"The difference from the impression in my memory is really huge."
Elias stroked the cat with one hand while looking at Alexandra's photo on the terminal, muttering to himself.
Back during the Second Eruption, the Bronya's mother Elias had seen was a young and stunning beauty. Even with a large belly, she had been full of vitality, gentle, and always smiling.
In terms of temperament, she had been somewhat similar to Cecilia.
But the Alexandra in the photo looked utterly haggard. Her eyes were hollow, like a broken doll, and the clothes she wore were tattered—she looked almost like a vagrant.
Her smile was gone, replaced entirely by sorrow etched across her face.
If not for that distinctive silver-gray spiral hair, identical to Bronya's,
Elias truly would not have recognized who she was.
(Ah... that's only natural, I suppose. According to Gray Serpent's intelligence, not long after Alexandra gave birth to Bronya, her husband, Alexei... huh? This uncle actually already died?)
Seeing that piece of information, the corner of Elias' eye twitched.
Alexei Sydavich Zaitsev.
He was Bronya's biological father. In the original storyline, he had died as well—but that had been after Sirin became the Herrscher of the Void, killed during the Honkai Eruption she triggered.
But in this era, it had been Elias who became the Herrscher of the Void. He had not triggered any massive Honkai Eruption. He had even intercepted a Schicksal missile that would otherwise have fallen on their heads.
Logically speaking, Bronya's family should have been able to live happily ever after, perhaps even avoiding any further involvement with Honkai.
Yet the reality was that Alexei had died, Bronya had been abducted as a child, and Alexandra had wandered the world alone.
(How did you die, uncle? Could it be that fox Cocolia had you eliminated? Let me see... ah, smuggling weapons? Well... in that case, there's really nothing to be done.)
Elias' expression turned complicated as he read through the detailed report.
During the Second Eruption, he had met Bronya's parents once and had known that Alexei had been illegally selling Russian military weapons to earn money for little Bronya's milk powder.
But at the time, Elias had no spare capacity to interfere. He had been fleeing Schicksal's pursuit with Sirin and the others. All he could do was use the authority of the Herrscher of Death to adjust Alexandra's body slightly so she could safely give birth to Bronya.
And the result was the present situation.
Although they had avoided the Honkai Eruption and escaped the Schicksal missile, Bronya's father had ultimately still been arrested and sentenced to death.
If he were still alive now, Elias might have been able to negotiate with the Russian government for Bronya's sake. But so many years had passed. No one even knew where the man had died. Not even Finality could revive him under such circumstances...
(Sigh... you really did something foolish, father-in-law. I know milk powder isn't cheap, but you absolutely shouldn't have gotten involved in something as filthy as arms trafficking.)
Elias looked at Alexei's photo and let out a sigh.
He could not help but think that if this man had not recklessly destroyed himself, perhaps the later tragedies that befell Bronya and Alexandra might never have happened.
The same kind of foolish mistake Raiden Ryoma had made...
After all, for a woman who had just given birth and a newborn baby, surviving in the freezing, war-torn Ural region at the time had already been unimaginably difficult.
For Alexandra, the conditions must have been hell mode. Her husband had died for illegally selling weapons. Her daughter had just been born. She had no ability whatsoever to resist any crisis that might come.
(For a man, what matters most to your woman and child isn't how much money you can bring home, but whether you can stay alive and remain by their side, father-in-law... sigh.)
Elias sighed once more.
He could not help but lament how every father-in-law figure he had encountered seemed so unreliable—Siegfried, Raiden Ryoma, Ato, Alexei...
(Forget it. It's already a bit late, but from now on, I'll take care of your wife and daughter in your stead.)
Elias continued browsing the report. As expected of World Serpent's top employee, Gray Serpent's work reports were always extremely detailed.
After Alexei's death, Alexandra had been deeply devastated, but for the sake of her daughter, she had chosen to remain strong. This single mother had raised Bronya alone until she was six years old.
Then, on little Bronya's sixth birthday, Alexandra had gone to the market with the small amount of money she had painstakingly saved and bought a tiny cake, intending to celebrate with her daughter.
When she returned home, she discovered that her daughter had been abducted by unknown individuals.
Elias: "Gray Serpent! Find out who the hell those 'unknown individuals' were! Are they dead or alive? If they're alive, capture them immediately! I'll have Serpent—no, I'll personally carve them into a thousand pieces!"
Elias knew everything that had happened to Bronya afterward.
She became a child soldier with the codename "Ural Silver Wolf," wielding daggers and firearms. Relying on a unique assassination technique, she eliminated thirteen high-ranking officers.
Yet when she attempted to assassinate Elias, she failed and was captured. And as a result... she became a member of the House of the Hearth.
From that moment on, she began living a happy life.
Eventually, the girl followed Elias to Nagazora, to St. Freya Academy, and to the present day.
Of course, the actual process had been nothing like the simple summary above. Bronya Zaychik's childhood had been the harshest among the trio. But now, she had found happiness.
However...
Her mother, Alexandra, was different.
Ever since her daughter had been taken, Alexandra had wandered the world searching for any trace of her.
But for an ordinary person like her, that was far too difficult.
The world was vast, and Alexandra had no connections. So she could only use the dumbest, hardest method—searching with her own eyes, walking with her own feet, asking every person she met whether they had seen her daughter.
"..."
Elias took a deep breath and closed the terminal. He could not imagine how much Alexandra had suffered all these years.
He too had once measured the world with his own footsteps—but that had been a joyful journey traveling the world with Elysia. The despair this poor mother must have felt was surely the exact opposite of the happiness he had once experienced.
To be honest, Elias wanted to issue an order right now and have Gray Serpent safely bring her here immediately, but...
"Although that would work, the best way is still for Alexandra to 'personally' find her daughter—Bronya. In that case... I'll arrange a miraculous encounter."
An idea had already formed in Elias' mind.
He spent even more time refining it than he had spent drafting the "Immortal Phoenix Herrscherization Plan." After reviewing it over and over again, he finally nodded in satisfaction.
Then he contacted Gray Serpent once more, instructing him to subtly guide Alexandra toward the Far East, while arranging a series of fortunate events for this great mother.
After that, Elias reached out to Welt of Anti-Entropy.
Elias: "Hello? Old Yang? How's my little duck doing? How much longer before she gets her license?"
Welt: "What license? That's a Herrscher Core! But as expected of your judgment, Elias. I've already acknowledged Bronya as the next Herrscher of Reason. However, it looks like she still needs a bit more time."
Elias: "Huh? You've already acknowledged her. Why does she still need time?"
Welt: "Because she's currently seeking recognition from the three hundred thousand minds within the Herrscher Core. By the way, Elias... did you tell her something beforehand?"
On the other end of the terminal, Welt Yang wore a complicated expression.
If it were merely a matter of becoming the Herrscher of Reason, then Bronya Zaychik had already achieved it.
She had passed the test set by Welt, and the three hundred thousand minds within the Gem of Reason would not hinder her use of its authority.
This meant that at this very moment, Bronya could inherit the name of the world, obtain her "license," and officially become the Herrscher of Reason.
But she had not stopped there.
To Welt's surprise, Bronya was still attempting to go further—seemingly challenging a new realm of the Herrscher of Reason that even he himself had never reached.
"No... no way..."
Elias' eyes widened in shock.
(Could it be that Bronya is trying to become the Herrscher of Truth? If I remember correctly, the key to Truth is surpassing the three hundred thousand minds within the Herrscher Core.)
If she could attain Truth, Bronya's strength would immediately rise to T0 in the current era.
But in Elias' prediction, the Herrscher of Truth was something that belonged to a distant future for Bronya.
After all, under his protection, she had been spared many of the hardships and trials she endured in the original storyline.
That had always made Elias feel that his little duck still had a long road ahead of her. Yet he hadn't expected that she was already attempting to challenge Truth. Even he couldn't say whether she would succeed.
Still, there was no harm in trying.
If she succeeded, that would naturally be wonderful.
If she failed, there would be no loss.
"As expected of my little duck. I'm proud of her. But I hope she can wrap it up soon. I have something just as important as attaining Truth waiting for her over here."
"Hm? What is it? She's at a critical juncture right now. Personally, I'd prefer that she focus her attention here and not be distracted."
Welt frowned slightly. Bronya was now his successor—his student. He sincerely hoped she would surpass him and bring the Herrscher of Reason to new heights.
The next second, Elias sent him Alexandra's information.
After only a few glances, Welt nearly dropped his glasses.
"Ah... I see. That really is important... In that case, should I interrupt the trial now and have Bronya return to St. Freya Academy first?"
Welt pushed up his glasses and swallowed.
Elias had found her long-lost mother. That was no small matter. For Bronya, it might even be more important than becoming the Herrscher of Truth.
Welt was not a rigid or selfish man. He was already prepared to awaken the duck in the middle of her challenge.
"Mmm... let's wait a little. The actors on my side aren't all in place yet. If she can finish everything before that, even better. If not, that's fine too."
Elias conjured paper and pen and wrote down his plan in detail, estimating the timing. He calculated that if Bronya could achieve Truth within two days, she would arrive just in time for the grand reunion he was preparing.
"How about this? I'll head to Anti-Entropy shortly and see if I can help speed things up for my duck. Worst case, I'll just ask Finality to pause time for a bit—ah, I'm kidding."
Hearing a cracking sound from the other end of the terminal, Elias hurriedly clarified that he wasn't serious.
He had no intention of asking the Herrscher of Finality to freeze the entire world in time except for the duck.
"Ahem! Fine, just get here quickly."
Welt wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
It might sound sentimental, but as someone once said, the power of emotion can allow a person to surpass their own limits. If Elias were present, perhaps Bronya might truly erupt with potential and ascend to the Herrscher of Truth in one breath.
After all, though she was the Herrscher of Reason, her reliance on willpower and conviction was second only to the Herrscher of Origin.
Just as Elias was about to depart—
"Little white mouse... wait..."
A lazy yet irresistibly seductive voice suddenly called out.
"Hm? Snake?"
Hearing someone call him, Elias looked up and saw Mobius, who had moved into a room on the second floor of the dormitory yesterday. She was limping downstairs, supporting herself against the wall.
Clearly, the "piercing wound" inflicted by a certain someone last night had yet to recover.
"Before you leave, return Klein to me. And those two idiots Cangxuan and Danzhu as well."
"Hm? Oh, right!"
Elias immediately realized that the Klein Mobius referred to was not the ELF, but the human one.
Back in Mobius' laboratory, besides Mobius herself and the ELF Klein, the remaining human Klein, along with Cangxuan and Danzhu, had entered a bubble world.
Elias had directly brought them across fifty thousand years into the Current Era. Though subjectively it had only felt like a few months for them.
However...
For Mobius, it had been a full fifty thousand years without exploiting—ah, without seeing—her beloved subordinates.
(I'm short on manpower! Whether it's researching the Imaginary Tree or the Sea of Quanta, my current efficiency is far too low!)
(Those three have rested for fifty thousand years already. They've used up all the vacation time for the rest of their lives! So... hurry up and get back to work, Klein, Cangxuan, Danzhu!!)
Mobius' eyes turned red, and a cruel smile slowly spread across her face.