MGSFV?! Chapter 426. The Importance of "Prenatal Education"; Fusion of Consciousness
It was... rather strange when you thought about it.
The Herrscher of Reason—being the Herrscher of Consciousness—could easily use her Authority to read the thoughts and feelings of others…
Hokuto: No one can deceive me.jpg
And yet—
She was constantly being talked into (deceived into?) doing things completely contrary to her loudly stated wishes.
Repeatedly, she ended up doing exactly what she insisted she didn't want to do.
It made people feel like Hokuto was just really easy to coax.
But perhaps… that wasn't actually the case?
Maybe every time Hokuto "gave in," she just genuinely wanted to help.
And that stubborn mouth of hers… was just part of her personality.
If you looked at it that way—
Hokuto was truly noble and generous.
You couldn't help but sincerely praise her:
"The great Herrscher of Reason, truly magnificent!"
…
Ahem.
Back to the main topic.
Though Hokuto could "read the atmosphere," she couldn't understand why Kiana and the others' attitudes had suddenly shifted.
So she turned her attention to Dr. Mei.
Mei's words were calm and deliberate:
"Don't be so quick to judge, Hua. You should understand—
When something is mired in a thousand tangled threads, withholding information is not 'deception,' but rather a form of 'organization.'"
"The origin of the world is complex—beyond what humanity can grasp.
But through the power of 'organization,' we can ignore the irrelevant parts and, to a degree, predict the course of all things."
"...That is the essence of physics."
If that explanation still seemed a bit abstract…
Here's a more blunt version:
Dr. Mei didn't tell them every last detail of her plan—
Not because she feared objections.
But because she believed they simply wouldn't understand.
And if they wouldn't understand, then rationally speaking—
Why waste time explaining it at all?
Of course, from an emotional standpoint—
"I didn't understand what you said" felt very different from "You didn't say anything."
At the very least, the former was more acceptable.
So—
Hokuto, sensing some kind of emotional undercurrent in Mei, gave a rather... complicated expression.
"Fine, fine."
Then, with her hands behind her back, she puffed out her chest, pretending to be fierce as she "interrogated" her:
"So what you're saying is, these omissions weren't intentional, huh?"
"Correct." Mei nodded.
"Because those details were meaningless to you—just trivialities not worth mentioning."
[In other words (serious): When watching Honkai's story, if you don't understand the scientific jargon, that's okay. As long as you follow the main plot, you're good.]
[Summary: "Don't sweat the details."]
[Dr. Mei is right!]
[Got it, family—I've learned something (useless). I totally understand now.jpg]
[Y'all aren't giving up on thinking, are you? (suspicious)(dog emoji)]
...
Players found their own ways to interpret the story.
But in-game—
After hearing Mei's reasoning, Kiana, Bronya, and Hokuto all showed subtle changes in their expressions.
Mei calmly continued:
"Still, since you've asked so earnestly—
I'll do my best to explain them clearly and earnestly in return."
"No matter what, we don't need any misunderstandings between us."
"Simply put…"
[Feels like it's time for another round of "I can't understand this... oh wait, I guess I have to now."]
But actually, this next part was rather straightforward.
"The part I omitted earlier was this:
Even if you manage to establish a connection with the Imaginary side—
the probability of this World Bubble returning to it naturally is... not very high."
"And even if it can be done—
due to the lack of an available anchor, this World Bubble would forcibly merge with the Real World.
That means Prometheus and I would most likely vanish as a result."
"Vanish... just like that?" Kiana asked, visibly shocked.
[Vanish? And that's just a small matter?]
[Small matter? Try small martyrdom!]
[Classic Honkai logic.]
[Wait, you all understood that explanation? Great—your brains didn't bring me along.]
[...It's actually simple: There's no version of Mei and Prometheus in the Real World,
so when this World Bubble merges with it, the world auto-corrects.
Unless there's an anchor to lock their existence in place, they'll be erased.]
[Ohhh... I get it now.]
Thanks to both in-game Mei and some savvy players—
Everyone finally understood the situation.
[So isn't Dr. Mei basically walking to her own death right now?]
Exactly.
By sending Kiana's group to accelerate the World Bubble's return to the Real World—
Dr. Mei was hastening her own end.
Her reasoning?
Even if they did nothing, the World Bubble would still eventually merge on its own.
But if they waited that long—
Everything inside the bubble would be gone, the Stigma Project would be completed,
and the Herrscher Cores inside Kiana's team would go dormant.
"So, you see...
For you, the fate of this World Bubble itself isn't the point, is it?"
It sounded perfectly logical.
But Hokuto clearly wasn't pleased.
She couldn't help but press further:
"So what, you're saying...
You want us to treat you the same way World Serpent does?
As a tool?"
She paused, then looked into Mei's eyes:
"...You're always like this, aren't you?
Whether it's with others, with Kevin, or even with yourself—
always so cold and ruthless."
Clearly, Hokuto was hurting on Mei's behalf...
Though she only had Fu Hua's memories—
To her, Mei was still a familiar stranger.
But still... Hokuto's compassion came through.
Which only goes to show—
"Prenatal education" really does matter.
Right, Elysia...?
Elysia (offscreen): ??? Already dead. Don't @ me.
...
In short—
Through a series of calm, rational explanations, Mei laid bare her reasons for hiding the truth.
Cruel—but necessary.
In the end, it cost this World Bubble its remaining 40-day lifespan—
Brought forward to now.
It was a betrayal.
Mei had betrayed the World Bubble.
But as she said—
Time was Kevin's ally, which made it the enemy of Kiana and her friends.
Accelerating their return via Mei's plan—
Was their best option.
But there remained one issue.
Kiana's current Herrscher Authority was not strong enough to open the gateway to the Real World.
She had to completely break her Mental Shackles.
And for that—
Mei suggested they sit down somewhere quiet and discuss it thoroughly.
"—Let's learn from a certain someone... and hold a tea party just for girls, shall we?"
...Hmm?
That line sounded so familiar!
Players blinked—
Hadn't they heard that somewhere before?
One question:
Who was this "certain someone" Mei was referring to?
Well, actually, it wasn't much of a question at all.
The moment it was asked—
Everyone had the answer already in mind.
No doubt about it—
It could only be her.
[Elysia: "Of course girls need tea parties!"]
[Amen~♪] ×n
[@Miss Pink Fairy]
While players were clearly excited—
Hokuto, on the other hand, looked visibly unprepared for Mei's sudden tone shift.
A girl's tea party?
Right now?
That's... weird.
"???"
Bronya even asked:
"...Are you serious?"
Only Mei stayed calm and smiled.
Then she turned to Prometheus.
"Prometheus? Activate Real Scene One."
"Understood, my Doctor."
In an instant—
The scenery changed.
And that oh-so-familiar BGM began playing—
Illusions—the unaltered version.
Elysian Realm.
[Wait—this is the first layer of the Realm, right?
Where Elysia gave Mei her Signet the first time they met?]
[Wow. Just in case we weren't emotional enough, the devs went and twisted the knife. So thoughtful. I'm crying.]
[??? Why are you awakening these memories?? I kinda want to log out now.]
Some players genuinely wanted to flee the scene.
Others—
[Hoyoverse, do you remember that you deleted the Realm? I urge you—be kind. (knives)]
[Isn't the Realm technically still around?]
[This was the "favorite" episode. Hahaha.]
[Welp. Some of us have already lost it. We're broken.]
"Didn't think we'd see the Elysian Realm again like this…"
Even Elysia had a complicated expression now.
But more than that...
"I wonder... how will Mei react?"
She watched intently.
...
"This is…"
Mei's heart trembled slightly as she looked around the familiar scene.
Mei (Dr.) offered a reminder:
"Careful, Raiden Mei.
I'm only using the World Bubble's functions to trick our senses.
It's like wearing a VR headset—not a full virtual world like the Elysian Realm."
In other words—
They were still physically standing in the Moon base.
Wandering around too much might land them off a cliff.
Which would trigger Hokuto's "You okay in the head?" falling-to-your-death voice line (not really).
"...Understood."
"It's just... seeing the Realm again like this—
It's hard not to feel emotional."
Mei let out a long breath.
She nearly broke.
After all—
Chronologically, she had only just left the Realm not long ago.
Kiana, on the other hand, glanced around and praised:
"Hmm. So this is what you meant by 'Elysian Realm'—
It has a very surreal beauty to it."
[Yes! Surreal beauty! Kiana nailed it. She instantly grasped the essence of the Realm.]
[Beautiful, right? Gone!]
[???]
[You people are unhinged.]
In-game—
"Hmph."
Hokuto snorted.
"What's there to admire?"
Honestly—
There was something downright childish about her.
But teasing aside—
Hokuto was ever the enthusiastic host:
"If we're holding a tea party, we can't go without proper snacks, now can we?"
[Exactly. Exactly.]
[If Elysia were here, she'd totally say:
"Hi~♪ Miss me? Of course I'll handle the pastries for our girl's tea party~~ Right, Mei?"]
[LOL that sounded exactly like her. Perfect fairy energy.]
Well, of course.
Years of sharing a bed, after all.
[Mei: My DNA just stirred.]
...
Back on topic.
With a flick of her hand—
The Herrscher of Reason conjured a full tea table, complete with teaware and a tray of exquisite Lu Mountain tea cakes.
Clearly—
Hokuto was a girl of refined taste.
Now that the Great Herrscher of Reason had laid out the snacks—
It was time to start the tea party (read: serious discussion).
Everyone sipped tea and chatted.
All seemed well.
Except—
Mei remained silent, lost in her own thoughts.
[Say something, Mei! Say anything!]
[Mei: You're drinking tea. I'm breaking down.]
["Pain-Mei," huh?]
[Mei: I don't want to talk. I'm just sad.]
So it went—
Until the tea party drew to a close.
"Kiana still has to face a challenge even tougher than restoring that bridge earlier, doesn't she?"
"Yes." Mei nodded gently.
"I'm surprised you noticed, Herrscher of Reason."
"Of course~
You can't take on delicate work without the right tools, right?"
Hokuto beamed.
So easy to please—
just a single compliment and she was beaming with joy.
A true bundle of happiness.
With Hokuto around—
You never had to worry about the mood.
"...So what exactly is it?"
That was when Mei, who'd been quiet all along, finally asked.
Dr. Mei answered plainly.
If Kiana wanted to fully break her Mental Shackles—
She'd need to let another Herrscher enter her body to assist.
Let another Herrscher... enter her body?
Phew~~
Not gonna lie—
That plot point sounded a bit... loaded.
"Oh?"
Elysia remembered what Hokuto said earlier about Mei running off.
Could it be...
This was the reason?
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