199. You Are My Light
After leaving the Conductor's house, Ling took a deep breath and entered the darkest area of Vill-V's mental world.
This place held all of Vill-V's negative emotions and even all her pride.
As a genius who transcended 'humanity,' Vill-V knew deep down that she always harbored a detached indifference towards life.
For Vill-V, the survival of human civilization was utterly insignificant, perhaps comparable to what she would eat for lunch.
To eat or not to eat, to save or not to save, it was all a matter of a single thought.
And the source of all this was Ling's existence.
No one wanted to believe in Ling's existence; they all believed that Vill-V was the most outstanding inventor.
They simply regarded Vill-V as a super genius with schizophrenia.
Mobius was the same; even though Ling had been revealed to her through Vill-V, her past as a 'con artist' prevented her from fully trusting Ling's existence.
People are always unwilling to believe anything beyond their own theories, only believing in what they know.
When the foundations of science were laid, who would have believed that everything in the universe was composed of elementary particles?
In essence, everyone is the same.
Therefore, the inaction, or unwillingness to act, of the exceptionally talented Vill-V could be called 'extreme evil' in this civilization.
Those advanced ideas would ultimately destroy everyone, including Vill-V and Ling.
Ling's premonitions of crisis were remarkably accurate, but Vill-V's confidence and arrogance often put her in danger.
To prevent such a thing from happening again, the id had to separate its confidence, arrogance, and inspiration.
Mixed within this was Vill-V's deepest malice.
Since no one believed in Ling's existence, the world held no meaning for Vill-V.
With this obsessive thinking, her descent into the wrong path was an inevitable end.
This is her origin.
But because of Ling's existence, the id was willing to let Ling try to change the stubborn Vill-V.
Drip...drip...
The sound of dripping water echoed intermittently in the dim space.
As one ventured deeper, the darkness grew ever more profound.
Until all light was swallowed up, and everything was plunged into endless darkness.
Ling felt no fear, for this was Vill-V's mental world.
And Vill-V would never harm him.
At least, he firmly believed it.
Soon, this dark space came to an end.
It was a simple house, or rather, not even a house, but merely a square box.
"Vill-V, I've come to see you," Ling said with a faint smile.
"Ling...Ling…"
From within the house, unconscious murmurs echoed.
The heavy iron door emitted a grinding sound, and the chains were dragged along with strange noises.
"Extreme Evil" appeared before Ling. Her once bright, starry eyes were now dull and lifeless, her delicate face bearing only traces of weariness.
"How did you get yourself into this state?" Ling gently brushed a strand of her hair aside.
Although I had left her here, at least she could move freely within her own space.
She could still use her wisdom, far beyond her time, to construct her own world here.
"Ling...Ling..." She hugged Ling tightly, repeatedly murmuring his name.
"Why are all my little sisters so clingy?" Ling's expression held a hint of helplessness, yet he didn't forget to joke even in this situation.
"Cry, cry it out, I'll be with you." Ling embraced her, offering her a warm hug.
The sobs grew louder.
She was confused and helpless. Why had she lived in this dark world since her "birth"?
She hadn't done anything wrong. She was also Vill-V, so why did she have to bear all this alone? She seemed to have found an outlet, tears streaming down her face, soaking Ling's clothes.
She cried for an unknown amount of time, eventually letting it turn into soft sobs.
"Ling...don't go, please...I'm afraid to be alone..." She pleaded softly.
"I'm sorry, I can't stay here forever. Every Vill-V needs 'Ling,' and you're Vill-V too, and the smartest one at that. You should understand what I mean to everyone."
"But don't worry, as long as I'm here, you'll never be alone. It's a promise."
Ling extended her little finger.
"...Yes, it's a promise."
She extended her own little finger, hooking it with Ling's.
"Okay, smile. Although a crying Vill-V is cute, a smiling Vill-V is definitely the most beautiful." Ling wiped away her tears.
She gave a stiff smile.
"Never mind, don't smile. I'm afraid I'll have nightmares tonight." Ling pinched her cheek.
She punched Ling's chest hard, then gently rubbed it.
"Look, there's light around us." Ling suddenly noticed the change in his surroundings.
"That's because... Ling, you are my light."
She hooked her arms around Ling's neck, stood on tiptoe, and did something all of Vill-V had wanted to do but hadn't.
The warm touch made Ling feel somewhat overwhelmed; the aggressive love made him retreat repeatedly, finally losing his balance and falling to the ground.
She pressed Ling down, continuing to greedily take, firmly grasping that light in her embrace.
...
"The Divine Key?" Vill-V raised an eyebrow when she heard the term.
"Yes, it's the latest proposed plan. We've tried it; the Herrscher Core can be installed in some special machines, but without exception, those machines quickly break down."
"So I wanted to make the Herrscher Core function as it should, and the Divine Key project was born." Dr. Mei adjusted her glasses and explained.
"After discussing it, we decided to experiment with the Herrscher of Thunder core first. The Herrscher of Thunder core possesses immense destructive power, making it ideal for crafting weapons and similar items."
"I understand. What kind of weapon do you want to make?" Vill-V nodded and asked.
"Since it's an experimental product, it's up to you. We haven't planned a blueprint yet." Dr. Mei shook her head.
"It's up to me… Then I love going for it!" Vill-V accepted the task without hesitation.
Dr. Mei had a vague feeling that Vill-V was a bit unreliable, but since Vill-V had a very good reputation for weapon crafting within the Fire Moth, she didn't pay too much attention.
When she received this task, the Vill-V who accepted it was the 'Grand Magician'.
So… she planned to incorporate her favorite element of surprise!
…