Let's Lay Our Cards on the Table

Compared to my previous experiences with bloodletting, this is completely insignificant.

"Okay, okay, be good, it'll be over soon~~"

Mobius was in a really good mood, and he even had the energy to coax Kalpas like a child—and then Kalpas frowned.

However, Kalpas still endured it and let Mobius finish drawing blood.

"A blood test will suffice; a physical exam is unnecessary. I'm afraid this kid will smash up my lab."

Mobius handed the syringe to Danzhu and told her to keep it safe.

"Hotter than I imagined..." Danzhu complained, feeling the vial of "hot blood" in her hand.

"Okay, honey, is there anything else?"

"... That's all. I'll just introduce Kalpas to you all."

Liu Bai felt that Kalpas might really have a hard time integrating into this group.

"Are you staying overnight?"

"No thanks, I don't want to hear my Lover Vil-V's nagging when I get back tomorrow," Liu Bai surrendered.

To be honest, if he had a body, Liu Bai might be interested in spending the night together, but he didn't in the Previous Era.

Inviting someone to stay overnight is purely to spite them.

"When did that little fry Vil-V get to control you? — By the way, I want to choose Elysia for the second Fusion Warrior. Before you leave, help me persuade her."

Just as Mei thought of her junior brothers and sisters first when talking about the next Fusion Warrior, Mobius's first thought was Elysia, that "annoying little devil".

Why use a word like "deceive"?

"Because trying to reason with her and appeal to her emotions would give me a headache."

It's not that they can't talk, it's that Mobius simply doesn't want to talk to Elysia. It's really hard to say whether that guy has a brain or not.

"Anyway, darling, you can go and lie to her. You're allowed to say some sweet words."

"... Never mind, I'll try to persuade her. You guys help me send Kalpas back."

"No problem—if Kalpas is willing to cooperate."

"I don't care."

"... Has this guy already reverted to a childlike mentality?" Mei muttered uncomfortably.

"Hello~~ Liu Bai, it's been a long time!" Elysia smiled brightly as she looked at Liu Bai who appeared beside her. "Is there something you need? Or did you just miss me?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Wrong answer! Try again!"

"...miss you."

"Bingo~~ A too-straight-man answer won't win a girl's heart—so, what brings you here to see this beautiful girl, Liu Bai?"

Elysia rested her chin on her hand and looked at Liu Bai with a smile.

"The Fusion Warrior Project was a success, Mobius has become Fusion Warrior." Liu Bai got straight to the point. "Mobius hopes you can become the second Fusion Warrior, and I will protect you along the way."

"Hmm... it worked." Elysia was quite familiar with what Mobius was working on.

"Is it inconvenient? I can help you find an excuse."

Liu Bai noticed a slight hesitation in Elysia's tone, but he wasn't surprised, since he knew perfectly well that Elysia had secrets.

Elysia immediately shook her head. "No, it's very convenient, but a beautiful girl like me must be matched with a perfect Honkai Beast, right? Hmm, ask Dr. Mobius for some time, I need to find a Honkai Beast worthy of my beautiful girl status!"

Chapter 391 Showdown

"... This is the kind of suitable Honkai Beast you were talking about?"

Liu Bai looked at the somewhat disheveled Elysia and the Honkai Beast organization on the ground, whose remains were tattered but whose former power could still be felt from their remains.

More than a month later, Elysia finally managed to get her hands on Honkai Beast organization that suited her.

"Haha... It's just a Judgment-Class Honkai Beast."

"... Say that again, is this Judgment-class?"

Liu Bai pointed to the wreckage on the ground, saying, "Don't try to fool me. It's not like I haven't raised Judgment-Class Honkai Beast before."

"Um... okay, a little... a bit higher... the Apocalypse-Class."

Elysia lowered her head somewhat guiltily.

She also knew that in this day and age, the fact that she could hunt down Apocalypse-class Honkai Beast all by herself was truly astonishing.

In the past, when hunting Judgment-class enemies, at least the credit could be shared with those providing fire support, but with the Apocalypse-Class...

Elysia can definitely hunt alone, but if there are other people around, she might not be able to take care of them.

"But these are minor issues! I've already arranged everything!"

"—For example, altering Mobius's memories?" Liu Bai crossed his arms, looking like he was watching a performance.

"You're welcome, dear Liu Bai."

Elysia scratched her head.

"But there's nothing we can do about it, right? After all, we can't let Dr. Mobius discover her secret as a beautiful girl so easily."

"And also to find an excuse to conceal your power?"

"Hehehe..." Elysia gave a feigned silly smile.

"Apocalypse-class Honkai Beast... Mahādeva..."

"Huh? Liu Bai, how do you know this child's name?"

"Is it reasonable for a ghost like me to know a little about psychic abilities?"

Liu Bai, without batting an eye, uttered a nonsensical remark.

"But are you just going to keep this a secret forever?"

"... Because it's really hard to talk about a beautiful girl's secret." Elysia looked troubled. "Please, Mr. Liu Bai, tolerate my whim this once... As payment, I can show you my chest~"

"... Herrscher?"

Liu Bai looked at Elysia, who was hunching over and stretching her chest, and finally confirmed his previous fleeting guess.

"So you really are Herrscher, aren't you?"

"... As expected, you can't hide it from Liu Bai when he kisses you."

After a moment of silence, Elysia sighed, "I knew you'd find out sooner or later Liu Bai... Oh well, what can we do when we're so in sync?"

In just a moment, Elysia regained her usual liveliness.

"Yes, that's right, Liu Bai, you're right. I am Herrscher, and the first Herrscher to appear. If we were to rank them, I would be '0', or the Origin... but I prefer to be called the Herrscher of Human."

"Oh... is that a saying?"

Liu Bai rested his chin on his hand and began to think about the people who had existed in the present civilization.

Herrscher of Human... but modern civilization doesn't have them, does it?

Could it be that Rita is a real, ordinary person?

—Liu Bai silently cursed the tower in his heart.

Is this a variable that is unreplicable in Previous Era, or is it that variable in current civilizations?

Hmm... this is inexplicably starting to get interesting.

"And what about their abilities?"

"Wish-fulfillment?" Elysia said uncertainly, "Anyway, it feels quite mixed. I seem to know a little bit of everything, but I'm not particularly strong at anything."

"Origin, human... Hmm, the possibility of humanity? That doesn't seem quite right... No, that's not important."

Liu Bai gave up thinking.

"A girl's secret is very important!" Elysia protested, pumping her fist.

"That's not what I meant."

Liu Bai sighed and reached out to hold Elysia down.

"Origin, Human... Aili, you've clearly touched on something more conceptual—you can commit illegal acts to a certain extent, right?"

"... It depends on the degree of the violation."

Elysia scratched her head, unusually a little out of sync with Liu Bai's train of thought.

"Putting everything else aside, what was that thing you gave me back then?" Liu Bai wanted to see how much Aili knew about his illegal actions.

"The future—I entrust the future to you, Liu Bai."

When this was mentioned, Elysia smiled.

Looking at that smile, Liu Bai was stunned for a moment, but then calmed down. "Although it's romantic, it's too vague."

"Really? I think that's quite detailed—I didn't use any metaphors, it's just that even I can't see clearly what the future truly holds for you, Liu Bai."

"..."

Liu Bai fell into a long silence this time.

Elysia looked at the dazed Liu Bai and smiled, "Because I don't know how Liu Bai will be doing in the future without me and without us, whether he will be lonely, so... so I hope that Liu Bai's future will not be limited to the so-called ghost, but that he can get closer to the world and to the hearts of others, and create a better future."

"... Putting everything else aside, loneliness and solitude have absolutely nothing to do with me."

After a moment of silence, Liu Bai spoke softly.

"Rita, Bronya... you've caused quite a ruckus with just these two."

"Hmm... I finally came up with such a sentimental sentence, Liu Bai, please don't ruin the mood!"

Elysia puffed out her cheeks, a little embarrassed and annoyed, and put her hands on her hips.

"The normal scene should be us gazing deeply into each other's eyes against a pink backdrop, and then sharing a long, passionate kiss!"

"I admit I was somewhat moved when you said the first half," Liu Bai sighed, "But what you said later... sorry, I was taken out of the scene."

It wreaked havoc in the dream world and even beat up one of the dream's owners—what a joke! While the intention was good, it completely failed to evoke any emotion.

"However, I didn't expect you to know so much, Aili. It really surprised me."

"Hmm... Well, who told us to have had that embarrassing spiritual connection?"

"...?"

"Why is Liu Bai looking so completely bewildered? You didn't even knock before forcibly intruding into the mental world of this delicate and beautiful girl!"

"..."

Okay, following this logic, it seems we could actually say it's a divine... cough, spiritual fusion.

"So, through spiritual communion, you became aware of some aspect of my essence?"

"A spiritual connection! A spiritual connection! Irresponsible men are really annoying!"

Elysia hooked her index fingers together, as if hinting at something.

"However, well, they did realize something about Liu Bai's kiss on you—if I had to put it that way, he was probably some kind of high-dimensional being who was neither here nor there?"

"What kind of argument is that?"

Liu Bai wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of higher-dimensional beings—after all, he had been a ghost for so many years, if he himself still didn't have any reaction, then there really would be something fishy going on.

But what does Elysia mean by "neither up nor down"?

Elysia looked at her arm and pondered for a moment.

"I don't feel anything in the real world, but I feel it very clearly in the spiritual world—my spiritual world has become the 'anchor' for Liu Bai to kiss you. This is why I can directly bestow power upon Liu Bai to kiss you in the spiritual world and enter other people's dreams."

"..."

"The principle is actually very simple. I follow the anchor tracks up, but I can't touch the 'real you,' but I can see your anchors and other people's anchors, so I can go and visit them,"

So, the three options at the time, the dream of man, was an application of this? It allowed one to mentally approach the "contractor" as an "anchor," thus enabling one to enter a dream.