"You mean to say, you want to create an 'Emanator'?"
Leon felt... that was rather absurd.
What, does Ruan Mei think she is Zandar?
After saying it, he didn't actually think Ruan Mei could pull it off. He wasn't even an 'Emanator' himself yet she wanted to create one; he didn't know if Ruan Mei was laughing when she said this, but Leon certainly laughed.
An 'Emanator' is a product of direct promotion by an 'Aeon'. If you can create an 'Emanator', doesn't that make you effectively equivalent to an 'Aeon'?
"No."
Ruan Mei indicated that her ambition was far more than just that.
"If 'Life' is cultivated, recombined, and reproduced, one can dissect 'Remembrance', regulate 'The Equilibrium', deconstruct 'The Beauty' (Pure Beauty)..."
"...and reproduce 'The Permanence'."
This Genius revealed her ambition completely.
"To understand 'Life', to touch upon 'Concepts'..."
Ruan Mei spoke with increasing enthusiasm, her calm tone infused with an imperceptible fanaticism.
"In this way, perhaps I too can..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt, as if she felt she had lost her composure. Although she didn't say it outright, Leon knew what she wanted to say at the end—
To become an 'Aeon'.
Badass. She actually wants to swallow four 'Paths' in one go? It had to be said, Ruan Mei really dared to dream; her ambition couldn't be described with just the word 'big'. It needed 'huge'.
However, Leon could only give her one evaluation:
She's bullshitting!
Leon didn't even dare to say he could beat an 'Aeon', yet Ruan Mei was directly thinking of replacing one.
"Tell me what you want to do."
Even if he thought she was bragging, Leon wouldn't go out of his way to slander her. That's just how Pathstriders are; did you think the term 'Path-Lunatic' was given for nothing? Persuasion is impossible, otherwise, they wouldn't have stepped onto the Path in the first place.
Every Pathstrider has something they are obsessed with. If there were no obsession, how could they walk this road? The Genius Society is almost entirely made up of fanatical madmen, and Ruan Mei is no exception.
"That Glamoth Iron Cavalry, is she a product created using 'The Propagation' genes?"
A Genius's brain is always sharp. From Leon's single phrase about 'star-crossed lovers', she could extract the information she wanted.
"Yes." Leon gave an accurate answer.
Ruan Mei murmured slightly, "Although I don't know exactly how it was done... but she has become the 'Empress', correct?"
She voiced her deduction right there.
"Should be, maybe, probably, perhaps?"
Leon only guaranteed after-sales service; anything else was none of his business. He cut ties cleanly.
"Did you help her achieve it?"
Whether it was the things filmed in Rise of the Black Flame Knight or the sudden appearance of the 'Empress', Ruan Mei didn't believe Leon wasn't involved. He definitely did it! This person was born to do big things! Just as whenever something bad happened it was Aha's doing, now whenever something big happened, it was Leon's doing. This is called inheriting the tradition.
"Why, do you have a dream too?"
Leon didn't reply directly, but the answer he gave was clearly tantamount to an admission.
"Is that girl an 'Emanator'?"
Ruan Mei murmured for a while before asking with some disbelief. In the Path of 'The Propagation', aside from the 'True Stings', could there actually exist another form of 'Emanator'?
In Ruan Mei's view, this was quite unreasonable. Because to put it simply, 'The Propagation' is exclusive, restricted only to specific personnel. Even if Firefly possessed 'The Propagation' genes, Ruan Mei didn't think she could become an 'Emanator'.
Because she wasn't pure enough. From the very beginning, she had betrayed the Path of 'The Propagation'.
The underlying logic is unconquerable.
"Aren't you the expert?" Leon asked, implying what kind of question is that.
"Do you think the Path of 'The Propagation' can produce such an 'authentic' Emanator?"
Is this the so-called 'experts are the ones who understand the least'?
Firefly is not an 'Emanator', nor could she ever be one. From the moment the Path of 'The Propagation' was born, it was destined. The 'Complete Combustion' state is close to an 'Emanator', but she can never become a true 'Emanator'.
Even now, with Leon having helped her become the 'Empress', this remains true. Firefly's throne was a puppet regime from the start. Aside from the false title recognized by 'Tayzzyronth' through the 'Stellaron', she had virtually no real power.
"Do you know that there are still Swarms rampaging within the galaxy?"
"I know." Leon didn't understand why she was asking this.
"Do you know that the five great Swarm Kings are all 'Emanators'?"
"Don't care."
What about 'Emanators'? They're already dime a dozen.
"Do you know that there is a reaction among the Swarm called 'aggregation', where they attract each other?"
"What are you trying to say?" Leon hated beating around the bush the most.
"I want to say, if that Glamoth Iron Cavalry, with your help, truly became the 'Empress' of 'The Propagation', then the Swarm Kings will involuntarily gather towards her."
After a bout of beating around the bush, Ruan Mei finally stated what she wanted to say fully.
"I don't know what method you used. However, that Glamoth Iron Cavalry's succession shouldn't be orthodox. That is to say, the Swarm Kings won't obey mindlessly; they will test the 'Empress'. If she fails the test, then the consequences for this Glamoth Iron Cavalry can be imagined."
Ruan Mei prepared to use this as a point to persuade Leon to cooperate with her.
"Okay, and then?"
Leon looked like he was quietly waiting for her to continue.
Ruan Mei was rarely stunned; she hadn't expected him to look so indifferent.
"I mean..." She paused, summarizing what she wanted to say before repeating it. "If that Glamoth Iron Cavalry accepts this gift without the strength of an 'Emanator', she will at least be subjected to torture by five Swarm Kings who are 'Emanators'."
Ruan Mei's implication, both in and out of her words, was that Firefly was in a precarious situation where she couldn't even protect herself. The good deed he thought he did might actually be harming her.
The Swarm actually has divisions within it. It isn't a single faction as it appears on the surface, but divided into six major groups, each performing its own duties:
'Phantasmal Moth', 'Waning Afterglow', 'World-Beguiler', 'Calamity-Gestator', 'Star-Shatterer', 'Proliferating Evil'.
These are the six great branches within the Swarm. These six major groups each inherited a portion of 'Tayzzyronth's' abilities. And each group has a leading boss. These are often borne by those who have developed the talents left by the 'Swarm Emperor' to the extreme.
This is the origin of the 'Swarm Kings'.
Naturally, having received the 'Swarm Emperor's' true teachings, every 'Swarm King' is an 'Emanator', a rare high-level existence on the Path of 'The Propagation'.
Six 'Emanators'—this lineup is almost equivalent to the Seven Heavenly Generals of the Reignbow, excluding the Marshal. If one doesn't have potent strength, isn't that just waiting for death?
Ruan Mei didn't think Firefly could withstand this lineup, because the people who could withstand it could be counted on one's fingers. Not to mention she wasn't even an 'Emanator'.
A Pathstrider fighting five 'Emanators'—tell her, how is one supposed to fight this impossible game?
The only solution was to rely on Leon.
"So?" Leon still didn't get what Ruan Mei wanted to say.
"She isn't even an 'Emanator', yet you dare let her declare herself Emperor in such a dangerous situation?"
It was a good thing Leon didn't understand Ruan Mei, and Ruan Mei didn't understand him either.
"Are you not worried at all about an accident happening to her?"
If he was willing to help Firefly become Emperor, the two must be friends at least, right? And friends imply that a certain level of care exists for her. But if that's the case, she didn't understand why Leon would be so calm. Someone with whom he had an ambiguous relationship might be facing a great calamity soon. What did Leon's indifference mean?
"If they dare to offend, I will make sure they return in defeat."
The answer to this question existed back when Leon hypothesized the ending for AR-214.
Drive the Swarm out, down to the last one!
Initially, he indeed didn't know the Swarm was so insidious that they would actively rush towards Firefly. But it didn't matter; knowing or not knowing was irrelevant. Because Leon still cared about his reputation; if he provided after-sales service, he would provide absolute after-sales service to the very end.
Leon hated pulling gacha cards without high-quality after-sales service the most, precisely because he had been caught in the rain. So he wanted to hold an umbrella for others.
Besides, it wasn't as if he couldn't detect the situation on Firefly's side. As long as there was an interaction with him, the 'Causality' line naturally existed. Anyway, never mind Swarm Kings or whatever bugs; if they dared to act rashly, then they could wait to eat Brother Leon's big arrow.
Ruan Mei stared blankly for a moment, suddenly realizing the impracticality of her own thoughts. She had actually been delusional enough to use 'I have a way to eradicate the problem completely' as a reason for cooperation, to urge him to join her project and contribute.
Clearly, she had wanted to borrow his powerful stats to do some things from the start, but now she had underestimated his stats, thinking that using Firefly as a reason could make him reach a temporary cooperation with her.
But did Leon really need it?
Six Great Swarm Kings, six 'Emanators'... maybe they wouldn't even be enough for him to kick once. Don't mention five; even if there were ten, so what? Did she really think quantity could defeat Leon?
Don't joke around; ten 'Emanators' stacked together might just barely reach his starting height.
Completely self-contradictory; she was truly dizzy. Firefly's crisis was never something that needed worrying about, because the Leon who should worry would make his move.
'The Propagation' wouldn't have the chance to test the authenticity of the 'Empress'; those with such thoughts would only become souls lost under his arrow.
If Leon wanted to, he alone could clean up all the Swarm remnants within the galaxy, including the Swarm Kings and the orphans of 'The Propagation'.
With the 'Aeon' absent, Leon is invincible. Just some small fry; a few arrows would make them honest. This isn't a joke; he can do it.
Those major factions can't do it simply because the cost is too expensive. Six 'Swarm Kings'. That implies that to completely exterminate them, one must bring out six 'Emanator' level characters. A whole six 'Emanators'!
In the current galaxy, apart from the Xianzhou Alliance, no second faction can bring out this lineup. If you count the Lord Ravagers, then maybe. If one really went to full-scale war with the Swarm, who knows how many of the six 'Emanators' would remain? If they were backstabbed by the Corporation again, wouldn't they be completely finished?
"What would Herta say when asking for your help?"
Ruan Mei thought about it and returned to the most essential request. Rather than pondering other messy things, it was better to try and perfect her own attitude. For Leon, flashy tricks were indeed less effective than being practical.
"She would say, 'Please, come test it'."
Leon spoke the truth; she had indeed said that to him.
Hearing this, Ruan Mei composed her words, not acting coy:
"Please, Mr. Leon, lend me a hand. I will do anything."
The spoken words held no emotion. Although one could feel the sincerity, and the gentle, cold voice was certainly pleasant to hear, the robotic, mechanical delivery gave no sense of reality.
But Ruan Mei really tried her best; this was already the result of her effort. She also wanted her emotions to be more intense, but that couldn't be forced. Her nature was innately indifferent; it was destined that she likely couldn't have any strong emotions.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Leon typed out a question mark. "What do you want to do?"
"I have a method here that can completely eradicate everything by the roots. If successful, then that Glamoth Iron Cavalry might be able to become the true 'Empress'."
Only after he asked did Ruan Mei explain one by one.
"The 'Swarm' might also head towards a chronic death, but there are some things I cannot achieve no matter what, so I hope Mr. Leon can lend me a hand."
"Uh, you mean...?"
Leon asked, pretending to understand when he didn't.
"Resurrect 'Tayzzyronth'. Use the second death of the 'Swarm Emperor' to awaken certain things related to the underlying logic of the Swarm."
Using a calm tone, Ruan Mei spat out a bold, even insane, plan.
"?"
The more she spoke, the more Leon tilted his head.
Wait, he didn't mishear the name just now, right? You said who? Resurrect 'Tayzzyronth'? Ruan Mei must be crazy.
Oh, she is a madman. That's fine then.
Six six six.
Just after saying he was invincible because the 'Aeon' was absent, the 'Aeon' pops out directly. Is this Ruan Mei targeting him? Leon reasonably suspected she was his anti-fan.
"Just in case, I'll ask first."
What if? What if the 'Tayzzyronth' Ruan Mei spoke of was just a namesake?
"This 'Tayzzyronth' you speak of, do you mean that 'Propagation' Aeon?"
Leaving aside how Ruan Mei could achieve it, the existence of the 'Swarm Emperor' itself is unlikable; others wish He would never return. Yet you are hoping for Him to return, even pushing for His return.
However, thinking about how there aren't many members in the Genius Society who aren't anti-social... it seems normal.
One can only say our Lady of the Pointy Hat is truly too great.
"I think apart from that, there is no second 'Tayzzyronth'."
Ruan Mei gave a hum of affirmation.
"This 'Tayzzyronth' of yours, is it the real deal or a replica?"
Could she really create an 'Aeon'? What, did she pick up Zandar's legacy or something?
"It is a brand new life form borrowing the name of 'Tayzzyronth'."
Ruan Mei's ambition had already been stated before. She wanted to attempt to deconstruct an 'Aeon' by creating an 'Aeon'. Finally... to become an 'Aeon'.
She wanted to replicate Zandar's great achievement and become the second person to master the knowledge of 'Aeons'.
"How do you plan to do it?"
Understood. One glance and it's clear: it's a replica.
Leon never felt she could whip up the real thing, unless she really obtained Zandar's legacy.
____
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