MGSFV?! Chapter 464. Didn't Expect That Hobby; World Serpent Distillery
After Grey Serpent's line—"I carry an umbrella to highlight my aura"—triggered a flood of joke-filled comments,
the previously heavy atmosphere in the livestream lightened up a little.
Actually, what truly hurt wasn't just that Alexandra was gone.
After all, having gone through this many main story chapters, when they said they were "battle-hardened,"
that wasn't just talk.
Losing a character didn't necessarily break their defenses.
It was just…
This wasn't about Mistelin finding only Duck Mom's tombstone.
It was about how the two clearly had the chance to say goodbye properly—
and yet, due to fate's cruel hand, missed the opportunity.
That was the real regret.
Like opening three loot chests at the end of a dungeon,
but clicking too fast and exiting after opening only two.
Be honest—no one would not be bothered about what gear might've been in that third chest, right?
Maybe it was the endgame item they'd been grinding for weeks.
Of course they'd be fixated. Of course they'd regret it.
This plot carried the same feeling.
If Duck Mom had just said that final line to Mistelin,
then no matter how bad things got afterward, players felt they could accept it.
But the writers were so sneaky—
cutting it right at that spot.
They really got played.
...
And Mistelin's state of mind now wasn't so different from the players'.
In fact, since she didn't have the behind-the-scenes explanation Hokuto had given the viewers,
she might've been even more regretful.
Mistelin: "..."
She stood in silence, thinking about what she could possibly carve onto Alexandra's tombstone.
But no matter what she came up with, she couldn't find the right words.
She finally realized…
their time together had been only just over three days.
You shouldn't measure bonds by time alone—
but to truly know someone, time was undeniably essential.
That was an unchangeable fact.
At the very end, a thought crossed her mind—
something very… human.
Mistelin glanced at Grey Serpent, saying nothing,
but her meaning was clear.
—This is the person you found for me?
Grey Serpent, being as socially adept as ever, easily sensed the dissatisfaction behind her silence.
"I did my best," he said with innocence. "By the time you proposed our deal, she was already gone. That's why it took me so long."
"Finding a living person is easy—life leaves traces.
But a gravestone… as you can see, the matter is already settled."
"——This matter isn't settled."
Huh? It's not?
Wait a minute—Duck Mom's unborn child!
What happened to Bronya?
The players immediately snapped to attention.
Even if they knew Bronya was fine, there was no way they wouldn't care.
Grey Serpent caught on quickly.
"…Ah, I see. You mean the child, don't you?"
He paused, then said:
"——She's not buried here."
[???]
[What does that mean?? She's buried somewhere else?? Did the child not make it?? No way! Bronya must be alive!!]
[What the heck is going on???]
Just one line and Grey Serpent had the chat spiraling.
People who had been slouching back were now sitting bolt upright.
And then…
"Don't worry. I always finish what I start. I did manage to dig up a little information about the child."
[Grey Serpent, can you please talk properly and stop with the dramatic pauses?!]
[Seriously, where did you learn this from?]
From whom?
Mobius?
Mobius: What does this have to do with me?
[If it were me, I'd already punched him.]
[Be real—you can't beat Grey Serpent.]
[…That hurts, because it's true.]
Honestly?
Grey Serpent's style of speech—
or rather, the way he talks trash every time he shows up—
makes people really want to punch him.
But he can get away with it…
because he's got the strength to back up the trolling.
Not afraid of getting hit.jpg
"This way Grey Serpent talks—it's exactly like you, 'Otto'-san. Completely unafraid of getting decked!"
Elysia paused, then asked Hokuto, "Did you insert yourself when writing Grey Serpent?"
"Grey Serpent and I are nothing alike," Hokuto said firmly.
Not because he felt slandered—
but because he truly believed their styles were different.
"…?"
"Grey Serpent isn't afraid of being beaten to death—
because he's not afraid of dying.
As for me… I have ways of making sure people don't want to hit me in the first place."
"..."
"There's a big difference between the two."
"…You're awfully confident. Better not jinx yourself."
Elysia fell silent for a beat, then kindly offered that warning.
She continued the game.
...
Mistelin said nothing in response to Grey Serpent's theatrical delivery.
But after hearing that Alexandra's child was safe, she finally relaxed a little.
Then Grey Serpent brought up something else:
"Word is, on the day the child was born, the mother wept alone for the entire afternoon.
They say she was mourning… for many people."
[Wait…]
[Duck Mom did say before that if it weren't for keeping herself healthy for the child, she would've cried her heart out.]
[So after giving birth, she cried an entire afternoon? That's all the emotion she'd been bottling up for the baby?]
Just a single line of dialogue—
but a mother's love always manages to stir the heart.
[Sigh…]*n
"She took promises seriously."
Mistelin finally spoke.
"Good. You're talking again." Grey Serpent smiled. "So… do you want the child to live hidden among the masses, or to stand before us someday?
If it's the latter, I'm happy to sell you another favor."
"…What's her resistance like? Like her mother's?"
"No… nothing special at all.
Forget standing under your umbrella for three hours—
just remembering your face might be enough to kill her."
[Bro, how is Grey Serpent getting cocky now?]
[It's one thing to puff yourself up, but why take a jab at Bronya along the way?! That's too much!! (ᗜ‸ᗜ)]
[To be fair, back in the lab arc, Bronya did rely on Seele to survive. Her Honkai resistance was super low.]
[But I think Bronya's whole journey is incredibly inspiring.]
And not just for the players.
Even Mistelin couldn't help voicing what they were thinking:
"You've been awfully chatty with your jokes today."
Exactly.jpg
"I suppose…" Grey Serpent caught a different meaning from her tone. "You don't believe me?"
"Too bad. The surviving child is very ordinary. There's hardly anything unusual about her.
I even managed to collect a bit of her metabolic samples and ran some tests…"
[I'm SHOOK. Grey Serpent really went and stole Bronya's diaper. Didn't expect that kind of hobby.]
[???]
[Hair and fingernails count as metabolic samples too, you know (angry).]
[You guys… I'm speechless.]
And despite chat devolving into chaos over Grey Serpent's hobbies—
he kept going with his explanation at a leisurely pace.
"In the end… even light exposure to experimental levels of Honkai energy could cause her permanent injury.
Unless…"
This made even the quieter players perk up.
"Unless what?"
"…Do you really believe an ordinary person could become a Herrscher?"
[Bronya: ???]
[I hereby declare—everyone in today's chapter is a prophet.]
[Isn't this exact Grey Serpent on the Moon right now? What's his reaction going to be when he sees Bronya there? The whiplash!]
[LMAO can't wait.]
Just imagining Unit 1904 Grey Serpent witnessing the "ordinary" girl he tested become the Herrscher of Reason…
was hilarious.
1904, 1904—
can you perform that one line again?
"Do you really believe an ordinary person could become a Herrscher?"
.jpg
Anticipating it now.
...
Mistelin: "..."
She realized she probably wouldn't get to see Alexandra's daughter again.
After all, the child becoming a Herrscher?
The odds were astronomically low.
Basically impossible.
And so, she fell into deep silence.
When she spoke again, her tone had shifted.
"Grey Serpent, do you know how many lives I've transcribed so far?"
"How many Stigmata I've bestowed and reclaimed?"
"…Compared to the Stigma Plan, that number is insignificant."
"You're wrong. I wasn't trying to boast."
Mistelin shook her head.
Then, with an unusual calm, she explained:
She had tried many things and discovered that Stigmata could easily reshape a human being.
But in all her attempts—
not once had she seen a human change a Stigma.
"…You think she did?"
"I can't be certain.
Right now, I can't even transcribe her anymore… or preserve everything about her."
Hearing this, even before Grey Serpent could reply—
The chat immediately remembered something.
[Didn't someone say earlier: "worst case, Mistelin can just transcribe Duck Mom"?]
[That was me… and I jinxed it.]
[Starting to think the script already accounted for every possible comment.]
[Impossible! We're making this stuff up on the spot!]
[…But still.]
Hokuto's case, though, was different.
While he couldn't predict exactly what the chat would say—
he'd read enough reactions in his past life to more or less guess the vibe.
Whether or not he "subtly guided" the audience with his writing to hit that note?
Only he knew.
...
Back to the story.
Mistelin regretted not transcribing Alexandra.
Then she pointed out something else:
"Since you said the child is nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary person…
Grey Serpent, I must have been wrong.
And I've made… too many mistakes already."
[...]
[What does that mean?]
"Is she saying she assumed humans couldn't affect Stigmata,
so she believed the child had no chance of survival once the Stigma awakened?"
"And since the Stigma did affect the fetus for some time,
Bronya should've had aftereffects…
but ended up completely fine…"
"..."
Speculations abounded.
Grey Serpent's answer?
"That… depends on your perspective."
"Interpretation varies," in other words.
"I don't intend to convince you, so…"
Mistelin didn't press the issue.
Instead, she asked:
"Grey Serpent, when the Stigma Plan finally reaches completion—
what will happen to me?"
Grey Serpent gave an honest answer.
"First of all, the so-called 'Version 16 of the Stigma Plan' might not even get implemented.
One of my colleagues is still exploring the possibility of achieving Version 1."
"Of course, if you join us—she won't know that there's another plan running in parallel.
Frankly, I don't want her charging at you and dying needlessly."
Maybe this was meant to distract the players from the previous emotional gut-punch—
because if their earlier theories were true, this was way too painful.
And usually, when the writers start messing around—
it works. Players really do get distracted.
At least this time, no unexpected drama popped up.
[Version 16 of the Stigma Plan?! Serpent: Y'all better have something good!!]
[Mobius: SIXTEEN versions!!]
[Serpent: I should've thrown Grey Serpent into the furnace back then!!]
[Client: I think Version 1 is better. Serpent: This is the hour of ascension!]
[HAHAHAHAHA]
"Grey Serpent's colleague here is probably Jackal, right?"
"Yeah, it's definitely Jackal."
In fact…
Judging from Grey Serpent's reactions when Jackal realized Version 1 wouldn't be used—
you could tell one thing:
Jackal was just as unhinged as ever—
so fixated on Version 1 that she might do something reckless,
completely indifferent to the cost in lives.
Which explains why she betrays the Gold Serpent later.
…Well.
Maybe not a betrayal?
Because a betrayal requires mutual trust.
And World Serpent was never a unified front.
It was full of backstabbers.
Tragic. Kevin. Tragic.
Kevin: ?
Kevin: Don't worry. I'm World Serpent's biggest backstabber.
***: Cool~~
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium