The night breeze was blowing gently, and Lion City was still bustling with life. If it weren't for the fighter planes whizzing past, it would feel no different from before.
Ryan took a piece of newspaper to cover his face, occasionally glancing at Sakura opposite him. In the hazy moonlight, he could see water droplets dripping from her hair and down her smooth neck, but her face was expressionless, which gave off an intimidating vibe.
Sakura didn't do anything to him, but there was a hint of wariness in her eyes. Without diving into details, it was clear that all the explanations Ryan had given earlier had fallen on deaf ears.
This bastard ruined my glorious image. Ryan thought to himself. Well, I can't blame him. He's just a picky guy who can't help it when he sees something sour. It's in his nature.
"Ahem, I've already taught this vulgar pen pal a lesson. You know, artists are always hard to understand, that's why they're so rare."
Sakura glanced at him sideways, as if she didn't believe anything he was saying. She felt a little depressed and almost got fooled again.
This won't work, Ryan thought. We need to change the subject.
He shifted his posture, his mind working quickly, and soon, he had a new idea.
"Is Rin asleep?"
"Yeah, I just put her to bed. I finally finished my homework, but I don't know if I can catch up once school starts next week." Sakura perked up when she talked about her sister, her expression turning apologetic. "I have to hire a babysitter tomorrow. I'm sorry, I wasted too much time."
It's easy to control a sister complex, but occasional forgetfulness is acceptable.
Ryan grinned slightly, his trump card already prepared.
"You don't need to worry about that. When I went to buy the rabbit doll today, I arranged for a middle-aged woman to come to my place tomorrow for a job interview. She's absolutely reliable."
Sakura paused while wiping her hair, then asked in confusion, "Don't you have the authority?"
"It has nothing to do with the Fire Moth. It's just a mental suggestion. It works very well on ordinary people, with very few side effects."
Sakura suddenly remembered that Ryan also had the ability to influence minds. She recalled how he had made the people in that small town leave with just one sentence. She didn't need to ask further—she already trusted this man's methods.
The slight unhappiness from earlier faded, and she felt grateful, albeit a little embarrassed.
"Sometimes I don't know how to thank you enough. I owe you so much as a partner."
"Are you feeling uneasy?"
"Yeah, our efforts don't feel proportional. According to the education I received, there's no such thing as one-sided effort in this world. But your attitude is giving me a headache." Sakura became serious, voicing all her recent thoughts.
"In terms of strength, I'm far inferior to you. Even if I become a Mantis, I will most likely not be your opponent. As for power, I'm just an assassin. Even Vil-V is more valuable than me."
She said a lot, speaking from the heart. Assassins weren't typically open about their weaknesses, preferring to observe quietly.
"Yeah, so what do I want from you?" Ryan propped up his head and glanced at the girl. She was sitting cross-legged, her loose neckline revealing her delicate collarbone. Her unmade-up face looked pure and elegant.
Am I investing in the future, clinging to the powerful hero of [Setsuna]?
This idea once felt very practical, but now it seemed quite ridiculous. Not only was there a huge gap in strength between them, but what Ryan was doing now was more akin to being a follower. He didn't need Elysia, as the Thirteen Heroes were gradually taking shape under his leadership.
He didn't even need Mei. The Fire Moth was being reshaped according to his vision, and many things had already become unrecognizable.
"So Sakura, do you want to repay me?"
"At least it can give you peace of mind. You can ask for anything." Sakura took a deep breath. Even if Ryan ordered her to take off her clothes, she would only respond with contempt, but at least she would return to her common sense.
And honestly, she knew that possibility was quite high. She had observed Ryan for a long time and found that his biggest issue was "lust."
Ryan looked the girl up and down, his gaze lingering on her long pink hair, her rosy lips, her delicate collarbone, and the slightly raised T-shirt that showcased her white, slender legs.
After a long silence, he spoke softly. "Then pour me a cup of tea."
"What did you say?" Sakura seemed not to have heard clearly. The other party had done so much just for this little thing.
"Pour the tea, pour it carefully, and we'll be even," Ryan repeated.
"That's all?"
"Otherwise, what else can I do?"
"I thought you were going to..."
"Stop. I told you I'm an artist and scientist who specializes in satisfying people's dark and profound fantasies. Do you want to underestimate me?"
Of course, Sakura would not look down on Ryan. She simply didn't understand. Hesitantly, she reached out, picked up the teapot, and poured the emerald green tea into the cup.
Her movements were gentle and graceful, like she had undergone rigorous training, and every action exuded elegance.
The teacup was half full, with the green tea resembling a pond, dotted with red petals, giving it a unique flavor.
Ryan picked up the teacup and took a sip. In addition to the tea's thickness and bitterness, there was a hint of sweet floral fragrance. The two flavors blended together, making him close his eyes in satisfaction.
"Good tea, you must have made this flower before."
"I pickled the cherry blossoms from my hometown. The taste will be more unique, and Rin will love it too. No, you haven't answered my question yet."
"I've already answered that." Ryan pointed at the teacup and smiled gently. "I treat you with sincerity, and you treat me with sincerity. Our gains and contributions are equal, and no one suffers a loss."
"But..."
Sakura wanted to say that she was just pouring a cup of tea, while Ryan had arranged everything for Rin perfectly, and there was nothing wrong with that. But as a talented person, she also understood what Ryan was implying.
Ignoring the value of the matter itself, they were just interacting sincerely, without any notion of superiority.
"Ryan, you really are a weird person, but if I say more, I'll sound hypocritical. Let's put it this way—if one day our interests conflict, I'll try my best to stand by your side." Sakura took a breath, as though she had made up her mind.
"Don't worry, our interests are always the same. Of course, I don't mind if some personal feelings are mixed in. I always feel that I have won one over Elysia." Ryan smiled, raised his teacup, and took another sip comfortably.
He thought to himself that he was a more powerful version of Elysia, without the emotional passion but with a bit more cold rationality.
Sakura didn't question it and made Ryan another cup of tea. She walked barefoot into the house and returned soon with a laptop.
"I thought you didn't like talking about work at home."
"I don't like it, but this is also a thank you to you. A cup of tea can't make it fair. Don't treat me as a fool." Sakura smiled, sat next to Ryan, turned on the computer, and inserted a data disk.
"I used the decoder that Vil-V gave me to hack into the terminal of the mobile branch, and verified it with the information given by Dr. Mei. I confirmed that the Judgment-level Honkai beast that escaped from the sea is nearby. Look, this is its information."
"Śeṣa?" Ryan remembered it had been mentioned to him. When they defeated the Third Herrscher, her companion beast had actually survived.
"Yes. Apart from occasionally attacking villages along the AustraRyan coast, it has been hiding on a deserted island. The Fire Moths have failed to capture it several times."
Sounds very cunning.
Ryan knew that the Herrscher and upper-level Honkai beasts had no humanity and couldn't "turn from darkness to light," but this didn't mean they lacked intelligence.
Sakura slid the mouse wheel, and the observation and analysis report flashed by quickly, accompanied by some blurry pictures. Ryan adjusted his glasses and leaned closer to the screen.
It was a giant black snake, like a monster from mythology, surrounded by lightning and black mud.
"Judgment-level snake, it's not material for Mobius."
Ryan scratched his face. He could predict many things, but he couldn't remember the specific Honkai beasts used by each of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers because the names were too hard to keep track of. He was only responsible for recycling the materials. When Mobius took them for genetic matching, she'd find the right fit. However, this snake rang a bell.
"Let's start with this one. As the companion beast of the Third Herrscher, its ability should be related to electromagnetic force, which I'm more familiar with."
It's more than just familiarity. What's the difference between you and the Third Herrscher?
Sakura glanced at Ryan secretly but didn't comment. She extended her slender fingers, tapping the screen. "When [Śeṣa] was observed for the fifth time, the detector showed a peak in Houkai concentration."
Ryan perked up, took a closer look at the parabola that suddenly spiked.
"2200HW? A Judgment-level Honkai Beast can reach this level? Are you sure it's not the Herrscher's arrival?" Ryan raised his eyebrows. Even a Judgment-level Honkai Beast's energy was weaker than that of a Herrscher. According to Fire Moth's classification, 2000HW was the limit for a Herrscher.
"Because it dissipated too quickly, and aside from a fleet being swept in, it didn't cause much damage. If it was the Herrscher, several surrounding port cities would have been completely destroyed." Sakura didn't quite understand, so she just read from the document.
"The Fire Moth only determined that the energy came from two carriers. It is speculated that the two high-level Honkai beasts gathered together, causing a detection error."
Get together?
Ryan fell silent. This went against Fire Moth's previous research. Higher-level Honkai beasts usually acted alone, and it was impossible for them to cooperate like humans.
Even though these beasts were companion creatures to the Herrscher, they didn't share any sense of unity or hierarchy.
Otherwise, the Herrscher wouldn't be needed. If a creature could unite all the Honkai beasts in the world to cause trouble together, Fire Moth would be in big trouble.
"The intelligence department of the Fire Moth is studying it, but there's already a precedent. Look at this intelligence." Sakura typed on the keyboard, and secret information popped up on the screen.
In the third Northern European crusade, it was confirmed that two Emperor-level Honkai beasts acted together, one lured the enemy, and the other ambushed them. The number of casualties was...
Ryan read slowly, his eyebrows furrowing tighter and tighter. He blurted out, "Search all the information to see when this anomaly first appeared."
"I have checked."
"When?"
Sakura slowly turned her head and answered in a strange tone.
"After the Third Herrscher was defeated."