Irene looked at Theresa, who stood before her with hands on her hips, trying hard to keep a stern face while lecturing. A warmth flowed through Irene's heart, and she couldn't resist reaching out to stroke Theresa's head.
The heavy feeling from discussing Fu Hua's past with Pardo and Kallen in the Palace of Consciousness was washed away slightly.
"Hey!" Theresa subconsciously enjoyed the headpat for a moment before immediately reacting. She swatted Irene's hand away. "Who allowed you to pat the Principal's head?"
"And don't give me that cheeky smile! Do you actually understand or not?"
"I can't help it, the Principal is just too cute, so I couldn't control myself~" Irene nodded obediently with a smile on her lips. However, seeing Theresa gradually raising a small pink fist, Irene immediately straightened her expression.
"Next time, I will definitely act according to my ability. I won't train myself into the infirmary again. Class Monitor Fu Hua has already agreed to guide me; her methods will surely be more suitable."
Hearing Irene's words, Theresa nodded with satisfaction. She stood on her tiptoes, trying hard to pat Irene's shoulder to show encouragement. Unfortunately, the height difference was too significant, so she could only pat Irene's arm in the end.
"That's the spirit! The body is the capital of revolution! Oh, right!"
Theresa coughed twice to alleviate the awkwardness. As if suddenly remembering something, she ran barefoot back to the sofa, her feet pattering against the floor.
She picked up a folder bearing the Schicksal emblem from the table.
"Here, this is for you!" Theresa handed the folder over, a hint of 'praise me quickly' pride on her small face. "Grandpa... no, I mean, Headquarters was actually quite efficient this time."
"Your official A-Rank Valkyrie certification documents and ID have been approved! Congratulations, Teacher Irene. You are now a genuine A-Rank combatant of our Far East Branch!"
"Just as I said, Grand... Headquarters didn't look too deeply into your identity."
Irene was slightly stunned for a moment, then took the folder. Opening it, she found a finely crafted metal badge on top. The winged symbol of Schicksal was in the center, surrounded by a silver thorn pattern symbolizing A-Rank.
Underneath lay the official appointment documents and an identification card. The photo displayed her original appearance—silver hair and blue pupils—with the name "Irene" clearly printed in the name field.
"Phew..." Irene let out a deep breath as she looked at the identity documents in her hand. With these documents, or rather, this title, there were many more things she could do.
[Sister Irene, does this count as our plan being half successful?]
[It's too early to say,] Irene's spiritual entity shook her head. [This is just a beginning, but it is indeed a good beginning.]
[However, Irene, you still need to work hard to strengthen your body. You can't waste such good natural talent,] Kallen admonished, looking at Irene's spiritual entity.
To be honest, Irene's talent was truly rare. At least in terms of innate Honkai Adaptability, not even Kallen was as robust as Irene. On the System panel, Kallen's Honkai Adaptability was rated as 'Good.'
Between 'Good' and 'Excellent,' there was still the level of 'Great.' And above 'Great' was 'Extremely Strong,' and only a level above that was the standard of 'Excellent.'
Of course, Kallen's standard was already not low. The Kaslana Family's standard for Honkai Resistance tended to be a bit higher.
Among those Irene had on hand, the only one who also possessed an 'Excellent' level of Honkai Adaptability was Pardofelis—a MANTIS who was essentially no different from a Honkai Beast, a creature of the Honkai itself.
Although, in the past, such high Honkai Adaptability was almost equivalent to a curse for Irene. But after her Honkai Resistance was raised to a 'Good' standard by the System's potion, Irene's extremely strong curse had transformed into an extremely strong talent.
Of course, talent is just talent. If one doesn't work hard, even the strongest talent is useless.
[Yes, yes, yes, I know. Aren't I going to learn from Fu Hua starting tomorrow?]
[Mn, the Celestial's abilities are very strong. She will definitely be able to teach you well. Hmm, I just don't know if she is proficient in this specific aspect?]
Reminded by Kallen, Irene recalled some of the less-than-pleasant things about Fu Hua in her mind. [She should be considered proficient, right?]
"Thank you, Theresa." In reality, Irene closed the folder and looked up to thank her sincerely. "And thank you for helping me handle those... procedural matters regarding my identity."
"Hehe, it's a small matter!" Theresa waved her hand and nestled back into the sofa, picking up her bitter melon juice and taking a big sip. "Anyway, you are now one of the only three A-Rank Valkyries in our Far East Branch. Be prepared to go on missions frequently."
"Mn, please go easy on me." Irene carefully put the folder away. "If you squeeze me too hard, I might choose to go on strike~"
———————Anti-Entropy · A Secret Stronghold——————
Reflected by the cold metal walls and the eerie blue light of instruments, Cocolia leaned somewhat lazily against the high-backed command chair, her long legs crossed.
On the huge screen in front of her, there was no combat map or experimental data. Instead, there was a communication window that had undergone multiple layers of encryption, its signal source drifting and uncertain.
In the window, only an abstract symbol representing "Gray Serpent," constantly shifting with twisting lines, was flashing.
"Miss Cocolia," a highly distorted, synthesized electronic voice came from the speakers, cold and devoid of any emotion.
"Mn, I'm here." Cocolia nodded. "However, I didn't expect you, Gray Serpent, to choose to contact me at this time. Is something the matter?"
Gray Serpent didn't care about Cocolia's arrogance and simply stated blandly, "I need to investigate whether a Valkyrie with the characteristics of brown hair and cat ears has appeared within the Schicksal Far East Branch, specifically St. Freya Academy."
"Can't do it." Hearing this request, Cocolia made a prompt decision to refuse. However, she didn't hang up the communication; instead, she looked at Gray Serpent with interest.
Gray Serpent looked at Cocolia's posture and merely said indifferently, "It is impossible for you to be unable to do it. Cocolia, I know your capabilities very well."
"Therefore, you certainly have a way to collect intelligence from that side. Our cooperative relationship shouldn't need to be tested by a single piece of intelligence."
"..." Cocolia fell silent for a moment, then picked up a tablet from the side. Of course she had ways to collect intelligence on St. Freya. It was normal for the two major organizations to scatter spies among each other.
In fact, the Far East Branch could be called the easiest Schicksal branch to infiltrate. This was because that Theresa had genuinely built a school.
Compared to military camps—the other branches that were strictly guarded—Theresa's school was the best place to plant spies. coupled with the fact that Theresa herself was the granddaughter of the Schicksal Overseer.
Presumably, not just his side, but the conservative faction had also planted quite a few spies around Theresa. It was just that Cocolia didn't know exactly who was who over there.
After querying on the tablet for a while, Cocolia looked up. "Regrettably, Gray Serpent, there has been only one new arrival at St. Freya recently—Irene. Silver hair, blue eyes. Her identity is a literature teacher, and the data shows she is an ordinary person."
"And in the secretly taken photos and descriptions, let alone cat ears, she doesn't even have yellow hair."
Cocolia put down the tablet. "Unless that group of people at Schicksal collectively suffers from color blindness and hallucinations, it's impossible to miss such obvious characteristics. The person you are looking for is not there."
"Or do you think that I, or my people, also suffer from color blindness and hallucinations?"
The abstract symbol on the screen fluctuated, seemingly performing some kind of high-speed calculation. "Silver hair... Irene..."
Gray Serpent's electronic voice paused for a moment. "Cocolia, are you sure your informant has reported all the circumstances?"
"Since you don't believe me, then figure it out yourself." Cocolia felt she had no reason to fear Gray Serpent. "At least my people only reported this much information."
"Either the person you are looking for is not in the Far East Branch at all, or such a person simply does not exist."
"..." Gray Serpent remained silent for a long time on the other end before speaking again. "Continue to have your people maintain surveillance. Pay attention to any personnel movements. Report any intelligence regarding brown hair or cat ears to me."
Cocolia frowned as she listened to Gray Serpent's request. "Such deep and prolonged contact will expose my informants. That Theresa is the granddaughter of the Schicksal Overseer, after all."
"Spies in that location have great value."
Understanding that Cocolia wanted some benefits, Gray Serpent spoke directly with a wave of his hand. "A production method for steel processed via Honkai energy. I know you radicals need to confront the conservatives."
"And the high-strength steel produced by this technology exceeds the performance of the armor plates you currently use. I think you should understand the value of this technology. I can give it to you now. How about it?"
After pondering for a moment, Cocolia nodded. "...Deal. Remember your promise, Gray Serpent. I want to see that data now."
As soon as Cocolia's voice fell, the communication window flickered, and a file immediately popped up in the lower right corner. "I assume you have received the item. The Serpent's sincerity has been delivered. Cocolia, do not disappoint me."
——————St. Freya Academy · The Next Morning——————
The deep blue curtain of the night in the distance was slowly being pushed aside by the pale light of dawn in the east. The scent of cold night dew still lingered on the empty playground, so quiet that only the chirping of a few early birds could be heard from afar.
At this time, only a few sporadic Valkyries who rose very early were exercising. Irene, dressed in a simple athletic outfit, appeared on the edge of the track right on time. The morning chill made her subconsciously wrap her jacket tighter, but her mind was unusually clear.
Not far away, Fu Hua's figure appeared at the edge of the playground. Seeing Irene appear, Fu Hua waved to her.
"Teacher Irene, good morning." Fu Hua looked at Irene, who jogged over. "Teacher Irene is very punctual. That is a good trait."
"A-Hua, good morning. It looks like I'm still late, having made you wait for a while, A-Hua." Irene walked over quickly, looking at Fu Hua with a smile.
Inside the Palace of Consciousness, Pardo had also "woken up" early and was watching the outside world with nervous anticipation.
"No need to be nervous. Practicing martial arts is not necessarily about who gets up earlier." Fu Hua seemed to see Irene's restraint and softened her tone. "Come, follow me. I have already seen your file, Teacher Irene."
"Simple training methods cannot fully release your potential, Teacher Irene. Yesterday's training was indeed too forceful—forcefully drawing Honkai energy to strengthen the body while simultaneously squeezing the body's limits. For the body, the burden is extremely heavy."
"Mn, so what does Teacher Fu Hua suggest?"
Fu Hua didn't mind Irene's somewhat changeable forms of address. She led Irene toward the secluded back mountain beside the sports field. "Although it is early morning, the playground is still somewhat noisy."
"I think it's quite quiet."
Fu Hua shook her head. "But not quiet enough. There are human voices and noise. For the method I want to teach you, it is best not to have disturbances during the introductory phase."
After walking a certain distance, Fu Hua led Irene to a pavilion in the back mountain and pointed to the center of the pavilion, signaling Irene to sit down.
"Sit cross-legged and stabilize your mind. Try your best to empty your thoughts and breathe deeply."
Irene did as she was told, striving to empty her thoughts and focus on her breathing. The cool morning air was inhaled into her lungs, carrying the scent of grass and earth.
Then, she transferred the majority of her spirit into the Palace of Consciousness.
[Uh, Irene, isn't this considered cheating?] Kallen's mouth twitched as she looked at Irene, who had slipped in. She really hadn't expected Irene to cheat in this way.
"Well, just tell me if I've emptied my mind or not~" Irene shrugged. Just as Irene said, after transferring most of her spirit to the Palace of Consciousness, her physical body in reality did indeed look as if it was concentrating and gradually emptying its mind.
"Very good." Fu Hua nodded slightly, not noticing anything amiss. "Maintain this state, and then listen to me. What I need to teach you is a mental cultivation method passed down from Shenzhou. It can help you actively guide the Honkai energy to flow through your body."
Fu Hua's eyes flickered slightly. An ordinary cultivation method? Of course not. An ordinary method wouldn't require such strictness. What she wanted to teach Irene was the Taixuan Sword Qi she had once created herself.
As for the reason... that familiar feeling and that familiar appearance were already enough for Fu Hua.
If another reason had to be added, it was that when she probed Irene's body last time, Fu Hua discovered that Irene's natural aptitude was exceptionally excellent. Learning Taixuan Sword Qi would definitely not be a loss.
At the very least, it was much better than Irene's barbaric training method of forcing the body to accept rapid squeezing to recover potential. She wondered who exactly Irene had found to teach her that.
Inside the Palace of Consciousness, Kallen suddenly sneezed. She looked around in confusion. [What's going on? Do memory constructs sneeze too?]
Irene didn't have much time to pay attention to Kallen's small anomaly at the moment. She was anxious to follow Fu Hua, chanting the somewhat tongue-twisting incantations.
Following the recitation of the mental method taught by Fu Hua and Fu Hua's guidance from the side, Irene soon felt a warm sensation spreading all over her body. It was even more obvious than the warm current she felt from Kallen's training method before.
Fu Hua, standing to the side, also sensed the Honkai energy in Irene's body beginning to increase and starting to repair and strengthen Irene's body. She then let go of her hand; Irene no longer needed guidance at this moment.
"Her talent is indeed outstanding. To enter the state so quickly?"
________________________________________
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