"Hmm..."
Seeing Mobius wear that classic tsundere expression, a thought instantly flashed through Grey Serpent's mind.
She really cared about Lynelle, cared so much it was driving her crazy.
But then, why did Mobius care about Lynelle to this extent?
Grey Serpent immediately began brainstorming.
First, judging from Lynelle's attitude towards him earlier, she seemed to know many of World Serpent's secrets, yet she was particularly unclear about matters related to Mobius.
Otherwise, if she had just provided even a little evidence of her connection to Mobius, not to mention him—a radical Grey Serpent—even that original Grey Serpent wouldn't have dared lay a finger on Lynelle.
Then, the Herrscher core Lynelle adapted to was the Corruption Core researched by Lady Mobius herself.
Her appearance was almost identical to Elysia's, and she had previously borne only Elysia's Stigmata. This suggested that the one who taught her was most likely Elysia, not Lady Mobius.
Finally, back in the Previous Era, Lady Mobius and Elysia seemed to have a rather unusual relationship...
Suddenly, plots from those boring family drama series he'd watched with the kids to kill time resurfaced in his mind—unrequited love, secretly leaving a child for her, the child being raised by the mother and thus unfamiliar with the other parent...
Yikes—
Grey Serpent didn't dare continue that train of thought.
He hadn't eaten too many red beans, and he certainly had no desire to split himself into five separate paths to attack the Herrscher of Finality.
"..."
Although Grey Serpent's reasoning was meticulous and these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, he forgot one thing: Mobius's corruption virus was still inside him, not fully withdrawn.
So, while Mobius appeared calm and composed on the surface, that was only because she was using Lynelle's body—right now, Mobius had once again turned into a red, squirming mess.
Half from overheating, half from sheer embarrassment.
For the first time, Mobius nearly lost her composure because her own creation was just too clever.
"Ahem, Lady Mobius..."
A moment later, Grey Serpent cautiously asked, "Regarding Project Stigma..."
"Just proceed as planned. What, without Jackal, you can't even carry out Project Stigma? Or has World Serpent run out of scientific talent?"
"No, no, no! The core components of Project Stigma have always been handled by us personally. Jackal's role was merely a smokescreen; anyone could replace her..."
Grey Serpent shook his head repeatedly. "What I meant was, since you're already able to manifest in the outside world, why not return to personally oversee Project Stigma..."
"As the executor of Project Stigma, you can't even figure that out?"
Mobius snorted lightly. "Do you think Project Stigma has low fault tolerance? This plan was originally established for Kevin. If even Mei's little sidekick could understand it, why would I need to personally execute it?"
"I have more important matters to attend to. Don't go slacking off now. Implement the plan exactly as originally intended. Project Stigma is the civilization's safety net. No matter how much I favor Lynelle, I won't waver on this."
"Everything they're doing is striving for a better future. But no matter how bright the prospects, unless they can achieve the transcendence on their own, Project Stigma must not be changed—that's a principle I shouldn't need to reiterate, should I?"
"Understood, my lady."
Grey Serpent bowed his head. "If I encounter Miss Lynelle again, I will seek a better resolution and avoid bloodshed whenever possible."
"Do as you wish. I've already said, as long as her life isn't in danger, I don't care about that little pink mouse."
Mobius turned her head away sharply.
"Rushing forward without hesitation whenever someone around her is in trouble... she's just like that traitor Elysia. She deserves to be taught a lesson."
"...As you say, Lady Mobius."
Grey Serpent now understood: sometimes, the try not to laugh challenge was truly difficult.
While practically everyone knew Lady Mobius was the very definition of 'tsundere'—hard on the outside, soft on the inside—seeing it play out right before his eyes made Grey Serpent immensely grateful his mouth couldn't curl into a smile.
"By the way, Lady Mobius, Jackal will be brought here shortly. You..."
"Don't mention her to me."
Just the mention of Jackal made Mobius's expression darken again, as if recalling certain experimental details she'd read from Grey Serpent's memories.
"If there weren't still a few usable things on her, I wouldn't even bother glancing her way."
"Could it be..."
Grey Serpent froze, then his face lit up with ecstasy. "Is Lady Mobius planning to use her body to..."
"I'm not that desperate. The very thought of using her body to manifest in the world makes my skin crawl."
Mobius frowned. "I'm referring to the Stigmata on her body—they still hold some value... In any case, bring her here, then the rest of you may leave."
"Yes, as you command, Lady Mobius."
Grey Serpent humbly bowed.
--+--
Meanwhile, while Mobius controlled the body, Lynelle didn't cross back to the Star Rail side this time.
Instead, she was directly pulled into the system space.
"Mmm... I see."
After listening to Customer Service Kiana-chan's explanation about why she hadn't crossed over to the Star Rail side during this blackout, Lynelle nodded in deep understanding.
"So, when I switch worlds, the body I leave behind here is soulless... That really isn't the time to cross over then."
"Otherwise, if Snakey just took control of my body and found my soul gone too... who knows what kind of terrifying things might happen next."
[Uh...]
Lynelle's words seemed to remind Customer Service Kiana-chan of some memorable events from the first timeline.
[While I'm not sure if heaven knows, I certainly know what would happen... Let's just say, the basement in the Elysian Realm is quite nice.]
[Oh, and the drainage facilities there are pretty well-equipped too.]
"Are your words hinting at some terrible ending..."
Lynelle's pretty face flushed red. "And what's with specifically emphasizing that last part!"
[It's nothing. I'm just increasingly convinced that a person's destiny is shaped by their character. That saying makes so much sense.]
"What kind of sense?"
[Even without any interference from me, you still almost managed to get yourself thrown into the basement inexplicably, just like in the first timeline... I have to admit, that's a real talent.]
"Who would want a weird talent like that!"
Looking at the gleeful Customer Service Kiana-chan, Lynelle forced herself to calm down and moved on to another key question.
"So, Kiana-chan..."
"What... is the relationship between me and Mobius, really?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.