Ryan walked out of the Magician's cabin in a daze. It had been a long time since he had been led by the nose like this. He immediately gave the Pornography Censor persona a rating:
Extremely dangerous, absolutely no contact.
The false evil is distortion, trying to swallow others with darkness. The true evil is a guide, like a chosen one of Slaanesh, bestowing blessings equally and even calling it a great cause.
The so-called "I don't die from social embarrassment, others do" and the ability to dig into others' dark and profound inner worlds made Ryan admire her.
He suddenly regretted giving the two Herrscher cores to the Pornography Censor. Who knows what she'll come up with? He could only think of it in a good way.
"The human collapse experiment is getting more and more proficient. The cores of the Herrscher of Domination and the Herrscher of Binding have also been obtained. Our combat power can still be improved. Maybe Vil-V can even create Slaanesh corruption."
The workshop behind him instantly became a dragon's den and a tiger's lair. Ryan wished he could set up a binding field to prevent anyone from approaching.
At least he had handed over the things. Where to next?
Ryan yawned. Should he go back to his room and appreciate Vil-V's blessing? Believe me, there must be something fishy in it.
Should he go talk to Mei about Calis? Forget it. Kevin just left excitedly, and I would arrive right after. I can't stand the Salvation's resentment.
As he thought, he leaned on the railing, looking at the busy scene in the huge hangar below.
A mecha more than ten meters tall was being moved to a joint and fixed. Hundreds of mechanics were inspecting the system, and some battle fighters with twin canard wings were being assembled. They were all controlled by a supercomputer, and their shape reminded him of a certain combat fairy.
They were all precious things that were not used against the Herrscher of Binding, but that might not be the case in the future. Even these maintenance personnel were the elite of the elite. It was too foolish to use a human wave strategy to deal with Herrschers. Ordinary people didn't even have the right to fight to the death.
"Commander-in-chief, why did you come to the hangar? Is a man's chest better-looking than a beautiful girl's chest?"
A slightly lewd voice sounded. Ryan squinted and immediately clenched his fists: "Coleman, are you asking for a beating? Wasn't the Herrscher of Binding cruel enough to you? How about I give you a precise binding?"
His gaze fell on his crotch, and the authority was gathering. Ryan was about to perform a magical castration. The blonde young man jumped away like a rabbit.
"Don't be so hard on me. I'm just simply curious."
In his opinion, why would someone come to this place full of the smell of engine oil when they could be in the warm embrace of a beautiful girl? Is there something wrong with his brain?
"Do you think I'm as perverted as you?"
Aren't you? And you're much more powerful than me. At least I'm on an assembly line. You go directly with a parallel combination and you're good at it.
"That's definitely not the same. Your popularity is so ridiculously high now, you could be an emperor." Coleman's face was full of envy, and he sighed: "I once thought that being handsome and having a smooth tongue would make me a ladies' man, but I was too naive."
"Then what does it take?"
"Ability. If I were you, I would have already put all the women in my harem. You have the ability of a Salvation, why don't you ask for a reward?"
Seeing this man's shameless appearance, Ryan laughed in anger, but he also admitted that he was right. Everything in the world has a price, and those who don't ask for a reward are always a minority.
"Nice flattery. I forgive you." Ryan bypassed him and looked at the hangar, finding that Andrei, Himeko, and others were all there. He then asked: "Didn't I issue a rest order? Are you so busy?"
The few of them looked at each other, and Himeko was the one who complained: "Dr. Mei caught us to do a mission. There are a few slackers, so we have more work. By the way, can you do something about it?"
Ryan awkwardly scratched his face. He knew that some people were shameless and loved to slack off, and everyone was tolerant of her. This didn't change at all after her Herrscher identity was exposed.
She was the group's darling. The defeat of the Herrscher of Binding this time also dispelled the last suspicion.
"You've worked hard."
"It's nothing. Anyway, they can't help. If the commander-in-chief is so kind, you can introduce Nuwa to me." Coleman was rambling on when he was chopped on the head, and he rolled his eyes and fainted.
"Lieutenant Colonel, you're slacking off too!" The ice-blue-haired girl knocked him out with one punch, bowed politely to Ryan, and dragged Coleman away by his collar.
Next, a simulated battle was about to begin. The High-Ranking Fusion Warriors would act as Herrschers to test the ordinary Fusion Warriors who were piloting the mechas. With insufficient resources, they could only try to improve quality.
Ryan had nothing to do, so he simply watched these people's exercises. At least he was doing something worthy of his salary, even though he had never been paid.
As the hatch opened, the cold air at an altitude of ten thousand meters rushed in. Perhaps it was because Ryan was personally supervising, the warriors all seemed very serious, and someone even brought him a digital screen.
It really is Mobile Suit Gundam...
Ryan also watched with great interest, seeing the mechas more than ten meters high flying up and down. The Honkai energy shields deflected the shots from Coleman and others, and they used electromagnetic railguns to return fire. The huge bodies were very flexible and swooped down to the sea in the blink of an eye. They also released six small cannons equipped with anti-gravity engines to harass them.
Oh, they even made funnels, and beam sabers.
A concentrated beam of Honkai energy slashed at the ice shield condensed by Andrei, leaving a half-meter-deep mark. Then the electromagnetic railgun fired at close range and was deflected by the wings of a half-human, half-dragon monster.
The power was decent, but due to the limitations of technology, the size was a bit too large, and it wasn't as flexible.
Ryan also saw the weaknesses of these mechas. They were just toys to him, but they were enough to deal with high-level Honkai Beasts. At this time, some heavy-armored warriors more than three meters tall went up and compressed the activity space of Andrei and others.
The power armor was finally mass-produced.
Ryan valued these things more. After all, he personally brought back the improved data. Gradually, he probably understood the tactics.
The output of auxiliary energy was high and low. The weaker Fusion Warriors piloted the giant mechas, and the stronger ones were equipped with power armor. Freya, Werner, and Himeko belonged to the latter. Each of them led a team of elites and High-Ranking Fusion Warriors to fight in close quarters, while the giant mechas provided fire support from a distance.
The funnels flew up and down, and the warriors in small teams continuously entangled them. Even when Andrei couldn't help but use the human collapse, they could still fight evenly. In the end, they lost only when their energy was exhausted.
"Excellent." Ryan clapped his hands lightly, watching the steel giants fall into the hangar. The maintenance personnel who were already prepared came up to them.
This war had a distinction between protagonists and supporting roles, but no one was standing by and watching. Everyone was doing their best in their own way. As long as they didn't encounter a BUG authority like the Herrscher of Binding, they could all be of use.
Thump thump thump.
Steel collided, and jetpacks emitted hot white smoke. A group of warriors walked up to Ryan. The person in front took off his helmet and shook his long red hair covered in sweat.
"Commander-in-chief, what do you think of our performance?"
"Providing cover is more than enough. War is not a duel on a stage. Everyone has their own specialty. Only by showing this specialty can we have hope of victory." Ryan praised them sincerely, not because he could casually crush them, did he look down on them.
"We can't help it, we're just ordinary people, we can't be protagonists." Himeko laughed, still full of fighting spirit. "Some things only you can do, but we can save you some energy and be good cannon fodder to be your stepping stones."
This woman's personality had always been bold. Ryan knew that she didn't mean to be sarcastic, so he waved his hand: "The roles are just different. War has always been soldier against soldier, general against general, king against king. Just like the Herrscher of Binding, without you continuously exhausting her, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to take her head."
"Make the core armament project a key project. Concentrate resources. I want all 871 Fusion Warriors to be armed to the teeth."
Himeko was the project manager, so she reminded him: "The resources might not be enough."
"Then we'll deduct it from the Seed Project. Since we've chosen to burn our bridges, there's no need to be hesitant. Even if it increases our hope by a little bit, it's worth it."
Ryan showed his determination, which made Himeko and the others fall silent for a moment, as if they had all let out a sigh of relief. With Dr. Mei's intelligence, she probably had a way out, but these soldiers might be left behind. No one wanted to be an abandoned pawn.
There was no guarantee, but at least he showed his attitude, which made them feel more at ease.
"Oh, Ryan, you're here. You made me look for you everywhere."
A crisp voice came. Elysia hummed a little tune and walked around the corner, and then she saw hundreds of warriors all turn their heads to look at her at the same time.
She was stunned for a moment, quietly stuck out her tongue, then put her hands behind her back and retreated the way she came.
The king of slackers is here.
Ryan thought to himself that Elysia was still ashamed, at least she knew to go back.
"Elysia is looking for you. You should go."
"Himeko, you don't mind anymore?" Ryan stared at the red-haired woman and had already noticed that she was deliberately avoiding Elysia.
"I can only say that destiny is a bit unfair. Elysia is indeed very special. At least I can't explain it."
"Yeah, she's a unique elf in a million cycles of civilization." Ryan looked at everyone and said seriously: "She is an indispensable companion for us to cross the Finality. I think anyone with a little bit of a brain won't question that."
He gave this a definitive statement. Aponia didn't give any 'must accept Elysia' commandments. Everyone's thoughts were naturally different, but with Ryan's guarantee and Elysia's own performance, it was no longer a taboo within the Fire Moth.
Even the most extreme and suspicious person wouldn't think that Elysia was acting to stab humanity in the back, because the premise of that result would be that Ryan was stupid, and people who thought he was stupid generally didn't live very long.
With a combination of these factors, there was no need for a commandment to make people stand at attention and salute.
"Yes, Commander-in-chief."
It's done.
Ryan was also very happy to see that everyone was so understanding. Even though their acceptance of Elysia's identity was not important, they were all on the same ship, and it was always good to have less internal friction.
Ryan returned a salute, then turned and left. When he got to the entrance of the hangar, he saw Elysia leaning against the wall, humming an unknown tune.
"Nervous?"
"Why would I be nervous? I know everyone likes me." Elysia's pure eyes were filled with confusion, not knowing why Ryan asked this.
Okay, I guess it's just you.
Ryan had always been impressed with Elysia's mentality. He, a suspicious person, couldn't do it anyway. The only people he could absolutely trust were his friends.
He glanced at the girl leaning against the wall. She was wearing a short skirt similar to a sailor's uniform, white stockings, and brown leather shoes. She was also wearing a hat. She looked less glamorous and more youthful than usual.
"How do I look? Eden made this for me. Does it look good?" Elysia noticed his gaze. Not only was she not shy, but she generously spun around in a circle.
Her skirt flew open like butterfly wings, revealing a soft piece of skin between the white stockings. The black and white were so distinct, just like the legendary absolute territory.
"Not bad. You look like a high school girl from a Japanese anime waiting for her boyfriend at the school gate."
"Who's waiting for her boyfriend!" Elysia immediately stopped spinning, her face slightly red, and she seemed very happy. "But I like the name 'high school girl'. I feel like I'm taking advantage of Mobius."
"Why?"
"She's an aunt. Doesn't that make me look younger?"
Pfft.
Ryan was amused by this thought process. He imagined it carefully, and it really seemed to be as she said.
"Hmm, Mobius is indeed not suitable for a school uniform. She's more suitable for a white coat as a health doctor, the kind who gives after-school tutoring."
"Ryan, no lewd thoughts."
Looking at the pink-haired girl shaking her index finger in front of him, Ryan's smile became strange: "Huh, I only said 'after-school tutoring'. How did you link it to lewdness? Could it be..."
"I'm not, I didn't watch!" Elysia immediately denied it, getting anxious. She covered Ryan's mouth with one hand and dragged him away with the other.
"As punishment for the misunderstanding, you have to accompany me to the living area for two laps!"
The invincible commander-in-chief was dragged away just like that. A group of warriors who were secretly watching wanted to laugh but didn't dare. Elysia could indeed make people happy at any time and in any place.
Andrei's face was full of nostalgia. He opened his mouth and sighed: "They are so young. It reminds me of..."
"Stop! If you want to reminisce about your youthful romance, please go find Division Head Edwin. He loves to reminisce about his ex-wife. You two will surely get along." Owl quickly raised her hand to stop him. She was the last Fusion Warrior to return to the team. In a short time, she had heard it dozens of times, and her ears were calloused.
Ice Fist's face turned red in embarrassment, and he repeatedly lamented that the warriors nowadays didn't understand how to respect the old and love the young. He shook his head and went into self-isolation.
The remaining people chuckled. These old guys just loved to reminisce. They also understood that their old friends had died too much, and all they had left was memories.
"And you, Coleman, before I get mad, put away your lewd smile and get lost!" Owl looked at the playboy with a face full of envy, showing her disgust.
"Why? I didn't do anything."
"But you must be thinking of something lewd. Believe it or not, I'll write a report to the commander-in-chief."
"Is thinking lewd a crime? A woman fighter shouldn't just punch randomly, right? Besides, I would never dare to fantasize about Miss Elysia." Coleman stood on his tiptoes, his face serious, and his eyes secretly scanned the blue-haired girl in front of him.
Even though she had scary spiral horns on her head and a lizard tail dragging behind her, her figure was explosive, and her face was delicate and cute.
"Owl, even if I were to fantasize, my target would be you."
"You're asking for death!!"
The air suddenly became several times thicker. The girl lashed out with her tail, but Coleman was prepared and ran away, instead leaving a hole in the wall.
Owl looked at the big hole in the wall and was even more furious. She took a step and chased after him.
"Don't run! I'm going to kill you today!"
"These two idiots fight every day, aren't they tired of it?" Freya, who looked like a punk girl, scratched her ear and blew a bubble with her gum. "Himeko, you have to write a report again."
"If I remember correctly, you're the one in charge of loss reports."
"I have to read fashion magazines. I don't have time for these troublesome things." The girl mumbled carelessly and then nudged her chin towards the two figures walking away. "I wish all Herrschers were like this. We wouldn't have to fight to the death every day."
"Elysia is unique, and one person who is naturally surrounded by love is enough."
"I didn't mean that. Hehe. I mean, if all Herrschers were like a person, the commander-in-chief would handle them all by himself. We wouldn't need to go out there."
"Freya, what do you mean by 'handle'?"
The two women looked at each other and simultaneously revealed a meaningful smile.
...
Achoo—
Ryan suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, and a strange feeling came over him.
"Did you catch a cold?" Elysia looked at him with concern, shaking the milk tea cup in her hand.
"How could I catch a cold? Someone must be talking badly about me behind my back." Ryan snorted unhappily and guessed who was talking badly about him.
It must be those peeping bastards thinking unhealthy things again. I suspect the 'Hyperion' is full of the Pornography Censor's followers. I need to establish a tribunal to properly rectify them.
Ryan didn't care. He didn't only see the Flame-Chasers in the Golden Court. From the High-Ranking Fusion Warriors to the most ordinary soldiers, every single one was a living person. It was just that his energy was limited, and he couldn't think of everyone.
Speaking of which, Mei, this woman, had a lot of hope for this battleship. She actually made the interior so rich.
The Hyperion was very large, about 1.5 times the size of a certain U.S. Navy Ford-class aircraft carrier. Because a large number of nanomachines and supercomputers were used, there were not many crew members. Plus, with only a few hundred Fusion Warriors, it had a huge design redundancy.
To prepare for a long-term war, Mei had built complete living, research, and production facilities. She even built a commercial street in the middle and lower sections, with facilities such as a movie theater, a bathhouse, a supermarket, and a library. It was basically an aerial fortress with aerospace capabilities.
"Magnificent projects can ruin a country. All the savings of the Fire Moth must have been exhausted. This is all thanks to me taking control of the organization in advance, giving Mei time to integrate the world's resources. Vil-V also helped a lot."
This was a battleship designed by a once-in-a-lifetime genius with the power of the entire world. Just thinking of the underground city that was destroyed by the Herrscher of Binding, Ryan's heart was bleeding.
I hope this time it wasn't a waste. The remaining savings are really not enough for Mei to build another magnificent project.
"Ryan, what are you muttering about? You said you'd accompany me shopping, so no thinking of random things." Elysia's face suddenly appeared in front of him. The milk tea in her hand had been replaced with an ice cream cone.
"I was just complaining. What do you think of this ship?"
"It's great. It's so stable that you can't even feel that it's flying in the sky." Elysia kept licking with her little tongue, pointing to the shops on both sides. "Although it's a bit small, it has everything it needs. Mei is really thoughtful."
"This cost a huge amount of money. It would have been better to plan it as a warehouse."
"Anyway, it's useless to stuff more soldiers in. It's better to let everyone fight happily."
The perspective was fresh. Ryan looked at the Fusion Warriors who were strolling around and nodded slightly in agreement.
Fusion Warriors had almost unlimited lifespans. Although this ship didn't have sci-fi equipment like warp drive, if they spent tens of thousands of years, they might really be able to run to other galaxies.
Mei, this woman, really leaves room for maneuver at any time.
With a smart person helping him, Ryan felt much more at ease. One must know that there was more than one aerial battleship. Including the 'Raven', which didn't have the ability to fly outside the atmosphere, the Fire Moth could form a fleet.
"Where to next?"
"The movie theater or the photo studio. You choose one."
When he heard 'photo studio', Ryan squinted and seemed to see the girl's 'cunning' smile. He knew she hadn't given up on that plan.
The dispute at the hospital hadn't ended yet. Elysia's 'everyone together' proposal was naturally rejected. The ball was kicked back to Ryan's feet. He had been focusing on his work these past few days just to avoid these people he couldn't afford to mess with.
"Let's go to the movie theater. Even though I just watched one."
"Who did you watch it with?"
"Vil-V. She kindly invited me to watch a high-definition movie. I couldn't resist her, so I had a small appreciation."
Elysia felt that Ryan's smile was a bit strange, but she didn't think too much of it and pulled him into the movie theater.
There were many posters on the walls, most of which were of Eden. The four screening rooms were open 24 hours a day. The central database had collected all the entertainment materials of humanity so far. It was impossible to watch them all.
And just as Elysia was paying, Ryan found that he actually had to buy a ticket.
Was Mei trying to maintain the daily operation of human society and was still trying to maintain the financial system?
Ryan's mind instinctively wandered. Maintaining the financial system was troublesome, but in terms of the 'effort' and 'reward' proposition, it was very important. In this way, after the Finality was passed, everyone could seamlessly transition to the construction period.
Besides fighting the Honkai, life was no different from before. It sounded simple, but it was extremely difficult to achieve.
"I got them. Oh, I forgot to ask what you wanted to watch." At this time, Elysia came back, holding two movie tickets between her fingers. She blinked and said: "Forget it. Anyway, I'm treating, so be a gentleman and accompany me."
"So what are you going to watch?" Ryan was a little curious about her reaction.
"Here. The new anime that I haven't finished watching. I think the Fifth Herrscher interrupted it?"
Ryan took the movie ticket and looked at it. It was actually an anime called "Magical Girl Madoka." He was surprised for a moment.
"You watch this kind of thing too?"
"I have a wide range of interests. I also learned how to make figurines with Edwin recently. Don't call me childish."
Elysia warned him, and then she saw Ryan smile. Just as she was about to turn into a mushroom, she saw the man adjust his glasses.
"I'm sorry, I'm actually a cute otaku too."