Is it worth it?
To take upon such a risk was no laughing matter. Aleph could put an end to the sixth Herrscher here and then.
However…
'Not now. I can't risk losing myself inside that space.'
All of his knowledge of the Sea of Quanta came from his previous life. The technology to view that space wasn't even fully developed in the fourth institute. That was the next agenda he had in mind after developing the Project Soldier and Project Divine Key. he already had useful data from the time he visited the Sanctum.
In the end, Aleph held himself back from chasing the Herrscher. The pricking sensation slowly disappeared as he lost his intent to enter the space.
"Aleph… is there something wrong?"
He heaved a deep sigh as a reply to Vill-V's question.
"I lost her."
"Hm..?"
"The sixth Herrscher. I lost track of her.."
"..."
Questions such as "How did you know who the Herrscher was?" or "How did you track her?" came to her mind, though she chose to keep silent.
"Can you help me connect with everyone? I want to convene a meeting."
Three months after their last gathering, the first batch from the Project Soldier met once again.
*****
Three days.
The blanket search lasted for a total of three days, but to no avail. There weren't any traces of the Herrscher found. It was as if Mei filed a false report, which was used by some of the councilors to launch an attack.
Of course, it didn't hold much water once they brought irrefutable evidence that a Herrscher was there. The consensus said that more than ten thousand people disappeared without a trace. Numerous dust was the only thing left within the said area.
The findings chilled down everyone's hearts. The rumors of the sixth Herrscher being able to turn humans to dust spread to the upper circle.
The main force during this incident, however, gathered inside the first institute.
Like every other institute, it has a conference room where virtual meetings are held. It has an oval table with corresponding seats. Mobius and Vill-V attended as virtual projections, while Kevin, Mei, Elysia, and Sakura attended in person.
"Here's everything I found out. The sixth Herrscher's details should be complete enough."
Aleph tinkered with the conference screen. He was the only one standing as he served as an instructor of sorts.
Ling's details showed up on screen. From her birth up to the 'fifth eruption', everything was compiled. An entire minute had passed before Mei put forward a question.
"Sea of Quanta… The former director should have a list of candidates who might've owned that lab." She said. "When you lost her, did she go to that place?"
"That's right. Aside from her previous capabilities, she could enter the Sea of Quanta. Unless I chase after her, the only option left is to wait until she comes back."
Aleph took a deep breath before he continued explaining:
"You all should know by now. There are people with superpowers in this world."
He began explaining the logic behind the so-called "superpowers". It was something completely separate from honkai.
Technically, Mobius' ability to speak since birth, Vill-V's insane intelligence and Kevin's exaggerated physical fitness fits the bill. They are simply subtler compared to the others.
"For example, my eyes. I can 'see' all sorts of information with it." Aleph explained. "Miss Elysia must've eaten three slices of strawberry cheesecake prior to this meeting. Kevin had three cans of energy drink. Mei had a cheeseburger at her usual place. Sakura had a bento of rice balls made by her sister."
"H-hey! Privacy!"
Elysia's stunned look turned into fluster. She found out everyone inside the room gave her an understanding look. One person didn't take this opportunity lying down, however.
"Aren't you afraid of gaining weight? Or was it all talk?"
Mobius' sarcasm–laced words was akin to a loud bell in Elysia's mind.
"Girls have a second stomach for deserts!"
""...""
Everyone chose not to comment further, even Mobius. This kind of awkward silence was what she planned to further get her revenge on Elysia.
Tap.
Tap.
It was Aleph who saved her from embarrassment.
"My eyes can sense information others would've missed. That includes what transpired during the last twelve hours or so. It's very vague, but it's similar to intercepting information from a higher dimension."
"Eidos." Vill-V commented.
"That's right."
One of the philosophers in this world proposed the concept of 'eidos', also known as 'ideas'. He suggested that there is a dimension whereas everything existed as a concept. Everything could be found there, making that space a holder of omniscient knowledge.
What Aleph does, in hindsight, was to peek in that dimension to gain information.
"With this, it is best to conclude that the Herrscher developed a superpower related to the Sea of Quanta."
Their discussion revolved around the sixth Herrscher for a while until it went to Vill-V's side.
"Eh? The project? Oh, that's right. You all want to see it?"
"Ah?"
Elysia embodied the confused look of everyone in this room.
"I mean, aren't you going to ask me to hand it over?"
"...No. I want to ask about its progress." Aleph replied. "So, it's done?"
"Yes. That's why I couldn't come today."
The prodigy who liked procrastination with other irrelevant stuff finally completed her main mission today.
For a while, Vill-V's projection became shaky. She held the camera and headed to an open-area within her laboratory. After some configuration, her projection disappeared before she reappeared. This time, a huge black-orange cube could be seen behind her.
"Behold, the first Divine Key out of them all! The Truth Arsenal!"
The meeting soon turned into Vill-V's performance.
*****
"Huh…"
While walking towards the lounge, Aleph couldn't help but think of his previous hesitation. His Deathly Intuition warned him of something horrendous the moment he leaves for the Sea of Quanta.
He could've entered that place without quantizing. The Yamato in his possession could do just that. His compatibility with that place was another matter whatsoever.
Nevertheless, Aleph instinctively felt that it wasn't the Sea of Quanta itself that brought that danger to him. After all, he could recall Kevin traveling just fine in that dimension.
'If it's not that, then what..?'
His footsteps halted as soon as he came across someone who was also heading to the lounge. It was in the middle of the night, hence it came off as unexpected to him and to the girl who got caught.
"Are you thinking of the pudding you hid in the refrigerator before the meeting, Miss Elysia?"
"Come on, that's cheating!"
The fat pink elf cried out of injustice.
*****
A/N: Elysia is fat, yes, but as to which part is fat… you go ahead and think about it ;)