The successful retrieval of the Herrscher core undoubtedly meant that Anti-Entropy had achieved victory in this incident.
Although the process was somewhat… indescribable, Bronya, wanting to save face and not embarrass herself in front of Seele, racked her brains to embellish the story, making it somewhat acceptable.
For example, the part where she was captured by World Serpent using the Staff of Underworld due to her overconfidence was skillfully reinterpreted using euphemisms. Her defeat wasn't a mistake, but a deliberate show of weakness to further gather intelligence on World Serpent.
While there were some doubts after discovering that Bronya was the original, fortunately, with no other eyewitnesses besides Raven and Gray Serpent present, Bronya successfully bluffed her way through.
For Schicksal, although they lost the Serenity Gem, in practical terms, it didn't matter much. After all, the Serenity Gem hardly generated any profit for Schicksal.
Moreover, the 'Artificial Herrscher' project caused continuous losses of Valkyries and massive funds, making it a complete money-losing venture.
Only Otto would maintain such a project—of course, he was no longer interested in it now.
After all, he had discovered [Kiana], capable of wielding Herrscher authority with human will. With this foundational starting point, creating other Herrschers was merely a pastime.
Confirming [Kiana]s' existence far outweighed the value of losing the Serenity Gem. Furthermore, Schicksal also gained Key of Infinity-Cosmic Juggernaut, making it a net gain overall.
From this perspective, the only one who truly suffered a crushing loss in this struggle was World Serpent.
For the sake of the Stigmata Project, after sensing the man-made Honkai outbreak, Jiang Qiao used a portion of the 'Origin' authority she carried to limit the scale and scope of this major Honkai event as much as possible, minimizing casualties. This naturally led to the failure of World Serpent's experiment.
For the purpose of protecting Cosmic Juggernaut—needless to say, not only did they fail to protect Cosmic Juggernaut, but even 'Kevin', an important ELF, was gifted to Durandal by [Kiana] as a present.
Furthermore, and most importantly, their goal of obtaining a 'Herrscher core' to nourish their master lurking in the sea and guide him back to reality… undoubtedly ended in failure. The good news was that Gray Serpent saved a body and an umbrella. The bad news was that this body also broke down after he met with Hare.
In summary—World Serpent was utterly ruined.
Not only did they fail to achieve any of their intended goals, but due to their awakening from the shadows, the 'World Serpent' hidden in the dark side of the world was completely exposed. This would inevitably lead to World Serpent facing suppression in the world in the future.
Thinking about all of this, even Gray Serpent, a mechanical being, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion wanting to burst into tears.
Again and again and again… failed!!!
But no matter how much he wanted to cry, for World Serpent, for their master, he had to continue to plan.
Conquering Gems, Desire Gems, and Serenity Gem… Three out of the four gems were now gone. Gray Serpent sighed, and could only focus his gaze on the remaining 'Haste Gem'. According to the latest message passed down by the World Serpent's hidden lines in Schicksal, this last hope seemed to be stored on Schicksal's floating island headquarters.
Although there was a target, with Dr. MEI as a precedent, and Otto no longer needing so-called 'bait', wanting to obtain this Herrscher core from Schicksal's most heavily guarded floating island headquarters…
Gray Serpent suddenly understood why his adopted daughter wanted to retire so much.
In the dark night, only a long sigh remained.
—Far away in the Salt Lake Base in North America.
Bronya was racking her brains, thinking about how to make Seele realize that she was the real Bronya.
Directly saying it was impossible, of course. That would be too embarrassing—and she couldn't let Jiang Qiao reveal it directly either, because wouldn't that be equivalent to her losing to that bad guy? As the proud super game player, Silver Wolf Bronya, how could Duckie accept such a thing?
So, how could she make Seele realize that she was the real Bronya? After thinking for a long time, Duckie finally came to a conclusion: she needed to be more like Bronya than that Jiang Qiao guy! …No, Bronya is Bronya in the first place! What Bronya needed was to prove to Seele that she was the most Bronya-like Bronya!
So first—
She needed a chance to be alone with Seele!
Activating her little brain, Bronya quickly found a way—back in the orphanage, Seele often slept with her. They would chat a lot while sleeping, sometimes even until dawn, ending up with dark circles under their eyes the next day.
Now, as long as she staged a heart-to-heart talk like that, wouldn't the real and fake Bronya be immediately distinguishable?
Action speaks louder than words. As an action-oriented person, Bronya, full of initiative, fantasized about the scene of recognizing Seele, and then Seele recognizing the real Bronya, abandoning that bad guy Jiang Qiao, and returning to their good sister mode.
Soon, she found Seele in the base—what made Duckie a bit unhappy was that Seele was actually with that bad guy Jiang Qiao.
But it didn't matter, this bad guy wouldn't be smug for long. After tonight, Seele would recognize who the real Bronya was! You bad guy just stay alone! Well, out of humanitarianism, Bronya wouldn't mind playing games together when she was free! After all, this bad guy helped her bring Seele back.
Bronya spoke:
"Seele…"
"Bronya sister."
Miss Blue Wendy, hugging [Kiana]s' arm, acted quite intimately.
Due to Duckie's strong self-esteem, although Jiang Qiao didn't understand why, being kind-hearted, she still didn't expose the truth that she was just a stand-in, and this 'substitute game' continued until now.
Well—one thing was certain, the pain also continued until now.
Watching her beloved sister call someone else her name, Duckie only felt—pain, it hurt so much!
But what pained her even more was—
"Shall we sleep together tonight?"
No! Not at all good!
Bronya, who was plotting to distinguish the real from the fake overnight, was completely thrown off balance after hearing Seele's request.
If they really slept together, how could she expose that bad guy Jiang Qiao and prove herself?
But out of concern for Seele, Bronya couldn't refuse, and could only stare at [Kiana] with murderous eyes—You better be sensible.
Jiang Qiao, who originally wanted to refuse, was taken aback when she noticed this gaze, feeling a bit strange… Did this mean she should agree?
And looking at Seele's expectant expression… I see, Bronya must not want to disappoint Seele, so she's hinting at me like this!
Sigh, there's no helping it.
Acting on the idea of being a good person to the end, Jiang Qiao, who always got full marks in primary school reading comprehension, could only go against her will—[Kiana] nodded slightly helplessly.
"Okay."
Undoubtedly, Seele became even happier, the strength of her hug increasing. That tight yet soft touch made Jiang Qiao marvel at how much nutrition was given to everyone in the orphanage.
Hmm, Bronya also looks happy.
—Undoubtedly, Bronya was smiling at this moment.
After all, Seele was smiling so happily, who would she be showing a long face to? Not wanting to make Seele unhappy, nor wanting to affect her plan to prove Bronya's authenticity, Duckie could only force a smile with an expression as if Alexandra had just died.
Of course, between her narrowed eyes was brimming with 'murderous intent'—it was foreseeable that Miss Bronya probably wished she could drag Jiang Qiao to a small room and then barrage her for ten minutes!
That night, Duckie slept on her small bed under her small blanket, unable to sleep—out of Anti-Entropy's kindness, to make things more convenient for them, [Kiana]s' room and Bronya's room were adjacent. Therefore, through the inhuman senses of a Herrscher, she could vaguely hear the sounds from the room next door.
Undoubtedly, Seele was very happy~ The next day, she went out smiling—while Kiana had a slightly helpless expression.
How should she put it, her sleep quality was definitely not good, because Seele's sleeping posture seemed to have some 'minor issues'. While sleeping, in her dreams, she could feel a suffocating sensation like being entwined by a python—waking up to open her eyes, she found Seele hugging her like a koala.
But at least she was soft, and the Herrscher body didn't really need much rest… Overall, it could be considered a rather novel experience as a body pillow?
Of course, for Seele—it was a quality sleep.
[Kiana]s' figure, those in the know, know.
Perfect hourglass figure, plus a curvaceousness that wasn't inferior to Seele's own. Compared to Bronya's slender figure, it could only be said that as a sleeping companion, she was completely superior by several streets—for this reason, Seele completely didn't mind the fact that 'Bronya sister' was using someone else's body, which she was originally concerned about. Don't ask, just ask and it's a brand new feeling, a brand new experience, truly tai ku la (too cool)!
In short, both sides' 'experiences' were good.
"Uh… um, Bronya sister, did you not sleep well?" Seele, who met Bronya in the cafeteria, was startled by Bronya's heavy dark circles.
Although she believed that [Kiana] was the real Bronya, considering various angles, Miss Bronya still retained the name 'Bronya sister' from Seele—after all, with the appearance of a sister, wouldn't it be awkward to call her another name?
"It's nothing… Bronya is fine…"
Forcing a smile, Bronya glared at [Kiana] who was slurping noodles to the side, gnashing her teeth slightly.
Staying up all night was of course nothing for a Herrscher. This situation was more of a reflection of her mental state.
Duckie, who had eavesdropped on the wall all night with a bitter and resentful expression, ate a little something casually, thinking about how to find a new breakthrough before evening.
Finally, she had a new idea.
Bronya remembered the half-finished GAL game she made in Elysium.
Undoubtedly, for girls, the quickest way to warm up a relationship was sweets!
Having an idea, Bronya immediately smiled.
She inquired with the base staff and quickly learned about a popular dessert shop near Salt Lake Base.
She had to admit that the desserts here were indeed great. Even Bronya, who wasn't so keen on sweets at Schicksal and preferred savory food, was very fond of the desserts here—at least in appearance.
"Seele likes to eat sweet things. Bringing her a dessert will definitely make her very happy."
Carrying a packaged strawberry mousse, Bronya walked back to the base happily.
Hehe, later Seele would definitely be very touched knowing that she deliberately brought her a dessert—after all, Duckie remembered that Seele would always be very happy every time she shared with Seele before.
Taking advantage of this dessert opportunity, she would make Seele understand that she was the gentle and considerate real Bronya sister who would bring her things!
When the time comes, Bronya could eat with Seele together~
At the same time, in the Salt Lake Base training ground.
"Bronya sister can also use a scythe?!"
Seele, who had the idea of becoming a 'Valkyrie' and wanted to fight alongside 'Bronya sister', had been working hard towards this goal in training.
Unfortunately, there weren't many qualified instructors in Anti-Entropy. After all, Anti-Entropy mainly used mecha as their primary combat units. As for 'melee combat', although it wasn't non-existent, it was completely incomparable to Schicksal's Valkyries.
Welt wasn't a type who was good at this kind of combat either. As the Herrscher of Reason, he was more like a mage.
Fortunately—
[Kiana], holding a scythe behind her back, nodded with a smile:
"Hmm, I know a little bit~"
In this regard, she had to thank Miss Pink Elf, Elysia. Perhaps out of interest, or simply for fun, during Elysia's lifetime, there was a period when she had been looking for a suitable fighting style and a weapon that complemented herself, and among them, she had curiously learned scythe techniques for a while.
Inheriting the fifty thousand years of memories of 'Elysia of the Elysian Realm', Jiang Qiao naturally possessed combat skills and combat experience equivalent to her.
"We're starting, oh." Casually turning the handle of the scythe, the curved scythe created an arc like a ring blade. Accompanied by stepping feet and a light tap—just like in her memories, Jiang Qiao showed the amazing agility of the 'Flame-Chasers of Fire Moth'.
Of course, the speed wasn't fast.
After all, if she went all out, it wouldn't be called sparring, would it?
"Very good, just like this, I'm going to speed up the pace."
"Huff… Bronya sister… slower, Seele can't handle it…"
Although the 'power-type combat style' inherited from the Kaslana lineage was quite different from Elysia's extreme agility, fortunately, this body itself had excellent flexibility, like a cat, capable of making various high-difficulty movements.
If it were Bronya's body, the height difference would be a major drawback. Although it wasn't unusable, it would be somewhat awkward and take more time to adapt.
Finally, at the moment of weapon and body collision.
Somewhat weak, Seele's foot slipped. With a cry of 'Ah!', she was about to fall to the ground.
Fortunately, a white shadow flashed before her eyes, and then she could feel herself sinking into warm arms.
"You were a little careless, Seele." A lively voice with a hint of helplessness spoke—Seele was now lying in [Kiana]s' arms, able to feel the close proximity of her warmth… Looking at that delicate face, Seele couldn't help but blush. Although they had close contact like this when sleeping together last night, even possibly without much clothing in the way, it was a completely different feeling compared to today.
Meeting those smiling azure eyes, she could feel her heart thumping rapidly. Miss Blue Wendy, helped upright to stand in place, lowered her head. This appearance puzzled the white-haired girl. She touched the former's head, raising an eyebrow and asking:
"What's wrong? Your face is so red, could it be you have a fever?"
Saying so, her gentle yet lively voice revealed a hint of concern—after all, Seele was different from her, not a Herrscher body. According to her memories, she still had a weak and sickly constitution. Although the journey to the Sea of Quanta had brought about some changes, she was still not much stronger compared to ordinary people.
"Nothing… Seele is fine…" Seele, whose forehead was being touched, hurriedly shook her head—Jiang Qiao, not noticing anything unusual, half-believed her and didn't think too much about it.
Just at this moment—
"Seele, Bronya finally found you."
Bronya, carrying a box, walked into the training ground, her tone quite happy.
"What's wrong? Bronya sister?" Miss Blue Wendy, covering her face and feeling her temperature had decreased a lot, looked at the stand-in in front of her, somewhat puzzled.
"Bronya took some time to go to a famous dessert shop nearby. Many staff in the base recommended it. Bronya remembered that you like desserts very much, Seele, so Bronya deliberately packed one for you to bring back. Let's go together another day."
Hearing the word dessert, Seele's eyes instantly lit up, as if there were little stars in her eyes.
Looking at Seele's reaction, Bronya also revealed a slightly smug little look, glancing at [Kiana] standing behind, wearing a training vest.
Hmph, little imp, Bronya knows Seele best! Bronya is the real Bronya! The difference in quality is obvious at a glance!
Seele, staring at the strawberry mousse, was very happy, but she then reconsidered that 'Bronya sister' must be tired after training with her for so long.
Since that was the case—
"Bronya sister, let's eat this dessert together~"
Seele held the box, happily extending an invitation.
…Hmm, looking at the size of this strawberry mousse, it seemed to be just enough for two people to share!
As for this 'substitute' Bronya sister, she must have already eaten, right?