Chapter 286: Seele is so cute when she wakes up
[Element detected, Honkai, capture, new Herrscher!]
[This Herrscher looks different from the previous ones, could it be... that Fu Hua's era is coming to an end?]
[Hey, are you guys just assuming the new Herrscher is going to board the ship too? Shouldn't there be some kind of process? ...Like, the Herrscher is the enemy of humanity?]
Seeing this classic opening, the players were still laughing and joking.
Based on past experience and the character roster that full of herrscher, it was difficult for them to get nervous about this, let alone now?
...
On the dining table, a colorful mix of fresh fruits was artfully arranged, each piece washed and glowing with freshness. It was the kind of display you might expect at a fancy party.
But the handful of people in the room were more interested in the screen in front of them. This was their weekend mode.
No one was practicing their lines, working out, or worrying about long-term goals. Kiana and Bronya, who usually spent most of their time training in private, were finally taking a break. It was a rare moment of relaxation for them.
Speaking of which, Bronya still lives in Himeko's dome with Seele. She hasn't moved out yet. With two little ones constantly running around and making a mess, it's just too much for her to handle on her own.
Fu Hua did find a new place to live, but she's been spending a lot of time here lately. Maybe it's because of the Herrscher of Sentience? Who knows.
But right now, she's completely absorbed in her mobile game, her eyes glued to the screen while occasionally glancing at the projected display. It's like she's trying to do two things at once!
"Well, it looks like something big is about to happen," Kiana said, her voice filled with anticipation. "You know, like the calm before the storm?"
Kiana poked Mei's arm, which was soft yet somewhat tough, and dazzlingly white. She leaned over as if to show her kindness, and rubbed her little head vigorously.
It was so soft and smelled amazing! Kiana wished she could stop thinking and just keep playing with it.
But another thought popped into her head. It was a bit sad that, in real life, she and the squad leader (Fu Hua) weren't as close as their game counterpart.
Of course, Kiana had never, ever thought about that kind of thing. She just really liked watching the scene in the short film where she tore through space to save the squad leader.
She must have watched it a dozen times!
The game's storyline had also sparked a lot of discussion among the Valkyries. There was even a question on the exam about "saving your companions but releasing the Herrscher."
Kiana had some concerns about her final score on that test. She was sure the person involved hadn't been thinking that way! It wasn't that complicated, really. She wished people would stop overthinking things!
"It really does feel like the calm before the storm... However, Kiana, your lines weren't wrong. You have been studying a little harder lately," Fu Hua said with a chuckle. She sat up straight, clutching a little plushie of the Red Kite Immortal that Little Senti had given her.
Her serious expression paired with the cute toy looked a bit funny.
She pondered the scene that had just played out,
The Herrscher is easy enough to identify - it's the Herrscher of Dominance, but... the Theatre of Domination?
The mention of a "Theatre of Domination" in the dialogue definitely meant that this Herrscher was different from the one in the previous era. Something had changed, and Fu Hua knew they needed to be prepared.
"Hehe," Kiana chuckled nervously. Did she want to study? Not really! But her teacher seemed to think she was capable of writing a good essay.
Plus, with Sirin hitting the books right next to her, she felt a little pressure and couldn't help but join in.
"Hey, Kiana, come help me draw some cards," the Herrscher of Sentience called out, interrupting Kiana's thoughts. "Old antique's luck is terrible." She casually tossed her phone to Kiana,
Her eyes still held a spark of excitement, seemingly already addicted.
"Little Senti, don't get too addicted to the game..."
Fu Hua advised helplessly. Little Senti was even more addicted than she had imagined, which was not a good sign. Games were fine in moderation, and as for luck... it was a baseless concept that she didn't believe in.
"The game is pretty fun, even though there aren't that many updates..." Little Senti replied, a smile playing on her lips. "Besides, isn't there a big screen playing something? I can just watch that while I do other things..."
She took the phone back with a satisfied grin, scrolling through her gacha results. Every ten draws had yielded at least one golden light - a rare and valuable item in the game. It was clear she was enjoying her good fortune.
With a guaranteed draw, she was sure to get what she wanted. After all, she wasn't short on money, but she felt it was a bit embarrassing to always rely on the guaranteed draw.
So, she use the natural guaranteed draw!
"Right now, I need to beat this guy who's one point ahead of me!" she exclaimed, tapping on her phone. "He calls himself 'Alloy Cloth Wolf Fang,' what a weird name!"
"Alloy Cloth Wolf Fang..." Bronya, who was standing nearby, froze when she heard the familiar name. It was the name she had chosen for her own character in the game.
She couldn't help but glance at the Herrscher of Sentience phone. Indeed, she was currently challenging the Abyss.
So, they happened to be on the same floor this time? However, she wouldn't admit defeat!
he made up her mind. She would start challenging the Abyss as soon as she got back! Bronya's eyes lit up with fighting spirit as she planned to use a tactic to defeat her opponent.
The tactic was called... "What to do when you're overtaken at the last moment before the settlement and can't do anything about it!"
---
The game's perspective this time was unexpected, initially focusing on the inconspicuous girl - Seele.
It's six in the morning at Salt Lake Base. The last hints of night are fading, and the sun is about to break through.
The alarm clock rang loudly, but the girl on the bed remained asleep in an empty dreamland.
Suddenly, another girl appears on top of her. They look alike, but this new girl has striking red eyes. She leans over the side of the bed and gently pokes the sleeping girl's cheek with her pale, slender fingers.
"Hey, wake up—"
"Seele, Seele... There's no helping it."
The girl with the red eyes made a playful sound, a little like a giggle mixed with a hum. She looked down at the sleeping girl with a fondness in her eyes that couldn't be hidden.
The sleeping girl only mumbled in her sleep, showing no sign of waking. A mischievous grin spread across the red-eyed girl's face, like she'd just thought of a fun prank.
"Hey, Seele... Why don't you open your eyes for just a sec~"
A soft red light glowed from her hand, and a leafy green branch appeared. A plump gray worm hung from it, dangling close to Seele's face.
The red-eyed girl knew exactly what was about to happen. No one knew Seele better than she did.
—Seele was terrified of caterpillars.
"Ahhhhh—"
The scream shattered the quiet morning, shaking not only the sleeping girl awake, but probably quite a few others nearby too.
The girl with the red eyes laughed, enjoying her successful prank.
The other girl, the one who had screamed, looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and resignation.
Her mouth was still forming silent words, a bit like she was muttering to herself. She knew all too well that her other self loved to tease her like this.
"Woo—— "
"Haha, how many people do you think you just woke up with that scream? And tell me, what exactly was so 'horrible' that you had to scream like that?"
Seele (?) looked at the other party and asked with the corners of her mouth raised.
"Well, it's not really my fault when I open my eyes and find a caterpillar on my pillow..."
The other Seele still seemed a little dazed as she put a hand on her chest and spoke quietly.
"Huh? Blame me? Who was it last night who swore they would wake up early today to read stories to those little brats?" The red-eyed Seele crossed her arms, a smug look on her face.
"I'm grateful you woke me up, but even so, there are other ways, right?"
Seele asked in confusion.
"I called you a bunch of times, what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just yank the blanket off of you."
" Of course, it wouldn't be a bad idea to switch personalities and let me play with those brats instead of you. "
Seele (?) expressed her stance confidently, and the following words were even more bewitching.
Hmph, she had long disliked those children, who even secretly spoke ill of her Seele behind her back. They should be grateful that Seele was willing to spend time with them.
[dark Seele hasn't appeared for a long time, by the way, it's dark Seele, right? can i call her dark seele (funny)]
[Classic sisterly love, haha, you two are hilarious! ]
[Got it, it's the taste of jealousy, hmm~ so sour! So much vinegar.]
[Look at them (knocking on the blackboard!), Kiana, Fu Hua, Yae Sakura, look at yourselves (pushing glasses), learn well, watch carefully!]
---
"Uh..." Seele's cheeks flushed a deep red.
Although her strength was completely different from before, with the Gem of Serenity gradually coming under control within her and a magnificent Herrscher outfit,
But, but being seen by so many people in her sleeping state was still embarrassing!
And did her other self really have to be so mean? She couldn't even remember promising to read to those kids.
However... it was true that she hated and feared caterpillars. They were furry, slimy, and wriggled around, just thinking about it was unacceptable.
[Hehe—, do you want to try it too? Although I don't have the intention, but if you ask...]
A hidden voice chuckled, teasing the adorable Seele.
"No no..."
Seele quickly waved her hands in refusal. She didn't want to wake up and see a caterpillar like in the game, that, that would be too awful~
"Who? Who's talking?"
The Herrscher of Sentience frowned and said sternly, she had clearly heard a voice just now.
[Tch, how annoying]
"You're the annoying one!" The Herrscher of Sentience shot back, her eyes scanning the room. She noticed Fu Hua, Kiana, and others giving her strange looks, like they were wondering what was wrong with her this time.
"Someone was talking, I swear!" The Herrscher of Sentience insisted and her frown deepening.
Suddenly, glancing at the two Seeles in the scene on screen, she thought of something and locked her gaze on the Seele standing next to Bronya, her eyes lighting up.
"?" Seele pursed her lips and widened her eyes, looking at the Herrscher of Sentience with surprise and suspicion.
Did she hear the conversation between her other self and herself?
But if it's the Herrscher of Sentience, it seems normal? Seele thought to herself. She had been forced to learn a bit about the powers of other Herrschers.
Not for the purpose of confrontation... but for cooperation, can you believe it?
"Well? Are you coming out, or what? Coward~" The Herrscher of Sentience taunted, trying to provoke the hidden voice.
[Hmph— tell her she's the coward!] The voice hissed back, clearly annoyed.
"Tch, if you don't want to come out, then don't. In my opinion, you'll be stuck in that place forever." The Herrscher of Sentience shook her head and said.
...
In a different location, Elysia couldn't contain her excitement.
" What a cute girl, um, Seele is so cute ♪, hehe—— "
Elysia praised without holding back, worthy of the person she had taken a liking to long ago.
Cute and soft, with two personalities, how interesting!
"Ellie, mind your image~"
Eden said helplessly. Seeing Elysia's joy, a hint of sourness welled up in her heart, but Elysia's love for the New era undoubtedly put her at ease.
"Oh, and Eden, you're quite cute yourself~" Elysia said with a wink, then added as if a playful thought had just crossed her mind, "By the way, would you like to see two of me? ♪"
" Just one Ellie is enough. Ellie, you are unique. " Eden smiled and remained unmoved.
But then again, if there were two Elysia's, would they be deeply in love with each other? Eden had a sudden whimsical thought.
"Hmm—, I think so too."
Elysia nodded, her elf ears twitching.
She thought that it would be good to reject Luo Mo's proposal.
What was the point of having one more stigma of Elysia? It's better to have more friends.
She longed for those days of fighting alongside her comrades, though she had to admit there hadn't been many of those moments. ♪
...
Meanwhile, at Theresa's Villa...
After much thought, Lou Mo finally decided to refresh. Elysia's stigma was strong, no doubt,
But Elysia already had one stigma, and he was a bit short on crystals lately, so he needed to find a way to get some from the players. More knives, make the players suffer a bit.
Besides, Elysia didn't seem to mind, so who was he to argue?
He just hoped the next stigma would be one of the main three protagonists, bringing him one step closer to completing his grand plan!
Theresa, meanwhile, was looking back and forth between the two Seeles.
A faint blush crept across her cheeks, and her thoughts drifted to a somewhat embarrassing scenario. After all, there were three people in the room who shared her face! What if... something were to happen...
"Knock knock—"
There was an unexpected knock on the door, and Theresa quickly got up and went to open the door.
Grandma had mentioned she would be visiting today, but she had said Theresa didn't need to go to any trouble and could just wait. But Theresa wasn't one to sit around idly, so she immediately went to greet her guest.
As she'd suspected, it was Kallen, Rita, and Durandal standing on the other side of the door.
Although she already knew there was someone with the exact same appearance, Theresa couldn't help but look back and saw Irene smiling at Kallen and the others.
"Should we address you as Miss Irene, then?" Rita asked, dipping her head in a graceful bow.
"Irene is just a pseudonym," Irene replied with a warm smile. "But in this world, you can certainly call me Irene."
"Please, come inside and have a seat," Irene said warmly, gesturing towards the living room.
Rita looked around, her eyes lingering on Theresa's face. "I believe this is Miss Theresa's residence, isn't it?" she asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"Oh dear, it seems I didn't wait for Miss Theresa's permission," Irene said with a chuckle. "I apologize for being presumptuous. I saw her looking a little lost in thought, and you all were waiting outside, so I took the liberty of inviting you in."
There was no hint of embarrassment in Irene's voice, only a playful smile.
"..." Rita glanced at the other party and said nothing more.
Kallen had already walked straight towards Lou Mo; she had a clear goal in coming here.
Lou Mo also sighed inwardly, reaching under the table and feeling for a card.
Otto's stigma was different from before. Although there was no difference in colour or material, the most obvious distinction was the unusually clear image on the card. Other exclusive stigmata had a strange coloured mist on their surface, constantly swirling, only revealing a part of the image.
But Otto's card... It depicted him as the Bishop of Destiny, sitting on a throne, half-holding a red wine glass. The wine in the glass shimmered with a fresh luster, his eyes held a smile, with longing hidden deep within. The background behind him was a giant tree, not the Tree that you see in material world, but the Imaginary Tree that only existed in people's fantasies.
Lou Mo held the card in his hand. Although he didn't understand the difference, he believed it should be beneficial and harmless.
And so, he presented it to Kallen.
"Here, this is the one I mentioned, Bishop, your exclusive... stigma. I'm certain it belongs to you!"
Lou Mo said resolutely.
Kallen stared at the card, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached out to touch a corner. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"Thank you," she said, her voice a little shaky, like she was fighting back tears. She carefully took the card from Luo Mo and examined it closely.
Then, she turned to Theresa. "May I borrow a room for a bit?" she asked quietly.
She needed some time alone to process this.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone