Chapter 150

He had noticed last night that Hua's behavior was a little different from usual, but Ai Yue initially thought it was just a slight effect of seeing things that reminded him of her, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

It wasn't until Hua came up to him and calmly expressed his thoughts that he realized there was some unexpected change in the other person.

"I've just figured it out, Doctor Ai Yue."

Hua's tone was no different from usual, but there was less confusion. "I never had any goals before, but fortunately I met many good people, so I never strayed from the right direction."

"And now, I want to take my first step."

Seeing the girl's determined gaze, Ai Yue nodded slightly, then smiled and said, "Then it seems I have no reason to refuse you."

Hearing this, Hua couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, "So, you've agreed?"

"Of course, congratulations, Hua."

Ai Yue nodded. "Although I knew you would take this step sooner or later, the day has come much sooner than I expected—now that you have a goal, let's strive forward."

"Thank you, Doctor Ai Yue."

Hua smiled slightly, then said somewhat apologetically, "It's just that you've done so much for me, and yet I can no longer stay by your side. It's really a bit..."

"You can't say that. I didn't do those things just to keep you by my side."

Ai Yue interrupted Hua and shook his head. "Besides, as long as we have the same goal, even if we are in different places, we are still fighting side by side, aren't we?"

Hua revealed a determined look, then nodded and said, "This is the only thing I'm sure of: I will fight the Honkai to the very last moment."

"If that's the case, then let's try our best to do it."

Ai Yue reached out and patted her on the shoulder, "If you encounter any problems that are difficult to solve, you can come to me anytime."

A moment later, the group, having packed their things, regrouped. A sleepy-eyed Pardofelis clung tightly to Ai Yue's arm, as if hanging on him. After looking around for a while, she suddenly asked, "Hey, where did Ahua go?"

"She found what she wanted to do, and then she stopped coming with us."

Ai Yue said with a smile, "It seems that he has really thought it through this time, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a hurry."

"I see, no wonder her behavior last night was a bit..."

Aponia said thoughtfully from the side, "But what about the 'Divine Tone Project'?"

"We've done everything we could; now it's up to Hua to work hard."

Mobius said, "However, isn't it a bit risky to just let her act alone like this?"

In essence, the Divine Tone Project was simply to plant a seed in Hua's heart. Whether that seed would eventually grow into a towering tree or wither and die halfway through was entirely up to her own will, and it was difficult for others to interfere.

However, Hua is the only outcome of Divine Tone Project. Her data is not only highly valuable, but may also contain potential risks. If it is not subject to supervision, some unpredictable errors may occur.

"Don't worry, I've already Elysia."

Ai Yue smiled and said, "At least here in Shenzhou, there's no need to worry about Hua. Moreover, I believe we'll soon see the final results of the Divine Tone Project."

Pardofelis didn't express her opinion because she had already fallen asleep clinging to Ai Yue —she had been the most wild last night, and getting up at this hour was indeed a bit difficult for her.

Ai Yue and his group soon boarded a plane and left the burgeoning city, while two figures on the towering city walls watched them depart.

"Are you really not going to continue enjoying your vacation?"

Elysia stood beside Hua and asked again, "Once you get into work, it will be hard to enjoy such leisurely time again."

"That's exactly what I need, Elysia."

Hua's tone was unwavering. "Besides, if we can bring about the day we defeat the Honkai sooner, then we will certainly have plenty of leisure time, won't we?"

"You really have changed a bit, Hua."

Hearing the girl's answer, Elysia said with some emotion, "So, what do you plan to do next?"

"Do everything I can."

Hua said calmly, "Even if it's not a mission to fight the Honkai, I want to help as many people as possible."

To this day, Hua still hasn't found anything that can be called a "dream," because she clearly realizes that as long as the dark cloud of Honkai still hangs over humanity, the future can never be described as a hopeful word.

But there are still many people in the world who have dreams, aren't there?

Then all I need to do is protect them.

13

Chapter Thirteen: It's normal for men to have some privacy.

Where do we go next?

On the plane, Mobius asked.

"Go to a place you're sure to like."

Ai Yue said with a smile, "Atra City, you haven't been back since the last Great Honkai, have you?"

"Mu Continent."

Mobius nodded, maintaining his composure on the surface. "Alright then, it'll be good to see if those good-for-nothings have made any progress after escaping death."

Although she still spoke disdainfully of those so-called peers, Ai Yue still caught a glimpse of expectation in her eyes—he didn't know whether she was looking forward to the research results of other scholars or something else entirely.

As someone who knows Mobius quite well, Ai Yue thought for a moment and concluded that Mobius was probably looking forward to how to make fun of others.

After all, part of her previous poor reputation in the industry stemmed from her mockery and ridicule of scholars in the same field.

Thinking about it this way, Ai Yue suddenly felt a little apologetic towards the scholars of the Mu Continent. After all, if it weren't for his trip, Mobius probably wouldn't have appeared in Atra City for a long time.

"The Mu Continent... it's said the last disaster was very severe,"

Aponia then said from the side, "I wonder how the recovery is going now?"

"Some urban areas have been abandoned because many of the research projects there are highly dangerous, so the cost of rebuilding them is very high, and they can only be temporarily sealed off."

Ai Yue chimed in, "But I heard the new city has been completed for some time now."

"Who manages the Moth to Fire branch there?"

Mobius then asked, "Su?"

"Su has returned to the moon, Mobius."

Before Ai Yue could speak, Aponia explained, "The Fused Warrior currently stationed on the Mu Continent are Eden, right?"

"Yes, but Eden isn't in charge of specific matters. She mainly relies on her past identity to negotiate with the people of Atra City."

Ai Yue nodded. "After all, the people living there are either scholars or the wealthy, so Eden's reputation is still quite useful."

Atra City, is a hub for cutting-edge technologies from around the world. It has been called "the place closest to the future in the world," and such a city naturally attracts countless investors and wealthy people.

They and the scholars formed a perfect ecosystem: the wealthy invest in high-tech projects, then use the results to turn into wealth, and then use the new wealth to invest in the next project, thus forming a cycle.

"Eden is probably the most suitable person for this place,"

Mobius smiled. "I guess she's having a very busy time here, with balls, parties, and press conferences every day."

"Pretty much, so she probably won't have time to greet us today,"

Ai Yue shrugged. "So this time it's still a free-roaming trip—but we won't be staying for too long."

Atra City is not really a good tourist destination, and Ai Yue's visit this time was not simply to relax, but for another purpose.

He looked out the window and, through the clouds, could already see the outline of a continent and a city that still shone brightly despite the distance.

Atra City is almost here.

The plane landed smoothly at the airport of the Moth to Fire branch. Ai Yue did not reveal his whereabouts to too many people, so no one was there to pick him up. After completing the formalities, they quietly left and officially entered the city.

"Wow..."

After getting off the plane, Pardofelis gradually regained her senses and was quickly drawn to the exaggerated scenes in Atra City. Cars flying in the sky, 3D advertisements projected by projection systems on both sides of the street, and figures wearing exoskeletons lying flat and floating through the air—everything looked very novel.

Although the technology involved may not even be as advanced as the shoes Pardofelis is wearing, they certainly look very fancy.

"Wait, what's that?"

Mobius's attention was focused on the other side. She noticed that most people on the street were accompanied by a small doll, and a subtle expression appeared on her face. "Could it be that 'Armed Doll' have begun mass production?"

When Ai Yue visited the "Armed Doll" project, Mobius was beside him and naturally had an impression of the small doll. Although it looked different from the doll she had seen before, it was probably just a difference in model.

"Currently, it's only being piloted in Atra City."

Ai Yue explained, "However, many people are optimistic about this project. I heard that investors are lining up every day, so Einstein is now a hot new star in Atra City."

"That's not bad, at least her results have the value of being mass-produced."

Perhaps because of Ai Yue's support for the project, Mobius, unusually, held back and didn't say anything harsh. "So we're going to find her now?"

"Actually, I can go by myself, you guys can..."

Before Ai Yue could finish speaking, he noticed that someone was missing beside him. "Where's Pardo?"

"They've already run away,"

Aponia pointed ahead, Ai Yue looked up to see half of her tail disappear around the corner of the street. "Should I call her back?"

"Never mind, let the child play if she wants to."

Ai Yue waved his hand. "Aponia, please keep an eye on her. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, just call me. Otherwise, you can make your own decisions."

"I'll go with them too. Neither of them has ever been here before, right? It'll be good for them to broaden their horizons."

Mobius shook his head. "You can go to Einstein's side by yourself."

Mobius wasn't unwilling to meet the current Einstein, but she keenly sensed from Ai Yue's words that he didn't seem to want anyone else to accompany him.

Clearly, Ai Yue's purpose this time was not simply tourism—at least not his purpose in coming to Atra City.

However, since Einstein wasn't working on anything dangerous related to Honkai, Mobius turned a blind eye.

Are you really not going?

After Ai Yue left, Aponia asked the question.

She was well aware of what Mobius could perceive, but Aponia had never interfered with any of Ai Yue's decisions, so she found Mobius's unusual behavior this time rather strange.

In the past, even if Mobius didn't accompany him, he would at least have given him some advice. His current laissez-faire attitude is really quite strange.

"There's no need. Since he can even handle something as simple as becoming Herrscher, what trouble could he possibly cause in Einstein's lab?"

Mobius shook his head. "More importantly, can you keep up with Pardo? I remember if that guy really wanted to hide, even Prometheus wouldn't be able to find him, right?"

"Then you are underestimating me."

Aponia smiled faintly. "She has been in my sights the whole time."

The ability to lock onto someone's mind is something that a camera can't match.

14

Chapter Fourteen: Brother, Teach Me (4,000 words)

Just as Ai Yue was heading toward the address given by Einstein was also waiting anxiously on the other side.

She no longer squeezes into that somewhat cramped and messy laboratory with her assistants, but now owns an independent research institute in the new city of Atra. Although its scale is not as large as Mobius's First Research Institute, the fact that it occupies a considerable area in Atra City, a place where land is extremely valuable, is enough to demonstrate Einstein's current status.

Money and status did not have much of an impact on Einstein. Although she no longer needs to do the work of several people and work nearly twenty hours a day as before, she is still essentially the same hardworking and sincere scholar.

Therefore, when Einstein learned that Ai Yue was coming to visit her laboratory again, she was still extremely excited.

Especially after seeing that Ai Yue said he needed her help with something and hoped that no one else would be there, Einstein did not hesitate to cancel all appointments and give everyone at the research institute a day off, in order to ensure that when Ai Yue arrived at her research institute, she would be the only living person in the entire institute.

As the agreed time approached, Einstein checked the status of the research institute once again, then stood at the entrance to wait, while hesitating whether to take this time to tidy up his personal appearance.

If anyone else were to witness this scene, they would surely find it unbelievable—after all, Nikola Einstein is currently the most dazzling rising star scholar in Atra City, and her Armed Doll project has been recognized by experts from many different fields, who believe it is a major study that could potentially change the future of human life.

It can be said that more than 95 percent of the media in the city are now seeking the opportunity to meet Einstein, but he does not like to communicate with the outside world and therefore rarely appears in public, so there is very little related news or video material.

But this highly sought-after individual has now come to the research institute's gate with great respect, waiting for someone's arrival. This makes one wonder what kind of person that person might be.

Of course, if they saw Ai Yue, they might be disappointed. After all, compared to Einstein, Ai Yue's identity was much more secretive and he was not someone that ordinary people could come into contact with. Therefore, he was easily mistaken for some nobody.

Of course, none of these things mattered to Einstein and Ai Yue.

Ai Yue didn't keep Einstein waiting for long. Just as the other party finally decided to change his clothes, he appeared in front of the research institute's gate.

"It's been a long time, Einstein."

Seeing Einstein, who was somewhat excited and unsure of what to say, Ai Yue smiled and said, "You look much healthier than before."