"Interesting, truly interesting!"
"I never expected this world to have bloodline research as well."
"A pity it's a bit too crude."
Daphne shook her head back and forth as she looked at the materials on the table, speaking in a way that seemed quite cute, making it hard for the other three present to even concentrate.
"Daphne, do you mean there is similar research in your world?"
After realizing what Daphne had said, a faint sense of anticipation arose in Sangonomiya Kokomi's heart.
"Of course. This is the very foundation of our power. Someone proposed it over ten thousand years ago, and it was completely perfected three thousand years ago."
Upon hearing Daphne's words, the three present were instantly shocked.
Without waiting for the three to ask, Daphne continued speaking.
"Over ten thousand years ago, humanity was the weakest race. Yet now, they have already become the overlords of the God-Forsaken Continent. This research has contributed immeasurably to that."
"To put it simply, the power contained in human blood is far inferior to that of most other races. Therefore, when a person's bloodline contains the bloodline of other powerful races, their strength will often be much greater than that of an ordinary person, and they might even possess some of that race's characteristics."
As they listened to Daphne's explanation, Sangonomiya Kokomi's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Daphne's words were completely guiding the direction of their subsequent research, and they also confirmed that her previous statements were indeed true.
"But in this way, there is also a drawback."
"That is, as the bloodline concentration increases, individuals may even begin to question their own true race, and even undergo unpredictable changes under the influence of the alien bloodline."
"For a considerable period of time, some people lost control because their bloodline concentration was too high, ultimately turning their weapons against their own kind."
Hearing this, the three present immediately felt their hearts tighten. This was precisely the predicament the research institute was currently facing.
However, it was obvious from Daphne's description that this problem had already been solved in her world. Thus, the three present immediately focused all their attention on listening.
"It wasn't until a thousand years passed that someone finally proposed a method that could truly solve this drawback."
"Is there really a solution? Miss Daphne!"
Gorou spoke up somewhat excitedly.
"Of course."
Daphne said with full confidence, feeling very proud of this matter.
"At that time, almost everyone's research direction was how to approach the threshold that could change one's racial perception, or even break through this threshold in a short period of time while still maintaining rationality, thereby obtaining short-term combat power."
"Until one person proposed a completely different perspective, taking dragonkind as an example, which just so happens to be the same dragonkind bloodline you are researching."
"The research results at the time were that, under normal circumstances, when the concentration of the dragonkind bloodline exceeds 30%, the individual will suffer from severe cognitive impairment."
"But looking at it from another angle, if we treat that individual completely as dragonkind, in other words, for dragonkind, even though the human bloodline has already reached 70%, they can still maintain their sense of self."
"At this point, a new concept was introduced."
"Vitality Quality!"
"This is also the most crucial reason that has truly pushed humanity toward prosperity!"
"The human bloodline is not weak, it just lacks refinement."
"Even the weakest human bloodline, after ten refinements, its strength can be comparable to Divine Blood!"
"This process is called the Stairway to Divinity by us!"
After hearing these words, the three people present were all deeply shaken.
In another world, mortals could also become gods?!
Although the three did not know how powerful the gods of that world were, being able to be called gods already represented a lot of things.
Moreover, they could vaguely feel Daphne's strength, yet she still could not be called a god, which was enough to show how powerful the gods of that world were.
"The reason why the bloodlines of other races are so powerful is that they have already undergone a certain amount of refinement. The descendants left behind by powerful humans possess bloodline power comparable to some of the mightiest races; this is the best proof!"
"Of course, all of this has little to do with me."
The three of them, whose hearts were already filled with growing shock, felt their spirits plummet from their peak because of Daphne's last sentence.
However, Daphne's next words left them utterly stunned once again.
"Because the path I walk is Mental Apotheosis."
The three were completely numb. In the Teyvat continent, gods were absolutely a synonym for the unreachable, their power inspiring both awe and longing.
Yet in her world, it seemed that becoming a god was something with infinite paths.
Although it was surely still incredibly difficult, Daphne's confident tone made it clear that there must be precedents, and not just a few!
But what followed in the three of their hearts was immense joy.
They weren't hoping to become gods themselves, but were thinking about what Daphne's presence would bring to this world.
Although the Teyvat continent could hardly replicate the methods, even if they could only achieve a score of 30 on a 100-point test, that would still have a profound impact on the Teyvat continent.
However, there was one person whose joy was short-lived, only to be replaced by even deeper sorrow.
"Daphne, no wonder you told me that working hard to get stronger is no match for making a wish."
Gorou spoke with profound grief. How was he supposed to ever surpass an existence like Daphne?
He had also finally realized the true weight of her feat—escaping from the master manipulator while in a mere soul state.
"Young man, don't be too discouraged."
Daphne floated in front of Gorou's chest, raised her hand to pat his shoulder, and spoke with earnestness.
Gorou thought Daphne was about to comfort him, yet she said,
"At least hundreds of thousands of people have been driven to despair by me. You are not alone."
"I'm so grateful to you!"
The expression on Gorou's face practically collapsed.
It was indeed comforting, but not in the way he ever wanted to be comforted!
"Anyway, I will first give you a method to refine your own bloodline. I am not sure if the knowledge from the God-Forsaken Continent will be of use to you."
"Of course, the process from scratch will definitely be very slow. In my world, it took three thousand years to raise all human bloodlines by one level. Therefore, at this stage, the method of borrowing the bloodlines of powerful races can also be used."
After hearing Daphne's words, Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded gratefully.
"Daphne, thank you so much!"
"I don't know how to thank you enough. Please tell me if there's anything you need!"
Since Daphne was currently only a soul residing within Gorou's body, Sangonomiya Kokomi didn't know what she might need, so she could only say this.
"There's no rush for now. If I find something useful, I'll ask you to help me collect it."
Daphne waved her hand, then orally explained the method for refining bloodlines, which Sangonomiya Kokomi recorded without a single mistake.
Looking at the knowledge before them that could change the landscape of the Teyvat continent, the three of them felt a surge of excitement. The despair that had risen within them due to recent events had largely dissipated.
After thanking her again and again, the three heard Daphne speak once more.
"Now, let's get back to the main topic. The bloodline researcher should be here, right?"
"If needed, I can provide a bit of guidance to make the extracted bloodlines even purer."
Upon hearing Daphne's words, Sangonomiya Kokomi immediately took her to the research institute to find Yue with an excited heart.
Originally, Yue's near-complete loss of memory had made Sangonomiya Kokomi very uneasy. However, with Inazuma's situation so dire, she had no choice but to risk starting this research in the short term.
But now, Daphne's appearance had given her a much-needed boost of confidence, and her heart felt considerably more at ease.
-
Inazuma City.
Lumine, Paimon, Enjou, Kamisato Ayaka, and Aoba had secretly sneaked near the Kujou Clan's residence, preparing to carry out the rescue plan for Kujou Sara.
"My plan is to have Lord Enjou get into a conflict with a passerby in front of the Kujou Clan's main gate, then attract the guards' attention. We'll take the opportunity to climb into the Kujou Clan's backyard, then find the dungeon entrance..."
Looking at the detailed plan in front of her, Paimon held her head with both hands, feeling a splitting headache.
Crap, I actually have to use my brain!
"This is way too troublesome. Why don't we just fight our way in!"
Although Enjou didn't get a headache, he also felt it was very troublesome, so he spoke up and made a suggestion.
"Attacking directly is not impossible, because Kujou Sara-sama's life needs to be guaranteed, so even if the enemy knows our intentions, they won't use Kujou Sara-sama's life to threaten us."
After hearing Enjou's words, Aoba explained.
"But because we need to try our best to ensure there are no casualties, we need strong strength to achieve this."
"Lord Enjou, as an Abyss Herald, has the strength, but it's not enough."
"I'm not very sure about the Traveler's strength yet. If she can defeat five Lord Enjous at the same time..."
"Haha, you can rest assured about that, Aoba! The Traveler can beat ten Enjous!"
After hearing Paimon's words, Enjou directly burst into tears.
He never expected Paimon to save him so much face. Lumine could beat a hundred of him with one hand. He was truly moved to tears!
Although he had been reduced to a unit of combat power measurement, Enjou felt no resentment at all. Because he was just a weakling, just a small fry. He had already given up on life; being carried by others was simply wonderful.
Hearing these words, Kamisato Ayaka looked at Lumine with great surprise. She never expected Lumine to have become so strong.
Before, she could still exchange a few moves with her. Now, she would probably just be crushed. This rate of strength growth was truly astonishing.
Swish, swish. Aoba crossed out the plan in front of him, flipped to a new page, wrote "Direct Assault," and then closed the plan.
"With such strength, what are we worried about? Let's just go!"
"We don't need our brains for this!"
"I love low-difficulty games!"
Seeing Aoba suddenly stand up, Kamisato Ayaka covered her mouth and chuckled.
At this moment, Lumine felt very satisfied. Finally, someone understood her!
In the past, when completing commissions, the clients always hid things and made her run all over the place. In the end, it always just took one sword strike. It would have been better if they had just told her everything from the beginning.
She really wanted to speedrun!
Soon, this plan received the unanimous approval of everyone.
A moment later.
Boom!
The wall of the Kujou Clan's backyard was blown open, immediately attracting the attention of countless people.
"Who dares trespass into the Kujou Clan? Do you wish to die?!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Quick, someone come and seize them!"
However, when the guards rushed over after hearing the commotion, the scene before their eyes infuriated them.
Five people were strutting in through the gap in the wall, seemingly disregarding them completely.
Too arrogant!
"Bastards, you're too arrogant!"
"The Kujou Clan isn't some place you can just break into!"
"If you dare resist, we will execute you on the spot!"
The guards felt their blood boil, roaring furiously as they swung their weapons and charged toward the five.
At this moment, they all wanted to tear these five little thieves into a thousand pieces to vent their rage!
But as they drew closer and the dust settled, someone noticed something was wrong. Why did some of the faces look so familiar?
Holy shit, isn't that the Traveler who clashed swords with the Raiden Shogun?!
And the Kamisato Clan's Shirasagi Himegimi!
What the hell are we fighting for?!
Though they outnumbered the group, even ten times more of them would never stand a chance against these five!
Aoba and Paimon: Exactly, the five of us are really strong!
Immediately, many of them slammed on the brakes, cutting their speed by at least half, yet they shouted even louder.
"Charge!"
"Kill!"
"Don't let them escape!"
The guards behind were confused. They felt the people in front suddenly slow down and nearly crashed into them. They furiously questioned the guards ahead.
"What are you doing? Ouch!"
"Holy shit!"
They finally understood why the guards in front had suddenly slowed down, and quickly, the guards behind also slowed their pace.
It wasn't that they were afraid to die. Those chosen as Kujou Clan guards were certainly required to be loyal, but the problem was, what kind of person was the current Kujou Clan head, Kujou Ittou? No one had ever heard of him before, just a complete nobody in the Kujou Clan. He was incredibly cunning and had stepped over Kujou Sara to take his position. Was such a person worth dying for?!
Moreover, almost everyone present knew what the Traveler was breaking into the Kujou Clan for, so they couldn't stop her any more.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded. Although the Kujou Clan guards around them were shouting even more impassionedly than before, no one actually stepped forward to stop them. They just watched as the five found the entrance to the dungeon in the Kujou estate and slipped inside.
As Aoba's body was halfway inside, he suddenly thought of something, turned his head to look at the surrounding guards, and spoke.
"Good work, everyone."
After tossing out these words, Aoba's figure immediately vanished.
The Kujou Clan guards: "..."
Damn, this time we're really gonna have to fight!
After the figures of the five successively disappeared, the shouts of battle around them also gradually quieted down, followed by a long silence.
After an unknown amount of time, someone weakly spoke up to ask a question.
"Should we notify Lord Kujou Ittou to return and guard the house?"
"No, directly notify him that Lord Kujou Sara has been rescued by the Traveler."
"Hey, you know, the Traveler's relationship with Lord Kujou Sara is really good, isn't it? She came to save her shortly after the attack."
"Shh, keep your voice down. The Traveler is a wanted person right now."