The Plan / An Imperfect Person

Eden gazed at the words Lin was painstakingly writing on the paper and said leisurely, "Eri told me... she hasn't seen you for several days."

"... It's just that she didn't come to see me." Lin obviously knew Elysia very well. Generally speaking, Elysia would come to visit him in the next few days, and her absence meant that even if Lin went to look for her, he probably wouldn't be able to find her.

Everyone has their own considerations.

"My friend, although I don't know you from before, you are not the same as when we first met. Was the Seventh Honkai Eruption Impact a huge blow to you?"

Eden waited for Lin's answer. She had never asked anyone so directly before. Being a sensitive person, she didn't want to hurt anyone. But Lin didn't seem like someone who could be hurt by words. Only through direct communication could she know his true thoughts.

"... And you? The Seventh Honkai Eruption is happening right before your eyes, what are your thoughts?"

Lin put down his pen.

His gaze was like a sharpened blade, slicing across Eden's indifferent face.

Chapter 108 The Plan

"You have witnessed the true nature of the world, the outbreak of Honkai, and the death of humanity. What are your thoughts now?"

Lin's tone wasn't accusatory; in fact, he never questioned anyone. But his gaze and his question were filled with a sternness that made it difficult to answer directly.

Eden, too, gave this question serious consideration.

Is it painful? More than pain, Eden feels sorrow. Whether it's the agents, the audience, or the ordinary people of Australia, their passing is a sorrow of helplessness.

So, should she say that she is very sad?

"..."

"... I feel powerless to do anything about any of this."

Eden is a singer who has performed in almost every country. People who want to hear her sing can line up from the Far East to Shenzhou. She owns wealth comparable to the treasury of a small to medium-sized country, and she also has unparalleled taste and talent.

But she was just a singer.

Eden believed that art contained an inspiring power, and that she could convey her thoughts and hopes through her understanding of art.

But in that raging fire, all hope was reduced to ashes and vanished into thin air.

The song was buried by the flames, that's all.

"If I could, I would want to save the people who died in that fire, I would want to rebuild everything that was destroyed in Australia, I would want... to bring back that lady who was corrupted by the Honkai."

"... So you should know that I wasn't hurt."

Lin lowered his head, as if he could hear the voices of the past, the voices of those who were missed, abandoned, and forgotten.

"I'm sorry... Lin, it seems I really came at the wrong time." Eden sighed, ultimately unable to continue the conversation.

"... Is there a ball being held?"

Surprisingly, Lin changed the subject, looking at Eden's tuxedo and asking a question.

"Yes... I was invited to perform on stage, and the people in Moth Chaser were stronger than I had imagined."

Regardless of the reason, the most important purpose of holding the ball is to forget the grief caused by the massive Honkai.

They need to allow themselves to forget.

"Will you come, Lin?"

"..."

Lin did not answer.

He remembered what Mobius had said before he left.

"They're probably having a dance today."

"...so what?"

"Klein said she wanted to go, and I probably will since I don't have anything to do. Dancing at the ball should be considered a kind of physical training for you."

Lin neither agreed nor refused.

Just like now, he neither agreed nor refused.

Mei put down the design drawings in her hand, a rare look of helplessness on her face, and turned to the excited-looking Vill-V.

"I know you're excited... but let's calm down first. This is one of our few chances."

Vill-V exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly, "But, Mei, a pure Herrscher Core and highly compatible Soul Steel—isn't this the perfect opportunity for us to 'practice' when creating Divine Key?"

"I know... but even without the Herrscher consciousness, the Herrscher Core itself is not something humans can touch. You'd better not touch the container of the Herrscher Core."

Mei recovered the Herrscher Core and Soul Steel that the girl had tried her best to keep, which could be considered a windfall. She should have started with the restless Herrscher Core, but the stable Herrscher of Reason Core and the almost matching Soul Steel became Mei's primary research material.

With the technological data from the Previous Civilization that the girl transmitted back to headquarters, Mei was confident that she could achieve a leap in technological advancement in the near future.

Mei may have mixed feelings about that Previous Civilization Herrscher, but she still needs to focus her energy on her work.

This is for humanity, and also for the girl's own wish.

"So, have you decided what you want your first Divine Key to look like?" Vill-V asked Mei, who was deep in thought.

"Judging from the stability of this core, we can make some bold designs. Moreover, it is the core of the Herrscher of Reason, making it the most special Herrscher even among many Herrscher." Mei expressed her thoughts. "She can reproduce what she understands... I have a conjecture: can the Herrscher of Reason's powers reproduce the Herrscher Authority?"

"You mean... make this core mimic other Herrscher? But this isn't reckless..."

Vill-V was about to say it was a waste, but seeing May's expression, she immediately became serious and said, "Wait a minute, May, you don't mean to..."

"Yes, the side story key I mentioned before might be able to be realized."

Mei nodded gently.

"The core of the Herrscher of Reason should be the strongest among all the cores in terms of inclusiveness, because it is designed to understand and reproduce these two aspects. Therefore, it should be possible to connect with other Herrscher Core through it to simultaneously use the powers of the Herrscher of Reason and other Herrscher Authority."

The so-called "Bonus Key" is the "Key of Blankness" that Mei designed in the Divine Key Project from the very beginning.

That wasn't a weapon; to be precise, it was a suit of armor that could be used to connect multiple Herrscher Core.

It's not like the Divine Key suppressing the Herrscher Core power and weakening its output; rather, it's about truly using the Herrscher's authority to reproduce the true Herrscher's abilities.

"That user is probably just as I expected," Vill-V said with a wry smile, thinking of that person.

Perhaps the one who inflicted so much suffering on Lin was not the Honkai, but humanity itself, yet Lin still accepted it all.

She should admire everyone who contributes to humanity, but this admiration is passed on through her own hands...

"Lin's Honkai Energy resistance is enough to protect him from Honkai erosion, and his mental capacity is also what is needed to use multiple Herrscher Core at the same time... He will also use the Divine Key made from the core of the Herrscher of Death. He is the most suitable candidate."

"Sigh... alright, let's get started without further ado..."

"But the first Divine Key will not be the core of the Herrscher of Death or the Herrscher of Reason."

"Ah?"

Vill-V squinted at Mei, unable to comprehend what Mei was thinking, even with her own thought process.

"The first Herrscher Core... will be the Herrscher of Flames's core."

"Wait a minute, the core of the Herrscher of Flames is the most unstable. As planned, that core needs to be split in two to maintain stability."

"That's right, it's precisely because it's difficult that we should be the first to do it."

"..."

Vill-V still couldn't figure out the logic behind it.

"Because of the Key of Blankness, I hope it will be a complete product manufactured after our technology has stabilized."

"As for the core of the Herrscher of Flames, I believe Kevin will be able to suppress it."

Chapter 109 Imperfect People

Dust covered the corner of the table. Lin picked up some dust with his fingers and rubbed it gently. When he opened his hand again, the dust on his fingers had disappeared.

The digital clock on the table showed that evening was approaching, and the atmosphere of a festival was brewing in the headquarters. Lin could hear the soft sounds of people coming and going outside the door, the ringing of bells vibrating in the air, and the whistling of the wind blowing through the corridor.

Lin stood up and turned on the light. After losing the ability to distinguish colors, he could not see in some dark spaces, so sufficient light was very important.

The bright interior felt desolate and empty, as if a cold January wind had blown through it.

There was only half an hour left before the dance started, and Lin planned... not to go.

Even if you gave him an afternoon to think about it, he still couldn't figure out the point of going to the ball.

Both of them knew perfectly well how much of Mobius's nonsense was true, and Eden's invitation did not make him feel anything amiss.

What exactly did he lose after his Hypervariable Surgery? His senses? His emotions? Or...?

So... should he go and retrieve that part?

No, Lin thinks she's fine now.

There's no need to think about anything or care about anyone. Return to your most primal state, and once you've fully adapted to your body, you can begin carrying out your mission.

So, we can go back to the time when I first joined the Firemoth.

He had nothing then, and he still has nothing now.

Lin wanted to continue writing; his handwriting was already starting to look decent, and it shouldn't be long before he had complete control over his hand. It wouldn't take long for him to go from partial to complete writing...

"..."

At that moment, Lin, who was holding a pen, caught a glimpse of the bottom drawer of his desk. His keen observation skills allowed him to immediately tell that someone had moved that drawer.

Lin frowned and squatted down, trying to pull the drawer open. He found that the drawer, which should have been locked, was easily opened.

Several faces flashed by on his alarm clock, but all of that vanished when he saw the top item in the drawer.

That was a familiar marriage proposal.

Lin remembered that the marriage proposal had been filled with a lot of praise for him on Vill-V's orders, and he found it hard to match the person described in the proposal with himself.

Why are you here?

Lin reached out and picked up the thin piece of paper, but his attention was immediately drawn to the drawings on it.

He discovered that his part was checked off many conditions, such as cooking skills, appearance, patience... as if someone was observing him and then marking the conditions he thought fit the description with a positive sign.

And there's only one person who would do that...

However, not all descriptions of Lin were confirmed; only the last one was marked with an X.

Does this mean... the standard was not met?

"A sincere person."

This is the only description that was marked with a denial.

And at the end, there was a neatly written annotation.

"A sincere person will not force himself to become anyone else, and should not even force himself to become 'himself'."

Apart from that, even though Lin read the marriage proposal several times, she didn't see any other comments.

Just like that person, arriving and leaving inexplicably, seemingly leaving behind something, but only some insignificant things.

But at this moment, Lin asked himself the same question he had asked Eden.

Seeing the pile of his collected belongings under this piece of paper, does he really think things are good as they are now?

That doesn't make sense.

"Doctor Mobius ... I still have work to finish."

Klein, somewhat exasperated, muttered to Mobius, who was holding her arm and blocking her view.

"You can do the work tomorrow, no one is allowed in the lab today." Mobius put on a stern face, but quickly backed down. "You're all young people, you should be here for the ball."

"..."

Klein Mobius would say such a thing. She sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead.

Mobius kicked out all three of her lab assistants and made them attend the ball instead. Danzhu and Cangxuan were naturally thrilled. In fact, Mobius always gave the lab a day off whenever headquarters held a ball. Her favorite assistant Bianca, was kidnapped by Hen at the ball.

But this time, she not only gave them a day off, but also forced them to attend the ball, which forced Klein was originally planning to work overtime, to come instead.

In fact, Mobius didn't change her dress. She didn't want to stand out, at least not to attract too much attention that "Mobius" was also attending the ball.