Mobius followed behind Amber with little interest. The thought of having to undergo a simulated combat test for her Valkyrie rank evaluation felt like a massive chore.
If she had the time, she would much rather spend it uncovering Lierre's secrets piece by piece, as well as the mystery of her own resurrection.
If circumstances allowed, Mobius truly wanted to drag Lierre into her laboratory.
Unfortunately, she couldn't.
Mentioning Lierre immediately made Mobius think of her position within Schicksal.
Acting Overseer, the next successor to the Schicksal organization.
However, Lierre hadn't gone into detail about the specific circumstances back then.
To avoid wasting time, Mobius wanted to take this chance to fish for more information regarding Lierre.
She looked up at Ana on her left, naturally adopting a harmless demeanor. Her voice sounded innocent as she inquired softly, "Sister Ana, I only recently met Lierre and don't know much about her. Could you tell me a bit more?"
Upon hearing that sweet "Sister," a smile unconsciously surfaced on Ana's face. Though she was surprised that Mobius and Lierre weren't well-acquainted, she still patiently began her introduction:
"Actually, today was my first time meeting Lady Lierre in person as well. But before this, I'd already heard many stories about her.
"Before Lady Lierre came to headquarters, the most famous among them was definitely the official announcement involving Lady Lierre and Lady Theresa!"
Hearing this, Mobius's expression turned to one of pure astonishment. She never imagined that anyone could be interested in someone as petite as Lierre.
The person interested in Lierre must be some kind of perverted lolicon!
"Look, I even have a photo of Lady Lierre and Lady Theresa on my phone. Don't you think they're a perfect match?"
As a shipper of the Lierre and Theresa pairing, Ana handed her phone to Mobius, pointing at the photo of a white-haired nun loli and introducing her:
"This is Lady Theresa, a former S-rank Valkyrie. Currently, she is the Overseer of the Far East Branch, and she's also our Overseer's granddaughter."
Mobius: "?"
Are you sure you didn't grab the wrong photo?
Mobius looked at the photo of the white-haired nun loli, almost thinking she had misheard.
"It's normal for Miss Mobius to find it unbelievable. Even I was surprised for a long time when I first learned the news."
Amber stopped her pace ahead of them, turning around to add, "There was no shortage of opposing voices, but after the Overseer pushed through all objections, the dissent within Schicksal regarding the two of them almost vanished.
"And with Lady Lierre developing the T-Virus, she gained the support of over ninety percent of the Valkyries. Therefore, Lady Lierre and Lady Theresa's future marriage will likely proceed quite smoothly."
She was telling Mobius not to look at the matter through a conventional lens; currently, the vast majority of people in Schicksal supported Lierre and Theresa.
"...They truly are an unexpected couple."
Mobius snapped out of her shock, looking back at the photo of Theresa on the phone screen with a thoughtful expression. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
So, that's your type.
Suddenly, a bad premonition flashed through Mobius's mind. She lowered her head to discreetly glance at her own petite body, and her heart sank.
Could she have been targeted by Lierre as well?
Otherwise, why would Lierre choose to summon her specifically instead of any of the other Thirteen Flame-Chasers?
Her motives were likely impure.
However, she wasn't particularly afraid. Until the very end, it was still uncertain who would end up eating whom.
Mobius's gaze grew deep, though it returned to its clear state a moment later.
"We've arrived. Since Miss Mobius's situation is unique, I've bypassed the tedious paperwork for you. Once you complete the Valkyrie rank assessment, you will officially become a Valkyrie!"
Amber used her keycard to open a heavy metal door. Valkyries stood guard on both sides of the corridor, and staff members clutching paper files hurried past.
"Please follow me."
Amber stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.
She showed Mobius an ample amount of respect.
Simulated Combat Room.
As the System started up, blue data modules emerged. Immediately afterward, a group of hostile lower-class Honkai Beasts appeared one by one, staring greedily at Mobius.
I'll just half-hearted through it.
Mobius had no interest in trying hard for an S-rank Valkyrie rating. She was a scientist, after all, and didn't possess the overwhelming strength of combat personnel.
As the countdown ended...
The simulated Honkai Beasts rushed toward Mobius like madmen, raising forelimbs as hard as steel to smash down on Mobius's beautiful head like giant boulders.
Pfft!
All the charging Honkai Beasts were frozen in mid-air. Dark green spikes pierced through their bodies, killing them almost instantly.
The next second, these Honkai Beasts turned into clusters of data and dissipated.
Immediately after, Mobius elegantly collapsed to the ground, pretending to be in a state of severe physical exhaustion.
The Honkai Beasts that were in the middle of spawning came to a screeching halt.
Meanwhile, in the Overseer's office.
Otto and Void Archives watched Mobius on the screen. Otto couldn't help but chuckle. "She doesn't seem to want to waste much time on the Valkyrie evaluation. I suspect that if it weren't for Lierre, she wouldn't even have come here for testing."
Void Archives replied as a matter of course, "Your intuition isn't wrong; that is indeed her personality. However, given her achievements, she truly possesses the right to look down on Schicksal."
"But even she hasn't escaped Lierre's control, has she?"
"...I believe that if Dr. Mobius is given enough time and resources, she might truly find a way to escape Lierre's grasp."
"I also sincerely hope she finds a way to break free one day. However, Lierre is not simple. I don't think she will succeed."
Otto shook his head slightly as the blood-red cross-sword surfaced in his mind. On that sword, he had seen images of countless stars being extinguished.
That kind of power was not a domain humans could touch at this stage.
It was now basically confirmed that Lierre's series of abilities came from Heaven.
And since Heaven was where God resided, Lierre's identity was certainly not simple.
That was why Otto didn't hold much hope for Mobius escaping Lierre's control.
"...Just what reason would make you hold Lierre in such high regard?" Void Archives asked after a moment of silence.
"If I said that with Lierre's help, I had the honor of visiting Heaven, would you believe me?"
"Hahaha, is this some kind of new-age deadpan joke?"
Void Archives burst out laughing. This was the funniest joke he had heard in five hundred years.
If even a villain like Otto could go to Heaven, Void Archives couldn't help but wonder if that place was Heaven or Hell.
Otto smiled indifferently, having no intention of explaining.
On the other side.
Cocolia arrived alone in a hidden room, her sharp gaze fixed on the black-robed figure who had been waiting for a long time. She said, "Gray Serpent, I want to make a Deal with you."
Gray Serpent's mechanical prosthetic eye glowed red. He stared at her for a moment before a low, raspy, machine-synthesized voice rang out: "Certainly. I never refuse business that comes knocking on my door."