I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

"... You two are discussing this so early in the morning?" Kiana squinted at the two of them.

"To be precise, we were discussing it in the middle of the night. I plan to set up a studio to make games in the future, and I want to first establish the direction of game making."

Kiana looked at the two serious-looking people and couldn't help but sigh, but then she smiled.

That's not bad either.

She then joined the heated discussion.

Elysian Realm of "Flying Flowers": Chapter Ten - Celebrating the Festival While Enduring Calamity

"... What does this mean?"

Kevin's gaze put immense pressure on Mei, even though she knew that what was standing there was just Kevin's memory. The ever-present sense of danger still emanated from Kevin.

"Literally, based on the various information I've gathered here over this period of time, I believe that Lin's true form is not dead."

Mei said confidently to Kevin.

"First of all, the memories of the Imaginary Tree have one thing in common: they belong to the Thirteen Heroes, with Lin being the only exception. Later, I learned that the Thirteen Heroes were spontaneously formed by Elysia without the recognition of the Fire Moth. I thought that Elysia had spontaneously added him to them, but that is not the case. His memories in the Imaginary Tree, or rather the Golden Courtyard, were planned by Lin himself."

Mei saw Lin's past experiences on the last island of the Previous Civilization, so she could tell that it was a plan that Lin had orchestrated himself.

"And the Ash Project that he mentioned a few times, I initially thought was the same as the Seed Project, the Fire Moth Project, but that was also his own plan. In Previous Civilization end, Lin had completely broken away from the Fire Moth Project, and ultimately his plan was to massacre the last remaining humans of the Previous Civilization."

The remaining millions of humans were killed using the power of the Herrscher. Even though humanity had indeed lost at that point, it was Lin who delivered the final blow.

"If Lin didn't go mad, then it could only be that the massacre of humans was part of his plan... No, it's more likely that it was the result of his plan. It shouldn't be that he killed those humans, but rather saved them."

Kevin frowned. "You saved those people?"

"The key point is the two Herrscher that Lin took with him at the time."

There are gaps in Lin's past, which may be places that Lin intentionally hid, so Mei can only deduce his plan based on the information she has.

"The Herrscher of Reason and the Herrscher of Erosion, their abilities are both related to consciousness. The Herrscher of Erosion can hack into electronic devices to spread videos that contain the Herrscher Authority of Consciousness. So when they join forces, they will corrupt the consciousness of all the remaining humans who are caught off guard and have no way to defend themselves."

"But the problem lies in the fact that the form of infection is different from the original method of the Herrscher of Reason."

Seeing Kevin's confused look, the purple-haired girl revealed a smug expression. She now understood Lin better than Kevin... no, in this world, there was probably no one who understood Lin better than her.

"Although I didn't get accurate information on this part either, Lin once asked Mobius and Vill-V if there was any way to convert other people's consciousness into the same state as his."

Kevin's furrowed brows relaxed, and the question that had been troubling him was finally answered.

Lin's consciousness was altered during the Sixth Honkai War, becoming capable of detaching from his physical activity, and was further strengthened after the Hypervariable Surgery. In other words, the connection between his body and consciousness was weakened.

And what he did was...

"Afterwards, after the Eleventh Honkai War, humanity suffered a major blow, but Lin had already foreseen this outcome before that. Aponia told me that Lin, like her, could see visions of the future, but that was actually his consciousness observing a possible future after entering the Quantum Sea."

"So after learning about Elysia and Eden's Golden Courtyard plans, Lin and Spasi secretly created the current Imaginary Tree and preserved Lin's memories in advance. This is why there is that chaotic memory space in Imaginary Tree, and why there are two Lins with different memories."

"In addition, Lin commissioned Vill-V to create Phase Transfer Device, which he gave to Spasi. Spasi, through simulating the environment of the Sixth Honkai War, researched a method to transform human consciousness into something that could exist independently of the body. They then applied that method to the recordings of the Herrscher of Reason."

As a result, all the remaining humans were transformed into a consciousness similar to Lin's. They were not killed, but their consciousness left their bodies, escaping the final destruction of civilization that cleansed the surface during the Honkai.

"Letting the remaining humans survive in another habitable place is equivalent to preserving the last 'ashes' of the Previous Civilization, and then, after completely resolving the Honkai, letting the 'ashes' reignite. That's what Lin calls the 'Ash Project.' Am I right, Vill-V?"

A strikingly beautiful girl emerged from the shadows, hatless, smiling at Mei and Kevin. Unlike the most common "conductor" or "magician," this smile held a hint of ambiguity.

If there is someone who knows the inside story of the plan besides Lin, Spasi, Qianqi, and Qi, then that person can only be Vill-V. Lin commissioned her to manufacture the Phase Transfer Device, and how could someone as intelligent as her not guess what Lin would use it for?

"Hmm... Mei is indeed Mei. After experiencing so much in the Imaginary Tree, she finally got the answer she wanted and also solved the mystery of Lin."

Mei let out a soft breath. "Then you should know why I said Lin is still alive, right? No, you definitely knew a long time ago."

"Of course, the greatest magician of the Previous Civilization should be able to decipher the magic of others." Vill-V shook her finger. "However, it's not a big mystery. Since consciousness can leave the body and move in the Quantum Sea, we need to find World Bubble that can allow these people to live stably. The most suitable person for this task is Lin himself."

"I don't know if Lin has a way to make the World Bubble exist stably forever, but I believe he can do it, no matter how long it takes, decades, hundreds of years, thousands of years or tens of thousands of years, he will do it."

After they finished speaking, the three fell into a subtle silence. Vill-V was still smiling, Kevin was silently thinking, and Mei looked at Vill-V.

Mei said, "Well, there are still some problems that haven't been solved."

"There are two Lins in the current Imaginary Tree of the Past. One is traveling with the Herrscher of Erosion, and the other is Lin with the highest authority. What is going on? Even Lin himself does not know what happened. The Herrscher of Erosion has invaded the Imaginary Tree and corrupted Lin's memory. I think the most urgent task is to rescue him."

Kevin exhaled a breath of cold air and said calmly, "I have already investigated this matter. The eroded part you mentioned is inaccessible, and the data related to Lin also seems to have problems, but apart from that, there are no other anomalies."

"Because I don't need data from outside Lin."

At that moment, a voice, both playful and eerie, rang out behind them.

She has long, blue-purple gradient hair, orange-red eyes, and her signature elf ears.

A faded "Elysia" and Lin, wearing a helmet, appeared before them.

Elysian Realm of "Flying Flowers": Chapter Eleven - The Awakening Girl

"World civilizations have changed, but no matter how they change, some common sense has never changed."

"It's like a world where gender differences are reversed. A male high school student might be sexually assaulted by a woman on a train, but the one assaulting him would only be a greasy middle-aged woman, not a beautiful young girl. That's common sense."

Zero observed the changing situation from the shadows, while Yan Luo, with one hand on his hip, gave him a cold glance.

"The example you gave is exactly the kind of example a greasy middle-aged man would give."

Zero, who was used to being teased by Yan Luo, didn't take it to heart and laughed, "Even if the Cocoon has been corrupted by Number Seventeen and Lin, there are still some things about the Herrscher that won't change. For example, they will have strong suspicion and malice towards humans when they are born, whether subconsciously or actively. In short, their hostile stance towards humans will not change."

"Hmph, but he's already done it, hasn't he? Allowing the Herrscher to regain control of their body and consciousness."

"So, even after living for so long, Little Yan Luo, you're still so naive at times." Zero smiled. "If some things aren't eradicated at their source, they will eventually go wrong, because from the very beginning, their existence was flawed."

Kevin leaned against the wall, and everything around him was so quiet it seemed frozen.

In a room not far away, there is a device for the Imaginary Tree. At this moment, his companions are fighting the Herrscher of Erosion inside, and he is the last line of defense. If they fail to stop the Herrscher of Erosion, he will destroy the device.

When Kevin met Lin in the Quantum Sea, he learned that the cylindrical object Lin carried contained the consciousness of millions of people from the Previous Civilization, and thus understood Lin's plan. However, this also led to a conflict between their ideologies.

Lin hopes that humans will remain humans. Even if he manages to change their ideology, they are merely separated from their bodies. After that, Lin will definitely find a way to restore them to their original state.

Kevin's Stigmata Project, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

However, recently, some changes have occurred.

"I want to Honkai the Honkai completely. Want to make a deal with me, Kevin?"

Kevin's eyes turned icy as he recalled the words the masked man had said to him in Changkong City.

"Of course, you don't need to do anything. Just do your thing as usual and continue according to your plan. I only have one request: that you enter the Imaginary Tree."

"In exchange, I can give you this."

Kevin opened his tightly clenched right hand, lowered his head, and stared at what was in his palm.

"Bass!"

"Buzz!"

After swinging his golden knight's sword in the deserted training ground, Lin frowned and stared at the Seventy-Nine in his hand.

The Seventy-Nine is different from ordinary Divine Key. It cannot use its rated power, meaning it cannot unleash the true power of Herrscher. However, the power it contains is stronger than that of a normal Divine Key, and the ability to suppress Honkai Energy is also contained within the sword.

Is it impossible to unleash greater power without complying with the Oath of Judas...?

After the incident with the Herrscher of Binding concluded, the final battle with Kevin drew ever closer. Lin knew very well what a terrifying existence Kevin was; his strength had never stopped growing over the past 50,000 years. If he had to describe it...

That is the "strongest Flame-Chaser in history"!

Will we win...?

Lin sheathed his sword in a specially made scabbard and then walked out of the training room.

It's almost time, it's about time...

"Drop--"

Lin picked up the communicator. "What's up?"

"The Herrscher of Ice has awakened."

Inside the medical room, all the important figures of Anti-Entropy stood around the bewildered chestnut-haired girl, looking at her seriously inside the isolation pod. Kiana, Welt, and Bronya were all ready for battle, while Lin and Theresa, who held the Key of Binding, were closest and could subdue her instantly.

The girl asked blankly through the transparent hatch, "Who... are you?"

Welt adjusted his glasses and explained, "Anna Saniyat, for safety reasons we have to temporarily contain you. You became the Herrscher of Ice half a month ago, and now you are a dangerous entity that could very well go out of control."

This task was originally intended for Einstein, but due to its extreme danger, both Einstein and Tesla stayed away from it, and the Herrscher of Reason took charge of protecting them.

Fu Hua, who had been scanning with her eyes closed, opened them and said, "His mental state is stable; there are no signs of him losing control."

It seems that the restraint imposed by the Herrscher of Binding is stronger than imagined.

"The Herrscher of Ice?!" Anna flinched in surprise, but quickly calmed down, puzzled. "The Herrscher of Ice, what is that? Who is Anna? Me?"

At this moment, everyone was stunned.

Lin hesitated for two seconds, then stepped forward with his sword. But as soon as Seventy-Nine got close to Anna, she suddenly clutched her head in terror and screamed, "Don't come near me! Don't come any closer! Aaaaaaahhhhhh..."

Lin stopped and looked at the Seventy-Nine in his hand.

The sacred golden knight's sword radiates a holy light.

Due to the excessive shock, Anna suffered temporary amnesia. According to Einstein and Fu Hua's examination, the amnesia would not last long and was merely a protective mechanism of the brain.

Fortunately, even with amnesia, Anna showed no signs of losing control. The Honkai Energy within her body, along with the Artificial Stigmata she had created when Valkyrie, lost their effect, and the Herrscher Core fell into complete silence.

This made Lin realize once again how terrifying the Herrscher of Binding was.

If that terrifying Herrscher had unleashed its full power back then, Coral Island probably wouldn't have survived.

The amnesiac Anna showed fear of the Oath of Judas and the Seventy-Nine instincts. The fear of being defeated by the Herrscher of Binding remained in her body, and she would scream in terror even if she was just near the Key of Binding.

Besides that, she was also afraid of Lin.

Currently, Seele is taking care of Anna, and we will have to continue to observe any changes.

"Beep beep".

Um?

Lin lowered his hand from the bridge of his nose. Hearing the noise, he got up and picked up the communicator that was charging.

This wasn't his communicator; it belonged to Anna. He wanted to use it to uncover information about Schicksal, so he took it back. It had only been charging for a short while when it started ringing.

A message sent before shutting down the phone?

No, the notification sound hasn't stopped; this is real-time communication.

Lin frowned, and after thinking for a moment, he chose to answer the call.

"..."

Silence.

Lin Mo waited silently for the other side to speak.

"Hmm... I guess this is our first meeting, Mr. Lin."

A somewhat distant but memorable voice rang out, and Lin's gaze darkened.

Let me start by introducing myself.

"I am Otto Apocalypse."

Elysian Realm of "Flying Flowers": Chapter Twelve - No Memory, No Meaning

Otto Apocalypse, the dangerous man.

He had already witnessed how inhuman the other Otto was in the Quantum Sea, and he knew everything that Otto had done in the Intrinsic World, whether it was what happened to Kiana or what was related to Anti-Entropy. He could conclude that the Otto in the Intrinsic World was even more insane.

He could drag the whole world down for the sake of someone who died five hundred years ago.

"To be honest, I've known Mr. Lin for longer than you think. I first met you when we were analyzing the Key of Blankness." Otto's voice was the most flippant of any adult man Lin had ever heard. He chuckled and said, "I have to admire your ability to remain conscious and willingly allow yourself to be brutally tortured to death by others. Frankly, I've met many respectable and noble people, and you are one of them, Mr. Lin."

"... What exactly are you trying to say?"

Lin squinted. Otto had contacted him as soon as he got the communicator, which couldn't be a coincidence. In other words, Otto had already used unknown means to collect information from inside Anti-Entropy.

"I don't want to say anything, but my good subordinates Rita and Durandal have recently been secretly collecting information about a man named Lin. I happen to have made a deal with a friend I met once about Lin. What's more, you're also named Lin. Isn't wonderful coincidence always the most interesting thing in the world?" Otto said with amusement. "Consider it as me wanting to get to know you. Anna Saniyat will be in Anti-Entropy's care. Perhaps there will be an opportunity for you all to come to my residence soon."

What is a transaction?