The Valkyries finally breathed a sigh of relief, and some even cheered.
"It's the Schicksal Floating Battleship! We're saved!"
"That's fantastic!"
It must be said that the appearance of the Hyperion was quite impressive, with its wide and sturdy hull and Battlesuit, emitting a shimmering energy shield, and cannons spraying out hot barrages, all reflecting the violent aesthetics of destiny.
As for the fierce storm and thunderstorms that had made life difficult for the research vessel, they couldn't even slow down the speed of the Schicksal Floating Battleship in the slightest.
The firepower of the floating battleship became even more intense, causing all the flying Honkai beasts that had previously attacked the research vessel to disappear in the flames.
The middle-aged captain who had steered alongside Whitley before connected the communication and said somewhat helplessly, "I am Captain Zhang Xin of the Icarus Research Vessel. Our shield has overloaded and malfunctioned. We request cover to withdraw from the combat zone."
Ragnar's tone was somewhat solemn, "Hyperion, received. I will arrange for escort boats to cover your withdrawal, but the Valkyrie exploration team on your ship needs to board the transport ship to the Hyperion. We need more firepower."
Although the Hyperion was a cutting-edge floating battleship, its size and scale were still quite small compared to the gigantic Honkai beast carrying a volcano not far away.
"Icarus, received." The middle-aged captain pressed the communicator, "Thank you very much!"
"Black Gold Exploration Team, Whitley, received."
"... Far East Branch, Luo Lin, received."
Listening to the somewhat awkward voice that appeared last on the communication channel, Durandal couldn't help but smirk.
Ragnar asked with a smile, "Are you relieved now?"
"... yes."
Two small boats appeared from behind the Hyperion, quickly approaching the Icarus Research Vessel.
One was a small escort boat, and the other was a transport ship. Although the engines and quality of these small boats couldn't ignore the influence of the harsh weather, their drivers' skills were extremely adept, soaring through the storm like swallows.
The escort boat circled around the research vessel, while the transport ship hovered steadily above the Icarus Research Vessel, lowering down towing ropes.
Luo Lin, with her strong capabilities, followed Whitley onto the transport ship's cabin first, then turned around to help the remaining Valkyries continue boarding.
Soon, everyone had boarded the ship, and after the driver closed the hatch, they maneuvered the airship agilely, turning back towards the Hyperion.
The remaining escort boats continued to surround the research vessel.
A few minutes later, Luo Lin and her team boarded the Hyperion, and the logistics personnel immediately brought hot drinks, energy bars, dry towels, and clothes.
Luo Lin grabbed an energy bar and gulped it down with hot drinks, then, to the astonishment of the others, steam rose from her body as she quickly dried off all the rainwater on herself in just a few seconds.
A familiar voice came from beside her, "Huh. Steaming yourself dry with Edge of Taixuan? I think you might have misunderstood the nature of the Edge of Taixuan..."
"Fu Hua? You're here too!"
Luo Lin turned her head in surprise, finding Fu Hua, clad in Shadow Knight Battlesuit, walking over from nearby.
"Yeah, we're too close to Shenzhou, and I have a lot of connections with it myself..."
Fu Hua subconsciously pushed her nose bridge, only to find that she wasn't wearing her disguised glasses, which was a bit embarrassing.
Luo Lin nodded and whispered, "I understand. After all, you're the Guardian of Shenzhou... Oh, by the way, I found your old friend when I went to the Taixu Mountain before—Book of Fuxi. Do you remember?"
Fu Hua was taken aback, "...It feels so familiar."
"Wow!!! The elmhead doesn't remember me!!!" Inside the system space, Book of Fuxi pounced on Selune's Elegy, wailing loudly.
Selune patted the little ancestor's shoulder, "It's okay, let Sister Senti help you with some medicine later... No, use the Authority of the Herrscher to adjust your brain gently, and it'll be all right."
"Let's not do that."
Book of Fuxi recoiled from Selune's Elegy like she had been electrocuted, sitting on a floating ball and floating away more than a meter.
Selune's Elegy tilted her head, puzzled, "But Sister Senti is really nice!"
"That's a Herrscher, don't you understand!" The little ancestor was somewhat resentful, pointing to her own head, "My database contains a large amount of information from the previous era. Just take one out at random, and it can prove how terrifying the Herrschers are. They're enemies of humanity, absolutely untrustworthy..."
"Adults, times have changed!" Selune smirked, almost making a crooked expression like Long Wang's, "And actually, the previous era had already changed..."
"Yikes! Such a strange tone and expression!" Book of Fuxi trembled, "Luo Lin! Let me out! I want to talk to the elmhead!"
Luo Lin rubbed her temples. She knew that her little ancestor in the system space would be very excited to see the scene in front of her, "Wait a minute, I'll find a place to let her out later. She might have to help with the matter of Chiyou."
"Okay."
Another person walked out from around the corner, speaking loudly, "Alright, let's catch up on the way. Captain Ragnar is eager to inquire about Luo Lin's situation."
"...Himeko?"
The newcomer answered, "Yes, it's me."
Luo Lin blinked, somewhat hesitantly saying, "You look much more mature than before."
Compared to the impression the black-haired girl had of the older sister who liked to drink and was a bit rough around the edges, this world's Murata Himeko had become quite different.
She had tied up her neat red short hair, wore Valkyrie Battlesuit that Luo Lin didn't recognize, and had a uniquely shaped sword slung diagonally across her back, the light of Honkai energy flowing on the blade, exuding an unusual calm and reliability in her every move.
"Really? It's probably because I've been teaching students these past few years, so there's been some change in my temperament. Besides, it's been a few years since we last met, so it's normal to find people different from the impression you had..."
Himeko raised her eyebrows, "What about you? You're still in the same outfit as before, without much change."
That's because Himeko had actually lived through a few years, while Luo Lin had only experienced less than a year in subjective time, swimming freely in the Sea of Quanta and fighting in other worlds.
So, Luo Lin could only offer an embarrassed yet polite smile, "Ahaha..."
"Forget it, as long as you're still alive..."
Himeko pursed her lips, took a deep breath to conceal the moisture in her eyes, and said softly, "Let's go, Captain Ragnar is still waiting."
"Yeah."
"And that lady over there, Whitley Regina of the Black Gold Team, the captain is asking for intelligence from you guys."
"Right away!"
Whitley changed into a new outfit, her hair still a bit damp. She asked Arvitr a couple of questions, "Has the data been uploaded to the Hyperion?"
Arvitr pushed her captain, "The procedures for leaving were completed when I came up, Captain, you'd better hurry!"
Whitley exclaimed, "With you here, I really feel at ease!"
"Just be at ease and don't let me go!"
"That's impossible, you have to go shine in a better place." Whitley waved her hand and quickly caught up with Luo Lin and the others.
Luo Lin suddenly asked, "Did Lady Theresa come?"
Himeko replied, "She did. With such a big reaction of Honkai energy, she couldn't just sit idly by in the Far East Branch... By the way, the envoy sent from the Schicksal earlier was Durandal. She also came with us."
"Durandal, I wonder what she looks like now..."
The black-haired girl blinked, speculating inwardly as she looked at the very different Murata Himeko beside her.
"Lady Theresa and Lady Durandal?!" Whitley's mouth hung open, then she suddenly became excited, "With two S-rank Valkyries, capturing this Honkai beast is definitely a piece of cake!"
Himeko frowned, "It's best not to be too optimistic. Just now, the Hyperion fired a few rounds with its secondary guns, and it barely did any damage to Chiyou..."
"Chiyou? Is that its code name?"
Fu Hua sighed, "Sort of. We've been able to confirm that this is a Honkai beast sealed by ancient Shenzhou in the Primordial Era, and now it's starting to act up again."
As they spoke, Luo Lin and her team arrived at the bridge, and the armored doors opened with a mechanical hum.
The golden-haired knight standing in the center turned around, somewhat surprised to see Luo Lin.
"Luo Lin..."
"You see, she doesn't even have a scratch on her. Luo Lin, come over!"
Ragnar waved to Luo Lin casually, "I've noticed that wherever you go, something always happens. Your luck is really something!"