Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 178: Ana? Jeanne!

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Otto's preparations didn't take long, as adding just one more character to the stage play was relatively simple for him.

In that era, five hundred years ago, even without considering Valkyries, ordinary lives were treated as insignificant as weeds. Countless individuals fell before dawn, never witnessing the birth of the new Schicksal.

"Then, my friend, would you also like me to prepare a Soulium body and data consciousness for her?" Otto asked with a smile.

"No need, I can handle this myself. Don't forget, I possess the Authority over consciousness too." As Bai Zhi spoke, she lifted her head, releasing a strand of gray mist that swirled in the air, transforming into a young maiden bearing a striking resemblance to Ana—about ninety percent similar. Clad in Medieval armor, the maiden held a flag in one hand, resembling a valiant warrior, her spirited demeanor reminiscent of a certain saintess.

"Hmm, how about naming her Jeanne d'Arc Schariac?" Ana scrutinized the consciousness projection carefully before suggesting.

"Sounds good," Otto agreed with a nod, showing no objections.

Ana's eyes flickered slightly. In reality, within this space-time continuum, there was no longer any Saint Jeanne d'Arc. To be precise, she had been replaced by Priestess Kallen, who lived around the same period as Jeanne from another timeline—though possibly a generation later.

If Jeanne hadn't been executed and both she and Kallen existed simultaneously, they might indeed have had a chance to meet.

Of course, these details aren't crucial. Regardless, in this Honkai-ravaged world, for Otto, there could only be one saintly figure: Kallen.

In essence, this is just one of Ana's quirky interests. It doesn't matter much; it's merely a name. Captains outside the game might understand her intentions, but people in this world, including her old friends, would certainly not comprehend it.

Shortly thereafter, the Hyperion also landed near Kolosten.

At the broken bridge on the outskirts, Durandal and Rita had been waiting for quite some time. After exchanging information, Theresa, Durandal, and Tesla ventured into Kolosten to search for traces of the Herrscher of Dominance.

Not long after entering the city, they encountered an attack by Honkai Beasts.

These creatures seemed to hail from the past—at least, that's what it appeared like; neither the S-Class Valkyrie Durandal nor the expert Tesla recognized them.

The beast was nearly at Imperial Rank, and due to the peculiar environment here, even an S-Class Valkyrie like Durandal couldn't swiftly defeat it. The surroundings were truly exceptional.

As the trio found themselves locked in stalemate with the Honkai Beast, a figure suddenly emerged.

With a leap, a burst of red light flashed behind her, followed swiftly by the forceful throw of a crimson spear, which instantly pierced through the Honkai Beast's body.

The creature let out a mournful cry, collapsed onto the ground, and then dissolved as its form disintegrated into digital projections.

"It's dangerous here; quickly leave this place!" The girl urged anxiously. With her striking beauty and graceful demeanor, she resembled a snow lotus blossoming amidst the battlefield.

Upon seeing her, Durandal, Tesla, and the others froze on the spot, their faces filled with disbelief... This appearance... It unmistakably belonged to...

Recalling the voice from Otto's speech video not long ago, all three felt their emotions surge uncontrollably.

Durandal impulsively rushed forward, intending to embrace the newcomer, but the girl skillfully dodged her attempt.

"Apologies... But... You...," the girl said, looking at them with confusion. Their attire seemed... different from what she remembered. Instead, it felt somewhat...

"Ana! Y-you...don't remember us?" Tesla blurted out hastily, her voice carrying its characteristic impatience and urgency.

Yet, the young woman's eyes continued to reflect bewilderment.

In the real world, within Brother Cake's live stream chat:

"Wow! It's Ana! It's definitely Ana!"

Brother Cake, initially stunned by the figure appearing on his screen, then exclaimed with excitement.

There was no mistake; he couldn't be wrong. This person, this incredibly cool individual, had to be Ana—it absolutely, positively had to be her.

Even if God himself showed up, Brother Cake would insist it's Ana.

"Ana, my Ana, you've finally returned! Waaaaah—" He became so emotional that tears nearly welled up in his eyes.

[Brother Cake, don't rush ahead—let me catch up with my excitement first.]

[Forget pretending, I can't hold back anymore: Ana, my Ana, sniffle...sniffle...]

[Tears streaming here, folks! My youth is back—Ana, whom I've supported, has finally returned!]

[Hey, hey, guys above, can we not all jump to conclusions? She hasn't even said she's Ana herself. How can we be certain it's her? Something seems off about this place too.]

[I'd argue it might be the Herrscher of Dominance!]

[Seriously, aren't internet users nowadays too gullible?]

Influenced by a commenter named "Ana's Eternal Hater," the initially frenzied live stream gradually calmed down. Although this user often stirred up discussions, this time, everyone felt their point was valid.

Indeed, just because someone with her appearance emerged, how could they be certain it's Ana? Moreover, as mentioned earlier, these were projections from five hundred years ago. Who can guarantee that this is truly the real Ana?

[Even though I despise you, for once, I'm on your side.]

[Despite your past antics, this time, I believe you're correct.]

[The internet has a memory, but it also assesses each situation fairly.]

As the bullet comments settled, Brother Cake gradually regained his composure.

Yes, celebrating prematurely is a big no-no. They had only seen one character illustration and model, along with a brief dialogue exchange, yet he started popping champagne—how premature indeed...

But it wasn't entirely his fault; the return of Ana had simply overwhelmed him, causing him to lose all rationality as an avid fan. Now, having calmed down, he felt deeply, deeply regretful...

In Kolosten, Honkai World:

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the name 'Ana,' nor do I recognize any of you."

"I am from House Schariac and serve as Director Otto's personal guard, responsible for ensuring his safety and carrying out his missions.

"You may call me Jeanne," said the young girl named Jeanne d'Arc Schariac.

"..."

The three individuals exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

"Currently, Director Otto is engaged in battle against the evil Bishop Marcel. It would be best if you, being unrelated parties, swiftly evacuate to avoid getting involved."

"Don't worry; darkness will eventually recede. Director Otto will bring everyone a bright future." The girl's eyes sparkled with unwavering determination, exuding righteousness. Her demeanor and spirit left the trio deeply impressed.

However, they now understood that the person before them was not Ana Schariac, but rather a warrior from House Schariac, similar to Ana, who lived five hundred years ago. This individual had come from the past.

For Durandal, this revelation felt like a bucket of cold water dumped on her, leaving her stunned and unable to recover for quite some time.

Such is the rollercoaster of extreme joy followed by profound disappointment.

"Greetings, Miss Jeanne. Although we hesitate to disturb you, there's something truly astonishing we need to share..."

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After a long silence, Theresa finally spoke up.

"But now, you're actually from five hundred years ago. This is five centuries later; we all belong to this time."

"You appeared here due to some special circumstances as a projection..."

Upon hearing Theresa's explanation, Jeanne was taken aback momentarily, and then a hint of panic surfaced on her face.

"Oh no! If that's the case, how can I return? The battlefield still needs me. Cousin Lisa disregarded the safety of our people by unleashing Honkai Beasts. I must rush there to protect my fellow citizens!" Concern filled Jeanne's expression, reflecting her urgency.

"Don't worry. The presence here is likely just your projection. The real you should be actively engaged with the enemy, perhaps already victorious," Theresa reassured her with a smile.

"Schicksal continues to exist today under Bishop Otto's leadership, after all." As Theresa spoke these words, she hesitated briefly but decided it wasn't necessary to reveal more details to a projection from five centuries past.

"That's a relief. Indeed, evil cannot triumph over righteousness. Director Otto must have succeeded." Hearing this, Jeanne sighed with apparent ease.

"That's good, that's good."

"Wait, wait! Aren't you worried we might deceive you?" Tesla furrowed her brow and couldn't help but ask. To her, Jeanne's reaction seemed quite peculiar—how could she trust them so easily? If this turned out to be a deception...

"I can sense from your appearances and aura that all of you must be good people." Jeanne paused briefly, her gaze falling on Durandal and Theresa.

"Especially you two—are you from the Kaslana family? I can feel the pure Kaslana bloodline within you, or rather, what Director Otto refers to as the power of the Kaslana Stigmata."

"The Kaslanas have always stood against tyranny and refused to align with those corrupt elites. Therefore, I believe in you!" Jeanne explained.

Durandal frowned slightly. "But...I'm not actually from the Kaslana family?"

"No, no, young lady, the Kaslana bloodline in you is indeed very pure. It's just that your Stigmata powers have yet to awaken, and moreover..." Jeanne paused again.

"There is also a similar bloodline aura emanating from you," Jeanne explained. "Your mother or perhaps your ancestors must have included legitimate descendants of the House of Schariac."

"However, neither your bloodline nor Stigmata has awakened yet." A hint of regret colored Jeanne's voice.

"Is there any way to awaken these powers?" Durandal continued, feeling slightly uneasy but pressing on nonetheless.

This time, Jeanne shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't possess knowledge in this area."

"While I am indeed from the House of Schariac, I am not part of the main lineage. Moreover, my Stigmata awakened naturally; it was not specifically tied to the power of the Schariac family, so I cannot provide guidance based on personal experience."

"That's alright. I'm already grateful for what you've shared," Durandal hastily responded, her eyes flickering as if pondering something deeply. Similarly, Theresa beside her seemed lost in thought, occasionally glancing at Durandal.

It was evident that Theresa had formed an unripe idea in her mind, though she couldn't verify it just yet.

"Since I appeared here, there might be others like me. I must find them," Jeanne suddenly spoke amidst their silence.

Amidst their silence, Jeanne suddenly spoke up.

"I remember we were engaged in battle just before leaving, and Director Otto himself arrived on the battlefield. Faintly, I think I heard him calling for help."

"Perhaps he might have come to this world as well," Jeanne continued.

"In that case, let's assist you in finding others!"

Tesla chimed in.

Theresa and Durandal looked at him with surprise.

"What are you two staring at me for? It's not like I lose my temper indiscriminately! Someone like Miss Jeanne here, I'm more than willing to help, okay?" Tesla responded indignantly.

"All right, Dr. Tesla, we didn't mean anything by it." Theresa sounded somewhat exasperated; she hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction from him.

"Thank you all very much. I can roughly sense the location of one person, so allow me to lead the way. Besides, compared to everyone else, I should be more familiar with this place," Jeanne said with a smile.

"Great, we'll leave it in your hands then."

"Indeed."

With that, Jeanne started walking in a particular direction. The three others briefly exchanged glances before following her lead.

However, as Theresa watched Durandal's figure, she seemed hesitant, as if there was something she wanted to say but couldn't quite express.

At this moment, Theresa couldn't be entirely certain if Durandal was indeed Kiana. Her appearance bore some resemblance to Cecilia and slightly to Siegfried as well, but these similarities only held true under the assumption that she was Kiana.

Sometimes, when you deliberately steer your thoughts in a particular direction, your mind tends to follow suit.

While Theresa cared deeply for the real Kiana, she didn't want to jump to conclusions without solid evidence. She feared causing unnecessary stress for others due to her assumptions.

However, perhaps later on, she could confront Grandpa about this directly—if given the opportunity.

But knowing him, he would likely evade the topic, adding further frustration for Theresa.

To Theresa, her grandpa served as both her protector and an insurmountable presence—an acknowledgment she readily accepted.

Up until now, everything seemed to have been within his control. If that's the case, then...he must have found a genuine solution by now. But is it truly possible to achieve?