Flying Fish Ball, a Famous Delicacy of Schicksal

"Add one."

The disinfection plan for Otto was immediately approved unanimously by Xia Ling and the others.

"As for the timing of the access... let's not rush it." Xia Ling pondered, "There's still a month until the Schicksal War, and it's hard to say what will happen by then. You can keep that Soul Steel body for now and don't rush to activate it. If you activate it so early, Otto will inevitably have some concerns."

"So, it's best not to upset him for now."

"Let's wait until we've completely rescued Himeko." Xi thought for a moment and said, "Xia Ling is planning to go with Kiana, right? Then someone has to take care of Himeko who's 'disappeared'."

"At that time, we'll have Little Ther and the new clone take care of Himeko together, and then we'll refine Xia Ling's background according to our previous plan. That way, we can coordinate between the two sides."

"Perfect, then we'll talk about that later." Highmore nodded. "By the way, I had a question earlier: why didn't I see Elysia today?"

"Well..."

The group exchanged glances.

"Because there are some issues with Rin... there are always various problems with her rehabilitation training, and recently Yae Sakura has been busy with the Kallen that Otto sent her."

"So we sent Elysia to accompany Rin during the experiment..."

Before Xia Ling could finish speaking, Elysia's voice came through the channel.

"Little Xia Ling, are you there?"

"Yes, what happened?"

"Uh... the situation is a bit complicated, and I can't explain it in a short time..."

"We have suspected that we have found traces of the Herrscher of Corruption, but the situation is a bit special, so if you are not busy, you would be better off coming to the Stigmata Space."

Elysia seemed quite puzzled, as this matter was clearly beyond her comprehension.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Looking at the now-silent communication channel, Xia Ling fell into deep thought.

"The erosion is causing problems... but Elysia doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all..."

"Could it be that you didn't clean it up properly back then?" Flame Willow asked.

"Probably not, Su is quite reliable in this regard." Xia Ling shook her head. "I suspect it might be..."

As Xia Ling withdrew her consciousness from the system space, she was about to enter the Stigmata Space when she realized that her hand seemed to be pressed down by Theresa.

With a slight sigh, Xia Ling pulled her hand out of Theresa's arms, covered her with a blanket, and quickly transferred her consciousness into the Stigmata Space.

A moment later, inside the Yae Shrine, Xia Ling opened her eyes.

"Sister Xia Ling, you've finally arrived!"

As soon as Xia Ling entered the Stigmata Space, a sigh of relief and cheers rang out beside her.

"Don't panic, what happened?"

Well... how should I put it...?

Various question marks appeared around Rin, and after thinking for a while, Rin gave an answer.

"Sister Xia Ling, the Kishinuma... seems to have been born."

"Ah?"

Soon, Xia Ling brought Ling to the Tenshukaku.

On the top floor of the Tenshukaku, where Kishinuma are usually stored, Yae Sakura and Elysia had been waiting for quite some time.

Oh, and there's also a new resident of this Stigmata Space, Kallen.

"Miss Xia Ling." Yae Sakura nodded in greeting, "You've arrived."

"Hmm, let me see... uh..."

As soon as Xia Ling got a little closer, she saw a pink furry ball hiding behind Elysia, trembling with fear.

"As you can see, this is the new change that I mentioned Kishinuma."

Yae Sakura introduced from the side, "I found this little one when I was introducing the Stigmata Space to Kallen. Since I had never seen her before, and she appeared near Kishinuma, I called Rin and Elysia over."

"Then, I realized that something was wrong with this little guy."

Ling continued Yae Sakura's words, "This little one... she, she's even more skilled at using the Corrosion Power than I am!"

"I've practiced for so long, and she can use the Corrosion Power in a single move..."

"After discovering this, I quickly took her under control. Although she can use Corrosion Power, I have enough Corrosion Virus on me to directly suppress her power."

"Then... she just hid behind Elysia and refused to come out no matter what."

Seeing that everyone's gaze had turned to her, Elysia said innocently, "I just followed Rin here, and before I even figured out what was going on, this little guy was hiding behind me. As for why..."

"Elysia doesn't know~"

"Sigh... I think I know what's going on."

Looking at the familiar little guy, Xia Ling immediately understood everything.

This pink little dumpling is none other than the Flying Fish Ball, or rather, the Hiyomaru Ball, Herrscher of Corruption was purified by Yae Sakura in the original work and is listed as Schicksal ingredient alongside Ai-chan.

"But about this matter... Elysia, come here for a moment, I have a few questions to ask you alone."

Xia Ling casually tossed the Hiyomaru to Rin, then teleported Elysia outside the Tenshukaku.

"What's wrong, Xia Ling?" Elysia tilted her head. "Is this little guy related to the future you know about?"

"As expected of Elysia, she can tell what I'm thinking at a glance."

Xia Ling sighed, "I originally thought that this little guy wouldn't appear after I changed the original course of events..."

"So, she really is the Herrscher of Corruption?"

"That's right. The original plan was for Yae Sakura to successfully purify Hi-maru, and this little guy, Hiyomaru, is the product of that purification."

"Now it seems that the Herrscher of Corruption may have some special characteristics that prevent her from dying so easily, which led to the appearance of Hiyomaru."

"However, this might explain why Rin's control over the Corrosion Power is not very high. After all, compared to Rin, this little guy is more like the original Herrscher of Corruption."

"As for why she insists on getting close to you..." Xia Ling glanced at Elysia, the meaning in her eyes was self-evident.

"Hmm~ Of course, it's because the cute Miss Fairy looks the most approachable, right?"

Elysia puffed out her chest triumphantly.

"Ahem, I guess I'll just take it that way..." Xia Ling sighed helplessly.

"But, Elysia, there's a question I want to ask you." Xia Ling's gaze turned serious as she looked at Elysia earnestly. "What was your first impression of Hiyomaru, or rather, how do you feel about her so far?"

Chapter Sixty: Flying Fish Balls, a Famous Ingredient Destined by Schicksal

"First impression? Hmm..."

After a moment's thought, Elysia replied, "I think... she's probably not a bad kid, right?"

"Is that so? Okay, then I understand."

Xia Ling breathed a sigh of relief.

As everyone knows, Elysia's ability to judge people is unbelievable, and she even has a kind of almost intuitive ability to distinguish between good and evil.

Although we know that Hiyomaru is most likely harmless, it is still Hiyomaru created after the plot was changed, so it is not 100% safe.

However, since Elysia believes that the Hiyomaru is not a big threat, Xia Ling can adopt a slightly gentler approach.

"So, Xia Ling, is there any result?"

As soon as Xia Ling and Elysia appeared in the Tenshukaku, Yae Sakura immediately asked.

"Yes, it's basically confirmed that this little guy is the Herrscher of Corruption."

Xia Ling nodded.

"Bass--"

Yae Sakura's spirit sword, Cherry Blossom Blizzard, was instantly half-drawn from its sheath.

"In that case, I don't need to be afraid of accidentally hurting innocent people."

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm innocent!"

Once trapped in a net made of green Corrosion Virus, Hiyomaru immediately began to struggle, crying and screaming.

"Wait, Yae Sakura, I haven't finished yet."

Xia Ling quickly grabbed Yae Sakura's hand, afraid that she might accidentally chop up the Hiyomaru.

"Although this little one is the Herrscher of Corruption, she is not the same as the previous Hi-maru."

"If I had to put it that way, this should be considered a newly formed consciousness, and as for her name... could we call her Hiyomaru?"

"A newborn consciousness?" Yae Sakura tilted her head, her long fox ears twitching a few times. "Will it be dangerous?"

"As long as she is properly educated, there should be no danger. After all, this time Rin shares power with her, and Rin also has the Corrosion Virus to help her. At least we will have more protection."

"So you mean...?"

"Hmm, let's keep it for now, we can cut it if it doesn't work."

Hiyomaru was just about to jump up excitedly, immediately wilted again.

"However... because she also possesses the power of corruption, Rin, I'd appreciate it if you could keep an eye on her. If necessary, you can also ask Mobius to take a look."

Xia Ling looked at Ling, who was playing with the Hiyomaru, and said.

"Yes, don't worry, I will take good care of her."

Rin nodded happily, clearly very satisfied with this little pet-like creature. However, Xia Ling noticed that Hiyomaru's body seemed to tremble. Whether it was due to Hi-maru's previous memories or something else, Hiyomaru seemed somewhat afraid of Rin.

"I have a feeling... that there are more and more people in the Stigmata Space."

Xia Ling glanced at Yae Sakura and Kallen, then at Rin and Hiyomaru beside her, and fell into deep thought.

Having temporarily resolved the issue of the Stigmata Space, Xia Ling returned to the Far East Branch with the Hyperion the following day.

Otto was very honest and kept his promise regarding the time he set. Otto quickly dealt with the remaining events in Oceania and then arranged for Durandal and Rita to return to Schicksal Headquarters with their people. At the same time, the Far East Branch also ended its support mission and returned along the same route.

Otto himself simply shut down the Soul Steel body and reset it to its initial state before giving it to Highmore. Highmore had no idea whether there were any hidden tricks left inside the body, but since it wasn't the right time to use them yet, she wasn't in a hurry.

Anyway, by the time this body is activated, Xia Ling will most likely have already broken ties with Otto. At that point, once the Kishinuma clean things up, any backup plans will be useless.

On the Anti-Entropy side, due to the heavy losses suffered by the Anti-Entropy faction in the previous confrontation with Durandal, with many members being impeached, Tesla and Einstein took this opportunity to gather a large number of former neutral and radical forces, thus greatly increasing their strength.

As the various forces gradually calmed down, Highmore and Wendy's lives began to return to normal. The Flame Willow Group on Coral Island also enjoyed a peaceful time. Since the two of them wouldn't be able to access the main storyline for a while, they were able to get a rare break.

As for Xia Ling... because the Oceania Branch's previous support mission was very urgent, many people simply abandoned their work and boarded the Hyperion. The consequence of this was that when they returned from the support mission, they were met with a chaotic scene at the academy.

In the previous battles against Chi You and the Manila Great Honkai, although the Far East Branch launched immediate attacks, they usually did not mobilize their entire force as they did this time. For example, during the Chi You battle, Xia Ling was responsible for staying behind at the academy to handle affairs during that period.

But this time... judging from Theresa's pale face after returning to the academy, it was probably not so easy.

At this point, Theresa might already be regretting not having brought Otto to the St. Freya Academy to handle her work.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking. Given St. Freya's current situation, even if Otto really came, Theresa would definitely not dare to let him handle it.

So, naturally, Theresa thought of the person who had helped her with this task when she left the academy.

Then...

"Help me, Xia Ling-chan! If Xia Ling-chan doesn't help me with my work, oh dear!"

"What would it take for Xia Ling-chan to agree to help me with my work? I'm willing to do anything I can!"

Xia Ling was inexplicably summoned to the principal's office and was immediately startled by Theresa, who kept pestering her to do her work.

"Wait, no, don't pull on my leg ring! I, I'll help you with your work..."

"Where did you learn these weird ways of asking for favors?!"

However, just then, a sound came from the door of the principal's office.

"Theresa? Why did you call me here? Is it another case of unfinished work you want me to help you with...?"

Himeko pushed open the door and was stunned for a few seconds when she saw Theresa hugging Xia Ling's leg in the office, while Xia Ling covered her skirt with a shy expression.