Over the next few weeks, Vill-V remained at MOTH’s base, taking over the engineering department while also establishing Helixcraft.
Although her official appointment would not be issued for several more days, the engineering staff had already begun working with her at the center.
As for Elysia, she took over Vill-V’s former duties managing the European Union’s industries while also presiding over the postwar reconstruction of Lamington City.
Just as Elysia had expected, the emergence of Soulium caused an enormous stir throughout MOTH.
Its extraordinary malleability, excellent structural properties once set, and perfect compatibility with Honkai energy completely resolved every major obstacle in developing Honkai weapons.
Orders poured in from all directions.
Even Mu Continent, on the far side of the ocean, sent Vill-V an official letter expressing its willingness to pay an enormous sum for exclusive rights to the patent.
Mobius also quickly established a new branch of biology called Herrscher Physiology based on her research into the Herrscher’s remains.
She surged far ahead in the field and became the first to fully decipher the mechanism by which a Herrscher’s Authority operated.
Soulium, the operating principles of a Herrscher’s Authority, and a Herrscher Core.
Every necessary condition was now in place.
Elysia finished her work for the day, set down her pen, and looked toward the vast empty space reserved at the center of the town under reconstruction.
The Divine Key project could now begin.
MOTH’s regular internal meeting would be held that day, and according to the schedule, the engineering department had been allotted time to submit a proposal.
MOTH’s senior leadership arrived one after another.
Once seated, they began conversing quietly among themselves.
The Honkai Eruption, the Herrscher, Soulium, and the two rising stars Elysia and Vill-V had led many of them to sense that a major transformation was approaching.
They waited for the meeting’s first proposal.
However, the person who walked onto the stage was not a member of the engineering department, but Elysia.
“Mm-hmm, good morning, everyone~” Elysia greeted them with a smile.
“Today’s proposal was submitted jointly by Vill-V and me, so I’ll be presenting the opening overview.” Elysia slowly closed her eyes.
The smile that usually lingered at the corners of her lips gradually disappeared, and when she opened them again, her expression had become utterly composed.
Facing the gazes of everyone below, she began to speak.
“Everyone, after the Herrscher of Reason descended, it caused catastrophic losses and casualties.
We paid an enormous price to eliminate it.
It is foreseeable that the intensity of the Honkai will continue to rise from this point onward.
“We cannot determine what Authority the next Herrscher will possess, how powerful it will be, or when and where it will descend.
Therefore, we must prepare in advance and make use of everything available to us.
“From the First Herrscher’s remains, we recovered a core.
Through Dr.
Mobius’ research into the body, we concluded that this core was the key to the Herrscher’s Authority of Understanding and Construction.
If this power can be harnessed for our own use, its value will be immeasurable.
“Therefore, I propose that we use this Herrscher Core to forge a Divine Key.
This would be a personal weapon created from the Herrscher Core and Soulium.
Soulium can imitate the energy circuits inside a Herrscher’s body and thereby activate the core.
When used by a compatible wielder, the Divine Key would be capable of reproducing the Herrscher’s Authority.” The senior officials below showed little joy.
On the contrary, many of them looked worried.
The apocalyptic scene caused by the First Herrscher was still fresh in their minds.
Using a Herrscher Core now was little different from opening Pandora’s box.
More importantly, a sharp blade was useful only when it remained in their hands.
However, the true subject came next.
Elysia continued her explanation.
“However, because using a Divine Key would clearly place an enormous burden on the wielder, and because we may be unable to find a suitable wielder at all, I am also proposing a corresponding project called the Divine Throne.
“This would be a large-scale megastructure built around the Divine Key, capable of utilizing the core’s Authority to a much greater degree.
“According to theoretical calculations, provided with a sufficient Honkai energy supply, the Divine Throne could continuously maintain the Divine Key’s 1st Power, equivalent to the Herrscher of Reason’s standard output.
Its operation would require only that relevant personnel complete the necessary training, making it more than sufficient to completely transform the battlefield.
“Under normal circumstances, the Divine Key would serve as the key used to operate the Divine Throne.
Only under specific conditions would it be removed and entrusted to a chosen warrior.” Many of the furrowed brows below relaxed.
In truth, Elysia shared the same concern as they did.
However, she was not worried about the warrior wielding the Divine Key rebelling.
She was worried about Herrschers.
If a Herrscher descended by possessing a warrior who already carried a Divine Key, they would have to face a dual-core Herrscher.
Two Authorities often produced an effect far greater than the sum of their parts, making such an enemy extraordinarily difficult to deal with.
Time and space, for instance, could each be countered individually.
Combined, they would become impossible to overcome.
She could hardly expect every Herrscher to be as incompetent as Sirin.
“When the Divine Key is used independently, it will also be able to unlock its 0th Power, equivalent to the Herrscher of Reason’s full-power strike.
This mode will be sealed while the Divine Key remains within the Divine Throne.
The Divine Throne would be unable to withstand such power and would be destroyed along with it.
By contrast, a portable Divine Key capable of unleashing the 0th Power would possess extraordinary flexibility and become a trump card in the war against the Honkai.” At this point, Elysia paused briefly and swept her gaze across the room, meeting the still largely indifferent expressions below.
The Honkai had not yet reached a truly world-ending level.
The Divine Key’s military applications alone could not completely move them.
So Elysia played her real trump card.
“From my explanation so far, some of you may have begun to wonder whether the Divine Throne merely duplicates the function of the Divine Key.
“That is not the case.
“In a certain sense, the Divine Throne is the true focus of this project.
Its role in fighting the Honkai is merely the tip of the iceberg.
Its real significance lies in transforming industry.” Many people below began to show interest.
“As mentioned earlier, when used as a Divine Key, its mode of output depends entirely on the wielder.
Because the wielder’s stamina is limited, the Divine Key cannot operate continuously, and its output is easily affected by the wielder’s condition.
“But once it is embedded within the framework of the Divine Throne, we can use programmed systems to control the operation of the Authority, making it both simple and extraordinarily efficient.
“The Authority of Understanding and Construction would allow us to break free completely from vast and cumbersome industrial systems, bypassing long and uncertain production processes.
With nothing more than blueprints that have passed sufficient feasibility testing and an adequate supply of Honkai energy, we could obtain any finished product within a short period.
The yield rate would reach one hundred percent, eliminating all resource waste caused by manufacturing errors and other variables.
“For example, semiconductor fabrication requires wafer processing, oxidation, photolithography, etching, thin-film deposition, interconnection, and testing before packaging can even begin.
Manufacturing often takes between one quarter and half a year, with persistently high costs and losses that cannot be ignored.
“But with the Divine Throne, we would need only import the design blueprint or scan the optimal finished product and replicate it.
We could then achieve large-scale production with ease and at extremely low cost.
“This would not merely be the application of a new tool or technology.
It would completely reshape the relationships of production and bring about a revolutionary leap in civilization’s productive capacity.
“It would liberate us from the constraints of manufacturing and allow us to step directly into the realm of creation.
Whether in preparing for the future war against the Honkai or advancing the development of civilization, it would establish a material foundation unprecedented in scale and solid beyond imagination.
“And that is the true meaning of this project.” The moment she finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from below.
Some of those present began discussing the proposal with delighted expressions, while others nodded faintly.
“Minister Vill-V will now explain the more specific technical details.” Elysia stepped away from the podium.
A perfect reversal from restraint to revelation.
After the presentation ended, MOTH’s senior leadership immediately held a brief meeting and approved the project on the spot.
In the final decision, Minister of Engineering Vill-V would hold full authority over design and construction.
Funding would be divided among the major powers supporting MOTH, while the proportion of non-emergency usage time granted to each party would be determined by its share of the investment.
At the end of the meeting, the Divine Key was officially named Void Archives, while the Divine Throne was named Revelation.
After Vill-V argued her case at length, the construction site for the Divine Throne was ultimately placed beside the ruins of Lamington City.
The Honkai energy produced by the Herrscher Core alone would be insufficient to sustain the Divine Throne’s long-term operation, so enormous quantities of additional Honkai energy would be required.
However, the extreme corrosiveness and instability of Honkai crystals made them unsuitable for long-distance transport.
As the point of origin of the Honkai Eruption, Lamington City had generated vast quantities of Honkai crystals, according to surveys.
At the same time, as a former economic hub, it possessed exceptional geographic and transportation advantages.
There was no more suitable location.