Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players

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This place is where the Real Number World takes root - the Imaginary Tree. However, it specifically pertains to the Imaginary Tree of the Honkai Universe within our Honkai cosmos. Naturally, in essence and concept, it remains connected to the Imaginary Tree spanning across the multiverse, serving as one of its branches.

For any being capable of reaching here, this marks their limit.

Only entities at the pinnacle of the Honkai universe can ascend to the true apex of the Imaginary Tree. Even Ana, who has conquered the Cocoon of Finality, cannot achieve this feat yet.

Among known entities, only the Gods of Joy and Nihility from the neighboring Honkai Star Rail universe have reached this place, but it's uncertain if they truly attained the pinnacle of the actual Imaginary Tree.

After all, Nihility wouldn't engage in such pursuits, and as for Joy, their credibility is questionable at best.

Nevertheless, even reaching this level within a single universe's Imaginary Tree signifies the extraordinary nature of these beings. Now, Otto Apocalypse, as a Fool, has finally arrived here.

Although he stands alone, his journey was not entirely solitary.

He relied on the star coordinates provided by Unnamed Locomotive, a Divine Key from the previous civilization era; utilized thousands of years of observational data from Suheng Sha's plan; drew upon numerous researchers' experiments; and harnessed vast amounts of Honkai Energy. Thankfully, despite the challenges, he ultimately made it to this point.

However, he was not the first to arrive here, as someone had already beaten him to it.

Before the Imaginary Tree, Ana leaned against its trunk. As the embodiment unifying both the Imaginary Number Principle and Quantum Principle, she now resembled an innate Sage within this universe. With time, she would naturally ascend to become a true Sage.

Of course, this is merely an analogy. As a native being of this world and holding the Finality identity, the Imaginary Tree does not reject her presence. This allows Ana to lean against it without provoking any attack.

"You've arrived, Mr. Otto."

Ana opened her eyes, gazing warmly at Otto with a hint of admiration. Regardless of the evils he may have committed, his ability to reach this place spoke volumes about him.

"Indeed, I didn't die, Lady Ana." Otto lifted his head, looking at Ana with a wry smile on his face.

"How could I perish so easily when there's still your final chapter to witness? Besides, wasn't this our agreed upon destiny?" Ana shrugged, chuckling softly.

"My final chapter, ha ha... Yes, arriving here means my path is finally nearing its end!" Otto's eyes brightened even more as he gazed at the Imaginary Tree before him, filled with immense excitement.

However, moments later, Otto's figure began to flicker, becoming increasingly ethereal.

Indeed, he hadn't arrived here with his true self; he was not yet qualified for such a feat. Even Kevin might struggle to reach this place solely through personal will and power, let alone Otto.

"Return now, the time is not yet right. Once everything is prepared, I shall guide and protect you, witnessing your final moments."

"Hahaha..."

Otto burst out laughing wildly, a laugh fueled by extreme excitement bordering on madness.

"Very well! Then I leave it in your hands!"

With those words, Otto's figure completely vanished before the Imaginary Tree.

In response, Ana merely shook her head and closed her eyes once more. Of course, present here was just one of her incarnations. This was the universe's Imaginary Tree, interconnected with its own system—the Honkai System.

If Otto truly wished to arrive here and accomplish his goals, he must align himself within the Honkai framework, meaning he had to become a Herrscher and obtain the necessary Authority.

The Virtual Ability serves as both foundation and entry pass in this realm, but currently, Otto lacked it. He essentially snuck in, which naturally led to his expulsion.

However, as a mere mortal, being able to set foot here at all was already an immense stroke of fortune—alas, that fortune fell upon Otto.

Unlike others who come here seeking answers or truths, Otto's initial purpose was merely to verify something. And upon his next visit, he would directly target the tree itself.

From Ana's research on the Imaginary Tree, it's clear that Otto stands as a unique figure, making his actions truly commendable.

Unfortunately, across the entire Earth, only a handful of individuals can truly understand Otto's plan—so few that they could be counted on one hand. This is why Otto expresses both gratitude and admiration for Ana's witness.

Having an old acquaintance accompany him on this final journey is indeed comforting. Moreover, through her eyes, she will bear witness to his legacy and confirm whether he has genuinely achieved his goal; in this aspect, only Ana possesses the capability to validate his success.

Of course, these are all matters for the future.

Additionally, there's a strategic reason behind Otto choosing the Herrscher of Dominance Authority. Essentially, the Authority of Dominance is the most susceptible to manipulation, as it aggregates loosely connected powers. Furthermore, Otto's compatibility with the Herrscher of Dominance is quite favorable.

Moreover, Otto had access to numerous bodies, making it ideal for forming the Thousand-person Herrscher.

Naturally, within the current storyline, Otto no longer had any choice left, as Ana had already reclaimed the Ice, Wind, and Star Authorities.

Thus, he could only opt for the Thousand-person Herrscher strategy and, at a crucial moment, infiltrated a pawn deep within its ranks.

These deductions still relied on the original plot progression.

Now, even the true Will of Honkai must obey Ana's control; however, she hasn't directly interfered with the Will itself. Instead, her actions bypass the Will entirely.

Nevertheless, Otto is aware that Ana now wields power over the Cocoon of Finality, becoming the master of the Will of Honkai. Yet out of habit, he continues referring to the Will of Honkai as the God of Honkai and addresses Ana simply as Lady Ana.

This might stem from the assistance the Will of Honkai provided to Otto during the Second Honkai Eruption two millennia ago, which enabled him to reach his current position.

In the original storyline, Otto relied on Bianka and other researchers' assistance to reach the Imaginary Tree. However, this time, with Ana's help, he managed to arrive here independently.

As for what impact this will have on the original plot, it remains entirely unknown.

Nonetheless, the current Otto merely needs to wait, just as in the original narrative. He has already positioned his pawns among the Herrschers of a Thousand People, allowing him to quietly bide his time and reap the benefits when the moment is right.

As chess players, Otto indeed surpasses Ana strategically. While Ana advocates cautious planning and direct involvement, Otto focuses on managing the overall direction, intervening minimally but striking at pivotal moments.

For instance, the upcoming appearance of the Herrscher of Flamescion was part of Otto's plan. In other words, even before the birth of the Herrscher of a Thousand People, Otto had meticulously prepared to eliminate them.

The only aspect he failed to anticipate was Ana's scheme, which was inevitable. Although Otto excels as a strategist, he himself is also a piece within Ana's grand game.

As Otto's research reached a pivotal stage, chaos ensued in the Honkai World due to the actions of the three Herrschers of Dominance released by Ana.

Although initially there were three Herrschers of Dominance, it quickly became apparent that their number dwindled to two.

The Herrschers of a Thousand People, embodying diverse perspectives, gathered around the figures they followed. As more dolls emerged, some began targeting Schicksal solely to eliminate a certain adorable individual and thereby remove another Herrscher of Dominance.

Yes, the key aspect of these Herrschers was not the "Thousand-person" but rather the "Dominance."

After repelling several waves of dolls, Durandal realized the situation worsening further. She had no choice but to bring Susannah out from the laboratory for direct protection.

This precaution forced the dolls to reluctantly halt their attacks, shifting their focus onto the organization with the highest concentration of Herrschers—Anti-Entropy.

Wait, you mentioned World Serpent? Come on, the Herrscher of a Thousand People isn't foolish; they wouldn't intentionally provoke Kevin. Most assaults against World Serpent were merely probing, swiftly ceasing thereafter.

At this stage, however, the Thousand-person Herrscher was still in a state of disarray, lacking strong organization and discipline. Ultimately, their focus turned towards Seele, more precisely, Veliona.

In reality, these Thousand-person Herrschers nearly succeeded, but fortunately, Seele is a lovable fool, simple-minded yet endearing; while Veliona may be tsundere, she remains devoted to Seele. Consequently, Seele and Veliona reconciled, causing chaos within the constructed Dominion Theater before ultimately breaking free together.

Throughout this ordeal, Bai Zhi did not personally observe, as Ana deemed the Herrscher of Dominance insignificant. The current preparations were sufficient to handle any situation arising from it.

As for the possibility of recruitment? The chaotic conglomerate formed by dolls, known as the Herrscher of Dominance, was unworthy of being assimilated. For Ana, the best outcome would be its complete demise, thereby affirming the righteousness of the protagonist group's actions.

The world itself may not be inherently perfect, but people have the power to transform it with their own hands, striving for beauty rather than succumbing to destruction and domination like the so-called mob mentality.

In the Present World, version 4.7 had already passed. Over these recent updates, MiHoYo couldn't escape the decline in their reputation, despite version 4.6 showing slight improvement—just barely. Even Horrifying Rabbit required a dedicated weapon and Stigmata set.

Now, with version 4.8 "Phantom of the Theater," things worsened further. Veliona looked fantastic and adorable; Captains loved her, but they could no longer justify spending money on Seele's character.

Version 4.8 marked another wave of players quitting, as many dissolved their accounts or left the game altogether. Primarily, this was due to unresolved issues from previous versions accumulating even more problems.

One comment summarized it well: "MiHoYo took only four years to reach the same level of reputation downfall that Tencent and NetEase achieved over a decade."

This assessment held some truth.

When it came to player benefits, MiHoYo indeed fell short, and their predatory monetization tactics were becoming increasingly excessive. However, they still hadn't quite reached the depths of NetEase and Tencent, and even at their worst, games like Three Kingdoms Killer remained lower in public regard.

Of course, compared to other gacha game competitors, MiHoYo truly lagged behind.

From subsequent data analysis, it became evident that during Kiana's release, numerous players chose to boycott, resulting in a relatively low ownership rate for Kiana.

Regarding the storyline, to be fair, this version's plot is relatively bland with few significant twists or impactful moments. Although Kiana's animations were well-done, overall, her arc primarily serves as groundwork for the upcoming Herrscher of Flamescion. Consequently, there isn't much for players to discuss.

As for Brother Cake... hmm, honestly, the controversial pay-to-win practices mainly affected micro and moderate spenders. High rollers also felt it, but while money wasn't their primary concern, they valued cost-effectiveness. Additionally, these high spenders tended to quit the game more swiftly.

In this version, Brother Cake was practically on the verge of quitting; he started playing Genshin Impact instead. He would occasionally log into Honkai Impact 3 just to check in, completely abandoning both Abyss and battlefields.

Being a whale player, he didn't care about those minor rewards. If MiHoYo catered better to whales like him, they'd naturally continue spending. Thus, at present, he had largely disengaged from the game.

Naturally, his viewers in the live stream didn't mind either. In today's gaming landscape, Genshin Impact dominated the scene; streaming Honkai Impact 3 seemed like inviting unnecessary trouble.

Indeed, when Brother Cake ventured into the realm of Genshin Impact streaming, it exploded like a bomb, instantly overshadowing established streamers such as Cotton Candy.

After all, virtually every player of Honkai Impact 3 also played Genshin Impact, but the reverse was not necessarily true.

In short, Brother Cake was thoroughly enjoying his time playing Genshin Impact, while on the other side, Ana was also immersed in the game world. Yes, thanks to her previous System rewards, she could now effortlessly appear in the Present World at any moment.

In her past life, as a struggling college student, she couldn't afford to spend her limited allowance on microtransactions. However, in this lifetime, being a wealthy young lady, she naturally indulged herself with ample spending.

She even started streaming and offered perks for her viewers, showcasing her beauty, kindness, and financial prowess. Building upon the popularity gained from attending comic conventions earlier, her online presence quickly surpassed that of Brother Cake's within a short period.

This made Ana reflect on how cosplay truly is an effective way to attract a large audience. However, accepting such fame inevitably comes with its share of vulgar comments and criticism.

Fortunately, as a privileged young lady, Ana didn't worry much about it. One can always trust the legal teams of top-tier global corporations, and if needed, seeking assistance directly from national authorities was an option too.

Without getting into specifics, by directly donating a substantial sum to the nation and subtly expressing her predicament, the country would naturally be more than willing to intervene. After all, such harassment was inherently unacceptable.

Thus, Ana's live stream became peaceful again, with viewers now cautious about their comments. Some even criticized her for overreacting, but it didn't matter; she was already living life on her own terms, so why not indulge herself a bit?

Besides, I'm fucking giving you money, and you still have complaints?!