Although Rita often carried out unsavory missions as Otto's white glove, she had truly never encountered a situation like this one, where she had come here purely to feast on dog food.
Eating it alone was not enough—she also had to write down the dog food she had consumed, complete with her own thoughts... Rita felt like she was about to become the sole stan of those two.
Then she thought of Durandal at the distant Schicksal branch... Tsk, better not. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that woman was a block of wood.
Clicking her tongue in irritation, Rita stood up and prepared to leave as well. Today was the final day of observation. Once it was over, she would return to report to Otto.
She had decided. Once she got back, she would take Durandal shopping. To vent the frustration of having eaten her fill of dog food, Rita decided she would go show off her affection to others too.
But before that, she still had to make her report...
A day later, at Schicksal Headquarters.
"Mm..." Otto flipped through the mission report Rita had delivered, occasionally nodding with a smile of approval.
"Not bad, Rita. You completed your mission very well."
After turning the final page, Otto raised his head and praised her.
"You flatter me, Lord Bishop. Rita merely did her duty."
Rita nodded respectfully in response.
"How is it, Lord Bishop? Have you reached a conclusion?"
"Although there are still some details that do not quite line up, they are largely inconsequential."
"I can now basically confirm that this Highmore is definitely not a Pseudo-Herrscher. As for her true nature... it may have a great deal to do with Wendy."
"Then what exactly is this Miss Highmore...?"
"Mm... Listen to my analysis, and you will naturally have your own guess. Rita, you should join us as well. This matter will very likely be assigned to you going forward."
"Preparing yourself mentally in advance will also make it easier for you to continue the work later."
Highmore: Yes, Yes, Think Exactly That Way
Otto reopened the files and motioned for the two of them to come closer.
"Look. Based on the intelligence Rita brought back, after a Honkai outbreak occurred in Oceania and a Pseudo-Herrscher was born, the concentration of Honkai Energy and the activity level of Honkai Beasts showed almost no change, whether in the days before or after the event."
"That is abnormal. A Pseudo-Herrscher is not like a normal Herrscher. A naturally formed Pseudo-Herrscher Core is itself a high-concentration Honkai Energy Crystal."
"Even if this Pseudo-Herrscher only possessed A-rank strength, it would be impossible for her to have no effect whatsoever on the local Honkai Energy ecosystem, whether positive or negative."
"Furthermore, look here. After the Honkai outbreak, this girl claimed that she could not control the Honkai Beasts."
"That is even more impossible. Even a Pseudo-Herrscher naturally possesses the ability to control Honkai Beasts. Not to mention that there were hardly any powerful Honkai Beasts present at the time—nearly all of them were lower-class Honkai Beasts. Otherwise, they could not have been swiftly dealt with by a few Valkyrie squads on vacation."
"Those two points alone are enough to basically rule out the possibility that she is a Pseudo-Herrscher."
"Then what exactly is she? Could someone be pretending to be a Pseudo-Herrscher in order to infiltrate the Oceania Branch?"
Rita proposed a possibility.
"No. Setting aside the motive for doing so, Highmore's medical examination report would not lie. Although her Honkai Energy reserves are not high, her Honkai Energy adaptability, physical strength, and recovery ability are genuinely Herrscher-level. To fake such bodily data, she would first have to be a genius on Durandal's level."
"To send a genius of that caliber to risk infiltrating the Oceania Branch... I cannot think of any organization with such audacity."
"Returning to the earlier question, once we confirm that she is not a Pseudo-Herrscher, the observation report Rita provided becomes quite thought-provoking."
Otto spread open the page documenting Highmore and Wendy, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the table.
"According to this report, it is obvious that Highmore treats Wendy differently from everyone else."
"So what do you think is the most distinctive thing about Wendy?"
"It is the Desire Gem." Rita answered without hesitation. "So she came for the Desire Gem?"
"No. I already said that she belongs to no faction." Otto shook his head, then added, "However, saying that Highmore was drawn in by the Desire Gem within Wendy is not entirely wrong."
"Suppose there were such a creature." Otto deliberately stressed the word creature. "From the moment she was born, she possessed an innate fondness for someone carrying a Herrscher Core. What do you think that creature would most likely be?"
"Lord Bishop means... a companion Honkai Beast?" Rita finally realized it. "But how could a Honkai Beast possibly have..."
"No, Lady Rita. Companion Honkai Beasts can possess intelligence."
Amber had already retrieved Benares's files from the database on the Second Honkai Outbreak.
"Because you did not participate in the Second Honkai Outbreak, you may not be aware of this. As the companion Honkai Beast of the Second Herrscher, Benares possessed self-awareness. Furthermore, on that basis, she could even take human form and once fought Schicksal in that form."
"So Lord Bishop is saying that you believe Highmore may be the companion Honkai Beast of Wendy, the Fourth Herrscher?"
"That is correct. Although every Herrscher of the Previous Civilization had a clearly defined companion Honkai Beast, in this century, only the Second Herrscher's companion Honkai Beast has appeared so far."
"So we know nothing about the formation mechanism or circumstances surrounding companion Honkai Beasts."
"However, for now, I believe the possibility of Highmore being a Honkai Beast is far greater than the possibility of her being a Pseudo-Herrscher. Aside from her strength, nearly everything about her corresponds to Benares's case. As for her strength, that can be explained by Wendy not having fully awakened."
"But if she were a Pseudo-Herrscher, then her circumstances would be vastly different from every Pseudo-Herrscher case I know of."
"Therefore, Amber, Rita, add obtaining Oceania's experimental progress regarding the Desire Gem to the monthly routine." Otto instructed, "Keep constant watch over Wendy and Highmore. Compile a report for me once each month. It would be even better if you could obtain Highmore's biological tissue, but do not force the matter if you cannot."
"Yes, Lord Bishop."
"At first, this move in Oceania was merely an idle piece, useful only as a control group for the Herrscher of the Void... Now, it seems that Miss Wendy has truly given me a surprise."
"I am rather curious... If Wendy ultimately succeeds in undergoing Herrscher transformation, what sort of changes might this suspected companion Honkai Beast, Highmore, bring her...?"
"So, can you confirm that Rita has already left?"
In the Elysian Realm reception room, the system projected a round table in front of the sofa. Xia Ling, Flame Willow, and Highmore sat around it.
Oh, and Elysia too. Although this Mascot Girl Elysia could only play fixed greeting voice lines, Xia Ling still insisted on treating Elysia as a member of their daily discussions.
"Mm. Over the past week, I used the excuse of familiarizing myself with the branch environment and had Wendy take me around the branch several times."
"Combined with the persona I established as someone who likes small animals, all the cats and dogs in the Oceania Branch, the birds nesting nearby, and even the kangaroos outside the base have already been fed a tiny amount of Sea Creature cells by me."
"Under my deliberate control, I did not let them completely transform into Sea Creatures, but they are more than sufficient as my eyes and ears."
"Based on the observations of these animal friends, as well as my tracking of Honkai Energy, I can basically confirm that Rita has left the Oceania Branch."
"Damn." Flame Willow immediately recognized the play. "Wouldn't the ecosystem at the Oceania Branch be absolutely terrible now?"
"Mm? What do you mean by that?"
"Think about it. When Highmore introduces the animals at the branch to others in the future." Flame Willow mimicked the accent of some place in Schicksal. "This is a Sea Creature, this is a crawling Sea Creature, this is a flying Sea Creature..."
"Leaving aside the issue of Oceania turning into a Sea Creature nest..." Xia Ling cleared her throat. "Schicksal Headquarters has not made any other moves lately either. It seems Highmore's side has probably gotten through this."
"I just do not know what Otto concluded. Did he identify Highmore as a Pseudo-Herrscher, or did he discover that Highmore is fundamentally a Honkai Beast?"
"I do not think Otto is stupid. At the very least, Rita's observations must have mentioned my unusually close relationship with Wendy." Highmore speculated. "With Otto's intelligence, he should be able to connect it to the Desire Gem inside Wendy."
"Great! The Oceania matter can be considered wrapped up for now." Flame Willow stretched lazily. "Does that mean we can relax for a while again?"
"Good question. Can you beat Durandal?"
"I can guarantee that I will not be beaten to death." Flame Willow raised her hand.
"I can guarantee that someone will avenge me after I die." Highmore spread her hands.
"Exactly. This autumn, we still have to go to London and find the Second Divine Key!" Xia Ling slapped the table. "What the hell are we going to London for if we cannot beat Durandal? Go train, now!"
Preparations Before the Great Honkai Outbreak
As time entered May, the temperature at St. Freya steadily rose as well.
Although summer had not fully arrived yet, the students' outfits around campus had visibly become much cooler.
"Kiana!" Xia Ling ran out of the changing room in a one-piece swimsuit that emphasized her figure to an extreme degree, her face bright red. "What kind of swimsuits did you pick out for me?!"
"Wait, Sister Xia Ling, calm down! I tailored all of these to your features—ow, ow, ow—"
"Tailored, huh? Seductive style, huh?!" Xia Ling seemed to be radiating black smoke. Before Kiana could run very far, a hand suddenly emerged behind her and viciously grabbed the back of her collar.
Then Xia Ling emerged from thin air, her expression unfriendly as she held up the tag she had just removed from the swimsuit. The four golden words, "erotic swimsuit," seemed to glow as they drew everyone's eyes.
Kiana's eyes instantly went round. "Bronya, you sold me out!"
Bronya silently looked away. "What do you mean, sold out? Bronya does not know. Bronya was merely replacing the swimsuits in the wardrobe as Kiana requested."
"Didn't you say you removed the tags...?"
Before Kiana could finish, Xia Ling's strong little hand had already grabbed Kiana Cat by the scruff of her fateful neck.
"Kiana, you really went to great lengths just to make me wear an erotic swimsuit, huh~"
Xia Ling's voice drifted eerily from behind Kiana. "Finding a swimsuit in my size must have taken you a long time, right? Were you secretly delighted too? Ah~ Usually, Sister Xia Ling is so strict, but now she is going on vacation in an erotic swimsuit. This contrast is just incredible~"
Imitating Kiana's voice, Xia Ling's anger visibly rose.
"I didn't! I wasn't! Mei, save me!"
"Ha..." Mei sighed and quietly turned away, no longer watching Kiana's miserable fate.
The reason for this cheerful scene had to begin with the Great Honkai Outbreak in Manila, expected to occur on May 22.
After deciding that their goal during the Great Honkai Outbreak in Manila would be to resolve Anna's emotional knot, Xia Ling began preparing for the operation in advance.
Although this Honkai outbreak was barely recorded in the main storyline, that did not mean it was weak. In fact, Manila's permanent population before the outbreak had reached thirteen million.
After the Honkai outbreak ended, more than two million people had died in the Manila region, while nearly three million had suffered varying degrees of infection. The intensity of the disaster was clear.
Facing a Honkai disaster of this scale was also a first for Xia Ling. Therefore, to be safe, aside from Highmore, who could not act in Oceania, Xia Ling and Flame Willow would both deploy this time and enter the battlefield from different directions.
As a free agent, Flame Willow could go whenever she wanted, but Xia Ling was different. As an active Schicksal employee, she could not act freely.
However, that did not mean Xia Ling had no opportunity. The Far East Branch was not far from Manila—Manila was in the Philippines. When a Honkai outbreak of this magnitude occurred, the Far East Branch was expected to provide assistance.
To enter Manila through normal channels, she needed to figure out how to blend into the relief force. Those relief teams were generally led by combat personnel who happened to be on patrol duty that day.
Thus, Xia Ling used the excuse of taking leave to visit the beach with the Big Three, shifting all of her rest days to mid-May. Meanwhile, the entire latter half of May, when the Honkai outbreak would occur, was scheduled as Xia Ling's duty period.
Through this, Xia Ling obtained a legitimate chance to deploy, a long-awaited seaside holiday, and Kiana's great swimsuit operation.
However, after Xia Ling thoroughly ravaged Kiana, she ultimately chose to wear that extremely seductive swimsuit. After all, it had been Kiana's request, and Xia Ling truly could not bear to refuse her.
Of course, the shy Xia Ling chose to put on a translucent white cover-up over the swimsuit.
Though afterward, Kiana praised the faintly visible swimsuit beneath the translucent cover-up for making the seductive effect even better.
While Xia Ling was enjoying a blushing, heart-pounding beach trip, Flame Willow was likewise preparing in advance for her trip to Manila.
More precisely, she had already arrived in Manila ahead of time.
One year after the Third Honkai Outbreak erupted, the Honkai Energy concentration in Changkong City had gradually declined. Although it was still far from safe levels, some people whose bodies had developed a certain resistance to Honkai Energy due to the Honkai could barely live there.
Although there were not many such people, Changkong City's enormous population meant there were still several thousand of them. With government assistance, they established a settlement in an area of the city with lower Honkai Energy concentrations.
After the settlement was completed, Raven naturally had no need to keep letting the children risk living outside. Thus, on the day it was finished, Raven brought Flame Willow and her children into the settlement and opened an orphanage—the House of Ciora.
Within the settlement, the children's safety was naturally guaranteed. Taking advantage of this, Flame Willow requested a short vacation of around half a month.
"What? You're leaving for more than ten days?"
Flame Willow's request left Raven completely bewildered. Even as a World Serpent executive, she had never seen a vacation this long.
"Reed, if you are planning to leave, you can just tell me directly..." Raven hesitated.
"Why do you always imagine such weird developments?" Flame Willow looked speechless. "I said half a month was the maximum because I do not know how long I will be held up this time... But do not worry, I will not run away."
"Because it really does look that way." Raven spoke with complete confidence. "Look, the children have all settled down now and can survive steadily in Changkong City on their own. Then you suddenly ask to leave for half a month at this time. Is it not normal for me to overthink it?"
"Tell me, what right do you, someone who casually goes on missions lasting a month, have to complain about me taking half a month off...?"
"Forget it, let's not talk about that. Raven, there is something else I want to ask you."
"Mm? Go ahead."
"Is World Serpent still recruiting?"
"Have you finally come around? I'll go handle your onboarding paperwork right now." Raven shot to her feet.
"You are overthinking it. Not for me."
"Oh..." Raven sat back down, sounding uninterested. "As long as they are talented enough, of course we recruit... And if their talent is a little lacking, I can make an internal recommendation."
"Alright. Then I might be able to find you a few promising candidates. When the time comes, you can have World Serpent's HR see whether they are willing to take them."
"So what exactly are you going to do... Why are you recruiting people too?"
Before you continue