After listening to Hysilens's words, Cerydra remained silent for a long time.
Finally, she rose from her throne. With a flash of blue light, the Royal Scepter, inlaid with a massive diamond, appeared in her hand.
She then lightly touched the end of the scepter to Hysilens's shoulders.
After completing this, Cerydra spoke slowly:
"Since... you are willing to pledge your loyalty to me once more, I promise you that I will no longer let you feel loneliness."
"Furthermore, I will inherit her previous promise and hold a never-ending feast for you."
As she finished, a deep blue light erupted from the scepter, enveloping Hysilens.
[Detection: Host intends to materialize the chess piece Hysilens into reality. To do so, the host must pay the price of being unable to pull Hysilens again in the future. Does the host accept?]
Accept.
Cerydra murmured silently in her heart.
The moment those words were uttered, she instantly felt the Queen chess piece, which radiated a pale blue light upon the exquisite chessboard floating in the depths of her mind, suddenly develop numerous cracks.
Once the chess piece was covered in fractures, it shattered into pale blue fragments in the next instant, scattering away from the chessboard.
Subsequently, these pale blue fragments drifted out from Cerydra's scepter and flowed into Hysilens's body.
[Materialization successful.]
Seeing this, Cerydra retracted her scepter.
"Hysilens, from now on, you are no longer a chess piece."
She paused.
"You are no longer a segment of data..."
"But a complete person."
As she finished, the scepter in Cerydra's hand vanished.
Hearing the phrase no longer a segment of data, Hysilens's body trembled slightly. She then closed her eyes, bowed slightly, and said:
"Thank you, Noble Imperator."
"Alright, alright, don't make the atmosphere so depressing. Didn't you just kill a buffoon who offended the Imperator? Besides, you've escaped that cycle now, so be more optimistic and show a smile."
Just as Hysilens finished her thanks, a teasing voice rang out from behind Cerydra.
Hysilens was startled by the familiar voice and instantly looked toward its source.
She saw a catgirl wearing a bodysuit appear behind Cerydra's throne, even giving her a wink.
Upon seeing this figure, a flash of genuine surprise crossed Hysilens's eyes:
"Little Catfish? Why are you here too?"
"Ugh..." Hearing that maddening nickname, Cipher's smug expression instantly froze, and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey! My name is Cifera! Ci—fe—ra! Not Little Catfish!"
She emphasized her name, her tail flicking with dissatisfaction. "Besides, if the Great Imperator can descend upon this world, why can't this cat?"
Hysilens merely watched her bristling state calmly and spoke flatly:
"Apologies, Little Catfish. It was a slip of the tongue."
There wasn't a hint of apology in her tone, and her face remained unruffled.
"You..."
Seeing this, Cipher was about to argue angrily when she was interrupted by Cerydra's calm voice.
"Discuss titles later." Cerydra's gaze swept across the mess of the muddy hall. "Dux Celeripes, please repair the church."
She paused, remembering the other's habits, and added, "I will provide the reward."
"Tsk." Cipher curled her lip and muttered in a low voice, "The past is the past, and now is now. In this world, my little treasury is much thicker than yours..."
However, she then sighed and spread her hands helplessly.
"But... who would complain about more money? Deal!"
Having said that, she turned her gaze toward the ruins ravaged by the flood and took a deep breath.
In an instant, a strange pink light flashed deep within her pupils.
Buzz—
The entire space seemed to be plucked by an invisible force, and the turbid water began to churn and tremble violently.
Then, a massive water curtain rose. Accompanied by a distant, ethereal whale cry, that deep blue giant whale actually flew backward out of the water curtain. Its massive body leaped elegantly into the air, passed through the gap in the damaged dome, and finally vanished into the depths of the rain curtain outside the church.
As the giant whale departed, the water on the ground was also pulled by an invisible force, turning into countless crystalline water columns. Like time flowing backward, they carried the floating rubble and debris, flying accurately back to their torn origins—the huge holes in the walls.
Simultaneously, the bricks and stones scattered on the ground seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, lifting themselves into the air and adhering back onto the broken walls. They fitted together perfectly, restoring the walls to flat, solid structures in an instant.
In just a short moment, except for the residual bloody water and mud still slowly flowing on the ground, the entire church had been restored to its former solemnity and majesty, as if the fierce battle from before had never happened.
Hysilens watched this miraculous sight silently, a flash of hard-to-hide surprise crossing her eyes as she whispered subconsciously:
"This is... the power of Oronyx?!"
"That's right!" Hearing Hysilens's voice, Cipher lifted her chin proudly, her tail curling up. "This cat can now wield the great power of Time as well! Pretty impressive, right?"
She put on a face that screamed I am super amazing.
"Very impressive."
Hysilens nodded, her tone returning to its habitual calm as if the surprise from a moment ago was merely an illusion.
"Tsk, still as cold as ice." Cipher rolled her eyes and couldn't help but tease, "I suppose only when I'm feasting on fish right in front of you can I get a different expression out of that icy face of yours."
"..."
In response, Hysilens turned away silently, leaving Cipher with only her back, seemingly unwilling to recall certain unpleasant past experiences.
Afterward, she looked toward Cerydra perched high on the throne and asked with a hint of expectation in her ice-blue eyes:
"Imperator, may I ask... are Tribios and Aglaea... are they also in this world?"
Cerydra shook her head slightly and replied:
"I am not sure. Regarding the whereabouts of Dux Goldweaver and Dux Fatorum, I have yet to find any trace of them in this world."
Upon hearing this, a trace of loneliness crossed Hysilens's eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.
"Understood." She nodded slightly, her gaze once again sweeping over the church that had just been restored, looking at Cerydra with a hint of inquiry. "Then, Imperator... what is our next direction?"
Cerydra turned her gaze toward the sky outside the high windows and said in a steady voice:
"In this world, I have gathered a force that is currently proving their value. Until they finish this test," she retracted her gaze and looked at Hysilens, "what we must do is ensure that no other forces can interfere with this evaluation of their worth."
Hysilens showed a look of understanding, then bowed slightly again and replied:
"As you command, Imperator."
★ ★ ★
T/N: We're back with the dux titles again...