Himeko descended from the warship with the Captain, and a Gray Serpent soon came to greet them.
"On behalf of World Serpent, I welcome you, Marshal Himeko."
During the Second Great Eruption, Himeko had been promoted to Marshal, and she had the strength to match the rank.
"Captain, let me introduce you - this is one of the few remaining Gray Serpents, and also one of those who opposed Kevin."
Himeko introduced them to each other: "Gray Serpent, this is the Captain - yes, the one who's about to be written into history textbooks."
"This is both surprising and unsurprising at the same time."
The Gray Serpent studied the diminutive Captain. Though shocked, being a mechanical life form, its CPU could process this - it was just another of the Captain's unconventional operations.
"I'm quite surprised any of you are still around," the Captain said.
The Captain's impression of Gray Serpents wasn't particularly good - they were mechanical beings desperate to become human, which had led to numerous incidents. While not every Gray Serpent deserved death, there were few innocents among them. And if World Serpent still existed, then those dealings they did...
"Greetings, Captain," the Gray Serpent said, noting the Captain's hesitant expression. "You need not harbor such hostility toward me. I am the newest model of Gray Serpent, only recently activated. My hands are clean, and there's no need for them not to be."
"Would you like me to notify the others in the Realm of your arrival?"
"No need," Himeko replied. "This is meant to be a secret visit - let's give them a surprise."
As the three walked and talked, the Captain gradually came to believe the Gray Serpent's words. This one was notably more humble, lacking the usual Gray Serpent tendency for speaking in riddles. Its speech was straightforward, without philosophical meandering.
"By the way, you mentioned World Serpent no longer conducts human experiments?" the Captain asked curiously. Human experimentation related to Honkai and various black market operations had been World Serpent's main business - their primary source of revenue.
"The Honkai is receding. There's no need anymore," the Gray Serpent replied.
World Serpent's original purpose was to ensure humanity's survival by any means necessary, which led to their previous 'fastest route possible' approach. Their most profitable venture had been selling MANTIS surgery slots and Honkai energy serum to various nations, earning them enough to cover the losses from their various experiments.
For instance, during the Third Great Eruption, the Honkai energy they obtained in Long Gui City was enough to trigger an eruption - that amount could have powered an entire Far East Branch fleet's training exercise. Similarly, the free medical care provided to the infected by Divine Pharmaceutical and the production of mechs were expenses that no ordinary organization could sustain.
Even Antimatter needed support from the North American government and two geniuses like Einstein and Tesla to barely maintain their position as one of the three major powers.
So the Captain was curious - without their main business, how would they fund World Serpent's operations?
"Human experiments? That's nothing compared to the profits from Elysia and Eden's official merchandise," the Gray Serpent continued. "Don't forget, World Serpent is a comprehensive organization. We excel not just in medical technology, but also in information, media, and entertainment."
"Supporting two cyber idols isn't difficult for World Serpent, especially Miss Eden. The products she endorses are all developed by Dr. Mobius, which has made World Serpent a renowned global enterprise, successfully ranking among the world's top 100 companies."
Eden had been a famous artist in the Previous Era, so becoming a star in this civilization wasn't particularly challenging. As for Elysia, her naturally appealing personality combined with her stunning looks made her success unsurprising to the Captain.
The Captain then inquired about the situation of everyone in the Realm. It seemed that since connecting to the network, the Flame-Chasers had finally established some contact with the outside world.
Soon, the Gray Serpent led them to the entrance of the Realm of the Past.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. I wish you a pleasant journey ahead."
After bidding farewell to the Gray Serpent, the Captain and Himeko entered the Realm of the Past together. The path was still as dim as before, without lighting.
However, after walking for a while, the Realm opened up into a spacious area, with the Golden Court - the Challengers' rest area - being their first destination.
As always, the first to appear in the Golden Court was that pink-haired fairy.
"Hi, Himeko! Nice to see you again, and this new person..."
Elysia's greeting trailed off as her gaze fixed on the Captain. "Wow~"
"Elysia, I..."
"This is my child!" Himeko quickly cut in, hugging the Captain's smaller frame. "I brought them specially to show you all. Cute, right?"
"Eh?"
Elysia was completely thrown off guard. "But Himeko, you're so young... how could you have such a mature child? Little one, don't you think so?"
"Well, in many ways, she really is my mother," the Captain couldn't deny it. After all, the debt of nurture was there - she was indeed their foster mother.
"I see," Elysia quickly accepted the fact, considering that creating a clone with modern technology wasn't difficult.
"Well, since you're Himeko's child, that makes you my child too."
Elysia's expression was complex as she patted the Captain's head. "By the way, has Himeko ever told you that you look just like your parents?"
"Hehe, you know what? When I first saw them, I thought they were my own flesh and blood too," Himeko nodded approvingly. The Captain did share about seventy percent of her features - if Himeko hadn't known she was an only child, she might have thought this was her long-lost sibling.
"It would be pretty bad if I didn't look like my parents, wouldn't it?"
The Captain couldn't help but quip, "Himeko, stop teasing Elysia. It's me, Captain. I'm back."
"Phew, I knew it. How could the Captain have a child with Himeko..."
Elysia instinctively sighed with relief, but then froze. "Eh, Captain...?"
Elysia's pink pupils rapidly contracted as she stared at the Captain in disbelief. She reached out to touch their face - much more delicate than the Captain she knew, but undoubtedly, it was them!
"You really came back!!"
Elysia embraced the Captain without hesitation. "It really is you... Thank goodness..."
Just like with Himeko before, two soft thunders pressed against the Captain's face, along with that familiar scent.
Elysia stroked the Captain's head, "You must have had it rough these days? You've lost weight, and your complexion isn't very good..."
Drained.
Elysia knelt down and pressed her forehead against the Captain's. "Are you sick? Didn't you used to enjoy these advantages when they presented themselves?"
The Captain used to be quite fond of such intimate opportunities - why weren't they being hands-on this time?
"Could this be an impostor?"
Meanwhile, Himeko proudly thrust out her bouncy chest - the Sage Mode buff, my doing!
Elysia: "Hmm? What's that hard thing pressing against my thigh?"
Himeko: ...
Elysia looked down and understood, breaking into a mischievous smile. "Ah, the Captain is still a boy after all. Even with a smaller body, still quite the man~"
She wasn't disgusted; rather, she seemed pleased.
The Captain, however, felt somewhat awkward. Though there was no ammunition in reserve, that didn't mean the gun couldn't be used.
"Ahem, Captain, that's not very polite towards ladies. Separate now!" Himeko glared at the Captain disapprovingly.
"Hehe, what's the problem?"
Just as the Captain was about to move away from Elysia, she hugged them even tighter, her face slightly flushed. "We haven't seen each other for a year, so being a bit intimate is fine, right?"
"Besides, I have so many things I want to tell you, Captain, so many questions I want to ask~"
Elysia held the Captain tightly, her soft body trembling almost imperceptibly with joy and sorrow. Seeing the tears in her eyes, Himeko stopped protesting.
After a while, she finally separated from the Captain, holding back her tears.
Nothing brings more joy than regaining something once lost.
"My first question for the Captain has to be that one."
"Hey, did you miss me?"
Chapter End