Cheer Up, Okay?

"Bronya? She came back so late yesterday. Where did she go fooling around?"

Kiana was a little upset.

Yesterday, she and Rosia had waited a long time for Bronya to come back. She said she had something to do, but she had actually gone out drinking?

"It's fine. Maybe Mother Bronya was in a really bad mood."

Rosia smiled as she spoke up for Bronya.

"Sigh, she's such an adult already..."

Kiana suddenly remembered that Bronya drinking was not just about setting a bad example for children. There was also the matter of a minor drinking excessively...

"See? I told you none of these little brats are reliable. When you carried her back to her room this morning, the smell of alcohol on her was practically overflowing."

"Rosia" said with obvious disgust.

No matter when it was, drinking herself into that state was undoubtedly a sign of irresponsibility.

Rosia did not argue with her. She simply prepared some hangover soup and brought it to Bronya's room.

Holding a small stool, Rosia sat beside Bronya and quietly waited.

Before long, the silver-gray-haired girl on the bed rubbed her forehead in pain and gradually opened her eyes.

"Rosia... why are you here..."

It was obvious that Bronya was still dazed.

"Mother Bronya, open your mouth. Ah..."

Seeing Bronya's condition, Rosia could only lift the hangover soup, gently scoop some up with a spoon, blow away some of the steam, and feed it to Bronya bit by bit.

"Be good..."

Though Bronya was still muddled, upon hearing Rosia's voice, she obediently opened her mouth.

Only after quite a while did she gradually regain her clarity.

"Rosia... I drank too much..."

Bronya held her head and panted.

After meeting Cocolia yesterday, her mind had been a complete mess.

Cocolia wanted Rosia to undergo the X-10 experiment. Rosia's Stigmata awakening was far more advanced than Seele's had been, and with the technology now greatly refined, if it were Rosia, the experiment's success rate would come infinitely close to one hundred percent.

"So the experiment still has unpredictable deviations?"

"...Yes."

Cocolia could not understand why Seele's experiment had clearly been completed, yet an accident had still occurred.

She had never told Bronya about this, because if she had, Bronya definitely would not have agreed to this experiment.

After endless speculation and deduction, Cocolia could only guess that Seele's insufficiently complete Stigmata awakening had caused it.

"Think about it. If the experiment succeeds, we'll never lose anything again. Seele, you, me, and Rosia—we'll all be reunited..."

Cocolia's words kept repeating in Bronya's mind.

Bronya's reason told her that the experiment was nothing but a lie. She had already lost too much. If she lost Rosia too...

But her emotions kept reminding her that this was an opportunity to bring Seele back from the quantum space.

If she missed it, she might never have another chance like this...

Should she give up the chance to possibly save Seele, or gamble Rosia's life on the experiment succeeding...

"Bronya... you're too cowardly..."

Bronya cursed herself over and over in her heart.

Faced with such a choice, she should have refused without hesitation, but...

She had been tempted.

Before Cocolia's temptation, Bronya had been tempted. She had truly begun considering its feasibility.

Bronya felt as though she had lost her humanity, cowardly wanting to use someone else's life to make up for her own mistakes.

She knew that if she asked, Rosia would definitely not refuse.

Because Rosia trusted her almost unconditionally. Bronya had always been able to see the light in Rosia's eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

Bronya hugged the girl before her. Even with her emotions restricted, tears still slid down her cheeks and fell.

"Mhm... Mother Bronya, don't be sad. I'll stay with you. I'll always be here..."

Rosia looked at Bronya, whose emotions had somewhat spiraled out of control. Though she did not know what had happened, she still comforted her gently.

"Think about something happy, okay?"

Sea of Quanta

"Maybe... we really can find a way out?"

Though they were still trapped within these bubble worlds, Black Seele inexplicably sensed that the connection between the Sea of Quanta and them seemed to be steadily weakening.

And the source of that weakening was the claw Rosia had given her.

It was constantly absorbing the power that had caused their Quantumization.

"If it weakens a little more..."

A glimmer flashed through Black Seele's eyes.

"Idiot, we should be able to get out soon."

"Really?"

"White sugar, malt syrup..."

Rosia stood on a small stool and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Coat them, cut them..."

After cutting the finished candied apples into slices, Rosia carefully arranged them on a plate.

"Rosia, is Bronya all right?"

Raiden Mei had also woken up by now. From spending time with Bronya lately, she knew Bronya was not such a fragile person. She had listened outside the door for a while just now as well.

This time, Bronya had probably truly encountered something especially difficult.

"Mhm, she should be fine. Don't worry, Sister Mei. I'll take good care of Mother Bronya..."

Seeing the serious expression on Rosia's delicate face, Raiden Mei hesitated, but ultimately did not voice what was on her mind.

Though she did not know what had happened, she was worried that Bronya might only feel worse.

"What are these?"

Raiden Mei did not recognize the exquisite fruit slices on Rosia's plate at first.

"Candied apples. Sister Mei, Sister Kiana, do you want to try some?"

"Mhm..."

Kiana had originally wanted to refuse. Her experience eating candied apples last time had not been very pleasant, but seeing Rosia's expectant gaze, she still took a piece.

"They're sweet, crunchy, and really good."

Unlike what she had expected, Kiana's eyes lit up.

"Did you... make these yourself?"

Candied apples were simple to make, but even Raiden Mei had not expected them to taste this good.

"Mother Bronya was in a bad mood, so I added a little more sugar..."

"I hope sugar can make Mother Bronya a little happier."

A Little Happier, Okay?

"Shallow, ignorant, deluded into attempting to break through the boundaries of quantum physics with such meager power..."

After analyzing Anti-Entropy's experimental report, Amber presented Schicksal's final conclusion to Otto.

In terms of quantum technology applications alone, Schicksal might not compare to Anti-Entropy, but when it came to the connection between Stigmata and quantum physics, Schicksal still held the leading authority.

"Once a quantum experiment conducted through Stigmata is completed, collapse will inevitably occur, unless the target's energy level reaches Herrscher class, sufficient to construct an Imaginary Anchor in the physical plane..."

"The experiment's purpose is to grant the target the ability to manipulate matter at the subatomic level, but nearly all Herrschers possess authority far beyond subatomic-level control."

"Conclusion: The experiment is not viable."

Seeing the complete report, Otto nodded thoughtfully.

Anti-Entropy's X-10 experiment had been conducted in 2013, while in 2012, Schicksal had already carried out an exploration project concerning the Sea of Quanta.

The members of that expedition were Schicksal's current S-rank Valkyries, Durandal and Rita.

In exploring the Sea of Quanta, Schicksal was likewise far ahead.

"Ignorance is frightening, but what is even more frightening is when someone has yet to realize their own ignorance."

Otto chuckled.

To Otto, Cocolia's plan was absurd to the extreme, not even comparable to the experiments at Babylon Tower.

Though the Babylon experiments had caused an unimaginable disaster, they had at least successfully created and developed many artificial Stigmata.

Otto considered himself one of the finest among demons, yet he had not expected Cocolia, an Anti-Entropy executor, to be even more deranged than him.

She had founded an orphanage, adopted children, then persuaded them one by one to participate in experiments in the role of a "mother"...

At that moment, Otto truly wanted to applaud in front of Welt.

"Remarkable. Truly remarkable..."

On one hand, they condemned Schicksal's Stigmata experiments; on the other, they indulged their own executor in doing the exact same thing.

So many people had died in the Third Honkai Eruption in Changkong City, and Raiden Ryoma, another Anti-Entropy executor, had been inexplicably removed from power. Otto did not believe Anti-Entropy knew nothing about this.

"Unless..."

Otto thought of a possibility. He tapped his fingers against his chair as his emerald eyes flickered.

"Something happened to Welt Yang."

If that were the case, then everything made sense.

"Hehe, that works too."

Otto intended to make use of Cocolia. The relationship between that Raiden Mei and K423 was not shallow, which was perfect.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan."

"Raven, since you're already in the Far East, investigate what exactly Cocolia is trying to do."

"She took our technology and funding, then suddenly went to the Far East. Is she planning to go blow herself up at Schicksal?"

The black figure holding an umbrella revealed scarlet mechanical eyes.

The Far East was one of the places currently receiving the most attention from Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent.

All of them had made considerable arrangements in the Far East.

Cocolia had suddenly gone to the Far East and stayed there for so long. What was she thinking?

"Understood, Grey Serpent. Is this partner of yours reliable?"

On the other end of the communicator, the gray-black-haired girl with wine-red eyes pulled up her hood.

"I heard she's quite troublesome."