Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 192: Kallen’s Fantasy [Extra II]

Please support me on Patreon, where you can read a bunch of extra Chapters, not just for this novel, but for all the novels I'm working on. I upload at least 2 times daily for most novels - There are at least twice as many available Chapters on Patreon, compared to here on Webnovel.

Additionally, there are also free extra Chapters available for Free Members, so head on over:

Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff

******

In the Honkai World, at the World Serpent headquarters:

Due to Kevin and Bai Zhi's departure, Gray Serpent informed Raiden Mei about Otto instead, though this change had minimal impact on events.

Even if Raiden Mei truly ventured to Kolosten, she would have been unable to interfere once Otto's plan commenced.

Currently, although the Lord of the World Serpent has yet to return, the ancient sacrificial temple welcomed a new presence - yes, Ana clad in her elegant tailcoat.

Naturally, Gray Serpent showed no surprise or disapproval towards this Lord clad in peculiar attire, maintaining his usual respectful demeanor.

"Welcome back, Lord," Gray Serpent greeted Ana.

"Hmm."

Ana responded leisurely as she took her seat on the throne, once Kevin's favored position. With Kevin preoccupied and enjoying his newfound bliss, it was only natural for her to assume the role.

One must admit, despite Mei appearing refined and utterly rational, discovering her human side was truly intriguing. No wonder Kevin found himself so captivated.

At the end of the day, Kevin...was still inexperienced. Who could resist the advances of their beloved, especially someone like him, a lifelong bachelor?

Thus, with matters settled at the World Serpent, there was no need for him to return.

It genuinely boiled down to Kevin not wanting to come back. After all, the Anchor Point of the world bubble resided within him, allowing him effortless travel if he desired.

As for Ana, who had returned now, it wasn't Bai Zhi's avatar but another instance of herself.

However, it wasn't crucial. Regardless of which Ana returned, their fundamental nature remained unchanged. The only differences lay in subtle variations of personality and thought, stemming from partial memories that could not be fully synchronized in real-time.

Otherwise, if one person simultaneously engaged in conversations with multiple entities, it would overwhelm even Ana.

"Gray Serpent, I have a task for you," Ana spoke leisurely from her throne.

"Yes, Lord," Gray Serpent replied respectfully, his excitement growing. He could sense the transformation of the Lord before him, reaching the realm long sought after by the doctor. The prospect of receiving a mission from such a magnificent being was truly intriguing—

"Hmm, I need you to help me promote a game."

However, Ana's words shattered Gray Serpent's expectations, leaving him momentarily stunned.

What, did he mishear? The Lord is asking him...to promote a game?!

"L-Lord...you..." Gray Serpent raised his head, uncertainly questioning her request. It seemed almost unbelievable that Ana would want him to promote a game. Or perhaps, does this game hold some hidden significance?

Honestly, Gray Serpent felt slightly overwhelmed at this moment. Although he had dabbled in game development before, he couldn't comprehend Ana's intentions behind this request.

"It holds significance for the Honkai Plan," Ana replied calmly.

Indeed, the Honkai Plan referred to the New Stigma Project. But what was the significance of this game within the Honkai Plan?

The answer is straightforward: When ordinary individuals enter the world bubbles created by Ana, they naturally become affected by Honkai. As their gaming time increases, so does the amount of Honkai Energy accumulating within them.

This process occurs subtly and gradually; it won't abruptly transform people into Zombies due to excessive Honkai Energy exposure.

Now, you might ask, "What if most people don't play this game?"

No worries, it's intended to be a gradual progression, similar to allowing the Herrscher of Sentience to interact with society. This approach can still bring Honkai to the world, reaching more individuals over time.

Compared to the early stages of Project Stigma, which focused on selecting stigma awakeners, the Honkai Plan adopts a gentler method. It relies on subtle influence without actively seeking full Stigmata awakening.

As long as ordinary people can adapt to Honkai Energy, that would suffice.

By harnessing Honkai Energy, derived from the transformation of the Cocoon of Finality into imaginary internal energy, humanity could collectively ascend and evolve, thereby advancing the entire civilization.

Those deeply engaged with the game would inadvertently spread the essence of Honkai to others around them, achieving Ana's objective.

Additionally, this approach would provide more possibilities for the Kallen-centric world line born due to Otto's actions. Perhaps... on some alternate world line, Kallen might ultimately become akin to Otto herself, initiating a new chain of causality.

If such an event were to occur, it would indeed be fascinating.

"..."

Gray Serpent's eyes flickered, still somewhat uncertain about Lord's intentions.

"Why not experience it firsthand to truly understand?" Sensing Gray Serpent's thoughts, Ana waved her hand, casting one instance of Gray Serpent into a world bubble, creating a new parallel world.

The game she developed was named "Kallen's Fantasy." Yes, it was inspired by the game Otto had once created; from Ana's perspective, they served the same purpose.

In a sense, isn't this game just a fantasy centered around Holy Maiden Kallen? Typically, in the true timeline, there wouldn't be an idle deity like Ana orchestrating such events.

After all, within this Honkai solar system, the only true divine influences are Sa from the Sea of Quanta or perhaps another deity reaching The Cocoon of Finality level and crossing through imaginary internal energy to arrive here.

And Ana herself is uniquely positioned as the sole God at such a level across numerous parallel worlds.

In a sense, aside from her presence, it's highly unlikely for any second deity to emerge in the Honkai solar system; even the End Insect cannot match Ana's level.

One could say, although Cocoon chose the Insect, its character and habits make it exceedingly difficult to achieve breakthroughs to the next level, unless a new catastrophe befalls Earth.

The Insect embodies someone who prefers a peaceful life without crisis, much like most individuals. This is the norm, which also explains why Ana promotes this game.

Unfortunately, with most parts of the world plagued by Honkai, ordinary people likely have little interest in playing games.

Now, given the Honkai invasion, does the core concept of this game still hold significance? Absolutely.

Ana cannot control natural Honkai occurrences precisely, nor can she tailor them specifically to each individual. Even Prometheus, having become one with the Will of Honkai, lacks such capability.

In a way, "Kallen's Fantasy" serves as a targeted seeding process.

"So that's how it works!"

Quickly, Gray Serpent gained his initial experience with this game, becoming fully alert and subsequently excited.

In truth, Gray Serpent had ambitions, but as time passed, they lost their significance. Compared to those ambitions, saving this world became paramount.

However, this did not mean he was uninterested in the game.

It offered an absolutely realistic simulation environment where every action within the game could influence the entire world's trajectory—a perfect playground for someone ambitious.

Had such a place existed during the previous civilization, Gray Serpent wouldn't have needed to conduct those human experiments or waste Sakura's precious time.

"Since you understand now, go ahead and implement it."

Ana smiled faintly, her tone indifferent. Of course, she didn't truly care whether Gray Serpent comprehended or not; his understanding was irrelevant because, being the Lord's command, he would carry it out regardless.

Just as in the original future, due to the Herrscher of Corruption, he willingly chose death without hesitation.

"I believe, with your capabilities, it won't take long for everyone in this world to be playing this game."

"Yes, Lord!" Gray Serpent responded respectfully before slowly exiting, leaving Ana alone on the throne.

Her eyes flickered, and moments later, she too vanished from her seat. There were still some additional tasks she needed to accomplish regarding the game's development.

This approach, compared to those described in her previous life's novels, was somewhat more complex. If she could directly transform an entire world or planet, far less effort would be required.

Additionally, if possible, she intended to extend this game into the Present World someday.

However, that would have to wait until later stages. First, she needed to address issues related to infiltrating the game realm, and then establish specialized "servers" devoid of Honkai Energy.

Yes, incorporating Honkai Energy wasn't by deliberate choice but rather out of necessity.

After all, achieving this feat relied primarily on the power of The Cocoon of Finality, which converts imaginary internal energy into Honkai Energy to test civilizations.

The thought of introducing Honkai to the Present World made Ana shudder.

Gray Serpent's efficiency was astonishing. To be precise, he had already mastered various promotional strategies and possessed deep insights into human nature.

Moreover, with Schicksal and Anti-Entropy preoccupied, they never anticipated that the World Serpent would leverage its organization's power to promote a game.

The influence of the World Serpent actually extended farthest among the three organizations, as it existed long before civilization began.

If Kevin hadn't been confined by Su within the Sea of Quanta, neither Schicksal nor Anti-Entropy might have emerged at all.

Of course, under those circumstances, humanity itself could have already been replaced by Stigmata-enhanced beings.

Due to Honkai's impact, large cities formed worldwide as people banded together for protection against the calamity, facilitating the World Serpent's promotion efforts even further.

Within just a few days, the game spread across the globe, reaching both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.

Before Theresa, the two doctors, and the Alliance Leader could obtain information about the game, "Kallen's Fantasy" had already become popular among the lower-level staff of both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.

After all—the Holy Maiden Kallen of Heaven's Fate is a well-known figure within Honkai organizations.

As Theresa ascended to her position, some secrets surrounding Otto gradually surfaced, undoubtedly aided by the World Serpent's manipulation.

However, there wasn't truly anything exceptionally shocking about these revelations.

On board the Hyperion, high-ranking officials from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy convened together. The meeting took place here because Schicksal was still dealing with the mess left by Otto, requiring assistance from both doctors for analysis.

Additionally, at this moment, Theresa needed Anti-Entropy's support as well.

"Kallen's Fantasy?!"

Seeing this familiar name, Theresa's pupils contracted involuntarily. While sorting through her grandfather's belongings, Amber had informed her about a game he had been developing called "Kallen's Fantasy." However, it was intended to be a single-player game and didn't seem suitable for global distribution.

"Bishop Theresa, although its title is 'Kallen's Fantasy,' it definitely isn't the game developed by Bishop Otto," Amber explained, standing beside Theresa.

"But it might have some connection to him."

Welt Yang spoke up, his eyes fixed intently on the leaderboard of Kallen's Fantasy. At the top position, he noticed a username—Fool.

Despite boasting an overwhelmingly high score, the game had only been in open beta for a few days.

Welt's intuition told him this name must be connected to that guy Otto! Don't ask why! Naturally, without any evidence, he could only assert it was definitely related to Otto but couldn't definitively claim it was his work.

"It may indeed be so..."

Reading the description of Kallen's Fantasy from the report in her hand, Theresa nodded. She hadn't actually looked at the rankings herself.

"The Alliance Leader's suspicion is not unfounded. However, as far as I know, this game is developed and promoted by World Serpent," Dr. Einstein calmly interjected.

"Based on our understanding of World Serpent, we can be nearly certain they have not been bought off by Bishop Otto."

"After all this pointless discussion, why don't we simply try out the game?"

This time, it was the irritable Tesla who spoke up.

"Dr. Tesla, given that the game is developed by World Serpent and possibly linked to Bishop Otto, there is reason to suspect some hidden scheme behind it," Dr. Einstein responded calmly.

Dr. Einstein calmly stated.

"I believe it's worth giving it a try."

It was Himeko who spoke this time. As she looked at these reports and settings, a sense of familiarity arose within her. The style and feeling seemed connected to herself.

Moreover, she indeed had some association with the World Serpent. If it involved her, there would undoubtedly be no issues. Regardless of what others might say, Himeko trusted her instincts.

"From our instrument readings, we haven't detected any immediate problems with the game so far," Dr. Einstein continued. "However, it appears to involve the realm of the mind, which our current technology cannot effectively trace."

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

"But I agree with Lady Himeko's perspective."

"To truly understand its secrets, we must explore it ourselves."

"Then let's dive in!"

"Agreed."

"In that case, I'll leave the gaming aspect to Alliance Leader and Bishop Theresa, while Dr. Tesla and I will focus on monitoring the data."

"Huh? Mophead, can't you handle the data monitoring alone?"