First Contact / Sometimes It's Making Do, Sometimes It's Fate, but More Often It's a Conspiracy

However, this is not a matter of him choosing women to marry, much less selecting concubines. Marriage is a mutual decision, and only when both parties are willing can they enter into the marriage hall.

Judging from Lin's interactions with Ying... she must dislike him.

From Sakura's perspective, he interfered in her life without her consent and even led her into the Deepest Place. Based on this premise, he only left a bad impression on Sakura.

After becoming teammates, their communication became even more scarce. Even when Lin tried to communicate with her, he could never find a suitable topic. She would just listen to Lin's words indifferently and then remain silent.

In conclusion, Lin was well aware of Sakura's dislike for him.

"Forget it." Lin shook his head. He felt that it was impossible to achieve his goal of getting married through matchmaking in the short term.

"How can we just let it go?"

Himiko's tone suddenly turned somber.

She repeated softly, "How can we just let it go..."

"..."

Lin silently gazed at Himiko face.

She seemed eager to make amends to someone, both anxious and vulnerable.

Sakura, standing nearby, then noticed the extremely festive interior of the Spiral Workshop. This was the very place Himiko referred to when she said "Lin is looking for a husband."

Does he want to get married?

It's not that Sakura has a prejudice against Rin, but if about a hundred people looked at Rin, probably ninety-nine of them would think he was a sexually frigid and emotionless person.

However, Lin is indeed... unexpectedly attractive.

Perhaps Lin himself didn't notice the things he said to her in the hospital bed, the way he fought so selflessly for a fake person in the simulation room, and the difference between his always calm and rational demeanor and his willingness to stand up for others...

Sakura also had to admit that Lin was very charismatic and charming in many ways.

But she felt more admiration for Lin, as well as a sense of inferiority.

If you ask why... it's because Lin Yongyuan is always doing things with a clear conscience, while she is always doing things that can't be seen in the light.

However, it seemed that Lin did not show any resistance to the contact just now or Himiko's words, which surprised Sakura a little.

Does this mean Lin Mofei doesn't dislike her?

"Well, anyway, didn't you have some requirements for finding a spouse? Just check if Miss Sakura meets those requirements!" Himiko up and transformed back into her cheerful and mature self. She smiled and said to Sakura, "Miss Sakura, I've watched Lin grow up. Although he's often slow-witted, his character is absolutely impeccable."

Himiko all too familiar with the way Sakura looked at Rin—that gaze filled with a mixture of emotions. The person experiencing those emotions might not be able to perceive them—it was a hazy, watery feeling, as if enveloped in a thin film. But Himiko had seen similar situations before, so it wasn't difficult for her to notice them.

"I..." Sakura seemed to want to say something, but seeing Lin's silent contemplation, she didn't say anything.

"Isn't there a marriage proposal here? Look, Miss Sakura is definitely a good fit..."

Himiko's words caught in her throat. She blinked, carefully studying the words on the marriage proposal. After reading it several times to make sure she wasn't mistaken...

She lowered her head, not daring to look at Sakura.

Sakura's expression froze slightly after seeing Himiko's marriage proposal.

"No... it's nothing. Contact me if you need training." Sakura's expression was normal. She simply finished explaining things to Lin as usual and then turned and left.

Lin watched her disappear around the corner.

Is it as annoying as expected?

Chapter Thirty-Five: Contact Begins

So what does this mean? She messed up?

Himiko never expected these two to be so... decisive?

That can't be right. From the moment they entered the room and made contact, they acted as if nothing had happened, and then parted ways as if nothing had happened. The whole process was so smooth, as if they had an extraordinary tacit understanding that made them make the same decision at the same time. But... why is it that they have this kind of tacit understanding?

She walked away dejectedly.

Lin tidied up the things on the table and prepared to leave.

Too much time was wasted today, and all the people who came were acquaintances, so it didn't achieve the effect he wanted at all.

Is this a marriage proposal or...?

"Hmm... The requirements for finding a spouse are so simple, yet the quality of the men is so high. Won't this create an imbalance in the matchmaking process?"

His fingertips stopped on one corner of the marriage proposal on the table. As he was about to pick it up, the other corner was pressed down by a fair, snow-white fingertip.

"... Most of the conditions for the man listed above are false."

"No, it's true, I can see it."

The deep blue pupils reflected the image of the man wearing a helmet.

"Transportation mission complete. Preparing to move to the Herrscher Core storage facility."

Armed Puppet and security personnel transported the Herrscher of Reason Core to headquarters. This level of mission allowed no room for carelessness; upon landing, a two-way inspection immediately began, checking not only the stability of the Herrscher Core but also whether there had been any Honkai Energy leaks during the entire transport process. (Monthly subscription group: 694936135)

"The Honkai Energy reaction was stable, there were no leaks during the process, the seal was intact, and it can be transferred," the monitor reported after completing the monitoring and review of the entire process.

"Please wait a moment. The Soul Steel is being transferred. Doctor Einstein has ordered that the Soul Steel and the Herrscher of Reason Core must not get too close." However, the Armed Puppet blocked their transfer. Her empty eyes stared at the monitor, sending a chill down the latter's spine.

"I understand... Please wait for the Soul Steel to complete the transfer."

After completing their work, the Armed Puppet left the transport plane. The remaining ordinary members of the Fire Moth exchanged glances and sighed.

"Don't you guys feel... those little dolls are really weird?" One of them recalled with lingering fear his work with the Armed Puppet. The expressionless, wooden appearance of those small humanoids and their efficient work had a great impact on him.

"That's true to some extent. If they weren't quite cute, they would look like a group of moving corpses."

"Stop complaining. We're short-handed right now. Anyway, they're just semi- Artificial Intelligence machines, not even fully Artificial Intelligence. We can just use them as tools. Besides, if you're afraid of these little guys, imagine that helmeted guy with a humanoid robot next to him. That uncanny valley feeling is even more frightening."

"... Isn't he already weird enough? He used to be someone who ignored everyone, but lately he's been confessing his love, having excessive desires, and looking for a wife. It's like he got his head smashed during the Sixth Honkai War."

"Speaking of which, I heard he sounded like... um? What was that sound?"

The person who was chatting about gossip suddenly heard a discordant noise. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the Honkai Energy pattern on the detector, which had been stable, had suddenly increased by a very small amount.

"Honkai Energy reaction has increased!"

These words were like a thunderclap, and without hesitation, the group jumped off the transport plane and headed towards the location where Honkai Energy was rising—the transport crates containing Soul Steel.

"Stop! The Honkai Energy reaction of the Soul Steel is rising! Inspect it immediately!"

Could it be that the Soul Steel and the Herrscher of Reason Core were accidentally brought too close together during transport?

With this in mind, they sent two more people to examine the core of the Herrscher of Reason, determined not to allow the Herrscher's consciousness any opportunity to exploit the situation.

"The core of the Herrscher of Reason... shows no abnormality!"

The blue gem was securely encased in a soul steel container, layer upon layer, showing no signs of disturbance. The fact that this crucial item was safe and sound allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

They also inspected the Soul Steel Doll, but found no problems.

"Could it be that the testing equipment is malfunctioning?"

"Don't let your guard down. The Honkai are not just a bunch of mindless monsters in the conventional sense."

However, even after inspecting and repairing the instruments, they still couldn't find where the damage was. So what exactly was that tiny, almost imperceptible Honkai Energy reaction?

"A tour...?"

The woman sits in front of her dressing table. She rarely applies makeup to herself. Even when she does, it is usually light makeup done for stage lighting. She uses the mirror more as a tool to examine herself.

What are we examining?

Her mental state, overall makeup, and neat appearance... Of course, she actually just wanted to examine her own heart more.

As for what exactly her "inner self" is, there's much more to say. To put it simply, it's probably her own... "art."

Her fans, as well as the "judges" around the world who evaluate her, mostly praise her kindness and friendliness, saying that these excellent qualities are part of her classical art.

But women don't think that way. They don't see these things as their art; they just do them because they want to.

It's like... drinking. When you want to drink, you raise your glass, and even if you don't actually drink it, just smelling the aroma is enough to soothe your soul; when you don't want to drink, even if you force yourself to drink a whole bottle, it will taste bland for a long time.

"Have you decided yet? Where will you be performing?" Her agent walked over, smiling as she offered her a glass of red wine.

Unlike other stars who tour the world like clockwork, performing in one place and rushing to the next, her performance locations are often unpredictable, sometimes even going from A to B and then back to A. Even the most loyal fans don't know where her next performance will be.

The woman took the glass of intoxicating red wine. She didn't rush to drink it, but instead swirled the glass, watching the saint's blood flow within it.

"Australia, I guess."

"Australia? I remember you go there once a year. Is it because of the bushfires again?"

"..." The woman nodded, picked up her wine glass, and moistened her lips with a little red wine. "This year's temperature and direct sunlight have reached record highs, so fires will probably be more frequent."

"Hehe, you really haven't changed at all. Okay, then let's go to Australia." The agent didn't object. In fact, she wasn't asking for the woman's opinion, but rather carrying out her request. They were not only the agent and the star, but also friends.

"I hope that this year's performance can also give strength to people in the face of disaster."

Chapter Thirty-Six: Sometimes it's a matter of compromise, sometimes it's fate, but more often it's a conspiracy.

"Is there something you need?" Lin pulled the marriage proposal from her hand. "Vill-V is out on business for the time being."

"Vill-V? Who?"

She blinked her deep blue eyes and repeated the name, puzzled.

Lin stopped moving, staring at the unfamiliar girl, his hand at his side moving towards the holster.

He had never seen this person before.

Her long, dark blue hair, almost the same color as her pupils, cascaded down her back. Instead of wearing the uniform of the Fire Moth, she wore a strange outfit: a light gauze dress, a long skirt, and a crystal crown. Her eyes were filled with a sense of bewilderment and curiosity, but she showed no fear of strangers.

It's understandable that she didn't recognize Vill-V. After all, Vill-V spent far more time hiding and tinkering with her little gadgets than showing her face. Most veterans might not even recognize her, so generally speaking, at this time most people would assume that this unfamiliar girl was a new recruit.

But this outfit reminded him of some... not-so-good memories.

"Who are you? What's your number?" Lin's fingers were already on the holster, and he questioned the ethereal girl in a cold voice.

Who are you? What is your number?

However, to Lin's surprise, the girl tilted her head and asked him a question.

"... ID MSA-079, Lin." Lin cautiously guarded against the girl. She gave Lin a strange feeling... a kind of inexplicable intimacy. He didn't know where this feeling came from, or even where to begin.

But it was precisely this inexplicable feeling that made Lin even more vigilant.

Lin took out his Firemoth badge, which had his number on it to prove his identity. This gesture was a way of telling the girl that she should also take out her badge. If she couldn't produce anything to prove her identity, Lin would subdue her right there.

Just as Lin was watching the expression on the girl's face, she looked away from his badge, reached into the collar of her princess-like dress, and pulled out a... badge.

Lin was taken aback for a moment, but the girl simply pushed the badge forward, indicating that Lin could check it.

Lin didn't reach out to take it; he simply looked at the number on it from a distance.

MSA...970?

The numbers were exactly the opposite of Lin's.

But this is undoubtedly the emblem of the Fire Moth; its material and design are unique and cannot be misled.

"I am... MSA-970," the girl introduced herself, mimicking Lin's tone.

"A new recruit?" The number was quite late, so he was likely a recently joined Moth of the Flame. After observing him carefully for a few more moments, Lin put his hand back.

The girl nodded. "New recruit."

"... What's with this outfit?"

"My... interest."

"Soldiers of the Moth Chaser are usually required to wear uniforms. You can make some modifications, but you can't dress up however you like based on your own interests." Lin was relieved to see that the girl was truly a clueless recruit.

As for newcomers, for various reasons, Lin doesn't mind spending some time guiding them now.

"Oh..." The girl nodded as if she understood, but it was impossible to tell from her natural face whether she really understood or was just responding to Lin.

Lin asked, "What's your name?"

"Hmm... 970."

"..."