Thousand-Person Ruler's Personal Opinion

"Hahaha! It worked! I knew it was possible! Wonderful, you're all wonderful!"

Otto, with his arms gone, sat cross-legged on the ground, letting out hearty laughter of utmost satisfaction.

At the same time, in various distant worlds, and even in the more unreachable Theater of Domination, all the Anqis felt a jolt in their hearts.

"There are many people to thank for getting us this far!"

"We thank the parents who raised us in two worlds! We thank everyone at St. Freya for their trust and care! We thank Mr. Gray Serpent for generously providing information!"

"Most importantly, we thank Sirin for providing the complete script!"

"Listen to me, thank you~~"

The Anqis stood up with gratitude, offering their sincere thanks to everyone on the list of acknowledgments, especially to the sister who was very unfriendly upon their first meeting.

Chapter Seventy-Two: I'm Sorry, Wendy

Delta had a long sleep, but she didn't dream.

This was a process of digestion. The Gem of Desire had brought new authority, and it had continuously widened the Imaginary Gateway of the Thousand-Person Ruler, which had a minuscule output power.

So, when she woke up, Delta felt an unparalleled sense of fullness, both mentally and energetically.

"Haa~~"

Opening her eyes to the blindingly bright lights, Delta, with her dead fish eyes, lazily yawned, then smacked her lips and closed her eyes, intending to sleep a little longer.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

A series of loud slaps landed on Delta's cheeks.

Delta was quickly forced awake by the repeated slaps, and then her head started to spin. Only then, with her face feeling hot, did she open her eyes in confusion to look ahead.

As expected, the only one who would be so excited, frantic, and audacious was Wendy, who had been force-fed a box of knives.

"Delta, Delta, are you awake? Do you still recognize me?"

"Wen...dy..."

Delta slowly uttered her friend's name.

Wendy's eyes immediately lit up with tears of joy, and she quickly turned to Durandal, who was holding the Black Abyss White Flower beside her.

"See, she's awake! She still remembers me! She's okay... so can you put down the lance? Stop stabbing, if you stab again, she might not be saved!"

Wendy waved her hands frantically, desperately trying to persuade Durandal, whose expression was vigilant, fearing that the serious S-rank adult would stab Delta again without a second word.

In fact, if Delta had shown the slightest bit of confusion or madness, Durandal would have truly done such a thing.

In short, as Wendy tried her best to persuade her, Durandal saw Delta's flushed cheeks and dazed expression again. Her vigilant look finally eased a bit as she said:

"Valkyrie Delta, I ask you, are you still yourself? Are you awake?"

"...How about you test me with a math problem? Addition and subtraction within three digits are fine, but anything more complex, I can't be bothered to think."

Delta replied weakly, while widening her mouth and letting out another extremely lazy yawn.

It was only then that Delta realized she was securely bound to an inclined metal plate by tight restraints, likely made of very high-quality materials, making it impossible for her to move even a finger.

Delta sighed:

"It's so well-tied, so well-tied that I'm sleepy again, ha~~"

"Delta!!!"

"Slap!"

Wendy, who had been trying her best to protect her friend but found the person in question completely unresponsive, shrieked and slapped Delta hard on the forehead.

"Ouch..."

"Are you sick? I noticed it a long time ago, you must have a problem with your brain, right? Do you even know what the current situation is? Don't you understand how dangerous you were before?"

"That's what you say, but being tied up like this actually feels really comfortable..."

"Just sleep to death, you idiot!"

Wendy's small face turned red with anger, and she stomped her feet repeatedly to vent.

Durandal then pinched her chin thoughtfully, looking at Wendy, and said:

"According to the data, Miss Wendy's past evaluation indicated she was a gentle and polite person—it seems the information was incorrect."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, this information must be wrong. Wendy is actually super irritable, she yells at me all the time, making my heart almost give out. And look at my face, it's almost swollen. Where is she gentle and polite? I suggest firing that batch of intelligence personnel."

Delta retorted righteously and seriously offered her suggestion.

Durandal blinked dazedly, thought for a moment, and hesitantly said:

"Don't you think, in this situation, Miss Delta also bears some responsibility?"

"Huh? What does that have to do with me? I didn't scold her, I didn't hit her, I didn't do anything!"

Delta retorted slowly, with an innocent and bewildered expression.

Wendy: (╬￣皿￣)!!!

Wendy was already frustrated by Delta's constant absentmindedness, and hearing this conversation only made her more exasperated. She pointed at Delta and shouted:

"I must be crazy to have been taking care of you here for the past few days!"

"Oh, thank you, Wendy."

Delta's azure eyes shifted to Wendy. Her clear, crystalline, ethereal gaze and her slow, rambling expression instantly deflated Wendy's rising anger.

A moment later, Wendy covered her face with a sigh of helplessness:

"Forget it, why should I argue with a dense idiot like you? Arguing will only tire me out. Anyway, are you alright now? Physically and mentally, are there any problems?"

"Mhm, I'm a little hungry and a little sleepy."

"No sleeping! But I can go get you some food. For now, don't move until they're done with the checks. Just bear with it. It's because you were so scary before, this is just a necessary procedure."

Wendy's tone softened. She then reached out and gently pinched Delta's cheek, giving her a gentle smile.

"No matter what, welcome back, Delta."

"Wendy… I'm sorry…"

Tears suddenly welled up in Delta's eyes, and she said apologetically, pouting.

Wendy froze for a moment, her heart softening.

This girl, has she finally realized how worried I was before? Damn it, why does she have to act so infuriatingly on her own whims when she can act like a normal person?

Never mind, I don't blame you. We're best friends, after all, Delta.

Wendy's lips curved upwards as she comforted her with forgiveness:

"It's okay, I know you couldn't control yourself back then. So I won't hold those things against you, I forgive you, Del—"

"...I'm sorry, I lost the thermos you gave me, so can you send me the purchase link? I want to buy another one."

Delta's slow second half of the sentence finally followed, and she looked at Wendy with a completely innocent expression.

Wendy's forgiving smile froze. She felt something in her mind suddenly snap with a "crack."

"I'll give you a thermos! I'll give you a link! What the hell are you talking about, you damn Delta!"

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

Before long, under Durandal's worried gaze, which seemed to want to speak but hesitated, Delta's small face became completely red and swollen.

"Miss Wendy, wait a moment! She just went through something like that, you need to keep her emotions stable!"

Durandal reached out, intending to stop Wendy's outburst.

But the crisp slapping sounds suddenly stopped.

At some point, Delta had managed to free one of her hands. A golden light flashed in her eyes, and she gently hugged Wendy.

Wendy, caught off guard, had her frenzied emotions completely interrupted by the embrace.

"You've been holding back for a long time, haven't you? Are you feeling better now, Wendy?"

Delta said softly, with a hint of a smile.

Wendy's eyes suddenly turned red, and tears fell like pearls onto Delta's shoulder.

"You damn Delta! You actually know… know that I've been holding back! Do you know how worried and scared I was? The thought of losing you made me completely clueless about what to do, Delta…"

"Mhm, I know. I'm sorry I made you worry! I'm sorry, I almost… almost hurt you!"

Delta's voice trembled slightly.

This wasn't an act.

How could Delta be indifferent to Wendy's treatment of her?

Just as St. Freya's Anqi easily fell for Himeko's gentleness, Delta had no resistance to Wendy's tenderness and care.

In this whole drama, the person Delta owed the most apology to was Wendy, who had given her whole heart without knowing anything.

"I promise, there won't be a next time. I won't let you worry again, and I won't let you get hurt. I'm sorry, please forgive me, Wendy."

"Silly girl… How could I ever blame you… We're best friends, after all…"

Tears streamed down Wendy's face, but a brilliant smile appeared on her tear-streaked face.

Wendy was certain that her heart had finally settled completely at this moment.

Durandal watched the scene quietly. When Delta had used her Herrscher power to break free, she had instinctively wanted to draw her weapon and attack. But then, the sight of the two girls embracing and pouring out their hearts to each other made her smile with relief.

However—Durandal suddenly touched her abdomen. For some reason, she felt out of place standing there, and she also felt a strange sense of fullness. What was going on?

Chapter 73: Thanks to Rita for the Knife

"First, I want to congratulate Delta on her successful return. At the same time, I want to express my sincere gratitude again for the sacrifices and contributions you two made during the experiment. Your efforts are of historical significance. From now on, the entire Schicksal, and even the entire world in the future, will remember your contributions."

A few days later, in the former branch headquarters office, Otto met with Delta and Wendy, who had finished recuperating, with a friendly smile.

Wendy quickly bowed in response:

"Your Excellency Bishop is too kind, this is all we should do!"

At the same time, Wendy reached out to Delta, who was slumped in her wheelchair, and forcefully pushed her head down.

Yes, Delta is still in the wheelchair. It's just that before the final experiment, she was actually faking paralysis, and in essence, could still jump around as she pleased. But after fully integrating with the Gem of Desire, she became genuinely paralyzed.

After all, the power obtained from the Gem, while not significantly different from the authority on a living Herrscher, came with the cost that the Thousand-Person Ruler had to bear it themselves.

Although Delta could freely wield the authority and didn't need to endure the Gem's mental pollution, her flesh and blood body truly couldn't withstand it. Now, everything below her neck was soft and weak, making even the slightest movement difficult.

But overall, compared to this powerful authority and the overall increased Honkai Energy output, this small price was almost negligible to the Angies.

Delta was thinking, her face displaying her habitual absentminded expression and dead fish eyes, a look that made Wendy anxious enough to want to jump.

'You dumbass, pay attention! Even if you dislike socializing, you need to understand the seriousness of the situation! Do you know what you did before? Were you trying to die?'

'Ugh... so troublesome...'

The two communicated with their eyes.

Wendy looked at the vacant, dead fish eyes that couldn't even focus, feeling heartbroken and despairing. Then, with a heart as dead as ashes, she offered Otto a strained smile.

"Her brain doesn't work well, please don't mind her."

"Hahaha! Alright, alright, I was already aware of Delta's personality before I came. She's fine like this, I won't mind. However, what we need to discuss next might not be suitable for more people to hear. Wendy, would you mind if I spoke with Delta alone?"

"This... Yes, Bishop! And Delta, you better pay attention. If you're still this rude, I'll deal with you tonight!"

Wendy forced a smile, giving Delta a look filled with killing intent.

With the highest leader speaking, Wendy couldn't disobey. Moreover, she knew how valuable Delta was right now, and logically, she didn't believe Otto would mete out excessive punishment—at worst, she'd be confined for a while, which wouldn't be a big problem for Delta, who was already a couch potato.

Wendy walked out the door, watching Delta's profile with helplessness and worry through the gradually closing gap until the door shut completely.

"Can this girl handle it? Lord Otto is indeed wise and mighty and cares for the Valkyries, but that Delta is truly irredeemably decadent. Even if I'm asking you, please be more mindful at least this time!"

Wendy stood by the door, holding her forehead and sighing with exhaustion.

However, from her self-talk, it wasn't difficult to discern her reverence and fondness for Otto.