To quickly clear this simulation scenario, there are only two ways: to prevent the birth of the Herrscher or to eliminate the source of Honkai.
Chen Ran wanted both.
The formation of the Herrscher consciousness stems from desire. A typical Raiden Mei, when she was determined to die, only gave birth to the Herrscher consciousness without becoming a Herrscher. It was only when Kiana saved her, and she was injured and on the verge of death, that she obtained the power of conquest.
If Chen Ran wanted to eliminate the Herrscher consciousness from the source, he must first dispel Raiden Mei's negative emotions.
Thus, he needed to establish a firm goal for Raiden Mei: to rescue Raiden Ryoma and clear his name.
Of course, whether the goal can be achieved is not important; what matters is getting Raiden Mei to act on it, so she wouldn't be entangled by negative emotions, and the Herrscher consciousness wouldn't have the chance to tempt her.
But that was not the most important thing.
The most important thing was Cocolia.
Since Raiden Ryoma was transferred out of Nagazora City before the Honkai outbreak, it indicated that Raiden Ryoma or his supporters were not completely in the dark about what was happening in Nagazora City.
The radicals and conservatives must have had a struggle, and at this point, it seemed that this struggle had reached a conclusion, with the radicals temporarily victorious, leading to the imprisonment of the conservative representative, Raiden Ryoma.
Chen Ran did not understand the power struggle, but he could seek outside help.
After all, he was also a part of Schicksal now.
He smiled slightly at Raiden Mei and said, "I am a teacher at Senba Academy, but I am also an investigator of Honkai. Of course, you may not know what Honkai is, but your father is deeply entangled in its vortex."
ME Corp has many weapons designed to combat Honkai, and the biggest buyers of these weapons are not Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, but countries around the world.
Honkai cannot be hidden from everyone; at most, it can only be concealed from the general public.
Not to mention, after the Second Honkai Eruption, there were over a hundred thousand survivors in Siberia. Logically, news about Honkai should have spread, but public sentiment was controlled.
Relying solely on Schicksal would not be enough, but with the cooperation of governments around the world, it could be done.
Not every country has Schicksal and Anti-Entropy stationed, and it is impossible to wait for Schicksal or Anti-Entropy's assistance every time there is a Honkai incident.
That is why ME Corp's business is thriving, with a trade network spanning the globe.
However, Raiden Mei knew none of this.
"You may not know what Honkai is, so let me show you."
The two went to an uninhabited place.
Chen Ran's lips curled slightly, "Storm, submit to me!"
In Raiden Mei's eyes, a massive storm formed out of thin air, swirling up the dust and debris from the ground. And Chen Ran, who controlled the storm, seemed like a deity.
After a long while, the storm gradually calmed.
"You saw it; this is Honkai."
He said, "It brings people powers beyond comprehension, but of course, power comes with equally severe costs. Right now, your father and you are part of that cost."
Raiden Mei fell silent.
The wind that appeared out of nowhere was indeed beyond her comprehension.
This was not magic; it was akin to sorcery.
Chen Ran continued, "Your father was involved in the arms trade, and of course, the most important driving force, Energy, is also Honkai."
"Economic crime is just a cover-up. Now you should understand, the adult world is always this cruel."
Raiden Mei instinctively let out a breath.
Great, her father had no issues with character or morality.
Thinking of this, Raiden Mei felt much more relaxed.
The reason she became a Herrscher was due to her initial state of confusion and helplessness. This also explained why Kiana held such an important place in her heart.
She had relied her fragile emotions on Kiana.
But now it was different.
Since her father was innocent, the fragility in her heart transformed into a firm determination to achieve a certain goal, naturally dissipating.
However, there was still an important question.
"So what about you? Are you my father's enemy or friend?"
…
…
Due to Raiden Ryoma, Raiden Mei had been kidnapped when she was young.
After that, her father required her to learn swordsmanship, to have the ability to protect herself.
Although Raiden Ryoma did not tell Mei how dangerous the outside world was, with Mei's intelligence, she surely knew that her father had many enemies.
Especially when it came to matters beyond the ordinary, her first reaction was to question whether Chen Ran was a friend or an enemy.
Chen Ran blinked and said, "If I had to label myself, I would say I'm a collaborator."
"I found you not because of your father or you, but simply because of Nagazora City."
"You can go find someone to verify this, but I won't just stand here waiting for you."
For him, whether Raiden Mei would participate in his actions was not important.
As long as Raiden Mei's heart was not entangled by negative consciousness, leading to the emergence of the Herrscher consciousness, that was enough.
His truly convenient identity was as a member of Schicksal; the Mei before him could not become a qualified ally.
However, to Chen Ran's surprise, Raiden Mei spoke up, "I don't trust you, but I will follow you for now."
"Should I say 'let's cooperate happily' then?"
"It doesn't matter."
Raiden Mei said lightly, "Whatever you want to do, I will try my best to cooperate."
…
…
Meanwhile, in Nagazora City.
Cocolia arrived at ME Corp.
As the victor of the struggle, she now had the right to enjoy the fruits of victory.
ME Corp had always been the financial backing of Anti-Entropy, with a significant portion of the funding for Titan manufacturing coming from it. However, now that Einstein had failed to hold on, it naturally became her possession.
But that was not the most important thing.
"The plan can begin." She said, "Next, slowly isolate that little girl, and when the time is right, take action without hesitation."
Anti-Entropy also had the 'Divine Authority Project,' and this plan had even started earlier than Schicksal's.
However, unlike Otto's envisioned 'love,' Cocolia's plan was to stimulate the obsession and hatred within the Herrscher's host, maximizing the power of Stigmata within Raiden Mei.
So, in a way, her experiment was actually a follow-up to the failed X-10 experiment.
If Stigmata could indeed counteract the influence of the Herrscher consciousness, it would mean that the X-10 experiment was fundamentally correct.
And the entire Nagazora City was the sacrifice for this experiment.
The real Project Stigma did not actually begin in Tianqiong City.
It started in Nagazora City.
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