After freshening up, the four Huang Country representatives swiftly returned to the restored palace, where Zeke graciously offered them four seats.
The presence of these four distinct women, each embodying unique qualities—innocent charm, gentle purity, icy elegance, or radiant allure—created an incredibly captivating scene.
Zeke rested one hand on the table, tapping lightly with his fingertips. Despite his seemingly unflappable gaze, he shifted it towards a small head peeking from behind the door.
"Come in," Zeke said mildly.
The figure outside cautiously stepped inside but kept both hands firmly covering her face, obstructing her own view.
"Thud!"
"Ah!"
Senti bumped into a pillar and had no choice but to lower her hands. Rubbing her forehead, she angrily kicked out.
"Crumble!"
A corner of the sturdy stone pillar chipped off, and cracks rapidly spread from the fracture throughout the entire column.
Realizing her unintended mischief, she hastily wrapped her arms around the pillar as if trying to stabilize it before it shattered further.
Her efforts were futile; the cracks swiftly reached the top of the pillar. Thankfully, it didn't collapse immediately, but its structural integrity was clearly compromised—it was only a matter of time before it would fall.
"I-I... I didn't mean to do it!" With both arms wrapped around the pillar, Senti turned her bruised and swollen face towards Zeke, feigning composure.
Zeke simply watched her expressionlessly until she timidly shrank back. Then, he waved his hand dismissively:
"Forget it; I'll just repair it again."
"Oh, that's good. Finally, you understand—it's worthless compared to me. So stop being so petty, be more generous, Zeke!"
"Sigh..."
Zeke let out a sigh. This feeling of utter helplessness, where even anger seemed futile, was something he had experienced countless times with Kiana at home. He hadn't anticipated encountering another source for such frustration now.
He took out paper and a pen, swiftly starting to sketch.
"Wait, wait, wait! What are you writing? Are you keeping track of my debts? No, please don't!"
Senti, no longer concerned about the pillar, rushed over to Zeke, craning her neck to see what he was jotting down.
Surprisingly, instead of bad-mouthing her, it was a drawing—a portrait capturing her bruised and battered appearance.
"Hmm?"
Initially relieved, Senti then pouted unhappily.
"Why are you drawing this? Trying to embarrass me? Stop it!" Senti snatched Zeke's pen, interrogating him aggressively.
Zeke lifted his gaze and calmly looked at her.
"How else could I show Little Fuxi that I've accounted for your mischief and convince her to spare you this time?"
"...That makes sense!" Senti's eyes lit up as she handed the pen back to Zeke.
"Make it look even more tragic—swell this cheek higher! Darken these eye circles further! And here, give this forehead an agonized expression! Right, add some teary eyes too, make it sadder and pitiful! Keep going!"
Senti pointed at Zeke's drawing, guiding him to transform the already lifelike sketch into an even more distressing portrayal.
After a while, gazing at the utterly pathetic image, Senti nodded with satisfaction and patted Zeke on the shoulder.
"Well done! You have real potential as a great artist—that's my seal of approval from an immortal!"
"How about taking photos or recording videos? It would provide stronger evidence."
"Great idea! We must ensure Little Fuxi lets this incident slide!"
Following Zeke's instructions, Senti cooperated with the worker bee's camera, creating compelling audio-visual evidence of his supposed brutal beating by Zeke.
Once everything was complete, Senti heaved a sigh of relief, patting his chest.
"Aiya, I misjudged you; turns out you're quite reasonable after all! Fine, fine, let's not dwell on today's events. Now, prepare me something delicious!"
After carefully storing the sketches and various audio-visual recordings, Zeke crossed his legs and spoke with a faintly ominous tone:
"Imagine if these were to accidentally leak—wouldn't the immortal's image completely crumble?"
"Huh?!"
Zeke's question momentarily left Senti's mind blank.
In the next instant, her waist-length gray hair fluttered without any breeze as she trembled, raising her tightly clenched fists.
"You dare to trick me?!"
"Think about it—if such evidence gets out, people's reverence for the immortal would likely vanish, replaced by idle gossip over tea breaks—'Aiyo, look at that immortal, so pathetic, even cried from getting beaten.' Oh, and maybe even Seele, Rozaliya, and Liliya might secretly snicker, forever erasing their admiration..."
"Aaahh! Destroy them! Quickly, destroy those things!" Fuming, Senti grabbed Zeke's shoulders and began shaking him fiercely.
People strive for dignity and reputation; releasing this material would trample hers underfoot, leaving no authority intact.
Undeniably, this scenario struck at Senti's weakness for saving face and her stubborn pride.
In the end, under Zeke's unchanging dead-fish gaze, Senti reluctantly bowed her head.
"...So what are your terms?"
"Here's the task list; keep it safe." Zeke handed over a lengthy document.
Senti snatched it irritably, her expression darkening as she scanned through the items.
"Sell labor at the construction site of the new school in South City, manually cultivate two hundred acres of fields at the northern manor, volunteer at the Imperial City orphanage, clean Mrs. Wang's house on East Second Street, help Miss Liu from Old Liu's grocery stall find her lost puppy... All tasks must be completed independently without Fu Hua's assistance."
As Senti randomly picked out several entries from the long list, her mood grew increasingly grim with each read. Upon reaching the final condition, her hands began to tremble, and a menacing black mist coalesced around her body.
"You fucking..."
"The best approach would likely involve releasing only the reputation-damaging information while keeping Little Fuxi unaware that it's part of your punishment. That way, she'll hold you accountable again. What do you think?"
"What a splendid task indeed! I'll...immediately...go...and complete it!!!" Senti exclaimed furiously.
"Boom!"
Senti burst out of the palace, her frenzied movements causing gusts that toppled numerous objects and completely collapsing the cracked stone pillar.
Zeke observed this scene quietly, a subtle smile curving his lips.
"Sigh, aren't these tasks...perhaps too challenging for her?" Fu Hua's ethereal form floated beside Zeke, expressing her concern with a worried expression.
In truth, Fu Hua wanted to plead more directly.
While Senti might see these tasks as mere obstacles, Fu Hua perceived them as observations and tests.
If Senti fails to control herself during these trials, causing chaos and displaying her dangerous unpredictability, could the Book of Fuxi's fears become reality?
"You're worried that if she performs poorly, I would eliminate her?"
"Honestly, yes, somewhat. Her nature isn't inherently bad; she just needs time to learn and adapt. Zeke, can you please be patient with her?"
"Don't overthink it. I have experience in educating youngsters; I'm not so harsh," Zeke replied nonchalantly.
Facing Honkai is an immensely stressful task, and Zeke would not easily dismiss any potential ally. Senti was a Herrscher capable of communication—a powerful one at that—and for Fu Hua, already a formidable combatant, harnessing Herrscher abilities presented an opportunity to further her strength. Naturally, he would exhibit patience and tolerance towards such an existence.
"Then I'm relieved."
Fu Hua smiled, feeling unburdened.
Despite Zeke's casual tone, Fu Hua knew he wouldn't jest about matters like these. It seemed Zeke's attitude towards Senti was far more favorable than she had anticipated. As long as he was willing to give her a chance, Fu Hua believed Senti could undoubtedly earn his approval.
Gazing in the direction Senti left, Fu Hua's eyes held warmth and anticipation, remaining silent.
Fu Hua did not wish to extinguish Senti's innocence, but it was crucial for her to understand societal norms, starting with recognizing the harm in reckless destruction. Provided Zeke approached the situation without cold scrutiny, Fu Hua welcomed some guidance and refinement for Senti.
Zeke then turned to the obediently seated Huang Country representatives and said, "Military affairs, civilian welfare, ideological reforms, administrative systems, education promotion—your reports have only just begun. Continue presenting them. As for Theresa's matter, let's discuss it after we've covered the main topics."
"Wait! I'm not Theresa! My name is Zhuge Kongming—Zh as in 'Go' and Uan from 'Gu'an,' K for 'West,' O as in 'Owl,' N like 'North,' M standing for 'Ming,' E for 'East,' and X representing 'Star'!"
Due to Senti's influence, Zhuge Kongming had become extremely sensitive to being mistakenly called by that nonsensical name "Theresa." Unable to hold back, he blurted out his protest.
Zeke stared straight at Zhuge Kongming, frowned, rubbed his chin, pondered deeply, then nodded.
As Zhuge Kongming regained his composure, seeing Zeke's reactions gave him a sense of relief and anticipation, hoping the misunderstanding might finally be cleared.
A moment later, observing the gradually brightening smile on Zhuge Kongming's face, Zeke suddenly exclaimed with realization:
"Oh, I see now. Got it, Theresa. Alright, Theresa, no problem, Theresa."
"She must have learned this from you, right?!" exclaimed the Crown Prince, Zhuge Kongming, once the radiant heir apparent of the Huang Empire, who prided himself on unmatched intellect across millennia. In that instant, his defenses crumbled completely.