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The group had just been discussing the fate of the Herrscher of the Wind, Wendy, when the answer space presented a particularly timely and relevant question—almost as if in perfect coordination.
However, the question itself…
Wasn't it a bit too humiliating for Wendy?
Faced with the blunt and insulting phrasing, everyone present fell silent, a wave of collective sympathy washing over them for Wendy.
Unlike Mei and Fu Hua, who were also "breastfed" yet now stood tall among them, Wendy's situation was far more tragic—her "breastfeeding" happened in isolation, far away in New Zealand, and metaphorically crashed down on her from the sky.
Of course, looking at it from another perspective, perhaps being "breastfed" publicly, like Mei and the others, was even more miserable?
Regardless, once their moment of sympathy passed, everyone returned to the more pressing matter at hand: analyzing the information revealed in the question.
Despite its mocking tone, the question contained valuable clues about Wendy's fate. As Wendy's former teacher, Theresa couldn't help but look sorrowful upon reading it.
"So, Wendy… died," Theresa spoke sadly.
Seeing her reaction, Mei also felt sympathy for the once-promising girl.
Suddenly, the events in the previous video made sense—it was Wendy's death that led the Gem of Desire to fall into Kevin's hands.
Still, there was a critical gap: what was the Gem of Desire in reality? And how did it end up in the Sea of Quanta?
Mei believed that answering this question might finally provide those answers.
Answer A: Attempted to challenge the three Herrscher Reserves and was beaten to death head-on.
"…Herrscher Reserves?"
Mei frowned slightly as this term caught her attention. She subconsciously looked at Kiana, locking eyes with both her and Bronya.
Others in the group turned their gazes toward the trio as well.
Kiana—the Reserve Herrscher of the Void.
Mei—the Reserve Herrscher of Thunder.
Bronya—the Reserve Herrscher of Reason.
From this, it became clear that the "Herrscher Reserves" mentioned in the options were likely referring to these three.
Of course, Fu Hua, the Reserve Herrscher of Sentience, might also be a candidate—but considering the previous questions, it was more likely she was still acting as an undercover agent during this period. While collaboration couldn't be ruled out, it was more probable that Kiana, Bronya, and Mei had been together from the beginning.
"Ahem…" Mei coughed, a bit embarrassed to find herself potentially involved in Wendy's death, but continued to analyze the situation rationally.
"While it's true the three of us are Reserve Herrschers, at the time shown in the video, only I had the potential to use a Herrscher's powers."
"Kiana hadn't awakened hers, and Bronya hadn't inherited hers yet."
"Even if I followed the intended path, I wouldn't have been able to control Herrscher powers back then."
"In a battle against Wendy, the Herrscher of Wind, the most I could have done was protect Kiana and the others—not defeat her, let alone kill her."
Mei firmly ruled herself and Kiana out as suspects.
To be fair, her argument was a bit forced—no one could say for sure what happened without seeing it firsthand. Even Mei didn't know whether her Herrscher self could have defeated Wendy. But her reasoning was plausible enough for the group to eliminate Option A.
Option B: Was talked to death?
Killing someone with words? As absurd as it sounded, there was a certain comedic logic to it.
Could Wendy really have been "talked to death"? Wasn't that something out of a Homu Ninja skit?
Even Bronya and Theresa, both known Homu fans, couldn't help but shake their heads at such a ridiculous possibility.
Option D was put aside for now.
That left Option C…
Einstein initially dismissed it outright.
The Anti-Entropy Titans were powerful, yes—but that power was relative. Against Herrschers, living embodiments of destruction, even Tesla had to admit that her beloved Titans were no match.
A Herrscher who could be defeated by a Titan… wouldn't really be a Herrscher at all.
However, unlike the scientists who rejected Option C immediately, Mei fixated on it.
"Come to think of it… wasn't there information in Nagazora City that mentioned a Herrscher defeated by Titans?"
Mei recalled the data she'd gathered on Cocolia.
It had stated that the Titan Army had once defeated a Herrscher.
"Could it be that the Herrscher in question was Wendy?" she mused aloud.
Kiana looked skeptical. "A Herrscher beaten by Titans? That's way too weak!"
"Even I wiped out an entire Titan squad with a single strike in the video."
"Even if Wendy wasn't as strong as me, she shouldn't have been crushed so easily, right?"
"Still…" Mei said carefully, "according to the question, Wendy was labeled the weakest Herrscher. In that case, it's not impossible that the Titans could have taken her down."
"Plus, there's another detail—Cocolia."
The moment Mei mentioned that name, Kiana's expression darkened.
The events in Nagazora City still haunted her memory.
"Tch, that woman… that woman's name fits this kind of dirty deed perfectly," Kiana muttered with disgust.
Beside her, Bronya hesitated to speak.
Eventually, Tesla broke the silence, frowning in confusion.
"Cocolia? Wasn't she already dead?"
"!!!"
Kiana and Mei were stunned.
"She didn't escape?!"
Tesla snorted. "Who told you that?"
"I personally helped clean up her corpse, along with Mophead."
"It was weird though," she muttered. "The way she died..."
Einstein nodded gravely, confirming Tesla's account.
Kiana and Mei were dumbfounded. All this time, they believed Cocolia had escaped.
After all, Bronya had told them that she ran away.
Wait…
As if struck by realization, Mei turned and stared sharply at Bronya.
Bronya avoided her gaze like a startled deer.
Her guilty reaction spoke volumes.
Mei had only meant to test her… but Bronya's response told her everything.
Clearly, Bronya had known the truth all along.
She had lied to both Mei and Kiana.
But why?