Since the appearance of the Seventh Herrscher, Eden had canceled a series of performances and began to engage with weapons using her hands that once played instruments.
She sought guidance from Elysia and Chen Ran.
The former was her good sister, while the latter was her investor.
Elysia did not decline.
As for Chen Ran...
He was accompanying Mobius to negotiate.
The day after Blanca left with Griseo, the Golden Courtyard where Eden was located welcomed new guests again.
A Fire Moth representative named Joe sincerely apologized to Dr. Mobius: "There were some misunderstandings between the doctor and the higher-ups before. This time, we are extending our utmost sincerity to invite the doctor back to the First Research Institute."
"From now on, all research at the institute will be under the doctor's responsibility, and the higher-ups have decided to establish an experimental review committee system, with the doctor as the first judge."
The review committee system was a significant concession made by the higher-ups.
Various experiments within Fire Moth were crucial, and previously, conducting experiments only required persuading the higher-ups or, like Mobius, conducting them secretly.
Since the benefits of these experiments ultimately fell to Fire Moth, the higher-ups were indifferent, turning a blind eye.
But now, with the review system in place, it nominally saved experimental resources, but in reality, it divided the higher-ups' authority with Mobius.
However, there was no other way.
The United Nations had been applying pressure, and the Australian incident left everyone on edge.
At this time, MEI's public MANTIS modification surgery had undoubtedly become a 'calming agent' within Fire Moth.
Whether it was effective was another matter; what mattered was that it gave people hope.
So, what if they gave Mobius a little power?
In fact, they also knew that Mobius was not someone who craved power; the authority of this review committee would ultimately fall to Mobius's assistants or even to them.
Mobius had also thought of this.
"Well, if I go back, it will only increase my workload. How could it be such a good deal?"
She said to Chen Ran: "You let him see our demands."
When she learned that a Fire Moth representative would come, Mobius had already prepared her demands.
Chen Ran handed a notebook to Joe.
Joe immediately flipped through it, and his brow furrowed.
[From now on, materials required for experiments at the First Research Institute must be approved within three days.]
[Regarding personnel transfers at the First Research Institute, they must be personally overseen by Mobius.]
[No organization, including Cocoon, is allowed to engage in any activities to probe the experimental information of the First Research Institute.]
[The annual budget allocated to the First Research Institute must not be less than 300 million dollars.]
[...]
To be honest, Mobius's demands were not excessive.
But each item, each statement, was aimed at fortifying the First Research Institute.
Joe's expression changed several times before he said, "Dr. Mobius, I think these conditions need to be discussed."
If all these conditions were truly agreed upon, then Fire Moth would no longer be able to impose any Binding on Mobius.
Chen Ran smiled and said, "Mr. Joe, I hope you understand that the doctor's time is very precious. We are not merchants selling vegetables in a market; there is no room for bargaining."
"If these conditions cannot be met, many laboratories in Mu Continent are extending olive branches to the doctor."
Joe's expression changed.
Mobius attended the academic symposium in Mu Continent every year, and she was also a well-known scholar there.
Although Mu Continent lacked many resources compared to Fire Moth, its academic conditions were indeed much better.
Knowing that Chen Ran was helping Mobius negotiate, Joe had to admit that he was being maneuvered.
His expression changed several times again before he said, "Then it's a deal, but I have a condition as well."
Joe paused and said, "I ask Dr. Mobius to immediately proceed with the super transformation surgery after returning."
Mobius's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The super transformation surgery is a very dangerous experiment; it cannot be conducted just because one wants to." She paused and said, "First of all, those who undergo super transformation surgery must possess strong willpower."
Joe immediately said, "All combat personnel will cooperate with you."
Mobius paused and said, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant."
"I meant to say, if the super transformation surgery is to be promoted, then is everyone prepared to coexist with Honkai?"
...
...
Chen Ran returned to Fire Moth a week later.
This time, Kiana was still in the fifth squad, while Sirin and Seele lived together.
Durandal did not come along; her identity was somewhat of an issue. After discussion, Durandal currently stayed by Eden's side, teaching her about Honkai and combat skills.
Fuxi and Nuwa were organizing a welcome ceremony for Klein.
The ceremony was not complicated; they just prepared some drinks and snacks, along with a few small ribbons.
Nuwa said cheerfully, "Doctor, you're finally back! Wuwuwu, there's so much work to catch up on."
Mobius smiled brightly: "Don't be too happy just yet; my return means more work for you."
Nuwa: "Ah, how could this be?"
Mobius pointed at the ribbons on the ground and said, "Nuwa is responsible for today's cleaning."
Nuwa immediately pouted.
Not happy!
At that moment, Chen Ran smiled and said, "By the way, have you settled everything at home? I haven't asked about it yet."
Before Fuxi could respond, Nuwa couldn't help but say, "It's all settled! My dad even said he would take you home to cook for you personally to show his gratitude."
She said, "My dad learned cooking before; he's a great chef!"
Chen Ran smiled and said, "That's not necessary. I probably don't have time to fly directly to Shenzhou right now. But if I get the chance, I would like to see your father's physical data."
"No need to go through so much trouble."
Klein spoke lightly: "The Fifth Research Institute has exchanged with the First Research Institute several times; there are many patients with Honkai disease there, and some have been cured by the serum."
Now, the Schariac serum was no longer a secret.
Moreover, everyone knows that this serum was extracted from Kiana's body.
Although the current Kiana is called 'Sirin', and Sirin is called 'Kiana', that doesn't matter.
What matters is that the Honkai disease can be cured.
Nuwa sighed and said, "Alright, alright, Klein, you're the smart one."
Mobius returned to her private laboratory.
The others also began their respective tasks.
Durandal stayed with Eden, but Bia was brought back by him.
He still needed to record Bronya and the others' Stigmata onto the Stigmata terminal.
In addition, another research project needed to be initiated immediately.
That was to pull Kiana into the global connection and then send her back fifty thousand years.
Chen Ran had been preparing for this experiment for a long time.
…
…
In the Fire Moth's rest area.
When Vill-V saw Chen Ran, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Go on, what are your thoughts this time?"
During this time, Vill-V had actually been very busy.
Materials needed upgrading, weapons needed upgrading, and most importantly, there were still some matters waiting for her on MEI's side.
Being able to meet in the rest area was already a concession due to their long separation, and Vill-V barely carved out some time.
Chen Ran: "I thought we were a couple, and you would be touched that I asked you out."
"Don't flatter yourself."
Vill-V casually said while holding an ice cream, "If you had ever taken on the responsibilities of a couple, I wouldn't be so devoid of romance."
She smiled and said, "And do you dare say this is a pure date with me?"
Chen Ran: "Ah, time is still quite precious, let's talk business."
"Vill-V, I want to ask, how much do you know about time crystals?"
If they wanted to send Kiana back to the future, then Chen Ran had to connect to the Stigmata space of the future Kaslana family.
But how could someone standing in this time and space connect to the future?
The only thing Chen Ran could think of was time crystals.
However, he still didn't know how time crystals operated; this was something Elysia had only briefly mentioned to him.
Chen Ran had asked Bia to look into this knowledge as well, but Bia's response was that the information was limited.
So, he chose to seek Vill-V's help.
Vill-V's thought segmentation was very smooth; at least she had already segmented out an expert.
Once the expert appeared, they absorbed a lot of knowledge about weapons and materials.
The cutting-edge data from Mu Continent was Vill-V's study material.
"Time crystals? I thought they were a new academic concept; they already exist as physical objects?"
Vill-V's eyes showed surprise: "To be honest, I haven't fully researched the structure you gave me last time."
Chen Ran said: "Phase plane transfer? That thing isn't very important for now; I need something that can communicate with the future."
He paused and said, "You've already seen the global connection, so you should also realize that relying on the flow of mental information won't suffer losses due to time and space."
"Just like what you're doing right now."
Vill-V smiled: "Yeah, speaking of which, I'm just segmenting my thoughts, while you're blending many people's thoughts together."
"I split one into countless pieces, and you merge countless into one."
Chen Ran: "That's why I wanted to find you; you're the expert in this area."
He said: "I want to send someone to the future."
Vill-V's eyes immediately narrowed.
Chen Ran continued to speak to himself: "And that person will participate in the global connection. After she reaches the future, she can provide us with a continuous stream of information. You can understand this as inspiration I gained from the time crystal."
"Messages transmitted through consciousness will have no communication barriers, and of course, this can also verify another matter: whether our fate is predetermined."
Vill-V curiously asked: "When did you start becoming a believer in the gospel?"
The so-called gospel refers to the clergy who emphasize doctrine within Christianity.
They focus on spreading the gospel, proclaiming Christ's salvation, and strengthening believers.
But the most important point for them is that they believe the Bible is divinely inspired and absolutely infallible.
In the eyes of these people, everyone's fate is already arranged by God.
Chen Ran: "Can't you see? I want to break the gospel now."
"But breaking the gospel requires belief, doesn't it?"
Vill-V paused and continued: "However, if it's just experimental in nature, I can only say your idea is very radical and bold."
"But I like it. Do you already have a feasible plan?"
Vill-V looked at Chen Ran with curiosity.
Chen Ran said: "Do you remember the Herrscher of the Void core you studied before?"
——
When Cecilia relied on the powerful Schariac force to strip the Herrscher Core, Raven and Wendy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Raven's eyes flickered with a strange light: "Controlling the power of Honkai, is this the foundation of Schicksal?"
"Well, at least this era's Schicksal isn't just following the technology of the previous civilization; it can be said to have its own things."
She couldn't help but marvel.
Raven's understanding of the previous civilization era was actually quite shallow, but she also knew that if the previous civilization era had already mastered the special power of Honkai, then the outcome might have changed.
She thanked Cecilia: "Thanks to Schicksal's help this time, otherwise it might have led to a disaster."
The Herrscher born from the fifth Honkai was already approaching the Herrscher of the Void from the Second Honkai Eruption.
Thinking of this, Raven couldn't help but want to scold Jackal fiercely.
Jackal said this was a task she could complete.
Cecilia, however, didn't mind these things.
She looked at Wendy and couldn't help but ask: "Are you alright?"
"If I could put away the Staff of the Underworld, I would feel much better."
Wendy looked at Cecilia, her eyes showing a hint of complexity: "I just didn't expect the global connection to be this powerful?"
Cecilia's strike just now had inevitably astonished Wendy.
Although Chen Ran had said more than once that this was the key to defeating Finality, seeing it with her own eyes for the first time still left her unable to contain her surprise.
"Although I'm not doubting Chen Ran, I thought the global connection was just getting started." Wendy couldn't help but say.
Cecilia shook her head: "But the side effects are also obvious; I can already feel that my body is nearing its limit."
"Just like a glass of water needs a container to hold it, my adaptability to Honkai Energy can't support such a powerful force."
This is a real problem.
If the Honkai Energy mastered by Finality is converted into data, it would be 100, then 50 would already be the limit a person can bear. Exceeding this limit would cause the container to shatter.
And for now, the only person who has the opportunity to reach this limit is one.
That is Kiana.
Not the Kiana fused with the Herrscher of the Void gene.
But the Kiana who is the perfect product of Project Stigma in this era.
Thinking of this, Wendy couldn't help but say: "Then, Senior Cecilia should also know that having the key to defeating Finality doesn't mean we can defeat Finality itself."
"And the appearance of the current Herrscher should also be influenced by the global connection, right?"
Although her stance was on Chen Ran's side.
But at this moment, Wendy had to analyze for Cecilia: "What I'm worried about is that after the global connection succeeds, the disasters of Honkai will also increase in difficulty. It's like a dynamic balance."
She expressed her inner thoughts: "Senior, we need professionals to study these."
Wendy felt uneasy.
She is a Herrscher, so she can sense more than anyone that Honkai is about to become active to a certain extent.
By now, Wendy could also understand Otto, why he would still design against Chen Ran even at the risk of Cecilia and her possibly betraying him.
Cecilia said: "Regarding this, after you and Chen Ran left, Bishop Otto reminded me."
She looked at Raven and didn't hide it: "Afterward, Schicksal will seek cooperation with Anti-Entropy. This is not Otto's proposal, but mine."
"And World Serpent, your Project Stigma is too terrifying; I will not agree."
Raven casually said: "Whatever, anyway, this plan isn't my responsibility."
After the Herrscher of Ice was defeated, the basis for cooperation between the two sides was gone.
However, compared to World Serpent, Raven seemed to prefer to interact with Wendy and Cecilia.
After taking the Herrscher Core that Cecilia gave her, Raven said: "Although I don't expect much, I will inform the Lord about the global connection and let him research how to defeat Finality in this direction."
"I actually desire more than anyone to stop the occurrence of Project Stigma."
Raven left with Owl.
Wendy took a deep breath.
Cecilia said: "For the next period of time, I will stay at Schicksal Headquarters. You should return to Saint Freya alone; I think the news from headquarters should also reach Theresa."
"Kiana needs your help to take care of her, Wendy."
Although Wendy was younger than Kiana, her gentleness and composure made Cecilia feel at ease.
Wendy instinctively said: "Senior Cecilia, you should know that after the global connection, the one who can master such a strong consciousness power is Kiana. So why..."
"As a mother, how could I bear to let Kiana take risks?"
Cecilia said gently: "I will have Bishop Otto help me enhance the concentration of the Schariac bloodline, and then truly master this power."
Cecilia is not a completely selfless person.
At least, she is not the type to urge Kiana to train just because Kiana has the ability to save the world.
She would only be strict with herself.
If defeating Finality requires Kiana, Cecilia would strive to change herself to have conditions similar to Kiana's and then defeat Finality.
This is her weakness, but also her strength.
Wendy's eyes sparkled with a different light: "As a mother?"
Cecilia couldn't help but laugh: "Don't get any other ideas; you're only fifteen this year."
"You're at the age of blooming like a flower, so you don't need to care about the mindset of a middle-aged person like me."
"In any case, I entrust Kiana to you."
Cecilia said sincerely.
Wendy nodded: "I understand."
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