Looking at Bronya, brimming with confidence after believing she'd uncovered the truth, Ren momentarily felt as if they'd grabbed the wrong script. It was as if she was the director behind the scenes, aware of all the truths, while he was merely an actor on stage.
After a brief pause, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, his expression unconsciously becoming solemn. He lowered his voice, shaking his head in denial. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm not the Liuli you know."
Seeing Ren's reaction, Bronya became even more convinced that she had found the correct answer. A smile appeared on her face, as if she had seen through everything.
As early as before testing Ren, Bronya had already made preparations. Her gaze remained firmly locked on him, not missing any detail.
The facts were as she expected. When she uttered the term "Herrscher of Sentience," the other party's movements clearly stiffened unnaturally for a moment. If this could still be considered a coincidence, then the other party's subsequent subtle actions completely proved her conjecture.
When people were nervous, they might make some unconscious small movements. This instinctive human reaction was difficult to detect even for powerful Herrschers.
The other party's ability to calmly suppress their emotions and immediately deny it was indeed impressive, but Bronya's observation skills were far more acute than they imagined.
When she revealed her answer, the other party's fingers unnaturally clenched for a moment. And during the denial, the tip of their right index finger unconsciously touched their wound. These movements were very subtle, but she had completely caught them in her eyes.
With this, the answer became clear.
"Miss Liuli, there's no need to deny it. I don't mean to pry into your identity, just to confirm the conjecture in my heart." Bronya's eyes shone with confidence, and her voice involuntarily grew louder. "The incident at the Anti-Entropy base was indeed my recklessness first, I should be the one apologizing to you."
"And this time, you also helped me. There's no reason for me to be hostile towards you."
"But I'm really not Liuli."
Still trying to conceal it?
Bronya's eyes flickered. 'Kiana' certainly wouldn't expose her identity with just a few words, that was only natural.
But the other party clearly didn't know that she had already seen through everything.
"To be honest, I didn't think about your identity at first, but when I left the dreamscape just now, all the clues finally came together in my mind." The girl looked into Ren's eyes, speaking eloquently. "My battle with Class Monitor lasted for more than ten minutes. I was constantly being unilaterally suppressed, and it wasn't until the very end that I awakened the Herrscher of Reason's power."
"After that, I was defeated again, and you saved me at the critical moment, which indicates that you probably discovered my battle with her long ago. You must have thought I was unconscious at the time, but I actually retained a bit of awareness. Those words you said, like 'reverse all phenomena,' sound quite familiar."
"What if it's just a coincidence?" Ren questioned.
"So I didn't immediately think of you, but the large-scale dreamscape that appeared afterward was not a coincidence." Bronya took a deep breath and raised her hand, projecting some blurry images.
"These are images captured by Project Bunny of the facility exploding. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the device that constructed the dreamscape, and their style is highly similar to yours. With the analysis of the Herrscher of Reason's authority, I noticed that this dreamscape was almost entirely composed of consciousness."
"Simple consciousness interference can't affect such a large area, but if a powerful consciousness interference is amplified through these devices, it could completely cover the entire city."
"And the only one who can provide consciousness authority with such a large area of influence is the Herrscher of Sentience."
"..." The analysis was quite logical. Ren nodded slightly and continued, "But have you considered that if 'Fu Hua' is the Herrscher?"
"Heh." Bronya chuckled softly. "That's where you revealed your flaw. You may not know, but Class Monitor Fu Hua's will is firmer than anyone else's. Coupled with the protection of Fenghuang Down, there's absolutely no possibility of her being corrupted by Honkai and becoming a Herrscher."
"And you, as the Herrscher of Sentience, can control many people, but you can't control Fu Hua, so you don't understand Fu Hua. Therefore, this time you could only resort to force. At the same time, this also proves that this Fu Hua, even with some changes in personality, is definitely the Class Monitor we lived with."
"Of course, it was the 'betrayal' of the Herrscher of Reason core that ultimately confirmed all the answers for me."
"A few months ago, you took Mr. Welt's core. I don't know what method you used to research it, but you definitely established some kind of connection I don't know about. The Herrscher of Reason core seemed to betray me, but it was actually to protect me, and also to remind me – you were the one who took the core back then."
"So, Miss Liuli, do you still want to deny it?" With the analysis complete and the evidence solid, the answer in Bronya's heart was settled. Even if Ren continued to deny it, she wouldn't waver.
"Impressive, worthy of the new generation Herrscher of Reason. Your observation skills are far superior to the previous generation." Ren couldn't help but applaud this meticulous reasoning. He resumed his smiling expression, seemingly feeling no need to continue the disguise.
"However..." The next second, like a wild beast shedding its disguise, Ren's aura became icy and bone-chilling. He narrowed his eyes, leaning closer to Bronya's face. "Those who know too much usually don't meet a pleasant end."
A terrifyingly cold aura, like a venomous snake, climbed up Bronya's spine, making her entire body instantly plunge into an icy cellar.
The smugness from her successful deduction quickly dissipated, leaving only the golden eyes across from her, like a god peering into her heart, bringing her immense fear.
The threat of death finally reminded Bronya that the person opposite her was not the Kiana she was familiar with, but a dangerous Herrscher. Her throat felt dry and itchy, unable to even swallow her saliva.
It wasn't until Ren looked away that she gasped for breath like a drowning person, her body trembling uncontrollably from fear.
But even though she was scared to this extent, Bronya still mustered up her courage and stated her purpose. "Herrscher of Sentience, I… I didn't mean to investigate your identity. I just wanted to know the whereabouts of Rozaliya."
"She's my friend." Using the last of her courage, Bronya met Ren's gaze again. Her eyes were still filled with fear, but also with the strength that supported her to stand before him.
Just as their conversation reached this point, Senti's voice came from the distance.
"Herrscher of Sentience? Who are you calling Herrscher of Sentience?"