Missionary's Needs

Ten Thousand Year Ice.

This type of ice is clean and highly pure, containing a large number of bubbles. Once placed in water, it continuously makes a popping sound, making it an excellent ingredient for cold drinks.

Drinking a wine served with Ten Thousand Year Ice liquor on a hot summer day would be a rare treat.

However, this type of ice does not belong to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.

The ice floes in this glacial lake are mostly between blue and colorless transparent, but the vast majority have a unique color.

That is, Icelandic Blue.

The presence of this color indicates that the Ten Thousand Year Ice should not be present here.

The ice floes and meltwater of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon originate from the Vatnajökull Glacier. Over the long years, the ice here has become exceptionally dense and hard, squeezing out the oxygen and reducing the number of air bubbles.

The scattering of light allows longer wavelengths of red and orange light to pass through directly, while shorter wavelengths of blue light are fully scattered, giving the ice here its unique Icelandic Blue.

Therefore, this does not meet the production conditions for "Ten Thousand Year Ice". Icelandic Blue means that there are few internal bubbles, and a large number of bubbles are the key to cold extraction efficiency and excellent taste.

The geographical environment here means that similar ice varieties are hard to find. Although it may seem like a trivial accident to others, the boy can sense a subtle strangeness.

He said:

"Prometheus, try comparing the DNA of this cup of wine with that of all the victims in the vicinity."

"Data linking, ready to begin."

A familiar virtual figure appeared on the dial, its posture piquing the curiosity of the White Sparrow that had quietly flown back. It landed beside the boy's arm, its petite form too light to give much of a sense of weight.

Su Muxi stared intently at the watch face, seemingly wondering why a little girl so similar to Bronya could pop out of it, even with an almost identical voice.

Its slightly tilted head is a bit cute and has a sense of innocence.

My memories of being Little Feather are somewhat hazy, and I also loved to sleep Tiāntiān, so I have almost no recollection of the fictional image of Prometheus now.

Su Qing'an manipulated the Honkai Energy particle knob to create a gust of wind, swirling around White Sparrow and making her float up. Finally, she made her land on her head with a thud. At the same time, the outer side of the dial underwent a subtle change, Nanobots, now arranged like soldiers, fell into the wine in the glass in unison to begin their testing.

Su Muxi wasn't angry at all. She simply tugged at the boy's hair with her little paws, and after fiddling with it for a while and finding no reaction, she said sullenly:

"Prometheus, like Bronya."

Su Qing'an tapped its fluffy wings and said softly:

"This is the appearance and voice that Seele created."

She flapped her wings and said:

"Prometheus must be Seele's good friend."

"If Bronya met Seele, they would be good friends too."

Children's logic is always so pure and simple, revealing a sense of innocence and naivety.

The boy did not refute it; he thought Xiao Xi was right.

The two of them will definitely be very, very good friends in the future.

Prometheus stated:

"Mr. Su, according to the test results, the DNA contained within does not belong to any of the victims."

Su Qing'an stared at the glass of whiskey, which was bubbling under the Ten Thousand Year Ice and looked very cool, and pulled out a black round bead from his pocket.

The murky texture resembled frosted glass that had been shattered and then pieced back together, with trace amounts of ominous energy wavelengths floating within it.

"So, it does contain DNA belonging to some kind of organism, right?"

Prometheus responded:

"Although it's a bit strange, it's still human DNA."

The boy's gaze narrowed slightly. He crushed the glass in his hand, and a jet of dark fire rose up. He manipulated the intense heat generated by the friction of the Honkai Energy particles moving at high speed to completely separate and extract the unwanted substances.

Glass, whiskey, Ten Thousand Year Ice...

Even after the object in his hand vanished into nothingness, the faint, almost non-existent Honkai Energy still could not be extracted. However, some of the drifting black [Ashes] lingered around the orb like a piece of iron held by a magnet, inseparable from it.

As Su Qing'an gazed at this scene, he already knew the answer in his heart. He murmured indifferently:

"So, you can still be considered human after all."

A strong wind howled past, scattering the chaotic [Ashes] across the distant sky, where they settled into a vast expanse of white, slowly falling to the ground...

The conclusion is obvious: the missionaries are not Honkai Beast.

She is a monster that is close to the form of Pseudo-Herrscher, a strange being that possesses some human qualities but has carved out a separate path from them.

This coincides with my previous profiling and speculation.

The only somewhat peculiar thing is that there has never been any information or clue that missionaries would taste human food.

There is no such thing Ten Thousand Year Ice nearby, yet she leisurely brought a piece of Ten Thousand Year Ice to the Blue Ice Cave area to drink. Judging from this leisurely and elegant demeanor, it is necessary to reassess the other person's mental state in many ways.

The missionary clearly did not consider herself a fugitive at all; she disregarded not only civilized rules and principles, but also her own safety.

It's hard to guess the thought process of this kind of person, but you can try to figure it out within a certain range.

For example...

Although the missionaries did indeed arrive in Iceland as they had predicted, they did not adhere to the principle of prioritizing safety.

He thought that Flora might really be on a leisurely trip.

The fact that a monster possesses physical functions and abilities for travel suggests that it may not necessarily be confined to one country or a large region, but rather may be freely wandering around the world, in the surrounding areas based on Iceland, or even beyond.

It can be said that it is so unrestrained that it is difficult to capture.

But at least, she was in Iceland not long ago.

Su Qing'an said:

"Although it has no meaning for her powers, let's include this DNA data in the search scope of all checkpoints and urban areas."

"I believe Dr. Mei can glean some information from this."

He considered for a moment, then continued:

"Also, tell me about other areas nearby, besides Iceland itself, where ice of this type is abundant."

The small island of Manitesok in Greenland is 7 kilometers long and 14 kilometers wide, with a population of about 2,000, which is much smaller than the surrounding cities.

But in Greenland, this is already considered a very large metropolis.

Looking at the whole of Greenland, the total population never reached 100,000 before the Great Honkai. After those blizzards, the two thousand people here seemed even more rare.

For a sparsely populated area, and nowadays even less of a tourist destination, the arrival of missionaries was obviously quite unusual. It would be even more difficult to blend in and live a normal life without any disturbance. But all these unusual circumstances were worn away by the fermentation of power.

From now on, Flora will be seen by those around her as a resident who grew up on this small island.

Everyone was used to the presence of the missionary, as if she had always been a nun here.

Even if there were no church here, no one would find anything amiss.

Missionaries enjoy getting close to people; this is what motivates them to do so more than any sense of danger.

This hobby doesn't contradict her innate hatred. Flora's so-called liking is watching the emotions they develop towards themselves because of false memories, which causes her to have a slightly twisted feeling.

Although Flora always kills, she doesn't actually enjoy indiscriminate killing. Such pure brutality and plunder are too quick and superficial, and can hardly satisfy her inner twisted desires.

Due to her unique physical condition, she finds it difficult to achieve a true sense of satiety, which forces her to pursue perfection in her spiritual needs.

The massacre at the orphanage was merely a forced show; following the missionary's usual practice, she would probably have preferred to leave more spectators and only kill a handful of children.

Finally, he openly admired the expressions on those people's faces and the ever-spreading pain and sorrow, then erased his own traces from their memories.

Flora will then observe those bewildered people who are unable to know the truth, feel a sense of spiritual fulfillment, and reveal a satisfied smile.

Therefore, before each murder, she would habitually draw herself very close to the victim, which made it easier to witness the beautiful moment created by the collision of false emotions and real death, and also made it easier to be spiritually satisfied.

Although the events in the Chibbinorton Lake District did not align with her personal aesthetic, Flora ultimately received some delicious spiritual nourishment thanks to that person.

Since then, the nun's tastes in food have become more discerning, and her demands have become increasingly high.

Of all the incidents in Iceland, only the experience at the blue ice cave truly satisfied me.

The story and origins of this are quite complex.

For Flora, her experiences and acquaintances with those people seemed closer to what is defined as friends in human social relationships, rather than tools manipulated by power.

It sounds absurd and ridiculous, but it's also quite interesting.

At least for missionaries, the latter meaning accounted for the majority.

So-called friendship is of course an insignificant emotion to monsters without blood or tears, but it is quite suitable as an additive to ferment the taste of food into an unknown form.

Flora seemed to be directing a long stage play, fully immersing herself in the script she had designed, and naturally becoming close to the people in the tour group.

Along the way, they braved the strong winds of the Arctic Circle, waved their arms at the aurora borealis, shared their genuine insights and perspectives, and talked about the distant future and trivial matters of the past.

They were all ordinary people who, when the Honkai came, lost everything and the meaning of life. By chance, they exchanged contact information in various corners of the internet and eventually agreed to travel around the world to find the meaning of life.

But to be precise, this was a suicide squad.

Everyone understands that those who choose to abandon what little they have left and risk death to travel the world are unlikely to find the so-called meaning of life.

They are like African elephants, who leave their homes before they die and go to places where no one knows them to wait for death.

Thus, the increase or decrease of companions along the way did not cause any ripples within the team, precisely because everyone was the same kind of person, and therefore understood the meaning of dying alone.

The missionary had already made acquaintances with several people in an area before arriving in Iceland.

She even acted as one of the kaishakunin (seconds) out of a mischievous sense of humor.

That was the first time the nun remained a virtuous nun even while committing murder.

Even without using any of her powers, the person before her still greeted death with a serene smile, as if their exposed true self was not worthy of any fear or avoidance, and the act of removing their heart was a warm blessing.

This is a wonderful experience.

Flora even found a twisted warmth for the first time in this morbid gaze and smile.

And so began a strange friendship.

Later, the missionaries thought that perhaps those people were already corrupt, which is why the food they ate when they killed them always tasted different.

Humans are strange creatures. Even though they have witnessed many things and the knowledge gained from the Honkai is as numerous as the stars, the missionary still found that one event very interesting.

The nun believed that she originated from humanity, and that it was reasonable for her to have feelings for it; she did not object to the emergence of these feelings.

Because the missionary understood that emotions are merely a condiment to make food more palatable, and cannot affect anything else, it was at this time that she began to decide to build a long stage play.

It's like there are many different ways to eat a single ingredient. Discerning gourmets with high standards for food often don't care about the tedious and tedious steps they have to go through before eating. They only pursue the happiness and deliciousness that comes with the moment the food enters their mouths.

The missionary of that time was just like that; she tirelessly crushed her own empty spirit and suppressed her burgeoning desires, allowing "friendship" to take root and sprout smoothly. Finally, in that ice cave, she chose to welcome the end of the stage play and tasted the food that had been cooked for so long in one go.

For such a monster, emotions are an interesting game; aside from the unique fun she can experience within them, she won't be bound by them in the slightest.

Flora was ultimately still immersed in the deep sorrow that followed that death. Even though crocodile tears were hypocritical and ridiculous, the rules of the stage play dictated that there had to be something real in it, otherwise emotions could not serve as part of the content or as an additive. So she was still affected to some extent.

So the nun took a sip of the whiskey with the ice that Ten Thousand Year Ice. She gazed at the girl's corpse leaning against the ice, and even the Honkai Energy vortex she habitually attracted seemed somewhat gentle.

What brings us here?

Greenland's ice sheet has an average thickness of 2,300 meters, making it the second largest modern continental glacier after Antarctica, and it is rich in Ten Thousand Year Ice.

So perhaps it was the Ten Thousand Year Ice in that glass that piqued the missionary's interest. She might have been curious about what was so special about the ice that someone would be willing to carefully preserve in the Blue Ice Cave to enjoy with their favorite wine.

But perhaps it was simply that the vivid descriptions and scenes he told himself were too moving.

She said the wooden houses there were colorful, with brightly colored corner moldings and windows. These beautiful houses would double as guesthouses, nurseries, or even small supermarkets.

She said both sled dogs and seals are adorable, but it's sad that the latter always ends up as the former's prey.

She said that when she went there some time ago, it was the height of summer. The floating ice along the coastline was surging forward with the ocean current, and the meadows around her were blooming with many flowers she couldn't recognize. As far as the eye could see, it was a world of ice and snow, which was very beautiful.

Flora thought, "Then I'll make the trip."

If we're talking about spreading the doctrine of the Honkai, the most crucial factors are that both Haiyuan City and Mu Continent are in a closed-off and inaccessible state, so going anywhere or anywhere will yield the same result.

Since I'm going to be a wanderer no matter where I go, I might as well choose a place I like.

This place just happens to be perfect, meeting many of Flora's expectations for a home.

Bustling cities are always teeming with unpredictable detection devices, while Greenland has seen most of its technological creations destroyed by snowstorms. These wooden houses are all rebuilt in recent years, and only the port offers a glimpse into the connections that are relevant to the present era.

As for those annoying, ubiquitous Honkai Energy detectors, they still exist here.

At present, civilization has enormous control over all human dwellings. Even though it has set foot in many areas, the places it has visited all have basic indicators and layouts, and the Honkai Energy detectors are complete.

But that's the limit. To deal with such a troublesome enemy as a missionary, apart from Su Qing'an being able to discern the truth through her own abilities, she can only rely on big data calculations and wait for the missionary to reveal her true colors.

Flora walked through the roadside market, where people laughing in the wind and snow stirred up their inner hatred and desires. Yet, this tug-of-war of entanglement and restraint was also a delicious treat to be savored. She herself was unsure how much joy she could find in any emotion or scene.

Although he is an absolute monster, his taste buds are still in a similar state to those of humans. If it weren't for the mutation caused by that radiation, the missionary would have been just an ordinary Pseudo-Herrscher, and his body would not have degenerated into such a grotesque and terrifying state.

Before she devoured her fellow humans, she could easily restrain her body to a normal human form without much effort. But after that, it became more difficult, almost like she was always wearing a leather suit. Even though it was breathable, she couldn't help but feel stuffy after a long time.

Ironically, since the Soul Essence is entirely a collection of human beings.

Flora probably finds this form more pleasing to the eye than her original self, so except when she can't bear it or is emotionally agitated, she will always be a holy and beautiful nun.

Although they cannot obtain any meaningful nutrition from human food, they can still understand the taste through similar organs and achieve a similar illusion of fullness through the accumulation of substances.

That's why Flora took a sip of the whiskey. She wasn't averse to human food, just like the soft cake she naturally cut and put to her lips in the coffee shop that day. She was never afraid to try anything, whether it was necessary or interesting.

The nun recalled a scene from not long ago: in the vast ice cave, she stood alone beside the corpse, raising a glass of whiskey from the yacht, its bubbles rising to the rim of the glass beneath the ice.

The girl's hazy eyes lowered, the cold liquor wetting her lips. At that moment, the mixed flavors of vanilla, dried fruit, and caramel flooded her throat, and the bubbles from the Ten Thousand Year Ice gave it a refreshing taste, making the flavor unforgettable.

But nothing special, she thought.

This isn't a particularly delicious drink. The initial taste is slightly sour and spicy, followed by a strong oak flavor, as if roasted over a flame, with a hint of charcoal. The aftertaste is a light, almost imperceptible sweetness from the wheat.

If it weren't for the fact that the taste was greatly improved after being chilled, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as unpalatable.

What's so great about the wine that it's worth bringing a piece of Ten Thousand Year Ice from Greenland all the way to Iceland's blue ice cave to drink it?

But when Flora arrived in this town, she inexplicably recalled that before he died, the man had only filled a half-full glass with whiskey, put the Ten Thousand Year Ice in it, and never took a sip.

She subconsciously tried to interpret this as a human wish, thinking it was like a death sentence being made by a condemned prisoner on their last day.

But now that I think about it, it seems like that glass of wine was poured for me.

But this remains an unsolved mystery.

If that person hadn't died, wouldn't I be able to ask them this question directly?

Flora noticed the fleeting thought in her mind, her expression slightly startled, and a faint smile curved her lips.

The nun extinguished all the trivialities and returned to her initial indifference. Emotional games are only suitable for a brief taste, even if one might find more fun after falling into the trap. However, the lessons of the previous apostles were still fresh in her mind.

Although the sense of disorientation brought about by being deeply immersed in it can also be a source of mental sustenance, she herself is indifferent to this sense of crisis. Rather, she enjoys it. Hunters with an absolute advantage are always faced with boring hunts. If there are more variables, it will become a nerve-wracking battle, which will naturally become more interesting.

However, in order to obey the will of God, the risky taboos could not be truly entered, just as the missionary himself preferred to watch the play not far from Australia and continue to assassinate Mei.

However, from the perspective of the Honkai Consciousness, there is little need to do so. Unless there is a sure thing to kill Mei, the missionary, as an excellent pawn and a subject of observation, should not risk being traded away by staying in Australia.

This leads to Flora's cautious and restrained behavior, but her uninhibited core can occasionally overturn the logic of this behavior.

Flora stood near the tavern, gazing at the scene of clinking glasses and the groups of men who then staggered home, supporting each other, a shy smile playing on her lips.

The young girl's youthful figure, accentuated by the form-fitting nun's habit, transformed her already slender curves with a change in demeanor, shifting from an untainted purity to one that evoked human fantasies, creating a pleasantly intoxicating atmosphere.

She leaned against the flat surface of the corner, her waistline curving sharply and gracefully at the turning point. The slender, slightly downward-curving lines were like the spine of Chaka Salt Lake, swaying in the twilight, captivating the soul.

Even though the body hidden beneath the fabric appears normal, countless deep cracks are visible where no one can see them. Interlocking canine mouthparts rub against each other, making soft rustling sounds. Accompanied by heightened emotions, one after another eyeballs, black and white, burst forth from the pores of the skin.

Missionaries possess most of the desires of humankind: appetite, possessiveness, lust for power, and faith, including... humanity's most basic and primal needs.

Perhaps for normal human women, this need is simply an objective reality, and whether it has meaning is entirely up to their own choice.

But this was not the case for this nun.

Flora, born from the entanglement of radiation and Honkai Energy, lacks true food.

The only places with sustenance to be found are Canghai City, Orank, and Barcelona.

Even setting aside the fact that the amount of radiation itself is insufficient, the mere fact that absorbing it completely would attract human attention and negatively impact subsequent key plans forces Flora to refrain from large-scale absorption of the radiation zone.

The missionary's existence and the release of her power can be maintained with just Honkai Energy. However, due to her distorted biological form, radiation itself is like an essential additive. Without this, it is difficult for her to maintain normal rationality and intellect.

Therefore, they can only frantically and desperately satisfy all their spiritual and physical deficiencies, indulging in any kind of pleasure and beauty.

And within this... such behavior is an indispensable element.

Flora lacks basic understanding, and the man she chooses is clearly not a lucky guy who has had a romantic encounter, because she is completely different from normal humans.

In other words, only humans with such peculiar personalities who can gaze into the abyss can find joy in it afterward.

Even someone as eccentric as him, capable of being called a king in a certain field, would probably think he should go to the hospital and decide to skip it today, upon learning the price a missionary would have to pay to reach that threshold and complete the mission.

She gazed at the man who was walking towards her under the bewitching power, her lips parted, and she murmured softly:

"Ah, I'm a little hungry."

The next day.

A beautiful and pure-looking young girl sat on a bench by the street, unconsciously stroking her smooth belly, her expression gentle as she softly sang a melodious hymn.

No one could have imagined that the rotting flesh and remaining bones within the narrowed abdominal cavity, now reduced to a normal size, signified how horrific and gruesome the act of cannibalism must have been...