Himeko led Jun An off the battleship, where a Gray Serpent quickly approached to greet them.
"On behalf of World Serpent, I welcome you, Marshal Himeko."
During the Second Honkai Eruption, Himeko's military rank had risen to Marshal, and she possessed the strength to match it.
"Captain, let me introduce you. This is one of the few remaining Gray Serpents in World Serpent currently, and also one of those who rebelled against Kevin." Himeko introduced the Captain and the Gray Serpent to each other. "Gray Serpent, this is the Captain. You guessed it – the very one who's about to be written into the history textbooks."
"This is truly surprising, yet entirely unsurprising." The Gray Serpent sized up the shrunken Captain. Although shocked, Gray Serpent was ultimately a mechanical lifeform; its CPU could process it. It was simply a matter of Jun An pulling off some other crazy stunt.
"I'm actually quite surprised any of you are left," Jun An remarked. His impression of Gray Serpents wasn't particularly positive – a bunch of mechanical lifeforms wanting to become human, causing quite a bit of trouble in the process. While it couldn't be said that every Gray Serpent deserved death, there certainly weren't many innocent ones.
And since World Serpent still existed, the shady dealings they were involved in...
"Greetings, Mr. Captain." The Gray Serpent noticed Jun An's expression, which seemed to hold unspoken words. "You need not harbor such hostility towards me. I am the latest model of Gray Serpent, newly created not long ago. My hands are clean of blood, nor is there any need for them to be."
"I heard you two were coming. Do you require me to inform the others in the Elysian Realm?"
Himeko replied, "No need. This was meant to be a secret visit anyway. Giving them a surprise will be fun."
The three chatted as they walked, and after a while, Jun An tentatively started to believe its words.
This Gray Serpent before him was clearly much more humble, lacking the typical cryptic, riddler-like nature of the older models. Its speech was simple and easy to understand, devoid of convoluted philosophical nonsense.
"Right, did you say World Serpent isn't engaging in the shady business of human experimentation anymore?" Jun An asked curiously. World Serpent's main business lines were Honkai-related human experiments and various black market activities – these were their primary income streams.
Gray Serpent answered, "The Honkai is receding. It's no longer necessary."
The fundamental purpose of World Serpent was always the continuation of humanity, by any means necessary. Thus, in the past, they always took the fastest routes.
Among the most profitable ventures were naturally selling slots for the Super Soldier Surgery and Honkai Energy Serums to various nations. This was enough to make them a fortune, supporting the necessary losses incurred by various experiments.
For example, during the Third Honkai Eruption, the amount of Honkai energy they gathered in Nagazora City – enough to trigger a major eruption – required an energy cost equivalent to powering an entire Far East Branch fleet for a full-scale drill.
Furthermore, the free medical care provided by Shènchéng Pharmaceuticals to the infected, the production of mechs, and similar expenses were not something ordinary industries could sustain.
Even Anti-Entropy required the backing of the North American government and the genius of Einstein and Tesla just to barely become one of the three major powers.
So, Jun An was extremely curious: without their main business, how did they earn money to keep World Serpent operating?
Gray Serpent continued, "How could human experimentation be more profitable than official Elysia and Eden merchandise?"
"Don't forget, we at World Serpent are a comprehensively developed organization. Not only are we leaders in medical technology, but we are also proficient in information, media, and entertainment."
"Supporting two cyber idols is not difficult for World Serpent. Especially Lady Eden – many products she endorses were developed by Dr. Mobius, which has long made World Serpent one of the world's renowned corporations, successfully entering the global Top 100."
Eden was already a famous artist in the Previous Era; becoming a star in this era wasn't difficult.
Elysia's personality was inherently likable to most people, plus she was naturally stunningly beautiful. Jun An wasn't entirely surprised by this.
Afterward, Jun An inquired further with Gray Serpent about the situation of everyone in the Elysian Realm. It was clear that because the Elysian Realm was now connected to the network, the Flame-Chasers finally had some contact with the outside world.
Soon, Gray Serpent led the two to the entrance of the Elysian Realm.
"Well then, I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave. I wish you both a pleasant journey ahead."
Jun An and Himeko bid farewell to this Gray Serpent and walked into the Elysian Realm together. The path remained as dim as ever, without lights.
But after walking for a while, the path into the Elysian Realm opened up considerably. The first place they reached was undoubtedly the rest area for trial-goers – the Golden Courtyard.
And, as always, the first person to appear in the Golden Courtyard was still that Pink Elf miss.
"Hi, we meet again, Himeko! And this newcomer..." Elysia's line was only half-spoken when her gaze locked onto Jun An. "Whoa~"
"Elysia, I..."
"This is my child!" Himeko immediately cut in, then hugged Jun An's smaller frame. "Brought him specially for you all to see today. Cute, right?"
"Eh?" Elysia's composure instantly shattered. "But, Himeko, you're so young! H-how could you have such a mature-looking child? Little one, am I right?"
"Err, in many senses, she really is my mom." Jun An couldn't deny it. After all, the debt of raising him was there; she was indeed his adoptive mother.
"Is that so," Elysia quickly accepted the fact. After all, creating a clone wasn't difficult with modern technology.
"Alright, since he's Himeko's child, then he's my child too." Elysia stroked Jun An's head, her expression somewhat complex. "By the way, has Himeko ever told you that you look a lot like your parents?"
"Hehe, you know, when I first saw him, I also thought he was my biological kid." Himeko nodded with satisfaction. Jun An did bear a seven-tenths resemblance to her. If Himeko hadn't known she was an only child, she'd genuinely think this was her long-lost younger brother.
"Wouldn't it be terrible if I didn't look like my parents?" Jun An couldn't help retorting. "Himeko, stop teasing Elysia. It's me, Jun An. I'm back."
"Phew, I knew it. How could the Captain and Himeko have a child," Elysia instinctively breathed a sigh of relief, but then immediately froze. "Eh, Jun An...?"
Elysia's pink pupils rapidly contracted. She stared at Jun An in disbelief, reaching out to touch his face. It was much more delicate than the Jun An she knew, but undoubtedly, it was him!
"You really came back!!" Elysia hugged Jun An without hesitation. "It's really you, that's wonderful..."
Just like with Himeko back then, two soft mounds pressed against Jun An's face, carrying a very pleasant scent.
Elysia stroked Jun An's head. "You must have had a hard time these days, right? Look how thin you've gotten, and your complexion isn't great either..."
Squeezed dry.
Elysia knelt down, pressing her forehead against Jun An's. "Are you sick? Weren't you usually quite fond of taking advantage of opportunities like this when they presented themselves?"
Jun An used to love taking the 'free tofu' offered to him. Why wasn't he making a move this time?
"Could he be fake?"
Meanwhile, Himeko proudly puffed out her ample chest. The Sage Mode buff? Yeah, I applied that!
Elysia: "Hmm? What's that hard thing poking my thigh?"
Himeko: ...
Elysia glanced down and understood, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "Hmm, the Captain is still a boy, isn't he? Even if his body shrunk, he's still a big boy~"
No disgust, only happiness.
But Jun An felt rather awkward. Although the ammunition reserves were empty, it didn't mean the gun couldn't still be used.
"Ahem, Captain, this is impolite towards a lady. Separate!" Himeko glared at Jun An, displeased.
"Hehe, what does it matter?" Jun An was about to separate from Elysia, but she hugged him even tighter, her face slightly flushed. "We haven't seen each other in a year anyway, it's okay to be a little intimate, right?"
"Besides, I have so, so many things I want to tell you, Captain, so many questions I want to ask~"
Elysia held Jun An tightly, her soft body trembling almost imperceptibly. It was joy, it was sorrow. Seeing the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, Himeko stopped protesting.
After a moment, Elysia finally held back her tears and separated from the Captain.
Nothing brought more joy than recovering what was lost.
"The first question for the Captain should definitely be that one."
"Hi. Did you miss me?"
Fatty, Embarrassing State.