The King's Stance

Seeing that Lionel no longer questioned his orders, the king sighed softly, dismissed Lionel, and gave him time to sort out his thoughts.

As the king of the Mu Continent, which possesses the world's most advanced technology, there are some things he needs to consider more than others.

Like Lionel, he certainly acknowledged that Honkai had gradually become humanity's greatest enemy, and that humanity had to change its attitude towards the Honkai, from the initial unwavering belief that victory was a sure thing, to now trying to preserve human civilization and being psychologically prepared to pay a huge price to defeat the Honkai.

It was for this reason that when Beifengge suggested putting Mobius in a senator position, he agreed.

He was the true king of the Mu Continent. Without his approval, how could Mobius have so easily ascended to the position of councilor? The problem he was considering at the time was quite simple: the thinking of the Fire Moth and the researchers of the Mu Continent had become rigid and conservative, and they were extremely resistant to others whose ideas did not align with their own.

He put Mobius in power to pave the way for Honkai research. In fact, the results Mobius achieved in the period after taking office met his expectations. Without the Fusion Warrior Project, what kind of damage would humanity have suffered during the Seventh Herrscher Incident? During the Eighth Herrscher Incident, without Fusion Warrior, humanity would have been helpless.

However... the World Serpent's reach is too far, something even the King doesn't understand why Mobius wants to control the entire Fire Moth.

He had met Mobius when she was just starting out and making her mark on the world stage, and when Mobius was marginalized from the center of power after establishing Fire Moth. At that time, she only cared about her research and did not care about the opinions of others, nor did she have any desire for power.

Such a person has only a thirst for truth in her heart, and it is precisely because of this that the King is puzzled by the World Serpent's attempt to spread its influence throughout the entire Fire Moth.

It's unclear when it started, but under the watchful eyes of the Mu Continent, Mobius's enthusiasm for some of her experiments waned. It seemed as if everything was already within her expectations, and she began to actively pursue power. At first, the king thought she had finally come to her senses and was no longer blindly pursuing experiments.

"Speaking of which, that girl Elysia is also..." the king muttered to himself, stroking his beard.

As a warrior who single-handedly defeated the Second Herrscher, the King couldn't possibly be unaware that before Zhu Yufeng and Kevin entered the Fire Moth, the King had positioned Elysia as a savior hero. However, after those two arrived at the Flame Chaser, Elysia clearly began to slack off, or rather, intentionally or unintentionally downplayed her role in the fight against the Herrscher...

Although it was probably because Elysia felt that Kevin and Zhu Yufeng could do those things, she didn't need to go all out... This was the conclusion the king drew from the observation report submitted by Hen, who was Elysia's guide when she first joined the Fire Moth.

However, in reality, Elysia still maintained a tireless attitude towards fighting the Honkai. After Zhu Yufeng and Kevin finished the Fusion Warrior surgery, she was the one who performed the surgery next.

Did she know anything about the World Serpent?

As for Elysia, the king had heard Hen mention her when Hen stayed with Blanca on the Mu Continent. Moreover, Lionel, who later settled in the Fire Moth, also confirmed that Elysia liked Zhu Yufeng.

"Maple... are you a savior of the world, or a solitary demon king?"

Without a doubt, both Hen and Lionel have a high opinion of Zhu Yufeng. Putting aside Hen, Lionel's discerning eye alone is enough to give him a very high rating, which means that Zhu Yufeng is truly capable.

However, he will almost certainly be one of the high-ranking members of World Serpent. After all, from another perspective, if Mobius really wants to control the entire Fire Moth, he will naturally not overlook the aspect of force. As the first Fusion Warrior and bodyguard under her command, Xila was able to mobilize Zhu Yufeng's team without encountering any resistance.

From today's perspective, perhaps for Mobius, it was simply a matter of switching from left-handed to right-handed.

Regarding the fight against the Honkai, the King did not doubt Zhu Yufeng's stance, but... if Zhu Yufeng believed that the path taken by the World Serpent was correct, then he would inevitably also support the World Serpent's plan to unify the voices within the Fire Moth, as for his infiltration of the World Serpent and his motives for supporting it...

It's possible that, on one hand, Mobius had introduced him to the organization, and on the other hand, the disagreements among the higher-ups of the Fire Moth during the Seventh Herrscher Incident ultimately became the catalyst for the escalation of the incident. Furthermore, he was forced to undergo Fusion Warrior surgery to save Uriel's life before his death...

Looking at it from another angle, it would be truly strange if he didn't have opinions about those councilors.

Besides, the king also had other considerations. He certainly trusted Lionel and Hen's judgment of Zhu Yufeng, and knew that Zhu Yufeng and Kevin would inevitably become the main force in the fight against the Honkai. But he also had another identity: in addition to fighting the Honkai, he was the king of the Mu Continent.

Therefore, he must consider the situation of the Mu Continent.

If this struggle ends, the Fire Moth should be disbanded soon, but will the World Serpent really disappear? What should be done with the Fusion Warrior that have already appeared? They have a much longer lifespan than humans and much greater power than humans; their very existence is a problem.

To put it another way, if this struggle becomes a protracted war, the existence of the Fusion Warrior will become extremely important. So what should humanity do if the Fusion Warrior have other ideas?

The conflict between Baal, Zhu Yufeng's subordinate, and members of the council was not an isolated case. Kevin's side also had friction with the council due to the Fusion Warrior, but it was the most obvious on Zhu Yufeng's side.

Currently, Kevin and Zhu Yufeng are the most reliable. They can quickly suppress the Fusion Warrior under their command, but what if something happens to them?

Neither Kevin nor Zhu Yufeng are under the control of the Mu Continent.

Kevin was already in a romantic relationship with Dr. Mei. Dr. Mei and obeyed all of her orders without question. Zhu Yufeng, on the other hand, was quite intriguing. It wasn't that he didn't have a partner, but rather that there were too many potential partners, leading to uncertainty. Hen said it was Elysia, Lionel said it was Lilith, and Beifengge, who had already switched sides, said it was Mobius. Other members of the Mu Continent within the Fire Moth also claimed it was Vill-V, Sakura, or Pardofelis...

When the king saw these bizarre and unpredictable reports, he was dumbfounded. What was this all about? A thousand readers, a thousand Hamlets? A thousand observers, a thousand objects?

In conclusion, Zhu Yufeng definitely has a boyfriend, but it's unclear who he is.

This uncertainty is what's most troublesome. If it's Lilith, her brother Davien is currently a collaborator with the Fire Moth and has made achievements in the Mu Continent. According to the Mu Continent's investigation, Lilith is a model of loving her younger siblings and being harmonious and friendly to those around her, and she has a good reputation locally. In this case, winning over Davien might also win over Lilith, and then they could put in a good word with Zhu Yufeng to change his stance.

If it's Elysia, it will be a bit troublesome. Although the others in the Fire Moth have a high opinion of Elysia is almost all alone. There is no way to find a breakthrough point from the people around her. If she is also a member of the World Serpent, how can we bring her to the Mu Continent?

Others are not to be trifled with.

The worst candidate would be Mobius. If Zhu Yufeng's opponent is Mobius, then the idea of poaching him can be completely abandoned.

Both Hen and Lionel's observation reports clearly pointed out that Zhu Yufeng couldn't remember many people's names. It wasn't a problem with his memory; it was because he didn't care. In interpersonal interactions, Zhu Yufeng rarely, if ever, took the initiative to contact people outside his circle.

It is reliable, but basically it means that it is impossible for the king to marry a princess to him.

Among the current Fusion Warrior, Zhu Yufeng's fusion ability is theoretically the strongest, because the Honkai Beast factor he fused with comes from the End-of-Law Honkai Beast Ugar, which humanity has yet to defeat. He possesses a certain degree of time-related abilities. As for the exact extent of these abilities, the secret report submitted by Mobius is no longer credible; what can be confirmed is that he possesses time-related abilities.

Such a warrior is a double-edged sword in the eyes of the king, or at least a sword of the Mu Continent, but unfortunately... it seems there is no way to poach him from the Fire Moth.

Aside from Lilith, Zhu Yufeng is basically alone in all other possibilities. Although Sakura has a younger sister, her sister is only 13 years old and can only play a limited role. Moreover, Sakura is most likely a Serpent World Serpent, and there is no way her sister is not being watched by Serpent World Serpents. Trying to find a breakthrough point from there is no different from directly tearing off the mask.

After eliminating all possibilities, the only breakthrough point we can find is Lilith...

Although the probability is unknown, we still have to try. However... Hen and Lionel believe that the King is more reliable than others, so it's probably a choice between Elysia and Lilith. As for Beifengge, he doesn't have much trust value in the King's heart anymore, and the information he provides is most likely a smokescreen.

After all, the age gap between Zhu Yufeng and Mobius is still quite large...

Beifengge... is considered one of the most outstanding young talents on the Mu Continent. His greatest skill is seeing through people's hearts. Yes, at that time, the king had already been considering ways to put Mobius on the throne. It was just that Beifengge took the initiative to offer to take the blame if he caused any trouble.

He wanted to take advantage of Beifengge, but at that time, was Beifengge taking advantage of him?

His thoughts were exposed by Beifengge, and because there was someone to take the blame later, he was initially hesitant, but after Beifengge's explanation, he was guided to a position that was beneficial to the World Serpent. Only now, after realizing the threat posed by the World Serpent, did he look back and discover that something was amiss.

Even now that Beifengge has betrayed the king, he finds himself with no way to control Beifengge. In the past, Beifengge could be used as a scapegoat to manipulate him, with Beifengge speaking up for him and him acting as Beifengge's supporter. But after Beffin ran away with the Fire Moth and betrayed the king, there's nothing the king can do about him.

The Fire Moth has already reached a point where Mu Continent can no longer extend its reach. Even without him as a backer, no one can kill Beifengge, especially since Beifengge is now Fusion Warrior.

As for his family... Beifengge came from a poor family and his mother had passed away when he went to school as an adult. What could he possibly have as a breakthrough point?

Therefore, the king had some doubts about Beifengge's defection. Beifengge was a graduate of Lionel University, and was promoted by him through Lionel's recommendation. He was a loyal minister. How could he have been poached by the Serpent?

At that time, it was probably only just beginning. What conditions did the World Serpent offer that Mu Continent could not provide?

No matter how hard it is to understand, the probability that Beifengge has already defected is quite high. In order to prevent the World Serpent from continuing to infiltrate the Mu Continent, the King has no choice but to let Beifengge stay in the Fire Moth as his "spy".

Meanwhile, Lionel returned to his home on the Mu Continent. He refused the banquet that Annal had arranged for his return, and sat alone in his dark room for a long time, lost in thought.

After that, he made a phone call.

"Hey, I didn't expect you to remember to call your old friend! How's it going? You must have had a welcome banquet for yourself, right? I didn't hear anything..."

"Beifengge," Lionel said, his voice a little hoarse, "I declined the banquet."

"Oh? Is that so? Judging from your tone... it seems things are getting serious..." Beifengge's tone became somewhat amused.

"... Have you truly betrayed me?"

Upon hearing this, Beifengge on the other end of the phone seemed to be taken aback for a moment before laughing helplessly and saying, "Leon, how can you ask someone so directly if they have betrayed you? This is not something you should be saying."

Upon hearing this, Lionel closed his eyes. He had confirmed that Beifengge had indeed switched sides. Based on his understanding of Beifengge, this was essentially a declaration of his own stance to him.

"... Why?" he asked.

"Is it hard to understand? Haha, yes, it's a bit difficult for you to think from other people's perspectives and positions. And my situation is probably even more complicated, but you still need to learn to do it. It's not good to keep ignoring your surroundings. Before asking me these things, Leon, you had already made a decision in your heart about what you wanted to do, right?"

"... Can you still keep your promise?"

What do you think?

"Then, you shall live, and remain here until the time comes for me to settle things with you myself, Lord Beifengge."

"Heh... then I'll keep my expectations for now, and I really hope you can live to see that day, Lord Lionel."

Lionel hung up the phone and walked out of the room. From now on, he would have more things to do, and... he wouldn't have a sarcastic person to help him anymore.

The headquarters of the Fire Moth.

After hanging up the phone, Beifengge continued playing music and dancing with Nahamah and the others, as if nothing had happened.