---o---
[This simulation has now concluded.]
[Congratulations, player, for inheriting the Honkai Beast Gene 'Varuna'.]
[Congratulations, player, for receiving the following rewards: 'Aponia's Crucifix', Tarot Card - The Sun, 200 days of life extension, and 700 Crystals.]
[Congratulations, player, for facing a deity directly. You have received an additional reward: 3000 Crystals.]
---o---
"Cough, cough… Killing yourself really is an awful feeling…"
Opening his eyes, Fu Li stared at the familiar ceiling and subconsciously touched his chest.
He could feel that the moment the simulation ended, the chattering voice of the Herrscher of Domination in his ear vanished instantly. The whole world was quiet again.
"Hehehe~"
Without rushing to check his rewards, Fu Li went to the kitchen, grabbed a can of soda, and sat on the sofa to rest for a while.
Only after finishing an episode of an anime did Fu Li open the system interface to check the items he had obtained.
[Aponia's Crucifix]
[This is the most sincere prayer of a nun's lifetime. Her spirit has become a long river, using this as a conduit to connect and entangle the two of you.]
[Within it contains her blessings and power, which she has entrusted to you completely, without reservation.]
[When necessary, you can formulate a 'precept' and attach it to others or yourself.]
[Note: A special effect will be triggered when you encounter Aponia in future simulations.]
[Tarot Card - The Sun]
[This card will be used automatically. It will make different special adjustments based on the target of the next simulation. You will become the light for the simulation's character.]
Looking at his latest rewards, Fu Li tilted his head, a little puzzled.
What the hell was this Tarot card? Used automatically upon entering a simulation? Become the light for the simulation's character?
He wasn't Daigo, how was he supposed to become light?
Despite his confusion, Fu Li decided he would find out what it meant after the next simulation began, and closed the page.
The shop hadn't been updated this time, but with his newfound wealth, Fu Li went ahead and purchased Mobius's Honkai Energy Laboratory.
After so many simulations, Fu Li had come to accept certain things.
The Honkai Eruption was inevitable, but with proper preparation, more people could be saved.
With the materials he could buy for 2200 Crystals, plus the Honkai Energy Laboratory for 1500 Crystals, he could replicate the anti-Honkai agent he and Mobius had jointly developed in the simulation.
When the time came, he could add it to the nearby reservoir, which would prevent the vast majority of the city's population from dying of Honkai energy radiation.
"But… should I hand it over to someone…? I feel like both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal are unreliable, and the World Serpent's Stigma Project is just as deadly."
Fu Li rubbed the still-warm horns on his head, feeling a bit melancholic. He slumped onto the table and sighed deeply.
This feeling of sitting on a gold mine without a trustworthy faction to rely on was truly frustrating.
He couldn't just go and beat up a faction to gain their support, could he?
For some reason, Fu Li suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for The MOTHs Who Chase the Flame, the organization he had pushed around in every simulation.
---o---
Meanwhile, at Schicksal Headquarters, within a secret chapel.
This was the sanctuary for Schicksal's high command, pure and flawless, as if constructed entirely from white jade. The mere sight of it inspired a sense of holiness.
However, beneath the chapel lay a place of utmost darkness.
In the shadows, a figure sat quietly on a chair carved from white jade. She held a carving knife, slowly and meticulously sculpting something.
On the ground around her were countless white jade dolls, all with the same face. The only difference was that some had no horns, while others did.
The clothes they wore were varied: a white lab coat, trendy modern outfits, a priest's vestments, or mysterious armor.
Suddenly, the carving knife paused. The sound of unhurried footsteps echoed from the surroundings.
"My old friend, it's been a long time. Why have you called me here today?" A blond man emerged from the darkness, dressed in the robes of a Schicksal Bishop.
As he walked, his gaze swept nonchalantly over the dolls on the floor, a flicker of nostalgia flashing in his eyes before disappearing.
"Otto, I have called you here because we have finally reached the fated moment. The person I have waited 50,000 years for has finally reappeared."
"And the time for your Kallen's resurrection will also soon arrive."
A voice as gentle as a butterfly's wings sounded. Aponia slowly raised her head, her vacant eyes seeming to stare silently at Otto.
But Otto knew that this monster before him, an existence that predated the birth of Schicksal itself, was not looking at him.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart.
500 years. He had waited for 500 years, and he could finally see his Kallen again.
Aponia said no more, silently watching a thread of light that suddenly extended from her fingertip, stretching all the way to Nagazora City.
It is not yet time. Do not be hasty.
She told herself this as her gaze fell upon Otto.
"Otto, do you remember the fission bomb you launched on the Siberian Plains all those years ago?"
"Hmm? You know about that?" Otto looked up, only to see Aponia shake her head and continue.
"I will not offer any opinion on your actions, but you must know that God is not a benevolent entity."
"Therefore, do not be easily deceived by it. [Please] trust in me and Li. We will not go back on the promise we made to you."
Hearing this, Otto nodded, a careless smile on his lips. "I am aware, my old friend. I was deluded by God at the time, but I did make amends later, did I not?"
"Otherwise, with Schicksal's power and intelligence network, how could Sirin and the others be living so peacefully?"
Aponia didn't dwell on the matter; her purpose was merely to offer a reminder.
If it weren't for the agreement Li had made with this man, and the fact that she truly needed a faction to help her, she would never have chosen to cooperate with him.
"Although I cannot reunite with Li right now, I can sense that he has run into some trouble. It is related to money."
"And you, Otto, you know him. I need you to send someone to approach him. Remember not to use violent means."
"Unless, of course, you want another one of Schicksal's chapels to be demolished by him."
"Very well. I will arrange for Rita to liaise with him. Is there anything else?" Otto agreed without a second thought, treating it as a trivial matter.
"That is all. You may leave."
"Mm, then goodbye for now, my old friend."
After a slight bow, Otto turned and left the place that even he found sinister.