"Sister Snake?" Hearing Su's suggestion, Pardo first frowned slightly, not quite understanding why Brother Su wanted Sister Irene to seek out Mobius.
"Mobius." Irene was also slightly stunned, but after thinking it over in her mind, she asked, "Because Mobius has conducted experiments on the Corruption virus?"
"Correct." Su nodded, turning to look at Danzhu and Cangxuan. "I assume you also heard from the two Doctors that Mobius had conducted such experiments."
"I understand." Irene nodded. That was enough said. Although this trip hadn't directly awakened Rin, obtaining a clue was not bad either.
Moreover, she would definitely go to the Elysian Realm later. As for whether Mobius would help, Irene wasn't worried. If nothing else, Sakura would definitely help her persuade Mobius.
"Oh, right, Su, you haven't finished reading that book yet, have you?" Irene looked at Su, pointing her finger at the book of memory Su had just closed. "Keep reading."
"Keep reading?" Su looked down at the book in his hand. He had put it down earlier when he saw the parts concerning Rin.
Looking at the book, and acting on his trust in Irene, Su opened it directly and continued reading the subsequent content within the book of memory.
What followed were introductions to Kallen and the others. Su merely skimmed over them, pausing slightly only on Lixue's identity, surprised that she was Hua's disciple.
After all, these were not people he was familiar with. However, the memories further back made Su unable to sit still.
The memories didn't contain much—only information about Irene's identity, her origins, and a plot outline she was transmitting to him.
Within that plot outline lay the very world line he had bitterly pursued for tens of thousands of years—the one they hoped for. Although its authenticity required further verification, it was nonetheless hope—a rare grain of gold amidst the endless shifting sands.
Memories were not things that could be easily fabricated. With Su's prowess, he could naturally distinguish whether what was inside this book of memory was something Irene had truly seen with her own eyes, or something she had imagined.
"Unimaginable." After reading the book of memory completely, the book vanished from Su's hands. His gaze toward Irene became increasingly gentle.
"I truly did not expect that such a miracle would be born. It really is... one doesn't know what to say."
Regardless of whether it was true or false, it was better than sitting here withered for tens of thousands of years without ever seeing it. This memory was undoubtedly that rare gold in the vast desert.
"Are you satisfied with what you see?" Irene looked at Su. "Heh heh, it wasn't easy for me to find such an opportunity."
Su looked at Irene, who had her hands on her hips and a proud look on her face. He smiled gently and raised his hand, wanting to pat Irene's head, but she dodged.
Su merely smiled at Irene's evasion, then looked at her and expressed his solemn gratitude: "Regarding the matter of Rin, Danzhu, and Cangxuan... thank you truly."
"I'll accept the thanks for Danzhu and Cangxuan." Irene looked at Su and shook her head. "But as for Rin, I didn't do anything. Rin woke up by herself."
"Moreover, strictly speaking, I was saved by her back then. If not for Rin's sacrifice, it would have taken me a lot more effort to deal with Higokumaru."
"If not for you, there would not have been such an opportunity." Su patted Irene's head. This time, Irene did not dodge. "Besides, you say it would only 'take more effort,' not that it was impossible, correct?"
Regardless of the reason for Rin's actions back then, she had helped them make up for their regrets. The matter of Rin was simply too heavy for them.
Subsequently, Su's gaze toward Irene became solemn. He had already understood what Irene wanted to do. "The path you wish to choose will be full of many uncertainties. Are you sure?"
"Among gamers, there is a type known as the 'Completionist Player'." Irene's eyes were full of smiles. "They will pay any price and put in multitude of efforts just to see their achievement list fully completed."
"When a story is capable of moving people's hearts, there will also appear players who want to explore and seek the True Ending—to search for the Happy Ending that doesn't exist in theory, to find the route where no sacrifice is needed."
"I am that kind of person." Irene looked at Su, placing her hand over her chest. "I once could only watch all the efforts you made from behind a screen."
"Now, the audience behind the screen finally has the chance to stand on the stage, the chance and ability to change the tragedies she was once powerless against. I don't feel I can just stand by and watch."
"...I understand." Su nodded, his gaze toward Irene becoming incomparably solemn. "Since that is the case, I am also willing to provide you with assistance."
Light gathered in Su's hand, and a glow in the shape of a Bodhi leaf appeared within it. "I am not Aponia; I have no way to grant you better mental defense capabilities."
"However, you are currently cultivating the Taixuan Sword Qi developed by Hua. I believe my power can still be of meager help to your cultivation."
"The Mark of Bodhi." Irene looked at the mark resembling a Bodhi leaf floating in Su's hand. She reached out and took it, and the green light gradually submerged into Irene's body.
Immediately after, the entire Palace of Consciousness began to emit a faint green light. The light gradually gathered in a corner of the Palace of Consciousness, growing into... a tree?
"Hmm, is that it?" Irene scratched her head. "I thought it would make me ascend on the spot or something."
"That is merely a seed." Su smiled at Irene. "As for the effect, it should be helpful for the cultivation of your state of mind. As for the rest, it depends entirely on your own development."
As Su spoke, he observed the surrounding palace. "On the bright side, at least it won't let this palace of yours be so monotonous. As for what this tree can eventually develop into, that still depends on you."
"I just don't like trouble." Irene scratched her head. If she wanted to, it wouldn't be a problem to arrange this Palace of Consciousness into a paradise; it just wasn't necessary.
So she had hastily arranged a small room for everyone. Aside from adding beds, she hadn't arranged anything else.
And the group hadn't raised any objections, so Irene hadn't bothered. However, Irene had obviously overlooked one thing: the current residents in her mind all had maxed-out survival skills.
The cat was born on Twilight Street and had long become a master of wilderness survival techniques. Kallen, during her time wandering as a Nun of Atonement, had long been accustomed to sleeping in the wind and dew.
There was no need to even mention those two sisters. They had genuinely developed from a barbaric era all the way to tribal civilization. If not for the incident with Chiyou, those two could have lived even longer.
Wilderness living? They were used to it. If not for the metamorphic factor surgery and Hua's protection nearby, who knows which beast's belly they would have ended up in long ago.
Compared to that, the environment in Irene's mind—where there was at least a bed to sleep on—was already considered very comfortable.
As for [Irene], perhaps as a Herrscher personality, she truly had unique advantages. She had never raised any demands, nor did she need rest. She really just practiced the use of her Authority whenever she was free.
Of the six currently active in her mind, the one with the most refined living habits turned out to be Lixue. But Lixue was also long accustomed to replacing sleep with meditation and really didn't have high requirements for living quarters.
And Irene's impression of the Palace of Consciousness was stuck at it being a mental salon for holding discussions with everyone and a virtual training ground, so naturally, she hadn't thought about making it very pretty.
"That is your own affair." Su smiled at Irene, his tone carrying a hint of relief. "What realm you can bring my power to depends only on yourself."
Danzhu, standing to the side, heard the other layer of meaning hidden in Su's words: "Su, you..."
"'If one hears the Tao in the morning, one can die content in the evening.' I have already found the answer required by Project Valuka." Su's face was full of free-spirited ease. He then looked at Irene; his body had long been beyond saving, the prolonged deficit making him nearly impossible to treat.
There was no need to waste any more time. Before, he had been somewhat unwilling, after all, he hadn't yet seen the moment of their victory, nor had he completed Project Valuka.
But now that Irene had filled this regret, Su could leave with peace of mind. Oh, no, he still had to find a good place to put the Cosmic Juggernaut; he had to live a little longer.
Clearly, Su, having fulfilled an obsession in his heart, had now become extremely open-minded. Since this body was already hopeless, there was no need to force anything.
Anyway, from the plot outline Irene had just transmitted, Su saw that he did indeed hand over the Cosmic Juggernaut. He had also found a decent successor. Afterward, he could actually return in the form of a mental projection.
In that case, Su had no regrets.
"After all, at the end of the story, I didn't actually die, did I? I just lost my body. I can still witness the final victory. That is enough for me."
"But unfortunately, that is not enough for me." Irene suddenly spoke, looking at Su with a smile on her face. "Mr. Su, want to take a guess?"
"What is the reason I absolutely had to drag you into the Palace of Consciousness?"
If it were just to let Su read the book of memory, given Su's prowess, there was absolutely no need for him to enter the palace, other than to let him see Danzhu and the others with his own eyes.
Irene had another objective. That was: as long as Su came in, his body would definitely have a momentary lapse in defense. No matter how small that gap was, it was enough.
"What?" Looking at the smile on Irene's face, Su immediately realized something was wrong and instantly withdrew his consciousness back to his body.
But when he opened his eyes, what Su saw was [Irene] with red eyes, already resting her hand on his shoulder. Subsequently, a layer of blue electric light flashed violently across his shoulder.
Su's body began to recover vitality rapidly, like parched earth meeting sweet dew. The speed was so fast that Su didn't even have time to use Cycle of Karma.
"You are one of the components of the 'Family Reunion' Happy Ending I am pursuing." [Irene]'s right eye reverted to blue, and she smoothly handed control of the body back to Irene.
"Su, you've been tricked~" Irene's face was full of a smile like a prankster who had succeeded. "Heh heh, I don't just have one personality. As a Herrscher, I have two personalities that can control the body."
"Oh, right. To prevent you from using Cycle of Karma or something to counter my ability, let me mention this: I have plenty of time to go hard against you to the end. 'Active Polarization' has no cooldown to speak of."
Active Polarization only had an internal cooldown for a single item. However, as long as Irene wanted to, she could apply it to every item one by one, and the skill wouldn't go into cooldown.
Even if Su wanted to use Cycle of Karma or something similar, Irene would go hard against him to the end. Since Active Polarization had no cooldown anyway, let's see if Su had the ability to guard against her 360 degrees without a blind spot forever.
Of course, now that she had already succeeded, Su probably didn't have the chance to refuse anymore.
"So that's how it is." Su looked at the smile on Irene's face and smiled somewhat helplessly. "But why do this? I would have been able to return eventually, wouldn't I?"
"Because some people will be happier." Irene looked at Su with a pure smile on her face. "For example, me. For example, Kevin. There will always be people who feel that you being alive is what counts as being happy."
"Don't tell me you and Kevin have really completely fallen out. Do you believe those words yourself?"
And she was the Logic of Continuation. A format like this, in the universe next door, could be called a 'Beast of Human Love'. Her love left Su no room for refusal.
"Naturally not. That battle back then was merely to give Kevin a place to calm down a bit." Su shook his head. Their relationship naturally hadn't been fragile to that extent.
Kevin knew that someone had to do it, so Kevin would definitely do it. But Su felt it was too early; this civilization had not yet demonstrated its potential, and the possibility that they could transcend the Honkai could not be vetoed just like that.
So he fought Kevin and threw him into the Sea of Quanta. Of course, the Sea of Quanta definitely couldn't hold Kevin; he would come out eventually.
Su believed that at least before then, this civilization should be able to grow up. At least they would still have the possibility to reject that worst-case plan.
And from the intelligence obtained from Irene, what he did back then was not wrong. This civilization indeed possessed the ability to perhaps transcend Finality.
Irene's left eye also reverted to blue. "How is it? Does your body feel any better? If it's not better yet, I'll come again in two hours."
"No need. I already feel much better." Su shook his head. Irene's ability was indeed quite effective; just that one jolt made him feel his body was much better, without that sensation of running on fumes like before.
"Mm. However, Irene, are you interested in using the Cosmic Juggernaut?" Su looked at Irene. He had to give it to someone anyway. Perhaps giving it to the Irene before him was also a good choice.
But upon hearing Su's words, Irene hurriedly waved her hands. "Ah, forget it, forget it. I don't need the Cosmic Juggernaut. If I took it, people would come looking for trouble."
"Right now, I can't stand completely in the light. I am still in the shadows."
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