Little Feather's Vigilance

The boy's fingertips gently traced the lines on his back; the patterns of Stigmata and the crisscrossing scars wove together a breathtaking and awe-inspiring tapestry.

Given Mei's understanding of the current level of medical equipment and Su Qing'an's injuries at that time, his body should have been almost completely reconstructed, and the presence of so many scars should not have occurred at all.

What shocked the girl even more were the Artificial Stigmata that Prometheus obtained by constantly scanning them.

It seems that Su Qing'an intentionally revealed its existence, so all information was laid bare before them through the intelligent search.

The Crimson Pattern before him was not a simple tattoo; it was as if a living organ had been forcibly embedded in his body, indirectly enhancing his Honkai Energy literacy.

This organ, which is linked to the boy's life, while providing convenience, also passively erodes his body by constantly outputting trace amounts of Honkai Energy due to rejection reactions.

However, Su Qing'an's incomprehensible, almost supernatural abilities negated the erosion it caused, achieving a miraculous and stable balance.

Su Qing'an's innate talent was weaker than Mei had initially imagined.

In stark contrast to Kevin, who could almost instinctively understand Honkai Energy manipulation and was born able to ignore any high-concentration Honkai Energy environment, the boy before him had miraculously sustained himself to this day from a void origin in a past he could not see.

Mei couldn't empathize with the despair he felt, but after witnessing the endless sea of dark clouds and learning about countless deaths and corpses, she suddenly felt that Su Qing'an seemed to have walked out of a world full of bones and injustice.

And this result itself may be proving something.

His survival, his achievements, his very existence—for some reason, allowed Mei to see a raging fire.

The girl understood why she was moved by such vague and unrealistic imaginations, because the path she had initially chosen to embark on was one of utter darkness and despair, with no possibility of success.

Seele Fulei.

Mei silently recited the name, thinking that if Seele was using herself as a bargaining chip to choose to help someone like this.

That might not be a choice one would regret.

Su Qing'an said softly:

"This is Artificial Stigmata; it's the reason I came here."

"As you can see from its effects, it can improve the body's adaptability and resistance to Honkai Energy to a certain extent."

"The cost is that different levels of compatibility and suitability will result in different rejection reactions, which will ultimately greatly reduce lifespan and, in the later stages of the invasion, there is a risk of becoming a suicide Zombie in battle."

"As you can see, this is an incomplete work."

"With your talent, you should be able to deduce how to reproduce it using existing finished products, which is much easier than creating it from scratch."

Mei responded:

"After that, simply restoring this probably won't mean much to you personally."

Su Qing'an looked into her eyes and said, word by word:

"And after that, I hope you will create true Stigmata."

"As a price, even if the Fusion Warrior Project may be meaningless to me, I will still participate in it and provide assistance to the best of my ability."

"Furthermore, the official team should make a deal with me regarding the upcoming battles against the Herrscher."

"Personally, I ask for almost nothing from the higher-ups, so I can help you get the resources and power you want."

Mei was silent for a moment, then she said:

"This is a very unbalanced bet, Mr. Su."

"And..."

"I appreciate your trust in me and have no intention of questioning your character, but even so, I feel you need to state something."

"Mr. Su, you should understand what Artificial Stigmata mean."

"There is a possibility that you possess information or resources that could be more advantageous to the current battle situation. Given this, please forgive me for not being able to ignore these possibilities and pretend nothing has happened."

During his time in Canghai City, Su Qing'an had already identified a candidate to begin researching the Stigmata early, and used this time difference to allow the civilization to develop Stigmata he could then transplant.

Even before meeting Mei, I thought it wasn't impossible.

Although the natural Stigmata left behind by Ji Xuanyuan are special products that have undergone inheritance, change and sublimation after the civilization of the later era, and cannot be completely equated with the achievements of the Previous Civilization, they still prove the existence of many possibilities.

Therefore, the current confusion is a situation that the boy had anticipated would happen.

To be honest, given Su Qing'an's personality, there isn't much of a psychological barrier to her being honest about the truth.

Given the boy's current state of personality disorder, he wouldn't care whether the truth would earn him the other person's trust.

Fortunately, his meeting with Seele and Fu Hua helped the boy regain some of his empathy.

Although it was very faint, it made him realize that he needed to consider the consequences of speaking the truth.

What does the existence of the post-era mean?

This means that the current Previous Civilization is inevitably heading towards failure, that all their current efforts cannot bring peace to their homeland, and that the remaining humans can only be forced to face death.

The Previous Civilization would be so devastated that only a few Fusion Warrior would remain as pioneers to survive those long years of despair and to replant the seeds of hope.

This may prove that Mei's efforts and achievements were not meaningless, but Su Qing'an could also easily imagine what she was thinking at that time.

Mei, who could calmly accept the reality of her future decline and entrust all her hopes to Fu Hua and the others, is now a different story.

Regardless of how much she might believe, once Su Qing'an determined that the other party's value was immeasurable, he was unwilling to let any external force with uncertain consequences interfere with her.

The early appearance of Artificial Stigmata is a good thing, but letting the other party know the future in advance is not necessarily so.

Therefore, Su Qing'an decided to lie.

"I come from another world," the boy whispered, "A world in Honkai."

"Dr. Mei, this may seem like a fantasy to you, but how many other assumptions do you have that are valid based on the conditions and information I've presented?"

Mei said softly:

"I can think of about a dozen scenarios that fit Mr. Su. Su's current situation, but only seven or eight seem reasonable to me."

"But Mr. Su, what you've said so far is the least scientifically plausible possibility. Trying to understand it using the framework of my accumulated knowledge as a colleague is even less believable than you claiming to have traveled from the future to the present."

If Su Qing'an were acting normally, he probably wouldn't be able to resist complaining that the other person had already found the real answer in their words.

But now the boy only whispered the message that silenced Mei:

"Understanding and reproducing, spatial manipulation, mastering electromagnetic fields, and Ideal Fluid."

"If I'm not mistaken, these are the powers of the four Herrscher who have appeared so far."

"In the information you received, my past should be a blank, so it's reasonable that I wouldn't know this information."

Mei said softly:

"Assuming what you're saying is true, and Herrscher with the exact same powers appeared in the Honkai of your world, then unless you left this so-called other world before the subsequent Herrscher were born, you should have heard about the Herrscher Authority."

Su Qing'an had no intention of concealing the information she knew, nor did she intend to use it as leverage.

The boy himself also wanted to know whether, having learned about some of the Herrscher's powers in advance, these gradual changes could affect the final outcome.

He said:

"Reducing molecular motion, controlling apoptosis and growth of biological cells, and accelerating molecular motion—these three, in order, constitute the powers possessed by subsequent Herrscher."

"I only know some fragmented information as to the rest, such as the Twelfth Herrscher's ability to corrode and manipulate everything."

Su Qing'an glanced at Little Feather beside him, who seemed a little unhappy for some reason. He didn't know what sequence of Herrscher Core Udu-dust's true form was created using, but by reverse-engineering the abilities Fu Hua had displayed and the currently known information, he could deduce the essence of the other party's power.

That's why he reacted so quickly after the missionary incident, because he already knew that similar abilities existed on the Honkai side.

Therefore, Su Qing'an was actually quite concerned about the existence of missionaries.

His intuition told him that the mastermind behind it all was special.

After gathering his thoughts, the boy continued:

"Between the Herrscher and the Seventh Herrscher, there exists another Herrscher seems capable of manipulating consciousness or souls."

That's all I know.

Su Qing'an was not lying; this was all the information he could find in the St. Freya Academy's database.

Theresa's permission might allow her to directly access headquarters' secrets and learn more, but he could only look at the library and textbooks. Even if he requested some permission from the other party to look up information, he didn't pay much attention to the Herrscher's powers themselves.

As for the game's storyline, setting aside the fact that Su Qing'an was a casual player, it was unknown how many storylines related to the subsequent Herrscher Authority had actually been released in this pay-to-win mobile game before he arrived.

At the same time, complete spoilers might not be an interesting start for the gods.

Faced with Su Qing'an's complete candor, Mei was speechless for a moment.

Although her statement, besides confirming the truth, did indeed have the intention of extracting information, she was still somewhat surprised that the other party revealed so much information so readily.

If everything the other party said is true, then that means humanity will have to face at least eight Herrscher in the future.

Considering the other party's logic and the fact that this information exists in a different world, it can only have some reference value until the Fifth Herrscher appears to verify it.

But while powers may change, the baseline for quantity remains more solid.

The subsequent calamities have not yet exceeded his imagination, but the Fusion Warrior Project has to be accelerated.

If there are indeed at least eight more Herrscher in the future, then according to the Herrscher become stronger and stronger, many things are already imminent.

"Mr. Su, let's leave this topic at that for now," the young woman said softly, adjusting her glasses.

She understood that continuing to dwell on this topic at this point would only strain the relationship between the two.

The origins of the other party remain shrouded in mystery.

It's clear that Mei doesn't intend to directly trust his claims about coming from another world, but that doesn't mean she can't trust him as a person.

At least for now, while the two sides share the same stance, their interests are also intertwined. As pure allies, Su Qing'an is an excellent choice.

The existence of mutual benefit is reassuring for both parties, which is why Mei initially intended to refuse – the unbalanced state of only one party taking is a cooperative model she dislikes.

The path directly revealed by the Artificial Stigmata transformed the previously vague blueprint into something with hope and a clear goal, so Mei naturally had no reason to refuse cooperation that was beneficial to her.

Su Qing'an's willingness to offer trust and benefits, coupled with her own alliance with Seele, it was only natural for Mei to agree to his request.

She nodded in agreement:

"Transaction complete, Mr. Su."

"Regarding the Stigmata, I will do my best to advance it."

Su Qing'an was silent for a moment, then said:

"Please conduct research in this area without affecting the Fusion Warrior Project."

"The Herrscher will become stronger and stronger in the future. At first, I might be able to use my abilities to entangle them and cooperate with the authorities to defeat them, but as time goes on, sooner or later we will need the existence of Fusion Warrior to resist the Herrscher."

Mei pondered for a moment, having some idea of what the boy meant by his words.

Perhaps what he meant was not only concern about the limits of his abilities, but also a hidden worry about his current physical condition.

In her eyes, Su Qing'an's current situation was that he was forcibly prolonging his life by using the power of his soul.

However, if this ability is used incorrectly, the opponent's body will be corroded by Honkai Energy.

Clearly, any instability in such a crucial element could be life-threatening.

Perhaps... similar signs are already emerging.

A while ago Seele told Mei about Su Qing'an's current personality abnormality, and Mei herself also used Prometheus to conduct a personality test on him.

Given his current condition, it's unusual for him to proactively make these demands and transactions, but using the excuse that he'll die sooner or later if he doesn't do so seems much more reasonable.

She thought to herself that there seemed to be more pressure.

The original alliance with Seele was to help each other become stronger, and even if this wasn't achieved, Mei wouldn't feel much burdened.

But now it's gradually turning into a situation where if the mature Stigmata Project fails, Su Qing'an might die.

This presents a formidable challenge for Mei, who has only just begun to explore even the most rudimentary Artificial Stigmata and has yet to replicate them.

But in the end, Mei only asked a seemingly insignificant question:

"Don't you intend to continue treating the Herrscherization allies, Mr. Su?"

Su Qing'an glanced at the other person and said softly:

"You should know that I'm not behaving normally right now, Dr. Mei."

The boy begins to coldly analyze himself:

"One reason is that the original form of the Third Herrscher Satou Yunona, was someone I knew from another world. You can think of the two as isotopic counterparts, and her death had a certain impact on me."

"Another reason is that severing the link between my Herrscher body and the Honkai Consciousness requires something related to my soul."

"These two factors have led to my current personality disorder."

"Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, I will most likely not choose to sever the Honkai Link again."

Mei memorized the details about allotropes and the world the other person mentioned, but did not intend to inquire about the specifics immediately.

She understood the implication behind Su Qing'an's words.

Su Qing'an had to pay a price in terms of her soul to sever the Honkai link, and it seems that this price is indeed hard to say whether it is light or heavy.

But if the other party were to pay the so-called price in their current state, they might no longer be themselves.

In a sense, this is more frightening to some than death itself.

The reason Su Qing'an was willing to use her last time was because Satou Yunona was of great significance to him.

With the image of being betrayed by the authorities still fresh in everyone's mind, it's impossible to expect a boy with a flawed personality to pay the price and take the risk of severing the link with the next Herrscher.

Mei is not pursuing the details for the time being because the young girl, who has just come of age, is essentially a gentle person. When she is not forced into experimental mode, her empathy is no different from that of ordinary people.

Even if the other person is no longer able to perceive emotions, it is still a very tasteless act to directly reopen their wounds that have lost their sense of pain.

Mei nodded and said:

"Okay, I understand."

"Let's begin the experiment now. I need the most detailed data on the Artificial Stigmata within your body, and I need to observe the constructed structure using instruments. Once you understand the principles, many things will become clear."

Su Qing'an's actions were, to some extent, to allow Mei to copy future assignments, which would certainly be very efficient, so he did not doubt the other party's results.

But...

The boy's indifferent expression betrayed his apathy as he said:

"Do we need to dig it out?"

This is not something that cannot be done. Artificial Stigmata are essentially transplanted products, and it is not an exaggeration to describe them as foreign organs.

With Su Qing'an's sword-heart perception and thorough understanding of martial arts, he was able to completely separate it from his body.

If Mei is willing to cooperate, it can be placed in a container for preservation, making it the best subject for live observation.

The price to pay is that Su Qing'an will become more dependent on [Stigmata] from now on. Without the buffer of Artificial Stigmata, he will be eroded by Honkai Energy as soon as this ability fluctuates, and his lifespan will also be greatly affected.

But given Su Qing'an's current distorted worldview, these are all acceptable risks.

The reduction in combat power output does not affect the battle between himself and the Herrscher. In any case, even with the addition of the Honkai Energy chain reaction he recently learned, he still finds it difficult to cause any substantial damage to the Herrscher.

If the focus is on close combat, then these things are irrelevant.

It doesn't matter that the fluctuations of [Stigmata] can lead to Honkai Energy erosion.

If the [Stigmata] fluctuates during the battle, it means that a more serious situation than the electromagnetic force decomposition of the Third Herrscher has occurred. At that time, one will not even be able to withstand the Herrscher's own attack, so why should one care about Honkai Energy erosion?

But Little Feather clearly didn't think that way. Already a little unhappy, it became even more agitated, jumping around and swaying in front of the boy as if warning him not to do that.

But after hopping around for a while, it listlessly lay down on the other person's head and rubbed its tail against Su Qing'an's forehead, as if it understood that it could not interfere with the other person's decision.

So it quietly turned its attention to Mei. In that instant, this girl in the white coat had become a bad woman that needed to be guarded against in Little Feather's mind—even though the proposal was made by Su Qing'an herself.

Mei, standing to the side, had no doubt that all she had to do was say she needed to do it, and the other party would personally peel the Artificial Stigmata off her body.

She sighed helplessly:

"There's no need to do that, Mr. Su."

"You just need to come in for regular checkups and some tests."

Su Qing'an agreed:

"Okay, sure."

Before this, Mei had never imagined that Seele's brother would have a bigger problem than she herself.

It's a bit of a headache in every sense of the word.

Leaving aside the girl's thoughts and ideas, the experiment to replicate the Artificial Stigmata officially began.