Volume 4, Chapter 24: Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Sentience

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Although the simulated day felt long, upon waking up, only a few minutes had passed in reality.

Xia Chen increasingly believed Mobius's theory of quantum superposition, where identical individuals appearing at different times caused chaos, leading the entire world towards disorder.

He couldn't help but ponder whether each use of the simulator accelerated the world's descent into chaos, thereby increasing entropy.

However, he quickly dismissed these thoughts.

In this space, he heard unfamiliar voices:

"Sister Sakura, I've set up the bed you requested, complete with bedding. Hehe, isn't that thoughtful?"

Within Xia Chen's view, a girl emerged beneath the cherry blossom tree, dressed lightly and adorned with a swaying cat tail behind her, her feline-like posture evoking a desire to stroke it gently.

"Thank you for your hard work, Pardo," Sakura smiled. "Please place it here."

"No problem, it's part of our transaction." Pardo's eyes twinkled. "By the way, Sister Sakura, you've never needed a bed before. What changed this time?"

"Hmm, due to special circumstances, the visitor needs to rest here for a while," Sakura replied without hiding any details. "As you know, the visitor has a unique status, which could easily lead to conflicts if encountered by Kalpas or others."

"Oh, so you're taking him in, I see now." Pardo pondered thoughtfully. "Does the visitor require an engraving this time? I can make a deal with him."

Among the Thirteen Heroes of the Garden of Eden, obtaining Pardo's engraving was arguably the easiest task. One simply needed to find her and offer something she found interesting as trade.

Sakura pondered for a moment. "Unfortunately, he just fell asleep, but I can ask him later on your behalf."

"Wow, Sister Sakura, am I mistaken?" A hint of suspicion flashed in Pardofelis's eyes. "It seems like you're particularly attentive to this visitor—arranging bedding and inquiring about engravings. Sister Sakura, could it be..."

"Don't read too much into it; I indeed have matters to entrust to him." Sakura swiftly dismissed the peculiar thoughts forming in Pardo's mind, calmly stating, "In any case, ensure I don't hear any strange rumors circulating outside."

"Don't worry, Sister Sakura, my lips are sealed," assured Pardofelis.

The catgirl left.

Turning towards Xia Chen, who was still perched in the cherry blossom tree, Sakura said, "I know you're awake now. Apologies if we disturbed your rest earlier."

As a martial artist, she had heightened sensitivity to breathing patterns. When Xia Chen woke up, his breaths became slightly heavier compared to when he was asleep, allowing her to discern his awakening.

Thus, pretending to sleep was easily detectable.

Xia Chen remained composed as he descended from the cherry blossom tree and couldn't help but ask, "Who was that person just now?"

"Pardofelis, another one of the Thirteen Heroes. In non-combat aspects, she possesses unique skills."

Sakura's response was tactful, avoiding any mention of Xia Chen's exploits on Twilight Street.

Xia Chen nodded thoughtfully. "So, do the Heroic Spirits in the Garden of Eden also express themselves freely like this?"

"It's a side effect of the Super Transformation Surgery. Apart from growing cat ears and a tail, she adopted feline habits, including a dislike for being confined by clothing." Sakura paused before continuing, "Nearly every Heroic Spirit experiences side effects from the surgery. The physical impacts are relatively minor; it's the psychological issues that prove most challenging to overcome. Except for those with exceptionally strong wills, others tend to become somewhat withdrawn inwardly. This is why you might find communication difficult with some Heroic Spirits here."

Xia Chen rubbed his nose. "Actually, it hasn't been too bad. At least communicating with you has been very smooth."

Sakura smiled faintly and changed the topic, "Rest here while I go search for Dr. Mobius."

"No need, let's go together. I'm curious about the progress of the experiments anyway," Xia Chen replied.

Despite hardly getting rest, he only felt slightly weary, not exhausted enough to immediately fall asleep.

Sakura glanced at him and nodded. "Alright."

Upon returning to the Hall of Joyous Journey, they noticed several new individuals present.

Kevin, Eden, Su, Elysia, Mobius... and two Fu Huas.

Seeing Sakura and Xia Chen approach, Elysia waved enthusiastically. "Oh my, it's quite lively here today! Well, even our visitor has arrived."

"Seems like you've been spending a lot of time with Sakura lately. Do you have some secret between you?" Elysia teased, speaking more freely with Xia Chen than usual, her mood evidently uplifted.

Sakura, accustomed to Elysia's chatter, calmly responded, "Yes, we do have some secrets, but I can't share them with you."

"Eh, how stingy! Aren't Sakura and I supposed to be best friends?" Elysia pouted playfully, feigning disappointment.

Xia Chen walked towards Mobius and couldn't help but ask, "Did you succeed?"

"Oh? Indeed, it was even more successful than anticipated." Mobius squinted, then suggested, "Take a guess, which one is Hua now?"

Xia Chen glanced over and realized both Fu Huas looked identical. However, he detected a familiar aura emanating from one of them, similar to his own energy signature.

He furrowed his brow, asking, "Where's the Herrscher of Sentience?"

If the Herrscher of Sentience were present, it wouldn't be this quiet.

Mobius smiled broadly, clearly satisfied with her achievement. The others scrutinized both 'Fu Huas', their thoughts seemingly occupied.

Finally, Su explained to Xia Chen, "There were some unexpected developments involving our visitor."

"Dr. Mobius successfully created a new body, and Elysia managed to persuade the Herrscher of Sentience to enter it. However, after merging with the new form, this is the result."

"What about Fu Hua herself?"

"My apologies for causing you concern," Fu Hua spoke up, expressing remorse towards Xia Chen. "Elysia advised me to maintain synchronized movements with the Herrscher of Sentience for now, as it may aid her recovery."

This explained why she appeared so unresponsive earlier.

While Fu Hua was feigning it, the Herrscher of Sentience genuinely seemed disoriented.

Fu Hua suggested, "I suspect it might be due to the formation of my own Herrscher Core, and when the Herrscher of Sentience's consciousness left my body, this transformation occurred."

"Elysia believes that the Herrscher of Sentience could be missing something crucial to awaken her full awareness. Unfortunately, Fenghuang Down isn't available here."

"How about trying this?" After considering, Xia Chen produced the Keys of Oblivion.

He wasn't sure how the system-provided weapon would help, but since it belonged to the Herrscher of Sentience, it might have an effect.

However, just as he produced it, another 'Fu Hua' swiftly snatched the Keys away.

Her speed was astonishingly swift, leaving everyone dumbfounded.