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

Do you hate her for imposing rules on you?

"Do not."

"Then why?"

Shen Liang couldn't explain the reason either, even though Eden tried to persuade him.

He looked at Eden, who looked back at him with a helpless expression.

Shen Liang suddenly asked, "Why do you always want me and Aponia to improve our relationship?"

Eden's expression betrayed his subconscious panic, a subtle change that Shen Liang seized upon, prompting him to press further: "What is so special about Mother Aponia to me?"

“No!” Eden’s tone became slightly serious, but he immediately realized that this would be even more abrupt, so he suppressed it and said softly, “But, Aponia is the same as us. We are all nine Primarchs, and we all love you. So, what makes you treat us differently?”

“I didn’t treat her differently; I just wasn’t familiar with her.”

"Really?" Eden remained noncommittal. "Then will you fall in love with her after you get to know her?"

Shen Liang thought to himself, "What a strange question."

“Doll, you were born into this apocalypse, and you possess its values. You were born with an insatiable appetite for everything, and the girls you’ve been involved with are countless,” Eden said softly. “I’m not criticizing you; after all, we raised you to be this way. The apocalypse needs people like you. But even with your untamed spirit, you still resist Aponia… Can’t you feel her beauty?”

Shen Liang confirmed that his feeling was correct. What did Eden mean by those words? It felt like Aponia had asked her to sound out the situation and act as a pimp. If he didn't know that someone like Aponia wouldn't do such a thing... But then what about Eden?

And... not just Eden.

Although Shen Liang's emotional intelligence was not perfect, his IQ was not lacking. He could sense that not only Eden, but also most of the Fire Moths, Alicia, Mei, Mebius, Blanca, Sakura... almost everyone was subtly trying to get him and Aponia to spend more time together and get closer.

"She is a nun, and for a nun to fall in love is considered impure in the code of conduct for clergy."

“But she doesn’t believe in God, she believes in justice,” Eden said softly. “And I don’t remember our little wolf being someone who cares about the Bible. Many believers in the base even play with you in church just to please you.”

"That's too blasphemous," Shen Liang complained.

“So, baby, don’t change the subject.” Eden looked into the boy’s panicked eyes. “Why…why are you distancing yourself from her?”

Shen Liang knew she couldn't avoid it anymore.

He struggled to find the right words before slowly speaking: "Because... it's different. Although you all say the same thing, Mother Aponia... she's different from you."

Eden's heart tightened.

“I don’t know exactly how she’s different from you, but there’s definitely something different. When I’m with her, I feel nervous and afraid, not because of her abilities, but because of… her as a person. Even if she’s lost her power, even if she’s old and frail, even if she’s incredibly kind and gentle to me… I still feel like I can’t offend her…” Shen Liang said softly. “I have to stay away from her, because if I get close to her… I can’t resist her. Every time I’m with her, my instincts force me to submit to everything she does…”

"The power of the precepts?" Eden wondered, as the description sounded very similar to the precepts.

“No, it’s not a commandment. Mother Aponia never says ‘please’ to me.” Shen Liang closed his eyes. “It’s just… a simple feeling that I can’t refuse her. I’m so confused… This feeling isn’t forceful, but I subconsciously give in to it… This feeling tells me that if I refuse her request, if I resist her… she’ll be sad. Damn it, what does her sadness have to do with me? Why should I avoid making her sad? Is this some kind of deeper commandment?”

Eden fell silent.

A woman you can't refuse.jpg

Chapter Sixty-Three: I'm sorry, doll, I can only love you for such a short time.

After considering his words for a moment, Eden spoke: "Actually, this is just a degree of liking. Being unable to refuse any of Aponia's requests, being unable to resist her, in itself means that you have a great deal of affection for her subconsciously."

"Don't be ridiculous. Does that mean every weak person likes a strong person?"

"Then I'd like to ask you first, what are the reasons that would make you fall in love with someone?"

"You said it, I'll accept anyone who comes."

“No, it’s not desire, it’s love, it’s liking.” Eden said slowly, “I think you’ve slowly come to understand what liking means. Besides conforming to your aesthetic sense, there must be some other reason… Since you became the deputy commander of the Fire Chaser, people have flocked to you. World-class idol stars are not out of reach. You must have some other reason.”

Shen Liang gazed at the bright moon outside the window.

“I think a person’s time and energy are limited, so they can only meet a fixed number of people and then fall in love with them. Kevin said that when men and women spend a lot of time together, they will develop admiration, which is instinctive. So if time is limited, the number of people one can fall in love with can also be limited. I didn’t have time to spend with Aponia, so I won’t like her.” He said, spouting illogical nonsense. “I shouldn’t have feelings for her. As for desire… desire needs to be controlled. Many people have desires for many people, which is still instinctive, but suppressing instincts is the moral bottom line. Indulging in bestiality because of desire…”

"Don't change the subject, doll. I'm not asking for your opinion..." Eden said quietly. "I don't want to know if you want to like her or not. I'm asking if you actually like her or not?"

Shen Liang really didn't know what Eden was thinking, so persistently discussing Aponia and him? What could Aponia possibly have to do with him? That woman was inexplicably terrifying, and inexplicably made him want to distance himself from her.

But there was something else he kept to himself: he was actually very happy when Aponia hugged him tightly.

However, he was even more afraid of getting too close and truly making Aponia the same kind of intimate relationship he had with the other Primarchs... A voice in his heart was telling him that he couldn't get too close to Aponia, couldn't be attracted to her, and couldn't fall in love with her just because she was unconditionally good to him... If you really fall in love with this nun, you will fall into the abyss with her, and there will be no turning back in the truest sense.

“If you like her, then you must try. Don’t worry about being scared, feeling overwhelmed, or feeling pressured. Embrace the dark side of your heart.” Eden gently tightened her arms around the boy’s waist and slowly whispered in his ear, “This is the end of the world. Your values ​​don’t belong to the normal world, so you should be even more unrestrained… Our Son of Man is upright and honest. What is there to be afraid of? If you’re afraid, then conquer her. You both need each other. Why resist each other?”

"Embrace the darkness within?" Shen Liang repeated.

“If one day we (the crab) all die, the only one who can accompany you for thousands of years will be Aponia.” Eden kissed his earlobe. “Doll, she too. If you resist her, she will have to live alone for thousands of years… Why do that? What you want is a world where everyone is happy, so you should first make yourself happy… Make the people you love and the people who love you happy.”

"I won't let you die." Shen Liang grabbed the shoulders of the queen and rolled over, pinning her beneath him, staring into her eyes. "Don't think too badly of me! There's no 'what if.' Even if there were, I would face death with you. What about thousands of years of loneliness? I might live that long, but I don't want that."

“No… that’s not a happy world, that’s not what we expect,” Eden said to himself. “But I’m sorry, doll, the child of man… is created to experience this sadness and loneliness.”

Then she opened her arms and hugged the boy on her body, her smile somewhat provocative: "Let's not talk about these unhappy things anymore. Hmm, the more I talk about it, the more awake I become and the less I want to sleep... Are you sleepy already? Today isn't a safe period, you know."

Shen Liang stretched, tied her long hair behind her head, looked down at the queen-like woman with deep red hair, and gave her a friendly and cute smile.

Eden felt a chill in his heart, but it was too late to turn back.

Therefore, to make up for your millennia of sorrow and loneliness, we must create enough beauty and longing for you within the limited time we have. Only when you know how warm and wonderful the world is with us will you love this world out of love for us.

—I'm so sorry, doll, we took advantage of you.

—I'm so sorry, baby, I can only love you for such a short time.

—But baby, if we could, we'd want this moment to last forever even more than you do.

------------

"Who do you want to be the main server for the Paradise of the Past? Give me some reasons. I want to see who can endure loneliness for maybe tens of thousands of years. This is even more impractical than the Sanctuary Project. At least in the Sanctuary, people are asleep. The main server for Paradise of the Past needs to remain awake for tens of millions of years. What kind of consciousness can sustain that long?"

Inside the Infinite Laboratory, a mature, green-haired woman in a white lab coat crossed her legs in black stockings and coldly stared at Mei.

Mei was also dressed in a researcher's outfit, her uniform paired with sophisticated black pantyhose. There's a reason why adult women often prefer stockings at work; it's not just about looks or Shen Liang's personal preference, but also the benefits of preventing varicose veins from prolonged sitting, maintaining a good figure, and facilitating movement.

Möbius disliked wearing stockings when she was young, but ten years later she regained the figure of a mature woman in her twenties, and was ranked alongside May as one of the two most charming women among the researchers.

After all, ten years have passed, and everyone has changed except for Shen Liang, who is unable to grow up due to genetic issues.

“Human lifespan is limited, and the consciousness that the brain can bear is also limited. Only those who are extremely accomplished in the spiritual realm and can maintain mental stability on their own... spiritual perception fusion warriors,” Mei said in a low voice. “Only such people are qualified to become servers.”

"Who? There aren't many powerful psychic fusion warriors in the Firemoth faction to begin with. Sue? Desdobia? Or... Aponia?"

"Even a simple fusion warrior cannot withstand ten thousand years."

"nonsense!"

"Only those who have something to hold onto in their hearts can endure loneliness in the boundless darkness. Only those who have something to hold onto, important people and things in their hearts, and hope can persevere."

“I don’t think that a vague, macro-level narrative like ‘for the ultimate victory of mankind’ can be a person’s sustenance for millions of years.”

"Of course not. For humans, what can provide solace is usually not abstract things, but concrete people."

Mebius was taken aback.

“People are always most capable of feeling love from specific individuals. If you ask someone to sacrifice themselves for the lives of a million people thousands of miles away, they might not be willing, because abstract concepts lack tangible perception.” Mei gazed at the people coming and going at the Fire Chasing Base outside the corridor. “But if you ask someone to sacrifice their life for their child or their mother, probably three to five out of ten people would do it. Humans are never rational beings; they are emotional beings.”

"Your choice is Aponia?" Mebius was as clever as he was, and he realized it in an instant.

“Aponia has agreed.” May approached the railing wearily and pulled a photograph from her pocket. In the photograph, Aponia wore a “happy” smile that no one had ever seen before. She sat smiling on the swing, surrounded by Danzhu Cangxuan and Klein, who were all observing the swaddled baby she was holding.

The voluptuous giant snake was silent for a moment. "I'm not familiar with Aponia, but she is the most powerful psycho-sensory fusion warrior of the Firemoth. I know that even Kevin can't force her, so this was her own idea, right?"

“Eden provided the vessel for Paradise in the afterlife. She contributed the Golden Garden, and Vilvie was in charge of transforming the Golden Garden into Paradise in the afterlife.”

"Big dog."

“Eden said that only by leaving behind familiar things can our Son of Man feel the love we left him in the past.” Mei held a cup of iced coffee. “One day he will return to the Land of the Dead, look at the familiar garden, the familiar room, and remember all the little things we did together there, so many sweet moments… He was such a lonely child, he had so little, he thought of nothing but us all day long, and once he lost us, his heart was empty, there was nothing left… That’s why the Land of the Dead must exist, otherwise how painful it would be for him when he regains his memories.”

Mebius remained silent for a long time this time, and finally reached out to brush aside the bangs in front of Mebius's eyes, revealing her red-rimmed eyes.

“Am I being incredibly cruel, Mr. Mebius?” Mebius whispered. “Making an immature child the hardest part of the whole plan, trying to lock him up and make him love us. The more he loves us, the more pain and loneliness he will experience later.”

“That’s why Aponia was there for him.” Möbius took her hand, his tone unusually gentle. “Everyone experiences loss.”

"But he's mine... mine..."

Mebius looked at Mei, who was crouching down with her face covered, and she could understand the complex emotions in Mei's heart. She had made the doll fall in love with her, but love is mutual; one person's pain cannot remain unaffected by the other. Fourteen years of companionship, fourteen years of admiration—sometimes Mebius herself didn't know what kind of complex feelings they truly had for that boy: love, desire, maternal instinct, exploitation, guilt, expectation…

Countless emotions entangled me, and I was already reluctant to let go.

“It’s alright,” Mebius said, half-squatting down and cradling her head against his chest. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “He’s our little wolfhound, the brilliant son of man we raised together. He will win everything. It’s alright, Mebius. As long as he wins everything, everything we’ve lost in the end will come back.”

The climate at the Fire Chasing Base was gloomy, muggy, and humid today. Two women who loved the same boy embraced, warming their cold bodies.

It's so frustrating... but how can we fight against the end of the world without betting everything? Anyway, in the end, everything we've lost will be taken back by that child!

------------

Fifteen days later, it's Gretchen's birthday, and the Moths of Fire celebrate with her. Gretchen wishes for Kosmo to let go of his feelings for his brother's girlfriend, Daisy Dobia. Laughter fills the birthday party, and Kosmo eventually laughs helplessly, finally letting go of his feelings after a completely open and honest conversation with Shen Liang.

On the 69th day, Eden performed. Given that the whole world already knew that "Wawa" was the son of the deputy commander of Chasing Fire, Shen Liang was unwilling to go on stage. Later, due to the countless calls from the live streaming platform, he reluctantly went on stage. This was "Wawa's" first performance after his identity was revealed, and the ratings hit a new high.

In 114 days, major shelters around the world were built, and it is estimated that if they are not destroyed, they can ensure the survival of more than 100,000 people for tens of thousands of years.

After 126 days, some protested that the shelters were not designed to accommodate a large enough population. The Fire Moths claimed this was merely a precautionary measure and not intended for VIPs. This was indeed the case; the shelters were reserved for skilled scientists to preserve the seeds of civilization until its resurgence after the apocalypse. Each base could only accommodate between one and a hundred people, making them unsuitable as shelters for refugees.

One hundred and ninety days later, the American Plate drifted, and over a hundred million people were cut off from the world.

Two hundred and forty days later, the Moon Throne Project began to accelerate, hoping to shorten the ten-year development period to five years.

Three hundred days later, the son of a human was engaged to Sakura. Qianjie got drunk at the engagement banquet and later gave up his internal posting to join the field service unit. Before leaving, he played a basketball game with Shen Liang, winning 186-1, and thoroughly humiliated Shen Liang before leaving victorious.