บท 27: Chapter 27: Aponia's Reward

What kind of person is Aponia? In Bronie's mind, the most profound impression of Aponia is her impeccable seductive physique.

She possesses a voluptuous figure, accentuated by the 'modest' attire of a nun, creating a stark contrast and a sense of contradiction that is the essence of her allure.

It must be said that Aponia also significantly boosts Bronie's flavors of taste, perhaps even up to nine points.

So, what kind of person is she?

She considers herself a sinner.

However, she does more to protect others like a mother. She continuously tries to alter the fate of others' destruction, but each attempt ultimately proves meaningless. She even sees her own actions as the catalyst for pushing others into their predetermined destinies, leading to an accumulation of guilt in her heart, which eventually prompts her to isolate herself deep within the Elysian Realm, cutting off all contact with the outside world.

To meet Aponia in the Elysian Realm is no easy task. Firstly, one must be guided by Pardofelis. After all, the internal layout of the Elysian Realm is complex, with many paths shaped by the cognition of the sims who inhabit it. Pardofelis excels not only in navigation but also in opening gates that lead to the deepest recesses.

Secondly, one must be skilled in combat. Monsters frequently roam the Elysian Realm, lurking in various regions. To traverse it, one must endure challenging battles against these creatures. As these monsters are created based on memory and cognition, they possess formidable strength. Moreover, since Aponia resides deep within the Elysian Realm, reaching her requires traversing a considerable distance, even with Pardofelis's guidance.

Lastly, one must pass through Griseo's Painting World. Griseo, in her interactions with others, absorbs their colors, inadvertently adopting their personalities. Only by painting and placing the 'colors' on a blank canvas can she revert to her original persona. However, the paintings produced by Griseo often have a Lovecraftian feel. In the Elysian Realm, this mainly manifests as monsters named after paintings.

Fortunately, for Bronie, this poses little difficulty. Hence now being in front of Aponia.

"It's truly no easy feat to meet you, Aponia. If you're testing my body's adaptation to the Signets, you might as well just say it, or do you have a prophecy?"

"Indeed, child. You seem to know many secrets. So please tell me, how much do you really know?"

Aponia's ability, Discipline, continually influences people's subconscious minds to accomplish challenging tasks. It also possesses significant force in controlling people's thoughts and behaviors.

To protect the secret of the Elysian Realm and to prevent its future destruction, Aponia approached Bronie who was seeking answers.

So she employed the power of discipline.

"It appears my firewall is even stronger than anticipated. Though expected, using this ability against a child—isn't it a bit excessive?"

Bronie projected the control panel, observing the prompts of abnormal data flow, which made her somewhat wary of Aponia.

"I apologize. Sometimes, it's necessary, even if it draws criticism. But your reaction is much calmer than I anticipated."

Rarely, Aponia displayed a sense of surprise.

"Sigh..." Bronie sighed softly, then continued, "I know everything, including the future. Travelers from different worlds always witness many things in the Sea of Quanta. Once, while passing through a Bubble World, I even glimpsed some traces you left behind."

While these words are indeed true, the most crucial point is that Bronie did not mention the real origins of her knowledge—just as transmigrators are accustomed to concealing their real or past identities, Bronie also struggles with how to interact with Aponia given this layer of identity.

If she actually told someone, other party will probably only sees herself as a lunatic. But if they believe, they might feel despair about their own lives. The truth is often like pure oxygen; consuming too much of it can harm oneself.

Aponia also performs a similar protective stance, so when Bronie uttered these words, Aponia clearly felt a sense of discord.

However, she still chose to believe.

"Your game has touched me deeply. Stella's work before her death was essentially palliative care nurse, right?"

At this point, they talked about the game. Bronie nodded.

"Does it feel familiar? If you didn't have that power, would you still do this kind of work in the future?"

"Yes, it seems you understand me even more than I imagined."

"Is the game over?"

"Of course not. After discovering Stella's truth, I temporarily gave up because it would evoke many unpleasant memories and deepen my sense of guilt."

This guilt was imposed by Aponia upon herself, a burden she placed upon herself. Or perhaps, in the past, Aponia imposed a certain degree of discipline on herself to prevent herself from 'straying from the predetermined path', to the extent that when she discovered that all her actions had led to disastrous results, she defaulted to blaming herself?

"That's a pity..."

Bronie shook her head. Although discipline, in the form of simulated data, now exists in the Elysian Realm and she can intervene at a higher level.

However, Bronie certainly doesn't know the true principles. Since she doesn't know, how can she remove those things from Aponia's mind?

"But it's very heartwarming and interesting, that Undertale! I really like it, and it brings me a few rare moments of warmth."

"Since you like it, can I have a reward?"

"Of course, what do you want? You should like this pendant of mine, right?"

Aponia took out a plain cross pendant. Although it looks ordinary, it can increase the effect of Discipline Signet in the game.

In the Elysian Realm, Discipline Signet can be said to have a relatively high bonus. Coupled with the Stars Signet, with both bonuses, basically, other characters can easily pass high difficulty levels.

However, powerful abilities often come with great risks.

"I'll take the pendant, but what I want isn't really this."

"Do you want the Discipline Signet? If I give it to you now, there may be side effects that prevent you from physically growing."

This is the only thing Aponia can think of.

The Discipline Signet is not just the power of Discipline but a technique to regulate one's psychological state, allowing the will and the body to achieve unity. But for the current Bronie, it's a bit too early.

It might even cause growth stagnation.

Young Bronie's will is not firm, and her thoughts may not be mature.

Under such thoughts, if they affect the body in turn, Bronie might end up being a loli for the rest of her life?

"No, I want to hug you."

Bronie's request surprised Aponia a bit.

But it didn't seem so difficult for her.

"Come, child, enjoy a moment of peace in my arms. This is one of the few things I can do so far that won't cause terrible results."

She's a child who likes to act spoiled.

But a hug?

For Aponia, how long has it been since the last hug?

It was probably when she was with Griseo, when Griseo had just lost her family, and she couldn't understand the meaning of death.

"I hope you can both come out and not stay in Elysian Realm. There's more than one form of life, and you can have more possibilities. You can also repay your sins in other ways, like care nurse or opening an orphanage."

"It seems you really know quite a bit."

Aponia heard Bronie's whisper and was once again shocked.

"What about it? It doesn't matter what I know. What do you think of that kind of future?"

"It sounds interesting, but let's wait until future technologies are advanced to ensure that we can leave the Elysian Realm in peace before discussing it. And the outside world is still plagued by the Honkai, so solving the disasters caused by the Honkai is what needs to be done most."

"I'll wait for your word! But it's really a pity that I can't fully collect all the Signets due to physical problems. I can only wait for the right opportunity!"

Reluctantly letting go of Aponia, Bronie felt Aponia's soft chest felt even more comforting than Elysia's embrace. This left Bronie somewhat reluctant. It seems urgent to search for information from Schicksal. If Aponia and Elysia cannot be given qualified bodies in the future, won't it be awkward to hold them or even sleep together in bed with stiff bodies?

"Your abilities are truly outstanding. Please make good use of this power. In the future, you will surely make great contributions in fighting against Honkai."

"Did you use Discipline?"

"Of course not, it's my vision."

This time, Aponia didn't use the power of Discipline. Perhaps she deliberately controlled herself. But this time, it was still worth it, right? Both Aponia and Elysia promised themselves that they wouldn't refuse if they could leave the Elysian Realm in the future. And Elysia, as the core, is crucial. If she really takes Elysia away, other heroes definitely won't sit still.

"Don't worry, the Bunny's plan never fails. With just a mere Honkai, I'll find a way to solve it!"

Bronie declared confidently that she would solve the Honkai. But what she got in return was Aponia's smile.

"This path is indeed very difficult."

Aponia didn't take the child's words seriously.

Since the other party doesn't believe, she must prove everything with action. It's not just about eliminating the Herrschers or Honkai Beasts. It's about making the future Herrschers fight for humanity!

After bidding farewell to Aponia, Bronie returned to the familiar rest area. It seemed that Eden and Elysia had been waiting there for a long time. And Sakura also seemed to be here, discussing something.

"You're here, successor. It seems you're in very good shape. I heard from Elysia that you suddenly fell asleep. I thought my Signet burdened you too much."

Sakura seemed relieved after seeing her.

"No, my future goal is to embark on a cosmic adventure. Without a strong physique, how could I achieve that? So, Signets for me bring not a burden but reinforcement. I feel powerful now."

"Congratulations. So, did Aponia... give you a Signet?"

Eden looked at Bronie, who seemed full of spirit, feeling like she was influenced by Discipline.

But Bronie shook her head.

"She said if she gave Signet me lightly, I wouldn't grow taller in the future. To be honest, I still care about my growth, so I don't have that intention for now. The power of Discipline is blocked by my abnormal data firewall, so I haven't been affected by discipline either."

"What do you think Aponia is like as a person?"

Elysia was also curious about Bronie's assessment of Aponia. They didn't fight or have conflicts, and Bronie's visit seemed like a casual trip.

She even feels refreshed, one could even smell the scent of Aponia on her.

Is this normal?

Of course not.

Aponia starts with imposing Discipline, so the first impression goes very bad, and it's difficult to create a favorable impression in a short time.

"Aponia is like a mother who cares for and loves everyone, but sometimes her protective behavior always leads to disastrous outcomes. She's not very lucky."

"She told you all that?"

Elysia was shocked. Could it be that Aponia succumbed to Discipline and blurted out all the secrets?

"No, I just knew some things in advance. In short, two of the top five Authority Holders in the Elysian Realm have already made agreements with me. Next is Eden. Do you want to see the art of the current era?"

"You actually know about these authorities?"

"I'm a hacker. Of course, I must care about who the authority holders are. In fact, all Thirteen Flame Chasers have authority, but the most active ones are you five, right? Aponia, Elysia, Vill-V, Mobius, and you."

"My life ended with the destruction of the previous era, but if Elysia is willing to take another step, I don't mind taking another trip outside. Unfortunately, for me, a life without art is very incomplete. I want to know in advance about the development of current era and the development of their art, so I can adapt to the outside world as soon as possible."

Already thinking of a name for the child you'll have with Elysia, aren't you?

Eden's request wasn't too difficult for people.

But explaining the development of the history of civilization is not something that can be explained in words alone. From the first sprouts to the development of the Stone Age, to the present era of fighting the Honkai, that lengthy historical record could probably fill up most of the areas in the Elysian Realm with data.

"It seems I have to go back and plan another game before coming back?"

"After you go back, we'll have more time to discuss the future. Since you've promised to leave the Elysian Realm, but the thirteen Flame Chasers of the Elysian Realm are also a whole, so let's discuss this matter."

"Let's have a thorough discussion."

Although Elysia was a bit reluctant to let Bronie leave, Bronie's attitude was clear. She wouldn't rest until she pulled everyone out of the Elysian Realm.

But such important decisions couldn't be made casually, so this matter needed to be thoroughly discussed.