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

Another person who alienated Eve was Aponia.

Unlike the obviously dangerous "Serpent Lord," Aponia, though a dangerous psycho-sensory fusion warrior, does not abuse her power. She even imprisoned herself in the deepest levels of the Fire Chaser base to avoid contact with people. She is compassionate, merciful, and holy, and theoretically, she wouldn't inspire any desire to escape.

Just like how the youngest of the fusion warriors, Little Gretsch, regarded her as a mother.

Despite being younger than Gretchen in actual age, Eve never ventured into the deepest depths, nor did he ever actively seek out the creator who had also given him his fundamental genes. He was forced to visit Möbius's laboratory frequently, but unless Aponia came to him of her own accord, as was the case this time—he would absolutely refuse to be alone with Aponia.

The compassionate nun instilled in him a sense of fear, not of Aponia herself, but of the very act of “touching Aponia as one would any other person.”

Alicia felt the boy in her arms tense up briefly. She blinked, a little helpless.

Doll always falters and freezes when he encounters Aponia. He can never face Aponia with the same composure he shows when he faces them. It's no wonder they're a pair... Well, Aponia is the same way. Even the usually slow and deliberate Aponia is at a loss when she sees Eve.

They were both at a loss, both afraid of each other... because they had gotten too close.

—Aponia knows why she should stay away from you, but you, Doll, don't. This resistant attitude of yours…does gene technology really have such power? Even without knowing anything, you subconsciously…exclude her?

After a moment of silence, Aponia nodded gently and replied, "Eve."

Shen Liang didn't know what to say next, so he could only pretend to look at the scenery. Then, the first thing he saw was the white over-the-knee stockings covering the nun's uniform. These stockings, which were designed to be cute for nurses, didn't quite match Aponia's tall figure, and they created shallow grooves on Aponia's thighs.

Her stiletto-heeled medical boots hugged her rather fleshy thighs. While Aponia was actually quite slender, her 1.75-meter height was still considered tall for a woman. Dressed neatly in those boots, Aponia looked every bit the battlefield nurse. In contrast, Alicia, wearing the exact same outfit, gave off a less dignified impression, as if she were simply cosplaying a doctor.

"Oh! You're looking at Aponia's absolute territory!" Alicia exclaimed, hugging the boy and falling forward onto the bed. Then, she asked mischievously, "Don't you think Aponia is super cute? You've never seen Aponia dressed so cutely before! You should be grateful to me, okay? That nun's habit was too formal, so I specially made her change into this to see you. What do you think? Do you like it?"

“Ellie,” Aponia whispered.

"Isn't that right? I told you, this outfit will make the doll look at you differently, won't it? Look, I'm the one holding him, letting him smell my scent, feeling my softness, but his eyes are still on Aponia~" Alicia smiled mischievously, then turned around and stared at Shen Liang, who was pinned to the bed, pouting, "But I'm not happy, you're holding me and still looking at other girls, so I'll punish you by making you kiss me!"

Ling huddled in a corner of the room, pretending to play games. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shen Liang kissing the new pink fairy with elf ears, oblivious to everyone else. She stared in disbelief until she slammed the controller on her foot.

Sakura and the others didn't react much. Aponia just frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

As a nun, she should have offered advice to Alicia, but the world today no longer had the right to discuss so-called emotions, morality, and public order, and deep down she also knew very well... she probably didn't have the right to say such things.

Satisfied with Shen Liang's proactive attitude, Alicia released the boy, smiled at Ling, and licked her lips with her little tongue, "Sakura, your sister seems to have had her worldview shattered?"

Sakura sighed and cut open the pre-washed vegetable packet. "Anyone who sees this side of the Firemoth's top leaders would be disillusioned."

"Hmph, isn't this normal? I finally made it to the top, so of course I can bully my doll without restraint~" Alicia hugged Shen Liang affectionately and chuckled, "Which high-ranking official doesn't keep a mistress, Sakura? The Fire Moth is a world-class multinational organization, after all. Since I've reached this position, I have to embezzle! I have to be corrupt! I have to keep handsome young men!"

"Suit yourself, nobody will care if the world ends."

"Therefore, we should all strive to be girls who call for love from the very center of the world!"

Chapter Fourteen: Aponia the Silly Cat

In the pitch-black night, to save energy, the artificial sun at the highest point of the night emits only a symbolic light, not even enough to provide basic lighting for the Fire Chaser base.

In the darkness, only scattered lights shone from the residential area. Before the tragedy of the constraint, this place was brightly lit and bustling with people at night, because it was full of young researchers and fusion warriors, many of whom were college students. People would often shout things like, "Hey, you with glasses in apartment 703 of building 5, I like you! Please answer if you hear me!" "Hey over there! I like women! Didn't you do any research before you shouted that?!" and the laughter and mockery of spectators leaning out of the windows.

But now, the base, which once housed tens of thousands of people, has dwindled to less than five thousand, and is now eerily quiet after nightfall.

However, a loud noise was coming from a bedroom on the 20th floor of the Fusion Warrior dormitory. Five people were sitting on the floor around a small square table. The table was covered with steamed seafood, including oysters, blue crabs, and fresh, reddish mantis shrimp. In the middle was a king crab with a bright orange body and steaming hot flesh. Its four limbs... all eight limbs had been easily separated by Sakura. The plump crab legs were cut open, revealing snow-white, thick meat inside.

Sakura was carefully slicing sashimi, then placing it in rice, squeezing it tightly with her hands, wrapping it with roasted seaweed, dipping it in a little fine soy sauce, and adding a plum. Then, ignoring her sister's matter-of-fact open mouth, she passed it over to Shen Liang.

"Sis, you really are... the epitome of 'the one who forgets all humanity when it comes to the opposite sex'!" Ling gritted her teeth and glared at Shen Liang, complaining, "Am I not your dearest sister now that the baby's here?"

"The doll can't make sushi, but you can. Are you going to compete with the doll for attention?" Sakura smiled helplessly.

"I wouldn't stoop to competing for attention with a kid who can't even dress himself," Ling pouted, then glanced at Shen Liang. The latter was chewing small bites of sushi, each bite bigger than his hands, like a squirrel munching on nuts. As Ling watched, she focused intently, cupping her face in her hands.

Alicia nudged Sakura gently, then smiled and leaned close to her ear, "Look at Ling."

Sakura turned her head away, unable to help but chuckle.

“Sakura, I can make a bet with you. In less than a month, your cute little sister will be one of you.”

"No gambling."

"Hey, how about this? I'll bet a week, just a week, okay? You can't possibly distrust your sister that much, can you, Sakura? Let's bet! How about we bet on the next doll's turn?"

"No gambling."

Seeing Ellie's dejected look, Sakura smiled, pursing her lips. As the older sister who grew up with Rei, she knew her younger sister's fiery nature all too well. Her reluctance to find a boyfriend wasn't due to arrogance, but rather because her standards were too high. She looked down on all the high school boys who swayed around her, but if she were truly interested in someone, she would definitely make a decisive move without hesitation.

Under the relentless guidance of the Fire Moth girls, the doll had long forgotten what restraint was... A week? No way!

Who does he think of when he's with Ling? Who does he think of when he's kissing Ling? Who does he think of when he makes Ling cry? With a child's personality, will he suddenly have a whimsical idea and make Ling cry along with him...? Sakura's face turned as red as if it were about to bleed in an instant, and she hurriedly lowered her head to continue making sushi.

Shen Liang bit into Sakura's sushi, which was more like a large rice ball than sushi. But at this moment, he couldn't taste the natural and wonderful seafood flavor in the sushi at all; his nerves were on edge, completely behind him.

He sat on Aponia's ample lap.

Because the square table could only seat four people, the gentle and loving nun breathed evenly on the back of his neck. She held Shen Liang, her hands gently encircling the boy's lower abdomen. Her perfect body was pressed against his back through only a thin nurse's uniform, almost every inch of her skin was pressed tightly against his without reservation. The pair of heavy, soft, round breasts pressed against his back were deformed, giving Shen Liang, who was focused, a strong sense of pressure.

Shen Liang didn't dare to look up, for above him was Aponia's gentle gaze.

"Don't be nervous, Eve, please calm your mind," Aponia said softly.

Shen Liang felt like her heart was about to stop beating!

He didn't know why, but he was used to other people being affectionate, yet Aponia's affection made him feel extremely uncomfortable. And although she told him not to be nervous, Aponia's actions did the exact opposite.

A head of light-colored long hair fell beside Shen Liang's ear. She gently lowered her head and reached towards the black-haired boy's earlobe, whispering as she slipped her hand inside his clothes, one hand moving up and the other down, gently caressing him.

"Relax, child, please don't be wary of me."

Gentle advice and cold hands, Shen Liang mechanically bit into the sushi, her eyes staring blankly at the table, her mind blank, not knowing what to think.

He was held in the arms of the woman he feared most, having a tender conversation at zero distance. His head was pressed against her face, and he smelled her inexplicably familiar scent. He felt her soft, boneless hands roaming over his body beneath his clothes.

Unparalleled tenderness and pampering, and... aggression.

If this were Alicia or Sakura, or even Mebius who harbored ill intentions towards him, he could accept it calmly, without feeling so confused and fearful! When Aponia's whispers reached his ears, he felt as if he were falling into an abyss... He was falling into the abyss with Aponia, and if this continued, they would be doomed forever!

But he couldn't refuse; this was also one of the reasons he was unwilling to contact Aponia... He couldn't...

He couldn't refuse Aponia.

It wasn't that Aponia imposed the rules on him, but rather that he instinctively couldn't resist any of Aponia's emotional expressions.

Seeing Aponia's sad or disappointed expression, he felt a strange unease, as if he had done something wrong.

What he didn't notice was that Aponia was also very nervous, and kept glancing at the pink-haired fairy sitting to her right.

“Yes, that’s it, touch, touch.” Alicia typed quickly with her head down, then picked up the terminal and pointed it at Aponia, typing on it. Everyone could see this. Ling pouted, but because Shen Liang was trembling and eating sushi with his head down, he couldn’t see her, so she became even more unrestrained.

"Like petting a domestic cat, gently stroke the baby's belly, yes, very gently."

"Be gentle, Aponia. If you're too rough, it won't be gentle; it'll just look like you're enjoying yourself, okay? I can see your hands are using a lot of force through the movement of your shirt! Don't be so tense!"

Aponia tried her best to relax her stiff body, so tense that her breathing became a little unbalanced.

"Yes, yes, take it slow, don't go too low, that area is a sensitive spot for boys. Go up, yes, be gentle, like you're stroking a cat's esophagus, gently massage it."

“Repeat these steps. The baby is very well-behaved. As long as you don’t hurt him, he will let you pet him as you please.”

"See, isn't it simple? Getting the doll to accept you isn't that hard. Just keep at it, come out every day, change into different pretty clothes every day, bathe the doll, comb its hair, and rub its belly. It's no different from spending time with a big cat, right?"

Chapter Fifteen: The Adorable Appearance of Being Bullied to the End

Meanwhile, the big cat could only stare blankly at Sakura sitting directly opposite him. Sakura awkwardly looked away, and Shen Liang suddenly felt a sense of despair at being abandoned, especially with the sensation of being touched on his stomach and chest. Aponia's slender hand even reached out from his collar, pinched his chin, and forced him to open his mouth to accept Alicia's timely feeding.

—So why would the holy and compassionate Aponia show such an unbelievable side?! Is it really something a nun should do to grope a boy who looks like he hasn't even grown up yet? Shouldn't a priest do that? I've heard that priests aren't necessarily men, so did Aponia actually get a preaching certificate?

"Eve, what's wrong? You feel... hot?"

Looking at the boy's rosy, delicate profile in her arms, Aponia's shyness turned into a hint of confusion. She leaned down and touched Shen Liang's forehead with her cheek, then felt the boy's thighs tense up for a moment. She understood and could only smile gently.

"Are you shy?"

Shen Liang nodded gently.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve spent time together like this… But Eve, you have no reason to resist me. I am no different from Alicia, Sakura, and Eden. We all have the same love for you.” Aponia gently stroked the boy’s slender yet already quite strong waist and whispered, “Is it because you fear my ‘commandments’? No, my heart magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in my Savior. I am like my Lord, having mercy on and fearing those on earth, generation after generation.”

It is Luke 1:46. Shen Liang had read the scriptures of various civilizations and knew that the Lord whom Aponia believed in had compassion for all people and only wished for peace and joy.

But this holy nun was not holy to him. Or rather, the more compassionate and devout Aponia appeared, and the more gentle and kind her words were, the more terrified Shen Liang became.

He feared Aponia's next move, feared his own hormonal surge growing ever stronger. Aponia's cool touch against his hot, youthful body was an incredibly stimulating sensation, especially in front of Sakura, Alicia, and Ling!

He didn't know why he felt so resistant. If it were Alicia doing this, he probably would have simply grabbed the pink fairy and pinned her to the edge of the bed, biting her hair without a second thought, even if there were other people around. But not Aponia. Just looking at the gentle and kind nun in white stockings and a nurse's uniform in front of him, he couldn't tell whether his eyes held desire or fear.

But of course.

Even though he was so scared that he was sweating profusely, as a teenager in his adolescence, Shen Liang still reacted accordingly.

Aponia no longer needed Alicia's guidance; she had gradually figured out Shen Liang's conditioned reflexes and controlled the boy's movements in her arms like a skilled cat petterer.

Then she paused, her expression slightly flushed, and a smile appeared on her face.

She changed the location of her caress, her fingers lightly flicking, causing the boy's body to stiffen instantly. He shakily raised his head to look at the dignified-faced nun.

“Aponia…”

When she looked up, it was astonishing. Aponia stared blankly at the boy's red, clear eyes, which seemed to convey both pleading and struggle, his delicate, fair collarbone, and his utterly adorable, almost childlike appearance. It was truly sinful; this child was truly sinful.

He was practically the perfect young man who could drive any woman crazy, make her lose herself, and corrupt her—a fine wine even the most powerful girls in the world would gladly consume. But at least for now, he could only be possessed by one person, with no one vying for him; he had to be firmly and unscrupulously controlled by Aponia.

—So beautiful, so outstanding, so delightful, this is mine…

—For the next thousand or ten thousand years, this child will belong to me alone…