Chapter 127: Authority and the Serpent's Gift
When Rovel awoke, the first thing he registered was the piercing white light of a medical lamp directly overhead, making him squint in discomfort.
He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his first instinct to check his own body. He was dressed in a set of sterile hospital pajamas. A quick glance at his arms and hands revealed that the skin, which had begun to corrupt and turn gray like a Death Soldier's, had returned to its normal, healthy state. His own clothes were folded neatly on a chair to the side.
'Was I... saved?'
A mental command brought his status panel into view, and he scanned it with a desperate urgency.
[Name: Fang Ruobai]
[Level: 30]
[EXP: 0 / 350,000]
[Race: Taiyi]
[HP: 15,000 / 15,000]
[Honkai Energy Infection: 0%]
[Constitution: 1,450]
[Strength: 1,450]
[Agility: 1,450]
[Intelligence: 1,550]
[Honkai Energy Resistance: 3,000 HW]
[Stigma Slot 1: Yae Sakura]
[Stigma Slot 2: Empty]
[Equipment: Elysia's Crystal Flower (Special Accessory)]
'What have I become?'
Rovel's eyes locked onto the word "Taiyi" in the race section, and he fell into deep thought. Wasn't that the name of the Honkai Beast factor he had acquired? Even if he had undergone the MANTIS surgery he was promised, his race should have changed to "MANTIS." Why "Taiyi"?
He quickly handled to his system notifications, his eyes widening when he saw the timestamps. They were from three days ago… He had been unconscious for three whole days. He scrolled through the log, his heart pounding as he relived the final, critical moments.
[Warning: Honkai Energy erosion has reached 97%.]
[Warning: Honkai Energy erosion has reached 98%.]
[Warning: Honkai Energy erosion has reached 99%.]
[Ding! Your Honkai Energy infection has reached 100%. Honkai Energy resistance detected to be greater than 1,500 HW. Species change initiated → Pseudo-Herrscher...]
[Ding! Honkai Beast factor transplantation successful. Species change re-routed → Taiyi.]
[Ding! Your base attributes have been multiplied by 5. When leveling up, all attributes +10, free attribute points +20.]
[Ding! Your Honkai Energy resistance has increased by 1,000 HW. Honkai Energy infection progress has dropped to 0%.]
[Ding! Authority: Water has been successfully activated.]
[Ding! Authority: Wood has been successfully activated.]
At that moment, only one word burned in Rovel's mind—"Authority"!
'Should I have expected any less from the Serpent?'he thought with a surge of awe and gratitude.'She actually managed to pull me back from the brink at the very last second!'
But... Authority?
Rovel froze, rereading the last two notifications. That was a term reserved for the absolute peak of power in this world. 'This sort of thing is usually something only a Herrscher has, right? Why would I have it?'
An Authority was the conceptual ability to control a fundamental aspect of reality. So, did this mean he could now control "Water" and "Wood"?
Tentatively, Rovel lifted his hand and lightly tapped his finger in the air. In response, a single, crystal-clear drop of water materialized before him, hovering perfectly in space. A playful impulse took over. He focused his intent, and more drops appeared, coalescing into a large, shimmering orb of pure water that he could guide through the air with a mere thought.
It was a magical, intoxicating experience.
Just as Rovel was about to test if he could change the water's form—perhaps into ice or steam—he caught a glimpse of a figure in the orb's reflective surface. A slender, green figure standing right behind him.
"!"
A jolt of pure shock shot through him. The newly formed water orb shattered instantly, its contents splashing down and drenching his clean pajamas.
But that was the least of his worries.
"Sna... cough, Dr. Mobius," Rovel choked out, spinning around to face her.
"Come out once you've finished playing." Mobius's voice was flat, betraying no emotion, but a distinct chill still ran down Rovel's spine.
He shivered, not from the cold water but from the icy tone. He scrambled to change into his dry clothes, took a deep, steadying breath, and prepared himself to go out and face her judgment.
In the adjoining room, Mobius was seated on a plush sofa, her left leg crossed elegantly over her right. One elbow rested on the armrest, her hand propping up her chin as she perused a data report. Her expression was a perfect, unreadable mask, yet her very presence saturated the room with an immense, suffocating pressure. Klein was present as well, but she kept her head buried in her work at a nearby console, pointedly ignoring the unfolding drama.
"Rovel." Mobius called his name without looking up.
He shot Klein a desperate, pleading look for help, but the assistant remained steadfastly focused on her tasks. Defeated, Rovel could only walk over and sit down on the sofa beside Mobius, his posture ramrod straight.
"Snake, you must be tired. Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?" Rovel asked, his voice laced with caution.
Mobius didn't reply. She simply set the data report down, turned her body slightly, and fixed her gaze on him.
"You..."
"I was wrong!" Rovel blurted out before she could finish, his survival instincts screaming. "I shouldn't have risked using the Jizo Mitama again! I almost turned myself into a Death Soldier, and that was reckless and stupid! I should have been obedient and come to find you sooner, Snake! I'm so sorry for making you worry!"
Mobius had only uttered a single word, but Rovel had unleashed a torrent of apology, a masterclass in groveling.
A vein pulsed at her temple. "Who's worried about you?" she snapped, glaring at him. "I'm just afraid it would be difficult to find such a useful experimental subject again!"
'A textbook tsundere...' Rovel thought, though he wisely kept the observation to himself.
She wasn't entirely wrong, though. He had only been gone for a little over a month, and he had already brought back two incredible research subjects for her. One was "Taiyi," the unknown Honkai Beast factor now coursing through his veins. The other was a sample of "Pseudo-Herrscher" blood. And that wasn't even counting the full set of Vishnu-class Honkai Beast materials sitting quietly in his system inventory.
Since Rovel's attitude in admitting his mistake was so sincere and active, it was difficult for Mobius to continue her tirade. Just as he thought the storm had passed, she slowly reached into her pocket and pulled something out.
"Rovel," she said, her voice dangerously soft. "Tell me, what is this?"
He looked up. Dangling from her fingers was the "Three-Year Sakura" charm he always wore.
"Oh, that was a gift from a girl named Asakura Miyuki..."
The moment the words left his mouth, Mobius's emerald eyes narrowed.
Sensing the sudden drop in temperature, Rovel quickly recounted the origin of the charm and the tragic story of his encounter with Asakura Miyuki.
"So that's how it is..." Mobius said, her tone feigning nonchalance. "Then, do you like that girl? Is that why you've been wearing this?"
"As for Asakura Miyuki... it's probably more like sympathy. I felt she was... quite pitiful. This is just a memento to remember her by," Rovel explained honestly.
"If it's something worth remembering, then it should be put away properly. What's the point of carrying it on your person?" Mobius curled her lip and tossed the Three-Year Sakura back to him.
In the same motion, she threw another accessory into his lap. He picked it up. It was a small, carefully crafted charm shaped like a cute, chibi-style green snake.
[Snake (Accessory): An accessory that emits a unique fragrance. Charm +7. (Note: Only one accessory can be equipped at a time. Special accessories do not occupy equipment slots.)]
"This is..." Rovel looked up at Mobius, confused.
"Cough," she cleared her throat, her voice suddenly rising an octave. "Didn't I just say? If it's a memento, put it away. As a replacement, you can just wear this."
A warm feeling spread through Rovel's chest. "Thank you, Snake." He carefully placed the Three-Year Sakura into his system inventory and equipped the new snake charm Mobius had given him.
'There probably aren't any surveillance devices or anything inside this, right?'he mused.'Probably not...'
Seeing him put it on, the corner of Mobius's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc of satisfaction.
"Alright," she said, her fleeting good mood vanishing as her expression turned serious once more. "Now, let's talk about that thing inside your body."
The "thing" she referred to was, without a doubt, the mysterious power that had saved his life: "Taiyi."
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]