"Seele, you—"
Shock was evident in Jun An's eyes. Wait, what just happened?
Although the number of times he'd been forcefully pushed down had left Jun An somewhat numb, the one before him was the pure Seele!
How had he been caught off guard by such a meek character again?!
"Shh!"
Seele's cheeks were already crimson, but she still pressed a finger against Jun An's lips, lowering her head. "Sorry, Jun An Gege, I know sneak attacking you was wrong of me."
But Seele has really waited too long. Just this once, okay? Seele will explain properly to Gege later."
"Mm,"
Jun An quickly adjusted his mindset and nodded. "Let's focus on the current situation for now. It's not quite right for us to be talking about romance while others are working hard to save the world."
"Mm." Seele nodded too, letting out a sigh of relief.
However, having crossed the line beyond siblings, the atmosphere naturally became awkward.
"..."
"..."
"Um..."
"Eh?! W-was that addressed to Seele!"
"Yeah."
Jun An felt awkward too, so he decided to ask directly, "Let's continue our previous topic. I know Bronya is doing reasonably well, but what about Cocolia and the others? Is everyone at the orphanage okay?"
Awkward. He had already gotten the general picture from Theresa and Himeko, yet he was deliberately asking such questions, like he was forcing conversation topics.
Fortunately, Jun An seemed to be the only one feeling the awkwardness of the topic.
"Mama Cocolia has recently been acting as Liliya and Rozaliya's manager, and she's also opened over a dozen welfare institutions herself, taking in displaced children just like during the Second Great Honkai War."
Seele started chattering as if grasping a lifeline, just wanting to cover up the previous awkwardness.
"Recently, Cocolia seems troubled about the orphanage's funding because she's taken in too many children. Mama Cocolia said that to earn money, she even helped Auntie Himeko work for an entire night just to secure some funds."
"Also, when she's drunk, she often complains about having too much work and too little money, saying there's almost no budget left for Liliya and Rozaliya's concerts."
"And what she complains about most is wanting to find a man to marry, so the family has a man who can help share the sex... cough cough, burden."
"Alright, alright, don't try to avoid the awkwardness."
Jun An sighed helplessly, understanding what Seele was trying to imply with that last part.
After all, his adoptive mother was in her late thirties, pushing forty, a generation older than even Himeko. Himeko used to treat him like a side dish every day, and Cocolia...
Not everyone was a MANTIS like Theresa, with naturally balanced endocrine systems. As long as Theresa didn't want to feel arousal, she never would.
And Cocolia, Jun An knew without needing to be told.
Seele also realized she had inadvertently spilled her mother's secrets and mentally apologized profusely to Cocolia.
"Let's just talk about what just happened."
Although Jun An preferred to avoid difficult topics, Seele was ultimately a good kid. He certainly couldn't discipline her like he would Pardo or Mobius.
After all, Jun An was sure Seele wouldn't like him forcing things; a gradual approach was better.
It was best to clear the air now to avoid further awkwardness later.
"Mm,"
Seele took a deep breath. What couldn't family talk about? So, Seele got straight to the point, "Jun An Gege, is there someone you like?"
"Hm? Yes, there is."
"Th-there is? Th-then, who is... who is that sister?"
Seele visibly wavered.
Jun An didn't hesitate. "The person I like is, of course, Seele..."
Seele was overjoyed. "Jun An Gege..."
Jun An said sincerely, "—and everyone else."
Seele's disappointment was palpable.
However, their discussion didn't last long. News came from Prometheus's side.
Prometheus reported, "Captain, we have completed preparations on our end. You can hand over the responsibility of protecting the residents to us. You can proceed to the next step."
Jun An's plan was proceeding smoothly. The small anchor points were quickly completed—forty-seven in total. All that remained was creating the Herrscher, the large anchor point, and they could directly pull the two world bubbles towards Earth.
"Alright, next is creating the Herrscher and the path for Susannah back to Earth."
Having said that, Jun An looked towards Misteln. "The method for creating an artificial Herrscher is simple. Just find someone with strong adaptability to the Sea of Quanta. Leave mobilizing the Honkai energy to me."
The Herrscher of the Sea of Quanta naturally had to be someone with high Quantum attributes.
"Because I was once like the Herrscher of Sentience, have used numerous Herrscher cores, and am a MANTIS, I lean heavily towards the Imaginary side and can't be this Herrscher."
"Among the others, Prometheus is an AI, Little Senti is an Earth Herrscher, Dr. Schrodinger's main body isn't here, and Dark Seele and Misteln are sentient Stigmata entities, leaning even more towards Imaginary than I do. Even less suitable."
"So, there are only three suitable candidates: Seele, Kira Shigure, and Susannah. But Susannah needs to pull the world bubbles back to Earth, so there are actually only two choices."
"Seele, Kira Shigure, which of you two will be the Herrscher? Personally, I lean towards Seele, as she underwent the X-10 experiment and is more attuned to the Sea of Quanta."
"Then I'll do it." Seele quickly emerged from her disappointment. "If it's me, the success rate should be higher, right?"
Dark Seele, however, asked worriedly, "Hey, Captain, this isn't risky, is it?"
"There's always risk. The worst case is becoming Sa's Herrscher and being controlled by Her, but I can block that."
Jun An stated, "Elysia's method of bestowing humanity upon Herrschers—don't worry, I know a little about that too."
Elysia once returned to the Cocoon of Finality to secure 'humanity' for the Herrschers. Jun An, having modified the Imaginary Tree, also understood a thing or two.
However, Sa's magnitude was far smaller than the Cocoon of Finality's, so there was no need for him to sacrifice himself.
"Then why not let me do it?"
Prometheus suggested, "Exploiting loopholes within the Cocoon of Finality's rules—I've done that before too."
Like Elysia, Prometheus had also exploited gaps in the Honkai's rules.
But unlike Elysia, who cut the threads of fate and bestowed humanity upon Herrschers, Prometheus's actions determined the form of the Herrschers, ensuring they aligned with the Previous Era's, thereby guaranteeing the Herrscher of Finality's form would also match the Previous Era's.
"No need."
Jun An said, "You continue coordinating communication among everyone. Misteln, stay there and wait for me. Paving the road in the Sea of Quanta requires your power."
With that, Jun An leaped from the tower, landing beside Misteln several kilometers away in a single bound.
In the original story, paving a path in the Sea of Quanta required Misteln's power.
Misteln asked curiously, "Brahma's ability, can it even absorb the power of a Stigmata crystal like mine?"
"As long as it's an Imaginary construct, it works. If the magnitude isn't too high, even Quantum Shadows are fine."
Jun An took Misteln's hand and used Brahma's ability to devour a portion of her power.
Of course, just like with the Flame-Chasers, it was essentially obtaining a tiny fraction of their "soul and body," allowing Brahma's ability to manifest.
Examples like Kevin directly consuming Chiyou were more about restoring power and completely eliminating the Honkai Beast.
And Misteln's ability, put simply, was control over the Stigma Space, a sort of lower-tier substitute for the Herrscher of the Void's power mixed with some characteristics of all Stigmata crystals.
"Alright."
Jun An looked at Susannah. "Susannah, are you ready?"
"Mm, I just need to keep running along the path Senpai creates, right?"
Susannah nodded seriously. "I guarantee I'll complete the mission Senpai entrusted to me!"
After a while, Jun An quickly adapted to Misteln's ability.
Confirming the ability was stable, Jun An directly took Susannah and Vita outside the world bubble, then began using Misteln's power to pave the road.
—System, lend me a hand.
[Host is not advised to do this. Unbound by causality, not entering the cycle of reincarnation—this is your unique characteristic as a Strategist.]
The System reminded Jun An as usual. [It ensures the history you traverse tends towards certainty and guarantees your safety across past and future.]
[If you lose this characteristic, even for a second, an instant, it will become a permanent vulnerability.]
—Do as I say.
[As you command.]
As the System acted, a look of discomfort appeared on Jun An's face.
Misteln, who had followed, saw Jun An struggling to pave the road and instantly thought of something, asking urgently, "Captain, you're using my ability to pave the road, could it be because..."
"Yes, the material for paving the road is my Stigmata."
Jun An nodded with some difficulty. "After all, in the inherently uncertain Sea of Quanta, constructing a stable path requires using an 'Imaginary construct'. My Stigmata is the best choice."
"What? Then Senpai, if your Stigmata disappears..."
Susannah was instantly alarmed. A Valkyrie's foundation for using Honkai energy was their Stigmata. Without it, even with high Honkai resistance, they couldn't use Honkai energy.
"In Wuxia terms, it's like having all your meridians severed."
Misteln frowned immediately. "Stop right now. I should bear the consequences of my actions. This isn't your responsibility."
"No, you need to conserve your strength for later."
Jun An shook his head. "I'm a MANTIS, after all. Losing my Stigmata just means losing about a third of my output at most. But your Stigmata is a crystal; using yours would be paving the road with your own 'body'."
For Jun An, it was like losing some tattoos; for Misteln, it was like cutting flesh. The nature was completely different.
Besides, Jun An wasn't letting Misteln completely off the hook.
"Alright, if this is your kindness, then I'll shamelessly accept it."
Misteln didn't argue with Jun An, but a blush appeared on her cheeks. "The reward I promised you earlier will definitely satisfy you."
As soon as Misteln finished speaking, Jun An completed the road, though the effort left him drenched in sweat.
"Okay, Susannah, you just head through here."
Jun An sighed in relief. "All that's left is creating the Herrscher."
"Senpai, you look really tired. Are you okay?" Susannah asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just lost my Stigmata. As a MANTIS, I don't rely solely on Stigmata for output."
Jun An patted Susannah's head. "Just run straight through, don't look back. Misteln, you're responsible for escorting her. If anyone tries to attack Susannah or destroy the bridge, you're the best person for the job."
Misteln's combat power was undeniable. After all, she was a former World Serpent executive and possessed legacy from the Stigma Project. She was the perfect choice to escort the relatively weak Susannah.
"Mm."
Misteln understood that this task was indeed something only she could handle. Unlike ordinary humans like Susannah, she could pull the world bubble and return to the proper world without burden.
"But before leaving, I must also show some sincerity for you cleaning up my mess, Captain."
"What sincerity?"
Misteln looked at the Captain, whose aura had weakened considerably, didn't hesitate, stepped forward, crouched down, and whispered in his ear.
"Since Captain went to such lengths to prevent me from harming my own body, it's only natural to let Captain taste the body he protected, right?"
"..."
"Weren't you curious before about how I put on my clothes, and where Prometheus's charging port is?"
??!!
Misteln took a step back after delivering her line. "We can study it properly when we get back. I believe this reward should be worthy of Captain's efforts."
Without giving Jun An a chance to reply, Misteln led the curious, good-student Susannah away along the path Jun An had paved.
"Oh my, they've left."
Just as Misteln departed, Vita's voice, silent until now, sounded from behind Jun An.
"It seems paving this road took a heavy toll on you, not as easy as you claimed. No wonder they trust you so much."
Vita smiled at Jun An. Although she didn't know the principle, as Jun An's Stigmata disappeared from his body, her All-Seeing Eye started working on him again!
With Misteln gone, taking the crystal he gave her, the All-Seeing ability was no longer useless against him.