Chapter 334
Himiko and said, "I was skeptical of such words before, but now I believe them."
"Um?"
"Because you are really too strong. Although that feeling is like a dream, even in a dream, the fear is real. Only with enough strength can you have enough confidence, right?"
Himiko shook her body.
It was as if Elysia, sitting opposite her, was not a young and beautiful girl, but a monster more terrifying than Herrscher.
Himiko, "Actually, you could have easily killed me just now, in ten minutes? Maybe even less, at least you wouldn't have needed that strange weapon."
She was referring to the Moonlight Throne.
Weapons that convert Honkai Energy into ordinary energy are a deadly poison for Herrscher, but a liberation for slumbering humans.
When the Moonlight Throne pierced her body, the sleeping Himiko personality did indeed feel a sense of liberation.
However, it is the liberation that leads to death.
"Actually, I'm only a tiny bit better than you." Elysia made a tiny bit gesture.
Chapter 542 Debt
"What do you plan to do after that?" Himiko asked. "Kill me, or imprison me like before? I recommend the former. You saw the destruction just now, didn't you? It was catastrophic."
"Fire Moth can bear one loss, but what about two? Three?"
You know your own body best.
Himiko could clearly sense that the remnants of the Herrscher had not yet been eliminated, and there was an unseen impulse constantly pounding against her consciousness.
A thirst for Honkai Energy.
Her subconscious told her that her body needed Honkai Energy, enough Honkai Energy.
"I told you, the Fire Moth will never abandon you." Elysia shook her head.
"But you know very well that this is impossible. Either kill me to prevent future troubles, or keep me alive. Sooner or later, I will become the monster that dominates the crimson flames once again. There is no third way," Himiko said, bowing her head.
The impulse within her was boiling, constantly urging her to absorb Honkai Energy.
After a while, she became unsure if she could still suppress the urge.
Or perhaps, under the pressure at the conscious level, one gradually loses oneself and transforms into a mindless beast?
They all seem pretty much the same.
"So that's what you were thinking." Elysia said thoughtfully.
Himiko, "Perhaps this is the fate of the Herrscher."
From the moment they were chosen to become Herrscher, their fate was already sealed: either they would destroy humanity, or they would be destroyed by humanity.
Himiko up at the ceiling. "If I could, I'd like a quick and painless death. I heard that 30% of my confinement room is some weirdo's laboratory. This has caused such a big commotion, I'm sure he holds a grudge against me, right?"
"Mobius would be angry if he heard you say that," Elysia smiled.
She walked to Himiko's side and slowly extended her hand.
Himiko at the arm before her, white and tender like a lotus root, with fingers as slender as scallion roots—a pair of beautiful arms. But Elysia's actions puzzled her.
"Hold my hand." Elysia moved a little closer.
Himiko hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on it.
The next moment, astonishing Honkai Energy flowed through their bodies, from Elysia to Himiko.
A warm feeling flowed through her body, Himiko's pale complexion improved somewhat.
Most importantly, Himiko could clearly sense the [abnormality] within the other person's body.
It wasn't out of fear of overwhelming power, but rather a strange sense of familiarity, like the spontaneous dependence a child feels when embracing their mother.
--The existence of the Origin.
"Elysia, you?"
Himiko widened; at that moment, she finally understood what Elysia was trying to convey to her.
She's Herrscher too!
Elysia laughed and said, "Should this be considered, a complete honesty?"
"But why...?"
Himiko couldn't understand why a Herrscher would fight for humanity.
Based on our brief encounter, my intuition tells me that Elysia's status is definitely higher than hers.
"Can't understand? Actually, I don't quite understand the intricacies either, but isn't the answer to your question obvious?"
Elysia cradled Himiko's head. "As Herrscher, how could I abandon you poor companions?"
The Herrscher are not a pure disaster.
Elysia is the most convincing example.
At the very least, she wanted to convey to Himiko that the Herrscher could be saved, that they had a chance to become human again and return to the embrace of civilization.
"I also know a few friends who are all self-aware humans. You might not believe it, but some of them have been taken down by robots in a single round," Elysia joked.
Himiko didn't believe it. "Where would Herrscher be knocked down by a robot with one punch? There's a limit to jokes... But I understand what you're trying to say."
Himiko a sigh of relief.
The Herrscher can become human again and regain her self-awareness; Elysia conveyed these ideas to her, and she chose to believe them.
That's human nature; we always believe what's in our favor, regardless of whether it actually is.
Whether you call it humanity's incurable flaws or the beautiful virtue of harboring hope, it all leads to the same result.
As long as there is a spark of hope, humanity will always hold onto hope.
Himiko a weight lifted from her heart.
"Now that the psychological issue is resolved, let's talk about the debt." Elysia patted Himiko on the shoulder, smiling like a cunning fox.
Himiko in confusion, "Debt? What debt?"
"Of course it's the damage you caused just now. You destroyed almost 30% of the buildings and equipment, and caused a lot of construction to be interrupted. The reconstruction after the disaster will cost a Tianwen sum."
The destructive power of the Flame Herrscher should not be underestimated.
Himiko still remembered the tragedy that occurred in her dream; the entire lower level of the base was almost turned into a sea of fire, and a pillar of flames stretched for hundreds of miles into the sky.
The thought of facing a terrible debt Himiko swallow hard.
She was already thinking about running away.
Elysia grabbed her shoulder. "I think our Flame Herrscher isn't afraid of death, so she shouldn't be afraid of this little debt, right?"
Elysia's bright smile appeared to Himiko as the smile of a devil.
Although the exact figure is still unknown, it's obvious without even guessing that it's Tianwen sum, the kind that one could never afford to pay in a lifetime.
Elysia continued, "Actually, it's not much. And if you come to work for the Fire Moth, I can offer you a very high salary, the kind that's absolutely unparalleled, according to Herrscher standards."
"Let me do the math. At the highest possible salary... you only need to work for a thousand years to pay off your debt."
Elysia took out her notebook and wrote down a series of numbers.
Himiko nearly fainted from a heart attack after just seeing the last few zeros.
"Ugh... You might as well just kill me."
Oh no, this is going to force her to work until she dies to pay off her debts!
Himiko simply lay motionless on the ground, her pupils gradually losing their luster.
"Even if you say that, paying back debts is a matter of course," Elysia said, shrugging helplessly.
The base of the Fire Moth is still under reconstruction. According to Vill-V's calculations, the 30% damaged area is expected to be rebuilt within ten days.
There are three main reasons for the current losses.
1. The magma created by the Flame Herrscher.
Even if the Herrscher is defeated, the altered terrain cannot be restored to its original state, at least not in the short term.
The Fire Moth can either relocate their base or cool the lava to create a new landscape. The base is already a thousand meters underground, with alloy walls that will be usable once the lava is cooled. The specifics of the operation depend on Vill-V's skill.
Chapter 543 Honkai Energy Suppressant
Second: Damage to the buildings on the site.
This includes some experimental equipment, which are the truly valuable items; the cost of the buildings is negligible in comparison.
Three: Dr. Mei's scrapped Moonlight Throne.
The cost of manufacturing a Moonlight Throne is Tianwen; it is the most expensive of all consumables, almost equal to all other losses combined.
In particular, it is a powerful weapon with heavy firepower.
Even Elysia herself would likely have to write a report to the relevant departments to explain the whole story if the Moonlight Throne were scrapped.
Moreover, she was only the chief secretary.
A detailed report needs to be submitted to the Council of Thirteen, providing the Research Department with statistics on the specific damage to the Moonlight Throne after its scrapping, as well as the reasons why the decision to scrap the Moonlight Throne was made in the first place...
And so on and so forth, it's incredibly troublesome.
Dr. Mei is still having a headache over this matter.
Tesla: "I'm so sleepy. I've been looking at the model of the Aesir for the past few days. I only slept for two hours last night. If this keeps up, this genius will surely die of exhaustion."
Einstein: "Dr. Tesla, would you like me to arrange accident insurance for you?"
Tesla: "Mophead! Can't you wish me well for once?! By the way, Elysia's been gone for so long and we haven't heard from her, aren't you worried?"
I was just going to synchronize the data of the automated mechs, but I ended up catching up with the awakening of the Flame Herrscher.
Elysia hasn't responded yet, and we don't know what stage the matter is at.
The Flame-Chasers acted as if it were none of their business, continuing their work as blacksmiths, catching guinea pigs, and even taking advantage of the chaos.
Pardofelis: "As for Sister Elysia, I don't think there's anything to worry about at all."
Chakravartin: "Worried about her? Elysia? Ha, worried that she might accidentally tear Herrscher to pieces?"
Tesla: "You guys are really confident in your partners."
Well, it seems that this well-connected Elysia is not only highly skilled in social interactions, but also quite capable in practical matters.
Tesla is worrying unnecessarily.
Su: "Given the threat from the Flame Herrscher, and considering the timeline, Elysia should have resolved the matter by now. Could something have gone wrong?"
Pardofelis: "Brother Su, don't scare me! That's Sister Elysia, what could possibly happen to her?"
If even a Flame Herrscher can defeat Elysia, then what's the point of them fighting the Honkai?
Go home, wash up, go to sleep, and wait to die.
Elysia: "Su, I'm so heartbroken. I haven't seen you for long, and now I hear the news of my heroic sacrifice. In your heart, am I really such an unreliable woman?"
Su: "I'm worried that you actually killed the Flame Herrscher."
Himiko cannot die.
It wasn't just because of Hua's guilt; in the past, the Flame Herrscher was the only one who, after becoming Herrscher, was still able to maintain a sliver of rationality.
The Flame-Chasers hope to use this as a breakthrough to find a way to turn the Herrscher back into humans.
Simply killing Herrscher will only lead to the birth of new Herrscher, an endless stream, until humanity heads towards self-destruction.
Fu Hua: "Captain Himiko... is she alright?"
Elysia: "Don't worry, Dr. Mei hit her with two Moonlight Throne, reducing most of her Honkai Energy. Then there's the Ultimate Honkai Energy Serum from Bishop Otto. Things went even more smoothly than I expected. She really helped a lot."
If the Ultimate Honkai Energy Serum is ineffective, Elysia plans to severely injure Himiko, then adjust the output power of the Moonlight Throne to gradually dissipate the Honkai Energy within her body.
Surprisingly, the Ultimate Honkai Energy Serum was more powerful than Elysia had imagined; no wonder Otto dared to name it [Godsbane Spear].
Otto: "It's good that it can help, but according to my analysis, the Ultimate Honkai Energy Serum only treats the symptoms, not the root cause, you understand?"