Irene looked at the two injectors in her hand. She first stowed away the Honkai Adaptability Enhancer; she could ignore that one for the time being.
With her current Honkai Resistance, she didn't even know if she still needed it. Her Honkai Adaptability was already incredibly strong. But if she were to give it to someone else...
This thing wasn't necessarily a blessing. One needed sufficient Honkai Resistance to manifest the benefits of Honkai Adaptability, and not everyone had a use for high adaptability in the first place.
This led to a dilemma: she couldn't immediately think of anyone to give it to. If she used it herself, her adaptability was already peaked; there likely wasn't room for further improvement.
Unless she decided to stop being human altogether and transform into a Herrscher or a MANTIS—preferably a MANTIS capable of triggering an Active Honkai Reaction—only then might she break through her limits.
But those two paths relied on talent and technology respectively. As for talent, Irene wasn't sure if she had it, nor did she particularly want to test it.
Although Elysia had used her own life to open a small 'backdoor' for all future Herrschers, granting them the right to retain their humanity and choose to fight for mankind, the prospect still made Irene uneasy.
Even if it seemed like everyone eventually became a Herrscher later on, Irene still felt apprehensive about taking that step. It was better not to touch that stuff if she didn't have to.
As for becoming a MANTIS, she didn't understand the technology. The only ones who did were either not yet drawn from the System or were those two little doctors still lying in a state of dormancy.
Moreover, the strength of a MANTIS relied heavily on the Honkai Beast used for fusion, and the side effects were never negligible.
However, she did have someone in mind for the Honkai Resistance Enhancer. Her own resistance was passable and sufficient for use, and since she had learned the Taixuan Sword Qi, she didn't need to worry too much.
But Himeko needed this Honkai Resistance Enhancer right now. After all, she was the one who intended to change this world into the shape she desired.
Irene put away the injectors, rose from the bed, and walked out, intending to find Himeko. Using her A-Rank Valkyrie clearance, she accessed the Hyperion's intelligent system to locate her, then headed straight for the medical bay.
*
Hyperion - Medical Area
"You always push yourself too hard, and now look, something finally went wrong, didn't it?" Theresa looked at Himeko, who was lying on the hospital bed receiving treatment. "If you ask me, you're going to be stuck in bed for the next month or two."
Himeko had, after all, stayed inside Chiyou's body for a long time. Although Irene had handled it in time and prevented Himeko from suffering severe Honkai corruption, she still needed a good rest.
"Sigh, I already said my body is fine. It's not like I haven't been through this level of strain before." Himeko shook her head from the bed.
"That's no excuse. You will rest properly." Theresa stood with her hands on her hips, looking as if she were lecturing a child, but her eyes held a lingering fear.
She had learned the entire sequence of events from Himeko. When she heard about the Honkai energy tide unleashed when the 5,000-year seal was shattered, Theresa understood one thing clearly.
For others, with the protection of Valkyrie armor and by staying at a distance, that kind of Honkai energy tide was endurable for a short time.
But for Himeko, if Irene's Judah hadn't blocked the impact of the Honkai energy tide with the Power of Binding, that single moment would have 100% turned Himeko into a state of severe Corruption.
For a Valkyrie, severe Corruption was equivalent to stepping one foot through the Gates of Hell. The survival rate was not high; death was likely the only final result.
After realizing this, Theresa felt only retroactive fear. Did Irene really know what would happen?
Irene didn't stop the event because she needed to enter Chiyou's body to guide the bombardment, but also to use Judah to protect Himeko. All of this connected in Theresa's mind.
"Do you realize that without Irene, you might not have made it out?"
"I know, I know." Himeko waved her hand. She had long understood matters of life and death; being a Valkyrie had never been an easy job.
"What are you two chatting about?" At that moment, the ward door suddenly opened. Irene walked in from the outside, and after a simple greeting, she looked at Himeko.
"How is your body feeling, Teacher Himeko?"
*
"...Is that what Bronya said?" Cocolia frowned deeply as she looked at Sin Mal on the screen.
Sin nodded. "Yes, Bronya... no, that traitor said exactly that. She even stopped me from capturing that Valkyrie."
"It doesn't matter." Cocolia shook her head. "Against three full A-Rank Valkyries, even if you brought a group of Titans, it would have been difficult to win."
For Sin to defeat one A-Rank Valkyrie with a group of Titans was achievable, but on the surface, the opponent had dispatched three A-Rank Valkyries.
In reality, what had St. Freya sent? Besides those three A-Rank Valkyries, there was the Herrscher of Thunder and a member of the Kaslana Family.
As for Bronya, being her daughter, how could Cocolia not know and have cultivated her? Even earlier than that, Bronya was the Ural Silver Wolf, ranked first on the assassin list.
With Bronya's abilities, plus Project Bunny, she counted as an A-Rank Valkyrie at the very least.
In other words, the opponent had actually deployed at least five A-Rank Valkyries. If that Kaslana also possessed A-Rank strength, it would be six.
It was perfectly normal for Sin to be defeated. Cocolia wouldn't blame her for that; what couldn't be done, simply couldn't be done. There was no need for excuses or harsh criticism.
The only thing she couldn't figure out was Bronya. Logically speaking, Bronya should have been anxious to save Seele.
Why did she back down at such a moment? That was the one point Cocolia couldn't understand.
After pondering for a while, Cocolia looked up at Sin. "In any case, Sin, come back first. You've worked hard on this matter. Leave the rest to me."
"Yes, Mama." Sin nodded obediently, and the communication cut off.
After a period of silence in the room, the computer in front of Cocolia suddenly turned on by itself, a serpent logo appearing on the screen.
Subsequently, Gray Serpent, wearing a pale white mask, appeared in the center of the display. "Good day, Ms. Cocolia."
"Gray Serpent." Cocolia frowned at the suddenly lit screen. "Why are you contacting me at this time? I didn't initiate a call."
"Oh? Did I disturb you, Ms. Cocolia?" Gray Serpent's tone was incredibly flat, sounding as if he were absolutely certain that nothing else was disturbing Cocolia at this moment.
Cocolia heard the strangeness in Gray Serpent's tone but couldn't easily flare up. "Let's be direct, Gray Serpent. What exactly do you want to say?"
"Since Ms. Cocolia puts it that way, I will speak plainly." Gray Serpent's voice remained devoid of any ripples. "Since we all have a need for that Miss Irene..."
"Then, why don't we simply invite her over?"
Hearing Gray Serpent's words, Cocolia furrowed her brow. Given their style, this 'invite' definitely didn't mean a polite invitation.
"Are you saying now is a good opportunity, Gray Serpent?" Cocolia scowled at the screen. "You must realize that is St. Freya Academy, the Far East Branch of Schicksal. There is an S-Rank Valkyrie guarding it."
"Go there to grab someone? What? Are you going to help me bear Otto's wrath?"
Gray Serpent's tone remained calm, the red glow in his mechanical eye flickering slightly. "An S-Rank Valkyrie is just one person. Do you not also have a clone of the Herrscher of Reason?"
"I don't think I can so easily snatch the person I want from within St. Freya Academy. I feel I can find a better time."
"If you wait any longer, how will you deal with a Herrscher capable of mastering her Authority?" Gray Serpent looked at Cocolia. "That Herrscher of Thunder—she isn't dead."
"Living organisms progress. How can you ensure that if she grows stronger later, you will still be able to use her Core to achieve your goals?"
Listening to Gray Serpent, Cocolia frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Miss Cocolia, there is no need for us to hide things so deeply." Gray Serpent's tone was bland, as if Cocolia's so-called hidden secrets were completely unworthy of mention in his eyes.
"..." Cocolia locked her brows, staring at Gray Serpent. Just as she was about to speak, an email suddenly popped up on the side.
"Consider it a small compensation for my unsolicited prying into an ally's secrets." Gray Serpent looked at Cocolia. "Inside are the defense charts of St. Freya, the surveillance camera locations, and the entry and extraction routes I've found for you."
"...You seem to be overstepping a bit."
"Just a little suggestion, Miss Cocolia."
"Hmph." Cocolia glanced at the email continuously popping up on the computer, waving her hand to swipe it open. The question raised by Gray Serpent...
Cocolia was indeed a bit worried. She knew how strong a Herrscher could be and to what extent they could grow. If the Herrscher of Thunder also mastered her full Authority, capturing her would become impossible.
Indeed, the sooner the better. This matter couldn't be delayed anyway; the design of that object was nearly half complete, and now it only lacked the most important energy system.
But the energy required to drive that thing was no ordinary amount. And if it could only be driven with bare sufficiency, such a thing was better left unbuilt.
So, if possible, the power system naturally had to be as strong as possible. However, this aspect was somewhat difficult for them.
To make the energy source strong, it had to be large. But making it large would occupy more space. Large space meant fewer other components could be installed, or it would crowd the armor space, making it fragile.
These two points were conflicting and almost impossible to reconcile. But in this world, there was indeed something that required only a small amount of space yet could provide incomparably potent energy.
For example, a Gem of the Herrscher.
"Then what help can you provide?" Cocolia tapped her finger lightly on the desk. Whether it was capturing the immature Herrscher of Thunder or catching Irene, who possessed the ability of Quantization...
Since these were two things she had to do anyway, if the intelligence Gray Serpent provided was true, or if he could offer assistance, it might not be impossible.
Cocolia calculated the personnel she could mobilize. An unawakened Herrscher of Thunder, an A-Rank Valkyrie... as long as Theresa, the S-Rank Valkyrie wielding Judah, wasn't there, she could indeed make a move.
"Let me think. My subordinates are all working, so I can only provide you with some intelligence." Gray Serpent naturally understood Cocolia's meaning, but he also wanted to gain something for nothing.
Since he wanted a free ride, he would naturally exert as little effort as possible during the process.
"Regarding that Theresa... as long as you can create a commotion loud enough, that S-Rank Valkyrie will have no choice but to intervene, causing her to ignore the other side."
"Gray Serpent, we are people who focus on profit." Cocolia didn't buy it. It was impossible for him to get a free ride; Gray Serpent had to cough something up no matter what.
"I don't want to sacrifice a precious experimental subject and end up with nothing."
"Fine, fine." Gray Serpent shook his head, the red light of his mechanical eye flashing. "We can provide you with a special anesthetic. A gaseous anesthetic that guarantees anyone breathing within its range will immediately fall into a paralyzed state."
"The duration isn't long, but it's enough for you to inject whatever other anesthetic you want into the people you wish to take away."
"Anesthetic? Is that all?" Cocolia frowned. She didn't want drugs. Though anesthetics were poor, it wasn't as if she couldn't make do with them.
"Of course." Gray Serpent nodded as if it were only natural. "I've already found the assault maps and retreat routes for you. The rest is naturally something Miss Cocolia needs to consider."
"After all, I am just an information broker. I don't possess such powerful strength."
"Heh, alright, information broker." Cocolia looked at Gray Serpent. "Since you say this matter is my sole responsibility, then the people will also belong to me."
"If you need that Irene to do anything, think about negotiating with me next time."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cocolia directly cut the power to the screen in front of her, forcibly severing the signal. Gray Serpent was becoming increasingly stingy.
But she had no choice but to rely on him for many things; their technology was indeed something she couldn't put down. Without Gray Serpent's support...
She would have no way to contend with the Conservative Faction so quickly. Although those two doctors lacked ruling power, they were founding members after all.
The Titans under their command were all super-enhanced private models. Furthermore, they had proven that they indeed had research regarding the Sea of Quanta.
Until she extracted that part of the research, Cocolia couldn't directly fall out with Gray Serpent's side. With their technology, it might come in handy someday.
However, speaking of those two doctors from the Conservative Faction... Cocolia picked up her phone. There was finally an opportunity to invade Schicksal; surely Einstein and the others would be very interested.
Since she was going to fish in troubled waters, she naturally had to muddy the waters first.
________________________________________
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