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

"So Aunt Himeko is shy and afraid that Mei-nee will find out?" Shen Liang tilted his head, his expression innocent yet somewhat puzzled.

"Pretending again...pretending to be innocent again, I've seen through you a long time ago!" Himeko rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mei sees me as her respected teacher, a smooth-talking but reliable adult when it matters! I don't want my image as her teacher to crumble...to be honest, I don't even know how I ended up like this with you!"

"Hmm, maybe it's because you have a bit of a preference for younger, thin, and fair-skinned men?" Shen Liang tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Although you do fit my... well, if I had to say, you fit almost all the Valkyries' fetishes, okay!" Himeko laughed at his cute, feigned-silliness and lightly tapped his head. "And what's with calling me a younger man freak? It's like I'm some kind of perverted woman who preys on little boys!"

"Aren't you?" Shen Liang put down his computer, grinned, and hugged her from behind, burying his face in the woman's deep waistline, inhaling the fragrant sweat left on her fair back from a night of exercise.

Himeko's face showed a helpless expression of "I really can't do anything with you," but this helplessness quickly turned into a slight blush and happiness. In the end, all the words she wanted to say in retaliation could only be reduced to a sentence that sounded like a complaint and a bit of coquetry: "That's so unfair! I only ever laid a hand on Pandora..."

"Yes, yes, I know that Sister Himeko is pure and innocent." Shen Liang smiled mischievously.

"I'm pure and innocent! You're the one who falls in love with every woman you meet! I don't know how many women you've fooled by keeping this facade all the time!"

Shen Liang met Himeko on his second day in London, during the day. The Tsubakiyama Bar was still open to the general public during the day, and it was one of the few times that Shen Liang could relax without having to entertain the group of Valkyries who came to "visit" him.

The bar is relatively quiet during the day, since all the crazy partying takes place at night with spotlights and bands; during the day, it mainly sells alcohol. Through Raiden Mei's introduction, Shen Liang met Himeko, who was still drowning her sorrows in alcohol to hook up with rich guys. Himeko was wearing a nightclub dress specifically designed for attracting men and was excitedly flirting with handsome men.

In Raiden Mei's eyes, one is a highly respected and respected teacher who guided her through her internship; the other is a well-behaved and sensible junior she happened to meet at headquarters. Shen Liang also had some connection with St. Freya Academy, and may even have almost become a student at the same school, but he and Himeko were destined to be apart.

So Mei didn't notice Himeko's amazed look and the saliva she swallowed even when she was completely drunk, or her excited expression as she decisively dumped that handsome guy and started chatting with Shen Liang.

Then, naturally, many things followed.

In short, these past two days, to avoid being noticed by the other Valkyries, Shen Liang and Himeko have often gone out together. Raiden Mei thought that her teacher was in the mood to teach a new student, but Himeko was often the one being taught. Moreover, unlike shy girls, the mature woman nearing thirty was more receptive to novel teachings.

"Everyone misjudged you. You're such a bad girl, Pandora." Himeko stretched. She and Shen Liang had come to this gym last night under the guise of working out, but they hadn't actually touched any of the equipment. Now, considering the time, the Valkyrie who came for her morning workout was probably arriving soon, so she decided to make a show of it and went to the pull-up machine.

"Pull-ups are not suitable for girls, as they can easily develop too many rigid muscle lines," Shen Liang said casually while looking at his tablet. "I'm not averse to girls' muscles, but I'd rather avoid overly muscular ones."

Himeko rolled her eyes and continued to straighten up, "I know."

"Then you'll still do it."

"Don't you know this kind of exercise helps with contraception?" Himeko said irritably. "I bought far too few! How come your stamina is better than mine, a Valkyrie from the biology department!"

"No way, Aunt Himeko can still do pull-ups, I'm so weak I can only sit here drinking tea and reading the newspaper." Shen Liang stuck out his tongue.

Himeko thought to herself, "What nonsense! This little wolfhound clearly wasn't satisfied just now, but even after she gave in and hoped to use... it still wasn't enough! There's no such thing as a wrong nickname, only a wrong name. There's a reason the Shaniat family calls him 'Little Colt' and 'Little Wolfhound'!"

It's puzzling that such a nickname could come from the prestigious Schariac family; just how many Schariac girls were...?

Himeko felt a chill run down her spine, realizing she couldn't think about it anymore.

Shen Liang continued to look down at his "Valkyrie Strength Advancement Classification Explanation".

The document only covered the most basic aspects of the Valkyrie power rankings, and Shen Liang had already learned similar things from Kiana over the years. However, it was still necessary to take a closer look, especially regarding the side effects of advancement.

The advancement of a Valkyrie from C to A follows a predictable pattern. Most Valkyries in the world follow the natural laws of growth, which fall into two main categories: biological and supernatural. The biological category emphasizes the physical body, while the supernatural category emphasizes the mind. Supernatural paths are numerous and almost entirely undefined, as no one knows what kind of power you might possess. For example, Sirin tears through space, Anna creates ice, and Shigure Kira uses music.

The paths to advancement are also clear: biology majors rely on strong physiques, while those with supernatural abilities rely on strong minds. Simply put, biology majors are all fitness gurus, while supernatural ability majors are all meditation fanatics. But in reality, it's not just that simple, because everyone's path to advancement is different; what works for one person may not work for another in the same major. For example, Sirin didn't even need to work hard; her talent alone allowed her to break through in a flash of inspiration—no one knows how such a genius can be replicated.

But the only thing proven effective for everyone is combat. Whether it's a friendly spar or a life-or-death battle, Honkai energy is essentially a form of innate violence, and only combat truly enhances it. The reason Cecilia is the number one Valkyrie in Schicksal, and Durandal is currently the number one Valkyrie in Schicksal, is largely because they are the Valkyries who have undertaken the most missions for Schicksal.

However, the combat system also has a clear drawback: the improvement is too rapid.

Rapid advancement isn't necessarily a good thing, because humans are beings susceptible to the corrupting influence of Honkai energy. The more Honkai energy a body possesses, the stronger the will to control it must be, otherwise it will be corrupted.

Cecilia possesses an immensely powerful Honkai energy within her body, which she can only suppress by relying on Holy Blood. Without Holy Blood, her Honkai energy would instead erode her physical body. However, Cecilia's will is remarkably strong; despite the immense and increasingly uncontrollable Honkai energy within her, she shows no inclination to be corrupted by it.

In short, as Honkai energy increases, self-control must keep pace. Therefore, powerful Valkyries are often resolute and persistent; they may be domineering or arrogant, and some may even appear vicious. However, their love for humanity is unquestionable, because once they lose their loyalty and love for human civilization, a Valkyrie can degenerate into a Honkai-side assassin faster than anyone else.

"The book says that the Valkyries' duty is to fight against Honkai, right? Honkai manifests as all sorts of disasters?" Shen Liang tapped the screen. "For example, the Black Death is an extension of the Honkai God's will, used to annihilate civilizations?"

"This is a characteristic of Honkai; it lurks in every corner of human civilization. It's not just the Black Death; many wars bear the shadow of Honkai." Himeko finished her pull-ups, jumped off the bar, touched her seemingly flat stomach, smiled helplessly, and then said, "For example, that mustachioed man who promoted Faxi Templeism, extreme nationalism, and massacred six million Jews—Schicksal only secretly obtained his remains after he committed suicide. The skull analysis report showed that he had been corrupted by Honkai. So, his many perverse and inhumane acts may indeed have been instigated by the Honkai God."

“I remember him as a man.” Shen Liang was taken aback.

"The Honkai will destroy human civilization in various ways. Turning humans into zombies is one way, and not turning humans into zombies... is another way as well." Himeko's words were full of meaning.

"Ultimately, it's all about more ferociously destroying human civilization."

"And there are also physical carriers of Honkai, such as Honkai Beasts and Zombies. As you know, Zombies are Valkyries that have been corrupted and transformed. And what about Honkai Beasts?"

"I think I know it's a kind of life form that was transformed into silicon-based life by the Honkai God."

"In ancient times, there were quite a few Honkai Beasts, and Valkyries were needed to protect humanity one after another. Modern Honkai Beasts are less common, not because they've decreased, but because with the current Valkyrie training system, we can make them disappear before humanity even notices them." Himeko suddenly chuckled, "Why do I feel like I'm back in St. Freya, lecturing the children?"

"Stand up!" Shen Liang immediately stood up and gave a cute salute, "Good-good-teacher!"

"Thank you for your hard work, students. Please have a seat." Himeko couldn't help but smile and touched the boy's long hair, which wasn't yet tied properly.

"Thank you for your hard work, teacher!" Shen Liang sat down obediently.

"Still going? Is this the kind of bad student who forces me to kneel down in front of you... cough, like this?" Himeko rolled her eyes seductively.

The little black wolf dog with long, straight hair tilted his head and pretended to be innocent.

"This era is the best of times. Civilization and Honkai are in relative balance, the number of Valkyries remains stable, and any unexpected events can be dealt with immediately. The Honkai will not become too strong for the time being, and we are not worried about encountering Honkai that we cannot handle like the last civilization. This balance is the ultimate form of the transcendent side." Himeko picked up the topic again.

"This is balance?" Shen Liang looked skeptical. "Why do I get the feeling that you guys are treating Honkai God like some kind of... test AI?"

Chapter 46 Gym Talk

"Why do I get the feeling that you guys are treating Honkai Impact 3rd like some kind of... test AI?"

Ji Zi was somewhat puzzled by Shen Liang's words.

“Himeko, you just said that the Honkai would seize every opportunity to attack human civilization, but then you said that Schicksal has now reached a balance. Below this balance, the Honkai side and human civilization coexist peacefully, and the power of the Honkai can be suppressed and resolved by the Valkyries.” Shen Liang frowned. “But that’s not right, is it? This so-called balance doesn’t align with the Honkai’s goals at all. If its goal is to destroy civilization, then the current situation means it has failed.”

"is it?"

“Given the Honkai God’s value orientation, the true balance should be that human civilization is exploited and destroyed to the point of near death, or that it can be further destroyed, or that it can be allowed to continue to linger on… That is the balance.” Shen Liang pointed out the doubts in Himeko’s logic, which was the point he couldn’t quite understand. “The most crucial thing is you guys.”

"us?"

"How did you determine that we're at the equilibrium point? If the Honkai God really is the one who sets the 'world-ending test' to examine the progress of civilization, why does Schicksal think this is the best era? Why do they think we're at the equilibrium point?" Shen Liang flipped through the tablet, his expression becoming even stranger. "Couldn't it be that human civilization is developing rapidly and temporarily suppressing the Honkai? Logically speaking, that would be more realistic. Maybe the Honkai God is about to increase its efforts? At that time, a whole bunch of Emperor-level Honkai Beasts will appear all over the world."

"Are you questioning the experts at the Trinity Institute of Destiny?" Himeko laughed. "I'm afraid that's difficult. Of course, some people have considered what you're saying, but many people at Destiny have studied the records of the extinction of previous civilizations, and their grasp of the progress of civilizations is far beyond your imagination. As for how to determine that we are currently at an equilibrium point, it's very simple. We never rely on speculation, but on solid records."

"What record?"

"As expected, there's still a lot of education that boys who haven't received systematic training need to receive. The Shaniat family should open a preschool to teach you these things." Himeko scratched her head, organizing her thoughts as she spoke:

"In fact, Schicksal has been researching how to reduce the influence of Honkai for over two thousand years, and the last five hundred years, under Otto's leadership, have been quite successful. For example, the number of Emperor-level Honkai Beasts that may appear in each century recently is even less than in the 14th and 15th centuries. Advances in education have led to an unprecedented improvement in human morality compared to ancient times, and the probability of Honkai Gods bewitching Valkyries has also been significantly reduced. Most importantly, we have a firm grasp on the level of human technology, and we will never easily change the overall progress of human civilization before ensuring that we can cope with the next level of Honkai calamity. Therefore, unlike previous civilizations, we are better able to resist Honkai."

Shen Liang considered the words for a moment and roughly understood what Ji Zi meant.

Every leap forward in human civilization leads to an immediate increase in the catastrophic potential for collapse. The Fire Chaser civilization lacked this knowledge, which is why they perished despite being more powerful than the civilizations of this era. Once Earth's civilization learns this crucial information, destiny will proactively weigh the scale of its progress to ensure that the catastrophic collapse remains within a controllable range.

“Actually, the Shaniat family should have told you this,” Himeko suddenly said.

"why?"

"Three major collapse events have occurred in the last five hundred years. One was the Black Death, which was one of the few major collapses that Schicksal did not anticipate, almost resulting in the destruction of nine out of ten houses in Europe. This was because human civilization as a whole began to awaken individual consciousness, which, in layman's terms, was the Renaissance, and the overall intellectual quality of humanity was about to undergo a leap forward. The Honkai Gods sensed these signs, but Schicksal was a step too late, so the major collapse caught Schicksal off guard."

"The second was World War I, as you know, an evil imperialist war of aggression, with a casualty intensity far exceeding that of the Black Death. But in essence, this kind of war that swept the world could not have been separated from the driving force of the Honkai, because the first and second industrial revolutions led to a high degree of prosperity in human civilization. Human civilization in that era could be said to have made leaps and bounds, so the Great Honkai followed. This was also an unexpected event that exceeded the control capabilities of Schicksal. However, Schicksal during World War I was already an organization hidden in the shadows of the world, so Schicksal at that time did not directly participate in the war but instead eliminated high-ranking generals who had been corrupted by the Honkai."

"An assassination?" Shen Liang asked.

"Yes, many Valkyries became famous socialites in the Axis countries. As you know, most Valkyries are beautiful and strong, giving them a natural advantage in espionage. Through various espionage activities, they ultimately mitigated the Honkai's role behind World War I. After that, our Valkyries went to various parts of the world to organize battlefield relief efforts. You know Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp, from 1853? She even founded the precursor to the International Red Cross. Her statue is still standing at the elevator entrance of the Destiny Building."

"What a devastated world! In that sense, World War II was the third Great Collapse?"

"No, that's not true. World War II was essentially a just war against Fasces. While the Honkai was indeed driven by behind-the-scenes forces, it was ultimately caused by the ambitions and aggression of certain countries. Moreover, the background of World War II was mainly the seeds sown by World War I. Human evil still exists, and we can't blame it all on the Honkai God."

"Then I can't think of any other extremely severe calamities since World War I. If calamities of this magnitude happen a few more times in human history, human civilization will be on the verge of destruction." Shen Liang absorbed the knowledge smoothly, and then saw Himeko stretch.

"I'm thirsty, buy me a bottle of water." Himeko pointed to the vending machine next to her. "A sports drink, to perk us up. If the people who come later see us still sleepy, they might get suspicious."

Shen Liang thought about it and realized it was true. Himeko was actually more afraid of their casual affair being exposed than he was, because she was Raiden Mei's teacher. She had only met her student a few hours earlier and had already taken advantage of the boy she considered her brother... He felt that people would gossip about her if word got out.

However, Himeko found herself feeling no regret whatsoever. In fact, she felt a sense of smugness watching the Valkyries drooling over Shen Liang these past two days. "Look at you, a bunch of useless losers," she thought. "Your little wolf-dog that you've been longing for tastes really good, doesn't it? But what can you do besides fantasize about rolling around in bed with him while staring at your phone screen?"

hum~

Himeko could understand how quickly she had succeeded; a young wolf was a young wolf because he was inherently wild and untamed. The most crucial point was that young girls still couldn't learn how to navigate the adult world. Young girls always liked to hesitate and ponder, even when they really wanted something, they didn't dare to say it. And when they did take the initiative, they still maintained a reserved distance.

Adults are different. They've experienced countless failures, and they understand better than anyone the meaning of "taking an inch and wanting a mile." If something is within their grasp, they'll take it without hesitation; if the other person shows even a hint of interest, they'll seize the opportunity!

They don't even close the door when they take a shower, and when they're scrubbing each other's backs, they complain that they can't reach them. If the other person doesn't make a move while they're sleeping together, they yell that they're afraid of the dark and don't feel safe. They crawl into the other person's bed naked and ask for a hug!

Seize every opportunity to attack fiercely! Only adults would eat all the dog meat!

Although this little wolfhound wasn't exactly polite...

Shen Liang walked to the vending machine, took a can of Red Bull and a can of Cherry Cola, and then saw a row of neatly arranged bags of disposable silicone sanitary products below the cola.

His delicate little face twitched, and then he could only pretend not to see it and turn away.

Mixed feelings.

To be honest, we absolutely cannot let Himeko see this, or she'll definitely be furious! She didn't have to take her birth control pill today!

—But speaking of which, why would a gym sell this kind of thing?!

—What are your customers doing here, working out or what?! It's so ugly!

Shen Liang was completely unaware that he and Ji Zi were also among these ugly guests.

--wrong.

—This is a gym that only serves Valkyries; it seems like there are only girls there, both as customers and instructors.

--That……