After the meeting concluded, Durandal didn't waste a moment.
She promptly finalized Kevyn's evaluation, appointing her as the fourth Flame-Chaser of the Combat Department and the captain of the Fourth Squad.
That same afternoon, Durandal headed to Mobius's lab, accompanied by Elysia.
Currently, Mobius's only assistants in the lab were Klein and Blanca. Fuxi and Nuwa had already left to report to Vill-V.
When Blanca spotted the leader and sub-leader of Schicksal arriving together, she thought back to the experimental progress report she had submitted a few days prior and immediately understood why they were there.
"Lord Durandal, Lady Elysia—please wait just a moment. I'll go inform the Doctor at once."
Seeing them, Blanca moved to contact Mobius, but Durandal stopped her before she could take a step.
"There's no need to disturb Dr. Mobius. Elysia and I didn't come for a formal inspection of your experiments. After reviewing your lab's recent results, we just wanted to stop by and ask if there's anything else you need. Schicksal will do its best to accommodate your requests."
Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Blanca's face.
To be honest, Durandal was worlds apart from the high-ranking officials back at Fire Moth.
During their time with Fire Moth, even though Mobius's results hadn't quite reached the heights of her current research into Durandal's genes and blood, her internal achievements had still been the most significant in the organization.
Even so, the lab's funding and project approvals were constantly hindered by various factions.
At Schicksal, however, Durandal hardly interfered with the lab's internal projects.
As long as the specific assignments she gave were completed promptly, Mobius was free to use her remaining time as she pleased, and the lab's budget was never held hostage by red tape.
It was safe to say the research environment here was far more relaxed.
At least back at Fire Moth, Blanca had frequently heard Mobius talk about wanting to leave that "godforsaken place" while venting about the executives in private.
Now, she hadn't seen a single sign in Mobius's words or actions that suggested she wanted to move on.
As for the venting... for some reason, Dr. Mobius seemed to have quite a bone to pick with Lady Elysia.
However, that particular brand of irritation was entirely different from the genuine loathing she had felt for the Fire Moth leadership.
Blanca thought for a moment and realized there actually was something they needed. "Well, Lord Durandal, we've already brought most of our requirements to Lady Connie and Lady Vill-V, and they've been handled appropriately. There is only one issue still weighing on us: a severe lack of manpower."
As she spoke, a trace of shame colored Blanca's expression.
"On my end, Griseo is still so young and can't come by often. It was manageable before when we had Fuxi and Nuwa to help out, but since they moved to Vill-V's Spiral Workshop, the bulk of the lab's operations has fallen solely on the Doctor and Klein. If this keeps up, I'm afraid their health will suffer."
Hearing this, Durandal nodded. "I'll start working on the staffing issue immediately."
As for the idea of Mobius and Klein reaching their physical limits, Durandal felt a slight internal conflict.
Should they pursue the MANTIS path in the future?
If nothing else, once the Third Honkai Impact erupted, the Third Herrscher's companion Honkai Beast, Sesa, would appear. In the original timeline, that was the beast Mobius had fused with...
However, after a brief moment of reflection, Durandal discarded the plan.
The "Active Reaction" state blurred the lines between human and Honkai Beast far too much.
Applying such an experiment to humans would likely cause Mobius's already thin sense of ethics to vanish completely. That wouldn't be a good thing for Schicksal, or for humanity as a whole.
In comparison, Stigmata technology was clearly safer than the MANTIS process, and its power wasn't necessarily inferior.
Comparing the two, the baseline for Stigmata was higher, and its ceiling wasn't guaranteed to be lower than that of a MANTIS.
Wasn't Durandal herself a living example?
Of course, as a member of the Kaslana bloodline, perhaps she wasn't the most convincing case.
But what about Seele, a natural Stigmata awakener? Or others like Cheng Lingshuang and Ji Xuanyuan?
Their strength could rival the top ranks even when compared to the MANTISes.
If they could ensure that most humans modified through Stigmata technology possessed strength comparable to those three, then there was truly no need to execute the MANTIS project—a project with a low success rate, an unpredictable baseline, and one that crossed every ethical line.
Thinking of this, Durandal suddenly glanced at Elysia beside her—more specifically, at her ears, which looked no different from a normal human's.
"Hmm? What is it? ♪"
Elysia was incredibly sharp and caught Durandal's gaze instantly. She tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and curiosity.
Durandal calmly averted her eyes and shook her head. "It's nothing."
Durandal barely suppressed the urge to pull the girl into her arms, a desire sparked by that adorable tilt of the head.
She thought silently: Elysia isn't called 'Miss Pink Elf' because of some elf-like ears mutated from the MANTIS surgery.
It's simply because she is a true elf—one who can stir up intense longing in my heart whenever and wherever she chooses!
Durandal checked the time and spoke to Blanca.
"Elysia and I have other matters to attend to, so we'll be heading out. Once Dr. Mobius finishes her experiment, please let her know that new lab assistants will be in place within three days."
With that, Durandal led Elysia away to make their daily visit to Morita Hospital.
As Durandal drove toward the hospital, she asked Elysia to call the Mayor of Nagazora City, Hayato.
They needed to coordinate with the Education Bureau for the following day to scout for potential talent for Schicksal at the local middle schools and universities.
Ever since their first encounter, Mayor Hayato had been extremely cooperative.
As soon as Elysia explained their intent, he agreed immediately and even offered to accompany them personally the next day.
They hadn't yet reached the hospital when Elysia hung up the phone.
Elysia turned her head, watching Durandal as she focused intently on the navigation screen.
Not fooled for a second by the serious profile of her companion's face, she said with absolute certainty, "Back at the lab... you were looking at my ears, weren't you?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.