitude.
If not for Godzilla, she would still be drifting in the Sea of Quanta, without a stable foothold, unable to wait for the others in Anti-Entropy to rescue her.
But then came the problem.
As someone whose childhood allowance never exceeded two digits, Seele truly couldn't think of a way to thank him.
Besides, Mr. Godzilla, he clearly didn't need money, right? So Seele was terribly distressed.
'I already told you, that big guy doesn't need anything. Even if he really wanted something, could you, with your tiny frame, possibly get it? Just wash up and go to sleep.' The other Seele spoke irritably.
Seele had been muttering about this matter for so long it was driving her insane.
If she could come out herself, she'd knock on this crybaby's head right now and make her cry for a whole day.
Hearing Seele's words, even Tesla was stumped.
She scratched her head and hissed.
"Well, I really can't help you there. I've hardly ever interacted with Godzilla. He's too mysterious."
After recalling the information she had gathered, Tesla hesitated.
"Maybe… he likes high-energy things?"
"High energy…" Seele pursed her lips, looking dejected.
Needless to say, she couldn't afford it.
Again, as someone whose allowance never exceeded two digits, how could she dare?
"Eh, this kind of thing is about sincerity. As long as your heart is in it, I think Godzilla would like it. If not, you could ask people who know him well, they should know."
Since Godzilla allowed Seele to stay by his side, Tesla figured Seele must have some significance in his eyes, certainly more than herself, who had only met him once across worlds.
…
The Imaginary Tree.
Godzilla moved again.
Upholding the principle of not stripping a single sheep bare, he returned to the Imaginary Tree.
Godzilla was a strategist.
"What a dense imaginary energy! So this is what scholars call the Imaginary Tree?!"
It turned out that shifting to the Imaginary Tree was a tremendous shock for Miss Messenger.
The Sea of Quanta and Madam Herta's words had already proved the theory of the Imaginary Tree true.
But it was only proof; for Miss Messenger, who wasn't a scholar, there had been no real sense of it.
And then, she saw the real Imaginary Tree.
In fact, she was standing on it now, feeling the texture beneath her sock-clad feet as she carefully pressed down a little harder, experiencing the sensation at the soles of her feet.
She, Miss Messenger of the Garden of Recollection, had touched the Imaginary Tree!!
"How incredible…" Miss Messenger murmured.
In the universe, it was said that The Elation: Aha had once reached the top of the tree. But that was an Aeon, far too distant, too unreal.
Yet now, she herself was standing on the Imaginary Tree, even able to roll around on it.
If the countless scholars across the cosmos knew this, wouldn't they envy her madly? Turning back, Miss Messenger looked at Godzilla reclining against the tree, her eyes brimming with awe.
It was truly unimaginable.
Godzilla treated the Imaginary Tree as though it were his own home. Or perhaps, it actually was his home?
Miss Messenger didn't understand. She only knew that she was in a place countless beings dreamed of reaching, yet none could approach.
…
"Is that really a place humans can reach?" Rita murmured, staring at the large screen showing the training video.
The S-rank Valkyrie looked a little dazed.
Just then,
"Rita, what's wrong?" Durandal's doubtful voice came. Rita adjusted herself and smiled back.
"Nothing, Lady Durandal. I was just watching a training video."
Durandal walked over, one hand on her hip, sighing helplessly.
"But you'd never normally watch here."
Watching training videos was nothing unusual for a Valkyrie.
Some did it to see rivals, some to draw inspiration for their own techniques, some just to kill time.
Mm, Rita fell into the last category.
After all, she was an S-rank Valkyrie, but she knew she couldn't fool Durandal. Or rather, she hadn't expected to. Rita gave a helpless smile.
"What's wrong with you? I feel like you're a bit… off."
Hearing that, Rita tilted her head slightly, gazing at the distant clouds. After a pause, she spoke softly.
"It's just… the world is progressing too fast. It feels a bit unfamiliar."
One monster after another kept appearing, leaving Rita feeling suffocated.
If it were only that, it would be fine, Rita was no coward.
Talent was just a matter of comparison. In the eyes of most people, she was an untouchable genius.
But in this stormy situation, if she couldn't keep up, she wouldn't be able to help Lady Durandal. That was what troubled her most.
"I see. In that case, why don't you train with me? As long as you work hard, there will definitely be rewards." Durandal said confidently.
"…All right." Rita smiled faintly and agreed.
Although Durandal's talent matched her effort, it was, after all, Lady Durandal's invitation.
…
Setting aside their troubles for now.
Time flowed on, The world kept turning.
Milk tea in the left hand, a choco pie in the right. Ice cream still smeared at the corner of the mouth. That was the current state of the Astral Express duo.
"This world is just too friendly!" March 7th's cheeks bulged, forever cheerful.
"It's just a shame this world isn't on the star map. Otherwise, when the Express trailblazes it, the Nameless could all come here to play."
But that was for later. For now, March 7th only wanted to relax!
During their time in this world, March 7th had also discovered a very important secret!
And that was… the women of this world… "are all so pretty!"