After parting ways with Kevin's group, Silas and Elysia strolled through the amusement park in the noontime sun, discussing where to go next.
The gentle spring breeze paired with the warm afternoon sunlight made for a rather comfortable walk.
"How about we check out the aquarium next?" Elysia suggested. "We can come back here later."
"Sure, that works." Silas glanced at the Ferris wheel in the distance—he already knew what Elysia had in mind.
The Ferris wheel at sunset, huh…
Fire Moth Headquarters — Helix Workshop
Vill-V was tugging at her hair in frustration. They wanted a chance to go on a date with Silas too!
But they were different from everyone else. If their time with him had to be evenly distributed, each persona would get very little—and right now, Pure Evil was the one losing her mind over it.
"I can't take it anymore! Why do they get to go out and have fun with Silas? How long is this stupid 'security review' going to drag on?!" Pure Evil complained furiously.
Her tone then shifted to the cool, analytical voice of the Expert:
"No need to rush, Pure Evil. We'll have our chance soon. The Third Divine Key—the Seven Thunders of Retribution—will be complete before long. The order we're creating the Keys in this time isn't quite the same as last era, but among all the Divine Keys, Seven Thunders of Retribution is the fastest to produce."
"Are we really going with Seven Thunders of Retribution again?" the Conductor chimed in. "Last era, when we built it, we were still pretty novice. Personally, I was most satisfied with its slingshot form and lipstick form."
"Hmm… I think this time we could give it additional forms," the Magician suggested with a shrug. "After all, Silas usually favors a spear-type weapon."
By now, Pure Evil had calmed down. Her tone became calculating:
"This time, we have to maximize the Third Herrscher's core output. We all know the situation. No matter what we do, Silas won't abandon his ideals, so…"
"This time, it's our turn to save him," the Conductor declared.
"Hmph…" Pure Evil picked up a blueprint. "The Blank Key… Mei's concept is indeed brilliant. If this special Divine Key were made ahead of schedule this time, it could achieve remarkable results."
"But if the Key proves too effective in battle, won't the MANTIS Project have a harder time passing the Council's review?" the Conductor asked.
Pure Evil smirked. "I never planned to make the Blank Key now. Humanity only learns its place after it's been thoroughly hurt. Only then will it seek ways to transcend this fragile flesh."
"Pure Evil… you mean…"
"Mei's Blank Key could still be improved. But until the Seventh Herrscher burns the entire Australian continent to ash, I won't even consider producing it."
With that, she fed the blueprint into a shredder. She had already memorized every detail—paper was irrelevant.
Mobius' Laboratory
"Klein, how many days has Silas been gone?" Mobius asked as she flipped through a stack of experiment reports.
"It's only been two days, Doctor. They'll probably stay in Puglia City a few more days before returning," Klein replied helplessly. What's gotten into her?
Still, over the past two days, the Doctor seemed to have taken an interest in something again—she was back to running experiments more frequently.
Mobius set down the reports and frowned in thought. The MANTIS procedure was already perfected—if Silas came to her now, she could start right away. But the original problem remained: how to deal with the Fire Moth Council.
"Heh… when did I ever start caring about such things?" she muttered with a self-deprecating smile. The MANTIS Project… heh. Until the Seventh Herrscher's flames ravaged Australia—until humanity realized it could never defeat a Herrscher with current means—she would reveal nothing about it.
As for Mei… she could do as she liked. Without memories of the last era, the MANTIS Project Mei was working on could never match what Mobius herself—armed with those memories—could achieve.
She had no interest in caring anymore.
Last era, as Silas' collaborator, Mobius had watched him climb the steps toward godhood, and no one knew better than she the price he paid. No one believed less than she did that this world was worth such a sacrifice from him.
The fall of civilization is inevitable, she thought. But he must never be buried with it.
She had fought in the Final Battle and even doubted whether her ability to reincarnate could survive the Finality's ultimate strike. She knew better than anyone how unstoppable it was. That was why, from the moment she was reborn, her approach to fighting the Honkai had been… extremely passive.
"No… if we started the Stigma Project early, maybe… No, Silas would never agree. This time, I just need to find a way to bring those old fools down and seize the authority for myself."
Silas couldn't just replace the Council members—he had no way of finding suitable substitutes. Mobius, however, had her own channels. The only thing she had to worry about was that the Council's personal security was the most elite this civilization could provide. Unless a MANTIS took action, assassination was next to impossible.
"Unless… we used Sariel," Mobius thought, recalling the fallen angel who always obediently stayed by Silas' side.
Kalpas could do it too, technically—but his uncontrollable nature made him a terrible choice. And could his methods even be called assassination? For him, "assassination" meant slaughtering everyone in sight until no witnesses remained. That would only make it painfully obvious that Kalpas was the culprit.
Better to ask Silas where Sariel is when he comes back.
Back in Puglia City
"Wow, what a cute pendant! Silas, let's buy this one!" Elysia said, clinging to his arm.
Silas had tried to pull away at first… but between Elysia's unusually firm insistence and the fact that any attempt to free his arm inevitably meant brushing against something, resistance was futile.
He surrendered.
To be fair, Elysia could pull off things Lilith never could. After all, Lilith was… roughly Pardo's size. Maybe even smaller.
A rare breath of fresh air in the Previous Era.
Hua didn't count—completely unrelated matter, not even in the discussion.
Since struggling was pointless, there was no reason to overthink it. Just go along with things and handle them as they came.
If Elysia found a pendant cute, he couldn't just say "Okay, buy it" and move on—he had to really look at it. At the very least, she needed to know he wasn't brushing her off.
Lilith was a different story. In those cases, he'd always trust her judgment. After all, most of his recent improvements in emotional intelligence had come from Lilith's influence.
They visited the aquarium together, and once again, Silas found himself silently questioning this whole "daughter of a god" thing. Was that why everything seemed to love her by default?
Even the fish ignored the keeper and all swam toward her side of the tank…
Was he sure he hadn't wandered onto the set of some other show?
"Silas, you've been staring at me for a while now… Um, I'm happy, but I am getting a little embarrassed…" Elysia said.
Silas: "…"
No, he was just checking to see if she was literally glowing.
After touring the aquarium, they went to watch a movie starring Eden. By the time they returned to the amusement park, the sky was already growing dim.
Elysia looked up at the golden dusk. "Looks like the timing is perfect."
Silas glanced at the setting sun, handed their tickets to the attendant, and stepped onto the Ferris wheel with her.
"Silas, when you rode the Ferris wheel with Lilith, did she tell you about the Ferris wheel legend?" Elysia asked.
"Ah, you mean that legend?" Silas rested his chin on his hand, watching the sunset beyond the glass. "They say every couple that rides the Ferris wheel eventually breaks up… but if they kiss at the very top, they'll be together forever."
He and Elysia—or Lilith—weren't couples, so why would he care about a legend like that?
Why was Elysia bringing this up? Wait… could it be that she was planning…? No, surely not… right?
"So, after Lilith told you that legend, what did she do?" Elysia pressed.
"Nothing," Silas replied. "We just watched the sunset together."
It was the truth—Lilith really hadn't done anything.
They had simply sat there, side by side, watching the sun sink below the horizon in perfect, peaceful silence.
"I see…" Elysia turned her gaze to the sunset as well. "That's still quite romantic, though…"
The two of them sat in quiet companionship, watching the sun vanish into the horizon as the sky gradually darkened and city lights began to flicker to life below.
When the Ferris wheel was about to reach its highest point, Elysia spoke up.
"Silas… could you look at me? Really look at me?"
"Hm?" Silas turned toward her—only to see Elysia already standing in front of him. She leaned down, wrapped her arms around him, and—without the slightest hesitation—kissed him.
Silas: "???"
A repeat performance? Did everyone around him have a thing for surprise kisses?
The final glimmer of sunlight faded away, and the night sky bloomed with stars.
As the Ferris wheel began its descent, Elysia finally released him. A rosy blush colored her cheeks as she smiled softly.
"This is how I feel. No matter what happens from here on out, nothing will ever change. Wherever, whenever—Elysia will always be here."
They say hesitation leads to defeat, and decisiveness leads to loss. In Elysia's mind, decisiveness might sometimes get you nothing—but hesitation always ends in failure. Against Lilith, hesitation was meaningless; only a clear, bold move could make her feelings reach Silas.
Silas looked up at her, then rose to his feet and pulled her into a hug.
"I've received your feelings—loud and clear."
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