Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Cecilia's unreserved intimacy finally caused Shen Liang's usually calm expression to reveal helplessness. He could only grab Bai Hua and say, "Let's begin. The first thing we need to try is Bai Hua's healing ability."

His quick transition into a calm state of preparing to heal made Cecilia bite her lip in slight annoyance. She wanted to continue chatting, but she could only loosen her embrace and ask, "So, specifically, what should I do?"

"Extend your hand, don't put up defenses against me," Shen Liang said.

The saint obediently stretched out her hand and did as she was told.

Shen Liang plunged the tip of the white-flowered spear into the saintess's fair arm, causing a slight oozing of blood. Shen Liang then activated the white flower's creative power, and a faint white light traveled from the spear to Cecilia's body, beginning to repair her.

They waited in silence for a while, and then, naturally, they both sighed.

“It’s no use,” Shen Liang said in a low voice. “The Black Abyss White Flower didn’t consume any of my energy at all. Its own power is enough to heal you simply, and then it can’t do anything else.”

Cecilia seemed to have expected this. She gently stroked the boy's cheek with her fair and slender right hand, still smiling as she looked into his complex eyes. It seemed that even this hopeless answer did not disappoint her.

“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s okay, baby. As long as I stay in the ice cellar, I can probably hold out for a few more years, enough to last until you grow up…maybe even until you get married. Don’t look like that, it breaks my heart.”

"Sister Leah is still so young, don't you feel it's a pity?"

"No regrets at all. I am the Holy Maiden. Countless girls dream of living like me their whole lives. What do I have to regret?" The Holy Maiden's smile was gentle and beautiful, like a glittering morning star. "And my children are also excellent, which is even better and more reassuring."

“Little Sirin is proud and strong-willed. Although she's very capable, she's used to being domineering and, being young, wielding power all by herself. She'll definitely offend people and be schemed against at every turn. As for little Kiana, needless to say, she has no affection for the Shaniat family and is unrestrained by nature. She might just run away and start her own business in the future. But after all, she carries the blood of a saint coveted by countless people. If she awakens, she could be even more dangerous than Sirin. It's a difficult situation. And my darling, you…”

Cecilia brushed aside the strands of black hair from his forehead and looked him in the eye. "You're the only boy in the family. Promise me you'll be the pillar of support for Sirin and Kiana."

It wasn't a cold request like "You must become the pillar of the Schariac family," but rather a hope based on family ties like "You must become the pillar of Sirin and Kiana."

For a moment, Shen Liang almost wanted to agree.

But he still realized what was happening. Looking at Cecilia's gentle expression, he maintained a calm demeanor. "Sister Lia, don't make it sound like your last words. My treatment has only just begun."

Cecilia was stunned.

"What makes you think Sirin has such high expectations of me? Just because of the Divine Key?" Shen Liang sneered. "Would I dare to take on this job if I didn't have some skills?"

Because it was a Chinese proverb, Cecilia paused for a moment before understanding. She frowned, a hint of doubt appearing on her beautiful face. "Honey, there's something your older sister doesn't know?"

Shen Liang directly activated the Sea Goddess Princess bloodline, the dragon scale patterns on his body faintly appearing and disappearing. Then, he grasped the Saintess's left hand with his right hand, interlacing his fingers and holding it firmly. Under Cecilia's bewildered gaze, he activated the Transformation of the Sea Moon.

really!

The Coral Palace's healing techniques were causing problems even against a powerhouse of Cecilia's caliber! The magic power that should have flowed from Shen Liang's arm into Cecilia's was blocked by the overwhelming, uncontrollable Honkai energy emanating from Cecilia, hindering Hua Haiyue's detection! It was as difficult as trying to dig granite with a wooden pickaxe!

Normally, Hua Haiyue could scan a patient's body in one breath, but this time it took her a full half hour. Then, Shen Liang was surprised to find that his conclusion was the same as Hei Yuan Bai Hua's.

Cecilia was perfectly healthy, without any illness or external injury. Her only injury was the Honkai energy's erosion of her internal organs.

Shen Liang's Transformation into the Moon can easily neutralize the corruption on Cecilia's body, because judging from the degree of corruption, Cecilia's current corruption is not as severe as Rita's after the great war.

But the reason he felt surprise rather than joy was because he immediately understood why Cecilia was still diagnosed with a terminal illness, even though the world did have drugs that could cure Honkai energy erosion.

—Because the rate of re-erosion is much faster than the rate of healing!

In order to allow Hua Haiyue to travel around Cecilia's body, Shen Liang even felt that all his strength was drained. However, the Honkai energy that repaired him immediately returned after he withdrew Hua Haiyue, causing new erosion to the organs that had just been repaired!

Cecilia's problem isn't how powerful the Honkai energy is, but that she has too much Honkai energy! Because of her Saintess bloodline, she can control Honkai energy without limit. When the Saintess bloodline begins to fade, the Honkai energy she once had such control has nowhere to go, so it starts to erode her.

The reason she stays in the ice cellar is not to suppress herself with the low temperature, but because she must release Honkai energy at any time to neutralize the low temperature, so that the Honkai energy that has nowhere else to go can have an outlet.

However, the strength she had honed was too great, and she simply couldn't suppress the generation of Honkai energy in her body. The rate at which she generated Honkai energy exceeded the rate at which she consumed it, so her body was constantly being slowly eroded.

Shen Liang's efforts to eliminate the erosion were merely a temporary measure, as he couldn't prevent Cecilia's body from generating Honkai energy. Cecilia's condition wasn't fundamentally an illness or injury, but rather the power she had cultivated in her youth, which her current body simply couldn't withstand.

Shen Liang couldn't help but think of the powerful beings who had transcended tribulations in many novels, whose combat power was so high that no one could defeat them, and that they would be taken down one day.

"Ugh...it's so warm," Cecilia murmured to herself. She hugged the boy, tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, and gritted her teeth to suppress any strange noises.

She had been suffering from this disease for nearly ten years, and this was the first day she could enjoy it so easily. The energy emanating from the boy in her arms was like a small sun, transmitting heat through her veins to her internal organs. This physiologically instinctive pleasure made her feel incredibly comfortable, and even her bare little toes curled up in pleasure.

She had lived in the ice cellar for ten years, and ten years of living with the low temperatures had made her feel as if even her blood was cold. She thought she had long since become accustomed to this torment... but this child's abilities, this child's warmth...

The saintess's delicate body trembled slightly.

Damn it! This child! Once I pick him up, I don't want to let go!

Chapter 215 Was it easier for my baby to die that day?

Shen Liang felt Cecilia's body go slightly limp, as if she had no bones as she hugged him, and she collapsed against his back as if all her strength had left her, letting out a long sigh.

He was somewhat puzzled. Hua Haiyue could indeed make ordinary people feel comfortable and limp, but that was only for ordinary people. People who possessed extraordinary power naturally also had willpower that surpassed that of ordinary people. Whether it was the holder of the Eye of God or a Valkyrie, generally speaking, they would not directly let down all their defenses and strength and become addicted to it just because of this level.

Perhaps it can only be said that the Holy Maiden was truly unguarded against him... Could it be that because he was of low strength in Cecilia's eyes, she didn't even need to be wary of him?

"Can't it be solved?" Cecilia looked at Shen Liang's expression and understood.

Cecilia knew her own body best. She could feel the constant erosion within her. The pain would lessen when she held Shen Liang, but it would return as soon as he let go. She could roughly understand Shen Liang's abilities, but it was clear that Shen Liang was also powerless against the erosion.

"So what exactly is Honkai energy erosion?" Shen Liang sighed and asked directly.

“It seems you haven’t experienced the system’s understanding of extraordinary power.” Cecilia smiled, understanding. “Honkai energy is a negative force originating from human civilization. You can simply understand it as a means by which the world targets the progress of civilization. It’s indescribable and very abstract. The development of civilization is closely linked to Honkai. The stronger the civilization, the stronger the Honkai. And the ultimate goal of Honkai is to destroy civilization.”

"There are many ways to destroy civilization, such as creating epidemics, creating wars, and breeding Honkai Beasts. Honkai energy is the simplest and most direct power, but it is obvious that since this power comes from Honkai, it should not be used by human civilization."

"So using this power will cause problems?" Shen Liang asked.

"Honkai energy originates from the Honkai will, which we generally call 'god,' but it is only a metaphysical will and not a specific deity. We humans stole the power that should have destroyed civilization, so we must pay the price. People without Honkai energy adaptability will be corrupted and die upon contact with Honkai energy, while those with Honkai energy adaptability can only accept the amount that is within their adaptability limit."

"When we talk about 'cultivation,' we are actually referring to honing one's adaptability to Honkai energy. The stronger a Valkyrie is, the stronger her adaptability is, and the more Honkai energy she can control. There are many ways to cultivate, with combat being the fastest, but it can also be done through training, modifying the human body, and other methods. There is even Zen Buddhism in China, where some people cultivate through 'sudden enlightenment.'"

"But everyone has desires. Once one's willpower weakens during cultivation and one is seduced by the Honkai will, in Chinese terms, one will go mad and become an envoy of the Honkai side. Or, if a Valkyrie comes into contact with a large amount of Honkai energy that exceeds her own adaptability, she will be infected and eroded. She will either succumb to the Honkai will and go mad, or slowly die."

“But you are an exception, Sister Leah.”

“Yes, I’m an exception.” Cecilia smiled. “It’s because the blood of the saintess is gradually no longer mine.”

"Can you explain it?"

"The Saint Blood of Shaniat is a special bloodline of our family, and it can only appear in one person at a time, and that person is the Saintess. The Saint Blood has a strong suppressive power against Honkai, which will enhance this Valkyrie's control over Honkai energy to a very high level. Specifically, I can control all the Honkai energy within my domain, and even weaker Honkai beasts may disintegrate directly in front of me, because I can make the Honkai energy they depend on leave their bodies."

“With this ability, I don’t need to worry about going astray, so I can cultivate without any worries. To be honest, my talent is pretty good, and I’ve grown to my current level very quickly.” Cecilia chuckled. “And then, well, that’s how it is. As people get stronger, their bodies can only adapt up to S-rank at most… I can’t control Honkai energy that exceeds that level, and I can’t consume it either, so it will definitely turn around and devour its master.”

"At most S-rank..." Shen Liang looked at her thoughtfully, "Sister Leah, your strength is beyond what S-rank can describe?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just that S-rank is the highest rank for a Valkyrie. There are no higher ranks. My physical body limits me to S-rank, so I'm just S-rank. Even if I'm a little bit stronger... there's no way for me to show my abilities."

That's true. If she had a place to use her abilities, she wouldn't have had to wait to die in the ice cellar.

No wonder even a powerful woman like Cheng Ling Shuang, who seemed to be completely ignorant of human relationships, had to bow down in resentment before Cecilia. She didn't want to become the Holy Maiden's training room for consuming Honkai energy!

"So, speaking of which, where did all the Honkai energy you used up in the ice cellar go, Leah?"

"Generate electricity! The Honkai energy I collect in a day is enough for the entire Shaniat household for a month, which can save a lot of money!"

Generating electricity... That's really absurd. Shen Liang laughed silently.

Cecilia laughed along.

"It seems there's really no other way."

"By the way, Sister Leah, how do you feel about the strength of my Honkai energy?" Shen Liang suddenly asked.

Cecilia was taken aback, then extended her senses into Shen Liang's body. "The intensity isn't very high, around... C-rank?"

Shen Liang's expression finally changed.

Yes, he doesn't have Honkai energy; he's not a Valkyrie at all. All his strange behaviors come from the system and the abilities of the Teyvat continent, but if even Cecilia believes he has Honkai energy... it means that the extraordinary powers of the Teyvat continent and the extraordinary powers of Earth are the same thing!

Whether it's the bloodline ability of the Sea Goddess or the transformation into the moon, they are essentially just different ways of utilizing Honkai energy!

"System," Shen Liang murmured to himself.

The system did not respond.

“The ‘Children of Man’ project must have been part of the previous civilization’s plans, and I was likely the executor of those plans. Although you won’t tell me exactly what it entails, it must be related to the collapse and destruction that befell the previous civilization, and I might even bear a heavy responsibility. You don’t want me to know about the previous civilization because knowing would be detrimental, hindering the plan’s operation. Perhaps my ‘naiveté’ about the previous civilization is itself a crucial part of the plan, isn’t it?”

The system remains silent.

"You're sending me to Teyvat, so this is the world you already observed in the pre-civilization era, isn't it?"

silent.

"You've made me go around building up my favorability with people and speeding up the progress, so that the 'Child of Humanity' project can only truly begin when there are more and more eligible individuals connected to me and more and more Servants I've absorbed. But you are a system from Earth... So I have reason to suspect that what I'm doing now is using the Teyvat civilization to save the Earth civilization, and you're using a method I don't know... to try to save the Earth civilization from the pressure of collapse!"

This is the logical thinking that Shen Liang has developed over the past few days as his understanding of the Collapse has gradually become clearer.

Honkai is a world-destroying force that has already annihilated previous civilizations. The current civilization, having learned how the previous civilization was destroyed, has developed in a limited way and has learned to use Honkai energy to counter it. The Valkyries, this extraordinary force, were created to cleanse the Honkai.

However, civilization cannot stagnate forever and will eventually face the final judgment of collapse. How should we deal with the collapse that intensifies with the progress of civilization?

If a previous civilization could leave behind so much information after its demise... then didn't that previous civilization consider what to do if it developed a second time? It couldn't possibly just wait to die again the second time.

—If I were one of the Thirteen Heroes of the Fire Chaser, knowing that civilization was doomed, my final effort would inevitably be to leave behind a way for future civilizations to struggle and resist!

That being the case.

So……

What about the "Son of Man" project?

Is this system left behind by the previous civilization really like those third-rate fast-paced novels, designed to boost your favorability and build a harem for you?

Even if it's not a grand undertaking to save Earth's civilization, it's at least one of the backup plans laid out by the previous civilization for the present civilization.

“The strongest Valkyrie of this era is right here. She is my best asset. Helping her will also help me establish a good friendship with the Schariac family. For me, who is isolated and helpless on Earth, she is a stable rear base.” Shen Liang analyzed rationally, “I want to keep her alive. I need help… And since you can turn the power of Teyvat and Honkai energy into the same thing, you should have a way to save her.”

silent.