Chapter 48: It is happiness to be able to see each other

[You are back on land. Although you ran into the Herrscher right after you came back, this is a good thing for you. At least you can gain the trust of others through your actions, and it can also slightly relieve the pent-up emotions in your heart.]

　　[The rainstorm covering the island soon dissipated. Under the bright sunshine, you followed Mei and Kevin to Vill-V's workshop and had a conversation with them there... They were indeed still a little wary of you, but you didn't care and just responded to their questions one by one.]

　　[For example, how did you survive, the special conditions in the "ocean," how did you come back from the "ocean," why did you become like this... and, the final outcome of Hen.]

　　[Although the process was a bit tortuous, fortunately, Mei and Kevin finally confirmed your identity and welcomed your return. At the same time, they officially determined Hen's status as "dead."]

　　[It's just that because of your current special situation, you are ordered not to leave the island. After all, the extremely terrifying Honkai emanating from you can make many people nervous.]

　　[You don't care. Right now you want to see Elysia and Sakura more.]

　　[Mei said that they were both on their way here, and you could rest on the island for a while. After you learned about this, you also said that you wanted to go see Griseo.]

　　[The "deepest place" is right here. You promised to come back to visit her, so you must fulfill your promise now.]

　　[You walked into the "Deepest Place" again, and faced Griseo's pure gaze without any complaints, and her question "Brother Nozomi, have you come to see me?" You just gently and slowly walked forward and hugged her in your arms.]

　　["Well, Griseo, I came to see you." You responded.]

　　[Griseo, who got the answer, hugged you gently in return, and said that your "color" was a little different from what she had seen before, and it became a little wet, like water.]

　　[Griseo also gave you the painting she had drawn. You looked at the painting that was covered with various colors, and you could only vaguely perceive another picture hidden under the various colors. You were speechless for a moment... but in the end you still accepted it.]

　　[You met Aponia and Kosma again. You were quite friendly to both of them. Although Aponia always maintained the attitude of "wanting to say something but saying nothing in the end" to you, you didn't care. On the contrary, it was surprising to see Kosma here... According to him, he came here for some personal reasons, and it just happened to be a good opportunity for him to take care of Griseo.]

　　[It seems that Griseo is living well here, which makes you feel a little relieved... At least Hen's daughter is living well, that's good.]

　　[You stayed with Griseo for a while. During this time, Kosma and Aponia reminded you several times not to stay with Griseo for too long, otherwise, Griseo would be stained with your "color" like a pure white canvas, changing her personality and even further affecting her... But in the end, you still stayed with Griseo.]

　　[It's not for any other reason. It's simply because Griseo doesn't want you to leave. In Griseo's words, she likes the "color" on your body. Now it's wet, like watercolor paint, and she likes it very much.]

　　[This statement left Aponia and Kosma helpless, and they could only let Griseo do what she wanted... And in the end, it was strange that, apart from frequently painting some ocean scenes or some marine creatures, Griseo herself did not have any obvious changes, which made people feel relieved but also a little surprised.]

[After all, you are the only one who is close to Griseo and has not left much "color" on her. Others, even Aponia, Kosma, and even Mobius are the same. As long as they stay around Griseo for a long time, Griseo will be stained with their "color," and it is an extremely bright one.]

[This is also the reason why, no matter how much Mobius loves Griseo, she rarely comes to see Griseo... Mobius does not want her "color" to leave too bright a mark on Griseo, which is not a good thing for Griseo.]

[And now, others have some understanding of why Griseo "likes" you so much. After all, as long as she stays by your side, there won't be much "color" left on her body, so she can at least maintain herself for a long time... That's how it looks in the eyes of others. As for what Griseo herself thinks, it's not so clear.]

[And not long after, you met Sakura and Elysia as you wished.]

[There was no excitement when you met, no talking or crying. For you, a hug, a greeting, a smile, that's enough.]

[As long as we can still be together, this is the greatest happiness.]

[However, the long separation still has an impact on you. Sakura fell asleep in your arms after a long time. Her slender ears rested on the back of your neck as usual, giving you a slightly furry feeling. Occasionally, she would rub against you to show her affection.]

[You also try your best to control the water that is constantly spreading and filling up around you and make your body less wet as much as possible, so that Sakura won't wake up because her whole body is soaked like before.]

[You pulled your "shell"... or "hunter suit" a little bit, extending the part that belonged to the windbreaker a little bit, and then gently covered Sakura's body so that she could be a little warmer beside you.]

[And Elysia, she is still so lively. Even in the "Deepest Place," which is filled with darkness, it cannot cover up her brilliance. When she arrives, it seems that the darkness around her has dissipated a lot as if it was affected by her liveliness and cuteness.]

[Elysia will not disturb your time with Sakura. She just deliberately controls herself and walks to your side with brisk but silent steps. Then she bends down and gently teases Sakura's animal ears... Whenever Sakura falls asleep in your arms, she likes to do this. After all, this is a rare time when Sakura does not deliberately control her animal ears.]

[At this time, you will reach out slightly and hold Elysia's hand in your palm... This will make you feel better and allow you to clearly feel that Elysia is still there, Sakura is still there, and they are still by your side.]

[Although Elysia was a little surprised, she didn't object. She just teased you lightly, saying that sometimes you express your emotions too directly, which makes others feel strange and causes others to have some wonderful and strange misunderstandings... But she didn't mind it very much. Instead, she responded to you very actively and gently squeezed your hand to show you that she is here.]

[Elysia is still smiling, talking to you softly with a bright, unchanged smile. She is still the same as before, as if she has endless words and stories to tell... and you can therefore know more clearly what is happening on land while you are struggling in the "ocean."]

[First of all, of course, you "Fusion Warriors" have gained a few new companions, one of whom is Eden, and she has also obtained the right to use the "Harmony of the Star Sea," which is the "Divine Key" weapon made with the "Ninth Herrscher Core."]

[In fact, Eden originally wanted to come to the "Deepest Place" with Elysia and Sakura to visit you, but the request was rejected by the Fire Moth.]

[After that, Elysia continued to talk about some interesting things that happened to the Fire Moth during this period and told you that Mobius might come to see you in the near future... You were not surprised by this. Even if Mobius did not take the initiative to come, you would have invited her.]

[It's not that you have changed your opinion and attitude towards Mobius. It's mainly because she once said that if you have any special situation, you should go to her... After all, Mobius has helped you a lot. Even if you don't like her very much, you are willing to meet these not-too-excessive requests.]

[But now you are ordered not to leave the "Deepest Place," so you can't go to "visit her," you can only ask her to come over.]

[But Elysia seems to remember something and tells you with a smile not to be too surprised when you see Mobius... She said that for some special reasons, Mobius has become more adorable, like a little girl.]

[And when you see Mobius again, you will understand what Elysia means... Mobius really has turned into a little girl. Although her personality has not changed at all, it is somewhat... weird.]

[As for what happened to you in the "ocean," Elysia was also very curious, or rather everyone was very curious, how did you come back from the "ocean"... and you told Elysia about your experience without reservation.]

[When you were talking about "Skadi," you paused for a while and felt a little depressed, but you finally told Elysia everything, including the fact that you regarded "Skadi" as a friend.]

[Elysia was slightly surprised, but then she smiled happily and was happy that you could make a "new friend"... She didn't seem to care about "Skadi's" identity as a Honkai Beast. On the contrary, when she learned about this, she was very... happy?]

[However, others don't think so... Fire Moth learned the details of your situation in the "ocean" through Elysia, and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with your description to Mei and Kevin, but the level of detail was far less than your description to Elysia.]

[But the Fire Moth still thinks that you are no longer the "Fusion Warrior" you once were. After all... you can actually make friends with Honkai Beast, not only can you coexist peacefully with it, but you are even willing to give it a name. What's more... you can actually understand Honkai Beast's "language."]

[Secondly, your combat method also made Fire Moth suspicious. Your "hunting" of the "Tenth Herrscher" that was almost like a massacre was terrifying. Especially based on Mei and Kevin's descriptions and your own self-talk during the battle, Fire Moth speculated that you might have "eaten" many "Tenth Herrscher individuals."]

[This situation, which is similar to "cannibalism," disgusts the Fire Moth, and makes it more determined that you have been eroded by the collapse.]

[Of course, these are not the most important. After all, no matter what, you have shown your kindness to Mei and Kevin. Sakura and Elysia are willing to vouch for you, and even Mobius is willing to stand up for you.]

[Mobius even refuted the arguments of the Fire Moth one by one... The fact that you can understand the language of Honkai Beast is probably because the "Gabriel" gene in your body is too active, although logically you should be attacked by the "Gabriel" gene at this time.]

[But the fact is that you survived and clearly retained your consciousness, allowing you to maintain a "critical point" state, which is undoubtedly an area that needs to be studied.]

[The second is the so-called "cannibalism." Mobius laughed at it and said it was just the imagination of the Fire Moth. After all, they are "Herrschers." Even if they maintain human form, they are still "Herrschers." How can the Fire Moth have the nerve to say "cannibalism"?]

[After all, whether it is Honkai Beast, "Herrscher," or "Fusion Warriors" who fight for humanity, they have all been labeled as "monsters" by Fire Moth and even allowed the public to regard "Fusion Warriors" as monsters without any rebuttal. How can Fire Moth have the nerve to say such things when it has come to this?]

[According to the Fire Moth itself, this is just a unique way to destroy the "Herrscher." It is just a normal devouring of "monsters." How can it be called "cannibalism"?]

[Mobius even laughed at the Fire Moths for being a bunch of ridiculous trash. They actually classified the "Herrschers" as humans again because of your "special performance" and even wanted to restrict you in return. All this was just because they were afraid of your "Herrscher hunting" attitude. It was really funny.]

[But all this failed to change the Fire Moth's mind, because there is one thing about you that cannot be changed—the abnormal Honkai energy that is almost like a "Herrscher."]

[This is irreversible evidence, and it is also the reason why the Fire Moths are unwilling to let you return to the base... But they are unwilling to destroy you. After all, you did show a friendly attitude, and Aponia has also tested that you do maintain your consciousness. Elysia and Sakura also admit that you are still you. At the very least... Griseo's attitude can also prove something.]

[Therefore, after some discussion, the Fire Moth decided to give you a "task"—to clear out the units imprisoned in the "Deepest Place" and use this to observe your condition... They want to do a test.]

[Of course, in order not to upset you, Griseo has been transferred first and is being taken care of by Kosma. Aponia will temporarily stay in the "Deepest Place" with Vill-V to observe your condition and restrict you when necessary.]

[Honestly, this is a very strange task. Although there are many criminals and "failures" imprisoned in the "Deepest Place," in a sense, this is also a kind of "resource." Poison Pupa likes to use this kind of "resource." Choosing to clean it up at this time... Why? Just because the leader of the Poison Pupa became a "Herrscher," he couldn't wait to start clearing it out?]

[Although you feel very strange, you still carry out this order, because you know that if you want to return to the Fire Moth, you must show the attitude of "still obeying orders," so that the Fire Moth can believe that you are still a human being and let people accept you so that you can accompany them like before.]

[Also, clearing the "Deepest Place" is not a difficult task for you now.]

[More importantly, Elysia and Sakura were promised that as long as you show an attitude of "obedience," the Fire Moth will be willing to believe that you are still a "human," so they also reluctantly accepted this order.]

[But soon, you find out that you are wrong, you are all wrong, the so-called promise never existed.]

[The Fire Moth never intended to accept you, nor did they intend to let you come back... They did not allow a person with extremely strong Honkai energy, or even a suspected "Herrschers," to return to the Fire Moth.]

[They ordered Vill-V to transform the "Deepest Place" to detain you, and the so-called "cleaning up the criminals in the Deepest Place" is just a pretext to delay your time and distract your attention.]

[They were worried that you would go berserk and rebel after discovering the truth, so they left Aponia to restrain you, and even... deliberately sent Elysia and Sakura to calm you down, so that you could "voluntarily" accept the fact of being imprisoned.]

[No matter how much Elysia and Sakura emphasize, as long as the facts are revealed to you, you will voluntarily accept imprisonment. In order to fight against Honkai and for the sake of humanity, you will understand the difficulties of everyone and be willing to sacrifice yourself to protect humanity.]

[But Fire Moth doesn't believe it, because in the previous test records, you are very disgusted with dim and closed rooms, and your emotions even become abnormal... Fire Moth doesn't think that you will voluntarily be imprisoned because of an order, and even be willing to stay in there quietly.]

[Their final reason for refuting Elysia and Sakura was also very simple—for the sake of humanity, they could not accept placing a "time bomb" back into the Fire Moth base.]

[…It's really hilarious, the attitude of the Fire Moth.]

[But in the end, things really turned out just as Fire Moth had expected. When you found out that you had been deceived and imprisoned in the "Deepest Place," and were ordered not to leave, you did show very extreme emotions... If it weren't for Elysia and Sakura's comfort, I'm afraid that most of the "Deepest Place" would have been demolished.]

[This also made the Fire Moths more determined in their thinking—you are no longer a "human," you must be restricted, and if necessary... you must be eliminated.]