Honkai, Survive

"What are you thinking about? You look so deep in thought."

Seele didn't understand many things; she acted before she thought. Fang Jie had piqued her curiosity, so she asked him directly.

She had a feeling that if he kept thinking, things would get very bad!

Fang Jie snapped back to reality. "I was just thinking about sociology, the kind that creates world-shattering lunatics."

"Never mind then, you don't have to say it."

Seele didn't want to hear it; it sounded troublesome.

"Haha, but you do have to hear it, because I want to say it. Do you know what the galaxy is like now? Especially under the Company's governance, under the Credit Points system."

Fang Jie explained it to her, his eyes like clear springs, shining ever brighter.

Don't think—

Empty your mind, relax your body.

—Don't think!

In the galaxy, what flows from philosophical thought is more dangerous than anything.

Seele didn't understand what made her feel uneasy. She didn't understand many things, and she let him speak, allowing the possibility of stopping the world from burning to pass by as she averted her gaze and perked up her ears.

"Compared to the Underworld and the upper districts of Belobog, it's a world with a difference that is more, extremely, immeasurably vast. It also constructs an unsolvable vicious cycle, and every time it erupts, it's a universe-altering event."

"These differences can't even be described as Underworld and upper districts, poor and noble, or the poor and the capitalists. It's a species gap, a civilization level gap, a world where coexistence is barely possible only through 'faith,' 'ideals,' and 'philosophy'."

Fang Jie hadn't seen it firsthand yet, so he could only use his existing worldview for comparison—

Well, let's use consumerism, since Credit Points unified the galaxy.

"Under a concept similar to consumerism, ordinary people who are objectified often pursue what is inevitably missing in their lives through consumption. They are taken by the capitalists, and by consuming things with symbolic value in large quantities, they signify that they have succeeded and stand at the top of the social pyramid.

And the underlying tone of this clamor is undoubtedly an infinitely deepening despair."

"And what's more tragic is that some don't even have the qualification to consume, their value of pursuing life's meaning stripped away, becoming tools for slaves, slaves of tools, slaves of slaves, tools of tools."

"Everything is meaningless. Ordinary people's endeavors will yield no substantial gains, only to be easily shattered inadvertently. No matter what, they can't even slightly close the distance between themselves and the great figures, the gods."

From small to large, the galaxy is a tragic world, far more tragic than Belobog.

"In the galaxy, Emperor II said: I live, eat, rest, day after day. In production and labor, I am a wound-up person, a living tool, a machine with flesh and blood, a slave of slaves. All life is like this.

The unawakened Emperor II was so sad that he had the impulse to leave, to go and see the real machines, tools, and the legacy of Emperor I as a slave. Upon arriving there, he was crowned and realized:

'—I will kill these sorrowful organic beings.'"

Was he crowned before he realized, or did he realize before he was crowned?

Who knows? Fictional historians have concealed the truth, everything has long since been distorted. Let's just treat it as a fairy tale, so fairy tales won't tell you how many Emperor II killed.

Seele didn't understand, which was why she wasn't greatly shocked. She only heard kill, kill, kill, kill...

Fang Jie felt much lighter after saying it, and also a bit emotional: the reason for killing was precisely because of his love for life. The Company's sins were as ruthless as ever.

He had such a spontaneous realization about the chance and inevitability of lunatics being born. In this orphanage full of talent, in the Underworld full of suffering, he looked at Seele, whose potential was as boundless as Hook's, and imagined her potential as a lunatic, and his own.

Philosophical thoughts flowed out, resonating faintly.

"All of this..."

"All of this is like a saying I dislike, 'the sea of suffering is boundless'."

"Pitiful people pursue illusory value, struggling across a boundless ocean of despair."

Seele's expression was blank. She was on The Hunt.

"Are you finished? If you're done, we should go. While you're still nimble and have killed those monsters, I'll go get some people to help move things."

What a boring beautiful girl.

Quite interesting.

"Hahahaha, Seele, you're such a good girl."

Fang Jie's eyes shone brighter, and a bold idea, or rather, an impulse, formed. After meeting Seele, even Bronya wouldn't compare, and Cocolia even less so.

He surrendered to the impulse.

"I want to ask you for a favor, Seele."

He smiled and stopped her from turning to leave, making a presumptuous suggestion. After all, this place was good, it could really bring out Seele's potential.

"What for?"

Seele looked at Fang Jie's outstretched hand curiously. After a moment's thought, she directly grasped it.

She wasn't shy, acting with grace and ease, using a strength that could crush ordinary bones, since this person was quite capable of fighting.

"And then."

She asked.

"Refreshing. Feel this power, this Honkai energy. I can only extract 'cellular regeneration' from it, but it can actually create life, especially plants. It can make many grow at once. You try to stimulate and use it."

Fang Jie's philosophical train of thought was interrupted. He snapped back to reality, not knowing what the big deal would have been if he had continued, but he still decided to circulate the Honkai energy.

Seele is here too, isn't she?

Having had the experience of using Sato Yuno as a God Key, the residual information allowed him to possess some of the lower-tier authority of the Herrscher of Life and Death, but developing this wasn't his strong suit. He was a bit...

He actually didn't dare to continue developing his power.

His rapidly advancing lower-tier authority as the Herrscher of Thunder had been pushed to the brink of the true Herrscher of Thunder's realm. Was this normal?

He wasn't lacking in the authority of Erosion either; projecting inorganic matter like swords and blades was effortless. Was this reasonable?

Fortunately, trying to project organic matter was proving difficult, let alone 'human transmutation'. These were the only things he wanted to develop but couldn't obtain. This wasn't right, was it?

The existence of Nihility always sowed seeds of doubt. Fang Jie decided to find someone for dual cultivation. Last time, he relied on Himeko for Trailblaze dual cultivation, not to mention Rin later on. She had experience.

Seele, I believe you can do it too.

"What are you talking about? I told you I don't understand."

Seele pouted, wondering if all outsiders were this cryptic. But she didn't let go of Fang Jie's hand, gripping it tightly.

"So, what you mean is, it can grow grass, right?"

She had never seen a flower. Perhaps she saw one as a child, but she had forgotten. She had seen tenacious weeds, but they were all withered and eaten by others.

It was said that under the protection of the Amber Lord, grass and trees could grow naturally under suitable conditions and tasted incredibly delicious.

Her eyes gradually brightened as she reached out to touch and sense that power.

It wasn't about rational control, but about feeling it, perhaps not even feeling it.

'Grow, grow.'

There was no reaction.

Seele gradually became agitated: "How is this even possible? I've never heard of grass growing like this. Are you lying to me? You're just spouting a bunch of useless nonsense!"

"If it doesn't work, then forget it. I'll think of another way."

Fang Jie scratched his head. Perhaps he didn't have the aptitude to become a God Key, being a man. This Seele had also gone astray; he feared she might suddenly start crying at any moment.

Perhaps it would be better to get his hands on the real Abyss Flower for further development.

"Wait, let me try again."

She had never heard of such a thing her entire life. Seele didn't believe something so absurd, but Fang Jie had no reason to lie to her or play a prank.

She wasn't a confident Seele; there were many things she couldn't do, yet she was also a proud Seele.

Even with pride and arrogance, one couldn't be self-deprecating. That was the way of survival in the Underworld.

She simply dropped her scythe, cupped Fang Jie's hands with both of hers, and closed her eyes:

"With the butterflies—grow for me!"

The Path is neither reasonable nor logical. Some walk among the stars, while others cannot even trace a single footprint.

Especially when you fall to the ground and no one helps you up, it's hard to learn how to stand. So, for things you can grasp...

Give it to me!

The world is so false, everything is but an illusion of the past, fading, fading, all fading, with no reality. What does it matter if it's a dream?

The Death of Withering erupted suddenly!

The terrifying poison made Fang Jie dizzy for a moment, but thankfully, he was resilient and quickly regained his senses... It wasn't you, but I'm getting the feeling.

"This is it, no, change direction, hurry, change..."

"Shut up!"

Seele felt an indescribable urge, but it was cut short. Damn it—

Her body and mind were trembling, not just Seele; Fang Jie also felt the power vibrating... surging when he chose to twist Seele's choice.

But in the end, a difficult synchronization was achieved. The initial synchronization rate was too low.

But ultimately...

"Boom—!"

A Flower of Creation erupted, blooming like a miracle.

Fang Jie subconsciously lowered his head, and together with Seele, who opened her eyes with sweat pouring down her face, they witnessed a scene that would likely be unforgettable for her.

Just outside the space eroded by the Cleft, in a corner of the abandoned orphanage, the ground began to bulge and expand at a visible rate, breaking open.

A new bud broke through the soil and bloomed in this sunless place.

It was so full of tension, and the part connected to the barren frozen earth quickly tore, breaking free from its restraints, rising, rising, rising...

Perhaps many, many years ago, a seed that fell into a crevice suddenly grew into a towering ancient tree.

"Rumble—"

"Huh?!"

Amidst the growth, Seele came to her senses and let out a rare, panicked cry, stammering: "This, you... No, you're serious!"

"It's your credit."

Fang Jie stared, dumbfounded, as a colossal tree sprouted beside him. His legs felt weak, but his expression turned smug.

"Of course, I contributed too."

Seele wasn't thinking about contributions. Life hadn't responded to her from the start, but it was something she craved. When it finally did...

They both stared blankly at the scene. Seele looked sillier than ever before.

"What the heck?"

Fang Jie didn't know either. Was it Sato Yuno or the poison vine? He estimated his lower-tier authority could at most manifest 'Grassy Terrain.' This must be talent.

"Want to try again?"

"Let's!"

Seele's eyes lit up, her synchronization rate increasing.

Ps: Good morning, afternoon, and evening, friends. Wishing you a happy day. It's almost the end of the month, so please give the child your unused recommendation and monthly tickets to nourish me (?o?o)??

Chapter Thirty: Granting Life to the Barren, Granting Fire to the Cold.

Seele had never imagined she could be this cool!

—Flash Burst Form!

Being this cool was so exhausting.

"Can you handle it, Seele? I'm looking for a disciple, someone who can warm my bed."

"Screw you! Wait, let me... catch my breath, just a moment. I can't take it anymore."

Seele leaned on Fang Jie's shoulder, utterly exhausted, but her spirits were high. She had no intention of stopping, just needing a rest.

The orphanage was now surrounded by towering, lush trees, a sight never before seen in the Underworld. She greedily gazed at it all, clinging to Fang Jie.

You're really cool too!