The situation was not only different from what Ryan had imagined, but it also exceeded the expectations of the entire Fire Moth.
Everyone was ready for battle. The shuttle that Vil-V had built was in a state of readiness at all times. Pardofelis was like a mascot, sitting in the pilot's seat every day. Even if she was just eating potato chips there, she wasn't allowed to come down.
Various weapons against the Herrscher of Binding were continuously coming off the production line, just waiting for the opponent to have nowhere to run and start the decisive battle.
This was an operation with Ryan and Elysia as the spearhead, and a military-level armed force ambushing them from behind. Except for the warriors who went to the Far East to open a second battlefield, everyone else was on standby. Even though the Pacific shipping lanes had high casualties, the Fire Moth hoped to drag out the time a little longer.
Innumerable ideas were calculated every moment, and new weapons were designed against the Herrscher of Binding every day. Life was like a currency, and all the Fire Moth had to do was to spend it meaningfully.
But soon, the plan went awry. The Herrscher of Binding did not continue to run. According to the news from the front, she was hiding in a certain place and had stopped moving. If the message hadn't been sent back by Ryan himself, everyone would have been worried that the Herrscher had already run away and was hiding in the dark.
There was no movement. Instead, they took this opportunity to send back a lot of survivors, which made some people a little doubtful about life. What in the world were the two most powerful people in the Fire Moth doing?
"Are you just going to let them do whatever they want?"
The flashing blue light from the screen was reflected in her glasses. Mobius hugged her arms. She was leaning against the door with no expression on her face, looking a bit displeased.
The big screen was tracking Ryan and Elysia's location. The two had left Toulouse and were flying towards the center of the continent. Their speed was not fast, and it didn't look like they were pursuing anyone.
"According to Elysia, the Herrscher hasn't moved, as if she's waiting for something." Mei was also a bit confused, but a mysterious thing like 'Authority' was beyond her theoretical knowledge.
Mobius frowned secretly. She didn't doubt Elysia's stance, but she was curious: "Aren't you afraid that that idiot will be deceived by the Herrscher?"
The Pacific Ocean had already become chaotic. The escort fleet and the Honkai Beasts were fighting each other. Occasionally, a ship would sink for some strange reason. Recently, traces of the Herrscher of Death had also been discovered.
"The person who trusts Elysia is Ryan. What are you complaining about to me?" Mei only needed one sentence to completely silence Mobius. This human mastermind looked at the woman who was gritting her teeth and lightly stomping her foot, and suddenly felt a little amused.
The muscles on her cold face twitched. She finally managed to maintain a blank expression, feeling that the pressure of the past few days had been cleared. Mobius was truly a comedienne.
"Since you're so sour, instead of complaining to me, why don't you hurry up and finish the last step? Once we're confident in eliminating the Herrscher of Binding, we won't need to be in a standoff at the front line."
Mei was referring to the man-made collapse. This technology had finally broken through its bottleneck, and there would be a first batch of MANTIS to be tested. Because the pressure from the Herrschers was too great, no one dared to activate it on a large scale. After all, there was a high failure rate of about 30%.
Sakura and Hua were already ready. Kalpas had a very low compatibility. The others had to wait. In Mei's mind, the longer this standoff lasted, the better. She had never planned to send everyone into the Sea of Quanta safely.
"Sour? Huh? Is something wrong with your nose? You should go see a doctor." Mobius said with disdain, then decisively turned around. Her two black-stockinged legs moved very quickly, and she disappeared from view in a few seconds.
Mobius really had the charisma of a comedian.
Mei couldn't help but chuckle. When she saw a subordinate turn to look at her, she immediately held back her laughter and lightly coughed: "What are you looking at? Get back to work. Give me the third phase departure schedule within three hours. Adjust the Honkai energy storage device as soon as possible. The Supreme Commander can't hold on for too long."
The Herrscher of Binding was currently staying in one place and would definitely not go offline. That was the prelude to a fierce counterattack. Ryan knew this, Mei knew this, and Elysia also knew this.
The opponent was waiting for a certain opportunity. Unfortunately, the Fire Moth had to protect the Abyss City. Before they were ready for the best attack, they had no spare energy to launch an attack.
She just didn't expect that you two would go to that place. Elysia, are you planning to continue to unearth your 'True Self,' or...
Mei stopped her thoughts. She couldn't interfere with this matter. What she could do was simple:
Concentrate on preparing for battle, and before the climax came, solve everything.
...
The continuous forest dyed the earth a jade green. In the distance, snow peaks could be vaguely seen, and a winding concrete road divided the forest, crossing a mirror-like lake and a bridge over a small river, leading to the distance.
Brilliant wildflowers covered the mountains and plains, mixed in with this shade of jade green. Just by looking at it and feeling the breeze that passed by, one's restless heart could be calmed down.
It was beautiful.
Ryan didn't like to use flowery words. Natural scenery didn't need to be embellished. He just felt the wind blowing through his white robe, stirring his black hair.
This was probably in the Switzerland region. There was a unique flavor in the deep mountains. A line of white words was written on a rusty sign.
"Vostok-51 Garden Colony, 20KM."
So this is the place. I knew Elysia was being so mysterious. Wasn't this the place where she descended to the human world?
Elysia, or rather the Herrscher of Origin, descended here on a certain night decades ago and lived here for a long time. Vostok usually only existed in background stories, but now that he was here in person, it seemed only natural.
The place where an angel descended should be so beautiful, surrounded by mountains, lakes, small rivers, forests, and flower beds. Even in the face of the Honkai, it was still full of the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, a scene of a paradise on Earth.
Ryan watched for a while, and then he saw Elysia coming back, wearing a newly woven flower wreath on her head and holding one in her hand.
"Your hometown?"
"Hey, how did you know??"
"Come on, I've read your file, you know. Doesn't it say you were born in Vostok-51?"
Did I write that?
Elysia was a bit confused. She thought she had deliberately blurred it to avoid bringing danger to Aunt Celina, but it didn't matter now. Ryan was the one in charge of the Fire Moth now.
She casually put the wreath on Ryan's head and then took his hand and walked onto the wooden bridge. Elysia had held Ryan's hand so many times these past few days that she was already used to it. Even Ryan no longer felt the initial sense of ambiguity, and it felt only natural.
The river water was clear, and occasionally a fish would leap out of the rippling surface. This was both normal and unscientific. It could only be said that Europe had evacuated too quickly, which had reduced a lot of the destruction and preserved more things.
After crossing the wooden bridge, a small town could be seen in the distance. It was all made of wooden buildings, without the hustle and bustle of a city. Hidden in the valley, it appeared even more peaceful and lovely.
The place where everything began, where the Origin descended, was a place of such ordinary appearance.
It was too ordinary. It didn't quite match the magnificent girl in front of him, but Ryan thought about it. Perhaps it was precisely because of this ordinariness that Elysia was able to connect with the most widespread group of people in humanity—
Ordinary people.
They were neither as determined and powerful as Ryan, nor as chaotic and evil as those scoundrels. Some of them had never even left this small town in their entire lives, let alone had any grand ideals.
They were born quietly, lived silently, and were finally buried in the soil of their hometown. Their lives were ordinary, with not a single ripple in an overhead view.
But this was the fate of the majority of humanity. Heroes and villains were, in the end, a minority. If she was to connect with the concept of 'humanity,' then this unknown place called Vostok-51 was the best. If she had descended in a war-torn area and only seen the evil of this world, or if she had descended in a monastery and only seen good intentions, would Elysia have become the way she was now?
"Are you a little disappointed?" Elysia suddenly spoke, her tone slightly low.
Ryan, who was simulating two different lives in his head, turned his head and asked with a smile: "Why would I be disappointed?"
"You think such an ordinary small village wouldn't give birth to such a cute girl like me, huh? I'm not bragging, but according to Aponia's theory, I'm a daughter of God!"
Why do you feel proud, and I've already figured out the benefits of you appearing here.
Ryan looked at her blankly. His smile gradually turned into a mischievous one. He walked up to a small hill, from where he could overlook the entire town. He looked from the left to the right, and his expression became more and more serious.
His expression made Elysia feel a little guilty. She quietly moved to the man's side and asked as if she wasn't paying attention: "What are you looking for? Although everyone has fled, I'm very familiar with this place. Just ask if you need anything."
"Elysia, I remember you fell from the sky, right?"
Huh? Did I say that too?
Elysia was a bit confused and just gave up trying to remember. "I don't remember clearly, but I guess so. This naturally beautiful body of mine wasn't stolen from anyone."
"Then that's not right." Ryan slowly shook his head. He raised his hand and pointed to the forest around the town. "With your gravitational acceleration, if you fell from the sky, you would definitely leave a meteorite crater. Why don't I see one?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward, leaving Elysia standing in place with her head full of question marks.
After a few seconds, the girl's face turned red. She angrily raised her small fists.
"Alright, you're calling me fat too! Don't run!"
She subconsciously chased after him. She wasn't paying attention and ran past the two locust trees at the town's entrance. She suddenly realized something.
Returning to her hometown, Elysia was a little anxious at first. It was the so-called 'the closer to home, the more timid.' But after Ryan's little scene, she immediately forgot about it. She just looked at the man's 'panicked' back in front of her, and the familiar buildings flashed past her eyes.
Gradually, her lips pursed. She lightly bowed her head to the two locust trees behind her.
"Mr. Big Tree, it's been a long time. Your daughter has returned!"
Ryan didn't know if this counted as being thoughtful. He just didn't like to pretend to be foolish. His observation and intelligence were high enough. After noticing some small signs, he decided to help a little.
She hadn't returned for so many years. The town had long been deserted, but since it hadn't been affected by the fighting, everything was still in its original state.
The river that ran through the town made a gurgling sound. The water was led into a ditch by a water wheel and then sent to the strawberry garden outside the town. There was a fountain in the center of the town. Although it had stopped working, Ryan could guess that the water used to flow from the water bottle in the hands of the goddess statue.
Surrounding the fountain was a small square with many long benches. One side was empty, with only some wooden houses remaining. The other side was a sandbox, and a slide and a swing could still be seen.
"This is the center of the town. These wooden houses are all part of the market. It was very lively on weekends. I used to play in the sandbox over there, and uncles and aunts who passed by would occasionally give me some ice cream."
Elysia became even happier. She kept talking, and she also mentioned many unfamiliar names.
Ryan seemed to see a little pink-haired loli building a castle in the sandbox. The people who passed by would all give her a kind look and constantly give her things. The little girl was very polite and kept thanking them. It didn't take long for her mouth to be full.
Heh heh, so that's where her habit of being a glutton came from.
"Don't think too much. I've checked the traces here. The evacuation was very orderly. Those uncles and aunts who gave you food must be okay."
"Really?"
"I guarantee it. You have to believe in Mei too."
"Actually, I've known all along."
Elysia happily stepped into the sandbox, letting the white gauze of her clothes fall into it. She had never asked about her hometown. This was not a deliberate neglect, but because she knew that her friends would definitely help her.
If she had asked, it would have made things difficult for Ryan and Mei.
With her hands behind her back, she lightly patted her butt and hummed an unknown tune. Ryan also followed her and secretly glanced at the unusually happy girl.
"By the way, you didn't live here for too long, did you?"
"I'm not telling you. Otherwise, you'll be able to guess my age!" Elysia was very alert. Then she pounced and covered Ryan's mouth with her hands. "No more talking. I know what you're thinking. I'll really, really, really get angry."
Ryan had recently been infected by Mobius. He originally wanted to say that Elysia was one of the oldest Flame-Chasers in terms of age, and then call her 'Auntie' a few times. Seeing her eyebrows standing up in anger, he gave up. But there was one thing he had to admit:
Her curvy and soft body was indeed worthy of her age. A pure maiden's heart and a voluptuous woman's body. It made him both scold Cao Cao, understand Cao Cao, and become Cao Cao.
Then Elysia's face turned red. She quickly let go of his mouth and rubbed the ground with her toes. Suddenly, she looked up again.
"How about I show you what Vostok used to be like?"
"How?" Ryan looked around. This place was very beautiful, but like most towns, it was silent.
The doors and windows were sealed with wooden planks, and the walls were covered with vines. In just a few months, it had become dilapidated. But soon, his pupils slightly contracted.
A bustling crowd walked by them. Ribbons fluttered on the empty flagpoles. Clear water sprayed from the hands of a statue. Some old people were dozing on the long benches.
It was a lively scene, filled with a festive atmosphere. Ryan looked around blankly and saw a group of children playing in the playground. The silver bell-like laughter kept coming to his ears.
Among them, there was a girl with slightly curly pink hair, wearing a blue and white dress. Her face was a little chubby, as cute as a doll.
Her small hands held a shovel, and she was seriously building a castle. Occasionally, she would stand up and wipe the sweat from her forehead, acting like an old lady and directing her friends to transport materials.
Is this... a mental illusion? No, it should be a heart feedback, showing me her memories?
Ryan immediately understood that this was Elysia's Authority. He didn't expect it to have such a magical effect. He turned his head and looked at her. He saw that Elysia's face was filled with a smile, and she was holding her own face, as if her heart was melting along with it.
"Hehe, isn't it more lively when I introduce my hometown to you this way?"
"I'm surprised you remember it so clearly."
"I always remember happy things very clearly. And Ryan, I actually met you a long time ago."
Met me a long time ago?
Ryan was full of questions. He had indeed asked about Vostok, but by that time, Elysia had already traveled the world, so he gave up on the idea of riding on her coattails and went to Shenzhou to find Hua.
But Elysia didn't explain. She slowly walked forward. Ryan had no choice but to follow her, and at the same time, he focused his attention on the children.
"Hey, we've brought the stones and the leaves."
"Aven, can you make the leaves into a garden? Remember to make it neat." The pink-haired girl put her hands on her hips, just like a designer directing a project.
The brown-haired boy squatted down and did it seriously. He then seemed to remember something and looked up: "By the way, what's your name? It's weird to just keep calling you 'hey, hey, hey'."
"She doesn't have a name. Mommy Celina's names were all rejected. She's just a weirdo." A girl who was also transporting materials interjected.
"A name is too important. I have to choose the most beautiful and best-sounding one." The pink-haired girl said as if it was only natural. Then she quietly walked over, hugged the girl, and reached out to tickle her. "And Marian, as a friend, you're not allowed to say bad things about me!"
The girl laughed and rolled on the ground. The boys didn't know why, but they were a little envious when they saw the two happy faces.
"Hey, can we be your friends too?"
The pink-haired girl stopped what she was doing. Her gem-like eyes stared at the few people in front of her. She suddenly smiled, showing all her white teeth.
"Of course. I'll be friends with everyone!"
So her social anxiety was something she had from a young age. But Elysia was truly happy at this time.
Ryan quietly watched the memories. There were adults who came and gave gifts to the children from the orphanage. Of course, the pink-haired girl received the most. Her hands were filled with various snacks, which made the other children a bit jealous, but Elysia didn't notice this. She just lightly jumped out of the sandbox and ran to the slide.
There were a few children there who were either in wheelchairs or were missing a limb, and some had faces covered in burns or were albinos. As humans were creatures that judged by appearance, normal children wouldn't play with them, and adults were too lazy to give them gifts.
Under his gaze, the pink-haired girl gave all her gifts to the children. She only had a bag of cookies left in her hand. She waved at the woman who had given her the gifts.
"Aunt Cathy, I'm too young to eat so much. Instead of wasting it, it's better for everyone to be happy together."
"This child is so kind."
"And so cute. She's definitely a beauty. And Celina, she still hasn't given her a name."
"My Aven will definitely marry her in the future. You can tell from a young age that she will be a good wife."
"Pfft, you're dreaming. She's our future wife!"
Ryan stood next to these people, a smile like an aunt's on his face. He then slightly tilted his head and saw Elysia's face turning red with shyness, which made him even more speechless.
They were praising you as a child. Why are you blushing now?
"Ahem, I didn't expect your emotional intelligence to be so high. Is this also something you were born with?"
"No, I just felt how sad those friends were, so I did it subconsciously." Elysia tilted her head, as if she had just thought of something. She held up her index finger. "But I also learned one thing."
"What thing?"
"Happiness needs to be shared. If a person occupies all the good things, the taste of happiness will also fade. Hurry up, let's continue watching."
Ryan was confused. He, a transmigrator with memories of his previous life, couldn't understand this. He would automatically enter a state of rationality. His innocence had been worn away in his previous life.
So he followed Elysia's footsteps, watching the changing seasons, and at the same time, listening to Elysia introduce the people and things of the town.
There was the tailor aunt who gave her cookies, the butcher uncle who loved to tease her, and of course, the kind-hearted Mommy Celina, and the friends from the orphanage.
The pink-haired girl gradually grew up in a loving environment. She learned to cook clumsily and to clean. She loved to lie on her stomach in the orphanage's garden, sniffing the fragrance of the flowers while wagging her two small legs.
This scene was filled with warmth in the eyes of Ryan, the bystander. It even reminded him of some silly things he did as a child. He just stood behind the girl, watching her doodle.
The wonderful and pure days continued for a while, and then the style of the scene suddenly changed.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared. It was pouring rain. The pink-haired girl ran in the mud, delivering hot soup to the adults who were building a dam. She fell down repeatedly and got up repeatedly. Her beautiful dress was covered in mud.
But she finally made it to the dam and delivered the steaming hot meat soup to the adults. She was enjoying their praise, and then her entire face froze.
In the end, the river burst its banks. The roaring floodwaters swept away the butcher uncle and the others. The girl instinctively wanted to jump in and save them, but Celina held her firmly.
The orphanage director held the girl very tightly, pressing her into her chest. The muddy raincoat blocked out the outside world, and she just kept saying to her over and over again.
"Don't be afraid. It will pass."
But this girl, who seemed to have grown up in a greenhouse, was not afraid. Instead, she secretly looked at the screams of the drowning people, the frustration of the people who were unable to rescue them, and the collapse of the beautiful houses like building blocks.
Ryan almost instinctively jumped into the water. With his power, this kind of thing could be solved with a flick of his wrist, but in the end, he didn't move.
On one hand, this was a memory, and there was no possibility of interference. On the other hand, he also saw the girl's growth and hoped she would understand:
This world not only had happiness, but it was also filled with helplessness and regret.
The sky was gray. A few flatbed trucks drove on the road, carrying bloated corpses. Around them were crying family members. The pink-haired girl was exceptionally noticeable. While all the other children were hiding in their homes, she was staring directly at the corpses and, to everyone's stunned eyes, offered the small white flowers she had picked herself.
The girl understood death and realized that some things in this world, once missed, could never be recovered. She looked death in the eye and offered her blessings.
Ryan saw many, many things. For example, the man who had wanted the pink-haired girl to be his daughter-in-law had been drinking all day after his wife drowned and finally hanged himself from a beam. Aven, the brown-haired boy, sat blankly against a wall. Only the pink-haired girl gently draped a blanket over him.
Amidst the roars of 'get out' and 'I don't need pity,' the girl remained calm and just silently stayed with him.
When winter passed, time wore away the sadness. The boy was taken away by his relatives, his face flushed red as he seemed to be saying something.
Then the pink-haired girl smiled and gave out her first 'good person' card in her life.
It was autumn again. Human traffickers who were passing by noticed the pink-haired girl and decided to make a move one afternoon.
Even though he knew this was a memory replay, when the human traffickers actually tied the girl up and took her away, he had already pulled out the Judgement of Shamash. The anger almost set the mountains on fire. He only regained his composure after Elysia next to him held him down.
Fortunately, the girl was very smart. She eventually escaped and also rescued the other kidnapped children. Then she returned to the orphanage as if nothing had happened and comforted the crying woman.
"Mommy Celina, don't cry. I'm very strong. Even if I see a lot of darkness, I can be like the sun and shine my light to drive it away."
The girl realized that besides kindness, there was also evil in the world, and she had the courage to overcome evil. She then became even more eager for adventure, to see the vastness of the world, and to connect with more of humanity.
Kind people, evil people, cruel people, friendly people... But all these thoughts had one central point, which was to let the light of happiness shine on this colorful and mottled world.
So on a certain morning, she found her Mommy Celina, and her fair little hands were held up high.
"Mommy Celina, I've found my name."
"Hmm? Let me hear it." The loving woman who was cleaning turned around.
"It's the name of this fairy tale. I also want to create a beautiful paradise."
Ryan's and the woman's gazes simultaneously looked over. Even though he already knew the result, he still recited it along with the childish voice.
"A timeless paradise, the Pure Land of the Golden Courtyard--"
As her words fell, a gust of wind from the garden outside the window blew past. Beautiful flower petals danced in the sky. The sound of the wind was like a chant. The petals blew like horns. The heaven and earth seemed to be resonating, cheering for the same voice.
"Elysia!"
Ryan closed his eyes. Through the memory replay, this feeling was very subtle. He had experienced a similar feeling before.
A salute for the birth of a 'goddess.'
The world of memory was twisting. The past was quietly dissipating. But Ryan, who was only closing his eyes to feel it, didn't notice that the splendidly dressed Herrscher of Human and the pink-haired girl holding up the fairy tale simultaneously bent their knees and lightly bowed, as if saying goodbye to someone who had been silently watching her.
The only thing that entered his ears was a warm voice.
"I am Elysia. This is my story."