200. Not Short of Money at All
The Grand Magician, without informing the others, secretly drew up the blueprints and design direction for the weapon.
"Hmm~ Seven different forms, a weapon with independent consciousness—another epoch-making invention is about to be born in my hands!"
Vill-V, hands on her hips, smiled with satisfaction, then handed over control of her body.
The Mystic Scholar then appeared.
"Let's name the new weapon. Seven forms, still made with the Herrscher of Thunder's core, let's call it 'Seven Thunders of Purification.'"
"Let the thunder cleanse all sins!"
After naming the weapon, the Mystic Scholar handed over control of her body to the Expert.
"...More work?"
She seemed to have just woken up.
"The Seven Thunders of Purification blueprints... seven forms, self-awareness, and it's even being built using the Thunder Herrscher Core... tsk, this is really giving me a tough time." The Expert couldn't help but complain.
[It's alright, I'll help you.] Ling kept his promise and came to help the Expert with the work.
This lessened the Expert's complaints a bit; at least with Ling by his side, it was a little easier.
Building the Seven Thunders of Purifications would inevitably require Solium, as well as some Honkai Beast materials.
Fortunately, this was Dr. Mei's commission, so there were no worries about materials.
"Katana, sniper rifle, hand cannon, bow and arrow, spear... what's the meaning of the slingshot and lipstick?" The Expert immediately realized that someone was definitely smuggling in some side projects.
How do you kill with lipstick? Apply it to your lips and then kiss the enemy to electrocute them?
That's not something Vill-V should be thinking about.
But it's quite interesting, so the expert didn't mind building it.
With the combined efforts of Ling and the Experts, it took about a week to finally create the 'Seven Thunders of Purification'.
Upon delivery, Dr. Mei did not attempt to hide her astonishment upon seeing the finished product.
Seven forms, basically perfectly adaptable to all types of users.
Even disregarding the slingshot and lipstick forms, the remaining five forms are sufficient to meet the needs of most people.
But would anyone actually use the lipstick form?
Sure enough, Dr. Mei did think of someone—Elysia.
If it were her, she might actually use lipstick!
Even in battle, one should look beautiful!
With the Seven Thunders of Purification as a stepping stone, Dr. Mei listed her as one of the main executors of the 'Divine Key Project'.
And entrusted her with the core of the Herrscher of Ice, still allowing her free rein.
This time, the Conductor received the mission.
"Ling, what are your thoughts?" The Conductor didn't offer her own opinion but instead asked for Ling's opinion first.
[If it were me, I would create a directional, rechargeable superweapon capable of precise strikes,] Ling stated his thoughts.
[During the Seventh Honkai Impact, conventional firearms were ineffective against the Herrscher of Fire, which led to the destruction of Australia.]
[If we had possessed such a directional superweapon back then, we might not have defeated it, but perhaps we could have at least been able to restrain it, buying more time to evacuate the civilians.]
"Are you afraid of another entity causing such widespread destruction as the Herrscher of Fire?" The Conductor seemed to understand Ling's meaning.
[Yes, although Kevin completed the MANTIS Warrior project in time at that time, it was only because his ice had a strong suppressive effect on the Herrscher of Fire.]
[Based on previous battle reports, it's clear that the Herrscher is constantly growing stronger and is specifically developing in a way that counters humanity's progress.]
[Next time, perhaps Kevin won't be able to kill the Herrscher so easily.]
[Furthermore, traveling takes considerable time, and during the restraint period, nearby MANTIS Warriors can quickly provide support, minimizing damage,] Ling suggested.
"Then let's do it Ling's way," the conductor chuckled.
[You're just trying to slack off, aren't you?] Ling's lips twitched slightly.
"Hehe~" The Conductor said cutely.
This time, they weren't building any small items, so Vill-V went directly to Dr. Mei and handed her the blueprints.
'What a whimsical design...' Dr. Mei raised an eyebrow.
But the manpower, resources, and money required for this were considerable expenses.
However, the Fire Moth currently lacked long-range pinpoint strike capabilities; the missiles or small nuclear bombs of the past were no longer effective against the Herrschers.
Vill-V had solved a significant problem for the Fire Moth.
A year later, the 'Key of Stasis: Hibernation of All Things' was born.
It wasn't because this thing took a year to create, but because the eighth Honkai Impact occurred during its creation. The Herrscher of Sentience threw human society into chaos, and the creation of the Fifth Divine Key was postponed for a long time.
Vill-V went into hiding, only reappearing in everyone's sight after everything was resolved.
Perhaps because Vill-V had had ample time to reflect, the actual tested power of the "Hibernation of All Things" far exceeded expectations, and its impact range also far exceeded Vill-V's anticipation.
This was not a good thing, after all, the original purpose of this thing was "restraint."
But it reversed the order and went towards "destruction."
The two are very different, since most Herrschers appear in densely populated areas; using it would contradict the original intention of this weapon's creation.
However, the Flame Moth did not order its dismantling; instead, it entrusted its safekeeping to "Su," a person of absolute justice and compassion.
The creation of Divine Keys continued unabated. With approval, she used the core of the Herrscher of the Void to create a Divine Key named "Cosmic Juggernaut Inverted Horizons."
Project Varuka was thus born, with Su observing the possibilities of other parallel worlds and attempting to find a way to defeat the Honkai.
The Seventh Divine Key, Vill-V, was involved in its creation, but the producer was Dr. Mei, who may have had her own considerations.
Soon after, the Ninth Honkai Impact happened. The Herrscher of Rock's terrifying power sank the continent of Mu to the bottom of the sea forever. Su activated 'Hibernation of All Things', pinning the Herrscher of Rock to the surface.
Kevin arrived in time and completely killed the Herrscher of Rock.
During this period, Vill-V met a friend, or rather, a benefactor...
Eden, a world-class celebrity, is a wealthy and sociable person.
After introducing Eden to "Void Archives" and securing her financial support, Vill-V boldly transformed the Fourth Divine Key into an artificial satellite!
However, this was followed by a fierce clash among the higher-ups of the Fire Moth.
The Fourth Divine Key, 'Ideal Flow,' could improve the environment damaged by the Honkai.
It could allow eroded land to regrow.
It sounded quite good, but the time required... was measured in millennia.
How could they not be angry about wasting so much money on something completely useless?
So they directly cut 80% of Vill-V's funding.
But Vill-V didn't care, because she had already secured a major financial backer on Eden and wasn't short of money at all!
...