I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

"...But Brother Xiwang told me that it wouldn't be appropriate to call her 'Grandma'...Does Aunt Mebius not like that title? Or...do she hate it?"

Greta tilted her head and asked with some confusion.

"No, it's not that I hate it... Fine, just listen to your brother Xiwang on this matter."

Mebius patted Gretsch's head, comforting her slightly downcast mood, while glancing at Xiwang, the sourness in his eyes lessening and replaced by a hint of gratitude.

Then, Mebius narrowed his eyes, and his already strange snake-like pupils became even more dangerous.

"As for Alicia... I'll talk to her myself."

"Okay."

Greta nodded knowingly and said nothing more... She was a well-behaved child. Since Brother Xiwang and Aunt Mebius both said so, and her parents agreed, then let's do it this way.

(Alishia, who is out on a mission: Achoo... How strange, why do I suddenly have the feeling that someone is watching me... Could it be... that someone is thinking about me again? Ah~ As expected, cute girls are always missed no matter what~?)

"Brother Xiwang...can we draw together?"

Greta gently tugged at Xi Wang's loose hair, the white ends flowing like waves in her small hand. This wonderful, water-like touch seemed to inspire her, and she spoke.

"Okay~ Well then... I'm sorry, Miss Blanca, I'll have to borrow Little Greta for a little while, okay?"

“It’s alright, I just happen to have something to do and need to leave for a bit… I believe you and Dr. Mebius can take good care of Gretchen. In fact, I should be thanking you for taking such good care of my child.”

Blanca glanced at the time and said with a smile.

"If other people knew that you, Xiwang, were taking such good care of my child... they would probably be incredibly envious, wouldn't they?"

"Haha... But don't worry, that kind of thing won't happen."

“That would be wonderful… Well then, I’ll be leaving for a little while. Gretchen, remember to listen to Dr. Möbius and Dawn, okay?”

"Okay~ Goodbye, Mom~"

"Goodbye~"

…………

"...You can go there and paint with Gretchen. There's a special spot reserved for you two... Also, don't let Gretchen get too much paint on her, it's hard to wash off."

After Blanca left, the remaining people fell silent again. Finally, Mebius spoke first, pointing to a corner with a simple partition, indicating that Xiwang could take Gretchen there to play.

"And lastly, don't bother me unless absolutely necessary, otherwise, even if you're just a guinea pig, I'll make sure you have some memorable experiences..."

"Okay, okay, I understand~"

Xi Wang ignored Mebius's narrowed, deliberately dangerous snake eyes and just kept nodding in response... As she spent more time with Mebius, Xi Wang already knew what kind of person she was, so she didn't take her "threat" to heart.

"……snort."

Watching Xi Wang sit down with Gretchen and skillfully set up the easel and paper, Möbius gave a soft hum. Especially when she saw Gretchen sitting so naturally in Xi Wang's lap, even snuggling closer to him like a baby swallow clinging to its mother's warmth, Möbius's brow twitched again... But in the end, she didn't say anything and just continued with her own business.

…………

………………

"Dr. Mebius."

As the laboratory door opened softly, Mei's voice rang out. She first nodded to Xi Wang and Gretchen, who were hiding in the corner, as a greeting... Her gaze lingered on Xi Wang for a moment before she looked away and focused her attention on Mebius.

"Hey, Mei, how's it going? Any interesting news?"

"How is Xiwang doing?"

Mei asked succinctly.

"Oh dear... so you came here on their behalf? How boring..."

“His condition is very important, Dr. Möbius.”

Mei raised her voice slightly and asked again.

"Yes, I know, but... as you can see right now, he's perfectly normal and has no problems whatsoever."

Mebius narrowed his eyes and spoke in a calm and steady tone.

"He's safe here too. Even if those guys want to do something to him, they can't get around me... Hmph, it's ridiculous that those guys would suspect him at a time like this. They have no shame whatsoever."

“Dr. Mebius, in the face of Honkai, everyone is a suspect… If we allow the Herrscher to lurk among us and cause even greater destruction… that is definitely not the scenario we want to see.”

"Hmph, laughable. If that guy really were a Herrscher, we would be dead long ago. How could we be here leisurely discussing things... Those guys only know how to pick on the weak, taking advantage of the fact that people won't hold it against them... Heh, they'll get themselves killed sooner or later."

"Dr. Möbius, please watch your words..."

Mei pinched her brow, feeling a bit of a headache... Although she didn't like the "moth chasing the flame" approach either, she was speaking in an official capacity. Mebius's overly bold remarks were really not good and could easily lead to retaliation... Oh no, Mebius was already a member of the core power structure, so it's fine.

"How's his singing these past few days? Is the data collection going well?"

"Of course, this little thing won't take me long... and as we expected, the mouse itself was fine, but something else was mixed into his [song]."

"Eden also told me that there seemed to be a slight noise in the melody of the white mouse... It's not a problem with the melody or tune, but rather that something strange has been mixed in with his [song] in the middle, like a particularly noisy audience member coming into a quiet theater. Although it doesn't affect the performance of the play, the sound that comes in is still annoying."

Möbius lightly touched his lips, his fingertips brushed against the corner of his mouth, and his fingertips gently rubbed his chin as he fell into thought.

"Interesting... It seems this [Herrscher] is using the guinea pig's [Song] to exert power, making us stop using [Song] while simultaneously making us suspicious of the guinea pig. Heh, you've improved. So quickly you've transformed from a killing machine into a sentient and scheming being..."

"Dr. Möbius, whatever your thoughts are now, please do so after the matter has been resolved."

"I don't need you to remind me, Mei... you're becoming less and less lovable."

Möbius smiled casually, then put on a serious expression.

“Since I can guess that, then you must be able to guess it too… In that case, you shouldn’t have let those guys continue to bother the mice, and you shouldn’t have stood on their side.”

“You should know that we cannot and should not doubt the mice now. Once something like this exists, it can never be erased. At that time... we might do something bad and push the mice into a position that none of us want to see.”

Mebius narrowed his eyes, giving Mebius a slightly warning look.

"They've forgotten what happened to the guinea pigs during the Seventh Herrscher era, but I don't want you to forget it too, Mei."

“You are being too biased towards him, Dr. Möbius.”

Mei adjusted her glasses slightly and spoke calmly.

"Although I know he has a good relationship with your few friends... your beloved Gretchen likes him a lot, and you have developed a certain liking for him because of this, I have to remind you that too obvious favoritism will only attract unnecessary suspicion."

"...Are you trying to say that I was influenced by him?"

"Your behavior will only lead them to speculate like that."

Mei and Mebius looked at each other, ignoring her increasingly dangerous snake-like eyes, and slowly spoke.

"Moreover, we really shouldn't, and can't, doubt him at this time... His unique [characteristics] and [power] are extremely advantageous to us, and it would be unwise to completely sever ties with him because of a little doubt or unfounded speculation... That's why we must clear up any doubts about him."

“…Mei, when did you become so naive?”

Mebius's eyelids drooped slightly, his eyes showing a hint of disappointment.

"To suspect someone without authorization... When faced with this situation, instead of addressing the suspicious person's inexplicable thinking, you make the person being suspected prove that they didn't do it... Mei, do you know what you're saying?"

“Dr. Möbius, this is something that must be done, isn’t it?”

Mei took out her terminal, retrieved a data file, and projected it onto Mebius's screen—data recorded on it of people who had been affected by the "Song" and fallen into a coma, as well as some investigations of those who were still conscious.

Now, many people are resisting listening to Xi Wang's songs, and some have even said things like, "These songs were deliberately released by 'Moths of Fire,' a special weapon! They want to put us all into a coma and then drag us to do human experiments. They're just using despicable methods! And Xi Wang is their accomplice! What do you mean listening to songs can cure diseases? Who are you kidding? It's all a scam!"

Although this strange speculation will soon be refuted by others, and the "Moths of Fire" will immediately ban it, this approach will only make others believe this strange statement more, after all... everything can be explained by the statement that "The Moths of Fire are preventing us from telling the truth!"

Anyway, spreading rumors only requires talking. So what if the "moths chasing the flame" come knocking on your door? This speculation is reasonable and well-founded. After all, the song you played really made people faint.

Moreover, this strange phenomenon is spreading rapidly, with a tendency to engulf the entire world. Under these circumstances, fear and suspicion continue to accumulate in people's hearts, putting pressure on their already tense nerves.

A sense of "doubt" is spreading among the people, and "distrust" is growing, gradually engulfing those who are "moths drawn to the flame."

Under these circumstances, the "Moths of Fire" can only turn their attention to Xi Wang, who is currently the most problematic and the most suspicious.

"The Moth Chaser" did not directly identify Xiwang as a [Herrscher], after all, many people have supported him, and even the test data of Mebius and Velvet can explain some issues. However, "The Moth Chaser" now needs to find a breakthrough, and Xiwang, who has the biggest problem right now... isn't he a good breakthrough?

On the one hand, it can clear Xi Wang of suspicion and let those who believed the rumors and unconsciously developed a sense of rejection and distrust towards Xi Wang know just how outrageous their inexplicable guesses were. On the other hand, it can also help to break the deadlock and find the real culprit behind this "Great Collapse".

"...Alright, I get it...Where's that weirdo Aponia? Has he returned from the 'Deepest Part'?"

“Naturally, now that we have some guesses about the abilities of the [Herrscher], we must make corresponding preparations... Thanks to the warning we received from Xiwang, the Fifth Science Department, with the assistance of Aponia, has timely developed a defensive drug, which has been distributed to everyone. You should have received it as well, Dr. Mebius.”

"I received it, but I didn't use it... Heh... I'd really like to experience the power of this [Herrscher] so I can explore what the spiritual world is like."

"Please put that idea aside for now... Once this [Great Collapse] is resolved, you'll have plenty of opportunities to conduct your research."

"I know, so I don't plan to do anything... Heh..."

Mebius glanced at Xi Wang, who was still playing with Gretchen and seemed not to have heard their conversation at all, and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"...You can tell the guinea pig what happened next yourself. You know his personality; he won't refuse...tsk."

Mebius rubbed her temples with a headache. Although she understood that this approach was normal and correct, she still felt very uncomfortable with the feeling of being forced to do certain things.

But there's no way around it; everything has to give way to "eliminating the Honkai." "Solving the Great Honkai" is the most urgent thing right now, and everything else has to take a backseat, including so-called emotions and "favoritism."

Besides, the method proposed by "the moth chasing the flame" isn't too outrageous, is it?

"I understand."

Mei also glanced at Xi Wang, and seeing his almost ever-present smile, and seeing Gretchen sitting in his lap with a childlike, innocent smile, Mei's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly as well.

It's so strange... Even just looking at him, even just being around him, I can vaguely feel that rising emotion, that feeling as if I'm touching a glimmer of light... It's truly amazing.

"He is, in a sense, our hope now."

Chapter 52 This time it will change... definitely (4305)

"Hmph~? Hmph~?"

It was Xi Wang's cheerful humming.

tick-

It was the soft sound of raindrops falling.

Outside the window, the pattering rain gently patters against the glass. Transparent droplets linger on the glass, as if reluctant to fall, but eventually, they inevitably flow down.

"Oh my~ Xiwang really loves rainy days~ The feeling of joy is almost overflowing~?"

"Hello~ Alicia."

"Hehe~ That's right, it's the adorable Alicia who came to see you~?"