A vibrant, life-filled planet.
Compared to not long ago, there was more green here, and a bit less of a technological atmosphere.
"Awroo!"
A few apes scampered and leapt through the forest. Not far away, several others were stuffing bananas into their mouths.
Farther out, a gray, desolate ruin suddenly stood tall, forming a stark contrast against all the surrounding green.
At a mountain's peak, slightly bowing forward, a small ape cautiously reached out and took a banana from a figure's hand. The instant its fingers touched his, it instantly withdrew.
It ate the banana while watching every move of this stranger.
Dr. Primitive didn't mind the little ape's behaviour, he had seen this sort of reaction many times.
To him, this posture was exactly what they should be doing now.
This world, so far from the reach of major factions, had finally returned to its proper, primal state.
Having once again guided a world back onto the correct track, Dr. Primitive was in a good mood.
Suddenly, his movements halted for a moment, as if remembering something.
"Did the Penacony experiment fail? Hah, so many people simply cannot comprehend the vision of a genius."
He sighed lightly, though his face showed no hint of disappointment. Instead, there was… delight?
In a sense, Dr. Primitive was extremely satisfied with one thing above all: his patience with the devolution experiments.
Every planet selected for these experiments was one that had already lost the potential to advance.
A world that should have held infinite possibilities had, under external pressures, drifted toward conformity, either merging with interstellar civilization at a certain stage of development, or inevitably coming into contact with cosmic powers.
In Dr. Primitive's eyes, all of that was a waste of potential.
What he sought was to push these planets back into their most promising embryonic form. The universe should be vibrant and diverse, not monotonous.
The Penacony experiment had originally been a project requested by a researcher-ape. Success or failure meant nothing to him.
Besides, compared to one researcher-ape's experiment, he had found something far more entertaining.
"Screwllum, King of Planet Screwllum, member of the Genius Society."
Murmuring the titles of Screwllum, Dr. Primitive's eyes gleamed with interest.
He was never one to follow rules. Playing hide-and-seek with the Galaxy Rangers had always been great fun, he never grew tired of it.
This time, his playmate happened to be Screwllum, another member of the Genius Society. This novelty pleased him immensely.
"Time to retreat~~" Thirty-six point five system-hours after Dr. Primitive withdrew, the Screwllum's ship arrived at this world newly restored to primitivity.
The moment the hatch opened, the sight before them was the notorious, signature scene of Dr. Primitive.
"Looks like we're a step late," Screwllum said.
This was Screwllum, one who knew the galaxy well.
And aboard his ship was a passenger from a unique world.
Poking out her head, the Herrscher of Sentience gazed curiously at this "new world".
"Where is this?"
Blinking, the Herrscher of Sentience chomped on a banana like a hamster, confused as she looked at the lush green forest.
Oh, hey, that monkey is waving at me. Instinctively, she raised her right hand to wave back, sighing in wonder.
"So smart."
Screwllum glanced at her sidelong, then looked straight ahead.
"Szonyia No. 33," he said plainly. "A human civilization. Forty-five years ago it connected with interstellar civilization and joined the galactic trade system. Preliminary assessment: devolved to a primitive civilization."
"Analysis: Dr. Primitive left thirty system-hours ago."
His calm tone concealed a chilling truth.
"Oogh! ~!"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The Herrscher of Sentience thumped her modest chest a few times, struggled to swallow the banana, then snapped her head toward him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You're saying those monkeys are humans?!!"
All along the way, she had heard this iron-block muttering about devolution, experiments, Dr. Primitive.
But she had never taken it seriously. Experiments always involve sacrifices.
Just find that Dr. Primitive and, bam bam, problem solved.
She had never imagined the outcome would be this.
"Answer: Dr. Primitive has conducted devolution experiments on dozens of planets. By the time the Interastral Peace Corporation arrived, these worlds had already devolved to their primitive states."
Screwllum spoke in a level tone, like a bystander recounting an ancient myth, lulling one into a dream.
The Herrscher of Sentience lowered her head slightly, a heavy pressure emanating from her.
After a long while, a single question escaped her lips.
"Did no one stop him?"
"Answer: Many individuals pursued Dr. Primitive. The Galaxy Rangers have always hunted him, after news of his experiments spread."
But none succeeded. She understood the unspoken implications.
How hard is it to kill a genius?
Actually, not that hard, take Chadwick, for example. The IPC imprisoned him before he gained the power to protect himself.
But that method wasn't viable here. Dr. Primitive was infamous; the forces encircling him far exceeded anything Chadwick ever faced.
At the very least, those who tried to imprison him would not still be alive today.
Not only had Dr. Primitive escaped, he now wandered freely, completely devoid of the fear that should plague a fugitive.
"This isn't just…" She didn't know when she had started whispering aloud.
"It shouldn't be like this." Her voice rose, and in her eyes, a flame seemed to ignite.
Screwllum did not interrupt her shaken state of mind.
He, too, wished to see what choice this woman, sent by Godzilla, would make upon learning the cruel rules of the cosmos.
He respected every life. And the decision the Herrscher of Sentience would soon make should be hers alone.
Beneath the gaze of the countless stars glittering across the universe,
The Herrscher of Sentience raised one hand toward the sky, her will crystallizing.
"I'm going to blow Dr. Primitive's head clean off!"
Whether it was fighting against Honkai or knocking the Dr. Primitive's head into orbit, the Herrscher of Sentience would not give up.
Since she couldn't find a way home for now, she'd just carve out a career here first.
And when those people eventually stepped into the starry sky, she would show up, absolutely certain she could beat them senseless.
...
The Herrscher of Sentience isn't bad. Right now, she's at her most innocent phase.
Having inherited Fu Hua's vast memories, her understanding of the world relies entirely on Fu Hua's memories and experiences. The good part is that this lets her blend smoothly into the current world.
The downside is that before she understands her own true nature, these memories will influence her, leaving her without her own thoughts.
Mm, that faint sense of "naivete" is written all over her face.
Like how a university graduate loses that clear, innocent look after a month at work, replaced by exhaustion and numbness, and after longer, even despair for the future.
"Iron Lump, aren't we going to look for that Dr. Primitive or whatever? Where are you going?"
With her cheek pressed against the window, the Herrscher of Sentience asked unhappily.
Her fists were already itching. Anyone who would commit such atrocius acts didn't deserve to breathe the air of this world!
Facing her question, Screwllum kept her eyes forward and replied calmly: "We can't find Dr. Primitive in just a day or two. We need some additional help."
...
Penacony.
"Dr. Mobius, are you really not coming with us?"
Welt's expression shifted slightly as he watched the woman quietly blending into Penacony.
He remembered this scholar well, the prototype of Stigma was created by her.
Welt had a very favorable impression of her. But impressions were impressions. Welt didn't dare let her wander the universe freely.
From the memokeeper words, he knew Mobius occasionally did "proper" things, but most of the time she did anything but proper things.
Her scientific philosophy was often extremely cruel. Welt admitted that experiments inevitably involve sacrifice, but her disregard for boundaries and treating outsiders as consumables…
Well, in her thoughts, Mobius didn't see ordinary people as expendable.
But in actual practice…
Raising a finger to her lips, Mobius smiled faintly.
"This world is very interesting, isn't it? Just like you, always riding this train and moving forward, adventuring. I also have my own adventure. Before I finish it, you shouldn't act rude toward someone who's chasing her dreams, you know?"
The problem is, your adventure is way too adventurous. Welt couldn't help complaining inwardly, almost failing to keep a straight face.
He sighed in his heart. It was clear he couldn't persuade her. He could only let things follow their course.
Given Mobius's personality, she shouldn't do anything too impulsive.
Besides, Miss Black Swan was with her.
....
No one noticed. A magnificent figure transformed into an ordinary person and blended into the crowd.
"Let there be laughter." So He spoke.
Instantly, within a radius around Him, anyone who passed by involuntarily recalled happy moments from their past, and burst into laughter together.
But when they turned back again, the figure had already melted into the crowd, leaving no trace.
....
At the same time, beneath the boundless starry sky, a beam of white light appeared out of nowhere, trailing a white tail behind it as it rapidly, and slowly, faded away.
In the vast universe, this was a common sight. Civilizations connected to the interstellar era, whether through their own technology or external aid, could achieve this method of space travel.
Then, beneath the blazing brilliance between the stars, in the emptiness that should have been void, a gigantic and noble glazed figure faintly revealed itself.
They wore a crown, a yellow robe, standing proudly like a sovereign among the flowing starlight.
Mortals could not witness Their true form, yet they could still sense the grandeur of Their existence.
Fuli, The Aeon of Remembrance.
Fuli's appearance often accompanied events worth recording in the universe.
Sometimes observing from the shadows, sometimes witnessing personally, sometimes witnessing indirectly.
They seemed to notice something, Their presence gently sinking into the depths of the starry void.
This posture barely lasted a few seconds before shattering like a mirror disappearing forever.
After They left, another grand presence appeared where They had stood.
A figure with many smiling masks.
"Fuli won't even meet Aha? Aha feels so embarrassed."
A playful laugh echoed among the stars, unanswered.
Aha's presence here was no coincidence.
He firmly stood on Fuli's side!
To put it simply, Remembrance and Joy got along well.
At least, from Aha's perspective, their relationship was very good.
After all, Fuli always found interesting things.
Those who roamed the star seas and collected memories that might interest Fuli often stored a huge number of them, ready for Aha to enjoy effortlessly.
Aha loved getting things without working for them. Hehe~
Aha was curious what Fuli had discovered.
But Fuli wouldn't tell Aha.
Fuli was so mean.
Aha just wanted some fun, Aha was good!
....
The grand commotion of the universe had nothing to do with the world linked through a dream.
"Hhh, ow, that hurts~~"
Recently, Kiana had thoroughly experienced what it felt like to have the body run ahead while the soul floated behind.
This life was unbearable!
Whenever she went outside and was spotted by that guy called Kalpas, at minimum she'd eat one punch.
And his punches hurt like hell. Without Herrscher of the Void snapping in for her, even lasting three minutes against him was difficult.
And those three minutes only happened because he didn't hit her seriously out of respect for someone. But in Kiana's eyes, even that wasn't "not hitting seriously."
One casual hit from him could kill someone!
"Hehe, Kiana, don't move around~ or the band aid will go on the wrong place." The speaker was a fairy-like, beautiful pink-haired girl.
Soft wavy pink hair, neat side bangs, tied into a ponytail at the back. Elf-like ears, a white top, black sleeves and shawl.
Her water-like eyes seemed to be speaking directly with Kiana.
One of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers an everlasting beauty, Elysia.