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

"Well, I have to say that today was supposed to be my turn to take care of Doll, so what I did was completely in accordance with the rules," Alicia said with a smile. "After all, I am Doll's girlfriend, and it's natural to want to get closer to her when she sits on my lap. Anyone with experience would understand, right?"

Not many people reacted; everyone was familiar with Alicia's style, and even as a Herrscher, she hadn't changed.

Besides, no one's stupid. Although they haven't gotten engaged yet, Alicia and Eve's undisguised intimacy has already made it all too clear. Moreover, Alicia's best friend is Eden, who was so bold as to be the first to publicly announce their relationship. Considering that Doll always spends time with the two of them, it's not hard to guess.

"Well, what everyone wants to ask is simply why I exposed my Herrscher identity? That's an interesting question. Before this, I think everyone would agree with the idea that if I refused to be investigated, there would be almost no one in the entire Flame Chaser who could stop me, right?" Alicia said with a smile. "Even Kevin wouldn't be enough. It would take at least several Fusion Warriors to catch me."

No one can deny that Alicia is the second-ranked Fusion Warrior. Even Qianjie, who loves fighting and dares to tear apart Herrschers, has to admit that she is weaker than her.

"In other words, it's because I surrendered that everyone can bully a beautiful girl as delicate as a flower. So what's the point? I can do whatever I want, regardless of whether I'm a Herrscher or not."

“That’s right,” a clerk chimed in, “that’s exactly why you’re still alive.”

"Because I love everyone." Alicia gazed sincerely at everyone with her sky-blue eyes. "I don't want to run away or fight, because then I can't continue to love everyone, and I can't let everyone love me. That's not fun at all. Just thinking about how such a cute kid like Doll has to go through all that pain, difficulty, inner turmoil, and all sorts of emotions to hunt me down, only to capture me and then, in extreme sorrow, push me down and extract my Herrscher core... oh dear... that's not fun at all. I don't want Doll to torture himself like that... Hmm, but it seems kind of interesting too. Maybe this little playboy Doll deserves some inner torment. He's taken in so many cute girls without considering our feelings at all; he has to pay some price!"

That was such a nonsensical answer; you could tell from their expressions in the meeting room that they were very dissatisfied.

"Don't use such a hypocritical excuse! Even if we don't know whether you're leaning towards humanity or the Herrscher right now, do you think we'd believe that reason?"

"Then what do you want to believe?" Alicia countered.

The researcher was stunned, but couldn't say anything.

"Whatever answer you want, I can do it. Whether you want me to be a Herrscher, plotting a grand conspiracy; whether you want me to have human consciousness but possess Herrscher power; or whether I'm simply a Herrscher who leans towards humanity... it doesn't matter, but no matter which one I choose, you won't believe me anyway." Alicia spread her left hand. "Then is there any point in questioning me?"

“Hmm,” May said, “So, according to you, why did you hide it before?”

This sentence jolted everyone awake; there was such a detail. Alicia didn't become a Herrscher recently; she became one a long time ago, and it's highly likely that her immense power is due to the enhancement of Herrscher power?

When did she discover that she was a Herrscher? Or rather, what was her mindset when she first became a Herrscher and infiltrated the upper echelons of the Flame Chaser?

Still saying you weren't plotting something?

“Because… I’m lonely.” Alicia stroked the boy’s long hair in her arms and said softly, “You’ll definitely be scared if you’re alone.”

Some people in the conference room had serious expressions, while others sneered.

“Herrschers also need to be among people to feel alive. To have a human appearance, to have human qualities, to breathe like a human, to live like a human. I just wanted to do that, so I did it. If you ask me what my plans are, I… probably don’t have any plans.” Alicia smiled slightly. “You might not believe it, but I was probably a little earlier than the first Herrscher you discovered.”

"The earliest Herrscher?"

"That's a story from a very, very long time ago. Hmm, a beautiful girl like me should have a beautiful story. One day, the stars and moon brought the daughter of the gods, promising her to be the companion of the Son of Man. So the long wind became her chariot, and the four seas became her garden. Birds brought seeds of goodness, and a hundred flowers wove hymns of love. And so she was born into the world, walking barefoot on the earth, traveling with the Son of Man, and sprouting with the world..."

Alicia recited with intonation, while Mei adjusted her glasses. After removing too many adjectives and personal touches about the doll, what Alicia was saying was probably how she was born.

She was the first Herrscher, born between heaven and earth, and raised as an orphan from a young age. Perhaps it was because she had always lived among humans that, even though she was aware of her differences from humans, she remained steadfast in her identity as a "human".

She came to the Moth of Fire not for any particular purpose, but simply because there were many people like her here, and she was not an outcast.

It's enough to not be an oddball; you can make friends if you're not an oddball.

“I know you don’t believe me,” Alicia said lazily, glancing around so no one could see the slight melancholy in her eyes. “Actually… I shouldn’t have gone public now. According to my long-held belief, I should have appeared at the very very end. Hmm… I should have had a grand funeral, a time when everyone is in despair. I would become a common enemy, and then use my death to gather everyone’s last hope, to unite everyone against the final end… But…”

Alicia smiled with relief, "But... it's strange, even though I had this premonition, as time went by, the world was not the same as I imagined. I found that... even when the end of the world came, even when the Herrschers appeared one after another, everyone... wasn't desperate at all."

She was confused.

Alicia, the first Herrscher, was confused. She was connected to countless senses by the Imaginary Space. She was born from the earth, and theoretically, the future that this earth gave her could not be wrong.

But no one in this world is in despair, even as the continent of Mu sinks, even as Australia is engulfed in flames, even as people are trapped in major cities.

Yet the world continues to thrive. Eden continues to hold her concerts, attracting countless viewers; Hawaii continues to offer tourism, with beaches teeming with sunbathers every year. Humanity is forever victorious; even the Herrschers can only be captured and become Eve's beloved pets, while the Firemoths are powerful, united, and fearless even in death.

Why is the world so joyful before the end of the world?

She found out later.

Alicia is actually a little narcissistic. She once thought she was a goddess sent from the stars and moon, until she met the Son of Man who was favored by all things.

No one needs to sacrifice.

No one needs to take any risks.

No one needs to be great.

Unity can be achieved in another way, without needing anyone to play a charming villain. With pure radiance and holiness, and a touch of indulgence that is not meant to be shared with outsiders, the Son of Man fulfilled everything the goddess expected.

"You once lived in a land of light and happiness, radiant with unparalleled brilliance, surpassing the brilliance of the stars. You should ally with me, united against our common enemy, and fight in the glorious cause." Alicia softly chanted a divine hymn of praise. "Humanity needs a leader, one who, with absolute will, guides the human race forward. I originally thought this would involve countless hardships, even witnessing the solitary sacrifice of heroes, but... I seem to have been wrong. I seem... I can rely on a power outside of myself."

The meeting room erupted in uproar. Apart from the fusion warriors, most council members were not moved by this weak and feeble explanation, and even thought that Alicia was using clumsy means to change the subject.

Shen Liang looked up at her, almost laughing.

"Ellie...am I that important to you?"

But he didn't say it aloud; he just gently nuzzled her chin.

Alicia hugged him and whispered, "If I die, you have to do your best."

Shen Liang chuckled to himself.

Then he suddenly snapped his handcuffs, stood up, faced everyone, and his voice resonated throughout the room: "Since no one can reach a decent conclusion, I request to take charge of Alicia's care. I will prove with my actions whose side Alicia is on. I will manage her Herrscher core, and I will be responsible for any consequences arising from her actions."

"Are you kidding me! You'll take responsibility? Can you afford to take responsibility for the disasters a Herrscher can cause?" Someone immediately slammed their hand on the table and stood up, but the next second they were forced back by Shen Liang's cold gaze.

“You can reject my application, but I will force it through with my authority as deputy commander. If the council uses force to block my actions, I will resign as deputy commander and refuse to cooperate with any future operations of the Firemoth.” The boy’s tone was icy cold. “Now you can weigh whether Alicia’s betrayal of humanity or my refusal to serve humanity is more serious.”

Alicia watched his retreating figure, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

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Chapter Sixty: Is it a bit much to be jealous anytime, anywhere, and for any reason...?

In the afternoon, in an indoor shopping mall in the CBD of a human city near the Moth of Fire.

Shen Liang opened the door to the dressing room, walked out with a cold expression, and stood up straight in front of two women whose eyes showed surprise.

"Great! Hehehe, as expected of my little wolfhound, he looks good in everything! Doll, I told you long ago that even if Eden and the others have good taste, they will get tired of the same style. You should experience more of the beautiful human sentiments like me~" Alicia clapped her hands.

"Is this alright?" Shen Liang turned around in a circle at her direction.

"Try this one? Yes, yes, the shoulders should be exposed... What? Boys can't show their shoulders? What kind of conservative opinion is that? You show your shoulders when you wear a tank top and bathrobe, don't you? Try it on, try it on."

"And this one! This one is a cropped style, it's so cute... Children's clothes? Children's clothes are fine too, as long as it's pretty."

"Okay, let's change our hairstyles and put together a few more outfits. We just had a high ponytail, let's try it down this time... Not much, not much at all. It's normal for girls to buy more than a hundred pieces of clothing a year... The same goes for cute boys! Don't you want to try it on? If you don't, Sister Alicia will be angry. Tonight, you'll become a Herrscher! Tonight!"

Because she was going out, Aponia, dressed in a simple and conservative dress, pushed a shopping cart over, which was piled high with more than a dozen shopping bags, all containing matching outfits. Given the aesthetic sense of the members of the Fire Moth group, they never buy clothes as sets; they always mix and match individual pieces, and they are especially meticulous in selecting items for their dolls.

Although she was attacked by the Fire Chasing Council, Alicia's optimism was not affected in the slightest. On the contrary, she was even happier about being temporarily suspended from her duties. After the meeting in the morning, she urged Shen Liang to go on vacation in the afternoon. Alicia smiled smugly all day long, since Shen Liang just happened to belong to her today.

"Wear this, wear this, my good girl, my good girl, show me these cool strappy hot pants. How about this, in exchange, I'll buy you that black embroidered cheongsam nightgown that Mei has, and you can wear it?" Alicia pushed the helpless-looking Shen Liang into the dressing room, then turned to Aponia and said with a smile, "Aponia, it's rare to come out and have fun, don't look so serious."

“Daughter… Eve was a bit too hasty today, and her consideration was insufficient.” Aponia closed her eyes slightly. In public, to avoid attracting attention, she never closed her eyes completely, but rather opened them halfway to show that she could still see where she was going—although her tall and outrageously voluptuous figure alone was enough to draw attention. “To comfort you, he didn’t hesitate to openly threaten the council with himself. This will give people grounds to say that he is not entirely human, and now that he is standing up for the Herrscher, he feels even more like an ‘outcast’.”

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts, that’s one of the most common sayings among Asians, but there’s nothing we can do about it, since this saying is usually true.” Alicia said with a smile, “After all, the baby is too young, at most... he’s only been born for a little over ten years, so it’s normal for him to be young and impetuous.”

"Fourteen years, one month, and seven days," Aponia said calmly.

Alicia looked at her, her eyes gradually softening. "You... well, although his body and mind are basically mature, he's still a young and naive child after all. But I'm so happy that he's willing to do this... The feeling of being protected by a man is like a bee trapped in a honey pot."

“Ellie, you should be the one protecting her.”

"Waaaa, I'm going to cry! I'm a vulnerable group too! Herrschers have always been the vulnerable group in front of the Flame Chaser. My dear Aponia, you don't care at all about me being surrounded and attacked. You only care about the doll. You've been so biased ever since you got the doll!" Alicia chuckled. "But, since we're already here, won't you pick out a few clothes for the doll? After all, it's been so many years."

This statement is somewhat abrupt and inexplicable.

Aponia stared at the clothes in the shopping cart, lost in thought. After a long while, she shook her head, and then, as if to confirm her meaning, she nodded.

“Yes, after all these years, he’s been out there, and I’m in the deepest part of the world. We barely see each other once a year,” Aponia said in a low voice. “Forget it. I don’t understand the tastes of people in this era at all, and I don’t know anything about his physique. He… doesn’t need me, and he wouldn’t like me.”

"How will you know if you don't try?"

“I tried it. A long time ago… I knitted a white scarf and asked Gretchen to deliver it to me when she went out, but the next day, Gretchen came back with the scarf.”

"You don't like the doll?"

“He’s too small. I didn’t know how fast he was growing. I thought Alicia said he was growing fast, so I knitted clothes for him according to the size of a ten-year-old. But I didn’t expect that he was already fifteen years old at that time. The gift… was never given out.” Aponia smiled silently. “He’s grown so fast, baby. He’s so tall in the blink of an eye. I can’t use any of the clothes I prepared. Every time I finish a piece and look at his picture, I think… But it’s okay. At least Alicia, you’ve taken good care of him.”

She exclaimed softly, "Much better than me."

Alicia looked at her and for some reason felt that her eyes didn't only show joy, but rather a lot of loneliness.

She suddenly remembered a joke she'd shared with others earlier. Paddo had said that having the doll take turns on duty every week was a bit too much. Velvet laughed and said that hundreds of years ago, people would have prayed to a nun to repent for their sins by sharing and teasing the doll like that. Then Paddo jumped in and said, "No, no, no! How can you pray to a nun? If you pray to another nun, she might forgive your sins or even envy you. But the nun closest to us is Sister Aponia! Pray to her? If she knew about our relationship with the doll, she'd probably open her eyes in fury and kill us all!"

But it was just a joke, and Aponia never objected to their capriciousness. Rather, she was secretly pleased, with a sense of relief and happiness that seemed to say, "Wow, you're amazing! You've really grown up. You should get along well, don't fight, and don't break up." This feeling made Alicia and the others feel a strange, indescribable sense of superiority when they looked at Aponia. Even though they were colleagues, they felt... inexplicably overshadowed.

Aponia was indeed the person furthest from Eve, both being among the nine Primarchs, yet she sealed herself away in the Deepest Abyss due to the uniqueness of her abilities. Alicia sometimes found it hard to imagine how Aponia could endure the longing inherent in a woman's bones in that cold and lonely place... So later, Blanca and Gretchen simply entered the Deepest Abyss, accompanying Aponia as ordinary people, and Aponia's care for Gretchen revealed her love for children.

But she didn't even spend as much time with Eve as Grey.

"It's alright. Now that you're out, you can..." Alicia thought for a moment, "...interact with the doll more."

But what could they possibly communicate? Alicia didn't know either. Aponia's personality was among the most difficult to get along with... She was a fusion warrior wielding the most terrifying mental abilities, and also an extremely devout nun. Therefore, she adhered to her moral code in many ways, making her actions both compassionate and dangerous. Nobody wanted to encounter Aponia; they might be subjected to some inexplicable suggestion or other form of criticism from her.

Although Aponia rarely interferes with others' will, danger is still danger, and even a child she loves, like Shen Liang, inevitably distances himself from her. Alicia knows this is a very sad thing; as the son of a noble person, one of the people Shen Liang fears is Aponia, a sense of repression ingrained in his genes.

Three thousand precepts etched into her mind were imposed by her own hand. These shackles were placed on Shen Liang while he was still curled up in the amniotic fluid, his eyes still closed, thus profoundly severing their relationship.

"No need," Aponia said casually, ending the conversation.

At this moment, Shen Liang had already changed into his last outfit and came out. Alicia immediately stepped forward to straighten his sleeves, looked at the exquisitely dressed little boy, and then nodded in satisfaction, kissed his forehead, and casually tore off the tag.