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

Shen Liang smiled, took off her Martin boots and went into the room, then took off her coat and tossed it aside before turning on the air conditioner.

Ling and Pado felt a surge of happiness as they watched the boy's retreating figure.

Shen Liang's daily outfits were designed and styled by the girls who took turns looking after him. When he came alone, he would only wear a basic shirt with his "Chasing the Moth" uniform, a look that was essentially that of a slovenly, straight-laced engineering student. However, for the past week, his caregiver, Wilvie, had designed beautiful and elegant formal dresses for him: a fitted vest paired with a white floral shirt, knee-length shorts with elegant black mid-calf socks and Martin boots, and a wide-shouldered trench coat that covered his entire body.

Velvi's fashion sense is second only to Eden among the Moths of Fire. Her carefully crafted Lolita style makes her look like a beautiful young man straight out of the church era.

Shen Liang had always been unkempt, unaware of the immense vanity and satisfaction a handsome young man could bring to his woman when he appeared in public dressed elegantly and dashingly. Happiness between girls can be vain, but it's also simple; that innocent and endearing sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and showing off isn't a bad thing.

Many people say that women are more materialistic than men, but a deeper understanding reveals this to be incorrect. Most women are not as materialistic as men, but they are more visually driven. They are more likely to be attracted to someone who satisfies their aesthetic sense and desire for protection, and are more willing to submit to beautiful things, even at the cost of their genetic inheritance.

This wasn't Ling defending herself; she'd heard these principles mentioned in a lecture by Möbius. The reason the Moth Warriors pursued dolls, superficially, was because they were attracted to good looks, but the real logic… while still attractive, it wasn't just that. Women's pursuit desires differ depending on the person they're dealing with; when faced with a boy whose beauty even surpasses that of a woman, their desire to pursue him often exceeds that of men.

This might seem like a matter of appearance, but it's determined by genes. A beautiful appearance means a better life and stronger survival ability, and this attraction is something buried in our genes that cannot be changed. You could even say that forming a family with a man to have children for money, love, fidelity, or a better life is essentially just being trapped in an individualistic mindset; while "choosing a husband based on looks" is a "group mentality" left over from millions of years of human experience.

To illustrate, a woman might marry a man and have children because he's wealthy, based on her individual belief that he can support her. But if she later cheats on him with a younger man, it's because a deep-seated hereditary mindset suggests that the younger man can provide her with a more comfortable life.

However, in modern society, the hereditary mindset ingrained in our genes is no longer as effective. A handsome college student may not necessarily come from a wealthy family; they could be a gigolo. Therefore, being able to use one's individual thinking to counteract the hereditary mindset ingrained in our genes signifies unwavering willpower.

But in the apocalypse, few people care about the struggle between instinct and thought described in philosophy books. Faced with a handsome, black-haired, red-eyed boy who is completely unsuspecting and willing to take whatever he wants, everyone's willpower is weak, and they all become slaves to their instincts.

"Stop teasing my cat," Shen Liang said calmly. "The cat is timid."

Ling was a little annoyed; the way she said "my cat" was so affectionate. And given Eve's aloof and indifferent nature, the contrast between her saying something as cute as "cat" was rather endearing.

Padma is clearly ten or twenty centimeters taller than you! I feel like she could definitely snuggle up in your arms and meow sweetly.

"Are you jealous?" Ling deliberately provoked him.

"They just took off a few clothes and hugged, why should I be jealous?" Shen Liang adjusted the temperature to a level where the two girls, dressed in thin clothes, would be comfortable. "When you and Ying hugged, you didn't even have clothes on..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ling jumped up and covered his mouth, her eyes filled with anger and embarrassment. "Baby! Don't you know what you should and shouldn't say?!"

Pado stared at Ling in shock, the image flashing through her mind.

—Damn it, I just thought you might have a problem, but now it seems like the problem is really big. You don't actually like more than just boys, do you? Of course, maybe you're not actually a yuri (lesbian) and you're just a Fury fanatic? Because your sister is a fox, you've set your sights on me, this cat? I'm not going to hug you…

--etc.

Pado belatedly realized that there seemed to be another possibility to what Shen Liang had said. Seeing how upset Ling was... she looked at Shen Liang, who had an innocent and confused look in his eyes, and another scene immediately began to fill in her mind. This time, there were three people in the scene. Pado subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth.

—The mature, pink-haired older sister with long, slender fox ears gazed at her younger brother and sister with a dreamy and tender look. Her younger sister, a high school student who looked almost identical but wore a ponytail and exuded youthful cuteness, threw herself into her older sister's arms, pinning her down. The two sisters' skin pressed together, their fingers intertwined intimately. The room was dimly lit, filled with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms. Then, the younger sister turned her head, saying with a mixture of shyness and arrogance, "Idiot! What are you looking at! You're so lucky..."

"Meow!" Pado's face was so hot she felt like she was going to faint.

Ling was also somewhat helpless. Although some things weren't exactly secrets, and someone as open-minded and bold as Velvet wouldn't even care, she still didn't want Sakura to lose face... In the Firemoth clan, she was already just a silly little sister who could only cause trouble for her older sister, and now she'd become a Herrscher... Now she'd added another debt to Sakura's list that would make her blush whenever she saw someone in the future.

Well, everyone has their embarrassing stories. Mei is still troubled by that idiot who keeps pursuing her.

"What are you doing here?" Ling asked irritably.

"I've come to see if you've become a Herrscher," Shen Liang replied.

The moment those words were spoken, the temperature in the room seemed to drop considerably. The three people, who had just been full of playfulness and warmth, suddenly seemed to have returned to some unpredictable atmosphere.

Pado puffed out her cheeks unhappily. She knew that Shen Liang was just like that; he really wasn't good at coaxing or lying. Everyone knew that anyone who came to Ling's place was there to see how she was doing, but anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence would say, "I came to see you," "I came to play with you," or "I was afraid you'd be bored." Only Shen Liang would directly say what he cared about most.

Hey, you're her boyfriend! Even though there's no direct evidence and you probably don't really understand what the word "boyfriend" means, she really sees you as her girlfriend. How come your brain hasn't improved at all over the years?

Fortunately, Ling understood this as well. She knew that Shen Liang meant no harm, and that his words meant he genuinely cared about the matter. In essence, it was already very touching that Eve, who was not good at human relationships, could show concern.

"So you saw it, or you didn't?" Ling's tone was not good.

She was, after all, just a high school graduate, imprisoned in solitary confinement, and her life as a precarious Herrscher body was precarious. She was simply annoyed by her boyfriend's clueless approach to relationships. And with his other girlfriend present, things were even more awkward.

"Aunt Mebius asked me to test you to see how much the Herrscher Core has acknowledged you," Shen Liang said calmly. "If you are acknowledged by the Herrscher Core, it means you are gradually able to master the power of the Herrscher, then you are a Herrscher, and you cannot fake it even if you want to. After all, if your human consciousness still prevails, the Honkai Will will not give you its power."

Ling's initial joy at seeing Shen Liang visit her gradually faded.

She had some regrets.

Yes, they truly considered themselves Doll's lovers, but did Doll really understand what "love" meant? If he did, he wouldn't have said such cold words when she was in the loneliest and most terrifying situation of her life. From the moment she came in until now, he hadn't offered a single word of comfort or concern; he didn't understand that what she needed most right now was his care and comfort.

Mei should have realized this long ago. She had repeatedly told them to be mentally prepared for the doll's cold-hearted nature, but it seemed she was still not as good as her sister, or these fusion warriors. They were already aware of the doll's indifference, but she... even after three months, she still subconsciously ignored this fact.

Paddy looked left and right, wagging her tail anxiously. She realized that Ling was in a bad mood... Damn it, the atmosphere around this young couple was visibly getting colder. They were about to start arguing! They were definitely going to argue!

"Then let's do it. How do we do it?" Ling bit her lip, suppressing her grievances as she whispered.

"Just give me your hand."

Ling reached out her hand to Shen Liang and felt a surge of warmth flow into her body. She knew that Shen Liang was using the Black Abyss White Flower to help her relax.

“I’ve fused with your genes, so I can start by trying to access the Herrscher Core through you. If you feel that the Herrscher Core has become stronger, then you’re lying,” Shen Liang explained the working principle. “Because normally your Herrscher Core should still be in a dormant state.”

Ling silently watched Shen Liang's small hand holding hers. Although he was a boy, Shen Liang's palm was almost the same size as hers, and even whiter and more slender.

However, what she was thinking about at that moment was what Shen Liang had said.

If I remember correctly, when Doll came into contact with the other Herrschers, he was as a "Bird of Paradise," right? He was giving those Herrschers the bliss of losing consciousness while extracting their Herrscher cores from their hearts, wasn't he?

Ling suddenly felt it was a bit unfair. Why was all I got to do was shake hands?

She thought of it and immediately asked a question.

“Because Herrschers will resist me touching the core. I can’t do it unless I make them relax or even lose consciousness first. After all, no matter what, Herrschers still have more control over the core than I do.” Shen Liang tilted his head and looked at Ling with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot. “If you don’t resist me, I don’t need to do it.”

Ling suddenly regretted letting him shake her hand.

"Indeed, I couldn't sense any Herrscher power. It seems the Herrscher core is still dormant, so we can conclude that you still have human consciousness." Shen Liang concluded the diagnosis.

"Of course I'm human! But dolls, I really want to ask you guys, if I keep going like this and never become a Herrscher, am I going to be locked up in this godforsaken place for the rest of my life?" Ling sighed. "Isn't this a sentence to prison?"

“You don’t get such good treatment in jail, and we don’t come to keep you company every day,” Shen Liang retorted casually. “Besides, the earth is already ravaged. Even if you’re not imprisoned, your range of activities is limited to that of a moth chasing a flame. In fact, we’re all in jail.”

"Huh? I didn't expect that, Baby, are you trying to comfort me?" Ling blinked, a little excited.

"I'm not trying to comfort you, I'm just stating the facts. And to answer your question, if Ling really stays like this for the rest of her life, she'll most likely be imprisoned for life," Shen Liang said calmly. "For a Herrscher, it's either death or imprisonment; there are no other options."

Pado saw that Ling, who had just managed to recover a little bit of her spirits, now had her big blue eyes dim, and in that dimness, there was a hint of anger.

"Is this what you wanted to tell me, Doll?"

"Yes." Shen Liang nodded.

"You mean, Herrschers are enemies of humanity, there's no possibility of redemption for Herrschers, and they deserve to be locked up? Even if she did nothing wrong, she was just chosen as a Herrscher?!"

"Ling, don't get agitated. I might have said something wrong." Shen Liang quickly added as he saw her voice gradually rising in pitch. He knew he was a headache for people in many ways.

He actually had more to say, but Ling interrupted him. He wanted to say that even if Ling were imprisoned for the rest of her life, he would still visit her every day and live with her. If Ling felt lonely, he would keep her company in her loneliness. If Ling felt bored and dull, he would renovate her cell to make it more interesting and bigger. There wasn't much he could do, but he would never abandon Ling.

Because Ling is his property, Shen Liang is very possessive and will never allow his things to be damaged.

“You’re not wrong, you’re not wrong at all. I knew all along that I was beyond saving. My sister told me to be patient for a while, a week, a month, and now three months have passed!” Ling gritted her teeth. “I know there’s no point in dragging this out. I knew what I was going to do was already decided! My life is ruined! And I even wanted to have a child with you!”

Shen Liang looked up at her.

"That same expression again, that innocent, clueless look!" Ling finally couldn't hold back her sorrow any longer and rushed over to hug Shen Liang. "That's not the expression I want, baby. I want you to hold me and comfort me... I want you to tell me not to be afraid, that you're here for me... I want you to pat your chest and promise to protect me! I'm scared, I'm really scared! Baby... I'm so afraid my life will end here. I want to marry you... I want to spend many, many years with you!"

The cat next to her slumped onto the sofa, looking at Ling's tear-streaked face, unable to even meow. She could sense the fear in Ling's heart, but she was powerless to help. She could only keep Ling company, joking and bickering, but friends can never compare to lovers.

So what if you're a lover? You don't know how to be the pillar in her heart.

"I'm sorry." Shen Liang sat on the carpet, leaning against the coffee table, holding the slightly older girl in his arms, stroking her tear-streaked face, and could only utter these two words in the end.

Although what she wanted was not just a simple "sorry".

"Let's have a child." After a long pause, Ling buried her head in his shoulder and whispered.

"I'm sorry, there's no precedent for this, the chances of Ling getting pregnant are extremely slim," Shen Liang said.

“You really are…” Ling chuckled. “That’s a standard answer, which is good. At least the doll won’t lie to people… You’re very honest… That’s good too. I was wrong to want you to deceive me to make me feel better.”

A deep sense of sorrow.

"I'm sorry," Shen Liang said again.

“Do you really understand what it means to apologize, do you really know what you’re saying?” Ling said softly. “Sometimes I really want to dig your heart out and see what it’s made of… You’re such a beautiful and good child, such a sensible and well-behaved child… But why do you only give me such a cold heart?”

The room was silent, save for the noise of the air conditioner. They embraced each other, leaning against the corner of the table. Shen Liang looked up at the dim ceiling.

"Baby, I'll ask you one last question." Ling slowly undressed him and kissed his neck. "Do you think I'll become a Herrscher?"

Shen Liang shook his head silently.

Ling asked in confusion, "Does shaking your head mean yes or no?"

Shen Liang remained silent.

This time, however, Ling and Pado suddenly had a feeling that this boy, who had never liked deception or hiding things, finally had his own secrets.

He eventually learned to hide his answers and refuse to speak.

Chapter Twenty-Two: I really don't know what the little girl sees in you!

April fifteen.

In late spring and early summer, boundless storms swept across the continent. Ground observation stations reported that the sea level of the East Asian Plate had risen by more than 25 meters, and the continuous rainfall for half a month seemed to be preparing to cleanse the world.

It also heralds the arrival of the twelfth Herald.

Sakura stood on the elevated road shrouded in torrential rain, gazing down at the mountains that had almost turned into a lake. This was the surface portion of the Fire Chaser Base, but after half a month of earthquakes, the subsidence area was nearly eroded into a lake by the torrential rain. The floodwaters on this elevated road reached above her ankles; she was soaked to the bone, but white steam rose from her body.

The Honkai Beast genes within the Fusion Warriors were pulsating, and the rainwater on their skin evaporated as soon as it fell. If Sakura were to run at full speed at this moment, she could easily surpass the speed of a missile at Mach 5. She was the fastest among the Fusion Warriors, even Kevin couldn't keep up.

But as the defender of the city, she couldn't run away; she had to fight back.