6 hours later.
Fire Moth.
After the aircraft from Shenzhou arrived, Nuwa immediately jumped down.
"Senior Chen Ran!"
She greeted him with a bright smile.
Chen Ran smiled back, "Long time no see, everything going well?"
"Mm."
Nuwa wanted to walk over and share many trivial matters with Senior Chen Ran, but at that moment, Bia in Chen Ran's arms pointed at Durandal behind them.
"Oh, is this the cousin you mentioned, Senior Chen Ran?"
"She looks just like me. Could it be that this is the mature version of me?"
"Don't think about it, ELFs don't grow up." Chen Ran ruffled Bia's hair and signaled Durandal with his eyes to hold her tongue for now.
Durandal understood and remained silent.
Fuxi, standing beside them, didn't share Nuwa's warm feelings towards Senior Chen Ran.
However, she still expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thanks to the serum you provided this time, my parents wouldn't have recovered so easily, and many people in Shenzhou have benefited from it as well."
The Schariac gene sequence ultimately left a portion for Shenzhou.
The people troubled by the Honkai disease were not just their parents; strictly speaking, their parents were considered mild cases. During this time, the number of deaths due to the Honkai disease had already reached thousands.
"Thanks to Durandal as well; otherwise, Shenzhou would have suffered even greater disasters."
The reason they had delayed for so long was also related to Durandal.
Although Durandal claimed to be Senior Chen Ran's cousin, how could Shenzhou not be moved by her?
Fire Moth had so many warriors; losing one shouldn't matter, right?
That's what they thought.
Many officials in Shenzhou with status and identity extended sincere invitations to Durandal and made various promises.
Durandal found it hard to cope alone, so Nuwa and Fuxi helped coordinate.
In the end, Durandal donated 100cc of blood for research, while the Shenzhou authorities paid ten million dollars as compensation to resolve the current situation.
In other words, this cousin was wealthier than Senior Chen Ran.
However, Senior Chen Ran didn't care about these details.
"Sorry, let's catch up later. I need to talk to Durandal about some matters privately."
Chen Ran paused and then signaled Durandal to follow him.
Nuwa's eyes revealed a hint of disappointment, and Fuxi couldn't help but sigh, saying to Nuwa:
"I can't say much, just wish you good luck."
Once they reached a less crowded area, Chen Ran couldn't wait to speak to Durandal.
"We'll talk about your background on the way; right now, I need your help with something."
"Are you confident in dealing with an 8100hw level Herrscher?"
Even Durandal, who had seen much, nearly lost her composure upon hearing such a concentration of Honkai Energy.
"Let me confirm, are you joking?"
"If I were joking, it wouldn't be like this. Since you know I can jump through time, you should also understand the chaos caused by time jumps is unimaginable. Bia can temporarily serve as your weapon."
During the hours waiting for Durandal, Chen Ran had informed Bia about everything regarding his time travel, except for the system.
He also emphasized the seriousness of the situation.
If fate has deviations and convergences, then the pre-civilization era could potentially be after Destruction Finality.
It could also be before Destruction Finality.
When Kevin told MEI that dealing with the Herrscher was difficult, Chen Ran knew the problem was serious.
If the world were to be destroyed by the Herrscher of Death, it wouldn't be impossible.
This also aligned with fate.
Before leaving MEI's laboratory, MEI told Chen Ran.
If the Herrscher grew stronger, the God of War project would be forcibly initiated.
The massive God of War built in Australia would eventually reach a Honkai Energy concentration comparable to 9000hw, and the corresponding Honkai Beast would no longer be classified as Emperor-level or Judgment-level.
But rather, a Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast.
This world had become a powder keg, but for now, he still had time to extinguish the flames.
"You can see this as a test for joining Fire Moth, cousin."
Chen Ran said half-jokingly.
Durandal: "I'm curious which organization would set the bar so high."
However, despite her words, she did not refuse.
The reason Durandal was here was simple.
That was to challenge Finality, to challenge fate.
Even though she knew she wasn't a match for Finality right now, the power contained within a world bubble made Durandal unafraid of any enemy.
"Alright, let's set off."
"Mm."
…
…
Europe, Rome.
After losing communication with MEI, Kevin let out a slight sigh of relief and said to his companion beside him, "Elysia, Senior Chen Ran has come to support us, and he brought a helper."
He spoke with a slight frown, clearly having sustained significant injuries in his encounter with the Sixth Herrscher.
Although he quickly healed due to the super-variable factor, he was currently weaker because he hadn't received a replenishment of Honkai Energy.
"Helper?"
Elysia still looked as radiant as ever, blinking her eyes, "Is it from another combat team?"
"No, it's his cousin." Kevin smirked and said, "But Senior Chen Ran said it's another cousin."
"Oh dear, so he already has a third cousin, how special."
Elysia smiled brightly, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Undoubtedly, she knew that Senior Chen Ran could traverse the future, so the so-called cousin must be someone from the future.
And to be called upon by Senior Chen Ran for assistance naturally meant she was quite formidable.
However, she didn't know how he managed to do it.
Elysia couldn't help but be lost in thought.
"Elysia, Elysia?"
It wasn't until Kevin called her twice that she came back to her senses.
"Ah, yes, I'm listening."
Kevin couldn't help but show a black line: "I just asked you what you think of the Herrscher of Death; were you really listening?"
Elysia blinked and said, "Actually, Kevin, I think we should use a more roundabout way."
Kevin was puzzled: "A more roundabout way?"
"Mm, this can actually be trusted to Senior Chen Ran." Elysia paused and said, "Alright, don't think too much about it."
Kevin's eyes were still filled with confusion.
Elysia blinked: "Hmm, I smell something delicious; I'm going to buy some food. If I'm not back yet, Kevin, you have to take good care of yourself, okay?"
"Elysia…"
Before Kevin could say anything more, he saw Elysia leave directly.
He couldn't help but frown.
Before this mission, MEI had asked him to pay more attention to Elysia.
At that time, Kevin didn't take it seriously, but now it seemed he indeed needed to pay attention.
Kevin's eyes revealed a hint of contemplation.
Meanwhile, in another district of Rome.
Chen Ran, Durandal, and Bia had also arrived here.
"I've already told you most of the things about Fire Moth on the way; whether it's Xie Lian or Kiana, they are all here, so you can take care of each other."
"Mm."
Durandal's eyes slightly narrowed; she hadn't expected to have the chance to meet Sirin after arriving here.
Due to Bia, she had seen what Sirin had done.
The girl didn't know what kind of feelings she should have towards Sirin; should she forgive the past harm? Or be grateful for saving Cecilia?
In any case, she could only take it one step at a time.
"Ah, it's already this time; you probably haven't eaten anything yet. Let's have a meal first. Do you have any picky eating habits?"
Chen Ran wasn't in a hurry to find the Herrscher of Death right away.
It had already been half a month since the Herrscher of Death appeared; to put it bluntly, if a Herrscher appeared and wasn't dealt with immediately, it would only get more troublesome.
And half a month was enough for the Herrscher of Death to grasp the corresponding authority.
"I don't know; it was always Rita who prepared food for me before, and I thought everything was delicious, so I shouldn't be considered picky, right?"
Durandal said.
Chen Ran: "Then you need to pay attention later. In Fire Moth, there are more instant foods and nutritional agents that taste average."
Everyone in Fire Moth was very busy; although there were delicious food supplies, not everyone had the time to enjoy them.
Durandal nodded: "I will try to adapt."
She hadn't always been living in luxury; as a warrior, Durandal could meet the standards.
Just as the two were about to look for a restaurant, Chen Ran suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
The girl was walking with her head down, her blue short hair covering her ears, and the skirt fluttering around her like a little sprite.
She looked like a shy cat, trying hard to curl up in a corner.
"Seele?"
He slightly lost his voice until the girl raised her head, revealing her crimson eyes.
Herrscher of Death.
Chen Ran immediately threw Bia to Durandal and showed a wary expression.
Durandal's muscles tensed up as well, staring at the Herrscher before her.
She had dealt with countless Honkai Beasts, so she could naturally sense how high the Honkai Energy level within the Herrscher was.
Moreover, she also noticed that this Herrscher's body contained another force besides Honkai.
That force was also a power from beyond the world, coming from the Sea of Quanta.
However, these two forces seemed to be colliding, then achieving a strange balance.
The power of the Sea of Quanta attempted to pull the Herrscher into the abyss of quantum, while Honkai was maintaining the Herrscher's existence. Durandal didn't understand the reasoning behind it, but she sensed that as long as this balance was broken, it seemed the Herrscher could directly disappear.
"There's a chance," she thought.
However, before Durandal could act, Chen Ran signaled her to hold off for now.
"Is your name Seele?"
"This name feels familiar to me."
The Herrscher began to speak.
In Chen Ran's eyes, the person before him looked almost identical to Seele, except for the color of her pupils.
"Hmm, then I'll just call myself Seele."
It seemed she had lost the memories from her time as a test subject; her words were somewhat awkward, and she appeared a bit uneasy.
But soon, the Herrscher before him settled down, revealing a hint of a smile towards Chen Ran.
Chen Ran found it hard to describe that smile.
Her face was bright yet mad, as if she was desperately trying to suppress some kind of impulse, like a person addicted to methamphetamine, walking in a world interwoven with illusion and reality.
"When Kiana came back, she didn't mention that we needed to conduct a mental assessment on the Herrscher."
Chen Ran instinctively complained.
At that moment, the Herrscher before him finally stabilized her mind.
However, her body began to flicker, like the static of an old, poorly maintained television.
Chen Ran exchanged a bewildered glance with Durandal.
Suddenly, the Herrscher, who had just named herself Seele, reached out and grabbed Chen Ran.
"Give it to me!"
"What?"
"The essence of the soul, hurry and give it to me!"
The girl seemed like an addict, pleading with Chen Ran for something.
Chen Ran was slightly taken aback, as if he had thought of something, and took out a soul crystal.
The Herrscher's eyes brightened slightly, and in the next second, the soul crystal disappeared.
Her body also began to stabilize.
"Does your body need a soul to maintain itself? Or are you actually in an unstable state of consciousness, rather than a life form?"
Chen Ran couldn't help but ask.
At that moment, Seele's eyes became clearer.
"Thank you, I feel much better now."
The girl began to speak slowly, the madness in her eyes starting to dissipate, as if an addict had entered a state of clarity.
Durandal quietly asked Chen Ran, "What should we do next?"
Chen Ran joked, "How about renting a place outside so you can properly educate her?"
Durandal seriously considered, "That's not impossible."
In fifty thousand years, there would also be a Herrscher standing on the side of humanity, so there was still hope.
Chen Ran felt a bit of a headache.
Just then, a voice came.
"Hi, young man who has come here, you seem quite troubled. Hmm, with two lovely girls here, am I stepping into a battlefield of love?"
Elysia had appeared here at some point, smiling as she observed him.
Clearly, she had witnessed everything that had just happened.
Chen Ran sighed, "Elysia, stop teasing me. I actually have a lot to discuss with you."
As he was about to walk over, Seele pulled him back.
"I still want that."
Chen Ran sighed, "I can't mass-produce this thing."
That said, he still provided another one to Seele.
If there were no other matters, he was currently very interested in Seele's form before him. Because Chen Ran couldn't find any biological knowledge to describe the girl's current state.
She should be a material that exists, yet more like an unobservable quantum state.
However, the unobservable quantum was difficult for him to observe, so which category did she belong to? Chen Ran was also unsure.
After all, Honkai is omnipotent.
Seele's eyes became clearer, and Chen Ran even saw a hint of blue in her pupils.
He hesitated for a moment, disregarding Durandal and Elysia's presence, and directly took out several soul crystals from the Stigmata space.
After that, Chen Ran felt a weight on his body.
"So tired."
Seele leaned against him and fell asleep.
Durandal said, "Is that a special weapon against the Herrscher? It seems Fire Moth's technological strength is indeed much stronger than Schicksal. But is this kind of weapon effective against Finality as well?"
Elysia replied, "Hmm, it seems Chen Ran is quite professional in dealing with the Herrscher."
Chen Ran: "…"
"So what should we do now?" He sighed, "Elysia, you also saw her showing emotions towards humans. But…"
"But Fire Moth won't allow her to exist, right?"
Elysia voiced what Chen Ran was thinking.
The biggest problem with the Herrscher of Death is that she was born due to human factors.
Although it's unclear why she retained emotions towards humans, because of this, if an obedient Herrscher of Death were taken back, it would send a wrong signal: that humanity has the ability to control Honkai.
The first to face this wrong signal would be Fire Moth itself.
The resources invested by the United Nations to support Fire Moth are no less than the military expenditure of a major country. If the highest-level Herrscher life is controlled now, then the necessity of Fire Moth's existence would become a topic for the United Nations.
At that time, splitting or directly abolishing it would be possible.
This is also why Cocoon began to act openly.
Secondly, those in power would feel the impact.
If a synthetic Herrscher appeared, who wouldn't want to use this method to become a high and mighty deity?
Therefore, for the harmony of humanity.
The Herrscher must die!
This is not something Chen Ran can control, unless shortly after the Herrscher of Death, a stronger and more powerful Herrscher appears, which would temporarily resolve all contradictions.
But Chen Ran speculated that the greatest possibility is that countless X-10 experiments would be born before the next Herrscher.
"Elysia, I need to trouble you to keep this a secret."
Thinking of this, Chen Ran said, "I will try to conceal the current Herrscher's Honkai Energy level, or directly turn her into an ordinary person. This is good for her and also good for Fire Moth."
He thought of only one method.
By relying on the holy blood of Schariac, he would reverse the current Herrscher, turning her into an ordinary person.
However, this experiment might carry risks; who knows if the rejection reaction would directly take Seele's life, not to mention that she also has another quantum essence.
He needed to study it.
Elysia's eyes showed a hint of surprise, then she said, "I can certainly keep it a secret for you, but I want to know how you plan to do it?"
"I will probably leave Fire Moth for a while."
Chen Ran hesitated, having made a plan in his mind.
If he wanted to obtain a relatively stable environment.
Then, he could only look for another person.
The world-renowned wealthy woman: Eden.
Elysia seemed to think of something and smiled, "Alright, when I go back, how should I say? The Herrscher of Death has disappeared, or?"
"Just say she has temporarily disappeared."
Chen Ran looked apologetically at Durandal, "I originally wanted to bring you to Fire Moth, but it seems that's not possible now."
"It's fine; it's the same for me wherever I am."
Durandal paused, then looked at Bia, "Bia has the ability to predict Honkai; I just need to handle the cleanup."
She seemed to want to compete with Fire Moth for work.
Moreover, Chen Ran felt she could really outdo Fire Moth.
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