Hearing this, Fu Xuan seemed thoughtful and nodded slightly.
Indeed, compared to Herta, Ruan Mei's research in life sciences made Fu Xuan more uneasy.
Seeing Fu Xuan seriously considering her advice, Herta secretly sneered.
Scheming behind my back, huh? Heh, proper people never scheme in secret — facing one's enemy head-on is the true genius approach.
Ruan Mei? How can you compete with me!
-----------------------------------
"If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have known Luofu was in such chaos. Is Phantylia's influence on you all that strong?"
Sitting inside the Starskiff, Herta calmly looked at Fu Xuan across from her and asked.
"…It's just that Luofu responded hastily. The Emanator of Destruction is quite accomplished in destruction. We can't let her wreak havoc across Luofu."
Fu Xuan replied, lacking confidence.
She had long experienced the power of the Abundance's Emanator. She didn't doubt Luofu could repel Phantylia, but Phantylia would definitely throw the ship into disarray.
And then there was the Disciples of the Sanctus Medicus. Fu Xuan had known someone in the Alchemy Commission possessed them, but that person had always been cautious. Until Phantylia appeared, she hadn't expected that Dan Shu, the head alchemist, would turn out to be the leader of the Disciples of the Sanctus Medicus'. But thinking about her congenital defect, it wasn't entirely
surprising — destiny perhaps found a path.
As for the Vidyadhara...
Colluding with the Followers of the Sanctus Medicus — not to mention a mere preceptor, even a general of the Luofu would have to face punishment.
Almost the day after Jing Yuan took action, the Shackling Prison welcomed another prisoner from the Vidyadhara.
Rebirth? With Dan Heng as a precedent, and involvement with Abundance, the Alliance would never allow him to undergo rebirth.
Fu Xuan looked at Herta, hesitating to speak. After a moment of silence, she asked,
"Miss Herta, you're familiar with Godzilla, right?"
She swore there was nothing ill-intended in her question, but...
Seeing Herta's face darken instantly, Fu Xuan hesitated — was this something she wasn't supposed to mention?
"Ahem, of course! I have a great relationship with that guy."
Herta smirked, then shifted into a composed demeanor.
"That guy, aside from his strength and massive size, also has the ability to affect his surroundings. And from my research, it's preliminarily confirmed that creatures within his range are affected too. For instance, I personally witnessed a Lesser Sting initiate an attack against a True Sting on Jarilo-VI."
"A Lesser Sting attacking a True Sting?" Fu Xuan's expression turned to shock.
The Universal Swarm Disaster was considered one of the most terrifying and widespread catastrophes in the universe.
And insects followed a strict hierarchy — they didn't possess the desires of sentient beings, only an overwhelming urge to reproduce.
Under such conditions, no matter how many low-level bugs there were, they would never actively attack a higher-level one. This broke the natural order!
Wait!
"Creatures within the influence range… that includes people?!"
Fu Xuan's face changed. The general hadn't told her this!
"Relax, think about it — if he truly affected people, then wouldn't everyone you left on Jarilo-VI have mutated by now?"
Herta scoffed and continued,
"Based on my hypothesis, this ability should be under his conscious control. Though I lean toward it being an instinct that alters the environment, while the influence on people requires deliberate intent."
Hearing this, Fu Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
To override a swarm's deep-rooted instinctual hierarchy and prompt them to attack higher-tier beings — even she had never heard of such a terrifying power.
While they spoke, the Starskiff had arrived at the Scalegorge Waterscape.
Herta eagerly jumped out, unable to wait to meet that love-hate, infuriating guy — Godzilla.
This time, she was determined to take back what she wanted!
And then…
Thwack. A springy vine immediately taught Herta a lesson — don't run around recklessly in unfamiliar territory.
"What is going on?!" Fu Xuan was utterly baffled, staring at the upside-down Herta who had just stepped out the door.
Herta's face remained calm, as if she weren't the one hanging upside down.
"Maybe we should examine these sudden growths before we go further?"
Herta's eyes sparkled as she stared at the vine that bound her. As if sensing her intense gaze, the vine shrank back a little, raising her further off the ground.
Fu Xuan didn't bother with Herta's teasing. Her attention was on the Scalegorge Waterscape in front of her.
Previously influenced by the cursed dragon and sealed by the Ambrosial Arbor, the realm had long been left untended.
But now… what did she see?
Lush grass blanketed the once barren land, vibrant flowers bloomed, and life pulsed before her eyes.
Unlike the past — silence and gloom — the scene before Fu Xuan now was one of vitality and energy.
"This is… Godzilla's influence…" Fu Xuan murmured.
Above, Herta was still wrestling with the vine that held her.
…
"Instinctive rejection — these things don't seem to like outsiders," Herta mused, grabbing a vine and inspecting it.
"But why didn't they attack me?" Fu Xuan asked, puzzled.
"…Maybe it has something to do with a certain someone's thoughts," Herta replied vaguely, her gaze shifting.
"Ahem, don't worry too much about these things. They're just products of Godzilla's influence. The longer he stays here, the more things will be affected. Who knows — maybe one day you'll see a bunch of tiny Godzillas charging at you."
"That would be… a truly unimaginable sight." Fu Xuan replied weakly.
She could barely wait to explore this completely transformed Scalegorge Waterscape.
"Speaking of which, there were signs of change here before, but at the time I was too absorbed in Luofu's affairs and didn't pay attention. Looks like that was a mistake."
Fu Xuan looked thoughtfully at the transformed landscape.
"Let's go. I can sense where that troublesome guy is."
"Huh?"
"The hottest place."
Faced with Fu Xuan's confusion, Herta simply pulled out a heat detector.
Without a doubt, the strongest heat source on the display — was Godzilla.
…
Godzilla slowly opened his eyes, locking his gaze on the two similarly short figures in front of him.
"Long time no see, big guy! Miss me?"
Herta casually tried to reach out, but Godzilla's tail pinned her firmly in place.
"Come on, come on, we know each other so well, why so defensive?"
Herta said pitifully, her resentful gaze fixated on Godzilla — clearly trying to awaken his supposed fondness for children from the intelligence files.
Never doubt an old woman's shamelessness in such matters.
Godzilla wasn't the least bit surprised by Herta's appearance.
In fact, he was slightly amazed — amazed that she'd managed to hold back until now before coming to find him.
Godzilla's gaze shifted upward.
This action immediately caught the attention of the two, and they instinctively followed his line of sight.
And then…
"Hi, nice to see you both."
Ruan Mei greeted them calmly with the only hand not tied up by vines.
"..."
"..."
Fu Xuan's brows furrowed. There were Cloud Knights guarding the outside — how had Ruan Mei even gotten in?
Click.
Herta silently pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of this historic moment.
Godzilla lightly flicked his tail — sending her flying out of the vines with a swish.
In midair, Ruan Mei adjusted her posture to avoid looking embarrassed over such a minor issue—especially not under the gaze of Herta. If she appeared awkward, it wouldn't take long before everyone she knew found out.
Godzilla's eyelids lowered, his eyes narrowing.
"I thought you'd already forgotten what you came here for." Herta wore the same expression as always.
You again, sneaking off behind my back—do you really think I won't lose my temper?
"Miss Ruan Mei, I expect a reasonable explanation. The Scalegorge Waterscape is protected by the Cloud Knights, and you..." Fu Xuan tightly clenched the two jade rings in her hand.
"I avoided them and didn't make a sound," Ruan Mei replied softly, meeting Fu Xuan's gaze with calm composure.
"Heh, looks like you suffered quite a loss here," Herta sneered relentlessly, her gaze landing on the vines restraining Ruan Mei.
Her brows lifted.
"These guys look sturdier than the ones outside. No wonder you got caught by them."
Ruan Mei remained perfectly still at Herta's mockery, while Fu Xuan seemed hesitant to speak.
"Miss Herta, did you forget the souvenir you just picked up downstairs?"
"These little ones are quite cute," Ruan Mei said softly, reaching out to touch a brightly colored parasol mushroom beside her. But as soon as her hand neared its cap, it visibly shriveled, leaving only a purple umbrella-like top behind.
"Zing!" The once-smooth cap instantly became covered in spikes.
Ruan Mei's plan was foiled.
"Looks like these guys don't like you," Herta said, ending her teasing in that direction. She almost forgot—Ruan Mei's specialty was life sciences.
These little creatures were probably far more adorable to her than the Cat-Cake creatures.
"This is the miracle of life," Ruan Mei said in a trance, looking at Godzilla.
His massive body didn't faze her. But the oppressive, majestic presence he exuded was something she couldn't shake.
This was something the simulated universe could never replicate—a true embodiment of nature in this world.
No—he was nature itself!
Godzilla stared at Ruan Mei. He didn't have any particular feelings about her.
Though Ruan Mei occasionally caused quite a stir, to Godzilla, it didn't matter. Her influence was nowhere near enough to affect him.
To Godzilla, Ruan Mei was no different from anyone else—at most, an emotionally detached researcher.
Many had tried to get his cells, but without exception, all had failed.
The concept of longevity amused him, and he found some joy in life's little quirks. Most importantly, Godzilla's instincts told him Ruan Mei posed no threat.
That's why he didn't mind playing along for a while. After all, she had barely gotten close before being tied up and now could only observe him with the naked eye. Even freeing that one hand had taken considerable effort.
His overwhelming power let him ignore dangers that would be deadly to ordinary people.
"Tch, forget it. I don't have time to deal with you—I've got real work to do," Herta said, turning away from Ruan Mei.
If most people would be infuriated by Herta's unique way of speaking, then Ruan Mei was her natural counter.
To Ruan Mei, Herta's words were just longer versions of simpler statements—unnecessarily increasing the mental load and processing time for others.
Herta rubbed her hands together, approaching Godzilla with a smile.
"Hehe, look, we've known each other for so long. Just say yes this once, okay? I mean, you're so big—drawing a bit of blood is nothing, right? Just a little, a tiny bit."
BANG! Herta slammed into Godzilla's steel-whip-like tail, and the force flung her backward.
With a loud bang, she crashed into a newly sprouted sapling, breaking it and falling into the dirt, leaving a crater.
"Miss Herta!" Fu Xuan cried out instinctively.
Only Ruan Mei remained completely calm.
"No need to worry. That level of damage means nothing to Herta."
Sure enough, the next moment, Herta climbed out of the pit using both hands.
Aside from being a little dirtier, she was perfectly fine.
"Tch, fine, don't give it to me then. Stingy." Grumbling, she walked back over to the others, clearly annoyed.
Behind them, Godzilla's tail swayed proudly. Doing something to Herta always made him feel better—it was a deeply satisfying release.
Having known Godzilla for so long, Herta understood his moods and reactions well. That flicking tail was, in her eyes, just as annoying as Godzilla himself!
"Good thing I upgraded my puppet in advance—your little slap is useless on me," she said, puffing out her chest proudly and glaring up at Godzilla.
Upon hearing that, Godzilla's tail paused, as if in response—
BANG! A home run.
With greater speed and power, his tail launched Herta thousands of meters into the sky. She vanished in a perfect arc over the horizon, disappearing from sight.
"Uhh... is Miss Herta okay?" Fu Xuan's mouth twitched slightly. Even though she knew Herta was using a puppet, the visual impact of that scene was still a bit too... intense.
"Don't worry. Herta is stronger than you think," Ruan Mei said softly, nodding slightly. Then she sat down and quietly continued observing.
As for Herta?
Herta is the 83rd seat of the Genius Society, known for numerous world-renowned studies. She is also a follower of Erudition. Although followers of Erudition are not known for their physical prowess, as a competent person, Herta knows how to return.
Right now, she is more concerned about Godzilla.
Seeing Ruan Mei's utterly unconcerned demeanor, Fu Xuan hesitated for a moment and finally sat down as well.
Beneath their feet was a grassy lawn.
The freshly sprouted green grass was full of vitality and very eye-catching.
Little by little, little by little, Ruan Mei quietly moved closer to Godzilla.
Then...
The tip of Godzilla's tail touched her. Even though no force was used, Ruan Mei could not move an inch further.
"I just want to get a closer look at you" Ruan Mei pleaded.
It was as if the very embodiment of life itself was so close to her—this attraction was unprecedented.
A brief experience had already made her realize that forcing her way closer was impossible.
Especially after learning that the hexagonal green-steel vessel beneath Godzilla's claws contained Phantylia, the very thought had completely vanished from her mind.
Godzilla remained unmoved.
He simply had the usual habits of an immortal species—alertness.
But that didn't mean his sense of danger had weakened.
No one is more keenly aware of danger than Godzilla!
He had no desire to have his cells merge with something else and end up creating an enemy that constantly tries to fight him.
Compared to Ruan Mei, he was more interested in that always-silent Master Diviner.
Especially the Dharma Eye on her forehead—gifted by The Erudition: Nous. The power contained in it could be imagined without needing to say it aloud.
However…
Glancing at the now well-behaved Phantylia, Godzilla gave up his attention on Fu Xuan's Dharma Eye.
Jing Yuan had already given him so many things—just a Dharma Eye? He could do without it.
While Ruan Mei was pleading with Godzilla, Fu Xuan closed her eyes and enjoyed this rare moment of peace.
The pain from the Dharma Eye on her forehead had subsided, replaced by a relaxed sensation on her face.
Fu Xuan felt her mood become extremely pleasant, and even many thoughts she had buried deep within her heart began to shift.
Fu Xuan was still very young. Compared to the other Six Charioteers, the Master Diviner of the Divination Commission was ridiculously young.
Especially considering that although this Diviner carried herself with such dignity, her petite and adorable figure could never change.
For those of the Xianzhou, their height and appearance were determined at birth and could not be altered through genetic modifications.
Barring any unexpected changes, this short-statured, extraordinarily capable Master Diviner would maintain this appearance for the rest of her life.
.....
Just as Fu Xuan was enjoying a brief moment of peace—
In an unknown star system—
A scorching figure, seemingly capable of destroying everything, floated in the air.
"Phantylia failed? And was captured alive? Haha, how delightful! This is truly the best joke I've heard in a long time!"
The Lord Ravager named Scorching Flare; Zephyro laughed without restraint.
"This isn't good news, Scorching Flare. If Phantylia has been captured, and the Xianzhou Alliance learns our Legion's secrets through her, then..."
In the image, Celenova spoke.
"What's the big deal? Strike first! As long as we destroy those guys completely, everything will be solved!"
Scorching Flare proposed his "precious" opinion with a fiery gaze.