Su had long since grown accustomed to the bitterness of this bitter melon juice.
After careful adjustment by Occultist, its effect of penetrating straight into the soul had been maximized.
The first time Su drank Vill-V's specially prepared "heartfelt juice," he had nearly ascended on the spot.
Occultist had no choice but to reduce the bitterness level by two grades, allowing Su to avoid dying instantly from a single sip.
Su did not actually enjoy the taste of bitter melon juice. He drank it with a purpose.
This level of bitterness could substitute for the ascetic practices of monks, helping him temper himself and refine his mind.
Combined with Occultist acting as his instructor, using training methods designed for Three-Body spiritual warriors...
Su's mental strength had now reached more than ten times that of an ordinary person.
Su had originally possessed an exceptional talent as a perception-type MANTIS.
If he established a connection with another person's consciousness, he could instantly overwhelm their mind and extract whatever information he needed.
If he wished, he could now even split his own consciousness and create a second personality.
This was part of Vill-V's training plan for Su.
Of course, the most important reason Vill-V was willing to invest so much effort into him was that such extraordinary mental strength allowed Su to work day and night without rest. Even a production team's donkey couldn't outlast him.
Even breeding sows couldn't match his productivity.
Su was, without a doubt, the ultimate working emperor!
My enhanced version of Klein!
What, you think this is too harsh on Su?
Just think about how, in the future, during Project VALUKA, Su would go without food or drink while observing other worldlines for tens of thousands of years. Compared to that, his current life was practically a blessing.
...
After exchanging information about the "vampires" and other intelligence with Liora, Su's eyelid twitched involuntarily.
He cast a subtle sideways glance at Vill-V, who was happily spinning on a swivel chair with Hua and, on a whim, had started styling Hua's hair into twin buns like Keqing.
Su let out a silent sigh.
The previous conversation had actually been meant for Vill-V to hear. He wasn't sure if she had paid attention.
If she hadn't, he would have to find time to repeat everything for her.
...
Liora gulped down bottle after bottle of mineral water.
After finishing her fourth bottle, she lowered her hands and crossed them over her chest, returning to her composed, ladylike posture.
Failing to arouse Mr. Moon's "interest" left her slightly dissatisfied, and the bitterness from the bitter melon juice churned within her heart.
A teenage boy, yet completely uninterested in women?
Perhaps that was exactly why Mr. Moon was so admired within the Mad Hatter Party.
She really wanted to teach him some "adult" things and have him give her a promotion...
But that would make her a bad woman, putting the cart before the horse.
For the sake of her future husband, she decided to restrain herself and earn promotions the proper way.
After drinking the bitter melon juice, she no longer had any interest in flirting with handsome men. "So, does Mr. Mad Hatter have any new instructions?"
Su composed himself. "Continue your reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering tasks. At the same time, search for the so-called 'Divine' and the 'Key.'"
"If you obtain information about a MOTH minister, you may conduct a limited investigation."
"Remember—the 'Divine' and the 'Key' are the priority. I don't want any of you encountering unnecessary danger."
Based on MOTH's resource movements, at least one minister-level figure had arrived in the city. If it happened to be Vill-V's impostor, it would be a good opportunity to deal with them.
Of course, that depended on luck. With the Mad Hatter Party's current resources in the city, they likely couldn't take on a minister protected by MOTH.
So even though he trusted Vill-V's abilities, it would be better to avoid conflict if possible. Su didn't want her to face unnecessary danger.
Although Vill-V was the genuine minister, the impostor's subordinates would undoubtedly treat her as an enemy.
"Capture a MOTH minister? You really think highly of me, Mr. Moon~"
Liora paid no heed to Su's warning. Her refined face lit up with excitement, her eyes filled with confidence in her own abilities.
After all, the mountains were high and the emperor far away. Just like the Mad Hatter Party, MOTH likely hadn't brought many people into the city and couldn't deploy large-scale machinery. That meant the gap between them wasn't that great.
If she could capture a MOTH minister, she could immediately be promoted to a major leader and become one of the Constellations.
Although Liora wasn't particularly interested in power, having status meant meeting more handsome men and beautiful women—and that was her only hobby.
"Can we use unconventional methods?"
Liora's confidence didn't come from her strength. In direct combat, she was only among the lower ranks of the cadres—she couldn't even beat Inori.
A trace of reluctance flashed in Su's eyes. "Unconventional methods" naturally included things like taking innocent civilians hostage. Of course, that was only in the worst-case scenario. Normally, Su would never allow Mad Hatter members to do such things.
He fell silent for a moment.
In the end, Su nodded. "Yes—but you must prioritize minimizing losses. Lives come first."
Special situations required special measures. Su couldn't let his personal values restrict his subordinates to the point of endangering them.
He could bear their mistakes, but he couldn't bind their hands and harm them.
"Understood."
This decision greatly boosted Liora's confidence.
She glanced at Vill-V and Hua, who were still playing on the swivel chair, and said, "I'll go make preparations. I'll come back to pick them up later. Please, Mr. Moon, take good care in 'educating' the newcomers."
With a flirtatious wink, Liora left the room, closing the door behind her.
She needed to hurry to the restroom—the bitter melon juice was wreaking havoc on her stomach.
...
Su lowered his gaze slightly, deep fatigue evident in his eyes. This Queen of Hearts was no easy opponent either.
By making an exception and allowing Vill-V and Hua to participate in this operation, he had likely given Liora some twisted ideas.
The pleasure quarters of Yoshiwara in the Far East were truly terrifying. Even though the profession had been abolished long ago, it could still produce women like Liora—fierce and insatiable, interested in both men and women.
Perhaps it was due to deeply ingrained cultural influences.
But despite her outwardly flirtatious behavior, Su knew that she had privately taken quite a few men's kidneys.
From their past interactions, Su understood that Liora was extremely proud at heart.
She looked down on ordinary people.
She also had no interest in those who possessed talent but lacked the appearance to match.
Only those blessed with both beauty and talent could catch her eye.
But she did have one redeeming quality—her absolute loyalty to Mr. Mad Hatter.