Though she'd been unconsciously observed for some time by the very Xianzhou Marshal Hua she'd once cosplayed as, Lynelle actually knew nothing about Jing Yuan's experiences within the Scalegorge Waterscape.
And besides… her recent experiences hadn't left her much spare time to ponder such matters.
After all, ever since Herta's true self arrived on the Luofu, Lynelle's daily life had abruptly become far more… vibrant.
Between cooperating with Herta's daily tests on all sorts of Curios and instruments, providing bodily data per Ruan Mei's remote requests, and having to keep Madam Herta company—who just 'happened to be at a loose end' and 'out for a stroll' near the Scalegorge—chatting to stave off her boredom, her schedule could only be described as thoroughly packed.
This packed schedule, however, soon yielded positive results.
After Herta had various Curios shipped from the space station and tested them one by one, a new breakthrough regarding Lynelle's condition was quickly found—just not in the area everyone initially expected, the Path of Equilibrium, but rather on Ruan Mei's end.
After carefully analyzing Lynelle's physical state and running several small-scale tests, Ruan Mei finally sent Herta a communication projection.
"Well? Ruan Mei, do you have results?"
"Mmm… I wouldn't call it results, exactly. More that I've developed a possible line of reasoning."
Ruan Mei's voice was, as ever, devoid of noticeable emotion.
"Then just say it. I've got Lynelle on the line here too. She can't speak to you, but she can hear you."
"Mm, that works."
Ruan Mei's projection gave a nod.
"Based on the current situation, the experiments attempting to peel off the Path of Destruction from Lynelle's body have all yielded less-than-ideal results."
"One could say Nanook's… investment in Lynelle is quite profound. Unless she completely abandons this physical vessel, it's unlikely Lynelle will be able to escape these imprints of Destruction."
"...Your next line wouldn't happen to be about crafting Lynelle a new body, would it?"
The corner of Herta's mouth twitched. "Let me state this clearly upfront: that option is vetoed."
"For certain reasons, it's impossible for Lynelle to change bodies, create segments, or anything of that sort."
"Oh. Alright then. We'll just change the approach. The underlying logic is similar anyway."
One had to admit, Herta truly was Ruan Mei's best friend. Judging by Ruan Mei's reaction, Herta had guessed correctly.
"Rather than trying to rid ourselves of Destruction, we might as well maintain the status quo, allowing Destruction and Abundance to continue their struggle within Lynelle's body."
"After all, the inherent mutual exclusion between Destruction and Abundance isn't overwhelmingly intense."
"The situation in Lynelle's body stems entirely from the fact her power was directly instilled by the Aeons themselves, and both Aeons seem intent on 'claiming' her for their own."
"The reason Lynelle currently cannot leave the Ambrosial Arbor is that her body cannot withstand the consequence of this mutual exclusion. She requires the Arbor to constantly reactivate the Abundance's blessings within her, providing energy and repairing her body."
"Therefore, we can leverage Lynelle's high compatibility with Abundance."
"Using the Ambrosial Arbor and some other materials, we can modify her body to a level where it can withstand this clash of Paths. In short, we'll use overwhelming force to brute-force a solution."
"Based on my tests on Lynelle's body, post-modification, she could maintain structural integrity for five to six minutes even under the extreme condition of her Paths running completely amok and clashing. Furthermore, during this time, she could also—Bzzt—"
Before Ruan Mei could finish, Herta outright terminated the communication.
"Huh? Why'd the sound cut out?"
Lynelle's voice, which had been listening with great interest from within the Arbor, now held a note of confusion.
"Weren't we just at the key part? Is the signal in the Scalegorge bad?"
"...Probably. And besides, her proposed solution has numerous issues. It requires further discussion."
Herta brushed her off with a few casual words before standing up.
"Wait a moment. I'll go check the signal."
"Oh…"
Hearing Lynelle's obedient reply, Herta gave a nod. With a few flickers of movement, she departed the Arbor's vicinity and promptly re-established the communication link with Ruan Mei.
"What is it? Is there a problem on your end?"
"I'm fine. The problem is with you."
Herta fumed, her voice tight. "Ruan Mei, I believe I've told you before, haven't I? Don't you…"
"Don't use body-replacement methods? Or is utilizing Abundance's blessings to modify the body also unacceptable?"
Ruan Mei tilted her head in confusion.
"I didn't say it's unacceptable! Infusing Abundance's blessings is a fairly common procedure. I don't discriminate against the Xianzhou natives!"
Herta took a deep breath. "I meant, don't give Lynelle these kinds of self-destruct abilities! Have you been studying those Propagation bugs for too long, that you consider posthumous detonation a necessity?"
"Uh… what's the problem with that?"
Ruan Mei seemed genuinely puzzled.
"I recall you mentioning that Lynelle possesses an independent resurrection system. Given such a system, wouldn't it be a waste not to utilize self-destruct-type, sacrificial skills?"
"You…!"
Herta felt her temperature rising, figuratively speaking. But she knew Ruan Mei.
The other woman wasn't acting out of malice towards Lynelle or herself; she simply lacked some common sense regarding emotions and humanity.
If anything, a genius like Herta, with her abundant humanity, was the rare exception.
"Never mind… I'll give you a proper primer on all this once I'm back at the station. For now, just know this: do not formulate plans for Lynelle based on self-destruction or life-burning. Even if a similar capability becomes absolutely necessary, you must inform me first."
"You don't understand that girl's personality. Give her a self-destruct button, and the moment her companions are in danger, she won't hesitate to turn herself into a firework display!"
"Hmm, is that not the correct course of action?"
"No, it is not! Alright… I already said we'll discuss this when I return. For now, just follow my instructions."
"Very well… My apologies, Herta. I will pay attention to this point in the future."
Seeming to realize that Herta was genuinely upset, and that she might have been at fault this time, Ruan Mei promptly offered an apology.
"However, if we forgo designs in this area… then we may need to consider having her accept either the power of Destruction or Abundance."
"Acceptance is better than remaining a live bomb…"
Herta rubbed her temples wearily. "Besides, judging by Nanook's attitude this time, even if we completely purge the power of Destruction from her body now, he'd likely just reappear at some point."
"It might be better for us to proactively accept a portion of Destruction's power and focus on building up her resistance to it."
"You have a point."
Ruan Mei thought for a moment. "If we proceed down that path… I happen to have a rather similar case study on hand."
--+--
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.