Mobius didn't react to Li Mu's outstretched hand; she only stared at him coldly.
"Sigh~"
"My dear Mobius, it's not very cute of you to act like this."
Li Mu withdrew his hand and thoughtfully looked at Blanca, or rather, Griseo's mother, who was crouching to the side.
Blanca looked at Li Mu disguised as the Faded Elf, then at the cold-faced Mobius. She suddenly felt like an unnecessary third wheel.
So she immediately stood up and consciously left the space to the two of them.
"Doctor, I'll go organize the materials for the lawsuit first. You two take your time talking!"
Watching Blanca leave, Li Mu smiled, preparing to use his pre-prepared pitch to get Mobius on board.
However, he soon noticed that the look Mobius gave him shifted from wary to a sudden realization, as if she understood everything.
"I see. I completely understand now." Mobius muttered to herself, "No wonder Eden brushed off the kidnapping incident. So it really is like this. My guess was right..."
Li Mu really wanted to ask her what exactly she understood.
But the next moment, he heard Mobius say, "So that woman Elysia really does have mental problems. It seems you are her alternate personality."
"...No, I have nothing to do with her, and I'm certainly not her second personality. Just call me the Faded Elf."
Hearing this, Mobius nodded, seemingly agreeing with Li Mu's statement.
But Li Mu noticed that the look on Mobius's face had grown even more certain.
Li Mu wanted to retort, but didn't know how, so he could only let it slide for now.
He took out his communicator and tapped on the screen.
Mobius frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Pulling you into a group chat. Hurry up and accept."
Mobius looked at her communicator and found a sudden group invitation.
She casually clicked accept, and was immediately pulled into a group chat named 'The Golden Courtyard Family'.
Currently, including herself who just joined, there were only four people in this group. Her gaze swept over the names:
The Helix Vill-V, the Golden Eden, the Faded Elf, and her own 'Infinite Snake'.
"Doctor, our world is in imminent danger. You should know that the Honkai eruptions are showing a trend of intensifying. And given the current state of Fire-MOTH, I do not believe they have the ability to lead humanity through the Great Eruption."
Looking at Mobius, Li Mu's tone was sincere.
"I intend to gather the heroes of this era to fight for the survival of humanity."
Mobius raised an eyebrow, roughly guessing what Li Mu was going to say, but still asked, "You're not trying to drag me into some save-the-world nonsense, are you?"
To this, Li Mu revealed a bright and sunny smile.
"It seems you've guessed it, Doctor. Yes, I want to invite you to join us."
"Join us in writing a unique story in this era destined for destruction, and give humanity a perfect ending~"
Before Mobius could react, Li Mu hugged her arm, a pleading tone in his voice. "So, please, Dr. Mobius, become a hero with us!"
"I refuse!"
Mobius didn't even think twice before rejecting Li Mu's invitation. She yanked her arm back fiercely but found she couldn't break free.
Still, she sneered, "Save the world? Boring idea. I'm not interested."
"Don't say that~"
Li Mu wasn't surprised by Mobius's rejection. Even after being rejected, he still cheekily said:
"Perhaps in the process of saving the world, you might find the answer to your 'Infinity' project? I have a lot of knowledge that you'd be interested in, Doctor. Like Stigmata genetic engineering, Meta-Morph active reaction technology, and so on..."
Hearing this, Mobius stared sharply at Li Mu.
"So the person who traded with me before was you?"
"Of course."
Hearing Li Mu's answer, Mobius suddenly felt conflicted, because she was indeed interested in the knowledge he held.
But I can't just join just because you ask me to.
I just rejected him so firmly. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing to go back on my word now?
Li Mu saw Mobius's temptation. He knew it was time to add weight to the scale.
"Doctor, if you join us, you'll never have to worry about research funding again~"
Listening to Li Mu's alluring words, Mobius let out a cold sneer.
Just a little money... Is she, Mobius, the kind of person who can be bought with money?
"I don't lack that little bit of research funding..."
"How about one hundred billion?"
Li Mu's words struck like a thunderbolt, shoving Mobius's words right back down her throat.
"H-how much?!!" Mobius's voice trailed off.
"One hundred billion. You can freely control your research projects. If the experiments progress, I can add another two hundred billion."
...If there's so much money, why didn't you say so earlier!
Mobius's expression suddenly became serious, and she said, "You all know me. I, Mobius, have always seen the Honkai as my sworn enemy. Humanity's future is my future."
"I've always longed to become a hero!"
"Excellent." A friendly smile appeared on Li Mu's face, and he let go of Mobius's arm. "From now on, we are partners who will save the world together."
Mobius was also very happy. The thought of one hundred billion in research funds hitting her account made her so excited she almost started humming.
But she soon remembered the current crisis. If she didn't resolve the blame pinned on her, Blanca would probably spend the rest of her life in prison.
Seeing the worry suddenly surface on Mobius's face, Li Mu knew what was bothering her.
"Don't worry. I have a way to send those guys who framed you straight to the sky, and solve your dilemma at the same time."
"But before that, Doctor, I want to consult you on a question."
Li Mu casually projected a headshot. It was a girl with silvery-grey twin drill tails—exactly Bronya's appearance.
He looked at Mobius and asked, "Doctor, have you seen her?"
Upon seeing the avatar of Bronya projected by Li Mu, a strange expression slowly appeared on Mobius's face.
"I have. Of course I have."
"Where?"
"On my dissection table, as a corpse."
"The First Herrscher. When her remains were acquired, I was the first to conduct research on them. Unfortunately, Fire-MOTH didn't let me touch her Herrscher Core."
"Your intelligence network is indeed powerful to have even dug up the identity of the First Herrscher. Fire-MOTH erased all information about her."
Although he had expected it, Li Mu still felt a bit emotional upon finally getting this answer.
The Herrscher of Reason of this era was Bronya's counterpart. In other words, before he even had the chance to pull her into the Trio, this counterpart was already gone.
However, thinking of Prometheus's appearance in the story, he felt less surprised that the First Herrscher was Bronya's counterpart.
"Doctor, I want to know, where are her remains?"
Mobius fell silent for a moment, then finally hopped a few times in place.
"Uh... Doctor, are you trying to lose weight lately?"
Mobius rolled her eyes at Li Mu and said grumpily, "I mean, it's right under our feet."
"Oh?"
Seeing Li Mu look puzzled, Mobius felt she had finally regained some initiative. She raised her head and said proudly:
"You didn't think my First Research Institute was just this small, did you?"
"My research requires many lab rats. They are highly dangerous, so to be safe, they are all locked down below."
Li Mu smiled faintly, quietly listening to Mobius's boasting before asking the question he cared about most.
"Doctor, can you take me inside?"
Hearing Li Mu's words, Mobius's expression grew serious. She chuckled softly and said:
"I can, but you're not going down just for a tour, are you?"
"If it's just for a tour, I can grant you access right now. No checkpoints will stop you."
"But if you intend to do something else... like take something, please don't drag me into it."
Li Mu heard the warning in Mobius's words and smiled. "Don't worry, Doctor. I don't intend to drag you into it. I do need to take something, but I'll also fulfill my promise and help you take care of those bugs."
"Solving a problem is very troublesome, but eliminating the people who created the problem is much simpler."
"For example, what if the Herrscher's corpse suddenly revived and rioted, removing those shoddy buildings along with those bugs?"
"You can balance the books too~"
Hearing Li Mu's words and thinking of the disgusting maneuvers those bugs pulled that sent her blood pressure soaring, Mobius's face gradually grew fierce.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Elysia!"
"I told you, I'm not Elysia. Please call me the Faded Elf."
"I understand, E—Faded Elf. Consider it a favor to me, send all those bugs to the sky!"
Then, Mobius pulled up a map and pointed out the location of the First Herrscher's remains to Li Mu.
But seeing the eagerness on Li Mu's face, she suddenly felt an indescribable worry.
Gritting her teeth and struggling internally for a moment, she pulled a card from the pocket of her white lab coat.
"The underground defense forces are very strong. Even an Emperor-class Honkai beast would die if it got trapped. This is my clearance card. If you encounter danger you can't avoid, use it."
Looking at the card Mobius handed over, Li Mu was somewhat surprised, then smiled.
"If Fire-MOTH and the United Government find out, you'll be in big trouble, right?"
"My dear Mobius, are you worried about me?"
Mobius snorted coldly and said, "I'm just worried that if you die, my one hundred billion will go down the drain."
"I know, I know... this is what they call having a sharp tongue but a soft heart, right?"
Hearing this, Mobius was furious.
But before she could loudly retort, she saw an illusory blue light emerge from Li Mu's body. Something she felt incredibly familiar with surged forth.
And in Li Mu's vision, he had just purchased an item from the System Shop.
[Item: Herrscher Trial Card (Reason)]
[Price: 3000 Crystals / 30 Minutes]
[Observe the laws, deconstruct all phenomena, reconstruct miracles.]
At this moment, for half an hour, he would be a genuine Herrscher of Reason!
Endless streams of knowledge flowed through his brain. He felt as if he could easily touch the truth of the world, deconstruct it, and reconstruct it.
—This was the authority of the Herrscher of Reason.
Li Mu knew that right now, he not only possessed world-shaking wisdom, but also grasped world-shaking power. At this moment, he could do anything, even math problems!
Mobius stared blankly at Li Mu, who was glowing with a faint blue light as if special effects had been turned on.
Then she saw Li Mu extend his arm and thrust it into his chest without any resistance. Not a single drop of blood flowed. And when he pulled his hand out, he was holding a glowing crystal.
Seeing that crystal, Mobius wore an expression as if she had seen a ghost.
"???"
"The Core of the Herrscher of Reason?!"