Only a Madman Would Huddle for Warmth with a Monster.

The girl leaned against a corner of the courtyard, her form-fitting dress accentuating her figure. Her shapely hips and slender waist curved in an alluring way, and the black hem of her dress trailed to the ground, concealing her bare, snow-white feet. The overall effect was enhanced by the artificial soft lighting, creating a strange atmosphere.

The outfit designed by Eden takes into account the contrast between the recipient's real age and physical age. To accommodate the possibility that Mobius might not like being mistaken for a young girl, the design deliberately leans towards reducing childishness and emphasizing maturity and mystery.

Although Mobius looks to be only thirteen years old, his youthful innocence combined with his alluring curves, viewed from the side, exudes a forbidden allure.

Raiden Mei had no interest in this old acquaintance's appearance. Compared to the other person's rather pleasing appearance in normal times, it was unexpected that this person would come to see her so soon.

The girl could only attribute this to [[Ashes]], whom she had mentioned. As she learned more about that person, she came to believe that it was normal for [[Ashes]] to be on good terms with anyone.

--Yes, even Mobius is no exception.

But whether it is or not, it's still a good thing.

Raiden Mei had just finished resting, and as long as she got some relevant information from Mobius, she could immediately prepare to head towards the [[Ashes]] Memory Corridor.

Whether one reaps shattered hope or ascends the steps to Sea of Quanta is not an outcome that can be controlled in the present moment.

She has done her best.

Assuming the worst outcome still occurs, then calm down and study the limits of your control over your powers, honing them to the point where you can break through any path to the outside world.

She looked up at the other person and asked calmly:

"Mobius, didn't you say you weren't interested in my body?"

Mobius slightly parted his lips, but there was no trace of anger or displeasure in his expression; he simply smiled calmly and said:

"Yes, but what can I do when I happen to have the answer I'm looking for from [[Ashes]]?"

Raiden Mei glanced at the other person's hair color and said quietly:

"You're interested in [[Ashes]]?"

"But as far as I know, as the technology provider for this Sea of Quanta, it wouldn't be difficult for you to secretly obtain information from the memories of the other Flame-Chasers, would it?"

In order not to anger the other party and cause the conversation to fall apart again, she carefully considered her words for a while before continuing to ask:

"Or is it that the other Mobius is unwilling to do this?"

Mobius sneered:

"You saw everything clearly that day. Do you think, based on what I said, someone would be interested in doing that?"

She wasn't interested in discussing the topic in depth, only saying lightly:

"Herrscher, what you want is to confront [[Ashes]] and hope that it will help you escape the Sea of Quanta, right?"

Raiden Mei cannot leave this place through external means, nor can she find a way out of the otherwise normal Sea of Quanta.

In Mobius's view, the miracle this man was expecting coincided, in a sense, with the questions he himself wanted to ask.

If all those questions can be answered, then it wouldn't be surprising if Raiden Mei were to actually be able to leave this place.

Even Mobius, being a memory entity, didn't understand why this facility hidden in the World Serpent headquarters was isolated from the outside world. But when it came to the minutiae of ascension to godhood, any miracle was to be expected.

Raiden Mei responded indirectly:

Do you think I'll ever see [[Ashes]]?

She sneered:

"Based solely on that Herrscher you mentioned, whose name doesn't even exist?"

Mobius glanced at the other man's features and chuckled softly:

"Yes, Herrscher sister. You couldn't possibly not know, could you? In this Sea of Quanta, the person who cares least about your Herrscher status is [[Ashes]]."

She said without any hesitation:

Even setting aside those Flame-Chasers who dislike you, the rest will inevitably look at you with scrutiny and curiosity, creating an invisible barrier in your initial interactions.

"But [[Ashes]] are different."

"His attitude towards Herrscher like you is no different from his attitude towards ordinary people. Hmm, he might even find you more agreeable?"

Raiden Mei frowned and asked:

"Why? The Herrscher of the previous era generally caused extremely serious disasters and evil consequences to that world. Even very rational and gentle people find it difficult to have a normal attitude towards Herrscher who are almost not their own species."

Even for Flame-Chasers like Eden and Sakura, who had a fairly good relationship with him, if they had seen Herrscher who still retained her consciousness in the previous era, their first reaction would have been to draw their swords and attack, rather than to engage in normal communication with her.

This is especially true for types like Chrono-Chaos.

However, since most of the memories of the Sea of Quanta believe that they are relics of the past, they can naturally be tolerant when they encounter the successor of the Herrscher.

According to what the other party said, [[Ashes]] seemed to have a very high tolerance, and even a good impression, of Herrscher with self-awareness during his lifetime.

Even considering previous experiences, it doesn't make sense.

Unless, of course, there was that incident in Canghai City...

--Not an exception.

Mobius's serpentine eyes were cold and menacing, while his rosy lips gently uttered the weight of his past:

"The reason? Because among the humans that [[Ashes]] considered important, the next two both became Herrscher."

"By now, you should at least know about what happened in Canghai City."

"If you want to navigate the corridors of [[Ashes]]'s memories, you basically can't avoid these past experiences that left a very deep impression on him."

Raiden Mei was silent for a moment; of course she knew this.

The memory corridor of [[Ashes]] is not part of the Sea of Quanta.

If we consider Sea of Quanta as a single-player game, then the existence of the thirteen Flame-Chasers is its blood and bones, while [[Ashes]] is more like a DLC, with its memory corridor set up as a separate category.

Therefore, what is presented is only the other party's most profound memories, and there is no order or stability created by their entanglement. There is only a chaotic and disordered past, just like a strange world that is barely pieced together after countless mirrors have been broken.

The most troublesome problem is that entering this chaotic zone with one's own consciousness is not like entering Elysian Realm where everything can be resolved through battle.

She will likely be forced inside to undertake a lengthy and fragmented decryption challenge.

If Raiden Mei hadn't been able to reach the ending that [[Ashes]] subconsciously craved at that time, she might have been swept into an even more chaotic vortex and wave of memories...

As for the outcome, in a sense, it will be similar to the fate of being taken over by Mobius. The only difference is that [[Ashes]] will most likely not be interested in inhabiting this body, so she will become like a living dead in the outside world, falling into an endless sleep, which is no different from death.

This was something Elysia had told her after she had somehow figured it out recently.

The girl recalled that the Pink Fairy Lady looked a little sullen, and figured that she had probably sneaked in to play but was chased away by [[Ashes]].

In short, Raiden Mei does have legitimate reasons to dig into the other person's past.

This is similar to the necessary conditions for achieving the perfect ending in a puzzle game; even the basic conditions for completing the game require finding enough clues.

Rather than pinning your hopes on finding relevant information later, it's better to obtain all available clues from external "NPCs" beforehand.

Raiden Mei couldn't help but grit her teeth inwardly.

Given Kevin's closer relationship with [[Ashes]], he probably knows just as much as Mobius does.

But after saying those words, the person picked up the bowl of noodles and saw the guest out.

The memory does not need to eat; the bowl of noodles itself can remain at a permanently suitable temperature and will not become soggy.

This may indicate that for Kevin, that past event involved more than just unpleasant aspects.

Of course, given that person's personality, they might simply believe that it doesn't matter whether they know about it or not, and therefore didn't mention it.

This means that among the clues Raiden Mei knows, only the origins of the first Third Herrscher are relatively clear. As for who among [[Ashes]]'s acquaintances became Herrscher, that remains a mystery for the time being.

She didn't question Kevin's lingering feelings or stance; whether or not to answer was his prerogative. Instead, she simply asked directly:

"Besides the Third Herrscher?"

Mobius countered:

Do you know which Divine Key [[Ashes]] used in his lifetime?

Raiden Mei responded:

"Black Abyss White Flower, this is Divine Key forged from the core of the Herrscher of Death."

She suddenly recalled what Sakura had described about the opponent's record at that time, and speculated:

"You mean to say that the Herrscher of Herrscher of Death is... someone [[Ashes]] knows?"

Mobius's fingertips twirled strands of her deep green hair as she gazed at the Abyss Flower blooming in the courtyard, recounting the stories of the past in her usual tone:

"That's right. On the day the Herrscher of Death perished, [[Ashes]] was freed from its dying body and gained a perfect Stigmata and a [Creation] power implanted deep within its soul."

"And the Fusion Warrior, including Sakura, all believed that [[Ashes]] killed the Herrscher of Death."

She loosened her fingers from the strands of hair and said with a smile:

"After all, judging from the scene when the satellite captured and locked onto the target, that's exactly what happened."

"Apart from a very few people, no one knows what that means to that person; they can only consider it one of [[Ashes]'s ] achievements."

"But I know, because after [[Ashes]]'s sister became Herrscher, I was the one who suggested moving the research site and observation location."

The girl gave Raiden Mei a meaningful glance and continued:

"It didn't work out because of Mei."

Raiden Mei asked:

"Research site, observation location... you mean, the Herrscher of Death at that time still retained her original self and consciousness?"

Otherwise, given that Herrscher have repeatedly caused immense disasters, even [[Ashes]] would find it difficult to protect them through normal procedures, and the tragedy of Canghai City could very well repeat itself.

Although, in retrospect, this tragedy did occur, it simply took longer for it to fully unfold.

Mobius responded indifferently:

"Yes, so the Herrscher of Death was initially unharmed. As for later, as the first living Herrscher in the world to be clearly seen by humans, she voluntarily provided a lot of help to the Stigmata Project."

"As for the reason, it's just the same old story of mutual sacrifice."

"Of course, this information was unlocked later."

"After all, judging from the incident in Canghai City, [[Ashes]]'s personality wouldn't allow him to accept that."

Raiden Mei knows exactly what the powers of the Herrscher of Death truly are.

In that era, if a living Herrscher of Death had the intention to actively participate in the experiment, the role they could play, and the sacrifices they would make along the way, would be unimaginable to people of this time.

She deliberately sealed this history, which could be infinitely detailed, from her mind and asked:

"So, there's a hidden story behind the death of the Sixth Herrscher and the reason why [[Ashes]] fought her?"

Mobius mocked:

"Pretty much, but they're all old, worn-out stories."

"Just imagine it for a moment. If someone as foolish as [[Ashes]] were to abandon the undead realm, which is like an ouroboros, asking him to kill the humans he cares about would be even harder than asking him to fight the Finality then."

"Although I don't know the details, both that unreplicable perfect Stigmata and the bizarre half of the power implanted deep within [[Ashes]'s ] soul were gifts from the other party. This is why, after that person's death, the Herrscher of Herrscher of Death's power was permanently reduced to only [Obliteration]."

In that instant, Raiden Mei pulled something out of her past memories, a sense of incongruity.

Black abyss, Abyss Flower.

[Obliteration], [Creation].

If the Black Abyss White Flower was permanently incomplete after the death of the Previous Civilization [[Ashes]], leaving only half of the Divine Key, then why did the Schicksal...

The memory abruptly ended.

Raiden Mei, who appeared due to the Lostbelt phenomenon, could not trace her vague past at this moment. She could only feel her mind go blank for a moment before everything returned to normal and her thought process resumed.

Aside from having a deep understanding of why [[Ashes]] doesn't dislike her as Herrscher, she has no other thoughts.

Raiden Mei belatedly realized that her communication with Mobius this time was incredibly smooth; he hadn't even explicitly stated the conditions, yet he had openly revealed a great deal of information.

These bargaining chips, which should have been revealed only after negotiations, were now being poured out without any restraint, as if they completely disregarded their earlier promise to offer the other party the temptation of taking their body.

Or rather... more than that, what she cared about was the answer she could get from [[Ashes]]?

But why?

Although it was strange that Raiden Mei was asking this question, she had to admit that if the other party could take over her body, it would be equivalent to gaining a second chance at life.

In this situation, rather than simply gaining knowledge from [[Ashes]] and remaining stuck in the past, it is what Mobius should do to seize the right to control the future.

Unless...

The text messages and video messages left by the real Mobius at that time definitely had some impact on the memory stored here.

Raiden Mei didn't think the girl in front of her had accepted this ending so calmly and given up her past plans so naturally. She felt that Mobius had indeed wavered.

However, in order to completely resolve this psychological issue, the other party needs an answer from [[Ashes]].

Whether the answer intensifies desire or extinguishes ambition, it is more decisive than remaining indecisive.

This concerns Mobius's self-identity and blurred values. For her, who does not have a soul and only possesses past memories and personality, this matter is indeed more important than a "container" itself.

After the girl pieced together the logic, her strange feelings melted away, and she asked:

"What problem do you want me to bring to [[Ashes]]?"

Mobius silently handed the object he was holding to the other person, and said calmly:

Give this to him.

Raiden Mei stared at the extra object.

This is an earring made of four oval brass rings that interlock to form a single piece.

If she remembered correctly, the other party never parted from it, which must have some important meaning.

The girl didn't like the Flame-Chasers before her, but she still habitually held a certain caution and gentleness towards things that others valued. She wrapped the item in a handkerchief, placed it in her bosom, and whispered:

"I see."

Mobius noticed this subtle detail that the other person unconsciously revealed; his eyelashes lowered, and a complex emotion flickered in his eyes, but he immediately concealed it with a fake smile, saying lightly:

"Raiden Mei, if you want to traverse the memory corridor of [[Ashes]], what you know now is already almost complete."

"You don't even need to know what kind of person [[Ashes]] is. You only need to understand that by saving everything you can save and giving all those who should live the tenderness they deserve, you can pass through that heavy sorrow and despair and reach his dwelling."

"Because he never cared about a single penny of his own."

Raiden Mei countered:

"It sounds like you know him very well."

Mobius looked up at her, his light-colored eyes seeming to hold all the light, momentarily stunning the solemn-looking girl.

It was an emotion so intense it seemed to emanate a kind of madness, yet it lacked desire and affection, possessing only an elusive quality.

The girl smiled, her lips curving upwards in a rather enigmatic way, and said, word by word:

"Because there are very few people who dare to cooperate with me in experiments with such a peaceful and tolerant attitude."

She repeated the words she had uttered more than 50,000 years ago, her voice as ethereal as melting snow, tinged with a hint of melancholy:

Only a madman would huddle with a monster for warmth.