Xu Ziling ultimately put on that set of women's Bishop's Attire.
Of course, first of all, it had to be made clear that Xu Ziling hadn't wanted to wear it. Secondly, Xu Ziling hadn't wanted to wear it. And lastly, Xu Ziling hadn't wanted to wear it.
It was just that, among the clothes Elysia had bought, aside from this unisex platinum-and-white Bishop's Attire, there really wasn't any women's clothing that looked more like men's clothing.
After changing, Xu Ziling stood before the mirror with a complicated expression.
After putting on this platinum-and-white Bishop's Attire of unknown origin, Xu Ziling's bearing really did look more and more like that of a Female Bishop.
"Heehee?~"
Elysia could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart. She picked up a camera and snapped away at Xu Ziling.
Xu Ziling thought for a moment, then went and fetched the white coat Mobius had given him earlier and draped it over himself before saying:
"Miss Elysia, if there's nothing else... the doctor and I will go downstairs to conduct our research."
"Mhm, mhm, mhm."
Her goal had been perfectly achieved, and she had "reaped quite a harvest." Elysia stared at the photos she had just taken with her digital camera, her face full of satisfaction.
Mobius walked over and looked Xu Ziling up and down. After seeing his extraordinary bearing, satisfaction appeared in her green-and-rainbow-colored snake eyes. She nodded slightly and said,
"Little Mouse, your new outfit isn't bad. You really do look much more pleasing to the eye than before. I don't care how you lived in the past, but since you're going to follow me from now on, at least don't make yourself look so slovenly... All right, that's enough small talk. We should go downstairs and conduct the experiment.
"Your body's aversion to sunlight is a huge weakness, but you don't need to worry. After all, you have me to help you. As long as you cooperate with me, I'll definitely be able to let you walk steadily under the sunlight within seven days at most. Understand?"
"Mm."
Xu Ziling knew that Mobius was helping him make up for his final defect to prevent any medicine produced from his DNA later on from developing similar side effects. Ultimately, it was still for the sake of her own biological evolution.
But that was fine. The First Herrscher hadn't even been born yet, so Xu Ziling still had plenty of time to grow. It was more than enough for him to gradually turn Mobius, who had "walked straight into the tiger's den," into a girlfriend in the true sense of the word.
Meanwhile, amid the busy experiments at the research institute, another day quickly passed.
For lunch, Elysia made Sweet Flower Stuffed Chicken for travelers. As for dinner, Elysia followed an online tutorial and painstakingly made soy milk bit by bit.
Mobius had tinkered around in the research institute all day, seemingly determined to get to the bottom of Xu Ziling's genetic defect. Even lunch and dinner had been delivered by Blanca.
Watching Mobius work so hard at the test bench, Xu Ziling felt that this kind of life was actually pretty good. At the very least, the all-nighters of a scientific researcher and the all-nighters of a social workhorse were completely different things.
However, there was one thing that puzzled Xu Ziling: his system quest.
According to the system, he should have ended up bawling in front of a Valkyrie or Flame-Chaser because of some event today. Yet it was already getting dark—where was the opportunity?
Although daily quests generally required the host to complete them actively, according to the system, the daily quest would inevitably be completed even if he did nothing. After all, the system claimed that daily quests were issued on the basis that "the host can complete them."
Could that foolish system have made another error?
Xu Ziling thought about it, then shook his head slightly. He had already decided to give up on this daily quest.
He wasn't A... Uh, perhaps he did look a little like one now, but there wasn't a single Valkyrie he could come into contact with at present. As for the Flame-Chasers, there were only Serpent and Elysia. No matter how he looked at it, Xu Ziling couldn't start bawling in front of the two of them without any reason. That would completely ruin his character setting, not to mention being unbearably awkward.
"Little Mouse, come here. I have one more thing to tell you."
Mobius's voice pulled Xu Ziling's thoughts back. Xu Ziling, who had still been thinking about the daily quest, reacted and glanced at Mobius somewhat blankly before quickly making his way to her test bench.
"Here, take it, Little Mouse. This is a half-finished product I made after studying your epithelial tissue yesterday."
Mobius casually tossed the empty soy-milk cup from dinner into the nearby waste bin. Then she turned around, took a test tube containing a small amount of transparent liquid from the rack on the test bench, and handed it to Xu Ziling as she said,
"Your body is more complicated than I imagined. This won't directly eliminate your aversion to sunlight, but it should still help alleviate it somewhat. You can either drink it directly or apply it to the surface of your skin. We'll go upstairs and test its effects in a moment."
Xu Ziling held the test tube and examined it curiously from top to bottom several times before saying to Mobius:
"Dr. Mobius, my body is averse to sunlight... but only sunlight. Sunscreen should be useless, right?"
"Hmph."
Mobius snorted softly, then reached out and tapped Xu Ziling on the forehead with one finger as she said,
"Little Mouse, remember this well: my biological and medical skills are the best in the world! No one in this world is qualified to question me in the field of biology. They haven't even been born yet!... Of course, perhaps such people will exist in the future.
"As for the problems you mentioned, I naturally know about them too. And the liquid in your hand isn't sunscreen, either. It's a 'B-R-17'-type reagent I developed based on your body's aversion to sunlight—but only to sunlight. To give it a more human-friendly name... Sunscreen Liquid."
Sunscreen Liquid...
Xu Ziling mulled over the name for a long while and gave up on complaining about it. Instead, he reminded Mobius,
"Then, Doctor, your experiment may need to be put on hold."
"Hm?"
Mobius froze. Then, as if she had thought of something, her expression gradually became rather subtle. She propped up her chin with one hand and looked at Xu Ziling as she said,
"Little Mouse, refusing to cooperate with my experiment... Could it be that you want to ask me for a 'reward'?"
"A reward?"
Xu Ziling froze. He glanced at the atomic clock hanging on the research institute's wall. It was already seven in the evening in Shenzhou. He had only wanted to remind Mobius that the sun should have already set and that the sunlight would no longer shine down. That was all.
But looking at Mobius's beautiful yet dangerous snake eyes, Xu Ziling pondered for a moment before decisively saying,
"Yes, Doctor. I hope to receive a 'reward.'"
"Certainly!"
Mobius swept her sleeve grandly, then smiled as she removed her medical mask and gloves before saying,
"Perfect. I just remembered something interesting that happened when I was on a business trip here in Changkong City... Little Mouse, I'll take you somewhere in a few days. There, you can freely display your 'abilities'!
"This is both your 'reward' and part of my experiment. I need to know what your 'limit' is. As for how much of a 'reward' you receive, and even the form that 'reward' takes, it will depend on the height of your 'limit.' Understand?"
"Mm..."
Having experienced the workplace, Xu Ziling could tell at a glance that Mobius was dangling a carrot in front of him. But there was nothing he could do—the carrot was simply too tempting, so Xu Ziling took it.
Come on! A "reward" from Serpent! Could anyone really resist that kind of temptation?
"But Little Mouse, the most urgent matter is still helping you overcome your final aversion to sunlight. Otherwise, your 'reward' in a few days might be rather troublesome too. For now, cooperate with me and go upstairs for a light-exposure experiment."
"Mm... Doctor, I understand, but I have to remind you that it's already seven-thirty in the evening. The sun should have already set."
"Huh?"
Mobius froze. She glanced at the time, thought for a moment, and said,
"Then we'll use a simulated-light flashlight. If that doesn't work, we'll shine ultraviolet rays directly at you. Where there's a will, there's a way."
"Ultraviolet rays... from a flashlight?"
Although he had never been directly exposed to that thing before, Xu Ziling could vaguely sense that this body feared sunlight—but only true sunlight. Any solar waves simulated through technological means should be ineffective.
But the spirit of scientific research was all about "how would you know without trying?" So even though Xu Ziling sensed this, he didn't stop Mobius. After all, there was no real loss.
Since the research institute wasn't equipped with a portable ultraviolet flashlight, Mobius had no choice but to take Xu Ziling to retrieve one from the safe cabinet in the small building above the research institute.
Unfortunately, plans could never keep up with changes.
When Xu Ziling and Mobius arrived at the small building above the research institute, they discovered Elysia fiddling with several exquisite boxes in the living room.
Mobius hadn't wanted to bother with her at first, but after scanning the room, she didn't see Blanca anywhere in the living room. She slightly furrowed her brows, then asked Elysia,
"Elysia, where did you take my Blanca?"
"Mhm-hm??~"
Elysia raised her head from among the pile of exquisite boxes. Noticing Mobius, she smiled slightly and said,
"Dr. Mobius, and Little Ziling, I didn't hide Little Blanca away, you know? She went back to her room to call her family herself~"
As she spoke, Elysia pointed toward one of the bedrooms in the small building.
Mobius looked suspiciously at Elysia. Her instincts told her that something was wrong. If she took the bait, Elysia would surely make a complete mess of her in the end.
Xu Ziling stared at Elysia for a while, then seemed to realize something. He suggested to Mobius:
"Doctor, why don't we go check on Senior Blanca first? I feel like I've seen very little of her today."
"Mm... Fine."
Mobius nodded. After all, Blanca was her own good assistant. She couldn't let Pink Demon take advantage of her.
But the moment Mobius reached Blanca's bedroom door, she stopped.
In the living room, Elysia was still fiddling with the exquisite boxes. She smiled too. She knew that from this moment onward, she had already won.
Before you continue