The Thirteenth Divine Key, made from Elysia's Herrscher core, was one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Honkai world. Whether in the past, present, or future, apart from the few people involved back then, no one would likely know its true nature.
As the saying goes, "Go big or go home." Using this to bluff Kevin at this time was perfect.
"Kevin, I think I know what the Thirteenth Divine Key is."
Lin Wei said with a serious yet confident expression.
Mei questioned the "Will of Honkai" and received the "qualification to seek answers" from you. Now that he was giving you an answer, could he get something else in return?
Lin Wei believed that this was the most likely chip to impress Kevin—after all, this guy always liked to condescendingly say "You know nothing about Honkai" to everyone.
Hah, in your face! I've read the script!
Lin Wei mocked inwardly.
"..."
Lin Wei's words indeed surprised Kevin. He pondered silently for a moment, studying Lin Wei intently, before slowly asking,
"What is it?"
He really wanted to hear what Lin Wei knew. If it satisfied him, he didn't mind giving some rewards.
Yes, indeed very fatherly...
"The Thirteenth Herrscher is a lie."
Lin Wei said calmly,
"Then the corresponding Thirteenth Divine Key should also be a lie."
Lin Wei looked into Kevin's deep eyes, as profound as icebergs hidden beneath the sea, and slowly gave his answer:
"As a real lie, what in the world is more qualified to be the Thirteenth Divine Key than the 'Will of Honkai'?"
The Will of Honkai was the Thirteenth Divine Key—this was Lin Wei's ultimate guess.
As the result of the Previous Era's final battle, with great sacrifice, a Prometheus unit was used as a "Trojan horse" to hack into the Final Herrscher's cocoon, turning it into the "Will of Honkai" of the new era, to a certain extent stealing and exercising the cocoon's authority.
It could even be said that the entire final battle revolved around this goal.
And the final blow Kevin unleashed with all his might, in a sense, was to ensure that the remaining people could safely withdraw from the battlefield after the battle was over—and then enter the next battlefield called the "new era"...
Thus, the intensity of the Honkai disasters in the new era became far less than in the Previous Era. Not only that, the entire process became fixed and predictable. Before each Herrscher was born, their powers could be known in advance. Then, like a game with a walkthrough, targeted tactics could be prepared in advance.
Thus, the damage caused by each Honkai eruption was further controlled, and human civilization was better preserved.
Everything sounded perfect, with only one seemingly simple question—was the Final Herrscher's cocoon really that easy to hack into?
Even if Elysia had prepared everyone in advance and left a backdoor for her companions to use, there was still a fundamental question—how could a mere AI hack into the Final Herrscher's cocoon?
Even if it could, how could it be guaranteed that after successfully hacking into the Final Herrscher's cocoon, it would still work stably as expected?
Even the First Divine Key, "Void Archive" which also incorporated Prometheus, took a long time to nurture and complete. The difficulty of hacking into the Final Herrscher's cocoon was far greater than dealing with the First Herrscher's core.
Unless, in addition to adding this function module to Prometheus, there were other unknown important variables...
"Elysia returned to the Final Herrscher, giving consciousness to the Herrschers of the new era, creating another possibility for the humans of the new generation. The 'Will of Honkai' also returned to the Final Herrscher, controlling the Honkai with its own will, helping the humans of the new generation realize this possibility."
At the end, Lin Wei couldn't help but sigh,
"It sounds quite romantic, quite in line with Elysia's aesthetic, isn't it?"
Moreover, "Will of Honkai" also seemed to fit the four-character naming standard of Divine Keys...
Of course, Lin Wei didn't know if the truth was really as he thought, and it was very likely that he was completely wrong.
But even if he was wrong, so what?
After all, Elysia was already dead.
Therefore, what the "Thirteenth Divine Key" actually was wasn't important.
What was important was that Lin Wei had used this as an excuse to say what he just did. That was enough.
If he guessed correctly, Lin Wei naturally got full marks.
But even if he guessed wrong, he still got full marks.
Because of this, Lin Wei wasn't nervous at all when he spoke, completely fearless. He even looked at Kevin with an inquiring gaze, wanting to get a definite answer from him.
After all, if there was only one person in the world who knew what the "Thirteenth Divine Key" was, it had to be Kevin—Su and Fu Hua would have to take a back seat!
"..."
Kevin remained silent, his expression as usual, like an eternally frozen iceberg.
He just looked deeply at Lin Wei for a moment, then slowly said,
"What do you want?"
In his opinion, Lin Wei's current performance was worthy of a reward.
"So, did I guess right?"
Lin Wei asked eagerly.
He really wanted to know the answer!
Who wouldn't be curious?
"That's not important."
Kevin said concisely.
His voice was calm, as if it was truly an insignificant matter.
"Tell me, what do you want."
In Kevin's eyes, it seemed that only the reality in front of him was the most important.
"..."
Damn riddler, get out of… oh, you're already gone, never mind then.
Lin Wei secretly gave the riddler a middle finger in his heart, then gave up helplessly, regretfully putting aside his curious thoughts, and seriously made his request to Kevin.
It was still the same things he had proposed just now—entering the Elysian Realm again, borrowing something, and asking for a favor.
However, now that it was time to "claim his reward," Lin Wei was particularly detailed about each request.
For example, what he wanted to borrow, under what circumstances he wanted Kevin's help, and that he wanted to bring Yuno into the Elysian Realm with him this time...
Compared to the endless back-and-forth with Grey Serpent, and the many uncertain risks, it was much more straightforward to talk directly to Kevin, the leader of World Serpent.
Just bringing Yuno into the Elysian Realm alone might not be easy to get permission for!
"The Elysian Realm is not a place you can just come and go as you please! This time you even want to bring an outsider? Do you think the Elysian Realm is your home?!"
Although they wouldn't be so blunt and vulgar, this basically summed up World Serpent's most likely attitude.
So, he still had to go to Kevin to solve this...
Although Kevin was quite the riddler, he was easy to deal with… no, wait, he was straightforward!
Yes was yes, no was no, no beating around the bush.
"It would be even better if you weren't so cryptic," Lin Wei thought regretfully...
"Then, until next time, successor."
After the agreement was made, Kevin nodded slightly in farewell and turned to leave without hesitation.
Just before leaving completely, Kevin lowered his gaze, glanced at Siegfried, who was still firmly bound on the ground, and reached out, helping his descendant dispel the bestial transformation, quietly watching him return to his human form before disappearing into thin air without a word.
"Tsk, not even a word to his descendant, so cold and aloof?"
Lin Wei, having successfully accomplished his goals, was in a good mood, crossing his arms and clicking his tongue. After glancing at Siegfried, he said to Yuno,
"Alright, it's over, you can let him go."
After Kevin left, Yuno finally breathed a sigh of relief. While obediently releasing Siegfried, she asked unwillingly,
"Who is he?"
She had never met such a strange person.
"He is his ancestor, a pioneer of the Previous Era, the source of the Kaslana bloodline."
Lin Wei put away the Divine Key, pointed at Siegfried, who was struggling to wake up, and said,
"Remember his bestial form just now? Kevin's Honkai form is many times more exaggerated than that."
"Honkai form?"
Yuno murmured.
"Yes, merging the power of Honkai beasts with a human body, they all have this trick. It's probably similar to when you release your vines."
Lin Wei said with a gentle smile,
"So you see, the power of Honkai beasts isn't some terrifying monster. It's just a form of power, just like the Valkyrie Stigmata."
Seeing that there were "similar beings," it would probably make Yuno feel a little better, Lin Wei thought to himself.
"...Yes."
Yuno nodded slightly, looking at Siegfried, who was struggling to stand up. Seeing his severed arm, she felt even more sympathy, hesitating whether to help him up.
Sympathy was sympathy, but the awkwardness still remained.
Before she could think further, Lin Wei had already scooped him up with one hand, and picked up Judgment of Shamash from the ground with the other,
"Damn, this is heavy!"
Lin Wei complained. The strange folded space around them quickly disintegrated, the magnificent colors fading, and the orderly and coordinated light of real space reappeared.
Lin Wei thrust Judgment of Shamash into the ground with a clang, then tossed the still weak Siegfried to Tesla, who was visibly startled, and said indifferently,
"Here you go."
Tesla was busy adjusting the equipment she had brought from various parts of the base, preparing to find a way to break the folded space from the outside, but she didn't expect it to be over already.
"Siegfried, how are you? Are you alright?"
Siegfried's reappearance was truly frightening, looking like a defeated war trophy. Tesla quickly helped him up, patted his face, and checked his injuries.
"Don't worry, he's not dying, just exhausted, and his old injuries have flared up a bit. He'll be fine after resting in bed for three to five days."
Lin Wei said indifferently, then gestured to Yuno,
"Let's go."
The matter was settled, and he didn't want to stay here any longer. He turned to leave.
Yuno glanced back at Tesla, clenched her fist unwillingly, then gritted her teeth and obediently followed.
"Wai... Wait!"
The still weak Siegfried struggled to push away Tesla, who was blocking his view, and asked with all his might,
"Kiana... where is she?"
"Siegfried?"
Tesla hadn't had time to complain about Siegfried's recklessness, but was stunned by his words.
Isn't Kiana at St. Freya? What nonsense are you talking about?
"Heh, you still remember what just happened?"
Lin Wei was slightly surprised, then understood, and chuckled,
"Well, after all, this communication was achieved through your Stigmata as a medium. It's not surprising that you, as the 'relay station,' were watching."
"Where... is she?"
Siegfried swayed as he struggled to stand up, stubbornly asking the same question.
"Heh, even if I tell you, what can you do?"
Lin Wei turned around again, looking at Siegfried, who was looking at him with hopeful eyes amidst his sadness, and sneered mercilessly,
"In your pitiful state, even if you know where your daughter is, what can you do to Otto?"
"...She's still alive... right?"
Siegfried was overjoyed,
"That's enough, thank you... thank you..."
He felt as if he had received good news and thanked him repeatedly.
"..."
Lin Wei curled his lip, suddenly feeling like he had played the villain for nothing.
He also thought, after experiencing so much, how could Siegfried still be the impulsive hothead he once was?
"It's good that you know. Let's go."
Lin Wei waved his hand and turned to leave again.
"Wait!"
Tesla, full of questions and grievances, finally couldn't hold back anymore,
"Lin Wei, what are you trying to do?"
She really couldn't understand this guy anymore.
"I'm not trying to do anything. I'm busy, I have a lot of things to do, I don't have time to specifically target you. I just want to protect myself, protect the people around me."
Lin Wei said indifferently, then pointed at Siegfried,
"As for the rest, ask him later. He experienced everything just now."
After saying that, he waved his hand and turned to leave without hesitation. Yuno naturally left with him.
A few days later.
In a long, dark, and damp underground passage, Lin Wei slowly walked to the end, looked up at the familiar giant iron door, touched the familiar handle, and felt a sense of passing through a lifetime, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Lin Wei took a deep breath, pushed hard, and slowly opened the door.
"Finally, I'm back..."
(End of Volume III: "Give Me a Chance, I Want to Be a Good Person")