Seele's Great Victory

It was a pleasant conversation.

After hanging up the call, Su Qing'an made this assessment in her mind.

Himeko is the Murata Himeko from the Previous Civilization.

Even without seeing the person in person or judging through their spiritual aura, he could reach this conclusion.

Having witnessed numerous similar incidents, the striking resemblance in appearance and identical voices is sufficient proof of this.

"Himeko's pronunciation is the same as Himeko's name, so is it a code name? Just like Hua before, using part of a name as a code name has a very efficient style of this era."

However, like Satou Yunona, Murata Himeko in this era was not affected by the reboot.

So, is Fu Hua special to me?

Or is it because I've only had multiple karmic Karma and destinies with her?

Whatever the answer, Fu Hua remains unique to him.

This is the only thing I can be absolutely certain of.

Putting aside his thoughts, Su Qing'an began to consider Himeko's feelings.

As the captain of the Moth to Fire, Himeko couldn't possibly dispel his doubts with just one phone call.

Even though the conversation ended in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, the boy still knew that gaining the other person's complete trust at this stage was not an easy task.

The most basic honesty is something you can't do yourself.

Even if Su Qing'an were willing to admit it, without being able to divulge any useful information, the idea of an identity from the future would be nothing but nonsense.

It serves no purpose other than to make people feel that it is perfunctory and meaningless.

The Artificial Stigmata on his body may be the only proof, but he doesn't currently intend to use that to his advantage.

Both the Void Sword Qi and the Artificial Stigmata were among his few remaining bargaining chips.

If the Previous Civilization had been able to utilize the information it possessed earlier, it might have been able to achieve some early victories in certain battles.

It would not be difficult to reduce the number of people lost compared to previous historical events.

However, Su Qing'an remained pessimistic about the role these two could play in high-level battles.

The ultimate combination of the two can only create a warrior at most a fraction of the level of Herrscher.

This is all predicated on the Void Sword Qi reaching the fourth level and then fusing the soul to the level of [Sword God].

Regardless of the difficulties and possibilities involved, even if the Previous Civilization truly possessed such initiative and unparalleled genius, it would likely have required the power of technology to contend with each Herrscher more powerful than the last.

Even with the development of immortality technologies that are expected to emerge in the future, achieving a qualitative leap is still impossible.

Artificial Stigmata are essentially a means of enhancing Honkai Energy literacy, while the Void Sword Qi is a technique for manipulating Honkai Energy.

Humans who can access immortality technology are themselves the most outstanding beings at the very top of the pyramid.

This is quite obvious when compared to Fu Hua, who doesn't have Stigmata.

But that innate Honkai Energy proficiency doesn't need any Stigmata to enhance it.

Artificial Stigmata are meaningless in high-level battles; even if natural Stigmata were developed, they would be equally useless to these inherently powerful humans.

Conversely, it could be argued that the origin of the Stigmata might be the superior genes of these humans.

Based on this line of reasoning, in essence, Stigmata are like the traces left behind after a vaccine is implanted.

For those who receive the vaccine, those meaningless patterns will naturally appear as markers, but for people who already have excellent antibodies, they are unnecessary.

Having thought this far, Su Qing'an once again deeply understood one thing.

I couldn't fulfill my initial aspirations.

They became immortals and faced their final despair together with Hua, before falling into slumber at the beginning of the next civilization.

From the very beginning, the premise of this idea had already completely collapsed.

The Artificial Stigmata and the [Stigmata] bestowed by the gods are working hard to maintain the current balance of his body, which allows him to maintain such combat power and not worry about lifespan for the time being.

Even if the [Stigmata] wasn't in a semi-frozen mode, in that fully powered state, I still wouldn't be able to reach the threshold to qualify.

Su Qing'an has always been taking shortcuts.

Whether it was using Artificial Stigmata to resist the State of Dustless he shouldn't have reached in the first place, or using Stigmata to constantly absorb the Honkai Energy within his body to support the higher-level Clear Mirror Sword Heart, it didn't matter.

Their structures are all deformed and distorted, indicating a pathological condition.

Even if the existence of Artificial Stigmata is not of great significance to the high-level battles of the Previous Civilization, it is of extraordinary significance to Su Qing'an himself.

If the concept of Stigmata and related samples had been disseminated earlier in this era, the emergence of natural Stigmata might not have been so difficult, and there might even have been a great chance of making some entirely new breakthroughs.

The reason is that, according to the data in the brain, the Stigmata Project was a project that only gradually took shape in the later stages of the war. If the research period is extended, it will be enough to create unexpected variables.

At that time, perhaps I will be able to get out of my current situation.

But at least... Su Qing'an has no intention of doing so until she finds enough scientists she can trust.

Pay attention to the relevant personnel, and also include it as one of the things you should work on.

Himeko's appearance brought Su Qing'an a sense of warmth and nostalgia. At the same time, the best way to contact the Moth to Fire also appeared before him with ease.

From any perspective, this is a good thing.

If Himeko shares similarities with Murata Himeko in terms of personality, then the current Moth to Fire is unlikely to be an organization that would be difficult for her to accept.

This has profound and unspoken significance for Su Qing'an, who has been entangled in this matter for some time.

On the other side, Seele had just woken up. She was wearing her usual dinosaur pajamas, with her dark blue hair sticking up in a tuft. After wandering around the living room and kitchen for a while, still feeling sleepy, she finally saw the boy standing on the balcony, enjoying the cold wind.

Seele glanced at the empty dining table, shook her head, and braved the breeze blowing against her cheeks to step halfway onto the balcony.

Her eyes, which had been half-closed, widened involuntarily at the stimulation, making her look somewhat adorable.

The little girl complained softly:

"Brother, what are you doing? Aren't you cold standing outside? Come in quickly."

Her small, delicate hands were tucked inside her long sleeves, so her fingers, through the fabric, pinched the boy's clothes and pulled him back inside.

Su Qing'an closed the window behind him, glanced at the potted plants, and explained:

"I'm checking if the flowers on the balcony have any chance of survival."

Seele stared at the remaining snow on his fingers, reached out and pulled it into the pocket of her pajamas, warming it with the warmth inside.

Looking at the boy's momentary, speechless, and wondrous reaction, she said earnestly:

"Brother, remember to use this trick on Sister Hua next time."

Ignoring Su Qing'an's suddenly strange gaze, the little girl continued to extend the topic that had abruptly veered off course, carefully analyzing:

"Trust Seele. Just a few more times, holding hands will come naturally, like a boat sailing with the current. You don't need to consciously figure out what stage you've entered."

"Sister Hua has an easy personality to handle, but for my brother, it's like a story mode in a visual novel where the choices are meaningless."

Seele Fulei spoke earnestly:

"But even so, you can't keep not pressing the shift key."

Su Qing'an listened silently to Seele's earnest teachings while taking out her phone from her pocket to check her account information for the past few days.

The little guy's knowledge base must have started to go wrong after he came into contact with the internet, but the various historical records that appeared before his eyes, which he had expected, still made the boy's face freeze.

[On the Self-Cultivation of a Qualified Light Bulb]

[On the love life from dating to childbirth and later years]

[Understanding Women's Hearts in One Minute]

Skipping over a large number of strategy articles and stories related to romance, the subsequent history gradually shifted from the galgames that Su Qing'an could accept to strange directions.

[Un-Chinese SLG/new work/pixel エグザムゲームズ]

[Interactive SLG/Chinese Localization/Uncensored, Teacher's After-School Tutoring]

Su Qing'an closed his eyes, turned off his phone, and began to wonder if he had been neglecting Seele's education.

Previously, in order to prevent the little girl from getting bored at home, we had set up a personal computer in her room and placed it on her desk, but now I think that was a complete mistake.

The Previous Civilization's control in this area was clearly not like that of previous societies; perhaps we should set her internet access permissions to a youth mode from now on.

This way, all problems can be solved at their root.

Seele is unaware that she has inadvertently revealed many details, and as a result, she is about to be shut out of the adult world.

She simply said in a serious tone:

"It's a big no-no to linger in the scene even when you could fast-forward to the entire corridor."

Su Qing'an pondered the meaning of the phrase "entire corridor" for a while, and based on Seele's historical travel records, he could deduce its profound significance.

The boy silently flicked the little girl's head with his finger, and under her resentful gaze, he said calmly:

"Your Sister Hua is only 15 years old, don't get any funny ideas."

Seele sat on a chair at the dining table, covering her head, and muttered:

"What about at 16?"

Su Qing'an walked into the kitchen and opened the rice cooker. The egg porridge inside was in the keep-warm mode, and a rich aroma wafted out.

He responded expressionlessly:

"... no."

The little girl began to apply what she had learned to other situations:

"17?"

"No."

"18? Sister Hua is an adult now, isn't that enough?"

Su Qing'an had already started serving porridge to the two of them when he paused, finding it somewhat amusing.

Why is this little guy so concerned about things between him and Hua? Is it because Hua improved his favorability towards him yesterday?

The boy's lips curled slightly, and he said with a smile:

"We'll talk about that later."

Seele stopped worrying about Su Qing'an's response; after all, this guy just treated her like a child.

Adults tend to ignore children's opinions, and whether the conclusions children reach are right or wrong, they are rarely considered by adults.

The little girl knew that Su Qing'an wasn't that kind of person, but she also understood that he might inevitably have those traits.

So she directly steered the conversation to the wonderful world of adults, indirectly aiming to make their relationship closer.

It seems that as long as the older brother remembers how he first warmed his hand by holding it, that will be enough.

That was already a huge victory for Seele.

Thinking this, Seele, completely lacking any ladylike manners, lay sprawled on the dining table, her feet off her slippers, dangling a few centimeters off the ground, swaying and swinging incessantly.

The socks with their skirt-like hems and cartoon patterns made her feet look rather cute.

The little girl tilted her head to look at the boy's back as he served rice, a smile playing on her lips.

Su Qing'an, on the other hand, fell into thought because of the topic of age that Seele had mentioned.

Wait until Hua turns 18...

If I live to see that time, many things will fall into place naturally without me having to force them.

If not, there's no need to say more.

[Stigmata] are sufficient to perfectly suppress the Honkai Energy on the body when not in combat.

However, after actively driving the Artificial Stigmata to fight seriously, the parts of the body that were eroded during the process Honkai Energy.

The resulting situation is a continuous depletion of lifespan.

In Su Qing'an's eyes, the opportunity to fight with all his might was a precious thing that needed to be weighed against its advantages and disadvantages.

Even in the early stages of the Honkai outbreak, I shouldn't have to worry about the cost of fighting with all my might.

Based on past memories, the Third Herrscher is highly unlikely to appear in Canghai City.

Therefore, the following opponents will not put the boy's body under unbearable strain.

But what happens after that?

Without the ability to transplant a natural Stigmata, death awaits Su Qing'an.

The boy, however, didn't want to consider these things he was already used to. He placed two bowls of porridge on the table and warned Seele:

"You can't say those things to your Sister Hua."

The little girl blew on the slightly hot porridge in her spoon, and upon hearing this, she said matter-of-factly:

"Seele would never do something like that to deliberately bully Sister Hua."

Seele's inner thoughts, however, were a completely different story.

In her mind, Su Qing'an wouldn't check her chat history with Sister Hua anyway, so she could decide what to do.

What we say now doesn't count.

The main reason is that this kind of thing is really interesting.

Even the older brother could understand; just imagining the girl's adorable, slightly flushed face after a blush made her feel like she was being teased...

No, it's the value of teasing.

In fact, if Su Qing'an knew the reason why Seele found it interesting, he would probably feel a little guilty.

The fact that Su Qing'an deliberately didn't tell the other party that he was a teacher shows that the two of them are completely cut from the same cloth.

Su Qing'an glanced at Seele, whose expression was completely natural, and said helplessly:

"That's good."

He had specifically warned her that if Hua got angry and forced her to turn every meal into a green pepper feast, then Seele would be asking for trouble.

But when she recalled Fu Hua's doting expression towards the little girl yesterday and the canceled scheduled punishment...

Su Qing'an suddenly realized that in the end, it might still be a great victory for Seele.