"Murata Himeko…"
Alice blinked, then mused:
"Sounds a bit like an Inazuman name, but… her features look more like someone from Fontaine or Mondstadt."
"Why are you overthinking it? She's not even from Teyvat to begin with, Elder Alice."
Hu Tao looked Himeko over with dwindling interest, clearly still mourning the failure of her coffin-sales pitch.
Himeko, for her part, hadn't spoken again. She had no idea where she was.
As an elite Valkyrie of Schicksal, even in this kind of situation where she didn't yet understand anything, her first priority was to gather obvious intel and construct a workable response plan in her mind.
There were plenty of people around. They didn't look particularly strange on the surface—if anything, they were all annoyingly good-looking.
As for their strength…
She couldn't tell yet.
Their styles were all over the place. Some dressed like ancient Shenzhou nobles, others like medieval European aristocrats.
Young men, teenagers, young women, mature beauties—
but almost no elderly people.
The surroundings…
They were on the peak of a beautiful mountain. Cranes, white as jade, flew in and out of the clouds overhead.
It was like standing in a sea of clouds, the sky close enough to touch. In the distance, six more towering peaks rose around them in a deliberate pattern.
Looking down—
There was only endless mist. This mountaintop might as well have been floating in the heavens.
If she focused, she could hear the whisper of wind through bamboo, and smell the faint fragrance of peach blossoms.
This place was a perfect hidden paradise. If the Honkai were ever resolved, Himeko would've loved to retire somewhere like this.
Her initial judgment: this resembled the immortal realms from old Shenzhou legends.
As for the people in front of her…
Someone had just called Alice "Elder."
If they had elders, this might be some hidden clan.
More importantly—
Himeko had quietly tested the concentration of Honkai energy in the air around them.
Her scalp tingled.
To put it in the simplest, crudest terms—
If the Herrscher of the Void spent any amount of time here, she'd upgrade to a full-on Herrscher of Finality and end the world in minutes.
The Honkai density was that high. It felt like she was hugging dozens of Herrscher cores at once.
And yet she wasn't being corroded at all.
Under normal circumstances, in an environment like this, anyone would instantly become a deadman regardless of what protection they had.
But she wasn't turning. On the contrary, her body felt better and better.
There was even a faint sense of… rebirth.
Ridiculous. Himeko half-suspected she'd somehow become a Herrscher herself.
The Honkai here were strange as well. That terrifying energy was docile, like a pack of well-trained puppies.
Too weird.
Everything in this world radiated an indescribable sense of wrongness.
"Miss Himeko, may I address you that way?"
Lisa watched her with bright interest.
Himeko nodded and gave her a quick glance. If Theresa ever saw this woman, she'd probably haul out Judah in a jealous rage.
"Could you tell us more about your background? It'll help us decide how to arrange things for you."
"Right now, you're in Mount Shu. Mount Shu doesn't allow unrelated people to roam freely."
Himeko nodded thoughtfully.
She'd definitely heard of "Mount Shu" back in Shenzhou—but only as a steep mountain.
This Mount Shu was clearly far more extraordinary.
"My name is Murata Himeko. I'm an A-rank Valkyrie from the Far East Branch of Schicksal—St. Freya Academy. Captain of the Hyperion. Rank: Major."
"I was engaged in combat against Honkai apostles when I was swept here."
As soon as she finished, Alice let out a small, surprised noise.
"Honkai? So you're from that world…"
"You are…?"
Himeko's eyes lit up. She turned to Alice, hope rising.
"This is Elder Alice of the Mount Shu Disciplinary Hall," Ningguang explained gently.
"She's the one who rescued you in the Dark Outer Sea of Teyvat, and fed you a precious Third-Turn Rebirth Pill."
"When we first found you, you were barely breathing—you almost didn't make it. It seems your battle really was something."
Hearing that, Himeko turned to Alice and bowed her head solemnly.
"Thank you, Elder Alice. You saved my life. I'll never forget it. If you ever need my help, I won't refuse."
"There's no need for that."
Alice waved it off with a grin. If she ever truly needed help, dragging the entire Honkai universe over here might not even be enough.
By now, Himeko had a rough grasp of the situation.
Combined with what Ningguang had said earlier, she could basically confirm this Mount Shu was something like Taixu Mountain in Shenzhou—a hidden sect.
That wasn't the main point though.
The main point was that Alice knew about her world. There might be a way back through her.
Kiana… Himeko had injected her with the God-Killing Spear and believed Kiana could suppress the Herrscher of the Void's will.
But Fu Hua's condition was clearly bad. Himeko was worried.
On top of that, Otto still had his eyes on Kiana.
She couldn't afford to vanish for long without a word. Theresa was probably a wreck already.
She had to get back and at least let them know she was alive.
As for repaying Alice's kindness… well, she'd talk to Theresa and see how much they could "borrow" from Schicksal as a thank-you.
It wouldn't be their first time.
"Elder Alice, from what you said, you know our world?"
Himeko looked at her hopefully. Alice nodded and spread her hands.
"Of course. Over five hundred years ago, I made my first trip there. Back then, your Schicksal was just getting ready for an eastern crusade."
"I played around a bit, didn't find anything especially fun, and came back."
"The last time was, what, a little over ten years ago? I swung by during that big bear's break-up and bought a bunch of missiles."
"I'm an old customer of your world."
Himeko's head swam.
She stared at Alice in disbelief.
"S-So… you've been to our world for over five hundred years?"
"Is that strange?"
Alice smiled, palms up.
"I've visited more worlds than I can count. Yours was just one stop."
Now Himeko's gaze changed.
She'd thought this was a quasi-medieval world with some magical flair.
Instead, it had world-hopping immortals who treated interdimensional travel like public transit—
And seemingly didn't age.
This world was suddenly wreathed in fog.
Still, her first priority was figuring out how to go home.
"Elder Alice, you… know how to get to my world?"
"I do."
Alice scratched her cheek, then shrugged.
"But I used to… smuggle myself in. I don't think that's possible anymore."
"Why?"
Himeko looked at her anxiously. Alice pointed at the Gem of Plague on her chest.
"Just now, that thing tried to spread Honkai in our world."
"What?!"
Himeko's face drained of color. She tore the gem off and examined it, only to falter again.
This world…
Didn't it already have absurd amounts of Honkai energy everywhere?
And where was the Herrscher will inside the Gem of Plague?
"Don't worry. Bare Honkai can't stir up much trouble in our world. But you probably won't be able to go back for a while."
Alice sighed and pointed at the sky.
"Just now, the Imaginary Tree tried to add our Mount Shu world into its little exam schedule and ended up pissing off Heavenly Dao."
"Heavenly Dao marched over, smacked the Imaginary Tree and your Cocoon of Finality around a bit."
"Now your world's surveillance level has been forcefully raised. You won't be able to get back soon."
Her explanation left Himeko utterly lost.
Heavenly Dao, Cocoon of Finality…
The only thing she recognized was the Imaginary Tree—something Einstein and Tesla had once theorized as a high-dimensional entity.
"In short, think of it this way: the source of your Honkai tried to extend its hand into our world."
"But it chose the wrong target."
"Not only did it get beaten up, its boss took a hit too."
"Now you definitely can't go back anytime soon. You're already marked by our world's aura."
"If I force a path open for you, I can't guarantee it won't destabilize your side."
That, at least, Himeko could mostly follow.
In simple terms: she was stuck here.
It was disappointing, but there was nothing she could do. This was far beyond any mortal's means.
Which meant she would be staying here for some time.
On second thought, that wasn't entirely a bad thing.
This world was saturated with Honkai energy, yet none of these people showed any signs of corruption.
They looked perfectly healthy.
Perhaps there was something unique about this place. Staying might give her a chance to understand that difference.
If she could figure it out, returning to the Honkai world might provide a new way to resolve everything.
"Seems you've made up your mind."
Alice smiled softly.
"It's fine if you can't go back right away. Live here for a while. When we found you, your whole body had been wrecked by Honkai erosion."
"I doubt things are peaceful in your world right now. Consider our side a place to rest. When there's a chance, we'll send you home."
Himeko bowed her head slightly.
"…Thank you."
"I'll send you back to Teyvat later. You can stay in Liyue Harbor for now."
Alice glanced at Ningguang, who nodded.
"I'll inform the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
Himeko frowned slightly.
"Teyvat… that's…"
"Our original world," Lisa explained.
"I mentioned earlier that Elder Alice found you in the Dark Outer Sea of Teyvat."
"Then right now we're…"
"Right now, you're in the world our Sect Master created. This is not Teyvat. Everyone from Mount Shu cultivates here and rarely returns to Teyvat."
That left Himeko thoroughly stunned.
After a long pause, she finally muttered:
"Created… a world? Just how far does martial cultivation have to go before someone can create a world?"
"Martial cultivation? Who told you Mount Shu was a martial sect?"
Alice's eyes curved as she smiled, voice lilting.
"We're immortal cultivators."
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