Greater Lord Rukkhadevata stared at the green gemstone in her hand with a complicated expression. The energy radiating from this Pseudo-Herrscher Core left her so stunned that she did not even know what to say.
It far surpassed the Gnosis she had once possessed.
It was almost on par with Irminsul... or even an Ether Anchor.
Her instincts were urging her to hurry and fuse this Core into her body. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata could sense that as long as she did so, she would undergo an unimaginable "evolution"!
She would undoubtedly break through some of her former shackles and obtain unimaginably powerful Authorities. Therefore...
"My lord... Elias, this is far too precious. I can't accept it." She decided to refuse the gift.
She had already received more than enough from this man. Buer had never been someone who was insatiably greedy.
After all, Elias had already removed the contamination of Forbidden Knowledge from her and promised to take her back to Teyvat afterward. Those things alone had already left her at a loss as to how she could ever repay him.
If she greedily asked for even more now and fused this Pseudo-Herrscher Core into her body, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata felt that even if she sold her entire self to Elias, she probably still would not be able to repay such a debt of gratitude.
So she stood on tiptoe, raised the Core in her hands as high as she could, and tried to return it to Elias... The sight was simply unbearably adorable.
"Hey~ Don't worry about it. It's just one Core."
Elias waved his hand dismissively as he spoke.
"Huh?"
"Creating Pseudo-Herrscher Cores does consume some of my power, but the amount is negligible. By now, I can't even remember how many people I've given Cores to."
As Elias spoke, he casually conjured an entire pile of Pseudo Cores.
St. Freya Academy had now become a Herrscher academy in the truest sense of the word, filled with Pseudo-Herrschers whose numbers were rapidly approaching a thousand. Almost every one of them had been created by him and the Herrscher of Finality.
Giving away one more now was hardly worth mentioning, so Elias pushed the Core Buer was holding aloft back toward her.
"Anyway, hurry up and fuse with it. I'm genuinely curious about what you originally looked like, Buer. Hehe~ I hope the view is worth the price of one Pseudo Core."
"Uh... All right, then..."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata gave a wry smile. She looked at the Core in her hand, then touched her own cheek.
Although she was quite confident in how attractive she had once been, she did not believe her face alone could possibly be worth a gemstone containing such tremendous power. And being as intelligent as she was, she realized something at that moment.
The man in front of her had absolutely no awareness when it came to things like this.
Elias himself probably did not even realize it.
Many times, the small acts of kindness he casually bestowed might seem insignificant in his own eyes, but to others, they were immense favors that could never be repaid in an entire lifetime.
(Someone like him is actually extremely dangerous.)
Buer took a deep breath, then finally clasped both hands around the Pseudo Core. She chose to accept this power.
A verdant glow enveloped her. Countless flowers and blades of grass actually sprouted from the steel-plated floor beneath her feet, and she could feel the Pseudo Core drawing in the elemental energy within her body.
Then it converted that energy into an entirely new form of power—Honkai energy.
"Whoa? I didn't expect your compatibility to be this high. 500 HW, 800 HW, 1,300 HW, 1,800 HW... It's still climbing?!"
Elias' eyes widened in genuine surprise.
This was only a single Pseudo-Herrscher Core.
Under normal circumstances, unless someone was like his Bella, who possessed four Pseudo Cores at once and was herself a Judgment-class... no, she was already a Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast now.
Otherwise, the Honkai energy output of a Pseudo-Herrscher Core should have been virtually incapable of exceeding 800 HW. Yet Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's Honkai energy had already surpassed 2,000 HW.
She had entered the realm of a true Herrscher!!
"Incredible... So this is the power of Honkai?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was utterly astonished. Elemental energy had its limits, while Honkai energy seemed capable of anything. She could clearly feel that she was now many times stronger than she had been even at her former peak!
All living things bloomed at her will. With a single thought, flowers could cover the fields.
However, the small amount of elemental energy inside her body was nowhere near enough for the Pseudo-Herrscher Core to devour. Without the slightest hesitation, Elias placed one hand on top of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's head and began injecting his own Honkai energy into her.
"Let's see how much you can handle~"
One second later...
"W-Wait... It's too much... I can't take any more... I can't hold it all... Ahh... Mmm..."
"Huh? It's only 4,000 HW."
Elias blinked in confusion.
He had not even injected remotely close to one percent of his Honkai energy, and she already could not endure any more? Was she really that weak?
"Captain, 4,000 HW is already in the realm of a dual-core Herrscher. That's absurdly high, okay?"
Ai wiped away imaginary sweat as she spoke, reminding Elias not to judge everyone else by his own standards. For Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who was not even a true Herrscher, 4,000 HW was already outrageously impressive.
Elias paused before finally realizing that she was right.
(Interesting. Is Buer herself special, or are all the people of Teyvat like this? She doesn't have even the slightest resistance or adaptation to Honkai energy, yet she's extraordinarily well suited to becoming a Herrscher!)
He absolutely had to visit that bubble world sometime!
By now, all the elemental energy within Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had been converted into Honkai energy. Her strength had already far surpassed that of an ordinary Pseudo-Herrscher, even exceeding that of a single-core Herrscher.
Elias clapped his hands in celebration of the birth of the Herrscher of Life!
"Looks like the power of creation is highly compatible with you, Buer. Hm? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata suddenly bent over and curled inward while energy continuously leaked from her body. Elias was immediately startled, thinking that something had gone wrong.
Just as he was about to use his Authority to perform some emergency treatment, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata spoke excitedly.
"No. My origin has been restored, and it's even undergone an evolution. I-I'm about to return to my original appearance."
There was simply too much energy inside her body now. This petite form could no longer contain it. Even without Greater Lord Rukkhadevata deliberately guiding the process, her body began to grow.
The tiny white-haired girl resembled a fresh bud breaking through the soil and growing toward the morning sun. In the blink of an eye, she matured into a great tree blooming with white flowers.
Her slender, elongated limbs seemed carved from the finest warm white jade, while her graceful and elegant figure was breathtakingly beautiful. She grew from that tiny little body until she stood almost as tall as Elias.
If Buer in her loli form had been incomparably adorable, then her current appearance was equally beautiful. Benevolent divine light shimmered within those emerald eyes brimming with wisdom.
One could tell at a glance that, just like a certain Miss Pink Elf, she too embodied the idea that "God loves humanity."
"This really is... surprising."
Elias stared at Buer without blinking, purely admiring the girl's pristine beauty. At this point, he no longer had the slightest doubt about the title Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. It suited her perfectly.
And it was not only him. Rosemary, Luna, Himeko, Ai, and the others were all left staring blankly as well. Such a dramatic transformation was truly shocking, and... for some reason, it gave them an odd sense of déjà vu.
The three women's gazes silently shifted toward Luna.
After all, in their eyes, this vampire girl had also suddenly transformed from a little girl into a mature young woman. Though Buer's change seemed even more thorough, directly turning her into a fully grown woman!
Even though grown-up Luna possessed an equally outrageous figure, she still gave off the impression of an innocent, cheerful young girl... although perhaps, maybe, possibly, there was also just a tiny hint of yandere in there.
Buer, on the other hand, now resembled a noble and elegant elf queen. Every gesture she made carried the refined grace, sanctity, and purity befitting the God of Wisdom.
There was only one slight problem. She was currently wearing nothing.
Her original shuttlecock-like outfit had been torn apart by her sudden growth. No matter how powerful a Pseudo-Herrscher might be, they were still not true Herrschers, and becoming one did not automatically come with a complimentary set of clothing.
Thus, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was now completely naked, like a little lamb whose entire coat of wool had just been sheared away.
"P-Please don't look at me like that."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata blushed deeply as she covered her body with her hands, simultaneously using omnipotent Honkai energy to weave herself some clothing.
"Uh, sorry, sorry."
Elias awkwardly turned his head away.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's divine body truly was beautiful. She looked like a work of art, and he had accidentally become entranced by the sight. Although Elias had no impure thoughts whatsoever, staring was still inappropriate.
Rosemary and the others were speechless. What kind of lucky-pervert event was this supposed to be? Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, couldn't you switch places with me?
A few seconds later, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had woven herself a long white dress trimmed in gold. A section of her long white hair had been braided and draped over one shoulder, while a faint blush still lingered on her face.
"I-It's fine now."
"Mm. Then let me take another look."
Elias turned back around and resumed admiring her.
"This is what I originally looked like. I wonder... are you satisfied with me like this?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata revealed a faint smile.
She gently lifted the hem of her white dress, revealing delicate feet that were still bare. It was only a simple curtsy, yet when she performed it, the gesture was exceptionally pleasing to behold.
An ordinary person might have fallen in love with her at first sight, their mind overwhelmed by her beauty until they completely lost their composure.
But Elias had seen more than enough beauties to build up considerable resistance. So he merely smiled back and raised a thumb.
"Mm, not bad at all! That Core was definitely worth it."
Trading away a Pseudo Core that meant next to nothing to him in exchange for such a beautiful sight seemed entirely worthwhile to Elias.
Still, he felt a little awkward. Back when Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had still been a tiny little girl, he had freely patted her head and pinched her cheeks. Now she had grown up, or rather, returned to her original appearance.
Even Elias felt a little embarrassed. After all, a mature woman and a little girl were two completely different things, especially when Greater Lord Rukkhadevata radiated such an overwhelming goddess-like presence, resembling a Goddess of Life capable of embracing all things.
Faced with Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, whose body and mind were both fully mature, Elias recalled how he had previously treated her like a child, on top of having just seen her completely naked.
All he could say was that things felt incredibly awkward now!
Incidentally, one person at the scene was currently feeling rather depressed.
Rosemary: "...S-She grew up just like that?"
The witch stared at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata with a face full of regret.
So sad. She wanted to cry.
Such an adorable little white-haired girl had suddenly grown into a mature goddess. One less adorable creature, and quite possibly one more romantic rival!