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 .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 ti 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. i.
i's words were calm and deliberate:
"Don't be so quick to judge, Hua. You should understand—
When sothing 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 seed a bit abstract…
Here's a more blunt version:
Dr. i 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 ti 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 forr was more acceptable.
So—
Hokuto, sensing so kind of emotional undercurrent in i, 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." i nodded.
"Because those details were aningless to you—just trivialities not worth ntioning."
[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. i is right!]
[Got it, family—I've learned sothing (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-ga—
After hearing i's reasoning, Kiana, Bronya, and Hokuto all showed subtle changes in their expressions.
i 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 ti 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 rge with the Real World.
That ans Protheus 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 along.]
[...It's actually simple: There's no version of i and Protheus in the Real World,
so when this World Bubble rges 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-ga i and so savvy players—
Everyone finally understood the situation.
[So isn't Dr. i 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. i was hastening her own end.
Her reasoning?
Even if they did nothing, the World Bubble would still eventually rge 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 sa way World Serpent does?
As a tool?"
She paused, then looked into i'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 i's behalf...
Though she only had Fu Hua's mories—
To her, i was still a familiar stranger.
But still... Hokuto's compassion ca through.
Which only goes to show—
"Prenatal education" really does matter.
Right, Elysia...?
Elysia (offscreen): ??? Already dead. Don't @ .
...
In short—
Through a series of calm, rational explanations, i 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.
i had betrayed the World Bubble.
But as she said—
Ti was Kevin's ally, which made it the enemy of Kiana and her friends.
Accelerating their return via i'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 ntal Shackles.
And for that—
i suggested they sit down sowhere quiet and discuss it thoroughly.
"—Let's learn from a certain soone... and hold a tea party just for girls, shall we?"
...Hmm?
That line sounded so familiar!
Players blinked—
Hadn't they heard that sowhere before?
One question:
Who was this "certain soone" i was referring to?
Well, actually, it wasn't much of a question at all.
The mont 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!"]
[An~♪] ×n
[@Miss Pink Fairy]
While players were clearly excited—
Hokuto, on the other hand, looked visibly unprepared for i's sudden tone shift.
A girl's tea party?
Right now?
That's... weird.
"???"
Bronya even asked:
"...Are you serious?"
Only i stayed calm and smiled.
Then she turned to Protheus.
"Protheus? 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 i her Signet the first ti they t?]
[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 mories?? I kinda want to log out now.]
So players genuinely wanted to flee the scene.
Others—
[Hoyoverse, do you rember 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. So 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 i react?"
She watched intently.
...
"This is…"
i's heart trembled slightly as she looked around the familiar scene.
i (Dr.) offered a reminder:
"Careful, Raiden i.
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."
i 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 ant 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-ga—
"Hmph."
Hokuto snorted.
"What's there to admire?"
Honestly—
There was sothing 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 ? Of course I'll handle the pastries for our girl's tea party~~ Right, i?"]
[LOL that sounded exactly like her. Perfect fairy energy.]
Well, of course.
Years of sharing a bed, after all.
[i: 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 ti to start the tea party (read: serious discussion).
Everyone sipped tea and chatted.
All seed well.
Except—
i remained silent, lost in her own thoughts.
[Say sothing, i! Say anything!]
[i: You're drinking tea. I'm breaking down.]
["Pain-i," huh?]
[i: 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." i 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 bead.
So easy to please—
just a single complint 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 i, who'd been quiet all along, finally asked.
Dr. i answered plainly.
If Kiana wanted to fully break her ntal 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 rembered what Hokuto said earlier about i running off.
Could it be...
This was the reason?
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