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

At this moment, Kevin turned to look at him and suddenly smiled, "On the other hand, women are creatures that, if they spend a lot of time together, their hearts will naturally grow closer. So don't let any woman and man stay together for too long, no matter how different their age, status, or experience may be, they will always develop habits and attachments... Attachment can turn into love in just one step."

The word "attachment" stirred something in Shen Liang's heart. He wasn't really clueless about human relationships; a fool who was clueless about human relationships couldn't possibly build a harem.

Kevin's words, seemingly an explanation for his relentless pursuit of May, also answer other questions. Perhaps this is why goddesses like May and Eden, who never lack suitors, gradually drew closer to him? After all, he's the boy who has shared his bed since birth and confides all his secrets to him.

Without him, these proud women, shouldering their careers and responsibilities, would never have cared about the admiring glances of others. They were devoid of selfish desires, even if initially they only harbored the tender affection of women for their children. But he was the embodiment of selfishness. Even such doting tenderness would eventually transform into the flames of lust. Hearts would draw closer, feelings would intensify, and ultimately, things would spiral out of control.

Yes, everyone in the Moth Chaser can be considered a hero, but Shen Liang is not. He has no selfless qualities; from birth until now, he has always been a complete collection of selfish desires. All his actions stem from satisfying his own needs. He doesn't actually care about the lives of billions of people outside. He became this savior purely because it was convenient and because Mei wanted him to do so.

His world consisted solely of the Fire-Chasing Moths. As long as they protected him, it didn't really matter; his genetic prototype and his women were all here. He protected this place only to continue living in his blissful paradise, and he protected them primarily because they were his women—a man must protect his women.

It has nothing to do with how the world is.

Just as Mei keeps her personal life and work separate, Shen Liang can't really separate them. For him, there is no such thing as work, only personal matters. He is promoted and portrayed as a great and glorious son of man, but he only cares about a few people.

He's selfish and therefore not a hero at all.

Standing next to the true hero Kevin, Shen Liang felt a little ashamed. "I'm so sorry," he thought, "a selfish little thief like me stole the treasure a hero has always dreamed of since childhood. But great hero, you should go save the world. My little bit of happiness is enough for me."

"Kevin, you're unusually talkative today." After a long silence, Shen Liang took the initiative to start a conversation.

“Maybe. Did May ever tell you about the ‘Paradise of the Past’ project?” Kevin suddenly asked.

"A new plan to save the world?" Shen Liang was taken aback.

Kevin carefully observed his expression, then nodded. "It's nothing... it's just that Eve, I want to ask you to do a task. Please agree first."

Saying this meant that he wouldn't tell him what the mission was beforehand, so Shen Liang didn't hesitate and nodded, "Okay."

“You are the son of an immortal being, the closest person to Mei. No matter what, you must protect Mei.” Kevin stared at him. “You must let her live in a happy world, no matter the cost.”

For a moment, Shen Liang almost thought that Kevin had realized his relationship with Mei, but he only saw expectation in Kevin's eyes.

"I will make Mei happy." Shen Liang didn't understand what he meant, so she could only suppress her doubts and say calmly.

“No… I will go to meet her when that time comes,” Kevin whispered. “No matter how many years it takes, I will… Eve, you must promise me.”

Shen Liangxin thought, "When is this going to happen? This doesn't sound like someone entrusting their child to me before fighting the Herrscher of the End. Besides, if all of humanity is wiped out, entrusting my child to me won't help. And Mei is very happy now. Why does it feel like the Mei in your heart is still a lonely and weak student girl? She's always been working out. Although she's an ordinary person, she has a great figure with very defined abs. She can spar with a Fusion Warrior while wielding a katana, and she can lift me up with one hand when the door is closed!"

"But if I can't welcome Mei in the future, if I can't give her happiness in the future..."

It's not that you, Kevin, are so obsessed with "happiness" that you can't get out.

"Please let her live. You are a son of man. Since you have already shouldered all this, you should be prepared to bear this responsibility. No, I believe you will do it. After all... you are Eve who carries so many of May's hopes and so much love. You won't be willing to lose her, will you?"

"Yes." Shen Liang answered decisively this time, knowing that no one would doubt her answer this time.

"That's good."

Shen Liang turned around and looked at the white-haired man with a tired tone. He was sitting on the other side of the reef with his back to Shen Liang. His back was straight, and he looked both thin and fragile with hope.

The sound of the ocean tide remains the same.

Suddenly, both of their terminals lit up at the same time, displaying only one sentence.

"The Thirteenth Lawyer has been discovered."

----------

"All council members are here. How is the shelter plan going, Vilvie?" In the conference room on the top floor of the building in Zone A1 of the Fire Moth, May was the first to ask.

"The fifth Divine Key has been completed. Based on the doll's idea, I designed it to be in the style of a hibernation pod, so that the person hiding inside can enter the next civilization after the world is destroyed."

"The Ark Project report review is also in its final stages, and we will report on the progress."

"The Simonov engine is ready, and the spacecraft codenamed 'Noah' is hovering at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Asia. To be precise, it can take off at any time in case of disaster. The gene pool of the species on the spacecraft has also been copied, and the independent ecosystem has been built. If the spacecraft does not malfunction, the ecosystem should be able to continue indefinitely."

"Who's the candidate? Hmm, Kosmo?"

“I disagree. I believe that as a top-tier fighter of the Firemoth, I should not choose to run away when faced with the end of the world. In contrast, I think that younger and weaker children, such as Eve or Gretchen, should be the executors of the Ark Project.”

“But I’m not weak,” someone interjected.

"The doll has her own plans to complete, so the candidate is out... Gretsch? Möbius, what's your opinion?"

"Regarding the decision concerning Blanca, well, it's not suitable to discuss it in Parliament. My opinion is that it should be discussed again."

"Then who's in charge of the Stigmata Project?"

"If a plan that can't be implemented in this era really needs to be implemented in the future, well... Mei, I think it's better to leave it to Kevin. Although the plan originated from my Infinite Experimentation Laboratory, to be honest, so far only Doll has been produced as an ideal experimental subject. Well, I'm not very optimistic about it."

"Kevin?"

"Okay, I will do it if I have the opportunity."

"Project Fireseed, Hua?"

"With the shelter project completed, I naturally have no problem. However, if I can still reach the shelter alive, I apply to go to the East Asian shelter, which is my home. If the flame of civilization is to be revived, I would prefer to choose a race that is not too different from mine, so that communication can be easier."

"You can decide the details yourselves." Mei tapped the table lightly to attract everyone's attention.

"Next, I will announce the progress of several projects at the base. Currently, eleven of the twelve Divine Keys have been completed. The Herrscher Core extracted from Sakura's sister, Ling, cannot be activated yet. This may be because Ling was not twisted into a Herrscher consciousness, so the Herrscher's subconscious remains on the core, affecting our processing of it. However, the other eleven Divine Keys have been put into use."

"The Moon Throne Project is progressing steadily. After about another ten years of production, the mass-produced Moon Thrones will be able to absorb planetary-level Honkai energy. This is our most important project at present. Unlike those projects based on the post-apocalyptic world, it can help us defeat the theoretically existing Herrscher of the End."

The atmosphere in parliament was not enthusiastic, even when discussing major issues such as the end of the world.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that no one really listened attentively to the salvation plan that had been explained countless times. Instead, they looked with various curious and complicated gazes at the pink fairy who was holding the handsome black-haired, red-eyed boy with a helpless expression and a grinning face.

Alicia sat on a chair at the end of the long table, holding Shen Liang on her lap, humming a little tune in his ear while smilingly observing everyone.

If you look closely, you'll see that her feet are handcuffed to the chair. Although these shackles, which aren't even made of Soul Steel, are only symbolic to a fusion warrior, if you look up, you'll see that Shen Liang's right hand is also handcuffed to her right hand.

So Shen Liang had to be held and rubbed in Alicia's arms in front of so many people. He couldn't run away, so he could only turn his head into a bra for Alicia to place her heavy, soft breasts.

This is the unique power of the Son of Man: through extremely close contact with a Herrscher who has undergone gene fusion, he gains the recognition of their Herrscher core and steals it from their body. And right there in the conference room, Aponia, who rarely leaves prison in her lifetime, sat beside her with her eyes closed, a white cross about half her height beside her.

The eleventh Divine Key, the Key of Binding, the Oath of Judah, has an ability similar to that of the Herrscher of Binding: "Suppressing Honkai energy reactions within a certain range."

Son of Man, Aponia, the Key of Binding.

Moth Chaser unleashed its three ultimate limiters for Herrschers, all for this moment, to suppress the charming and alluring Thirteenth Herrscher.

"I'm telling you, I'm really getting shy with everyone staring at me and the doll like that." Alicia smiled and pinched the boy's cheek in her arms again. "But I have to say, you guys are really bold, just stuffing the doll into my arms like that. I'm a Herrscher, you know. Aren't you afraid that if the doll can't suppress me, I might 'snap' it and... hehehe, take it down!"

Chapter 59 Ellie: My husband is so handsome!

Despite this, no one in the council reacted; some even curled their lip in disapproval.

“The Herrscher who is captured by the doll has a stronger suppressive force than the Key of Restraint. If even the doll can’t control you, then we can’t stop you from taking action if you want to.” Velvi rolled her eyes but said politely, “If you want to take action, then please do so first. The doll’s life is in your hands and we promise not to interfere.”

"That's really too much to say."

"Then do it yourself, why do I have to urge you?"

Hearing Virvi's aggressive tone, Alicia pouted unhappily, but she had no way to continue agreeing.

This group saw right through her; they knew she couldn't possibly harm Shen Liang. Although she put on a good show, it was all just for show. As the Thirteenth Herrscher, if she truly wanted to do something, she wouldn't have revealed her identity, much less obediently accepted the restrictions… Now, everyone in the council was more curious about why she chose to expose herself. As an undetectable Thirteenth Herrscher, she could have simply hidden herself and waited for a crucial moment to betray them, posing the greatest threat.

"What else could it be? There are already more than a few Herrschers who have chosen to become human-side Herrschers." A researcher said lazily. "Think about it carefully. Counting the Herrschers currently contained in her base, there are already twelve. Among them, the Herrscher of Death, the Herrscher of Flame, some Herrschers of Domination, and the Herrscher of Corruption have completely defected to us. What's wrong with a few more?"

There is actually another Herrscher of Knowledge, Blanca, but this is a secret known only to a few. Most people believe that Mebius did not leave any survivors, and even once felt sorry that Eve did not complete the entire series of Herrscher girls' strategies.

But the probability of them turning against him is so high that it's no longer surprising. The Herrscher of Death, SEELE, has been taught by Doll to call him "brother" even though she's the older sister, and despite her sullen face, she's actually quite obedient. The Herrscher of Flame, Himiko, has been trained to regain her human rationality, and although she still doesn't like humans, she's secretly living with Hua. The Herrschers of Domination are numerous and are the least affected by the Honkai, with most of them already back to their daily work. And the Herrscher of Corruption happens to be Sakura's sister; Doll has witnessed countless times leaving the dormitory of these two Asian sisters in the mornings...

It wasn't that they possessed the so-called "calmness of the strong," but rather that they had witnessed Shen Liang's ability to subvert the "Herrscher special attack," and their hearts had become accustomed to big news. In recent years, even the official media of the Fire Moth had hardly publicized the terrifying threat of the Herrschers. After all, if the outside world knew that the radiant and holy Son of Man had to accompany the evil Herrschers every week for various purposes... the resulting overwhelming public doubt and despair would probably be no less than a collapse caused by the Herrscher of Knowledge.

"However, we still need to be careful. Currently, the Herrschers we can influence are basically those whose Herrscher cores have been taken away by the doll, losing their connection with the Imaginary Dimension, which means they have completely become ordinary people, and only then can they accept personality modifications."

"Miss Alicia, your Herrscher power hasn't been lost yet, but you're behaving like an ordinary person? Is this some kind of disguise?"

“I agree with this view because there is a precedent for this. The Herrscher of Death, SEELE, would pretend to be a timid and cowardly girl to deceive the researchers, and even deceive Kevin. If the doll hadn’t forcibly taken away her Herrscher core and exposed her conspiracy before it could erupt, we might have suffered heavy casualties.”

"It's not impossible. Even if you, Ms. Alicia, truly retain human consciousness and are aware of your Herrscher identity, and actively cooperate with the investigation, it's still difficult to guarantee that you won't cause a disaster. For example, Ms. Sakura, your sister Ling has a genuine human consciousness that dominates, but after we extracted the Herrscher core, we learned that the Herrscher of Corruption's abilities will likely activate after death, transforming into a virus that infects humans and all microwaves."

"You mean, Miss Alicia's ability triggering method might be another special case. Although she maintains her humanity and rationality, it's possible that her rational actions could ultimately lead to unpredictable consequences?"

"The abilities of Herrschers are unpredictable. If it weren't for the Key of Binding here, I wouldn't even be willing to attend this meeting."

"But Alicia can't be a dangerous entity. If she really wanted to harm us, she wouldn't need to be exposed. With her authority, she could do too many things. Perhaps I need to remind you that as the second strongest Fusion Warrior, whether Alicia dies or becomes a Herrscher, the cost to me is about the same."

“Ms. Eden, you and Miss Alicia are good friends. Your opinion in this discussion is suspected of being biased.”

"As the largest individual investor in Moth Chaser, shouldn't I have some right to express my views in Parliament?"

"Eden is awesome! We definitely disagree with treating Ellie as a Herrscher! Herrschers are locked in solitary confinement and have their collarbones pierced with Soul Steel!"

“Miss Padophilia, watch your words. We need to speak from the perspective of the Firemoth, not by mixing in the personal relationships of the Fusion Warriors!”

The discussion gradually grew louder. Unlike the usual plans, Alicia was the focus of the meeting. Everyone spoke freely, some casually, some banging on the table, occasionally taking a sip of water and glancing at the pink-haired fairy who was holding her little wolf dog and laughing as if the conversation wasn't about them at all.

Just as the argument was getting louder, the sound of knuckles lightly tapping the table rang out. Although it was very soft, everyone subconsciously looked up at the woman sitting at the head of the long table.

May tapped the table three times, signaling for silence. Even the UN Secretary-General, during his inspection tour, couldn't wield such authority in this parliament, but May's imposing presence swept through the room, immediately reminding everyone who the true master of the fire was.

Mei raised her head and looked around, then said calmly, "This won't lead to any conclusions. I don't think anyone can bear the responsibility of losing one of our top combatants, so let's put the question to the person in question first—Alissia, what's your statement?"

After a moment of silence, everyone took their seats and turned to look. Indeed, it was time to listen to Alicia's explanation... although it was rather strange to listen to a Herrscher in the council.

Alicia was playing a game with Shen Liang. Since both of their right hands were handcuffed, if they wanted to eat the apple on the table, one of them had to hold the knife and the other the apple. Peeling an apple with one hand is difficult enough, but even as fusion warriors, they had to be careful not to cut each other's hands.

Alicia whispered something in Shen Liang's ear with a laugh. Shen Liang leaned against her soft embrace and steadily spun the apple, keeping the peel intact. The two of them were so intimately whispering in each other's ears that everyone else was speechless.

“Ellie,” Eden chuckled softly as he reminded her.

Shen Liang, embarrassed, resumed his solemn expression from the meeting. Alicia looked regretfully at the apple that was just one last turn away from peeling completely, and then took a bite.