Chapter 137: Recruiting Actors
The term "emergence" was not unfamiliar to Irene. Whether it was the second awakening of Mei, Bronya entering the Truth state, or even Welt Joyce in his earliest period, all could be considered emerged Herrschers.
The so-called "emergence" could be understood as a state where the Core completely fused with the Herrscher vessel itself, capable of almost fully drawing out the gem's inherent abilities.
Previously, she had always felt that she wasn't a natural-born Herrscher, and had genuinely forgotten about this possibility. Now, after being reminded by Wendy and comparing it to her own condition, it did seem that her state could be called emergence.
"Sigh, to think I only realized this so late," Irene muttered aloud, listening to Wendy's voice in her mind. Beside her, Wendy heard Irene's spontaneous words and tilted her head.
"Is something wrong, Miss Irene?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just discussing things with the others." Irene tapped her head. Wendy knew there were people living in her mind; after all, even her own other self resided within her consciousness.
"Miss Irene, you really are so busy." Wendy looked at Irene. There were people constantly communicating with Irene in her mind, and Irene herself had to constantly adjust her state to face any potential crises that might arrive in the future.
"Don't worry, I won't get tired. It's just my brain that's working." Irene patted Wendy's head. "Besides, I am the Herrscher of Death. When it comes to endurance, no one is stronger than me."
"Rest assured, I will lead you all to see an unprecedented ending. That is beyond a doubt. You just need to trust me."
"But Miss Irene, if everything is left to you alone..." Wendy's words were cut off before she could finish, as Irene stopped her by pressing a finger against her lips.
A faint smile touched the corners of Irene's mouth as she looked at Wendy. "Don't worry, I've never been alone. I have you, and I have everyone else. You will all definitely be able to help me."
"So there's no need to worry. What you need to do right now is properly master your own power. Only then can you help me."
Wendy looked at Irene and nodded. "I understand, Miss Irene. But is the treatment already finished? Didn't you say you wanted to try activating the gem?"
She had felt Irene touch the gem. The gem's output had indeed spiked for a brief period, but it seemed to have only risen for an instant before the output dropped back down.
"I've already tried." Irene tapped Wendy's knee. "The effect is very good. However, the effect is a bit too good, so I was worried whether your current Honkai Adaptability and Honkai Resistance could withstand it."
The output the moment she touched the gem was several times higher than before. It couldn't be helped; the gem had practically been dormant prior to this, and even that had been enough to severely torment Wendy's body.
Now, with the output suddenly multiplying again, she was genuinely worried about whether Wendy's body could take it. According to what the other Wendy had said, she too had only gradually elevated her Honkai Resistance and Honkai Adaptability while mutually adapting with the gem.
Only then was she able to endure the subsequent state of emergence. Irene had originally wanted to activate it bit by bit, but just as its name implied, once Active Polarization took effect, the activity was instantly pushed to the max.
It had indeed been pushed to the max, and the activation was successful, but Wendy wouldn't necessarily be able to withstand it. Because of this, Irene could only stay her hand for the time being.
"How about this? It seems I'll just have to slowly adapt to it?" Wendy had chatted with her other self for quite a while, listening as her other self clearly explained how she gradually adapted to the Gem of Desire.
As long as she frequently utilized her Authority to keep the gem in an activated state, it would gradually alter her constitution. Her Honkai Adaptability and Honkai Resistance would both increase during this process.
After all, no Herrscher would die from excessive Honkai energy caused by activating their Authority through their own gem. This could be considered a perk of being a Herrscher. It was just that the vast majority of people would never get to experience this perk.
"Not entirely." Irene shook her head. "There is a way to enhance Honkai Resistance. Later, I'll ask them for an experimental sample for you to use first."
"Ah?" Three question marks flashed above Wendy's head. Honkai Resistance could be enhanced? Miss Irene, what are you saying? If this thing could be enhanced, why didn't you use it? Why did we have to live in fear of the side effects of the artificial stigmata?
Ultimately, the reason the artificial stigmata caused such issues was because its Honkai energy content was simply too high, and it mobilized that Honkai energy in an incredibly terrible way.
However, as long as one's Honkai Resistance was sufficient, there was no need to worry about the side effects of the artificial stigmata. But that little bit of Honkai Resistance requirement was enough to block the vast majority of people.
When it came to this attribute, having just a little bit less versus a little bit more was an absolute world of difference. Furthermore, it was almost entirely innate. Aside from becoming a Herrscher, Wendy truly didn't know of any other way to enhance Honkai Resistance.
"Originally, it wasn't possible, but that might not be the case now." Irene looked at Wendy and smiled before suddenly changing the subject. "As Teacher Himeko's former star pupil, you should be well aware of her physical condition, right?"
Wendy found it a bit strange that Irene suddenly shifted the topic, but she still nodded, her tone turning somewhat heavy. "Yes, I am aware."
Or rather, it was impossible to hide Himeko's physical condition from anyone. Truth be told, Himeko wasn't suited to be a Valkyrie; neither her Honkai Resistance nor her Honkai Adaptability were up to par.
Her poor Honkai Resistance was precisely what made Himeko one of the Valkyries to suffer the most severe side effects from the artificial stigmata. But why was Irene suddenly bringing this up?
Looking at Wendy's confused gaze, Irene smiled. "If you paid close attention, you should have noticed, right? Teacher Himeko's physical condition is much better than before."
"..." Wendy blanked for a moment, but then realized what Irene might be implying. "Miss Irene, do you mean there really is a way to increase Honkai Resistance?"
"That's right. It's a special medicine, though I don't have any on hand right now. I gave the samples to Anti-Entropy's Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla for research."
"And they have now produced experimental samples that are ready for mass production."
"Then..." Wendy immediately grew somewhat excited. As a former Valkyrie, she knew very well that even just a slight increase in Honkai Resistance could extend the lives of all Valkyries.
"Don't worry, this is exactly what we intend to do." Irene nodded at Wendy; she knew what Wendy was getting excited about. "Anyway, leave this matter to me. You can go back and rest for now."
"Understood, Miss Irene." Wendy nodded. She used a gentle breeze to lift herself back into her wheelchair, then pushed the wheelchair out of Irene's room.
Irene climbed onto her bed and lay down. "We've already reached this point in time, huh. There will be no 'Poem of the Wind', nor will there be 'Betrayal is a Silver Smile'. 'Reunion in the Snowfield' and 'Prisoner of Babylon' are gone too."
[Unknowingly, we have already changed so many things, haven't we, Darling?]
At that moment, [Irene] spoke up. As a personality who shared memories with Irene, only she knew what Irene was just muttering about. Using leverage to pry at the world, they relied on their tiny wings to stir up a storm amidst the world's hurricanes.
"Mhm. However, the situation moving forward will probably become even more complicated." Irene nodded. This was exactly what she was worried about. Even if certain plotlines were averted, others would inevitably occur.
They weren't things she could change. For instance, 'Raising the Sword of Rebellion Against Heaven' and the 'Queen's descent'. Otto would never let things rest; he would definitely see his wish fulfilled.
New variables had already arisen within the storm, and she had lost the preemptive intelligence advantage she originally ought to have had. But Irene did not regret it.
She had already averted the original tragedies, so what was there to regret? As the saying goes, when soldiers approach, generals will block them; when water rises, earth will dam it. That was Otto. No matter how he changed his tactics, he ultimately needed Kiana.
Or rather, he needed the Queen inside Kiana's body. He would come sooner or later. It was just that open spears were easy to dodge, while hidden arrows were hard to guard against. Constantly playing defense was not a viable solution.
She still needed to think of a way, ideally to actively bait him into striking first. Since it was bound to happen sooner or later, it would be better to ensure its occurrence was controllable, keeping all losses at an acceptable level.
"Hm..."
[Do you want to try putting on a play?] Little Corruption suddenly spoke up at that moment. [Since everything is destined to happen, and currently, half of the actors are on your side...]
[Especially the lead actors of the plot. So why not...]
[A play written by me?] Irene closed her eyes and pondered for a moment. What Otto wanted to see was Sirin's awakening. Since he wanted to see it...
Irene suddenly sat up. Then let him see it.
Following that, she left her room and lightly knocked on Theresa's door.
"Who is it?" Theresa's voice carried a hint of panic. Subsequently, Irene clearly heard the sound of something being frantically shoved away.
"It's me." Hearing the noise inside, Irene smiled before pushing the door directly open. She looked at Theresa, who was half-crouched by the bed, trying to hide something under it.
"Alright, what manga are you still trying to hide at home?" Irene entered the room and closed the door behind her. "Are you afraid Teacher Himeko will scold you for reading manga at home?"
"Habit, it's just a habit." Theresa coughed twice, then placed the manga she had been about to hide under the bed onto the nightstand. She looked at Irene.
"Is something wrong, Irene?"
"It's nothing. Didn't we capture Sin Mal?" Irene looked at Theresa. "I need to contact Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla, but I don't have their contact information. I figured you should have it, right, Theresa?"
"Oh, I do." Theresa nodded. She then turned to another cabinet, rummaged through it, and pulled out a communicator hidden inside a book, handing it to Irene.
After taking the communicator, Irene turned to leave. Just as Theresa was about to sit down, she looked at Irene's retreating back with some confusion.
"Irene?" Theresa called out to stop her, looking puzzled. "Wait a minute, Irene, aren't you going to communicate with them together with me?"
"Not this time." Irene shook her head. "I have something I need to discuss with them privately. So, my apologies. Get some good rest; I'll be back in a bit."
With that, Irene walked out and closed the door behind her.
"Wait, Irene!" Seeing Irene leave, Theresa immediately scrambled off the bed. However, there was no sign of Irene in the hallway. Only the window at the very end of the corridor, meant to increase natural lighting, was wide open.
Meanwhile, Irene had already vaulted through the window. Gathering Honkai energy around her feet, she condensed Honkai energy thrusters and shot straight up into the sky, arriving above the clouds. As for the various facilities that were supposed to trigger alarms and record movements, they had long since been rendered blind by Little Corruption's virus.
Irene dialed the number, and the call was quickly answered. Einstein sat in front of the screen, holding a cup of coffee. "Miss Theresa, according to your..."
After speaking out of habit, Einstein finally noticed that only Irene was on the screen. "Miss Irene? Good evening. Is something the matter? Are you inquiring about the medicine?"
"There is a need in that regard. I require a few experimental samples." Hovering above the clouds, Irene continued, "Additionally, I'd like to ask you to pass some intelligence to Miss Cocolia."
"To Cocolia?" Tesla's red head popped into view from the side. "Irene, what are you trying to do this time? Wait, Irene, where exactly are you?"
"Above the clouds." Irene patted a nearby cloud. "It's quiet here, and not easily discovered. What's wrong with me being here?"
"Miss Irene really did find quite a unique and private location." Einstein's mouth twitched. "Alright, it seems Miss Irene truly does have a very important matter to discuss with us; otherwise, you probably wouldn't have avoided Miss Theresa."
"Mhm. Cocolia left her daughter here." Irene nodded. "Her name is Sin Mal. I presume you two are not unfamiliar with her."
"We know her, alright, but how did she end up in your hands?" An awkward expression crossed Tesla's face, clearly having dealt with Sin Mal before. "Is Cocolia stirring up trouble again?"
"You could say that, though she mostly came to gather intel, but just happened to fall into our hands." Irene nodded. "Anyway, I need you to inform Cocolia about this."
"If possible, it would be best to get her to launch another invasion."
"Wait, wait, wait, what does that mean?" Tesla looked utterly confused upon hearing Irene's words. "What do you mean, 'get her to launch another invasion'?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"To give yourselves an excuse, as well as an excuse to someone else." Irene looked at the two of them. "Anyway, I'll leave this to you. If it's not possible, I'll think of another way."
"Miss Irene, are you really sure about this?" Einstein set down her coffee cup and looked at Irene. "You must understand that Cocolia can sometimes resort to rather crazy actions."
"Are you not afraid?"
"Everything will be under my control. Trust me." Irene looked at Einstein. The only cards Cocolia could pull out were merely Titans and the Herrscher of Reason replicas.
The former would be completely countered by the Corruption virus, unable to stir up any waves whatsoever. As for the latter, being biological entities, they would likewise be completely suppressed by her and rendered useless.
As long as Cocolia took the bait, all losses could be controlled.
"Does Miss Theresa know about this?"
"She doesn't know, and I don't want her to know." Irene looked at Einstein. "I need to resolve this matter. So, can Miss Einstein and Miss Tesla help me?"
"Is it very important?"
"It might be very important."
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