And when you asked that question, didn't you reflect on your own outfit?
At a glance, you looked like a full-blown supervillain, yet you wanted to talk to me about saving the world?
Gulp~
After finally swallowing the rice in his mouth, Shi Hen took a sip of lemonade before recovering. Looking at Gray Serpent, he could not help asking, "Mr. Gray Serpent, were you serious when you said that?"
Had this guy always thought he was one of the good guys?
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
Gray Serpent asked in return.
"Um..." After scrutinizing Gray Serpent for quite a while, Shi Hen shook his head and sighed. "I always thought we were a villain organization."
Gray Serpent: "..."
No, little brother, what was going on with you? You had joined World Serpent for so long and still did not know the organization's goal?
At that moment, both of them realized that they had deeply misunderstood each other.
"Speaking of saving the world... do we have a cool Floating Island?"
Shi Hen asked.
"No."
Gray Serpent shook his head.
"Do we have an army of mechs?"
Shi Hen asked again.
"...No."
Gray Serpent shook his head once more.
He was still rushing to make progress on the mech army. He could not pull that off yet.
"Do crowds cheer for us every time we take action?"
Shi Hen asked again.
"No."
Gray Serpent continued shaking his head.
"Have we signed agreements with the nations of the world, granting organization members legal immunity?"
Shi Hen kept asking.
"No."
Gray Serpent still shook his head.
"So, we have nothing, and our base has to be hidden this deeply. Doesn't that make us villains?"
Shi Hen sighed helplessly.
He truly did not understand. Was it really so difficult to admit that they were villains?
But just as every villain refused to admit they were a villain, Gray Serpent likewise believed that he ought to be a hero.
"The higher a tree reaches, the deeper its roots must delve into darkness." Gray Serpent tried to reason with Shi Hen and correct the youth's mistaken understanding of World Serpent. "For the great goal of saving the world, necessary sacrifices are unavoidable."
Shi Hen: "..."
Are you sure you didn't walk onto the wrong set?
"So, we're all heroes who save the world?"
Shi Hen asked with raised brows.
He might look sunny enough to serve as the organization's public face, but with Gray Serpent's appearance, he was obviously the villain, wasn't he?
Rather than immediately answering Shi Hen's question, Gray Serpent asked, "Having dealt with Schicksal twice, does Mr. Shi Hen believe they can save the world?"
"Um..." After finishing the last of his rice, Shi Hen drank lemonade as he thought. Only after a long while did he speak. "No. Unless they get rid of their current Overseer and put someone with a functioning brain in that position."
They could not even establish a united Anti-Honkai front. What were they supposed to use to save the world?
Although Otto had indeed put on an impressive performance in the original timeline and resolved the crisis of the Herrscher of Binding.
In Shi Hen's eyes, though, the sooner that guy died, the better it would be for the world.
Humanity would not perish because of the Herrscher of Binding, but it might be destroyed because of Otto.
Even in the Previous Civilization Era, although the Herrscher of Binding caused tremendous casualties that could be called a tragedy, the seeds of humanity's failure had been planted much earlier.
When the first Fusion Warrior was born and humanity began transforming into something inhuman, the failure of that era had already become inevitable.
However, Shi Hen did not belong to that era, nor did he understand its predicament, so he merely sighed over it.
Every generation only chose the path they believed was right. What right did he have to criticize those who came before him?
All the leeway enjoyed by this civilization era had been built upon the ruins of the previous civilization era.
"That's right, Schicksal cannot save the world!" Hearing Shi Hen's evaluation, Gray Serpent deeply agreed. "Although Schicksal possesses most of the world's resources, her upper ranks have long since decayed beyond repair.
And though North America's Anti-Entropy is worthy of praise in terms of ideals, their strength is far too weak and insignificant. Before the Honkai, they are simply incapable of withstanding a single blow."
"So..."
Shi Hen's expression became somewhat unnatural.
"Schicksal is corrupt, and Anti-Entropy is incompetent.
Only we... only we who are rooted in the deepest darkness can understand what the true Honkai is, and understand... how to lead the world toward a brand-new future."
Gray Serpent's tone was calm, but beneath it burned a fanaticism so intense it could reduce even the soul to ashes.
He believed in all of it, just as he believed the sun would rise in the east every day.
Does Faith in a Snake Come With Free Eggs?
Isn't this guy a lunatic?
Looking at Gray Serpent before him, Shi Hen could not help thinking.
He had already come to World Serpent, and this guy was still telling him to save the world?
And Gray Serpent, a guy who looked like the ultimate supervillain no matter how he looked at him, was the one trying to persuade him? At the very least, couldn't they have sent a white-haired, blue-eyed beauty?
Wait, if viewed solely from the perspective of fighting the Honkai, World Serpent's original intention really did seem to be saving the world.
It was just that they had chosen the path of redefining humanity.
Compared to saving humanity, redefining the concept of humanity was easier.
So no matter where he went, he could not escape saving the world?
Stroking his chin, Shi Hen fell into thought.
"Then, Mr. Gray Serpent, how do you think the world can be saved?"
After thinking it over, Shi Hen asked.
"I heard that Mr. Shi Hen has already reached Imaginary Space?"
Rather than answering directly, Gray Serpent asked in return. His hoarse voice carried a gentle smile, and the way he looked at the youth was as though he were admiring a peerless masterpiece.
"That's right."
Shi Hen nodded lightly.
The commotion caused by setting foot in the Heavenly Sovereign Realm had been a little too great to conceal.
Besides, he also wanted to see how World Serpent would react to him, a finished product of the Stigmata Project.
"Then surely Mr. Shi Hen can now draw Honkai Energy from Imaginary Space?"
Gray Serpent chuckled softly, his tone suggesting that everything was under his control.
"How did you know?"
Shi Hen's expression changed slightly as he appropriately displayed some surprise.
He had not told Jackal or Raven about this, so it should have been a secret belonging to him alone.
"The serpent knows all."
Gray Serpent's voice was composed and unhurried, carrying the confidence of one in a high position, as if he were looking down upon everything in the world.
"It seems the organization's strength runs far deeper than I imagined."
Shi Hen sighed, expressing his admiration.
In theory, Gray Serpent should not have encountered any Heavenly Sovereign humans other than himself, yet the other party was extremely familiar with this realm. He had clearly obtained quite a few relics from the Previous Civilization Era.
"But even within World Serpent, Mr. Shi Hen remains special."
With a smile, Gray Serpent also expressed the importance he placed on the youth.
He did not want Shi Hen to become excessively arrogant and reckless, but neither did he want him to grow estranged from World Serpent.
Whether purely in terms of combat or in regard to the Stigmata Project, Shi Hen was an extremely important existence and had to be treated with caution.
"...I see."
Shi Hen sighed, seeming deeply moved.
He felt that he should not be making a living in World Serpent. He should be challenging for the title of Best Actor instead.
"Mr. Shi Hen should know about the existence known as Herrschers, correct?"
Gray Serpent asked again.
"Of course." Shi Hen nodded, a puzzled look appearing on his face. "But what does that have to do with Herrschers?"
"Mr. Shi Hen should know that the birth of Herrschers is related to the tides of Honkai Energy within Imaginary Space." Gray Serpent spoke with absolute confidence. "Imagine this: if everyone could awaken stigmata like Mr. Shi Hen and directly bear power from the Imaginary, would Herrschers still have room to be born?"
"..."
Shi Hen lowered his head slightly, his brows occasionally furrowing as though he were seriously contemplating something.
After a long time, he finally raised his head and looked at Gray Serpent. "Is that really possible?"
Anyone hearing such a plan for the first time would surely find it impossible to believe.
It was like saying that because Bolt was human and could run at superhuman speed, every human should be required to run like Bolt.
It was simply an impossibility as fantastical as a fairy tale.
"This is the great undertaking that only the serpent can accomplish."
Pride showed in Gray Serpent's tone.
"This is something that only lunatics can accomplish."
Shi Hen shook his head.
Whether it was the idea itself or the means of achieving it, the Stigmata Project revealed a madness that ran deep into the soul.
"There is often only a thin line between a lunatic and a genius." Gray Serpent laughed in his hoarse voice. "Besides, only losers are called lunatics, and we are walking a path that is destined for victory."
"Mr. Gray Serpent really has confidence in himself."
Shi Hen shook the lemonade in his hand, which was nearly empty, and spoke with a sigh.
"Because we are following in the footsteps of a great existence." Gray Serpent spoke, his voice calm yet mad. "Even if all the strong people of this era were gathered together, they would still be as insignificant as dust before that great existence."
"...Does believing in this great existence come with free eggs?"
Shi Hen asked sincerely.
Gray Serpent: "???"
He felt insulted.
"Sorry, sorry. Mr. Gray Serpent's words just reminded me of something from the distant past."
Shi Hen grinned.
It had to be said that if Gray Serpent changed his outfit, he really would be well suited to preaching.
Or rather, to true members of World Serpent, the MANTISes of the Previous Civilization Era were beings akin to faith itself.
Before you continue