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

“It’s such a painful existence. I heard from Möbius that Himiko endures pain every moment that’s equivalent to an ordinary person being constantly electrocuted. Those Soul Steel nanorods stimulate neurons in her body. If it were a human, they would have become an idiot long ago. But Herrschers can regenerate. Even if their brains are destroyed by electric shocks, they can regenerate. So they have to torture her all the time.” Sakura also looked at the Herrscher of Flame. “For the sake of research, even former comrades are tortured like this. Many times, I really want to break this jar and let her die directly.”

"Then you are a sinner against humanity. This is the most powerful Herrscher at present. Mebius uses her as his testing ground... You may find this hard to accept, but for humanity, tormenting a Herrscher is better than sacrificing oneself, right?"

"She was ultimately the monster who destroyed Australia. I know that Himiko's personality was killed by her. So I was just saying it casually, you don't need to comfort me."

"But research on the Herrscher is almost at a standstill. The extraction of the super-variant factor has ended, and the imaginary space seems to be related to the Herrscher core. What we need most right now is still the technology to extract the Herrscher core."

"The core of the Herrscher is inside Himiko's body? But I've seen anatomical diagrams. The Herrscher's body is no different from a human's, and there is nothing inside except flesh and organs."

“Because the ‘Herrscher Core’ is not an actual thing; it’s actually a concept,” Alicia said in a low voice, “a concept that refers to the identity and power of a Herrscher.”

How do we extract the concept?

"In theory, once a 'concept' is condensed, it can be 'extracted.' Ultimately, we need to know the source of the Herrscher's power and materialize that source. As you know, Möbius has always believed that anything that can be generated can be reversed. Since the Herrscher itself is born from humans endowed with something, then naturally, something can be extracted from the Herrscher."

"We've already done this kind of experiment on the Herrscher of Reason. Sakura, do you remember Prometheus, the little girl with the twin-tailed spiral curls? She actually tried it. It wasn't about separating out the Herrscher core, but rather transferring the Herrscher's qualifications to herself. She and the Herrscher of Reason had a 'blood exchange,' swapping all their genes except for neurons. Because we didn't know which part of the genes would trigger the Honkai's selection, we decided to swap them all and see."

"Everything went according to plan. After the complete gene exchange, Prometheus did indeed gain Herrscher powers for a moment, but soon, the Honkai Will seemed to realize the difference. After all, the neurons hadn't been exchanged, meaning their subconscious was different. So after that moment, the Herrscher powers returned to the Herrscher of Reason's body. We exchanged Prometheus and the Herrscher's bodies again, and this time the Herrscher powers were no longer given to Prometheus. So it turns out that the Herrscher does indeed have a source of power that can be transferred. Mebius calls this the 'Herrscher Core,' and it's something that can definitely be extracted."

"So Prometheus is in the cryogenic chamber now?"

"After all, those two experiments severely damaged the integrity of Prometheus's genetic chain. In order to prevent her from brain death, we had to cryopreserve her and upload her consciousness to the server. Paying these costs was worthwhile. With the existence of the Herrscher Core proven, many of our experiments have come to fruition."

"So, how are you going to extract the cores by keeping these Herrschers alive?"

Alicia was silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "Since the Herrschers' powers are based on their genes and they are chosen, and since Prometheus can deceive the Honkai will by exchanging blood... then, if someone is born able to fuse all genes, born... he can copy other people's pheromones... then can he deceive the Honkai? Or even... condense all the Herrschers into one body?"

Sakura was horrified. "You're not killing the Herrscher, are you trying to make him become the Herrscher?"

"Why not?" Alicia said with a smile. "Herrscher, how prestigious! If it's a Herrscher who loves humans, everyone will definitely adore him. Don't you like the majestic doll, the one who controls all Herrscher cores, whose every word and action is unparalleled in its domineering presence, leading humanity to a new world?"

"Impossible! The higher-ups would never allow someone like Doll to possess such power. If Doll really dares to fuse with a Herrscher core... he'll be killed!" Sakura said in horror. "This experiment can't be done. Even if Doll has this ability, it can't be exposed! In their eyes, androids are ultimately not human. They're afraid that androids will become uncontrollable!"

"And how do you see it?" Alicia looked at her.

“In my eyes…” Sakura paused, “In my eyes…”

"In your eyes, are dolls artificial humans?"

Sakura lowered her head. "Alice, if I thought the doll was some kind of creation from a laboratory, would I still be telling you all this? I would just report the recording to the council right now... There are thousands of people in this world who would boycott inhuman things, but to me, he is the younger brother I watched grow up, the man I entrusted my future to, my... Eve."

Alicia clapped her hands loudly, and Sakura looked at her in surprise.

"Great, you've passed the test. Now we're one big family."

"test?"

“Of course, it’s an inspection of Doll’s stunning harem.” Alicia chuckled. “After all, if you can keep a secret like Doll’s, then your love for Doll must be just as great as ours. In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to let you know about some of your bolder plans.”

"What plan?" Sakura asked instinctively.

“That’s of course… let’s see how the doll can save the world!” Alicia turned to the life support tanks placed side by side, and Sakura looked over as well. Just then, she felt the darkness of the unlit room suddenly increase by more than one level!

Twelve golden rays of light shot towards her with an oppressive force.

The cold, golden eyes of the six suppressed Herrschers!

Sakura suddenly realized the problem. Yes, theoretically, with all neurons blocked, Himiko shouldn't still be able to "gaze"; she should be having difficulty even thinking. This meant that these Herrschers were actually conscious, and the confinement equipment was under Möbius's personal control—Möbius had awakened them!

There's only one reason I woke up.

In the best possible way, she was fed to a boy, witnessing a miracle.

----------

Shen Liang was sitting on a business jet heading to the base.

The sleeping Dobiya was difficult to handle, but Pado was more experienced. She poured some wine into Dobiya's arms, wrapped her in a towel, and lied that she had drunk too much at a bar. The crew looked at the beautiful girl in high heels and black stockings, reeking of alcohol and talking in her sleep, and wanted to politely decline, since she looked like she might be a victim of transnational child trafficking.

But glancing back at her two companions, both Shen Liang and Pado were just as beautiful as Dobiya, and perhaps even more so than the boys. The flight attendant had a discerning eye; a young man dressed so elegantly and exuding such an air of nobility was unlikely to be involved in anything illegal. Then, looking at Pado beside her, who was fawning over the boy and dressed as a cat, the flight attendant concluded that this was a story of a young master bringing his maid to discipline his disobedient fiancée who frequented bars.

“Dobiya’s health is deteriorating,” Shen Liang said.

Pado had just finished dealing with the flight attendant checking her documents. Because she couldn't produce the identification document that showed her the Fire Moth, she had deliberately used some tricks and paid money to get a fake identity. At this moment, she shivered violently and whispered, "Isn't it just a slumber? How could there be a problem? It's only been three days. Even without the injection of nutrient solution, with the physical condition of a fusion warrior, there shouldn't be any problems."

Yes, the two decided to return to the base because Desdovia's body couldn't take it anymore. Fusion warriors have high nutritional needs, and it's impossible to just rely on IV glucose. They had to return to the base to find professional medical staff.

But after only one day, Desdobia's condition was not looking good.

"After all, it's a Herrscher's ability. In a deep sleep, it can deceive the brain and body into thinking that the body is dead, so the organs fail particularly quickly," Shen Liang said. "Once the organs completely fail, the person will die."

Paddo looked worried. Just then, the plane arrived at its destination. She picked up Daisy Dobby, jumped off the plane, and hesitated for a moment.

How do we get back to base?

This is a problem because the base isn't some landmark you can take a taxi to; it's a military base, and it's not even on the map. Normally, Fusion Warriors return by taking a helicopter or shuttle bus from the base at the airport. In other words, someone has to pick them up. If no one is available, you'll have to contact the base to send someone.

It's impossible to get back on your own. As humanity's most important line of defense, the Fire Chaser Base is located underground, and all the secret doors that allow entry and exit are sealed off. You are allowed to leave, but not to enter.

Now we are cut off from all contact, and no one is allowed to enter or leave.

“Come with me, doll, Paddo. Dr. Mebius sent me to pick you up,” a weak voice came from the VIP lounge window at the airport just as Shen Liang frowned.

Shen Liang looked over and saw a frail pregnant woman with light blue hair, holding an umbrella under the scorching sun, her belly already showing.

"Blanca?"

Blanca seemed to be about to faint from the sun, but when she saw Shen Liang, she still managed to come over and forced a smile: "I've been waiting for you for three days. The Fire Moth is in complete chaos and can't go back. Come with me."

Chapter 41 We're Getting Married!

As they stepped out of the airport, Shen Liang and Pa Duo looked up and saw the blazing sun, its halo dazzling their eyes.

Shen Liang raised his hand to shield the sun and helped the sickly Blanca leave.

time flies.

----------

"A very serious collapse has occurred at the Fire Chaser Base. Yes, just as you guessed, many people have fallen into a deep sleep and have been placed in cryogenic chambers to maintain their lives. Dr. Mebius sent me to pick you up, but it's no use going back now; you can't help."

"Come stay at my house first. I have a small house outside the base. Pado, come too."

"Is this Desdobia? It's alright. Dr. Mebius guessed that some of you would definitely be affected, after all, Kosmo's text message records were discovered... Don't worry, I also brought a copy of the cryo-chamber."

...And then wait for the base to deal with the Eighth Herrscher?

"Yes, this Honkai event is special. The calamity must not spread. It's best to keep it within the base. Kevin, May, and the others will definitely win."

"We just need to wait, doll, until they win, and then we can go back to base."

...What if we don't win?

“Child, I am a scientific researcher, I will not deceive you. If we do not win, going back will only be a sacrifice for us.”

"The Fire Chaser Base will surely survive this disaster, just as it survived the previous seven Honkai.

……

"Wow! Blanca! You never told me you had a villa like this in Hokkaido! A huge yard! A swimming pool! A gym! An underground cinema! So Blanca is a hidden millionaire too!"

"Hehe, before joining the Fire Chaser Base, I was at least a PhD who was hired by the defense unit with a high salary."

"What's wrong with the child? Why is she standing there in a daze? Doesn't she like it here? Don't children love courtyards with hot spring pools? They're so warm and cozy, especially in winter."

"Baby, baby! Let's go soak in the hot springs!"

...The snow was heavy.

"The snow scenery in Hokkaido in winter is beautiful, don't you think? If I weren't pregnant with little Greta, I would also like to relax and take a nice bath."

...Blanca can go take a bath now, I won't peek.

"You idiot! How could a pregnant woman soak in an open-air pool in the dead of winter? It's too dangerous!"

"Would you like to soak in the hot springs with me, little one?"

"Blanca, don't say such scary things with a smile! Catching a cold is no joke. You're not a fusion warrior; your physical condition isn't good to begin with!"

...I want Blanca to wash my hair. It's been so long since I've washed it. Even cats don't know how to wash their own hair...

"Hey, hey, hey, I just forgot to bring the shampoo that Mei specially made for you! Can't I just use the regular shampoo that you buy outside? Why are you so disgusted? You just rolled your eyes, didn't you!"

……

"This station reports that after a sixty-day lockdown, a UN agency has recently released information about the internal disaster at the military base known colloquially as 'The Moth Chasing the Flame,' a research and treatment center for supernatural disasters. The damage caused by the Eighth Herrscher is horrifying; when the UN special investigation team entered the base, they could no longer detect any signs of life..."

"Judging from the scene, the Eighth Herrscher was ultimately killed by all the Fusion Warriors at the artificial sun, but her final counterattack engulfed the entire base, killing all the survivors. All the Fusion Warriors died peacefully, seemingly in a deep sleep from organ failure. Considering the records in the surviving documents, the Eighth Herrscher's ability affects consciousness, making this level of tragedy understandable..."

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the complete annihilation of the Firemoth's main base. The United Nations will today dispatch other researchers and deployed fusion warriors to take over the data left behind at the base and rebuild a new Firemoth from the ruins..."

"The United Nations has stated to the Foundation for the Prevention of Supernatural Disasters (Crab) that the names of heroes should not be forgotten. Given the current global situation, the list of martyrs will be made public… Strategic Commander of the Moth of Flames, Mei; Director of the Infinite Laboratory, Möbius; The following are the Fusion Warriors: Kevin, Alicia, Kosmo, Sakura, Hen, Hua…"

The sound of a porcelain bowl shattering.

"Don't get excited, don't get excited, Blanca! Don't hurt yourself. Think about it, think about the baby in your belly, you still have your child! Oh, and... you still have me!"

"What are you doing sitting there, doll! Help me comfort Blanca! Why are you doing this again..."

"Are you kidding..."

"Baby, do you... do you cry too?"

……

“Let’s live here from now on. The United Nations came here yesterday talking about rebuilding Moth of the Flame… that’s too far off.”