Chapter 242

"Wait a minute?"

Before anyone could respond, Ai Yue spat out a mouthful of wine. He covered his mouth, his eyes filled with shock. "What 'Thirteen Flame-Chasers'?"

Damn it, which bastard came up with this awful name again?!

Upon hearing this title, Ai Yue felt a chill run down his spine and into his mind. Along with the chill came memories that only he knew.

"The Thirteen Flame-Chasers is an honorary title bestowed upon Kevin and his comrades by the United Earth Government in recognition of their achievements."

Seeing Ai Yue's bewildered expression, Hen explained, "It's normal that you don't know, Doctor Ai Yue, since you weren't included in this calculation."

That being said, it's not that Ai Yue is unworthy of the title, but rather that the word "hero" doesn't do justice to Ai Yue.

If I had known, I would never have let that awful name pass!

However, after everyone explained that this hero was not the same as the Flame-Chasers in the story, Ai Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. After calming down, he secretly laughed at himself for being overly sensitive, realizing that he was having PTSD.

"Wait a minute, Kevin, Alice, Brother Jie, Mobius..."

Pardofelis, who was standing nearby, counted again at this moment, "If we don't count Brother Yue, there are only twelve people, right? Surely you didn't miscount?"

"Pardo, you forgot someone,"

When Hua heard that Pardofelis had included herself, she couldn't help but blush. After all, she hadn't even set foot on the moon, yet she was counted among the heroes, which made her feel somewhat like a fraud. "You're one of them too," she said.

"I?"

Pardofelis pointed to herself, looking utterly bewildered. "I didn't do anything. How can this be considered?"

"Why didn't you do it? You're the key person responsible for locating the coordinates of the Cocoon of Finality. Don't underestimate yourself."

Ai Yue ruffled her hair, a somewhat subtle expression on his face. "However, this name is really a bit..."

"If you don't like that, there's actually another name for you."

Elysia said with a smile, and the others seemed to have thought of something as well, revealing subtle expressions. "Since you devised the plan to subdue the Herrscher of Finality, we, the executors, are also known as the 'Thirteen Apostles of Ai Yue'."

Ai Yue immediately understood why everyone had those expressions, because his face was also full of strangeness. "No, I think the Thirteen Flame-Chasers are pretty good, really."

Upon reflection, although the original history is unknown, the existence of such a name can be considered a kind of commemoration of that tragic sacrifice.

In any case, names like "Ai Yue Thirteen Apostles" are definitely unacceptable!

However, it's quite surprising that Kevin and his friends ended up with this title. Although the change in the world line allowed Griseo, who had both parents, to grow up healthy and not undergo the Fused Warrior surgery, and Desdrobia, who replaced her in various ways, also survived because of the change in the world line, it's really quite strange.

Thinking about it carefully, it's all my doing!

Thinking of this, Ai Yue couldn't help but smile.

"In any case, this achievement is indeed worth commemorating."

He raised his glass to the crowd, as if speaking to a scene only he could see, and said, "A toast to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers."

The banquet ended with Hen getting drunk—as someone who had watched Kevin join the Moth to Fire and grow to where he is now, he was truly happy. So even though he possessed the physique of Fused Warrior and had a much higher tolerance for alcohol than ordinary people, he still became the first person to get drunk at the banquet because he had drunk too much.

After getting drunk, he patted Kevin on the shoulder and poured out his heart. From Kevin's unspoken words, one could sense a long-suppressed regret and inner turmoil.

For the sake of his family, Ai Yue ultimately chose to step down from the front lines and become the chief instructor of the Fused Warrior, thus bidding farewell to the front-line battlefield. Although Hen participated in the battle again during the subsequent Aberration Event, he was ultimately unable to fight alongside Kevin and others to confront the Herrscher of Finality.

Although no one dared to underestimate this legendary figure who had been fighting against the Honkai since before the founding of the Moth to Fire, in Hen's heart, he always felt that he had shirked the responsibility that belonged to him.

This long-suppressed emotion finally erupted today under the influence of a variety of factors.

Everyone was very understanding of Hen's unusual loss of composure. Even Elysia, who usually loved to tease others, sat quietly to the side this time and did not behave the same way she had with Kevin before.

"What are you looking at? I know my limits, okay?"

Seemingly noticing Ai Yue's somewhat surprised gaze, Elysia couldn't help but pout, "So, in your heart, I'm the kind of person who can't read the room?"

"I just thought you might be able to liven things up a bit."

Ai Yue shook his head slightly, "However, this is fine too."

The banquet finally came to a complete end when Blanca left with Hen and Griseo. Everyone came to say goodbye and left – after all, although the world was no longer threatened by Honkai, the things that needed to be done had not decreased.

"Although the Moth to Fire will be downsized, it will still exist as a department to combat special disasters,"

Kevin, having changed out of his suit, seemed to have returned to his usual self, and said to Ai Yue, "The Thirteen Flame-Chasers, it is both an honor and a responsibility. Although we couldn't be of much help before, we will try our best not to hold you back in the future."

Don't put too much pressure on yourself.

Ai Yue patted him on the shoulder, trying to change the subject to end the dull atmosphere, "Speaking of which, how's the child's situation? This matter has been dragging on for quite a while."

Ai Yue initially interrupted the Brahma Project on the condition that "leaving offspring" was a prerequisite. However, the situation became urgent, and he couldn't care less about that later. Fortunately, Kevin is not yet reproductively isolated from Dr. Mei, so it won't have a major impact.

"Uh, this..."

When the topic came up, Kevin suddenly blushed. "Actually, May is already pregnant."

"Um?"

Ai Yue was taken aback. "When did this happen?"

Without actively using his powers, Ai Yue was not "very" different from ordinary people, and therefore did not notice this situation.

"About two months ago, around the time the Aberration Event just happened,"

Kevin said, "But we only discovered it recently... We've already Mobius to do a thorough check-up, and everything is healthy."

"Congratulations!"

Ai Yue smiled and asked, "Have you thought of a name for the child?"

"If it's a boy, we'll call him Adam; if it's a girl..."

Kevin scratched his head, a hint of fatherly worry on his face. "We need to be careful about the girl's name, so we haven't decided yet."

Ai Yue raised an eyebrow but did not offer any comment.

Adam.

What a great name—a name that belongs to the new era.

Chapter 8: Sakura and Rin's Invitation.

Although Kevin, as a warrior, is arguably one of the most legendary people on Earth, this is also his first time becoming a father.

Even if you can learn some experience from seniors like Hen, you will still feel nervous and expectant when it actually happens to you.

Kevin is a prime example—in just a few days, he has purchased a large amount of baby products, enough formula alone to feed his unborn child until the age of five.

But clearly, he bought a bit too much.

"Mei even mocked me, saying that I subconsciously hoped my child would never grow up,"

When they got to this point, Kevin couldn't help but smile. "She ended up buying a ten-year supply of diapers herself. I've rarely seen such an embarrassed expression on her face!"

"I can only say that you two are both anxious."

Ai Yue shook his head. "So what happened to all these extra things in the end?"

"It's been donated. After all, once the world is at peace, the birth rate should increase significantly, so there's no worry about not having enough of these things."

Kevin said with a smile, "In fact, the United Earth Government has already begun preparations for related matters, and the population may experience a period of explosive growth in the future."

"That's good."

Ai Yue nodded. "But it sounds like Dr. Mei is unlikely to retire?"

"Well, at least until a suitable candidate is found, Mei will still need to manage the Moth to Fire."

Kevin replied, "However, after the Moth to Fire is downsized, the workload should be much less, and it probably won't be as tiring as before."

"Well... that's hard to say."

Ai Yue thought about the series of things that might happen next and couldn't help but show a subtle expression. "You should still advise her to train a successor as soon as possible. Although the current time is comfortable, it is not permanent."

"So, as expected, there will still be external threats invading?"

Kevin also understood the implication in Ai Yue's words, and couldn't help but show a serious expression. "Please don't worry, we will not slack off."

"It's not just a simple matter of external threats."

Ai Yue shrugged. "As the saying goes, when you're poor, you should cultivate your own virtue; when you're successful, you should help others. We have indeed escaped a deadly threat, but there are still many people living in dire straits."

Kevin finally looked confused, clearly not understanding the meaning behind Ai Yue's words. But that was normal, since it wasn't something he needed to worry about.

Ai Yue quickly moved on from the topic and chatted casually with Kevin for a couple more minutes before finally waiting for Dr. Mei to remove her makeup and change into casual clothes.

"Then let's set off."

Kevin smiled and said to Ai Yue, "Over the next period of time, we plan to travel around the world's Fortress City, experiencing different customs and cultures, and also to investigate the situation around the world in order to revise and advance related matters."

"You still have to think about work while on your honeymoon,"

Ai Yue glanced at Dr. Mei, who had walked up to Kevin, and asked, "This is probably your idea again?"

Only someone like Dr. Mei, capable of absolutely rational thinking, would come up with such a plan.

"Isn't this fine too?"

Dr. Mei smiled and said, "The Earth is in dire need of rebuilding right now, and everyone is working hard for the future. We can't fall behind."

After saying goodbye to Kevin wife, who were preparing to travel the world, the once bustling stadium was now empty except for a handful of people. Just as Ai Yue was about to take Pardofelis back to Star of Light, two figures walked towards him.

One of them was tall with a pair of long, narrow ears standing upright on her head, while the other was shorter and younger. They were the sister duo, Sakura and Rin.

Although everyone present today was a close friend, Sakura remained as silent as ever. If you didn't pay much attention to her, it would be easy to overlook her. Fortunately, Sakura's younger sister, Rin, had a warm and cheerful personality and took on the responsibility of communicating with others in place of her sister, so Sakura didn't seem too out of place.

However, everyone has already accepted this kind of thing, since, strictly speaking, not many people here have normal personalities.

Seeing that Sakura and Rin were walking towards him with a clear purpose, Ai Yue stopped in his tracks and decided to listen to what they had to say.

"Doctor Ai Yue, do you have some time later?"

After the girl approached, seeing that her sister still didn't seem inclined to speak, she politely and directly asked, "If it's convenient, we would like to invite you to visit our hometown—it's very close to here."

"Hometown?"

At this moment, Ai Yue recalled that Ying seemed to have said before that she wanted to rebuild her home. "It seems that your plan is going very well."

"Yes, it went even more smoothly than we expected,"

Rin smiled proudly, then couldn't help but glance at Sakura beside her. "Sister, why don't you explain this part yourself?"

There's nothing more to explain.

Sakura finally spoke, her tone slightly awkward, "How should I put it... we originally just wanted to find our original home and rebuild it, but we didn't expect so many people to join in, and now it's become quite large."

"Such a thing is true?"

Looking at the girl in front of him, Ai Yue couldn't help but smile faintly, "It seems that Sakura's influence is quite remarkable now."

"It's just because of your influence; it's not my ability."

Sakura simply shook her head, then asked again, "So, would you like to come?"

"Of course, now that we're at our doorstep, how could we not go in and sit down?"

Ai Yue nodded and beckoned Pardofelis, who was standing not far away, over, "When do we set off?"

"Now,"

Sakura immediately walked towards the distance, saying, "I'll go ahead and tell everyone the news. I'll leave the task of leading the way to Rin."

"Don't worry, sister."

Ling waved her little fist, looking very energetic, "I will deliver Doctor Ai Yue safely!"

Sakura certainly wouldn't doubt this, since even if Rin got lost, Ai Yue wouldn't be in any danger.

What on this earth could possibly harm him?

After Sakura left, Ling bowed respectfully to Ai Yue once again. "Thank you, Doctor Ai Yue."

"There's absolutely no need for that,"

Ai Yue helped the other person up, a somewhat helpless smile on his face. "It was a friend's invitation, so I had no reason to refuse."

"I thank you, and not just for this matter,"

Ling said earnestly, "Besides that, I also want to thank you for giving my sister so many friends and people who are willing to follow her."

"Without you, I'm afraid my sister would still be all alone now."