Dad, Please Let Me Solo-Fan You! 329

Although she lost her sight, she was blind before becoming a [Witch]. Theoretically, she has simply returned to her healthiest state as an ordinary human being. Compared to other degenerated [Witch], she can be considered to have made a clean exit.

The situation is becoming increasingly tense, and the Countermeasures Bureau is unwilling to lose any [Witch], let alone the Dragon Witch who can suppress the forbidden area.

If possible, the higher-ups would naturally want to find a way to stop the degeneration, and it's reasonable that Sister Ellie, as the only case that survived the degeneration, would be approached.

Aili sighed:

"Iris, has she been infected with the divine poison?"

The so-called divine poison refers to the conceptual erosion of the Disaster God' s authority. To cause a Captain-Class who has reached [Full Bloom] and can use [Full Bloom] to be injured to the point of degeneration, basically only the divine poison in the forbidden zone can accomplish this.

If it's just an inner breakdown and loss of emotional control, at most it will cause magic to go berserk, power to decline, and cracks to appear in the Soul Flower, but it won't immediately lead to such an extreme state of degeneration.

Astrid replied:

"Yes, the aftershocks of this outbreak in the restricted area are only slightly weaker than those we suppressed back then. The blessing of [Pure White] is fading. It's already quite remarkable that Iris was able to suppress this outbreak."

Sister Ellie whispered:

"Little Jasmine, you should know that to survive degeneration, or even stop it, two problems need to be solved."

"First, the corrosive influence of divine poison; second, the collapse of the mind."

"Of these, the former requires a great deal of brilliance, while the latter... that depends entirely on Iris herself."

Astrid looked at Sister Ellie's profile and said softly:

"The Countermeasures Bureau has arranged for several popular idol groups to go on a global tour, and has used a device to allow Iris to absorb the brilliance collected on stage, thereby alleviating the divine poison."

"But this is only a temporary measure. While shining can slow down the rate of degradation indefinitely, it requires one stage after another to sustain it, not to mention the issue of conversion rate."

"Iris couldn't go on stage herself; those dazzling radiances couldn't extinguish the divine poison."

"Furthermore, I suspect the Cult of Disaster Gods is keeping an eye on Iris, and we can no longer allow her to remain in such an obvious place."

After the Super AI finished recounting the basic facts, it answered the other question:

"Iris's mental state is very poor. You know her background and past. That Lantern Fairy is like family to this child; she is an indispensable pillar in her heart."

"Therefore, she has not woken up since falling into a coma, and the team of experts responsible for psychological treatment is at a loss."

Astrid said this, she looked into those toffee-colored eyes and said softly:

"I came here this time so that you could meet her."

"Whether it's useful or not, Iris will want to see you, Aili."

"After all... her parents died in the war, and you took care of them for several years. To her, you were both a teacher and a mother figure, a very special person."

Aili seemed to vaguely sense Astrid's location. She turned her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through nothingness, and saw the silver-haired, red-eyed figure beside her. She asked earnestly:

"And what about you? You're a very important person to Iris, aren't you?"

Astrid hesitated to look Aili in the eye. She didn't want to reveal her ability to switch personalities using the database in front of her old friend, and she couldn't bring herself to be indifferent, or to Dream Weaver Rabbit.

The girl could only purse her lips and whisper:

"Yes, I will go, with you."

"But I want to find a way to save her even more."

"The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous. I plan to arrange for Iris to go to the Ideal Country to recuperate. At the very least, I want her to live as an ordinary person."

Aili smiled and whispered:

"Thank you, Little Jasmine."

Astrid hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Aili, could you please stop calling me that? If Charlotte hears this, she'll definitely start calling me that from now on."

The nun laughed upon hearing this, her elegant and pretty face revealing a youthful liveliness, a playful demeanor she would never display in front of a younger person.

"Don't worry, I won't call you that in front of Charlotte. After all... it's always been our little secret, hasn't it?"

Even after being teased, the Primal Witch was reluctant to move away and could only awkwardly change the subject.

On the surface, Aili maintained her smile, seemingly happy to tease her good friend, but she had already guessed much, and her chest was filled with bittersweet emotions.

As the [Witch] who witnessed the covenant, she was well aware of Astrid's predicament; given Astrid's status, she couldn't possibly contribute much to rescuing Iris.

This is the price paid for abandoning the identity of [Witch] and transforming into Dream Weaver and [Planetarium].

Astrid possesses far too much authority and power. If she were to rebel, she could easily set civilization back, split the Federation, cause humanity to fight amongst itself, and destroy the existing system.

Therefore, she was subject to many constraints, and could only use reasonable strategic resources within the rules to heal Iris's injuries, without having any personal desires.

Once the AI analyzes the situation and determines that the cost of saving Iris outweighs the benefits for humanity as a whole, it must stop the damage in time; otherwise, it will be appealed to the alliance, and in more serious cases, it may even be seen as a breach of the alliance.

Aili knew it.

Astrid came to find him, she was actually taking advantage of a loophole.

Because once a [Witch] has degenerated, there has never been a case of her being able to return to the battlefield, let alone maintain Captain-Class Combat Power.

Even the fact that he was able to survive was because he had been blessed by a miracle.

Back then, when the Soul Flower withered, she received the gift of [Pure White], whose radiance erased the erosion of the divine poison, making the process of degeneration extremely gentle.

It can be said that her survival was a special case, and it has no reference value in any sense. Moreover, after retiring, she has no right to know so many secrets.

The fact that the Forbidden Zone's current situation, the Dragon Witch's current status, and access to the Ideal Kingdom could all fall into her lap is purely because the Super AI is earnestly using the program for "selfish purposes."

Astrid knew she couldn't help Iris either; the miracle of the [pure white] was now an unattainable dream, increasingly fading away.

So, this seemingly cold-hearted Super AI just wanted to give her a chance to see the child before Iris had her accident.

And this was the only thing Astrid could do for them.

Aili couldn't help but feel sad. She still remembered Astrid's smile from the past, and how this girl known as the Primal Witch had risen from a naive and lively child to the throne, only to willingly abandon everything and imprison herself.

The nun understood that Astrid's sacrifice was for humanity, for peace, for her companions, and for the happiness of the majority.

Without her choice, humanity could not have formed a united alliance, and the fantastical project of Flashdance would never have come to fruition.

But...

That feeling must be incredibly painful, experiencing the gradual loss of emotions, peering into one's past with cold rationality as it slowly fades, and then being able to calculate the time it will take for one's soul to dissolve with a single glance.

Are you lonely? Sad? Will you regret it?

Or has even that emotion disappeared?

Sister Ellie couldn't guess the answer. She couldn't see Astrid, and Astrid had lost all flesh and blood, leaving only illusory data. Only her voice could echo around her, like the surging tide of memories, leaving behind a few lingering echoes.

Only at times like these does she yearn for the senses she had as a [Witch], when she could easily perceive the colors of the world.

Astrid couldn't fathom the nun's thoughts. Even with the ability to capture and perfectly analyze micro-expressions, she still couldn't understand Aili.

And perhaps this is one of the reasons why I cherish the time I spend with the other person.

This elusive feeling is like a key to unlocking the past, allowing emotions that are as fine as sand yet as brilliant as gemstones to bubble and surge in the soul and data, colliding with complex physical quantities and bringing a lively current of energy.

Astrid continued chatting with the nun, but to prevent conflicts with the core program, she deleted portions of the chat memory every 60 seconds, hiding them deeper within the system.

And 60 seconds after the conversation ends, she forgets what "irrelevant" things she said to her old friend.

Strangely enough, even knowing this, and even though she would suddenly find herself unable to keep up with the conversation due to memory loss, she still enjoyed the time she spent with Aili, as if... she had returned to the time when everyone was still around.

Time passed.

Outdoors, these Little Idol, whose combined fan base exceeds 200 million, are basking in the summer breeze and sunlight, experiencing the joys of raising children at a much younger age.

To prevent the children from getting bored and running around, after making sure they ate something, everyone organized Great Xia children's games from Da Xia.

Initially, it was a game of "Eagle Catches Chicks," but since there were quite a few people, they simply split into three groups to play.

Chu Yuanqing was in charge of being the mother hen, with Green Eyed Cat, Nia, Emma, and the other children behind her.

Miss Saintess confidently put her hands on her hips and proudly took on the role of the eagle. She was fully immersed in the role and caught a chick on Qing Bao's back right at the start of the game, showing a real villainous demeanor.

The other two pairs are Kiriwake Yayoi vs. Xie Qingxuan, Chen Yining vs. Chu Wangshu.

Charlotte was the only one who took this childish game seriously at first, but later the Little Idol were inexplicably aroused to compete, losing all sense of sportsmanship and entering a state of "Flow State," even secretly using magic.

But as the Heart Tide and magic surged, a bunch of musical notes, bubbles, flowing light, lively and bouncing musical instruments, and even a terrifying army of chibi Charlotte joined the fun and entered the game.

So, in less than ten minutes, the Little Idol, exhausted by all the special effects, tacitly decided to stop their antics, put away their magic and Heart Tide, and started playing a more convenient game of drop the handkerchief, with the children sitting in a large circle.

Although Liang Xiaoxiao, Lin Bao'er, Ruan Wutong, Chu Wangshu, Kiriwake Yayoi couldn't understand German, they still found it easy and enjoyable to play these simple and unpretentious games with the children.

After playing a few more rounds, everyone became very close and quite adept at getting along, dispelling the initial awkwardness.

During this time, some townspeople passing by were pleasantly surprised to see Charlotte return and would come to greet her. Some even came to play with her, making the scene quite lively.

The Little Idol had to admire Charlotte's popularity in the town.

Not long after this "Doomsday Diva" was discovered, the news spread like wildfire, and many people came to greet her as if she were their own daughter, bringing her a large amount of fruit and snacks.

--The scene was reminiscent of a celebrity meet-and-greet.

But considering Charlotte's popularity in Austria, what's even more commendable is perhaps the respectful attitude of the townspeople who didn't want to cause her any trouble and only stayed for a short while before leaving.

Sister Ellie could hear the lively sounds from the lawn outside the church from a great distance. She raised her sweet, gentle eyes, her hand caressing the pure white cover of the Bible, and softly asked:

"Little Jasmine, you're leaving, aren't you?"

Astrid rarely visits her, and the longest she ever stays is only an hour; this time will likely be no exception.

The girl's silver hair swayed in the wind, cascading with the blue light of shattered data. She looked at Sister Ellie's somewhat disappointed expression, her crimson eyes revealing loneliness and guilt. Her lips parted, and she softly replied:

"I'm sorry, Aili, I miss you so much, but I..."

Sister Ellie smiled radiantly and interrupted:

Before you leave, give me a hug.

Astrid looked down at her illusory body. She stood up silently, like a noble lady from the Middle Ages, and used data to play the sound of her shoes stepping on the ground as she slowly walked in.

After the girl stopped, she looked at the nun sitting there with her arms outstretched like a loving mother. She knelt down, like a tamed deer or a lonely child, and carefully approached the nun's arms to give her a hug.

It was a fake embrace; the limbs were all out of place, and only fragments of data scattered on the other person's nun's habit, yet they could not stir up the slightest ripple or sound, like a torrent flowing silently across dimensions.

Aili couldn't touch the fake objects, nor could she feel the warmth of an AI. Her [Cocoon of the Heart] had long since shattered, yet as Astrid's hands touched her back, she curled her lips and whispered:

"As expected... it's still very warm."

The words had faded.

The silver-haired, red-eyed woman's lips moved slightly as she tried to smile. Then, like shattered crystal, she turned into illusory dust in the light streaming down from the church dome, drifting into the air without leaving a trace.

Aili sat alone before the statue of the Saintess, bathed in the myriad rays of light filtered through the stained glass windows. Her figure was so thin and so lonely, like a prisoner undergoing ordination.

P. S.: Sigh, it's already morning now. Although many upsetting things have led to me being alone at home, I still want to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year's Eve.

Volume 1: Chapter 308. The Heart Lock, So-Called Forgetting, Eternal Happiness. (6K2)

The tall bell tower next to the chapel.

Chu Yuanqing sat on the steeply curved roof, kicked off her sandals, and stepped barefoot into the warm sunlight, experiencing the unfamiliar sensation of the breeze lifting her skirt.

Kiriwake Yayoi sat beside her, her cherry-pink eyes shimmering, her pure and lovely face filled with innocent joy, clearly enjoying the time spent admiring the town's scenery with Qing Bao.

It's 2:30 PM now.

Although the children at the orphanage were somewhat reluctant to leave, they obediently returned to their rooms under Sister Ellie's stern smile, some taking naps and others doing their homework.

As for the others,

Liang Xiaoxiao was assigned to learn the most basic Meditation Method. Lin Bao'er, whether due to some kind of misfortune or simply not wanting to be too far away from her good friend, also chose to take the same course.

Chen Yining and Ji Shuzhu went out shopping.

Because she had no one to accompany her, Ruan Wutong, oblivious to her surroundings, went over and became a third wheel.

Charlotte was so popular that, after the news spread, people not only from this small town, but also from St. Gilgen, Mozart's birthplace, which is located across the river, came by boat to inquire about their opinions on the celebrations a few days later.