Chapter 246: [Lights]

"Hi~ hello~ Nozomi~"

Elysia's brisk voice sounded behind him, and almost every once in a while, he could hear her cheerful footsteps approaching quickly, and then he would notice a tuft of pink hair falling from the corner of his eye.

"It's really rare that you would stay in the engineering department to do experiments or something..."

"Is this surprising, Elysia?"

Nozomi also temporarily stopped the work at hand, stood up, and turned to look at Elysia beside him.

"I still have some inspiration, so if there is a chance, I will come over to do some designs... Oh, I see. You must be wondering why I haven't been with the Doctor during this period, right?"

"Yeah~ You know, Nozomi, you used to stick with Mobius every day. You were either helping her or on your way to help her... Oh my, you two really have a good relationship~?"

Elysia turned sideways and tapped her toes to sit on the empty space on the table. She swung her legs slightly in the air, raised her hand, and deliberately lifted her hair, fiddling with her elf-like pointed ears, before continuing.

"It's so good that it makes people envious~?"

"Why? Do you want to learn from me how to build a good relationship with the Doctor?"

Nozomi glanced at her deliberately exposed pointed ears, then withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened, carefully placed the last part of the component into a "lantern"-shaped device, then closed it and continued speaking.

"But my way may not be suitable for you."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"…You really want to know?"

Nozomi raised his head, glanced at the corner of Elysia's mouth meaningfully, and asked with a smile.

"Want me to show you?"

"Ah... this is it..."

Elysia noticed Nozomi's gaze and subconsciously covered her mouth, revealing only her eyes which were slightly smiling after being surprised.

"If that's the case, then there's no need for a demonstration. Hmm... But I can go find Mobius later and see if we can take our relationship a step further~"

"Don't come to me if something goes wrong."

"What? Mobius and I have a very good relationship. I believe she won't mind... right?"

At the end of her speech, Elysia glanced at Nozomi and her tone became uncertain again.

And then there is…

"Hmm…"

When Elysia saw Nozomi put his attention on the "lantern"-like device again and did not show any doubt about her appearance or even ask her anything, she was somewhat... unhappy.

"Nozomi, don't you notice anything different about me?"

"I noticed that your ears are different... You completed the fusion surgery, right? Then for some reason, you went to the Doctor's office first, but you didn't see me there, so you talked about this when you found me."

"Hmm... Nozomi, sometimes being too quick-witted can be annoying, right?"

Elysia puffed up her face a little unhappily... but soon, she returned to her usual cheerful self.

"But you and Mobius are amazing~ Not only did you successfully complete the fusion warrior operation, you even optimized it... This way, the combat power of the "Fire Moth" will be greatly improved~"

"The promotion of "Fire Moth" among the people is also progressing slowly. Although there are still some minor problems, thanks to the help of Eden and the others, the whole process is going smoothly... This is all thanks to you, [Nozomi]~"

"Ah, speaking of which, the follow-up surgery has already been scheduled. In a sense, you are the "first" and will soon become the "senpai" of many people~"

"Does that include you, Elysia?"

Nozomi also heard the joking tone in Elysia's voice, so he followed suit and made a joke.

"Hehe~ Do you really want me to call you that? [Senpai]~?"

"Then let's not do it. I always feel something is weird."

"That's such a pity~"

Elysia's tone was still so cheerful.

"Ah, come to think of it, I have another order."

Elysia suddenly slapped her palm, as if she suddenly remembered something, and continued.

"Fire Moth wants you to take some time to train the others... ah, mainly the people who completed the operation, to help them quickly familiarize themselves with the power... if possible, they also plan to collect your combat data."

"Why don't you just do that? As the second person to complete the operation and quickly become familiar with this power, you should be able to complete this task, right?"

Nozomi said without raising his head... He had reached the last step. As long as it was completed, he could try to activate it and test its effect.

"That won't do. After all, you are the main target this time. You are the first person to complete the operation and successfully use the power on the battlefield."

Elysia blinked and said with a slight smile.

"And... because I'm the 'second one,' I'm a little behind you, so... in other words, I also need your help to get familiar with this power~"

"Good fellow, you want me to fight all of you in a round-robin battle?"

"Oh, it's just a sparring session."

"...Okay, I just hope you won't cry out in pain later."

After holding his breath and completing the final step, Nozomi slowly responded, taking the opportunity to move his gloved right hand, which triggered the device on his fingers. he entered the command, activated the instruments and display, and checked the person... Oh no, the person scheduled for the Fusion Warrior surgery, is not the one who needs a beating.

Hen, Kosma, Dystopia, these people are all familiar to me... Aponia? Ah, yes, she seems to have done the same thing before, following me to become a fusion warrior... but she probably won't fight me.

...Hmm? Why is Hua still here?

Nozomi raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw a somewhat unexpected name... He really didn't expect Hua to appear on the list so early.

And... why could he still see Irine's name?

"What's the situation with this child named Irine?"

Although he knew of Irine's existence from his "memory," Nozomi still took the initiative to ask Elysia.

"Oh~ She is a very cute girl~ I think when you meet her, Nozomi, you will definitely like her very much~"

Elysia blinked and said with a smile.

"Don't worry, she's just been reserved. After all, it's rare to find someone who is highly compatible with her and has good awareness. Of course, we have to hurry up and decide on the Fire Moth~"

"Besides, she has just been recruited into the Fire Moth and is still undergoing recruit training. It won't be her turn soon. Don't worry, Nozomi, you won't have to face many people."

"Hmm... hm? Ah! Speaking of which, it seems that this child named Irine was rescued by you, Nozomi. Her family often said that they would come to see you. They probably wanted to thank you and give you some gifts or something?"

"Oh, yes, it seems that several little girls you met before wanted to come and see you. There was also a very cute girl among them, and her name seemed to be... Narcissa? They wanted to come and thank you, and they also prepared some small gifts for you, but you seemed to have something to do during this period, so they did not come to disturb you."

"So... I understand. I will find a chance to deal with these matters."

Nozomi nodded in understanding and then said.

"It's amazing that Kevin isn't on the list... I thought he would be on it too."

"There's nothing I can do. Kevin wants to get involved, but we can't find an Honkai beast that's compatible with him right now, so we can only put it on hold for now..."

"Is that so? That can't be helped."

Nozomi's tone was calm, and he didn't seem surprised.

"Well, then... Nozomi, can you tell me a little bit about what you are doing now?"

Elysia blinked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Everyone is very curious, right?"

"Want to get some information from me in advance so you can tell others?"

"Hey, have we been discovered?"

"There's nothing I can't say."

Nozomi said with a smile as he removed the display screen.

"It's just that the situation I faced with the Honkai Beast gave me a little warning... That kind of mental attack is too difficult to defend against, so I have to find a way to prevent similar situations from happening in the future."

"Oh~ Is that the Honkai beast you faced that you named 'Uriel'? I also read your previous combat reports... You guys have worked so hard, especially you, Nozomi."

"It's not bad... Compared to the Herrscher you're facing, we're still pretty good."

"Well, let's put this topic on hold for now~ Let's get back to the original topic."

Elysia clapped her hands lightly and continued to ask.

"Speaking of guarding against mental attacks... Dr. Mei seems to be working on it, but her progress doesn't seem to be that fast. Nozomi, on your side... it looks like it's finished?"

Elysia tilted her head and asked in confusion.

"But why does it look like a [lantern]?"

"It's just a random design, and..."

Nozomi reached out, grasped the handle of the lantern, and closed his eyes slightly as if sensing something.

Elysia felt that there seemed to be some power emanating from Nozomi and connecting with the [lantern] in his hand, and then...

fowosh--

There was the sound of a flame starting. A cluster of flames suddenly ignited inside the lantern, emitting a faint light, and... the flame grew stronger and brighter, shining brightly in Nozomi's hand like a little sun.

Along with it came a feeling of warmth and security.

"...What's this?"

"Well... you can think of it as a device that can react to spiritual power. It contains fragments of Uriel. After I make some adjustments, its spiritual abilities can be used by us."

Nozomi explained with a smile.

"This can be considered a weakened version of the 'Divine Key'. Anyway, it is a device that is constructed based on a part of an Honkai creature and further utilizes the power that originally belonged to the Honkai creature."

"But... according to your report, Uriel's spiritual power should inspire fear in people, right? Then this warm, reassuring feeling..."

"Because I've adjusted it a little bit."

Nozomi explained with a smile.

"After all, it exists for the purpose of protection, so it naturally needs to give people a sense of security."

"That's amazing! No wonder I haven't seen you recently. You came here to solve this problem~"

"…About the same."

Nozomi did not refute what Elysia said... In fact, it did not take Nozomi much time to adjust to this spiritual power. After all, he had absorbed most of Uriel's body and also obtained a part of its power with Uriel's active contribution. Therefore, it was not very difficult to adjust this part of the power.

But since Elysia thinks so, just admit it. I'm sure others will believe this reason too.

"And... this thing is hooked by the person holding it, right?"

Nozomi picked up the lantern and held it slightly in the direction of Elysia.

"If a person holds it, a red flame will light up, giving people a warm and fiery feeling. The more determined the person holding it is, the stronger and brighter the flame will be."

"[What if it's a human]?"

Elysia noticed a certain part of Nozomi's words.

"Well, so..."

Nozomi nodded and asked with a smile.

"Want to try, Elysia?"

Nozomi placed the lantern in front of Elysia and let go of his hand. The originally bright firelight dimmed and dissipated, leaving only a few sparks remaining inside.

"Certainly!"

Elysia responded as a matter of course, then gripped the handle and, like Nozomi, closed her eyes slightly, trying to sense something.

Almost immediately, Elysia discovered the trick and established a connection with the [lantern] in her hand, or rather, a certain fragment stored in the lantern.

Then...

fowosh--

The sound of flames could be heard.

The vision, which was originally dim due to closing the eyes, now feels a little "light".

Slowly opening her eyes and looking at the "flame" in the lantern that was no less beautiful than Nozomi's, Elysia smiled happily.

"Hehe~ I can do that too~"

There was a hint of pride in Elysia's tone.

"Yes, yes, I get it. Elysia is amazing."

Nozomi took the [lantern] back from her hand, and at the same time took out the design draft he had put aside, and began to think of ways to optimize it.

"Okay, Elysia, you should be okay, right? Then go find someone else to play with. I still have some things to deal with here... Then I have to go back to help the doctor. Although I have handed over most of the things to Klein recently, it's not good to put all the pressure on her. I have to go back to help her..."

"Okay, okay, I know you've been a busy person. I'm not some ignorant bad girl. I won't disturb you casually, okay?"

Elysia landed lightly on the ground, reached out, and poked Nozomi's cheek.

"Okay, see you later, Nozomi~"

"Well, see you later."

Elysia left Nozomi with a cheerful step.

"Hmm~"

Elysia was humming a happy tune and seemed to be in a good mood.

Thinking back to when the two of them held the [lantern] and saw the almost identical flame, the corners of Elysia's mouth couldn't help but rise.

"Sure enough, we are the same, Nozomi..."

She whispered softly.

"Hmm~"

......

"…Heh~"

Nozomi, who was still in his original position, chuckled.

"Ah... As expected, Elysia is still using the [Fusion Warrior Surgery] as an excuse to show off her strength... In fact, she didn't undergo the surgery."

After all, Nozomi did not sense any [connection] from Elysia, or rather... he could not sense the "blood" that belonged to him.

"But it's true. If she really does this, she will probably be discovered directly."

Nozomi supported his face with one hand and with the other hand, he gently grasped the [lantern] again.

"And... help the [younger generations] get familiar with the power... hehe~"

"You'd better hit me harder when the time comes. It's better to get hurt only in the [sparring] than on the battlefield."

"After all..."

call--

A fire lit up from the [lantern], but this time the flame was not bright red, but... dark blue. The feeling it conveyed was also very strange. It was clearly a flame, but it gave people a damp and cold feeling.

"If we meet again, we'll be enemies."