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

But that's just how unrestrained Möbius was. The son of man, whom everyone treated like a precious treasure, was constantly being massaged, had his shoulders rubbed, and had tea and water served to him. If the massage wasn't comfortable, she'd stomp on his face. Möbius was completely justified in this; when pointed out to her in a meeting, she even claimed that since she was still a child, she didn't need to give way to Eve, who was also a child.

Shen Liang used his middle finger knuckle to press against the sole of Mebius's foot and used some force to drill. Mebius picked up the teacup next to him, his delicate body trembling slightly as he took a sip.

"pain?"

“How could that be?” Mebius denied.

“I felt Aunt Mebius clench her teeth. Sakura said that if it hurts, it means there is kidney deficiency. It’s normal for people who work at a desk for long periods of time to have kidney deficiency.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Möbius said calmly. “Don’t overthink it. Let’s get back to the point. I’ve been watching Blanca for a while now… Ah, ooh!”

"Aunt Mebius, it seems you have a serious kidney deficiency."

"Snakes don't suffer from kidney deficiency. Do you even know what kidney deficiency is? Ugh... Are you a biology PhD or am I a biology PhD?!"

Shen Liang shut his mouth.

“I check the physiological fluctuations of every cryogenically frozen sleeper here every day. Interestingly, the cryogenic chamber that theoretically stores you is frequently opened. Although there was no monitoring due to power outages, I discovered through DNA testing on your body that it belonged to Blanca… Heh, I know about the ambiguous relationship between Blanca and you, so I didn’t pay much attention to it at first,” Mebius said. “But I later discovered something suspicious, because you never experienced the gradual organ failure like other cryogenically frozen sleepers; on the contrary, your physical vitality was astonishing… Why is the Herrscher so fond of you? Now that you’ve awakened, it’s not hard to guess the reason by combining all this information.”

“Blanca is quite a failure as a Herrscher.” Shen Liang pressed down on the sole of Snake’s foot. “If she had treated me the same way, this would have been the Honkai Calamity that caused the Firemoth the greatest loss.”

“Every Herrscher has their capricious side. Blanca’s capriciousness lies in you. For you, she can even put aside her crumbling will,” Mebius suddenly said. “You don’t want her to die.”

Shen Liang remained silent for a long time before replying, "Yes."

“You came to me first because you know that sympathizing with or even falling in love with a Herrscher is a rebellious and anti-human idea, and only I won’t directly refute it.” Mebius gently drew a circle in his palm with his toe and smiled charmingly. “After all, I’m the most unconventional person in the base, so you think I’m the most likely person to come to you.”

"I hope Aunt Mebius can help me."

"You're even planning to blackmail me, aren't you?" Mebius lifted Shen Liang's chin with her slender, emerald-green toes, staring at him with scrutinizing, snake-like eyes. "Hmm? Guinea pig~ If nothing unexpected happens, you've stolen the power of the Herrscher of Knowledge. The core is within you. You can save the entire base right now. The reason you didn't save the base immediately is because you wanted to use this to negotiate, to save Blanca's life. You wanted to protect the Herrscher."

"Blanca... is pregnant with Gretchen."

“To the world, one or two lives don’t matter. Eve, you’re also one of the Fire Moths—oh dear, you can actually say the words ‘Fire Moths’ now—the Fire Moths assess disasters entirely based on their level of danger. In fact, if they can wipe out the Herrscher of Knowledge, the deaths of a few thousand people in the base are nothing,” Mebius said. “New researchers can take over the base’s knowledge, and veterans like Mebius and I are still alive. Kevin is alive too, and we don’t lack the technology to mass-produce ordinary fusion warriors.”

"Little lab rat, what gives you the right to blackmail us?"

She jokingly wanted to see Shen Liang's sad, upset, or even angry expression; she was actually somewhat looking forward to it.

Eve had never shown any intense emotions. This doll-like, beautiful boy had always been quiet, sensible, and obedient, to the point that Mébius always felt he hadn't matured enough. Mébius awaited, anticipated the moment when he would have a breakdown... that would mean he had made considerable progress in his ten years in the dream.

"Just because..." Shen Liang simply grabbed her ankle and said calmly, "I can let you truly become a Herrscher who stands on the side of humanity, and let you truly study the power of the Herrscher."

Möbius was taken aback, first flashing a sweet smile, then composed himself: "Not enough."

"If you help me, I'll teach you how to extract the Herrscher core."

"not enough."

“I have already taken out the Herrscher Core, and I can give it to you directly.”

"not enough."

Shen Liang stared at her, while Sheshe calmly watched the boy in return.

"Give me a deal, Mebius."

Mebius covered her mouth, her delicate body trembling with laughter. "You're not even calling me 'Auntie' anymore... My poor little lab rat~ Are you angry?"

"No."

"Oh, no, so you don't even have the heart to be affectionate and polite with me anymore?" Mebius's eyes suddenly turned cold, and she raised her small and cute jade foot to kick Shen Liang's chin, sending him flying backward!

"cough!"

"Don't cough! Swallow the blood!" Mebius shouted angrily, commanding loudly like a roaring little tiger!

The 1.49-meter-tall boy covered his chin and swallowed the blood from biting his tongue. He could no longer maintain his composed demeanor; he was overwhelmed with pain, anger, and surprise.

Good morning snake.jpg

Chapter 46 How much longer is a snake's tongue than a human's?

Throughout the entire story of the Moth of Flame, Eve's most feared guardian is Dr. Möbius, even after she has been transformed into a little girl.

Her way of thinking is different from anyone else in the base.

Shen Liang couldn't understand Möbius. This alluring and seductive vixen didn't pamper him like Mei or anyone else. She was sometimes languid and sometimes ruthless, unpredictable in her moods. Everyone in the base more or less respected Möbius. Shen Liang spent most of his time in the Infinite Experimentation Lab dealing with Danzhu, Cangxuan, Klein, and Blanca, and he was very worried about encountering Möbius and being dragged under her arm onto the operating table.

But in most cases, Mebius would simply give him anesthesia and strap him to the operating table. When he woke up, he would find that Mebius had taken off his mask and gloves and was smiling, saying that the surgery was over and that he was now a girl. He could feel it if he didn't believe him.

Shen Liang rarely saw him so angry; Mebius rarely got this angry with him... Shen Liang suddenly felt like he had done something wrong.

“Give me a condition, Möbius. Heh…give me a condition, Möbius.” Möbius leaned back in his chair, his slender legs crossed and propped on the table, his fingers tapping lightly on his thighs. His emerald green snake eyes, unlike their usual wicked smile, were now icy cold. “A condition? Eve, what have I done to make you look down on me like this? Would you say that to May, Eden, or anyone else?”

"I just……"

“You just think I’m the most unconventional and the most trustworthy. But even so, you don’t respect me.” Mebius looked at the boy who was covering his chin, lifted his chin, and said sarcastically, “You were the first to wake up, the first person you thought of, but you asked me to solve the Herrscher problem for you. You like the Herrscher and want her to live, but you didn’t even consider how much I would have to pay for it. You even got so angry when I disagreed that you called me by my name… You don’t respect me. Although you call everyone by their names, this time is different.”

"I said I'd grant you any request." Shen Liang gritted his teeth. "For Aunt Mebius, aren't eight Herrschers to cooperate with you, and eight Herrscher cores to research? That's enough to advance the Moth's research on Honkai by ten years!"

"Shut up!" Snake roared in fury. Shen Liang even saw the faint phantom of a giant snake behind her, and he took a step back. He hadn't expected to anger Mebius to this extent; it looked like she was about to use a deliberate collapse technique.

Mebius stared at Shen Liang for a moment, then turned to look out the window. After a moment of silence, he turned back to Shen Liang wearily and said, "Okay, I overestimated your emotional intelligence over the past ten years. It seems your understanding of people is still as superficial and shallow as before... to the point that you don't even understand what respect is."

Shen Liang kept his mouth shut, not daring to make a sound.

“I personally performed the surgery for your birth; I brought you out of the womb; it was I and the eight of them who gave you your bones and blood.” Mebius’s tone was very soft. “If you come to me as the son of another, the Mebius sister you speak of will do anything to fulfill your request. You are my guinea pig, and Blanca is my assistant. As long as you are willing to speak, I will help you. I don’t need you to pay a price, I don’t need you to make a deal. I just need to know if you love me the way you love others.”

After a long eye contact, Mebius's alluring emerald green eyes scrutinized him as the small figure leaned back in the soft chair, remaining silent.

Is that so?

Shen Liang was filled with a strange sense of guilt. He finally realized the weariness and resentment that Mebius had felt over the years as he watched him grow distant.

Möbius wasn't some unfathomable monster; she simply hid her emotions. But Shen Liang's distance and indifference today finally enraged her, and she decided to teach this ignorant and foolish boy a lesson.

“Actually…” Shen Liang carefully chose her words, “I… I’m just very afraid of Aunt Mebius. I don’t… I don’t disrespect you, I just… I’m afraid to get close to her.”

"Daring not and unwilling are actually the same thing."

After struggling internally for a moment, Shen Liang finally stepped forward and looked at Mebius's slender feet, which were lazily outstretched. The bright green nail polish complemented the almost transparent white skin with visible veins.

"As a son of a man, do you love Aunt Möbius?"

“Isn’t this what you should take for granted? Rather, it’s a bit too late to make amends now, Eve.” Möbius smiled enigmatically, with a hint of expectation and tenderness, and arched his back even more.

Shen Liang glanced at her, made up his mind, picked up her perfect and lovely right foot, lowered his head and gently kissed the instep, then looked at the snake who was so satisfied that he could hardly contain his smile: "Mebius."

"Mmm~" You could tell from her voice that the snake-like loli was about to burst with pleasure.

Although the title still uses the four characters "Mebius" without the suffix, both Shen Liang and Mebius understand that this title actually represents that the two of them have broken through the hidden barrier between their hearts. The intimacy that was always separated by a layer has finally been torn away, and from now on there will be no more taboos, and the world will be clear and refreshing.

"Ouch, does it hurt? Come here and let me bandage you up~" Möbius took out a bandage, thought for a moment and then replaced it with a repair bandage. He patted the table and made Shen Liang sit on it, then leaned over and said with concern, "Why didn't you dodge? If I kick you, you should dodge. If I can't kick you, do you think I'll jump off the chair and chase after you to kick you? You need to learn to be flexible. Don't just bring your face close to mine when I'm angry."

Shen Liang laughed out loud, thinking to himself, "You're a fusion warrior, aren't you? You didn't give me any time to react when you kicked me."

"What's so funny?" Mebius rubbed his face, feeling even more heartache. If such a beautiful face were scarred, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I just felt that Aunt Mebius was arrogant at first but then became obsequious."

"Oh? So, little lab rat, do you prefer getting beaten up? I didn't expect you to have this kind of masochistic personality?"

"No, no, Aunt Mebius, you should still trim your toenails so you won't get hurt next time you kick me."

"No, no, no, to prevent you from getting hurt, I'll kick you next time!"

"It doesn't hurt..."

"Hmph, you little guinea pig, you really like my feet, don't you!"

They bickered and acted affectionately for a while, as if trying to make up for three years of estrangement, before finally remembering their business after half an hour.

"So, how exactly will Aunt Mebius help me?"

“Help you? I don’t recall agreeing to stand up for you,” Möbius chuckled.

Shen Liang was taken aback, but immediately realized, "Is there any way?"

"Instead of paying a high price to deal with those foolish council leaders, it's better to prove your worth to them," Möbius said calmly. "For example, most of my experiments have ethical issues, and even without considering ethical issues, my experiments are very costly. But the reason why Moth of Fire keeps providing me with samples is because my experiments have always been at the forefront of Honkai research. For example, I researched the artificial collapse of Fusion Warriors from Kosmos, at the cost of hundreds of Honkai Beasts and dozens of death row inmates... It emptied Moth of Fire's coffers, but it's nothing compared to the benefits."

"What does Aunt Mebius mean?"

"Although the higher-ups are foolish and corrupt, they know how to weigh the pros and cons. It's unlikely that your requests to them will be granted. But if you act first and report later to achieve results, they will punish your actions, but they will also consider your value. So, as long as acting first and reporting later makes you extremely valuable and indispensable... all your requests can be fulfilled."

Shen Liang didn't understand how the Fire-Chasing Moth worked; he just looked at Mebius with great anticipation.

"You want to use the Eighth Herrscher's abilities to blackmail the base? Impossible. Humanity won't compromise with the Honkai. You can't blackmail them; you have to... bribe them. When you were begging me before, you revealed that you could already store the Herrscher core inside your own body, right?" Mébius laughed. "Then tell me, if only you have the ability to extract the Herrscher core, and I can't research it, and if the Herrscher must be alive to separate the Herrscher core, do you think Blanca could survive?

Shen Liang looked at her admiringly, "Auntie, you're amazing."

"I've had enough of you calling me 'Auntie'! I'm younger than you now!"

"So how should we begin?" Shen Liang asked expectantly.

"You've already forgotten what I just said?" Mebius chuckled. "I'll act first and ask questions later. The key to the solitary confinement cell where the Herrschers are being held is now in my hands. Alicia and Sakura are in charge of guarding it. And after the internet is cut off, the activation information of various devices at the Fire Chaser Base will not be uploaded to the council. You don't need to worry about the UN throwing ten bunker-buster nuclear bombs at you after those Herrschers are released... Those Herrschers belong to you."

Shen Liang was slightly taken aback, feeling a dark joy welling up inside him. He blinked and looked at Möbius.

“You’re happy, aren’t you, Eve? You don’t have much reverence for mortal morality. Ordinary people and fusion warriors have only been able to quench your thirst for a little while.” Mebius lay on his chest, her slender fingers tracing the boy’s skin, her voice as seductive as a snake. “After all, you have to hide your wildness and pretend to be a well-behaved and cute child. But these Herrschers are people who have no reverence just like you. They expect your tyranny or your gentleness, and they certainly won’t break you.”

"Don't make me sound so barbaric..." Shen Liang said softly, "Thank you."

"What an honest kid, it's almost jealous of him," Möbius said, pursing his lips.

"But how am I supposed to get there?" Shen Liang hesitated. "The solitary confinement cell requires S-level clearance to open, and only a handful of people in the base have S-level clearance. I'm only A-level."