Night had fallen, and the sky had completely darkened. The bustling streets from the day had quieted down, with not a single piece of trash on the ground. Eden casually mentioned on social media, calling for people not to add to the municipal burden, and within moments, thousands of fans had cleaned up the area around the stadium. It was cleaner than if a dog had licked it.
This was the power of reputation. Whether as a leader, a mayor, or an idol, possessing it could unite people. Compared to those with unclean hands, Eden's influence was clearly much stronger.
'She's an idol, but more than just an idol. No wonder the Fire Moth treats her so respectfully, and no one dares to make a move on her enormous wealth.' Ryan muttered silently, glancing at Elysia in front of him. She was holding a handkerchief personally signed by Eden, smiling happily, and occasionally picking up her phone to voice chat with Eden.
Elysia had been in the restroom for quite a while, and by the time she returned, Eden and Ryan had already struck a deal. Eden, exhibiting her social anxiety traits, quickly became friends with her. The two girls chatted like old friends, babbling away, and Ryan couldn't get a word in. Even Eva was constantly coughing to remind them of the time. If Eden hadn't had work to do, they might have stayed there all night.
"Congrats, you've made a new friend," Ryan said, his voice light as Elysia turned around, waving her handkerchief triumphantly. "Eden is truly a beautiful girl inside and out. Her elegance— I even like it too."
Such a show-off. If I didn't know your personality, I'd have told Sakura to stay away by now.
Ryan walked up to a vending machine, dropped in two coins, and took out a coffee and juice. He tossed the juice to Elysia with a flick of his wrist.
"Sometimes, I really don't get it. Which kind of love do you lean toward—soul or body?"
"Both," Elysia replied casually as she twisted open the cap and took a sip of the orange juice, her eyes squinting in satisfaction. "To me, there's no difference. It's just like this juice. I love it with all my heart♪"
Well, that's... quite philosophical.
Ryan thought about it deeply for a moment and then decided it was better not to overthink it. If Elysia was happy, that was enough. He found a bench, sat down, and looked up at the bright moonlight.
So peaceful, so magical.
It was just a concert, yet the order of the city had returned. The feeling was no longer as restless and fearful as before, but to Ryan, it had merely been a cleansing of the soul.
The Honkai still lingered. The songstress couldn't kill the Herrscher, and the things that needed to be done still had to be done.
He propped his chin in his hand, watching Elysia happily fiddling with her phone while his mind wandered to future matters.
With 1700HW of energy, he could barely be considered Herrscher-level. He still needed to familiarize himself with the Wind Authority; once he fully mastered it, he could merge it with the Thunder Authority, unlocking far more destructive power.
But according to the law of energy conservation, the greater the destructive power, the greater the consumption. Once his energy was exhausted, he wouldn't be much stronger than an ordinary person.
'The good news is that the Wind Authority is very energy-efficient, and it excels in prolonged battles. Plus, Ideal Fluids aren't just wind.' Ryan glanced at the distant fountain, snapped his fingers lightly, and the water jet transformed into a blade that cleanly sliced through the hard marble, leaving a smooth cut.
Ideal Fluid, huh? Fluid refers to both liquids and gases, but due to differences in density, controlling liquids is more difficult. Lieutenant Rose isn't a scientist, so she leans more toward the simpler gas side.
Ryan guessed that during the Battle of Latinburg, the Wind Herrscher could already control liquids instinctively, but that wasn't the ocean.
He closed his eyes slightly and recalled dozens of formulas from his "shallow" knowledge, coming up with a rough concept. Mass and density, compressibility and expansibility, viscosity, and flow forms.
Ryan watched the water column encircle the stone and clenched his fist. The compressed fluid directly crushed the stone into powder, and the water flows were already under his control. The remaining Honkai energy would last for quite some time.
It kept changing shapes, like a water sprite. Ryan rubbed his chin, thinking it resembled some director's costume—could be used for puppets.
"Really, you're destroying public property again!"
Before Ryan could test it further, Elysia's face appeared, pouting, with a hint of reproach.
That's when he realized the beautiful fountain was now in ruins. He awkwardly smiled and said, "Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
"You can't destroy public property! Oh no, here come the police! Let's run!"
She grabbed Ryan hand, and in a flash, they were running off. Ryan didn't even have time to react; he just watched her running ahead, thinking she looked just like a mischievous girl after playing a prank.
Initially being dragged, Ryan eventually heard footsteps behind him and decided to run too, laughing while he ran.
Two Herrscher-level powerhouses, humanity's trump cards, were now running from the police for destroying public property—no one would believe it if they heard.
They ran out of the park and straight to the riverside, where they finally stopped. Elysia was panting lightly and looked at Ryan with a confused expression.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Heh, I've never been this embarrassed even in front of the Fourth Herrscher." Ryan loosened his tie and adjusted his suit. "By the way, don't you have anything you want to ask me?" He had just openly displayed his powers in front of Elysia, and she must have understood what he had done.
There was no need to hide it or reveal it, but possessing two kinds of authorities was still quite impressive.
Sure enough, Elysia's expression became serious, as if she was pondering something. The moonlight shining on the river behind her added a chill to the scene.
Elysia slowly raised her head, parted her pink lips, and asked, "Ryan, there is indeed something important I want to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Do you think now is a good time for a midnight snack?"
Ryan almost tripped, half-laughing, half-crying. "That's it?"
"Yep, I didn't eat dinner, and we ran so far. I'm pretty hungry." Elysia batted her big eyes seriously.
"Anything else??"
"What else? Oh, your secret. I couldn't be bothered to think about it. If you're suspicious, just ask Mobius. Come on, come on, you're treating today as a fine for destroying public property." She once again grabbed Ryan hand, and they walked toward a restaurant by the riverside, where soft singing drifted out. It was clear that Eden was singing.
Ryan hesitated, unable to recall how many times he had failed to keep up with Elysia's thoughts. But that absolute trust made him genuinely happy.
The girl wasn't uninterested, but she felt that, no matter what secrets Ryan had, he would always stand by humanity. So, the truth didn't matter much.
Looking at her pale left hand in the moonlight, and her fluttering figure like a butterfly, Ryan suddenly remembered Eden's words.
"Elysia, I have something I want to ask you."
"What?"
"About that photo we took this evening—would you do that with someone else?"
Elysia slowed her pace, as though the night had grabbed hold of her sleeve. She tilted her head, her thoughtful face glowing in the moonlight, without much sign of inner turmoil.
Elysia didn't blush or hesitate. She simply followed the answer in her heart and smiled brightly. "Though I don't know why, I wouldn't!"
Ryan pupils slightly widened, but he didn't feel any desire to act on it. He simply lowered his gaze quietly, calmly.
"Good."
...
At the Fifth Research Institute, the lights in the data room were still on. Mobius sat in front of the computer, her fingers dancing on the keyboard, typing out ghostly remnants. The diligent doctor suddenly paused, holding her nose.
Achoo—
"Strange, how could I suddenly sneeze? A fusion warrior's body shouldn't catch a cold."
"Doctor, maybe someone's been talking about you," Klein looked up with a smile, only to receive a stern look from Mobius.
"Klein, don't bring up these superstitions in front of me. It's meaningless, remember, reason is the key to science."
"Yes, Doctor."
"And focus on your work. How can you be distracted by a sneeze?"
Klein glanced at his entertainment news page, lips moving, but eventually he answered in a low voice, "Understood, Doctor."
Hmph, that's more like it. Why can't that guy be as obedient as Klein?
Mobius proudly lifted her chin and yawned, looking at the data on the screen.
She had used Mei's credentials to hack into the database, analyzing the positions of the higher and mutated Honkai Beasts. Due to the Fire Moth's hunts, the beasts had learned to hide themselves.
But they weren't as smart as the Herrschers, and under the "SkyNet" detection, they would soon be exposed.
'Hmph, that guy must be lacking Honkai energy. This intel will sell for a good price. Then I'll add it to the little black book and make him owe me for life.'
This took quite a bit of her time, but the reasoning was clear: The stronger you get, the more profit I make.
Mobius stretched lazily, but when she saw Klein's stiff expression, she casually glanced over.
It was an entertainment page, the one she had always scorned, but to monitor Ryan—no, to help Klein balance his work and leisure, she had let her read the relevant news, specifically about Eden's concert.
Hmph, that woman's concert... I wonder if there are any shots of Ryan there. He's definitely with that pink fatty and that fox.
"Well, Klein, any results?"
The heels of her boots clicked on the floor, and she slid over in her chair. Klein had already failed to close the page in time.
"Doctor, this is..."
Just as he was about to explain, Klein saw that Mobius was frozen in her chair, her face expressionless, mouth slightly agape, as if she were a statue slowly eroding.
In the center of the webpage was a beautiful photo—a black-haired man was holding the hand of a stunning girl. The production team had thoughtfully added a diamond ring to Ryan hand, and the equally beautiful Eden was standing between the two, smiling gracefully, witnessing their happiness.
"Ah, he... what... what is this?"
It took Mobius ten full seconds before she finally reacted, her trembling hand pointing at the photo.
A primal instinct surged within her. She remembered the last time she had been unstable after surgery, embarrassed in front of the pink-haired fox, thinking that being If she failed, she would kill him. But she couldn't win. And so, she just stared at the photo.
Her invincible brain overloaded with information. At that moment, she completely lost the ability to think.