"This simulation is temporarily suspended; progress has been recorded."
"Special circumstances have been discovered; this simulation has been corrected to: Elysia - Until the end."
"Um... so that bed was a save point?"
Upon returning to reality, Tian Shi instinctively wanted to rub his head, but then he realized that he had become a ghost again, so it didn't matter whether he rubbed it or not.
It is a small pity.
Although Tian Shi had no intention of launching a night attack on Elysia, he always felt that she might launch a night attack on him.
"Was I looking forward to it?"
Tian Shi sighed softly.
"But isn't this name change redundant? By the way, at this hour... I guess only MEI is still awake, right?"
While reflecting, Tian Shi transferred the current host.
Sure enough, in the underground laboratory of Shencheng Pharmaceuticals, MEI and Cleo were looking at the computer.
"Doctor? Are you here already?"
The moment Tian Shi appeared, MEI reacted and subconsciously turned to look.
"Yes, I wanted to chat with someone in the middle of the night, and after thinking about it, you were probably the only one still awake... I hope I haven't interrupted your work."
After Tian Shi finished speaking, Cleo saw MEI, whose face was stiff from having worked for a long time, force a somewhat terrifying smile.
"No, anyway, the main computing power depends on Prometheus; Cleo and I only take care of recording the experiments."
MEI shook her head and then looked at Cleo.
"Cleo, go prepare three cups of coffee."
"Two cups are enough, I can't drink that much."
"Yes."
Cleo, whose dark circles were getting thicker, nodded and immediately turned to leave.
"You're really giving orders to people without any mercy."
"After all, she is the only scientist here worth considering... Well, she is actually a top-tier scientist, and I have no one else I can turn to besides her."
"If you mention it to Grey Serpent, I think we can find a group of researchers specifically to help you; or rather, Shencheng Pharmaceuticals already has some."
"Grey Serpent mentioned it, but I refused; I don't perform large-scale experiments; managing so many people is exhausting and not very useful... Better not talk about that. Doctor, what would you like to talk about, since you are here in the middle of the night?"
MEI showed a relatively kind smile this time.
"Let's talk about... Elysia?" Tian Shi asked timidly.
"Is it really okay for you to ask your student about another woman in the middle of the night?"
Dra. MEI immediately felt offended upon hearing Elysia's name.
"Student..."
Tian Shi's lips twitched; that resentful tone was not typical of a student.
"It was just a question... a casual question; after all, she is quite a peculiar person, right?"
"Since you've put it that way..."
MEI sighed and then fell into deep thought.
"Elysia... well, it would have been better if you hadn't mentioned it, because now that you have, I realize that my memory gaps in that area are quite serious."
Dra. MEI rubbed her temples with an expression of disgust.
This feeling of losing a large part of her memory was not good at all for a rigorous and rational scientist.
"Luckily, I still retain some impression of her... That girl was too lively, but she also seemed to have great wisdom; although I want to say she was pure beauty and no brains, I have no right to criticize others in that regard."
"Well... don't be so resentful."
"What Mobius detected was less resentment and more anxiety."
Dra. MEI sighed when Cleo finished preparing the coffee.
"Thank you... Speaking of which, I don't know much about Elysia, but Mobius is... well, let's say she is closer to her."
"Why use such vague language?"
"Because Elysia is the only one outside the laboratory who is willing to talk to Mobius."
"It can't be that bad..."
Tian Shi's lips twitched slightly.
"Isn't Hua there?"
"Without you, doctor, the elder sister is very reserved; unless Mobius takes the initiative to contact her, she won't do it; so, the only one willing to take Mobius's side is Elysia... Mmm, maybe we should add Eden?"
MEI shrugged.
"Although I admit I'm not much better at interpersonal relationships than Mobius, especially after Kevin and Su started spreading rumors that Mobius likes people to taste her food."
"Aren't you the same?"
Tian Shi covered his face.
"How is that possible? I only made those two people taste the food; after all, idiots don't die from poison."
Dra. MEI pushed up her glasses and said with confidence.
"Let's get back to the main topic."
"I failed as a father! I have to take the blame!"
"Or should I tell you what Mobius's contagious anxiety disorder is?"
"It's because Mobius feels threatened when she sees Elysia."
MEI said naturally:
"Isn't it natural for the old and haggard Mobius to see the young and beautiful Elysia?"
"Stop speaking ill of Mobius behind her back."
I've seen Mobius before.
At thirty years old, Mobius is not old at all; on the contrary, she is mature in every sense of the word.
"She can't hear me."
MEI pushed up her glasses.
"But Mobius's anxiety about Elysia is true... She is young and energetic, and has a pleasant personality; other than that, my impression of Elysia is limited to her occasional somewhat eccentric ideas."
"Eh…"
"And speaking of which... Elysia... never mind, it's nothing."
The void in her memory made MEI feel very unhappy.
"By the way, we have also made progress in our research these last two days."
"What about the Herrscher?"
"Prometheus's calculations have determined the location of the next collapse: the Coral Islands."
"Hmm... Anna?"
"What did you say?"
"No, it's fine, MEI, please continue... like when it will happen or something like that."
"It will take about two or three months."
"Can it be calculated with such precision?"
Tian Shi was a bit surprised.
Although MEI's wording was quite general, it was precise enough for something as unpredictable as a collapse.
"It's like a backdoor left by Mobius back then... I didn't dare to open it directly; I simply secretly opened a small crack to help with the calculation."
MEI showed a somewhat worried expression.
"Sincerely, it's better not to open this backdoor until the end... After all, the Honkai could very well be something released by a higher-dimensional civilization; cheating is because there is no other choice; if you can pass the exam, it's better to do it normally, even if you only get a grade of 60."
This part of the memory was something she hadn't forgotten before, or rather, I can't even remember the specific plans now.
However, MEI couldn't resist having deduced what Mobius was doing while chatting with Tian Shi.
Even if it was just speculation, it was enough for her to try; in short, she was just trying to get involved.
And then... well, it worked.
"You guys are really special, but I have some guesses about the choice of the Herrscher."
Tian Shi thought for a moment:
"The Valkyrie currently in the Coral Island is named Anna Schariac; if nothing unexpected happens, it is very likely that she will become a Herrscher; as for her story, Grey Serpent surely knows more than I do."
"That would allow Grey Serpent to make contact with her..."
Tian Shi looked at MEI, who was stroking her chin and was deep in thought, and really wanted to say something.
In reality, there is a better way than letting Grey Serpent make contact...
"Ah, right, speaking of Grey Serpent, I also have something to say about Kevin..."
…
Haiyuan City, Moonlight Throne.
"Slurp... slurp... slurp..."
"Dad, is this guy okay?"
In the Moonlight Throne's dining room, Welt Yang looked at the white-haired man in front of him, who was slurping noodles with great gusto, with a strange expression.
"Try to understand; after so many years locked up, it's normal for him to want to eat something upon coming out."
Joyce, while playing with his phone, gave a superficial answer.
It would be strange if someone could survive in that kind of environment for so many years without experiencing any abnormal reaction afterward.
"Mmm."
Welt Yang, who looked like a middle-aged man, nodded respectfully to his godfather, who looked only twenty.
"It's been a long time since I've eaten human food."
After finishing the noodle soup, the white-haired man, Kevin, looked at the two people in front of him.
"But instead of saying I'm strange, it's more accurate to say that you two... well, I don't think I'm in a position to ask these kinds of questions."
He had also looked after children in the past, so he had this kind of experience before.
"Anyway, none of us is a normal person."
Joyce smiled at Kevin.
Kevin remained silent.
Talking about this topic with a Herrscher is crazy.
"If you weren't unexpectedly strong, I would have killed you a long time ago."
"If you didn't know brother Tian, you would still be in prison right now."
Joyce dismissed Kevin's words.
Although he didn't know how strong this noodle-eating guy was in his prime, the guy was currently completely disoriented, with little energy and without a proper weapon...
"Master…"
Kevin said with some emotion.
"If you call brother Tian 'master', shouldn't you call me 'uncle'?"
Suddenly Joyce realized something.
Does it seem like he can take advantage of this guy in front of him?
"Do you want to fight?"
Kevin's eyelids trembled.
"Don't be ridiculous; you can't beat me right now, even if the Star of Eden isn't with me."
"..."
Kevin remained silent.
He was truly puzzled.
How could the Herrscher of Reason, theoretically the weakest in terms of energy, be so powerful?
Shouldn't the Herrscher of Reason simply be an appetizer for the Honkai, the type that can be easily defeated with pure technology?
"Then, shall we go find the professor now?"
"Yes, the doctors will leave after they finish attending to the rest; it will be a long-awaited meeting for you, right?"
"Eh."
Kevin nodded somewhat stiffly.
In reality, he felt a bit guilty... after all, no matter what, he couldn't explain his relationship with Su.
This matter... although it is considered a dispute over principles, in the eyes of the elders...
"Speaking of which, Dra. Tesla just told me that there is another scientist named Dra. MEI next to Tian, also from the previous civilization. Do you know her?"
"Tsk."
Kevin twisted the corner of his mouth.
If he was a bit stiff before, now he was stiff as ice, commonly known as rigor mortis.
"We are very close... she is my elder sister."
"Hmm... is there any connection?"
Joyce and Welt Yang, godfather and godson, exchanged a look and their eyebrows moved simultaneously.
Then Joyce lowered his voice:
"Then... Kevin, do you support that Dra. MEI?"
"?"
Kevin raised an eyebrow and then saw a group of female scientists enter the cafeteria.
Kevin recognized them; they were all in charge there.
"What does 'support' mean?"
Kevin also lowered his voice subconsciously.
"Of course, supporting her to stay with brother Tian."
Joyce lowered his voice even more, no longer mentioning the fact of taking advantage of the situation.
"So it seems brother Kevin supports that Dra. MEI?"
"Tell me who you support first."
Kevin, inexplicably, noticed a cold glint in Joyce's eyes.
"Me? I support brother Tian and Dra. Einstein."
Einstein?
Ah, that Dra. Einstein!
Kevin looked at the group of female scientists who had arrived to take a late-night snack and immediately saw Einstein; to be honest, Einstein was the only one Kevin remembered from this group.
After all, the previous civilization had worked with a scientist of the same name who looked exactly like her.
However, it seems that Dra. Einstein in the current civilization no longer has red hair.
My youth is over.
However, it is surprising that Dra. Einstein of the modern civilization had this kind of relationship with his master.
"And what about you?"
Kevin turned his gaze toward Welt Yang.
"Do you support Dra. Einstein just like your godfather?"
"No, I support Dra. Tesla."
Welt Yang said firmly.
"Dra. Einstein is a heretic."
The next moment, Joyce and Welt Yang exchanged a perfectly synchronized look.
To Kevin, it seemed he saw the clash of swords and the thunder of war in that look.
"Oh... are you guys 'shipping' a couple?"
"Brother, do you understand?"
"In the previous civilizations there were also those kinds of things."
Kevin sighed softly:
"Don't let my appearance fool you; I used to be a celebrity fan."
"You really can't judge a book by its cover."
Welt Yang looked surprised at the expressionless, white-haired man in front of him.
"That's a thing of the past..."
Kevin shook his head with a tired expression.
"But, as for the shipping... who is this Dra. Tesla you're talking about?"
Kevin became a little interested in the activity.
"She isn't in that group; she's currently next to the leader, so she has the biggest advantage right now."
"Heh... what can that girl with the tsundere attitude do?"
Joyce interrupted Welt Yang.
"Just for being arrogant... Dra. Einstein only needs to act tenderly next to Tian Shi to easily conquer him, right?"
"Godfather, you've been obsessed with otaku culture for more than ten years; the tsundere is undoubtedly the most powerful class; after all these years of experience, Dra. Tesla has already surpassed the tsundere stage."
"Brother Tian Shi is probably already immersed in Dra. Tesla's tender embrace... Dra. Tesla undoubtedly sent us here to brag about her victory; otherwise, wouldn't it be better to keep it all to herself?"