Chapter 333

Knowing Shen Gonglin's drinking habits, Kiana and the others watched her with Shen Gonglin breath. But after finishing his coffee, he hugged Tesla and they both collapsed. Seeing the two of them sleeping together, Einstein tapped his head.

"Hey, it seems... the alcohol concentration is too high."

Chapter 152 Hehe

Hey, what are you talking about? This cutesy persona doesn't suit you at all, Doctor!

Tesla stuck out her tongue and tapped her head. This maliciously cutesy act made Kiana, Theresa, and the others mentally complain. She was supposed to be a serious and earnest Anti-Entropy executor, but how did she learn to act cute? And this was no longer something that could be faked by overdosing on the drug; it was practically a lethal dose.

"... Anyway, let's get them both back to rest first. They don't look like they're fit to continue attending the banquet."

Finally Theresa helplessly pointed to Shen Gonglin and Tesla, who were lying on the ground huddled together. It seemed that these two would not be able to continue the banquet. However, they could probably sleep until dawn. What a blunder. I didn't expect Dr. Tesla to be so useless. It's just a block of concentrated alcohol. He can't even last through that. He's just too useless.

"Then let me go... Eh? Class President?"

Kiana volunteered to help Shen Gonglin and Tesla to their feet. The two drunkards were completely unconscious, limp and lifeless like puddles of mud. It seemed the alcohol had had a strong effect on Shen Gonglin; he usually caused a ruckus when drunk, but this time he had simply fallen asleep. Kiana hoped he was alright. Just as Kiana was about to take him back to his room, Fu Hua came over and offered a helping hand. Kiana looked at Fu Hua with some confusion. What, was she worried about taking Shen Gonglin back to his room by herself?

Indeed, Fu Hua was a little worried. Entrusting the drunken Shen Gonglin to Kiana, who had always harbored ill intentions towards him, would undoubtedly be like throwing a lamb to the slaughter. Therefore, Fu Hua had to keep an eye on her.

"No, it's just that it's too hard for Kiana to take care of two drunk people all by herself, so I'll help out."

Fu Hua said with a serious expression, and Bronya also came over. This silly loli had the same idea as Fu Hua. In short, they couldn't let Shen Gonglin in this state stay with Kiana. Shen Gonglin was already dangerous enough in normal times, but in this state, Shen Gonglin was practically a salted fish on a chopping board.

"Hey, everyone's gone... Einstein, looks like we'll be the only ones playing together."

Watching the crowd leave inexplicably, Theresa could only continue her search for bitter melon juice. Einstein could only shake his head helplessly as he watched their backs. With so many people, it seemed that even if he wanted to do something, he wouldn't have the chance. "Shen Gonglin, don't blame me for not giving you a chance. I can only say that you were too disappointing today."

Phew, it's finally over... It's a pity that the Class President and Bronya were watching the whole time, so I didn't have a chance to do anything I wanted. What a shame.

As night fell, Kiana returned to her room. The girl threw herself onto the bed, pouted, and sighed. She had lost another excellent opportunity today, but it was alright. She had kept an eye on them and prevented them from taking advantage of her. If everyone else failed, then she wouldn't have failed. Protecting the best Shen Gonglin was her duty.

The girl yawned, clenching her fist. She didn't know why, even though she hadn't done anything, she just felt sleepy and had no desire to continue attending the banquet. Maybe she should go to bed early tonight?

Just as the thought crossed Kiana's mind, she heard a knock on the door. Immediately, the girl jumped out of bed. However, when she excitedly ran to the door and opened it, the shy joy on her face vanished instantly.

"What? It's Bronya..."

Kiana thought it was Shen Gonglin who had sobered up and was looking for comfort, but when she opened the door, she was surprised to find that expressionless, silly little girl standing outside. Kiana immediately lost interest. She stepped aside and invited Bronya into the room. The two sat on the bed together. What did Bronya want to do by coming at this time?

Bronya sensed disappointment in Kiana's voice. Did Kiana not welcome Bronya's arrival?

Bronya blinked her gray eyes and tilted her head to look at Kiana. Being rather simple-minded, she didn't realize Kiana's state of mind just now. She felt that Kiana seemed genuinely disappointed. She wondered who Kiana had thought would come over.

"No, how could I not welcome you? But Bronya, what brings you here? I thought you were going back to the banquet hall. What, you still don't like crowded places?"

Although Kiana was a little disappointed that it wasn't Shen Gonglin came to raid her at night, Bronya was also an important friend of hers and one of the bridesmaids who would carry the bouquet at her future wedding with Shen Gonglin, so how could she not welcome her? Kiana smiled at Bronya. Back in St. Freya, the three of them were the closest friends, so how could she not welcome her?

"Are you alright? Where's Kiana? Did she go straight back to her room? Is she not used to the atmosphere there?"

Indeed, Bronya doesn't like crowded places. If Shen Gonglin were here, she could have stayed until the end, but now that Shen Gonglin is asleep, Bronya, having had her fill of fun, wants to go back to her room. However, she feels she should say something to Kiana first.

"I think it's pretty good, but of course I was happier in St. Freya. Of course, I'm not saying this place is bad, it's just... you know, all my best memories are there."

Kiana lowered her eyes, as if carefully considering her words. The girl said that nowhere could compare to St. Freya. In the girl's heart, it was the most important place. One day, everyone should be able to return there.

Bronya remained silent, while Kiana broke the ice, saying that Bronya had also experienced those doll incidents, so she must have had similar experiences.

"Speaking of which, Bronya, you've also been in contact with those dolls, haven't you?"

"That's right, the host that Bronya came into contact with was a TV presenter."

"A host? Wow, it must talk a lot, right? Those puppets are already chattering away all the time. If it were a host... Bronya, you must have a hard time."

Kiana gasped at the thought of the situation. She had already found it unbearable after only a short time interacting with the doll, and Bronya was dealing with a presenter, who would surely be even more annoying than the one she had encountered.

Chapter 153 A Person's Rebirth

"Yeah... It's like a stand-up comedy routine, Kiana... Are you concerned about what the last doll said?"

Kiana's words stirred up unpleasant memories for Bronya. She had been thoroughly mocked by that puppet back then. Although Bronya had remained calm throughout, it didn't mean she wasn't temperamental. The puppet's claim that she hadn't won a single fight since obtaining the Herrscher Core was infuriating.

Noticing that Kiana wasn't quite right today, Bronya came over at this time. The girl asked softly, "Kiana, you must be concerned about this."

"Hmm, so we've been found out... Well, to a lesser extent."

Kiana sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of awe that Bronya had read her mind. "She's truly amazing," she thought. "Although she looks like an innocent little girl, her calm and meticulous mind can see through many things. She must have come to talk to me because she was worried about me."

Damn it, these are things that Shen Gonglin should be doing. Why is her boyfriend such an idiot who doesn't know anything? I really want to send him to a men's virtue academy for some training. Bronya is more useful than him!

"They are not human, they are just twisted personalities."

Bronya wanted Kiana to think more positively. She thought Kiana was mistaking those dolls for real people. Seele had thought so before, but in the end she realized that those dolls didn't represent a person. They were just amplified negative emotions. Real people are not that simple.

"I know, I was just thinking, if it were me, would I have become a doll? If I hadn't been rescued by my dad, hadn't met Mei and Bronya, hadn't met Shen Gonglin, hadn't been taken in by Theresa... what would I be like now?"

Kiana tapped her head and said these words aloud. If she hadn't encountered these events, she would probably have lived a completely different life. Thinking about it this way, it seemed like she had always been accepting other people's kindness.

"Those dolls have all experienced failure, even repeated failures. In the process, they were isolated and helpless, gradually losing hope and succumbing to the darkness within them... How should I put it, I think I might be able to understand their feelings..."

As she poured out her feelings, Kiana noticed Bronya's expression and smiled at her, assuring her not to worry about her.

"Don't worry, Bronya, I understand. But I don't think it's the right thing to do. Failure doesn't mean you should give up, and pain doesn't mean you should give in. Of course, I can't say whether I could still stick to my direction without the help of others. I just feel that even in the most dangerous situations, there is beauty. Perhaps, next time it will be my turn to help someone else."

Kiana has really changed a lot.

Looking at the calm girl in front of her, Bronya felt a sense of disorientation. Kiana was really different from before. The once boisterous girl could now think of so many things. Although it was strange for Bronya to say such things, she really felt that Kiana seemed to have grown up.

"Kiana, from Sky City to Mount Tai Xu, and now to this operation, you have helped many people. So rest assured, Kiana, one day, we will be able to give everyone the opportunity to feel the beauty of the world."

Bronya had originally come to comfort Kiana, but it seemed Kiana didn't really need it, which put her at ease. Kiana was no longer the loud and clumsy girl she used to be; Kiana now very reliable.

"Haha, I've heard that phrase before. It was said by Mr. Welt. Are you just going to use it like that?"

"To be precise, it was Professor Planck who said it, but Bronya thought she said it very well."

Regardless of who said it, Bronya felt that this statement was really useful and well said.

"Thank you, Bronya. Talking to you for so long makes me feel so much better."

Knowing the girl's true intention, Kiana gave Bronya a warm smile. Indeed, many people cared about her and loved her.

"Okay, that's good. Go to sleep early, Kiana. Although there's a banquet tonight, you still have to train as usual tomorrow. Goodnight."

After saying that, Bronya left the room. As she opened the door, she could still faintly hear the laughter of the party's end. Kiana sat on the edge of the bed. Outside the window, a silver moon hung in the sky, gently casting its light on the salt lake. Kiana knew that under the same moonlight, she had fallen asleep under the overpass with Shen Gonglin, amidst the cold neon lights of Sky City, and had also woken up rubbing her sleepy eyes on St. Freya's soft bed. It seemed that only this bright moon had never changed.

In a daze, she couldn't quite remember which parts were dreams and which were reality. Sure enough, it was a little hard to get used to without Shen Gonglin by her side. What was that guy drinking for? Didn't he know she was waiting for his night raid?

Looking at the bright moon in the sky, Kiana recalled her conversation with Bronya earlier, and the girl raised her head and slowly clenched her fist.

Mei, Teacher Himeko... I will definitely bring you back.

Meanwhile, the dolls piled up in the Anti-Entropy warehouse also began to move. From among the broken fragments and wreckage, a damaged doll slowly crawled out. The plan had succeeded, but it wasn't over yet... it wasn't over yet...

Crawling among the remains of the dolls, it was almost impossible to distinguish which part belonged to my companions and which part belonged to me, but I succeeded.

Hahaha... This is our theater. It's a success! Everything is a success! The gathering of everyone is more powerful than any force. The sacrifice of everyone has brought about the rebirth of one person. This is a stage shared by thousands of people. The threads have already wrapped around her.

After two weeks of lying low, the opportunity has finally arrived. Is it because Shen Gonglin is not by her side that she thinks she has won and is holding a celebration party? She is really getting carried away. If Shen Gonglin had been there, there would have been no chance to impact her mind. Now this is the perfect opportunity. Without her by her side, that Queen will not have any scruples. She can impact her mind and then reclaim the glory that belongs to the Honkai Queen!

In this way, Kiana can become their companion, since the threads are already entangled around her, and even if she doesn't agree, it won't work.

Chapter 154

Hmm... Is this a dream? It feels so real, so hopeless, like I'm about to suffocate.

At dawn, Kiana opened her eyes from her sleep. Her azure pupils were bloodshot. The girl sat up in bed, clutching her forehead. Everything she had experienced in her dream seemed still vivid in her mind. It was the life of a girl named Sirin, her pain, her hope, her despair. Kiana, now awake, remembered it all clearly. This wasn't the first time Kiana had dreamt of something like this. Now, Kiana understood it even more.

"Ichliebedich... This phrase has echoed countless times in your heart. What does it mean to you? Alas, the shadow of memory cannot provide an answer..."

Shaking her head, Kiana looked at herself in the mirror. In a daze, the girl in the mirror transformed into a purple-haired, golden-eyed figure. Sirin, what must she have been feeling back then? Kiana couldn't find the answer. But now, she wouldn't keep everything bottled up inside anymore. She'd go talk to everyone. Although Shen Gonglin wasn't good at saying comforting things, Kiana always felt a sense of security when she was by his side.

Having made up her mind, the girl quickly washed up and left her room. However, when she arrived at Shen Gonglin's room, she found a large group of people gathered there. Why was everyone here? What happened? Did something happen to Shen Gonglin?

"Kiana, you're here too... As you can see, this guy seems... seems to have drunk too much? Don't worry, it's not alcohol poisoning."

After squeezing through the crowd Kiana saw Einstein, who was examining Shen Gonglin. Einstein seeing Kiana, Einstein nodded apologetically to her. Shen Gonglin hadn't woken up yet, probably because the alcohol level was too high for her; the Tesla cleaning himself in the bathroom was proof of that.

"It's all your fault for letting him drug me! Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened... Ugh! My hair smells like alcohol, it's Chicken Coop Head. I'll remember this!"

Tesla, having untied her twin ponytails, walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair. The girl glared angrily at Einstein with her cheeks puffed out. After getting drunk yesterday, she and Shen Gonglin were sent to his room. Because they were sleeping and clinging to each other so tightly, they couldn't let go, so that was the only option. As a result, Tesla, who was sleeping soundly this morning, was suddenly vomited all over her head by Shen Gonglin. The girl's screams echoed throughout the entire Salt Lake Base.

It sounded like a little girl being abused. Apart from Kiana, who was still immersed in a nightmare, everyone was brought over by Tesla's shout. It took several people working together to pry open Shen Gonglin's arms and finally free the screaming Tesla.

"Dr. Tesla, you clearly saw Shen Gonglin put something in your drink, yet you still drank it without hesitation. If you hadn't had ulterior motives, this wouldn't have happened. So, Dr. Tesla, you also bear responsibility... Fu Hua, how is Shen Gonglin?"

Having convincingly deflected her responsibility, Einstein left Tesla speechless with just one sentence. Then she looked at Fu Hua, who was checking on Shen Gonglin's condition. She hadn't expected Shen Gonglin's alcohol tolerance to be so low. Tesla had woken up after sleeping all night, but judging from Shen Gonglin's condition, it seemed he would need to sleep for another day.

"No, I can't wake him up no matter what I do... It's probably because the alcohol concentration in your drink is too high, Doctor. I've already given him some hangover medicine. If possible, please don't let him touch alcohol in the future."

The bedsheets had been completely smeared with vomit by Shen Gonglin, and Seele and Bronya only put him down after making the bed. Shen Gonglin Fu Hua, who always acted as his guardian, naturally took on the responsibility of caring for Shen Gonglin. At this moment, Fu Hua was carefully wiping Shen Gonglin's face. It was all because of these guys' meddling; how could they let him touch alcohol? A little would be fine, making Shen Gonglin more proactive, but too much...

This is the result we've seen.

"Yes, it is our responsibility, we will reflect on it... Then let Shen Gonglin continue to sleep, and the others go do what they need to do."

Einstein and Tesla bowed their heads and apologized honestly. If Einstein hadn't wanted to tease Tesla, this wouldn't have happened. If Tesla hadn't forced Shen Gonglin to drink sake, he wouldn't be asleep until now. Faced with Fu Hua, who acted like a guardian, the two doctors naturally became timid. In any case, it was good to admit their mistakes in time.

Sigh, it seems I won't be able to have a proper chat with Shen Gonglin today. In that case, I'll talk to other people instead. They should be able to give me some good advice. What do they think of Sirin? What are they like? Another personality hidden within her body—this time, Kiana doesn't want to run away. She wants to understand her properly.

After leaving Shen Gonglin's room, Kiana headed towards Bronya's training room, hoping to check on the silly little girl. Although the doll incident had been resolved, Bronya's Herrscher of Reason powers hadn't been restored, and Kiana was worried about her. Talking to Bronya should give her the answers she wanted. Theresa was also there; she should have dealt with Sirin before, and Kiana wanted to hear her opinion.

Meanwhile, at another World Serpent stronghold, Giza City, at the headquarters of Shencheng Medicine, the distinctive sound of high heels clicking on the ground drew the attention of the staff to the girl in black. No one stopped her; they simply sized up this distinguished guest. She was the Herrscher.

Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Conquest.

Mei walked through the corridor as if no one was there and went straight into the laboratory. The woman wearing a dog-head mask... or rather, a wolf-head mask turned to look at Mei. Although she had been informed that Mei would be coming, she still had to say hello when she saw her again.

"What a rare guest, Raiden Mei. What brings you here? Shh, don't say yet. Let me guess. Have you finally come to your senses and decided to have my physical examination? It's the right decision, for you, for me, and for the whole world."

Chapter 155

Like a mad scientist, Jackal raised his hands. Think about it, Mei, a Herrscher completely dominated by human consciousness, is worlds apart from those fledglings.

"I'm not here to listen to your nonsense. You should be very interested in these three things, right? How about we make a deal?"

Not wanting to listen to the Jackal's continued ramblings, Mei, whose talk of a home examination was probably more like an autopsy, tossed three gold-rimmed cube containers onto the table. This was the result of her recent efforts; Mei should be able to get what she wanted by using these as leverage.

"The fire in the ancient city of Benevento, the siren incident in Valencia, and the winged man in Cairo... These are all special cases recorded in the World Serpent records. You must be very interested in them."

Floating inside the cube are three unique Herrscher Core, all influenced by the events involving the thousand Herrscher. Judging from the look in Jackal's eyes, she's genuinely interested in these things.

"That's right. These guys are behaving abnormally, refusing to interact with other dolls, and always acting alone... Their minds are mixed with impurities, which may originate from their hosts or some other influence. After all, there are a thousand people chosen to become Herrscher of Domination, so it's normal for there to be a few strange cases among them, isn't it?"

Looking at the three cores floating in the container, the Jackal approached with great interest. However, before she could touch the cores, Mei reached out and blocked her way. This was not a free gift; getting it for free was not so easy.

"Three special individuals in exchange for your research findings on the Thousand-Man Herrscher. It's a deal. Accept or refuse. Give me an answer."

In stark contrast to her usual easy-going nature in front of Shen Gonglin, Mei displayed the capable and shrewd demeanor of a wealthy businesswoman's daughter while making a deal with the Jackal. She knew that for someone like the Jackal, such a deal was impossible to refuse. There were still many mysteries surrounding the Thousand Herrscher, Mei had to figure them out in her own way so as not to let them affect Kiana.

"With such an attractive offer, I certainly have no reason to refuse. Come with me."

As expected, Jackal readily agreed to Mei's request. She turned the globe on the table, and a hidden door suddenly opened behind the two of them. Jackal led the way inside. Of course, a secret base would have such a mechanism; important things are usually hidden underground.

"I think you already know that the ability of the thousand Herrscher is to dominate, steal and control the powers of other Herrscher. They are numerous, and although each one is weak, they can form an organization, hide in the shadows and cooperate with each other, waiting for the right opportunity to strike."

As they rode the elevator down, Jackal said to Mei, "Since the deal has been decided, it doesn't matter if we give this information to Mei."

"The Tenth Herrscher of the Previous Era did not possess this power of domination."

Mei also conducted research and found that the Herrscher of Domination in the Previous Era are not entirely the same as the Herrscher of Domination discovered now. Could the abilities of Herrscher also mutate?

"Obviously, there weren't any Herrscher like you who stood on the opposite side of Honkai back then. They seemed to have been born to fight against you, Herrscher on Herrschers, seizing and sealing their power, turning it into their own, and constantly growing stronger."

Jackal muttered a slight complaint: Who says that the Herrscher of the current civilization have to be exactly the same as the Herrscher of the Previous Era? Now that even the Herrscher are starting to fight against the Honkai, what else can't happen?

"But there's something that doesn't make sense. If their goal is to seize the power of the Herrscher, then World Serpent should be the first target. That makes sense. Besides me, World Serpent also has three Herrscher Core. With the puppet's abilities, it wouldn't be impossible for it to infiltrate the organization. But the thousand Herrscher didn't do that. Instead, when I unexpectedly entered the Domination Theater, they called me an unexpected guest and never approached me again after that. That doesn't make sense."

Mei voiced her questions, and the Jackal looked at Mei with surprise. It seemed that this Red Dragon was indeed not simple. She was quite intelligent, as she had asked some very pertinent questions.

"First, to answer your question about the Herrscher Core, it's just my guess for now. Speaking of the number of Herrscher Core, your little boyfriend is more attractive than our World Serpent. He has four cores... Never mind, let's not talk about that for now. You can't possibly trick him into coming here for me to do research. Don't get excited, I'm just saying."

He casually mentioned Rin Shen Gonglin, and after noticing Mei's sinister look, Jackal quickly shut his mouth and changed the subject, really protecting him.

"My conjecture is that the Herrscher of Domination seize the power of the core, not the core itself. Therefore, in their minds, the core with a container has a higher value. In other words, the core alone is not of much use to them."