"Doctor?" Klein looked at Mobius. She hadn't seen the Doctor reveal such an interested expression in a long time. "Is the Doctor interested in Miss Irene?"
"Yes, Klein." Mobius rested her chin on her hand, turning her head to look at Klein. Her voice remained sweet, carrying a tone that was slightly cloying. "Don't you think Miss Irene is extremely interesting?"
"I do not know which aspect the Doctor is referring to." Klein tilted her head. From her perspective, she had absolutely no idea which aspect Mobius found interesting.
"Is that so? Klein." Mobius looked at Klein. "Then let me change the question. Klein, what do you think is the most important part of a human? Just answer according to your own thoughts."
"What is the most important part of a human?" Klein tilted her head, quickly finding the answer in her database that best met the Doctor's requirements.
"The heart or the brain. If the human body loses these two organs, it will quickly lose vitality and die."
"Incorrect, Klein." Mobius turned her head slightly to look outside the laboratory. At this moment, Danzhu and Cangxuan must be burying their heads in work, attempting to solve that mountain of tasks.
"The so-called flesh is merely a shell, nothing more than a prison for the soul. What makes a human human is their thoughts, their will, their soul."
"A body without a soul, without a will, is merely a pile of meat capable of self-circulation with the outside world." Mobius gazed outward. "However, without the protection of a body, the soul will also dissipate into the world. This was originally a law."
"At least, that is what I originally thought..."
"..." Klein stood in place. She didn't know if she should respond, but seeing Mobius staring at her, it seemed she was waiting for an answer.
Klein slowly spoke up: "So, Miss Irene broke this convention?"
The Herrscher of Sentience, or Fenghuang Down made from the Core of the Herrscher of Sentience, as well as Su and Aponia—those two psychic-type MANTISes—count as exceptions.
Furthermore, they are accidents that are almost impossible to replicate. However, it is obvious that Danzhu and Cangxuan are not among those exceptions. The one who truly allowed them to survive in their current state is Irene.
The one who could preserve Rin until now is also Irene. And the one who allows that little cat to survive in her current state is still Irene.
Irene is very special. She can truly preserve souls, yet she herself is neither a Herrscher of Sentience nor a psychic-type MANTIS.
Yes, Mobius discovered the Bodhi imprint left by Su on Irene's body, which should be the legacy given to Irene by the Su outside. However, before obtaining Su's legacy, Irene was already capable of preserving souls.
Therefore, Irene's ability has nothing to do with Su; it is an ability unique to Irene herself. How could such a thing not arouse Mobius's interest?
Infinity and the evolution of all mankind—this was originally what Mobius pursued. But the flesh will age, it will decay. Even the resurrection Mobius obtained through Sesha is not without cost.
But, what if one abandons the flesh?
However, exactly how Irene achieved this has not yet been determined. Thinking too much about it now would only add to her troubles. But Mobius is very clear on one thing: there is definitely something Irene can do right now.
CARRYING SOUL ENTITIES OR CONSCIOUSNESS ENTITIES.
Mobius has actually been conducting research recently. She wants to go out. Although the Elysian Realm can provide an infinite research environment, it is ultimately just a simulation. But unfortunately, the research has not been smooth. It is still the same problem: a person cannot have two completely different souls. This is not something comparable to the eight personalities in that show-off Vill-V's head.
But if she has to kill people for this... leaving aside whether it would succeed, if it fails, the consequences would be severe. If what she did were exposed, the others in the Realm would likely be the first to stop her.
But if Irene is here, could she attempt such a thing? Irene herself possesses the ability to store souls, so Mobius wouldn't need to rack her brains conducting research.
It feels like it's worth a try~
Mobius retracted her gaze from the outside, turning her head to focus her attention back on the computer in front of her. For now, she still had to focus on Rin's matters. Otherwise, those two door gods squatting at the entrance wouldn't let her out so easily.
Elysian Realm · Great Hall
At this moment, Irene had finished telling all the stories she knew. Lixue, standing aside, also added a few things she knew about her Master.
Of course, Lixue spoke of the time she spent with her Master before she became a Sword God, because she knew that the event of her crossing death to achieve the status of Sword God did not happen in this world. She had failed to accompany her Master to the end.
As the protagonist of the story, Hua's expression at this moment was somewhat dazed. She had never imagined she would reach such a level. Was the person in that story really her?
Could she really achieve that—guarding a land for five thousand long years, just as in the story? Shouldn't that kind of thing be something Kevin and the others would do? Could she really do it?
"As expected of Hua~" Just as Hua was doubting herself, Elysia's voice rang out beside her. "Truly as reliable as ever~"
"Ellie... um." Hua looked at Elysia, who had suddenly appeared in front of her. Just as she wanted to say something, the corners of her mouth were gently pushed up.
Elysia looked at Hua with a smile: "You are the big protagonist in the story, you know. You can't be so depressed. Oh, right! In the story, you got along very well with Danzhu and Cangxuan. Do you want to go make friends with them now? If you don't know how to start, I can help you from the side."
Usually, Elysia always knew that Hua was very strong. One could even say she was a flawless all-rounder; whether in terms of physique or spirit, she was impeccable. Although she couldn't compare to others who were uniquely gifted in certain aspects—such as Kalpas or Su—she was sufficient to handle the vast majority of situations.
No matter what kind of ability was needed, Hua always had a counter. It was just that Hua herself still lacked confidence.
Hearing Elysia's suggestion, Hua fell silent for a moment. "I don't know. The one who became friends with them was the 'me' outside. I am not familiar with them right now."
To say that Hua didn't know the two little doctors would be impossible. After all, Hua had entered Mobius's laboratory so many times; they had long since become familiar faces. But Hua indeed had never thought about becoming friends with Danzhu and Cangxuan. And the friend they made was the 'self' outside.
Is she really suitable right now?
"Is this some very serious question?" Elysia poked Hua's cheek. "Friends have to take steps toward each other to form a beautiful friendship. If Hua doesn't try, how do you know it definitely won't be suitable? So, be bold and give it a try! Besides, I guess Danzhu and Cangxuan definitely need Hua's help and salvation right now~"
How intense was the workload at Mobius's place? Elysia had a slight concept of it. After all, someone as strong as Klein often had her eyes go black from Mobius's workload.
It had been a long time since Danzhu and Cangxuan had touched serious scientific research work; they were probably overwhelmed right now. As for whether Hua could save the two little doctors from deep water and scorching fire... well, that wasn't clear. However, Mobius's mind should be mostly focused on Rin right now.
The work the two little doctors were handling shouldn't be particularly complex, right?
However, in this aspect, Elysia was completely clueless. Hmm, she would just go and see when the time came.
"Mm, I understand." Hua nodded. Just as Elysia said, she had to try. Moreover, she also wanted to learn from Danzhu and Cangxuan what kind of person the 'self' outside was.
Accompanying Hua's departure, Kevin also stood up and looked at Kallen: "Although you are not a person of this world, if you need guidance, you can follow me."
Although Kallen had lost her body—meaning the simplest and crudest methods of the past, like awakening the Stigmata or awakening the Honkai Beast factors sleeping within Kallen's bloodline, were blocked—she was still the descendant of his other-world self. If he didn't teach her something, Kevin felt it wouldn't be right.
Furthermore, the Elysian Realm was originally a place of trial, not a place for chatting and making friends. Cultivating powerful anti-Honkai forces for later generations was also what they needed to do.
Since he couldn't provide help regarding the physical body, he could only provide combat experience. He didn't know what weapon his descendant used. If it was the Judgment of Shamash, he could teach a bit more.
"Mm, Kevin... Ancestor?" Kallen looked at Kevin. If not for Irene explaining his relationship with Kevin first, relying just on Kevin's current face, Kallen truly couldn't link the words 'Kevin' and 'Ancestor' together.
"Just call me Kevin." Kevin looked at Kallen. Although MEI and the 'him' of the outside world left behind a bloodline, all of this was his own sin alone; there was no need for others to bear it. The Kaslana family indeed originated from Kevin, but Kevin was ultimately just Kevin.
Kallen looked into Kevin's ice-blue eyes. The years and heaviness settled within them left her unsure of how to respond for a moment. She clenched her fist, feeling this body constructed by the Elysian Realm which was no different from reality, and finally nodded: "I understand, Kevin. Then, I will be in your care."
Kevin nodded slightly, saying no more. He turned and walked toward the training grounds. Kallen took a deep breath, cast a "don't worry" look at Irene and Lixue, and then quickly followed. She knew that training with this legendary ancestor would definitely not be easy. But having such a powerful opponent for sparring was an incredibly rare training opportunity for a warrior.
Moreover, the boy training with her was her own ancestor. Such a peculiar experience... presumably, in the current Kaslana family, only she had it, right?
Watching the two leave, Elysia, who had arrived beside Irene at some point, gently touched Irene's shoulder. A sly smile played on her face.
"Oh my, it seems the serious Kevin finally has a bit of an elder's look, doesn't he? But, taking the cute junior away just like that... will Miss Irene feel a little lonely?"
Irene shook her head. Didn't she still have Lixue? How could she feel lonely? Besides, she still had [Irene] in her mind keeping her company~
"Are you worried about Professor Mobius, or are you worried about Rin?" Elysia keenly captured Irene's line of sight. Her smile remained bright, but a trace of understanding and comfort appeared in her pink eyes.
"Don't worry. Although Professor Mobius sometimes has some... special hobbies, Professor Mobius's ability is truly very strong. She will definitely be able to help Rin."
"Mm, I know." Irene naturally knew how strong Mobius's ability was. This level of difficulty couldn't even be considered a challenge for Mobius. Although the Corruption virus replicants Mobius previously extracted from the Black Box likely couldn't be used directly on Rin, this was just a small problem. For Mobius, it should be solved very quickly.
Mobius finding a way to save Rin was only a matter of time.
Actually, Irene was more worried about Mobius's attitude toward her. For some reason, Mobius seemed exceptionally interested in her. To be honest, although she knew Mobius had a bottom line, being targeted by Mobius was still a somewhat scary thing. Moreover, she would have to find a way to get Mobius to teach her about biology later.
[It's okay, my dear 'Me'~] [Irene]'s voice rang out in Irene's mind. [Rest assured, I am here. And don't scare yourself. Right now, Mobius should still be focusing on Rin's problem. She probably doesn't have that much time to pay attention to us.]
"Miss Irene, I would like to ask, how is the 'me' of the outside doing right now?" Su's voice carried a peacefulness. He had already sensed the Bodhi imprint within his body; this should have been given to Miss Irene by the Su outside.
"The situation is not good." Irene shook her head. Su, receiving this answer, was not surprised. He knew what plan he was executing, and he knew what kind of personality he had. Being physically and mentally exhausted was simply too normal a thing.
"However, please rest assured, Mr. Su." Irene looked at Su. "I think before long, I should be able to bring your... er, your outside body back. As long as there is a body, it won't be difficult for you to return."
"Hmm?" Su frowned as he listened to Irene's words. At that time, he should have already been running out of oil, his lamp drying up. Why leave the body behind? Was there some reason he absolutely had to do so?
"Could Miss Irene clarify this for me?"
"Regrettably, I am not very clear either." Irene shook her head. "I only know that Mr. Su needs to explore a certain truth, to seek an answer."
"...Is that so? I understand." Su nodded. "Then, if Miss Irene has free time later, you can also come find me. I think I should be able to help you cultivate the Bodhi imprint."
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