Investiture of Paradise: On the Flowerbed of Lotus Chapter 4: One in a Vermillion encounter, a mega man fanfic

-[Volume I: Investiture of Paradise: On the Flowerbed of Lotus]-

-[An far-off Tale From the People of Delta]-

-[Fourth Record]-

One in a Vermillion Encounter.

Records Archived on; January 3rd 209, 18 B.A.R

By Ciel.

Politics is an absolute nightmare to experience, that is a sentiment that anyone could share, regardless of who they are, especially for those actively involved themselves in them as part of their duty, it was certainly the case for the Azure Emperor, Qin Ruogang as he moved to the latest documents delivered to him by his agents he has sent to the Vermillion Bird County to report the current situation of the tumultuous neighboring region. It would appear that the Five Hundred have eliminated yet another Camp of the Foreign Army, led by none other than the Man who has formed this mighty Battalion, Jun Aiguo, who has personally executed the Commander of this small roving band of Invaders with his saber that took but one single swing to end it all, nothing out of the ordinary, marking yet another victory for the Vermillion County against their Enemy, adding to a total of over twenty-five camps wiped out from the Country this month.

Truth be told, he did initially wanted to join them in this celebration, he truly does, but it would appeared that circumstances would not allowed such a thing to be an option, not when this success further fueled the Propaganda raised against his County, about how the people of the Azure Dragon Frontier is an bunch of spineless, 'Craven Cowards' that lack the resolve to go out and exterminate with the source of their unrest, content with locking themselves in their territory while everyone else deal with the fallout of the invasion themselves so long as nothing happen to them, stemming from the fact that the Azure Dragon County did not suffered any heavy casualty from the initial siege, even closing their border right after, giving birth to various conspiracies made by countless paranoid citizen despite they themselves has close their own respective border, believing that Ruogang was the one that were responsible for letting the Foreigner to enter their country and allowed them to attack the surroundings regions so that they are sufficiently weakened, the Azure Emperor would unleash an all-out assault to the remaining three factions and assimilated them into one Singular country govern by one absolute Ruler. This belief is unfortunately reinforced by a series of events orchestrated by a number of spies that are still currently lurking in his Region, which he is still working hard on tracking down as well as working on dispelling the propaganda surrounding him by sending supplies to the South without stepping any possible landmines before violence blows up across the country.

Coupled with that belief from his neighbor and the erratic behavior of his own County has lead to him keeping Ciel's status as a foreigner a secret to most, he cannot afford to let her true nature be known, be it by his court or his people, keeping it an confidential secrets among a circle of people he trusted the most, and the Ruling Council of Neo Arcadia, who honored his request of not letting that specific information reach the attention of Aiguo and by extension the Vermillion Senate, because if words got out, the people of the southern County would most definitely assumed he is in an allegiance with the invader on the basis of him housing an Foreigner in his court, leading to an potential civil war to broke out that the other two counties will no doubt be dragged into, especially the currently neutral Black Tortoise Region, whose territory is liable of being occupied by the Vermillion faction in order to gain an geographical advantages against the Azure Dragon should they come to blows, something he has discussed with Empress Mei Feng about the possibility of happening for a while now with the state of affairs over in the Vermillion County and how much the North seems to favored the South in their goal, letting them enter the Region to eliminate any of the foreign Army's outpost found there.

Letting out a long-winded sigh, the Azure Emperor placed the latest report on the ever-growing piles of documents, adding more to the mountains of paperwork he must do. All of this happened, just because of his incompetent former Court making one of the worst decisions at the worst possible time, like the flap of a butterfly that produced a tornado. Perhaps they are indeed cowards like the South made them out to be, Though to be fair, the Spies were responsible for it as well. His only hope right now was that Aiguo would not do anything drastic that might result in a needless conflict between them. That Lad has always loathed meaningless battles where there is nothing to be gained, just like his pointless crusade against the Foreigner, where only suffering and bloodshed are to be found.

Yet, he continued to go through with it anyway, most likely to serve the will of his people who wished for their enemy to pay for what they had done, as Mei Feng had suggested the last time she had spoken with him, describing him as appearing to have resigned himself to his heavy burden that is the desire of this citizen that seems to slowly crush him. That is one of his most destructive shortcomings, putting the interest of his people above himself, no matter how damaging it is to his psyche or how much it goes against his personal ideology, he would do it so long as it made his citizens pleased, just as he always has when he was Prince before he ascended to the Throne.

It was almost ironic in a sense, an Emperor whose actions are dictated by the very people he is supposed to rule over, rather than the other way around, being pulled around like a puppet to act out what the denizen wanted. Would have been amusing had it been nothing more than a joke, however, it was no laughing matter, Aiguo's health is said to be on a decline from the last meeting the White Empress had with him, and signs of exhaustion have already begun to make themselves apparent over time. Dark circles formed beneath his usually vibrant and energetic eyes, constantly spacing out as if he was deep in thought, and even sometimes collapsing only to immediately wake back up, denying himself of any rest, and that is before she got to the part that Ruogang could not bring himself to hear, of how sickly pale he has started to become, akin to the like of a corpse, yet he kept insisting that he is doing alright, no doubt to not concerned anyone about his wellbeing. He has always been that type of person.

If this keeps going on, he will eventually push himself to the brink of death from exhaustion one of these days. He could be revived, sure, but death often left a profound impact on any person that experienced it. This cannot keep going on, yet there is nothing they can do about it, not without indirectly instigating more troubles down the line if they do, not even Mei Feng, with all her connection with the governing Council of Neo Arcadia, could do anything about it, for ordering Aiguo in any ways that conflicted with his Rulership without any good justification for it, such as forcing him to take a rest against his will and stop his mass eradication of any surviving remnants of the Foreign Invader would be overstepping their bounds on the treaty, that is a risk none of them are willing to take, as no doubt the Vermillion Emperor would not care about his wellbeing enough to viewed it as an excuse to stop. In other words, their hands are bound right now, and chances are, it would only get tighter as time goes on.

"What are you doing to yourself, Aiguo?" It felt as though he did not even know the Lad anymore. The Vermillion Emperor…No, the Vermillion Prince was formerly an honorable individual that has earned the respect of the Azure Emperor and the White Empress for his headstrong and proud yet not prideful nature, always willing to be of help in any way he could, but ever since his ascension to the crown, he has been growing more and more distant with those that he called friend, burying himself in his works to the point he becomes someone different altogether.

What could have caused him to act in such a way? Was it the burden that came with the position? The massive expectation of his people toward his new duty as the Emperor? Or was it the war that was responsible for both? Conflict does tend to change people, often time for the worse. Whatever the cases may be, Ruogang made a silent prayer to whatever deities were willing to hear him out to help Aiguo, for him to return to the way that he was, to the man who desired nothing more than the best interest of his people while not sacrifice everything, including his own wellbeing for their sake. Let Aiguo be the Aiguo that he remembers, not the one he is now.

His Prayer will be answered.

Ciel's morning started off with a bang. And by bang, as in, the resounding blast of reverberation from the alarm feature of her phone, which she just recently discovered the usage of last night, leaving her in awe yet again of the sheer application of the small device at the time. Now though, not so much, if anything, she was annoyed by the volume that echoed across the chamber of her quarter, causing her to shoot up from her bead upon being sent back to the world of the living from the blissful realm of dream in such an irritating manner, forcing her to shut it down with a strike onto its surface. It's like with those obnoxious Roosters back in the town of Xiangjiang again. At least with them, they do not shriek right into where it hurt the most for her brain. Maybe she should have adjusted the level of the pitch next time around.

Well, there is no point complaining about what has happened she supposed, best to get up and prepare herself for today, for it will be the start of her job here in the Azure Palace. Once she managed to shake off the fatigue from having her sleep ruined, the Blonde began to move toward the bathroom to do the usual routine, brush her teeth clean of any stains or residues she might have left behind the Dinner last night, washing her faces to regain her vision, before taking a short bath, cleaning every crevice of her form and drenched her hair for later, then it came the most time-consuming part of the morning session. The Straightening of her hair. This is probably why her past self set her alarm at Five in the morning so that by the time her present self finishes grooming her unstable curls back to their usual style of a smooth stream of hair tied up into a ponytail with her triangular bangs, it would be done by the time she needed to go to work.

This turns out to be a wise decision on her part, as when Ciel has finished making herself look at least presentable to the eyes and not a human Broom, a gentle yet firm knock was heard colliding against the door to the quarter, letting the thumping to spread across the room and eventually reach the bathroom, where the Blonde rushed out from after putting on her work uniform that her room has provided to open the door, where the Cyber Faeries Programmer, Maomao and her entourage of said Cyber Faeries was there waiting for her, "There you are, Xia, it's time to go to work." While her face may not convey it, maintaining a perfectly neutral feature as a demonstration of her impressive control over her expression, Ciel could tell that her Senior was quite pleased by the sounds of her voice, probably because she did not have to wait, that is soon followed by making a gesture that beckon the Blonde to join her, which she wholeheartedly accepted.

"Understood, Miss La." At her response, the Programmer seemed to appear a little irked, but the expression was gone as fast as it came before Ciel could take notice of it. Maomao figured that she must have learned that piece of information from either the Emperor or worse, Jinshi in an effort to annoy her. She would much prefer if her last name was not mentioned, it best to tell the Blonde when she has the chance. Soon the Quarter was emptied of its occupant, with Ciel following the Petite Woman closely behind, reminiscing of yesterday's process, only this time, they move with a different purpose in mind. On the way to the workshop, Ciel and Maomao occasionally pass through several servants going about their business, mostly with the laundries and deliveries such as supplies to the kitchen or the like, with several clinging onto a few wooden scrolls on their way to the library, making Ciel wondered if they are similar to the Universal-Lexicon, though the blonde could not help but notice one particular worker, a girl that appeared around her age, struggling with picking up her assigned basket in the courtyard at the distance, not making much progress in pushing it forward despite her best effort. It was too large for a single person to lift, and would require at least one more if it were to be moved, "Umm, Miss La-"

"Just call me Maomao." Came a sigh of exasperation from the Programmer. She is well aware that the Blonde was merely trying to be polite to her, and she appreciated the notion, but there is a reason why she has and will never under any circumstances acknowledge her last name, it only brought back bad memories for Maomao, one she would very much enjoy not remembering any times soon, "Let me guess, you wanted to go help that one over there?" It was clear as today's morning sky above on what Ciel was planning to ask of her, having noticed that the Blonde never peeled her eyes from the laboring servants who were having some difficulty with transporting the basket that she alone would not be enough to move, and in the few interactions she has had so far with Ciel and what she has learned through Ruogang was enough to tell her that Ciel an earnest type of person, always trying to be of assistance, never overlooking those in needs. An admirable trait to say the least, "Go on ahead, just don't take all day."

"Thank you, Miss L- Er, Maomao." No need to be told twice, for as soon as she received the permission, Ciel had already moved in the opposite direction, initiating a rather amicable conversation with the servant from the looks of it, before offering to assist with carrying the Laundry Basket to their designated area, to which the Worker Girl gladly take up. With two people pouring their strength into the task, transporting the mountain of clothes was a much more manageable feat, as soon, as they were able to move the straw vessel to the Lavatory, characterized by Nine Wisteria markings on its gilded plaque, "There we go." Ciel exhaled in relief, finally able to properly place the dirty linen in the washroom through a combined effort of her and the servant, name's Xiaolan as she had learned during the small talk they shared, who expressed her gratitude to the blonde for her willing aid, even though someone of her station have no obligation to. Hmm, it would appear that the staff, or at least Xiaolan has heard about her, in fact, according to the servant, the latest Programmer of the Court was the topic of discussion amongst them as of late, even more so when she was not immediately fired on the very first day like everyone else that once shared her position, sparking all sort of debates in the servants' circle.

Granted, Ciel didn't exactly do anything on her first day in the Palace, mostly just familiarizing herself with the layout of the court before ultimately going to bed right after, but that has not stopped the rumor mill from spinning up all sorts of speculations, each was more outlandish than the last, the more tame one was that Ciel is simply a competent assistant that Maomao respected the skill of, but more than a few people has been led to believed that Maomao is into people of the same gender, explaining her seemingly disinterest toward Jinshi, the crown jewel of the court in term of looks, or even the more absurd one which suggested that Ciel is the secret child born between an even more secret union between Maomao and Jinshi, thus was favored by Maomao for being her apparent 'child', not entirely improbable considered how old the two individuals in question are, and it would be the most popular theory, has it not been for the fact that Ciel looks nothing like her supposed 'parents', which shot down the possibility altogether. As for the Blonde herself, having denied both ideas to be the case, was glad that the Petite Woman was not here to hear any of this groundless supposition, because she was sure that hearing that would set off the small yet destructive bomb that is Maomao, especially about the latter for even remotely insinuated the idea that she would ever be in a relationship with the purple Pervert, as described by her.

Escaping from the conversation that has grown awkward over time while Xiaolan was occupied with her duty, Ciel eventually made her way back to the hallway where she had left off, using her memory to guide her to the workshop, which she eventually does manage to track down the location of, where she saw that Maomao was already taking the first step at preparing for work when the petite Woman noticed Ciel as she was setting up several see-through, holographic Interfaces across the room, while her Cyber Elves, Potentielle, and Illiminte is interacting with the Cyber Faeries that dwelled in the workshop, no wondered why she could not find them in her room, it brought a sigh of relief to her lips.

"Ah, there you are. Come on, we have work to do." Gesturing the Blonde to assume her seat reserved right beside Maomao with a tap on the cushion, Ciel made herself comfortable while the Senior programmer moved to activate a mechanism of some sort that was built into the desk, projecting a holographic image of what appeared to be a mountain range, complete with a vast open plateau, imposing highlands, streams of rivers connected to a running waterfall crashing down to the earth, "This is where we will be creating Cyber Faeries." Maomao explained, earning a nod of understanding from Ciel, who was enthralled in the transparent environment projected onto the table, whereupon making contact with the watercourse out of curiosity, actually caused it to splatter everywhere, making the nearby animal to flee out of surprise, a sentiment the blonde could share, obviously not expecting that to happen, "Hey, careful now, the land can be affected by our action on it, you might destabilize the connection if you keep tampering like that."

"S-Sorry." Upon apologizing, Ciel turned her attention to the projection, amazed by its nature. She has read about this in the tome she acquired from the library in regards to what entails in her job, but seeing it with her own eyes was an entirely different experience in of itself. According to the book, the Cyber Faeries creation process involves the Programmer working in an artificial landscape, which is stated to be part of the Cyber Space, where they will be 'cultivating' data to construct the programming necessary for a Cyber Faeries to manifest into existence before being brought into the physical world, "So what do we do first?" Though that is all she could understand at the time, as she is not familiar with the various terminologies the guide constantly made use of, as such, she is a little more than a little lost, turning to her Senior, who has much more experience than she has in this field for instruction, which she is more than happy to provide some.

"Have you ever played Video Games?" In her personal opinion, Cyber Faeries programming is less about actual programming and more about playing in a virtual environment, just without the fun part of it all. Many a person wished to become a cyber Faeries Programmer because they were under the illusion that it is essentially a glorified Video game where all you needed to do is to collect codes and construct the Cyber Elves, thus making it a popular job among young folks who thought it would be a simple job. However, contrary to that particular belief, they will soon discover that it could not be anywhere further from the truth. It required knowledge just as much as any job that is about programming, in that you cannot just throw together a random number and expect it to miraculously work out, you have to be sharp, fast, and most importantly careful, for the construction of Cyber Faeries is a delicate process. Maomao has known this since she was young, taking her job more seriously than anyone else in the field, that is what allowed her to succeed where all other has failed. Though she will admit, sometimes, this is comparable to a video game.

"Well, not really." She could distinctly recall having made a simple computer game for Alouette back in the Resistance's days when the young reploid requested her to in order to alleviate her boredom, but she never actually participated in it herself, mostly due to her focusing on her research and developing the new Energy Source to have the time for diversion like that, it did not help that Neo Arcadia never have much in the way of entertainment, the most fun she ever had was when the adults would make a quiz to test her knowledge as a reward for a job well done. Now that she thinks about it, it's rather sad that most of her life consisted mostly of studying and not much of anything else. But it is what it is she supposed.

"Oh, well I supposed that is fine." Hmm, if that is the case, then this girl must be from a reality where there are no such sources of recreation, but that is fine by her, for it just meant Ciel would not view this as a mere game unlike all of her previous assistants, this could work in Maomao's favor, "Alright, so the first step is to create your Netnavi, a type of Cyber Faeries if you are wondering. But seeing that you might have difficulty making one, I've already taken the liberty to make one for you. I call this one Nucifera." Presenting the Blonde with a Disk Drive, presumably containing the 'Netnavi' Maomao has mentioned, which she seems to be quite proud of if the tone of her voice was any indication. If her memories have no fault, Internet Navigator, or Netnavi has been mentioned several times in the guidebook, informing her that they are a type of specialized Cyber Elf that requires an operator whose role is to provide support for the Netnavi to fully reach their potential, very much similar to a concept Ciel has read about in the database of Neo Arcadia, called a Network Navigator, just never came to be with the development of Cyber Elves, especially the Hacker Type that could be considered a spiritual successor to the idea. Though this world seems to succeed in making it a reality, most likely owing to the existence of the internet for these Netnavi to exist.

"Well then, thank you for that, Miss Maomao." Gingerly accepting the Storage unit from the Petite Woman, Ciel inserted the Drive into the gap in the projector, where she assumed it was supposed to go. Upon doing so, she could see on the pond near the meadow of the projected landscape, a majestic, vibrant Lotus began to bloom, spreading its roots across the body of water, with the stems enveloping all the nearby surface. The Blonde's astonishment only grew when she saw the petals begin to spread wide, before suddenly folding and clasping onto each other, forming a pod of some kind, where emerging from within, was a Cyber Elf, yet at the same time, was something more than just that. Clad in an armor that looks as though they are made of petals, the Netnavi's flowing golden hair swayed gently as her slender leg took the first step into the meadow, her bare feet felt the brush of the grass against her skin, opening her eyes to see the sight of Ciel, her Operator looking at her with amazement clear in her cobalt blue eyes staring at the equally bright eyes of sapphire, "She…Look just like-"

"Just like you? Yup, it was a deliberate decision on my part." Indeed, the Netnavi bears great resemblance to her new operator, seemingly on purpose by Maomao. The same eye color, the same hairstyle with that distinct triangular hair bang, and even the same facial structure, all matched up with Ciel in nearly every fashion. The Senior Programmer has quite the knack for designing Netnavi, being one of her few hobby in life, with her own Netnavi, Yisheng modeled after her own appearance, which she honestly considered to be one of her achievements that she took a great deal of pride in, after all, not many people can claim they could perfectly recreate someone as a Netnavi, with the only one Maomao know of that could do the same is the younger sister of Kyra Zeranaki, who she once has the pleasure of meeting before, and needless to say, that Woman lived up to her position as the head scientist of the Governing Council of Neo Arcadia, "Now enough delay, time to develop some cyber elves."

Deploying Yisheng, The Netnavi began to follow the command inputted by Maomao, which was to join Nucifera in gathering bits and pieces of data scattered on the ground, picking up as much as she could along the way. When the two Netnavi finally located each other, the two began to harvest the nearby Codings, which Ciel see that they take on the form of various seeds shaped objects scattered everywhere on the open field, where they began to till the surface of, "Huh, so it's like farming?" Ciel questioned, seeing that the Netnavi is basically being grown from the data in the tilled earth. When the Blonde read that Cyber Faeries are grown and cultivated, she initially thought that the paragraph meant it in a metaphorical sense, but from the look of it, it was more on the literal side of the spectrum.

"Yes, not very exciting, I know, but it's much more difficult than it may seem, especially when the viruses get involved, best to keep an eye peeled for them." This is exactly why most do not take the Cyber Faeries Programming Duty seriously enough, believing all they need to have their Netnavi working on the field and then engrave the data into seeds. Oh, they will soon learn that not everything is as simple as it may seem, because of that, Maomao must warn her new assistant of the upcoming danger that is the virus, a destructive program that is the polar opposite of the Cyber Faeries in every aspect, with former holding an almost inherent hatred toward the latter, sought to destroy any that they could get their hands on, and it is up to them to protect the fruits of their labor from these bugs, "Alright, have around seventy percent of them possessing healing capabilities."

"Understood." Ciel nodded in acknowledgment, turning her attention to her respective projection, following her senior's example, and began to modify the seed, making sure the large majority of them were set to be Nurse Type as instructed, mostly due to them being in high demand as of late due to recent development in the country, with Maomao informing her that the biggest client for these Cyber Faeries being the Black Tortoise Region of the North and surprisingly, the Vermillion Bird of the South. Didn't the South have a strained relationship with the East? Immediately upon that particular revelation, as if to answer the unspoken question, it turns out that following the abolishment of the Border's isolation Act, the Azure Emperor has reestablished his trading route as well, including the reopening of one that is connected to the Vermillion County as well, all in an effort to reconcile with the neighboring Region, one step at a time by sending the South resources, one of which is their Nurse type Cyber Faeries as relief for the aftermath of the attack.

So far, it has been working well for the most part, with several settlements willing to accept the aid offered to them by the Azure Dragon County, giving them hope of them coming to an understanding, however, they have yet to receive any sort of response from neither Aiguo or his committee, as such, they are not entirely sure about the possible resolution of the tension between the two Frontiers yet, Hearing that made Ciel's thoughts wandered off elsewhere while her hands are occupied with typing data in an almost trance like state. It would appear that Ruogang is actively seeking a positive relationship with his fellow Emperor, but not much progress has been made on that front, if only because the Vermillion Emperor is strangely quiet about the whole situation, making Ciel wonder just what is he doing in all of this? Maomao has told her supposedly, he is leading his Army of 500 Megamen, the number of which boggled her mind from just imagining an entire battalion made up entirely of Biometal Users, on a movement against the Foreign invader, rooting out their outpost scattered around the country and wipe out. This might explain why he has yet to become aware of the peace offering made to him, as he is occupied with traveling across the country wiping out the Foreign Force that still walks on their soil.

Hearing that made her heart ache, learning that her creation was being used for conflict yet again, and there was nothing she could do to put an end to it all. It made her curse her powerlessness over the situation once more, just as she had so many times in the past. Even though she could understand why they would do it, after what the Foreign Force has done, the atrocities they have committed on the Nation, they give the people of China every reason to retaliate with just as much hatred, but doing so will only continue the cycle of bloodshed, that is something Ciel knows all too well, having been the one responsible for a series of events that lead to her finding and then losing the Red Devil she held dear. Recalling that day when she gazed at the sea of raining stars brought only pain to her heart further, a pain she tried her best to endure as her eyes focused on the cultivation process of the Cyber Faeries, which was going fairly smoothly, with the Faeries should manifest in about one minute from now according to the estimation made by the Computer.

It was the longest minute for the two Programmers. What should have been a simple matter of waiting for the Faeries to bloom spiraled into the most stressful situation for them when all of a sudden, the Malware, previously kept the distance from the field due to the presence of the two Netnavis to deter them, suddenly charged forward, fixated toward the makeshift farm with an almost unprecedented speed, taking Maomao and Ciel aback at the unusual burst of speed, "妈的!" The Senior Programmer cursed in surprise that turned into anger, quickly inputting a series of commands that produced a stream of data that manifested into a Spear that Yisheng immediately picked up and thrust forward, piercing through the Virus, deleting it in one swift strike, which she repeated with the following Rogue Software that followed suit, "Xia! Concentrate! Prepare to defend the field!" Maomao called to her assistant, increasing the speed at which she input commands.

"G-Got it!" Entering a code, Nucifera was armed with a Basic Buster, which she fired upon any Stragglers that managed to pass through Yisheng's barrage of attack, unloading its bullet into the Malware square in their vaguely humanoid form. At the same time, Yisheng continued to thrust, slice, and strike any Virus that come toward their ways. As she did so, the Netnavi could not help but feel paranoid, the Virus had never rushed headlong into the field like this before, even though they despised Faeries to the point that it is in their instinct to attack any they come across, they possessed just enough intelligence to know that just bulldozed their way through a Cyber Faeries field would never work out well for them, especially when there is a Netnavi present in one, so the fact that the sudden change in behavior just when they were docile the entire time until now was an cause of concern. What could have caused them to act in such a way?

Well, they can think about that later, because a large horde of Virus is rapidly approaching their direction. Seeing that made Maomao construct a barrier that stood in their way, it would hold out just long enough for them to cull the number of malware in the swarm. When the distance between the field and the stampede closed in, Yisheng leaped forward and began ripping through the wave of virus, with Nucifera providing fire support from a distance. "Damn it! There hasn't been this many Virus in one place like this!" Maomao Growled, going as fast as she possibly could with typing on her console, to the point her hands began to grow strained from the pressure. This might be the most difficult cultivation process for her yet. What with these malware? How come there are so many of a sudden?

A question was eventually answered when out of nowhere, the one that had gathered this Army of Viruses made itself known, its form, as large as the mountain range of the projection, trampled all over the viruses, disregarding their existence like one would to a roadside pebble, the heavy stomping of its hind legs shook the earth, its burning breath that tarnished the air spewed from its maw, as its tattered wings stretched out, blotting out the sunlight of the landscape, with the only few rays of brilliance escaped through its torn patches, unleashing a distorted roar that cause the very projected world itself to stop dead in its place, "Oh Mother Faeries…it's an rogue Navi." This is the worst possible scenario that could have played out. Irregular Internet Navigator, more commonly known under the title of Rogue Netnavi, are programs that got infected by the corrupting properties of Malware, caused their programming to be destabilized and subsequently become a virus themselves, inheriting the malice toward all Faeries kind, and for them to encounter one here of all places of all times…The color drained from Maomao's visage, leaving behind a pale complexion upon realizing the gravity of the situation, and she was positive that Ciel felt the same way, for if they failed to destroy the Rogue Navi right here and now, then theirs will…"Xia! We need to log out, Now!"

"…No." Much to her surprise however, the response she received was a firm, resounding rejection of the order from the Blonde, whose eyes glinted with the unmistakeable gleam of determination on her face as she moved her hand toward the sealed segment of the dashboard, the synchronization control, making the eyes of her superior widened in horror. While Synchronization will allow Netnavi to connect with the genetic data of their operator, increasing their overall performance by tapping into their utmost limit, it is not without its risk of mortal harm to the body of the user, as such, it should only be used in an emergency, and despite the protest from Maomao, even held back the hand of her assistant from reaching to the buttons, Ciel forced her way out of the grip, and activate the syncing Process, for to her, this is an emergency, "I did not accept this job just to run away now. There are people out there that needed these Faeries, and I will see to it that they bloom."

Call her suicidal, but she will not waver in the slightest, the people of Vermillion Bird County need as much help as they possibly can, and even though there is not much she can do to alleviate their wounded hearts whose scars are inflicted by the Foreign Army, the least she could do is to brought them as much comfort as she possibly could in the form of these Faeries they have been spending the entire morning cultivated, for the sake of harmony between the two Counties. Seeing that The Blonde would not be moved from the objective she has set for herself as the synchronization process is completed, with the sign of the strain of doing so already becoming clear, Maomao's teeth grind against each other in frustration. This girl seems to not know the differences between bravery and recklessness, "You idiotic girl…" Knowing there was nothing she do to persuade Ciel to cancel the Syncing Process, the Senior Programmer decided to move back to her desk, preparing to at least provide as much support to make sure her foolish assistant didn't get herself too injured, her Emperor won't let her hear the end of it if she was taken to the medical bay after this.

Back to the projected landscape, having been synced with her operator, Nucifera felt a surge of energy coursing through her entire being, which it immediately made use of, channeling this newfound power into its buster, unleashing a bombardment of concentrated energy at the Rogue Navi, who let out a screech from the agony the wounds inflicted upon its chest cavity created, creating an opening for Yisheng to hurled her spear toward the now undefended body, sinking into its flesh, nearly pierced into its core. Nearly. Now it was the Beast's turn to counter, using its wings to ascend into the air, prepared to drop down and crush both the Netnavi and the field with them.

Barely able to bypass the body slam, forming a veil of dust from the impact of the fall, Nucifera continued to unload the enhanced buster into the Malware as fast as possible. It was a mistake, as extending her hands forward was inviting the corrupted Beast to take a bite of her hands, which it gladly took up the offer, emerging a cloud of dust with a flash, the Rogue Navi, now crawling on the ground, immediately closed the distance between it and its target, its jaw boring down onto Nucifera, and brought down, severing both arms in an instant, sending the sensation of her arms being torn off to both the Netnavi, and its Operator, who can sense the pain spreading into her forearms, causing her to bite her tongue to hold back a primal scream of anguish, "Damn it...DAMN IT!" seeing the pain in her expression brought forth a furious one on her senior's feature, typing the code to restore the arms of Nucifera, who nearly fainted from the amount of pain it just went through. This is exactly what she had been fearing when Ciel synchronized with her Netnavi, experiencing any wounds that the Programming sustained.

That is the danger that comes with synchronization, the sort of torment a Netnavi goes through would eat away the willpower of their operator if they continued to sync, until the shock become too great to bear, leading to the possibility of a heart attack. Ciel appeared the part of a strong-willed individual, but everyone has their limit on how much abuse on the body they can endure, even a Megaman, they needed to end this quickly before Ciel suffered from too many injuries, but how they are supposed to do that? This Monster was too much for just the two of them to take on, they would need some kind of assistance if they were to win against the Corrupted Navi, But there are no other Cyber Faeries Programmer in the court other than her and Ciel, there is nothing-

No wait, there are! That is when Maomao got an idea. Turning her attention toward the Cyber Faeries in the workshop, who had been observing the battle the entire time, she made a silent please to them, for she did not need to speak a word, as her eyes told them all they needed to know. To save her assistant. That is what it told them, and her earnest pleas were all they needed to see to make their move. Upon exchanging a look with each other, they began to act. The hacker Faeries were the ones that took the lead, using their capabilities to open a gateway into the Cyber Space, in the form of a distortion on the projection, followed by the Animals and the Nurse charged straight into the wormhole, accessing the Cyber World, where Yisheng and Nucifera continued their battle against the corrupted Beast.

Letting out a sonic blast from its massive mouth, the Rogue Navi sent the two Netnavis flying into the mountains, unable to move upon being lodged into the side of the hills, inflicting more of the unbearable sensation onto Ciel, who could now barely concentrate onto the projection before her, feeling the grasp she had on her consciousness faded away from the pain she suffered. The last thing she saw right before she collapsed, was a pair of brilliant orbs, awash in Golden and White hue, forming a beautiful barrier of Emerald that intercepted the maw of death boring down onto her. Potentielle? Illimite? Was all she could think at that moment before she couldn't anymore, with the darkness consuming her whole, her form collapsed onto the the table.

"妈的!" it did not go unnoticed to Maomao, who cursed when she saw Ciel give out, clearly unable to bear the strain on her body any longer. Rushing to her side, she allowed herself a breath of relief when she checked that her heart still had a pulse. She just fainted. Thank the Mother Faeries. However, her look of relief quickly contorted into a one of pure, unadulterated Rage when she turned her attention back to the projected World, where the Corrupted Navi was attempting to devour the Faeries that had come to Yisheng and Nucifera's aid in the Cyber World, sensing an overwhelming hostility directed at its from somewhere. And that somewhere is the physical world, where the remaining operator will make sure that thing will die a miserable death for doing this to her assistant. Plopping back down onto her chair, the Programmer stretched her arms and began to type. This thing will pay.

The first sound that came into Ciel'ss ears was the clacking of keyboards being typed loudly, showing how much the one operating cared about her getting a peaceful slumber, especially when it was followed by an audible sip of a drink, rousing the Blonde from her unconscious world that was rudely interrupted by the clamorous commotion, resulting in her being hit by the light for her trouble when she opened her eyes, instinctively shielding her sensitive eyes from the bright light. Where was she? Such a question immediately got its answer when she picked herself up from the soft surface she was lying on, which she soon discovered to be a couch, one she recognized no less. It's the sofa that she saw in the longue area of the workshop, which means...

"Oh hey, Back to the land of the living, haven't you?" That distinct voice dripping with sarcasm confirmed it for her. Glancing at the source of the voice, she could see her Senior, Maomao, not even sparing her a glance toward her way as most of her attention was directed toward her monitor, typing away a row of commands from the looks of it, all the while taking a sip of her coffee as she did so. She was not the only one to greet her when she finally woke up though, as by her sides, Potentielle and Illimite, both of whom just noticed that their creator had returned to them, charged forward and smacked head first, quite literally, with them clinging onto Ciel's face, crying out barely coherent rambling of worries, latching tightly onto the Blonde as if letting go would result in her disappearing or something, "It would appear that they are much more similar that I've anticipated." Maomao noted with no small amount of amusement in her tone, Watching her assistant desperately trying to peel off the two Cyber Elves from her face before she suffocated, reminding Maomao of all the times she was subjected to the same treatment by her faeries over the course of her career whenever she returned back to the Palace after a long business trip. Really, They are a bunch of affectionate children, and honestly? She would not have it any other way.

"What...happened?" Her memories are a bit hazy, with not much she could recall aside from going to the workshop, cultivating the faeries, before encountering a horde of viruses that attempted to destroy the field and fighting a corrupted Rogue Netnavi-turned Malware. Wait a minute... "Miss Maomao! The field-!" That's right, she lost consciousness while fighting the giant Malware due to suffering from severe shock from the synchronization state with Nucifera, making her worried about the field first thing first, already assumed the worst-case scenario due to the fact that Maomao wanted to log out while they are ahead, though before she could go any further, her superior raised her head to stop her incoming words, letting her know that the situation has been resolved with a gesture toward the projection of the cyber world, where the field they have tilled now bloomed to a majestic field of flower, where the young faeries emerged from the delicate pistil and made their way toward the gate to the physical world, where they gathered around the blessed one of their mother, Maomao, whose scent reminded them of the Matron.

"Don't you worry, I've taken care of the pest for you." Came a word of reassurance from her Senior with a smile, warm and gentle for the briefest moment, before that merriment completely left her eyes that narrowed at Ciel's shrinking form, instilling a foreboding feeling into the blonde, who could sense dread forming in her stomach from just seeing that empty smile on Maomao. She is definitely in deep trouble, "Since there is no more distraction that stands in our way, let's talk about your insubordination." Came a not-so-cheerful order from her superior, getting up from her seat and slowly closing in on her assistant, whose instinct and cyber Elves urged her to get out of there, but she couldn't, her legs stayed rooted on the spot, paralyzed by terror.

In other words, she is trapped, like a vulnerable, wounded, and helpless prey before a starving predator, hungry for a proper punishment for disobedience toward a direct order, which is delivered in the form of a strike across the head, making the Blonde yelp in anguish, far more painful that it should have been, owing to her head feeling like they are pounding of top of the actual pounding she just received, "What. Were. You. Thinking?! Why must you synchronize, knowing full well of the harm that comes with it?! You could have died!" It would appear that she has severely underestimated the temper of the petite woman, who let out the most ear-blistering yelling since Ruogang, further amplified by her migraine. She really wished she could turn off her earplate, another aspect to envy the Neo Arcadian of this world.

"I just…I just wanted to be of help." She would acknowledge that what she has done was amongst the most reckless things she has ever done in her lifetime, since just as Maomao has stated, she was well aware of the risk that comes with synchronizing with a Netnavi, and the fact that she succumbed to the pain that led to her fainting was enough proof of that, but she couldn't just stand idly by, watching that Monster destroyed everything they have worked so hard for, denying the Cyber Faeries of life before they are even born, not to mentioned the countless people out there in China that needed these Faeries. She is just tired of being helpless and unable to contribute in any way. All Ciel wanted to make a difference, to contribute, to not be a burden to everyone who has helped her thus far, and to be useful for once.

"…Look, I'll be honest with you, I hate self-sacrificing people. It's always painful to see them harming themselves for the sake of others. It's selfish, I know. But sometimes, just sometimes, it's Okay to be Selfish. Do keep that in mind." Where the masses saw as honorable and altruistic, all Maomao could see was a rough and thorny path these selfless fools who had more ideals than they had in sensibility willingly tread upon, and that is exactly what frustrated her the most, for she has seen so many times before, people that ignored their own wellbeing and focus entirely on just give while never take anything in return all end in the same way, with the supposed selfless individuals ended up destroying themselves when they have nothing left to give. That is when she came to the realization that there has to be a balance, like the Ying and the Yang, one cannot be wholly selfless nor can one be completely selfish, it would be naive to assume otherwise. That is how one should live their life, be as selfish as you need to be for yourself, but never forget the kindness you are capable of, that is her Principle, her way of life. Some may condemn her for it, but that is just who she is.

"...Yes, I understand." Ciel nodded quietly, letting the word of her superior sink in, feeling uncertain if she could bring herself to be that way. Regardless, Maomao appeared quite pleased with the answer all the same, moving toward the Cold locker at the corner of the room to fetch her an Energy tankard, wordlessly placing it on the table for Ciel, who took the initiative pressed it on her lips, feeling the rejuvenating properties of the liquified crystals stored within spread throughout her body, replenishing the vitality of her body. By the time she finished the canister, she could finally feel her legs, no longer were they paralyzed by exhaustion, allowing her to pick herself up from the couch, going for a stretch soon after to release any potential cramps she had accumulated in her muscle, which is not much in both aspect, she is quite slender after all, "So what do we do now?"

"Not much, just need to have these little ones transported to the Trading Center, just outside of the Palace." Maomao shrugged. All they needed to do now was to gather all of the faeries they had created into suspension containers and bring them to the trading center so they could be delivered to the Vermillion County in the South, which is what Maomao was already taking the step in doing, shepherding all the Cyber Faeries into where they needed to go. It is always a hassle, seeing that the Artificial Lifeform is not very keen on being placed in such a cramped space, leading to Maomao having to give them a treat of some kind in the form of Energy crystals to gain their cooperation, but she did eventually managed to place them inside a container, which she hoisted up with relative ease, once again left Ciel dumfounded at the sigh of a Woman who was around her height, which is not that tall to begin with, being able to lift a package twice her size without any difficulty despite having such a slim build. Just how strong is the average Neo Arcadian of this world? "Since we will be going to the city and it's almost lunchtime, I was thinking about going to this little restaurant, they served the best sweet and sour lamb chops around. Care to join me?"

"I don't see why not." It is a little shameful to admit, but her decision to accept the offer is somewhat motivated by the prospect of having lunch in what sounds like Maomao's favorite place for a meal, especially for a dish she has never heard of until now, making her rather eager to try it out. Perhaps she is turning into a glutton like Lanfen has constantly teased her, but she really cannot help herself, the food in this world is simply too delicious to resist. At this rate, she might even consider staying in this world solely for its cuisine. Of course, such an idea was merely a joke, there was no way she would favor eating over her little Sister whom she was looking forward to reuniting soon, but still, when she finally returned home, Ciel was definitely going to miss all the flavor she has tasted during her stay in this world.

In another location, far from the Palace…

Another day, Another Encampment wiped out, and so was the thought of the Vermillion Emperor, Jun Aiguo, the Ruler of the Southern Section of China and the Crown Red Megaman of the Nation among other lofty titles as he watched the long line of Prisoners being escorted by his Soldiers into a Mobile Transporter that will send them straight into their Cells in the Capital. It was another flawless Victory for the Five Hundred, the Might Army that comprised entirely of Megamen gathered by Aiguo across the Country in response to the Foreign Force laying siege not too long ago. To the masses, they are his greatest achievements, and to a degree, he certainly viewed them as just that, his pride of joy, for it was through them that they managed to succeed in driving back the Invader, it was through them that he was appointed to the position of an Emperor, and it was because of them that they managed to restore order in his County when chaos arose in the aftermath of the failed attempt at conquering made by the Foreign Army, but deep down, to him, they are also his greatest regret.

Although there is indeed Harmony in his Frontier now, a rare thing, especially during these turbulent times, it was not the kind of Peace he desired, nor will it last forever, in fact, it has already to crack under the pressure, for the remedy to the source of their unrest was merely a temporary stopgap, a period of lull that is the prelude to a storm overhead, and as if it could not get any worse, the short-term solution was the type of peace he hated the most, a harmony born from a shared hatred toward Foreigners that united them together. While he did not have the slightest clue on who it was that spread it, someone had begun to spread Propaganda on every Internet platform that promoted discrimination against all Foreigners, regardless of whether they were associated with the one that attacked them or not, on top of that, they used the Five Hundred as the symbol of their message, manipulating the denizens into adopted this prejudiced mindset, treating all outsiders to their country with distrust at best, if not outright hostility at worse. Even his court was not exempt from it, having been the one that made the decision to seal off the Border to their County under the pretext of contingency to protect the people from potential reinforcement of the Foreign Force, but he is well aware of the truth behind that particular decision, in that they are just doing this because they do not want any Foreigner to step foot inside the Region, as well as preventing those that already there from escaping to other counties, trapping them inside so that the Five Hundred could track them down to their base and personally root them out of their soil.

The location they are currently in was one such stronghold, the largest thus far, with an estimated at least thousands of Soldiers in them. Of course, such numbers meant nothing to well over Five Hundred Megamen, who once again successfully subjugated another outpost, with them celebrating their victory, a sentiment Aiguo could not share, for how could he, when he knew what he was doing only going to worsen the relationship of his County with Foreigners down the line? Why doesn't he just stop then if hated all of this violence and bloodshed? If only it was that simple. Aiguo wished he could just stop this whole campaign and return back to the Palace, but his sense of responsibility forbade him from doing so. His people demanded justice, and he was honor-bound as their Emperor to deliver them, no matter how much he hated it, no matter how much it drained him to kill again, no matter how twisted said justice may be.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling well? You haven't touched your Wine." In the midst of his internal rumination, a voice full of concerns pierced through his earplate that has long since muffled the uproar of revelry from the celebration of the Five Hundred, making itself known to the Vermillion Emperor, turning wordlessly to see a Young Man, with deep skin tone that contrasted with his vibrant hair of orange, standing in front of him where he was sitting, beneath a withering tree of peaches in the company of a cup of barely drank liquor on the ground, with a look of obvious consideration on his gentle visage despite his muscle-bound form, as his auburn eyes meet with the lightless crimson orbs of the tired Aiguo, who let out an exhausted sigh at the question.

"No, I am not, Yi." However, he does appreciate that his right-hand Man, Hou Yi of the Huoyan, the branch of the Firnaria Clan situated here in China, was kind enough to take the initiative and ask about his declining well-being. Out of everyone in the Five Hundred, he finds the Young Man to be the only one can truly confide his blight with, having done so as of late when he was the only one willing to approach him when all the others steered clear of him either out of fear for his status or respect for the same reason, as such, he felt like he can be honest with Hou Yi, confessing the truth when he does not dare to with anyone else, "I'm tired. How much more will I have to fight until this is all over?" That question has been plaguing him the entire journey, feeling himself growing weary of all the fighting he has done up until this point, tired of smelling the metallic scent of blood continuing to be spilled, yet there seems to be no end in sight to this endless battle. Just how much longer could he endure before his Mask, His facade of an unassailable leader of the Invincible Battalion started to fracture under the pressure placed on him?

"I understand how you feel, Your Majesty." Aiguo was not the only one that starting to have second thoughts about this whole ordeal. Because just like he is, there are some Soldiers here who are running low on fumes now, having burned the majority of their gas after their latest subjugation, with some starting to consider retiring from the rest of the journey, and not without a reason. Seeing that everyone here in the Five Hundred is a Megaman, having a few of them leaving would not affect their combat performance by much, in fact, Hou Yi is confident that they would only need half of the Force to wipe out the rest of the Remnants of the Foreign Invaders' strongholds in the country, the only difficult part is to actually find them, "Few of the Men has requested me to gain your permission to allow them to return home just now, actually." Well, that is certainly a clever way to avoid having to ask him face-to-face.

"Home, huh...I wish I could as well, Ophelia constantly calls me to ask when will I return, you know?" The Vermillion Emperor let out a mirthless chuckle, his mind could help but turn back to his little sister, whose name has gathered no small amount of confusion over, with the primary reason being that it is clearly not Chinese in nature, which can be explained by a simple fact that she was born in the nation, or where in the known continents, for she is a Foreigner, an individual whose place of origin is far beyond the boundary of this world, ending up in it through one of the spatial distortions when she was at the youth of Four before being taken in by Aiguo two decades ago, when he was still a Prince back then when they first crossed path.

Though her birthplace is far from here, being in the care of Aiguo for over two decades, showered with love and care she was denied by her birthparent back in her world, has led to her considering China to be her home, and the Vermillion Emperor her family. Although their relationship has become strained these days as a result of the Propaganda he unintentionally perpetrated that vilified foreigners like her, leaving her not much choice but to transfer to the Azure Dragon County for protection until the situation in her home County has died down, she still cares for him enough to ask him when will he return every single day since he left on this Journey. He missed that little rascal. No matter how much she claimed she had grown up, she was still the same endearingly uptight little girl he raised, "But nevermind about me, tell them that if they want to leave, they can, I do not force them to remain."

"…Your Majesty, please forgive my disrespect, but as your second-in-command, you should rest now while you still have the chance. You deserved as much." Again with his dismissive attitude toward his own personal well-being, that is one of Aiguo's major flaws, being selfless, too selfless in fact, that he is practically killing himself for the sake of his people, discarding his happiness for others. Watching him keep doing it to himself is pitiful, to say the least. It simply cannot just stay this way, Hou Yi needed to somehow convince his Emperor to stop before it became too late and the Man lost sight of the reason why even did this in the first place, "I'll take over in your stead, so please, get some rest." He offered. While he doubts that he would ever reach the same level of leadership as Aiguo, there is a reason why he is appointed as the Second-in-Command out of the possible candidates in the Five Hundred, having earned it through various display of strategic management seconded only by the Crown Red Megaman.

"…But…What of my Duty? What else am I supposed to do if I cannot fulfill the wishes of my citizen?" As tempted as he was to jump into the offer, the Mother Faeries knew he could use a moment of respite right about now, there is still the obligation that held him back. He has made it his mission to do what he must for the best interest of his people, no matter what the cost, even vowing at the cost of his life if he must. What good of an Emperor will he be if he cannot go through with the oath he has pledged? Would leaving now be the same as betraying that Promise? He was not sure, and the uncertainty of such a question troubled him the most, "I Just…"

Whatever words she still had left to say died on his lips when, without uttering a single word, the Huoyan's Member presented him with a device, A pocket Transceiver, he recognized what it was, just simply placed it into his outstretched hand, with the coordination set to be in the Azure Dragon County, where his adopted little sister is currently residing in, "Don't you worry your Majesty, I'll tell the men that you are merely going on a scouting mission. You can return at any time, but I would very much advise that you be there for Lady Ophelia. Go, your Majesty, do what you need, not what you must." A lie, it will be, while he is aware that Aiguo hated deceit with a passion that he usually reserved for the worst of his enemy, this time, both of them understand that it is a necessity for the sake of the Young Girl that was his Family, even if the Crown Red Megaman is hesitant about this.

Before he could say anything, Hou Yi had already turned his heel and rejoined with the rest of the army in the festivity, leaving the Vermillion Emperor to himself with his newly-acquired transceiver, which he just stared at for what felt like the longest moment in his entire life, contemplating on whether or not should he make use of the Device. On one hand, he could use it to visit his sister again for the first time in months since they last spoke with each other. Admittedly, the prospect does excite him, there is a lot to catch up between them, on the other hand, however, what about the Five Hundred? It's not that he didn't trust Hou Yi's capabilities to spearhead the rest of the operation, the Flame Megaman has the making of a leader, but what would happen if they came across an enemy too great for even that much Megamen? He needed to be here for them, but he needed to be there for his little Sister as well. His Duty or his Family...

...

What will he do?

With Ciel...

The delivery of the Cyber Faeries to the Trading Center outside of the Palace was largely uneventful, which in all honesty, suited the two Programmer just fine, they could use some peaceful moment after the whole fiasco with the corrupted Navi's attack, which Ciel is still curious on how it resolved since all Maomao has told her was a 'Secret' with a sly wink accompanied by a mischievous grin, enough to tell her that whatever her Superior has done to the malware, it is certainly enough to make the artificial creature of limited intelligence to learn the meaning of 'Regret' when the Petite woman was through with it. Perhaps it is for the best that the Blonde never knows what has happened to the Rogue Program, besides, not like she would care about the fate of that thing after it tried to destroy the Faeires she and her senior have worked on so hard on cultivating and not to mentioned sending her to the realm of Dream.

However, that is not to say the entire trip was not without some interesting sights along the way, as when they were traveling to their destination, occasionally Ciel would notice some flash of light appearing here and there on the street, dying down before the blonde have the chance to see what is the source of the sudden glimmer was, while Maomao was paying next to no attention to them, with her expressing annoyance at best when one of these acute brilliance, all of a sudden, manifesting in front of them, where what seems to be Data that is radiating, producing the same strong light as the passing one Ciel had spotted as they gathered together in a swirling motion, assembling together into the Humanoid shape, which was when it condensed and formed an actual Man, clothes and all, who walk passed an irritated Maomao who shot the man with an equally furious glare, and her astonished assistant with such composure and nonchalance as if he did not just appeared out of thin air.

When she asked the petite Woman what was that all about, the initial response she received was a rather snide remark from Maomao, 'A rude Jerk' she has called him, which, in her opinion was quite tame compared to the other description she has in mind for him, who not only transported in front of them, interrupting their way, which apparently is considered to be extremely disrespectful in the Culture of Neo Arcadia, but not even being sorry about, having offered no apology for his action. The Nerves of some people. While it does explain why her senior was upset, something she chalked up to her having a really foul temperament at first, it was the transportation part of her word that piqued Ciel's attention the most. What she just saw was fairly similar to a Transceiver's travel, yet it felt like something...More than just that.

When she elaborated on what she actually meant by her question further, it made Maomao realized that, as a Foreigner, her assistant must be confused about someone just coming out of nowhere with next to no warning save for the entrance of the Torrent of Data, deciding to enlighten her about the wonder of the Mobile Travel System. Evidently, through years of technological advancement, the Neo Arcadian Empire of Delta has managed to develop a Device similar to a Transceiver, but unlike the contraption that required an entire room where the machine is hooked up to various circuitry and other wireworks to be fully operational, the concept of Transceiver in this world has managed to reach a new height, culminated into a handheld device that fits right into your palm which comes with all the capabilities of sending anyone to anywhere at any times, so long as they possessed the coordination, which is achieved by converting your body and soul into Data, transferring them to the designated area, before reassembled together.

That part is nothing new to Ciel, with the Transceiver back home operating on the same principle, but the fact that this world has progressed to the point that the usually clunky mechanism has advanced to the point that they became a Gadget small enough to that you can carry them on your person was awe-inspiring, just goes to show just how far this world has gone in its technological development, and how far behind hers is, making her wondered if her world would eventually reach the same level as this reality. She definitely would not live long enough to see that happening though, considering that this world is far passed her home by at least eighteen billion years, but it was good material for an idle thought while they continued on with their little excursion to the trade center.

Which they unfortunately came at a bad time, because the place was packed to the brim, reaching the point that everyone was pushing each other wall-to-wall trying to reach the service counter. Must have been the result of the Azure Emperor reopening the trading route to other Nations in the wake of the abolishment of the Border Sealing Act. "Damn It…Xia, how about you go ahead and reserve a table for us? It looks like I'd be here for a long while…" At the sight of the crowded lobby, the Cyber Faeries Programmer could only let out a low groan, throwing her head back in frustration, seeing that the delivery process would be much more tedious than she had anticipated. Today is just a stream of bad luck after bad luck for the petite Woman. At this rate, their misfortunate might follow them to the diner place, where there is always a chance that they would be out of tables if the same situation in this place applied there as well, and the last thing she wanted to lose her chance to savor her favorite dish after so long and have to settle on the Palace's standard lunch, as such, she has no choice but to rely on her assistant with this if she wants to save a slot in the restaurant.

"I'll try. See you later then Miss Maomao." With her parting words imparted to her Superior, who offered her a wave as she joined the long line in the sea of people in waiting for her turn, Ciel managed to traverse through the crowd and managed to eventually escape the Center, now with a brand new destination in mind, the Lotus' Luncheon, identified by the titular Lotus symbol carved onto the signboard, making it stands out even amongst the wide array of other Restaurants dotted across the wide open street, allowing the blonde to picked it out through the information supplied to her by Maomao. Before long, the Scientist now stood in front of the entrance to the Diner Place that her Senior in Programming spoke so fondly of. That alone gives her a good feeling about this place.

Stopping foot inside through the sliding door that run the bell, announced to the staff of another customer that entered their establishment, what awaited her on the other side was a bustling hall with just each many people as the trade center, where the waiters were enthralled in their duty, moving back and forth, delivering various dishes and drinks to their respective table, having to raise their voice at each other for their words to pass through the barrage of conversations from the costumers that filled the space of the establishment. Surveying her surroundings, which, much to her dismay, there was not much table left available, with the majority having been filled out by other customers, further confirmed by the receptionist, who much to her regret, revealed that there was no space remaining, even for two. Just when Ciel is about to lose hope and return to report the unfortunate circumstances to her superior, someone seems to have somehow, through the bombardment of sounds and smell, managed to overhear her conversation with the clerk, causing him to raise his hand to attract the attention of Ciel, who was just about to leave when the person occupying made the gesture toward her way.

"You there, you can have my table, I'm about to finish my meal soon. Come and take a seat if you must." Blinking in surprise, the Blonde turned to the direction of the voice, where her eyes rested upon a fellow Blond, though his hair not nearly as vibrant as hers, akin to a near platinum shade than golden, with crimson-colored eyes that reminded her of a certain deity locking with her cobalt orbs, gleaming in recognition, not to the Man himself, but rather his features, for those are the distinguishing Traits of a Zeranaki Member, the Megamen Clan whose Biometal are the one that contained the essence of Red Devil who has carved his way into her heart. In fact, the man's visage greatly reminded her of him, making her unconsciously step forward to get a better look. Though her mind knew that the man before could not be him, having been there witnessing his final moment, her heart continued to defy the order of her judgment, for it yearned for anything that reminded her of him. Though as she approached closer to the Man, he squirted his eyes, seemingly trying to get a closer look at the Blonde Scientist, which caused his eyes to become as wide as his plate of food when he recognized her, "...Miss Ciel?" He whispered, barely audible to most, but loud enough for the Girl.

That question that left the lips of the Blond Man made her stop dead in her tracks, feeling as though the world around her froze in place, as her eyes widened in a mixture of feelings. Shock, Confusion, bewilderment, as a sense of dread began to form a pit in her stomach that her heart dropped into, robbing her of her willpower, nearly making her fall to her knees had it not been for her steadfast legs supporting the weight of her upper body, which barely managed to suppressed a shudder as her eyes, as wide as his, staring straight into him, a multitude of question running across her head. Who is this Man? How does he know her name? Her real Name? Not even the Azure Emperor nor does anyone she has met so far ever know her true name, not even the Ren Family, who was the one that provided her the fake one she is using is aware of it. Yet here in front of her was someone, completely unfamiliar to her that not only seemed to recognize her but addressed her by her true identity no less. It was a possibility she had never considered, thus she could never come up with a response for such an eventuality, leaving her stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to react appropriately.

"... E-Excuse me?" Before her mind could come up with something, anything, her mouth had already run off and voiced out the very first thought in the forefront of her mind at that moment before she could stop herself, though it seemed to have some kind of effect on the Man, who astonished expression immediately shifted to a more downcast, dejected one, as his crimson orbs fell down, as did he back to his seat, making Ciel worried if he has upset him in some way, as while his tone was mainly full of uncertainty, there was a hint of joy that could be found in them, like he was, if Ciel daresay, happy to see her, who he seems to be mistaken for someone else, someone that have the same name and judging from his reaction, looks like her on top of that, only to dropped in disappointment when he realized his mistake. Just what is going on?

"Oh, Forgive me, It seems that I mistook you for a Doctor that I know…Dear Faeries Matron…I'm more tired than I expected." The Blonde Man sighed, nursing his temple. Now that he mentioned It, Ciel could see signs of sleep deprivation on his visage, all of which she was painfully familiar with, having experienced them herself. Skin sickly pales, with the only vibrant color being pitch black circles tarnishing his visage around his hollowed eyes, devoid of life as if he is just a walking corpse at that point. but what he said interested her the most. A Doctor he knows? Does that mean there is someone out there who apparently goes by the name of Ciel, is a doctor, and judging from his behavior, presumably has a connection to the Zeranaki Clan, not to mention resembles her enough that he mistook her for them? Does that mean there exists a version of her in this world too? Of course, it could just be that his exhausted state was responsible for his blunder, but the fact that there is someone out there who goes by the name of Ciel made her curious nonetheless. She is definitely going to look it up on the internet later. Right now though, she should at least know more about this man who was generous enough to offer her and by extension Maomao his table, who seemed to not doing well, much to her worries. Stranger or not, the sight of this jaded man made her heart ached immensely.

"Are you…Alright, Sir?" Making herself comfortable in the seat directly opposing him, the Blonde tries to strike up a conversation with the Zeranaki Member, concern clear in her voice. To anyone else, it may just appear that the Man just lacking sleep, and at first glance, that does appear to be the case, with telltale signs that he has not been treating himself to some much-needed rest for a while now, resembling Ciel when she herself deprived herself of some shuteye in favor of work, but as someone who has experienced such state of being countless time, she can immediately tell that the Man is going through more than just that. He is afflicted with more than just exhaustion. There is something heavy he is holding in his mind, a burden most could not see with the naked eye.

"…Just call me Junshuang. And no, in all honesty, I am not." The newly-christened Junshuang confessed, his eyes falling onto his plate of barely eaten fish, having a hard time mustering the motivation to finish it off, his empty gaze stared straight into the equally lifeless eyes of his meal, reminiscing about the countless corpses he had cut down, as though mocking him with a reflection of his pitiful state when it stared back, almost making him feel an irrational sense of anger, but he managed to rein it in. Great, now his mind is so screwed that he is getting upset by a fish, just because it reminded him of himself, "See, I'm a…Soldier in the Five Hundred. I trust you have heard of them?" In an effort to distract himself, he began to take part in the small conversation with this Girl, who felt strangely familiar, yet at the same time, distant to him.

"The Five Hundred Megamen right? The one formed by the Vermillion Emperor?" Now this is certainly interesting, to think she would cross paths with one of the Famed Five Hundred here of all places, she has suspected Junshuang to be a Zeranaki Member, but she could have never imagined that he was a part of the Notorious Army comprised solely of Megamen, though that does bring the question of what is he doing here, because last she has checked, according to several conversations made by the servants of the Azure Court that she overheard in passing, the Five Hundred is set to travel North towards the Black Tortoise County to continue their mission of subjugation any and all Foreign Stronghold that they could find, nowhere near this place, the capital of the Eastern section of the Map.

"The very same. Now you are probably wondering what I'm doing here rather than being out there fighting the Invader." Well, he's spot-on, which made Ciel nod in Confirmation, causing the man to let out another Sigh, this time, out of shame, "That is something I am asking myself too. I wanted to visit my sister here, a Foreigner I adopted when she was only Four, who is currently residing in my friend's home to avoid the current situation back in the Vermillion County. You probably caught wind about it." She had, unfortunately, although she would much prefer not to when she learned of the content. It was everywhere on the news when she was staying with the Ren, where all she heard from it were the mass protests made by the residents of the Frontier against Foreign Immigrants, branding them as outlaws on no other ground beyond their status as Foreigners, demanding that they stop 'Polluted their beautiful country with their stinks'. Needless to say, Ciel was disgusted by their narrow-minded attitude, and that is saying something since she only reserved such feelings for a handful of people throughout her life. Just what is the Vermillion Emperor doing while his County slowly descends into chaos? "But at the same time, His…Majesty, the Emperor, told me that it's a waste of time, that I still have a duty to fulfill, and honestly, I think-"

"HE WHAT?!" Ciel was outraged by this piece of information, and why wouldn't she? As someone with an adopted sibling herself, she knows the importance of making time to spend it with them, the joy of being there for them and seeing them smile, and the sorrow of leaving them all alone for the sake of work. It is the reason why she is here in this world in the first place, to resolve the dilemma that plagued the country so she could return home and be reunited with her beloved sister, Alouette, and she is determined to stop at nothing to see it through to the very end. As such, she found herself to be incredibly furious, much to her own surprise, when those words reached her earplate. How dare the Vermillion Emperor dismiss Junshuang visiting his sister as a waste of time? She couldn't care less that he is an Emperor, he has no right to tell his Men when they can and cannot see their own family.

When she first heard about the Man through Lanfen, the Ren Matriarch described him as an Honorable and Just individual, someone truly worthy of his title as both a Ruler and Megaman, giving her a good impression of the Vermillion Emperor, for it sounds like he is similar to a certain Red Reploid in that he is a brave and selfless Person, if a little inept in actually govern his County, having grown used to being the Prince for the majority of his rulership. Now though, she was having serious doubts about those claims, for an Honorable Man does not condemn others for wanting to see their close one, a just individual does not allow discrimination to fester in his County, a brave and selfless person does not hide from the public and relying on his Incompetent Court in running his Territory that is going downhill because of his negligence. To think she used to feel concern for him, now all she felt was disgust toward the Vermillion Emperor, whose image she had for him was completely ruined.

Someone like that does not deserve to tell other what to do, and Junshuang shouldn't have to listen to what that lout of an Emperor have to say, because as far as she is concerned, there is only one right choice in this, "What's wrong with wanting to see your own Family?!" She did not like the fact that the Man before her was having second thoughts on visiting his own sister, adopted she may be, because, between your Duty and Family, the choice should be clear, the option was not something he even needed to think about, "Your sister is out there, waiting for you! Yet here you are, sitting there being pitiful! What kind of Man are you?! Go out there and see her Damn it!"

"M-Miss, Please Calm down, I'm just saying that maybe the Emperor had a point-" A slap. A Single strike that killed whatever he still had to say, dying on his lips, rendering him completely stunned, as did everyone else in the restaurant, wondering what the sharp sound that pierced through their conversation came from, causing them to stop whatever they were doing for a moment to track the source of the commotion, witnessing the sight of a Girl, standing up from her chair in order to deliver a devastating blow onto the man's cheek, who could have never expected someone to struck him like this, even more so with such an intensity and passion behind it that left him speechless. Yet, strangely enough, he did not feel upset when this stranger just slapped him like that. If anything, he felt rather…Glad that he never had the chance to finish his words.

"No! I will not calm down! Did you even listen to yourself?! Your Family should take priority above all else! You'd throw it all away for what, your so-called Duty?! Then you will be a complete fool! You don't even deserve to call that Girl your sister if you would choose work over her! Between deciding what is correct and what is right, you should always do what your heart tells you! Do the Right thing damn it! It doesn't matter what your Emperor would think of you! It doesn't matter what the world wants of you! Do what you must! Be who you want to be, not what everyone expected you to be! Be selfish!" The advice of Maomao echoes in the crevice of her mind, which she now finally understands the meaning of. To be selfish may be a sin to some, but for others, it is a necessity, the key needed to release the chain of expectation bound to you by others. To be what you desire to be, you have to be selfish, to do what is right, you need to be selfish, to do what you want, you must be selfish. Ciel now realized what the Woman was trying to impart to her, and now, she could not be any more grateful for it, because now it was her turn to impart this wisdom to Junshuang, who needed it to break free of the restraint of rigid obligation that held him back from doing what he should have done long ago.

In the Perspective of Others…

When Jun Aiguo finally went through with the decision of using the Transceiver offered to him by Hou Yi after announcing to the Five Hundred that he would be putting his Second-in-command in charge of the Army until further notice, which was not without protest from some of the more loyal members in the Battalion, he almost regretted the decision almost immediately thereafter, feeling the pull of responsibility tugging around his neck by his obligation for doing so, but he endured the guilt of leaving his Men for a selfish reason and entered the coordination in the device, sending his data across the continent, before he ended up in the street of Qinglong, capital of the Azure Dragon County, where Ophelia is currently staying, specifically, within the Dragon Palace of Ruogang, having sent her there when the situation back home has gone out of hand.

With her being the reason why he was there in the first place, he intended to go straight for the Royal Residence right away to meet up with his adopted sister, even sending her a message on the Phone that informed her that he was on the way to see her, much to her mounting excitement, announcing that he will head out right away for him, to his apprehension, but that is when his stomach chooses to act up now of all time, demanding to be filled with nourishment immediately. He could have chosen to wait until he reunited with Ophelia since he wasn't exactly starving to the point that his organs did not feel like they were being devoured for nutrients, but before he knew it, his legs already moved toward the source of the smell of food that attracted him, which was at the Lotus' Luncheon, his favorite restaurant chain to go when he is not feeling like eating the extravagant meals back at his own Palace.

When that happened, he tried to convince himself that he was just really famished, that Ophelia could wait after he got a quick meal, but deep down in his heart, Aiguo knew the truth as to why he subconsciously moved toward the restaurant, to delayed the inevitable meeting with his little Sister for as long as he could out of fear from his sister's wrath, because he does not doubt that she is upset at him, which would be completely understandable, after all, the Five Hundred he formed was used by an unknown Party as the figurehead for the Propaganda that promoted discrimination toward Foreigner, of which she is one herself, so it's no doubt that he would think that he is behind the movement that stirred chaos back in the Vermillion County, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was afraid to see her again, to suffer the brunt of her righteous rage that will hurt more than anything else.

So that is how he ended up sitting at the table of the small Restaurant, barely touching the fried fish on his plate, feeling it hard to even swallow properly. This is just like him, Aiguo has thought without any hint of amusement, to try and escape when things are tough for him to handle, just as he has escaped his obligation as an Emperor and then as a Leader of the Five Hundred. It made him feel sick about himself as he continued to drive his fork into his food, imagining himself in its place, with its dead eyes similar to his own. He would have stuck doing this for hours on end had it not been for the fact that he spotted a stream of golden hair at the corner of his eyes, which belonged to a Girl who was asking the receptionist near this table for any available spot left, making him wondered if that was a fellow Zeranaki Clan's Member. Though whether or not she was, he might as well give his seat to her, seeing that he was just sitting there wasting time, someone needed it more than him.

Looking up from his spot while offering the girl his table, he felt his breath being taken away when he got a closer look at her face. That gentle yet firm features, that triangular hair bangs, he thought it couldn't mistake them anywhere else, for a moment, he thought he was looking at the face of Doctor Ciel Zeranaki, the Younger sister of his Clan's Head, Kyra Zeranaki, known far and wide across the Neo Arcadian Empire for her unmatched intellect, peerless in every field, receiver of multiple awards that not just match but even surpassed the amount that La Maomao of the Azure Court boasted, with the only thing that could matched her brilliant mind was her compassion…and Cynicism when she ran out of coffee. At first, he wondered why the Famous Scientist was doing this here of all places, for a moment made him worried that she was there to talk to him, but the brief interaction with her showed him that he had mistaken this random girl for the Woman. Figures, she does not have red eyes nor is she the same height, other similarities must be a product of his hallucinations born from exhaustion as well.

Still, he thought there would be no harm, in entertaining the question that she made, all the while excluding certain details about him, 'Junshuang', to avoid revealing his identity and causing a massive freakout in this restaurant, there was enough commotion as it is, but when he just about to confessed his doubt, the girl exploded in anger, yelling at the Vermillion Emperor, decrying him for being the pitiful existence that he is, and just as he about to protest, she slapped him. Hard. That was the first time someone had ever slapped him, not even in his youth, ill-behaved as he was, never suffered anything beyond a flick to the forehead from his Mother, that was not the only thing that caused him to fall into silence however, it's what she told him next that leaves him even more speechless that he already was.

Those passionate words resonated deep within him, lighting a spark that fueled an ember that was nearing its end in his heart and was close to giving up. That is when he realized that...she was right. All this time, he has allowed his obligation to dictate his action for too long, far too long, long enough that it distant him from who he was and who he is now, a tool of his people, not their ruler, and what has it gotten them? Discrimination ran rampant, innocent Foreigners suffered, while he was out there mindlessly slaughtering his enemy that does not nothing to fuel the animosity further. But no more. He refuses to continue walking down this path any longer, it's time for him to be selfish, for the sake of his little sister. Though his Sense of responsibility may protest against the decision, screaming at him to stop entertaining these self-serving thoughts, he will not be hearing it out, not this time, this is the decision he made as Jun Aiguo, not as the vermillion the Emperor everyone expected him to be.

"…You're right." He whispered a small smile growing on his face that soon spread onto the rest of his features, with the light in his eyes returning after so long, now finally seeing clear for the first time in a good while. Her anger reminded him so much of Doctor Ciel, so much so that for a moment, he thought he was talking to her. It was nostalgic, to say the least, "May I ask for your name, Fair Maiden?" He should at least know of her name, in order to remember her as the person who has opened his eyes to reason, to be what he needed to be, not what the world or his people wanted him to be, and for that, she has earned his utmost gratitude. He hoped he could repay this debt one of these days.

"Huh?! F-F-Fair Maiden?!" For Ciel's part, In the fastest change of mood anyone has ever seen, the Blonde's expression went from furiously mad to furiously blushing in a matter of seconds. This is the first time anyone has ever addressed her as something like a 'fair Maiden', it does not help that despite his look being somewhat undermined by the dark circle beneath his eyes, Junshuang was fairly good-looking…No, No, No! Bad Ciel! Bad! Stay faithful! Remember him! Remember! Goes the Mantra in her head as she buries her face into her palms in an effort to cover up both embarrassment and her burning red face so she may settle down, much to the amusement of Junshuang, who lets out a sheepish chuckle. Ophelia has always said he has this sort of effect on women, "Umm…Uh…I…I'm Xia."

"I thank you, Miss Xia, for opening my clouded eyes to the truth. You have helped me in more ways than you could possibly imagine. I shall make sure to repay this favor one day." As flustered as she was, Ciel is nonetheless glad that she was able to assist the Blond Man in his inner turmoil, allowing him to make a decision that she admitted must be difficult for him, but ultimately the right one in her opinion. One should treasure the time they could spend with their family rather than view it as a complete waste of time. However, that particular line of thought was cut short when Junshuang suddenly took one of her hands she was using to cover her face in a gentle fashion, and he then, to her utter shock and embarrassment, pressed his lips onto it, planting a light Kiss on its gloved surface, as his way to express his newfound admiration for the Girl known as Xia.

Said Girl, on the other hand, has become a statue, stiff and unmoving as one, over what just happened, trying to process the Blonde Man's action just now as her face continued to heat up, all the more so in the cheeks region. She knew such a gesture was a way a person could use to demonstrate respect, having read about it in an old tome long ago, and she is certain that is all there is behind his action, but she could never imagined there would come a day when she would found herself in such a situation where she will be on the receiving end of it. She almost wanted to scream. But her words died in her throat before they could crawl up to her tongue, which was currently letting out a series of flustering sounds that did not resemble any known language as her mind was far more busy repeating the Mantra of staying faithful to spare any efforts on coming up with any sort of response. Keep it together Ciel, It's okay, he is just trying to be polite, nothing more, nothing less. Remain Loyal!

"Brother, please, you are going to give the poor girl a heart attack." Among the crowd that has gathered around, there was one that finally spoke up to break the awkward silence in the air, attracting the limelight to them, where all glued their eyes to the brave soul that chose to break the mold. Junshuang and Ciel were not exempt from doing so either, with the former having instinctively turned to the location where a familiar voice called out while the latter followed suit to distract herself from what just happened. Their gaze eventually found the source of the speaker, in the form of a Woman, age around her 20' or so, with hair of Burgundy emblazoned each strand with the shade. Her bright jade-colored eyes locked onto the crimson one of 'Junshuang', who Ciel noted to have addressed the Blond Man as 'brother', then this must be Ophelia, the adopted sister of the Zeranaki Member, which she has finally confirmed the status of judging by the emblem of the Vermillion Bird embroiled on the robe of the Woman, the sigil of the Vermillion Court, "Really, I thought you would get rid of that habit when you became Emperor."

Hold on, what did she just say? Became Emperor? Junshuang? Emperor? But there are only two Emperors in all of China, discounting the White Empress Mei Feng, with them being Qin Ruogang and Jun Aiguo- Wait a moment…Jun Aiguo…Jun…Jun Shuang…Junshuang…Upon piecing that puzzle together, she slowly turned toward the Blonde Man in question in the same fashion as a Rusty Mechanism, a horrifying realization slowly crept onto Ciel's Expression that slowly drained all the colors of visage, while 'Junshuang'…Or rather, the Vermillion Emperor, Jun Aiguo let out a sheepish chuckle, indirectly confirming her suspicion with such action. Does that mean…the Entire time…She was speaking with the Emperor of the Vermillion County?! Not only that, but she has slapped and yelled at him too! Oh no…Oh no no no…Is she in trouble? Is she going to get executed for attacking and insulting the Emperor?! Countless thoughts ran through the mind of Ciel, none of which were pleasant in the slightest. She still has too much to live for!

"Ahaha, sorry…" Seeing that his conversation partner was busy fantasizing about her supposed demise, Aiguo opted to let go of the Human statue and moved away from the table, in order to close the distance between him and Ophelia, whom he immediately went for an embrace, wrapping his arms around her, much to her surprise, but not an unwelcoming one for her, as she returned the gesture, as the two siblings, not related by blood but just as close as one allowed themselves to rest in each other arms, "And…Sorry for leaving you so long…I'm so sorry…For what I've done…" At long last, he could finally properly apologize, the first step of coming to terms with the inner turmoil that has been plaguing him for months now since his ascension to the Throne.

"Don't say Sorry so much…I know it isn't your fault…" Ophelia whispered, patting her beloved older Brother to comfort him. Hurt as she may be to leave her home and see the kind of chaos that has descended on it according to the news, she was well aware that Aiguo had no part in causing it to happen, even if the Propaganda had used his Army as its icon, after all, he has sent her here in the neighboring county in the care of the Azure Dragon Emperor to protect her in the first place. It wasn't like him to promote discrimination among his people, someone else is responsible for this, she is not sure who, but with her brother now with her, maybe they could start the investigation to get to the bottom of the matter. For now, though, there is another matter she needed to address, namely the Girl who called herself Xia whom she has observed throughout the conversation with her brother in the distance, to whom she offered a bow of gratitude, "And you, Miss Xia, was it? Thank you for helping my Brother. Though I admit, I was a little surprised when you slapped him."

Was she a little upset that a random stranger had struck her family? Admittedly, a little, but from what she has followed in their discussion, it was warranted, her Brother does need a nudge to go in the right direction, even if that nudge came in the form of a slap to knock some sense into him, not that it made Ciel any less guilty about doing so, with her quietly flinching when Ophelia mentioned about it, "Oh yes, so was I. It's the first time someone has yelled at me with such anger too." Aiguo nodded in agreement, honestly finding someone who treated him with such unfiltered anger and contempt toward his title to be a refreshing experience for the Vermillion Emperor, completely different from constantly being showered with Praise and admiration from the people around him. Certainly, he was treated with disappointment before, usually by the Clan Head, Kyra Zeranaki, or her Sisters, the Matrons of the Red Clan, but this is the first time that fury was the emotion he was subjected to in his long life, and it was quite the learning experience.

"Oho! I see that you two have taken a liking to my brand-new Programmer!" To make it even worse for Ciel, another familiar, and loud, voice joined the conversation, one that everyone here in the restaurant was all too familiar with, causing them to get down on their collective knees toward the presence of the Azure Emperor, who walked through the entrance with no small amount of flair, now clad in a more comfortable, practical robe, different from the decorative, ornamental Garb, sending a nod of acknowledgment toward Aiguo, his fellow Ruler, before turning his attention Ciel, who he find to find her increasingly horrified face to be rather amusing "To think that there would come a time when Aiguo would get struck and getting lectured like that, and by my new Member of my Court no less! WAHAHAHAHAHA! You are truly a bold one, Young Xia!" Came a boisterous laughter from Ruogang, causing no small amount of people to flinch at the sheer volume of his voice.

"So she's your Programmer, Your Majesty?" Aiguo was quite surprised to hear that, but that does not mean he was not happy for the Azure Emperor. More Cyber Faeries creators is always a good thing, even more so as of late, where most freelancing Programmers wither are under the employment of the Black Tortoise County in order to produce more Nurse type Cyber Faeries so they could supply them to all the other frontiers, or like the rest who left for other countries than to ply their trade in while they wait until the situation back in China has settled down, so he could imagined that Maomao, the only Programmer Ruogang have in his court up until now have her hands full despite her talent, as well as attitude, matching that of Dr. Zeranaki herself.

"Indeed, Indeed. Why, just this morning, she and Maomao have successfully produced the newest batch of Nurse faeries to send to your county." Having read the report sent to him earlier today by Maomao, about their encounter with a Rogue Netnavi and Ciel's subsequent collapse trying to protect the field of faeries from the Malware, he was quite concerned about his newest addition to the court, however, upon being reassured that she merely fainted from the shock from the synchronization process, as well as being informed that the Virus responsible for it have been dealt with in a rather…Graphic description at the hand of the Senior Programmer, Ruogang felt at ease, if still a little concerned, which was dispelled when he saw Ciel, all well and good, if a little stunned before him.

"Huh? What do you mean-?" Now that made the Vermillion Emperor confused as it did to Ophelia, being the first time she heard of this as well. The Azure Court is sending Nurse Faeries to his County? How come he hasn't heard of this? Even if he was away from the Palace and subsequently not being nearly as informed of the current development in his Territory as he usually would, he still occasionally received updates from his court, and the news of their neighbor offered them Nurse Type of the Artificial life form as a relief in what sounds like their attempt to resolve the tension between them should have reach his ears by now, as something like that warranted his undivided attention…Unless…It is deliberately hidden from him, "…Ophelia, change of plan, we need to return to the Palace immediately. Your Majesty, I apologize for not having the time to continue our current conversation, we'll have to do that at some other time."

Came the solemn command from the Aiguo, turning to his sister, initially surprised by his sudden change of tone and expression. nodded in understanding all the same, having shared the same line of thoughts at the revelation made by the Azure Emperor and reaching the same conclusion as her brother, so upon bidding farewell to Ruogang, as well as paying for his meal as Ophelia has reminded him, the Vermillion Siblings immediately went outside, the sound of them warping through the pocket transceiver could be heard right after, leaving behind a still stunned Ciel Statue and silent Azure Emperor, who narrowed his eyes at where the two once stood. It would seem that the Vermillion Emperor has not been made aware of the current development between the two Counties at all, no wonder why Aiguo has not responded to it this entire time. Someone is withholding that information from him, and chances are, that someone is within the Vermillion Court, or perhaps…Even the entire Senate.

He hoped they would be able to deal with it soon, Trying Times are ahead of them.

"Hey Xia, sorry to make you wait, the line is atrociously long. Have you got us a table- Wha- Your Majesty?!" When she finally made it to the restaurant after the grueling journey of delivering the Artificial Life Form to the counter and waiting through an even more painful registration procedure, out of the few people she personally knew in the Palace, the last person Maomao expected to see in that short list when she stepped foot inside Lotus' Luncheon to be her Emperor, yet here he is, standing in front of her, turning the Programmer into a statue similar to her Assistant not far from where she is. Well, from the looks of it, at least she got them a table, "What are you doing here?!"

"Ah! Maomao! Good to see you!" Seeing the Programmer brought a smile to the frowning visage of the Azure Emperor, finding her presence to be a welcoming addition to his current mood, "As for your question...Nothing!" To be fair, he was not exactly lying, he did only came here to escort young Ophelia after the Lass grew impatient waiting for Aiguo, "I was just about to leave too, so I'll get off your back now! Wahahahaha!" With that, Ruogang let out one last clamorous chortle before heading out of the restaurant, his laughter eventually faded into the distance, removing the tension of his presence from the restaurant, to no small amount of relief to everyone in the establishment, especially the staff who finally released their bated breath they have been holding the entire time before quickly return to their Duty right after.

"...What just happened?" Not everyone shared the sentiment, however, with Maomao still very much confused about the whole ordeal that had transpired prior to her arrival here, which had left the usually loud establishment to become unsettlingly dead silent, turning to her assistant to hopefully get some insight on what had occurred while she was away, and why exactly is their Emperor doing in rather than fulfill his Duty as a Ruler back at the Palace. The petite programmer has a distinct feeling that whatever has taken place here will result in a lasting impact on the entirety of China down the line, and her hunch is hardly ever incorrect.

"…I had no idea…" Remember when Ciel thought that the trip to the City would be an uneventful one? Well just like always, her expectation was utterly proven to be absolutely wrong yet again, thrown completely out of the window, because of course it has to. Life just has a twisted hobby like that. Between meeting the Vermillion Emperor, slapping him across the face, and giving him the biggest tongue-lashing she has ever done in her entire life, the Blonde could say without a shadow of a doubt that today was another long day for the scientist. All she can do at the current moment is to hope that the reckless action she has committed today will not in any way affect how she will restore the Relationship between the four factions down the line. The last thing she needed was her stupidity that might create more obstacles for her to overcome. But right now, though, she could really go for some food to fill her empty stomach right about now. The Sweet and Sour Lamb Chop Maomao has mentioned sounds good.

At the City of Zhuque, Capital of the Vermillion Bird County…

There is no word in any language that could adequately describe how absolutely furious Aiguo was currently feeling the moment he and his Sister arrived in the Capital City of the Vermillion County, witnessing the madness that had consumed it during their months-long absence as he marched on, toward the Imperial Palace. When they initially arrived, Nothing appeared out of the ordinary at first glance, but the atmosphere was enough to tell the Emperor all the differences that took place when he was away. There is a palatable tension in the air, almost suffocatingly so, overtaking the disturbingly empty street, an alien sight in of itself, where few dared to appear out in the open, with the majority of the populace remaining in the comfort of their home. Those that were outside did so in order to plaster some kind of Poster onto any surface they could find, before quickly leaving the scene before they were spotted, as little help as that does when Aiguo made an unspoken command to Ophelia to track them down while he go to inspect what it was that they just imprinted on the Wall.

Upon closer inspection of what exactly did they plastered on the wall that made them appear so nervous about it, the Rage within the Vermillion Emperor grew tenfold when he realized that before him, was one of the Anti-Foreigner Propaganda he had caught wind of, and just like exactly what he has heard, they are using the Five Hundred along with him as the Face of these messages. That alone was enough of a reason for Aiguo to grip the detestable Photograph and rip it into shreds. Whoever was the one that was making these will pay for using his Army as a way to promote their slanderous statement. Fortunately, he just happened to have a lead, in the form of the individuals that had been spreading these Posters everywhere on the street, who now gained bruised faces and a black eye by the time Ophelia dragged their unmoving bodies to him by a rope she founded to tie them all up. Most likely the result of these people not being willing to cooperate with a Foreigner, but showing them a little Martial Art technique she is well versed in was enough to bring them to heel.

"Wake them up." To the request of her brother, Ophelia nodded in acknowledgment, kneeling down to the unconscious form of the captured Individuals, bringing them back to the land of the living by giving them a sharp slap across their respective face, causing them to yelped one by one at the stinging pain assaulting their cheeks, nearly making them yelled at the one imprinted the mark of her hands onto their visage, but those words caught in their throat when they saw just exactly it was that were standing in front of them; The Vermillion Emperor and the Red Megaman of China, Jun Aiguo himself, staring down at them with the same emotions one would have staring at an wriggling worm on the ground, pure, absolute and unadulterated Disgust, an emotion shared by his Sister at his side, crossing her arms, awaiting the judgment of her brother to these insects, "Mind telling me what you were doing?"

"Y-Your Majesty…Please, it's just a misunderstanding-" Not in the mood to hear any excuses they planned to feed him, Aiguo ignited his Jade-colored energy saber, roaring to life with a hiss, silencing the leading Man as the Vermillion Emperor twirled the Blade before plunging it onto the ground, slowly dragging it closer to the leg of the Man, whose colors on his face was drained away, a pale visage was all that left when he watches the Sword pierced the ground, melting the concrete pavement, gradually drawing closer while cutting through the earth, inches away from severing his limbs, already burning through the fabric of his pants that has been soiled by now, "Y-Y-Your Majesty-!"

"What is there to misunderstand?" The Vermillion Emperor sneered at the man's futile attempt to defend himself, pushing his sword ever closer with each second he had to wait for an answer. As much as he detests the concept of torture, he has no qualms about employing it when it becomes necessary to make progress, and if he wanted to learn the truth behind what has been going on in his county that has left it in such a state, then he will have to extract the information out of his target using a more unsavory means that he has developed during his expedition when trying to gather intelligence from the various commanders of the Invader, with him finding the threat of removing their limbs as the most effective method during an interrogation, "You better tell me the reason as to why you spreads these message, and I might just let you walks away with your legs still intact."

"N-No! Please! Listen! This isn't what we wanted! We were forced!" His desperate cry did eventually manage to reach the two siblings, making them pause for the longest ten seconds before they exchanged a glance with each other, no words were spoken between them, but the two understood what their eyes were trying to convey. So with a nod, the two turned to the ringleader, and wordlessly prompted him to continue through their razor-sharp gazes boring down onto them, which promised them a slow, agonizing demise if they detected even a hint of deceit in what would come out of his mouth next, "We…We were told by someone, but we are not sure who it was…Just that they have connections with the court, to 'spread the message', or else…Or else he'll have us arrested for the crime of treason…Our parents have already been taken…So if we don't listen, then we…Then I…"

Once more, Aiguo glanced at Ophelia, another silent conversation taking place. If what this man has said holds any truth to them, which with how distraught he is when he mentioned his currently imprisoned family, have a high chance it is, then the situation is much worse than they had anticipated, as not only is the Vermillion Court withholding information from them, but they are the origin of the Propaganda as well. But that begs the question, why? Why would they do something like that? What do they even gain further straining the relationship with Foreigners? So far, all that it has done is ruin their relationship with the Trade Federation and fracture the Alliance with the rest of China, which exposed them to the risk of a potential Civil War, something they cannot afford to let come to pass. Of course, there is still the possibility that he might be lying, pinning the blame onto the Court to distract them from the real culprit, but on the off chance that he is speaking is fact and not fiction…

"Do you still have the Posters they gave you?" It prompted a vigorous nod from them, shifting from their place, revealing various rolled-up photographs stored in their backpack, thereby allowing the sister of the Vermillion Emperor to retrieve and hand them over to her Brother, who goes through them one by one, growing increasingly furious with each he finished. By the time he got to the last one, he was tempted to rip them apart the previous one, but he endured that urge, for he still had the need for them, "...Ophelia, stay here and make sure these that these people don't run off. I'm going to go pay the court a visit." That is all the Emperor has to say, not even standing there and waiting for an answer as he makes a beeline for the Cardinal Palace, determined to find out whether or not they are truly the ones responsible for the surge of discrimination in his County. If they are…Well…His blade will be covered in yet another layer of blood. And this time, he would not have any hesitation like all the other bloodbaths.

And so with a goal in mind, the Vermillion Emperor marched through the desolated street, where the few citizens that were present on this otherwise quiet road had their collective gaze fixed on the fearsome form of their Emperor, whose rage on his expression sent a shudder crawling down their spine, causing them to subconsciously back away from his presence as Aiguo stood before the reinforced Gate to his Palace that the guards, upon recognizing their ruler, quickly get to work on opening the entrance to the Palace within, not daring to bring themselves to question why the Emperor is here rather than leading the Five Hundred on their mission, for their instinct, honed from years of training as Royal Guards, told them that sating their curiosity will not be worth the risk of infuriating him further than he already is. Thus, without a word from either party, the mechanism of the iron Doors was undone, allowing the Red Megaman to pass through the kneeling row of guards and into the courtyard.

Not even sparing some time to take in the surroundings, the Vermillion Emperor wasted no time for nostalgia, dashing through the long hallway, ignoring countless gazes of surprise and reverence stuck onto him by the passing servants, who were taken aback at the new arrival of their Emperor, in favor of going through the Outer and Inner ground of the Palace and went straight for the innermost section of the premises, where he did not even bother to wait for the royal guards posted outside to open the door for him, preferring to do it his way of kicking the door with such force that it was torn off the Hinges, sending the piece of furniture right into the heart of the chamber, silencing whatever discussion that was taking place within. He can replace that on a later date, because right now, he has questioning to do as Aiguo steps forward, entering the hall with a calm and composed posture that belies a hidden, boiling rage, where all eyes of the One hundred and Eight officials are on him, widened in shock and horror, clearly have not expected him to be here. Neither did he to be honest, but he was glad that he was, for he can cut the root of corruption before it could spread too far.

"Y-Your Majesty?! What are you doing here?!" The long period of silence that stretched on between him and the Court was eventually broken by the Magistrate among them, Xue Yuyong, his faultless memory has supplied him the name of the old man, whose expression can be described as a mixture of various emotions, with the main component being that of Fear, overtaking his features and draining his visage of every remaining colors. That made the Vermillion Emperor narrow his gazes at him, sensing trepidation in his tone and face. There should be no reason for him to react like that. Sure, he did just burst down the door in a fit of rage and arrived completely unannounced, as such, it is a reasonable response to be surprised and quite frankly be a little nervous when they could recognize the displeasure on his face, but to display such apprehension toward his presence like, even though Yuyong is always the most composed and unflappable one out of the officials. They are clearly hiding something from him, and they realize that he knows it from the way the Man was positively seething.

"Funny, I could ask you the same thing, What are you all doing here? If I remember correctly, you'll need my authorization to have any sort of meeting." Throughout the campaign with the Five Hundred across the country, not once has Aiguo ever been contacted by any of the officials to gain his approval for a conference, and in the Policy of the Vermillion Court, they can only form an assembly with his consent in the event Aiguo himself could not attend it, yet here they are, gathering in this chamber without the Permission of their Emperor for their private little discussion, no doubt taking advantages of his absence, "Well? Do you have any explanation? Like for these?" Decided to cut to the chase and get to the point of why he was here, doubling as an answer to their initial question, the Red Megaman of China tossed the Posters into the very middle of the Hall, returning these loathsome creations to their rightful owner.

Seeing the content that was thrown to them made every single one of them pale considerably, as though the life was sucked out of them, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by Aiguo, who fought back a smirk of satisfaction seeing these slithering scoundrels look like a fish out of the water about to suffocate. He got them, there is no chance for them to talk their way out of this now. "…I trust all of you, putting my faith in you all to run this County to the best of your ability, yet when I came back, this is what I found, and all of you were the ones that spread them no less. Perhaps I have been too soft with you lots. All I have to ask is why. Why must you do this? What do you even gain from doing all of this?" So goes the questions he has had about the whole situation. As far as he can tell, this conspiracy has no upside whatsoever, the only thing it is doing is to spark animosity further with all the Counties…Unless…That is exactly what they wanted.

"…We…We just wanted to see you…To see you become the Emperor of this nation! A nation pure from the outsiders that tarnished it! WHY CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND?! TO GIVE IT ALL UP FOR THOSE FILTHY FOREIGNERS!" Moving before anyone else could, leaping from his elevated seat, Xue Yuyong, in his blind, hysterical rage, charged all full speed toward his Emperor, who adopted a look of shock at seeing that in the man's hand was a ornamental dagger, coated in what appeared to be poison, most likely extracted from the feather of a Zhenniao, an Imaginary Phantasm native to this part of the region that is known for its beautiful yet deadly emerald feathers containing a lethal dose of toxin in each of its strand, and the Magistrate planned to drive the knife laced with this poison into his chest. To think that his Emperor would forsake everything they have worked so hard for his sake…If he did not see the greater picture, their cause, then he could go die right here and now!

But unfortunately for the old Magistrate, it was not Aiguo who go to Diyu on this day.

'Eh? Is that…my body…Over there?' Before his mind could register that fact, his body already did, for the Blade resting on Jun Aiguo's was swiftly reached out by its wielder, faster than the beating space of the heart that ceased when the sword was drawn, sinking into the soft flesh and hard bone of Yuyong's nape, who saw the world turning upside down when the sound of the air being cut, just like his head, 'Aaaah…Beautiful…' That is all Xue Yuyong could think in his final second of consciousness in the physical world, witnessing a stream of jade produced by his Emperor ripped through his body that the stump where his head has once been sprouted out a fountain of crimson in such a splendid shade, as magnificent and superb as the Man he admired the most, the Man he wished to see sitting on the throne over the entirety of china above all else, the man who foolishly give up all he could have for the sake of those Foreigners, whose Majesty was the last thing he saw, 'This is just like you…Your Highness…' colliding with the hard ground, That is when darkness overtook him, the last stop for his train of thought to his final destination.

"…So long, old friend." As he sheath away his Sword, all the Vermillion Emperor could do at that moment, heedless to the screams of terror from all the officials as they pushed themselves to flee from the Palace, an attempt that is promptly intercepted by the Royal guard that incapacitated them and rounding them up, was staring at the decapitated remains of Magistrate Xue Yuyong as more blood began to stain the carpet beneath him, spreading to his shoes. He could never foresee a day when the Man he viewed as a good friend of his, someone he respected and looked up to from his youth, whom he continuously sought guidance in his rulership since his days as a Prince of his Frontier would meet his end at the hand of his own Blade. But he had little choice in the matter. It was either Yuyong or him who perished today. After what he has done, betraying him and his ideal, no matter how noble or twisted this goal of his may have been, and as much as he regretted having to take his life, there is no tear to be shed for the old man.

He wished there was.

The Phoenix returned to his nest...

[…In regard to the current state of affairs in China, the most unexpected developments have taken place. His Imperial Majesty, Jun Aiguo, upon suddenly returning to Zhuque, have managed to unravel a hidden conspiracy orchestrated by the One Hundred and Eight officials that sought to drive out all Foreigners through the use of Propaganda containing Subliminal Messages in order to manipulate the people of the Vermillion County as part of this heinous plot, so that the Country may be 'cleansed' of the 'Foreign Filth'. Following this series of event, The Vermillion Emperor has reestablished the Border of his Frontier, restoring the trading routes among other business with the Alliance as a way for him to repair the damage done by his corrupted officials, who is now imprisoned awaiting their trials, "It's the least I could do." Said Jun Aiguo, responding to the interview held at the Imperial Palace.]

"Would you look at that, some good news for once." If she had to describe on how she felt about this piece of information, it would be a relief. It's rare nowadays for there to be a positive change in China, most of the time, especially in recent months, uncertainty and instability between the four Regions have been dominating the majority of the news channel, irritatingly so, to the point that Maomao would sometimes switch off the entire thing altogether should she so much as heard news regarding the country because it would always consist of the same old commentary about the unchanging situation that the nation founds itself in, but now though, there has been a string of lucks when it comes to the restoration of the Alliance as of late, almost as if this is fate's way to make up for the invasion China has suffered from, and more importantly, this made her job so much more manageable. That's a load off her and her assistant's mind, "Maybe we would have you to thank for it, eh Xia?"

"Yes, I suppose…" Ciel merely mumbled, far more focused on imbuing the Faeries' Seed with data than actually contributing anything to the conversation, mainly as a way to get her mind off the content that the television in the lounge area of the workshop was showing. It had been several days since that little…Incident back at the Lotus' Luncheon where he encountered the Vermillion Emperor there, and since then, what had transpired that day has been on her mind for a good while now, mostly about the sharp slap and the loud lecture she had given him weighed heavily on her mind, her anxiety refused to let go of her as it whispered all sorts of possibilities her actions in her ignorance could give ways to all because she thought she knows what she was doing, though she guessed she should be proud of herself since it would seems what has done has indirectly helped the Vermillion Emperor, therefore a step closer to her goal, but there is something else that keeps her mind occupied which prevent her from celebrating, namely, about what she has discovered on the internet about the name of 'Ciel' in her attempt to figured out what Aiguo has said that day when he mistook her for one 'Doctor Ciel'.

Suffice to say, she got more informations than what she has bargained for, for on the very first page, she was greeted with a picture of herself, yet at the same time, not quite, as the one that appeared on the screen of her phone has a set of blazing crimson orbs staring back at her cobalt one, for the one that shows up in the result is not her, but rather, an individual that goes by the name of Ciel Zeranaki, one of two Sisters to the Red Megaman of Delta, Kyra Zeranaki, renowned in the scientific field and admired by her fellow researcher as a genius without an true equal to calls her own, the closest people that could hope to reach such a status being her Surperior, Maomao and the current head of the Cosmos Corporation, Luna Constella, and even then, Ciel Zeranaki, or more commonly known as Doctor Ciel or Doctor Zeranaki by many, continued to revolutionized the way people uses technology even to this day that put her on an entirely league above everyone else, cemented her status as a undisputed prodigy of her generation and beyond, creating a new benchmark for those that might come after.

Reading through all of that, to no small amount of fluster for Ciel from seeing her name being sung with such high and lofty praises along with such reverence akin to worship, even though she is well aware that it is not her that they are referring to, has led to the Blonde to concluded that Ciel Zeranaki must be her counterpart of this world, just like other similarities she has seen, with minor differences, namely, the fact that she a part of the Red Clan, appeared slightly older than her in terms of appearance if the picture provided were anything to go by, though she does not doubt that she is much, much older than that and rather than having bright blue eyes similar to her, boasting a deep red one instead, the signature color of her Clan that signifies her status as a Member of the Red Clan.

Though that made her wonder, if her counterpart was only born 200 years ago according to her biography, a number of which no longer surprised Ciel by this point…then who was it that made the Biometals, which has existed for eighteen billion years since the founding of Neo Arcadia Gamma? Surely it can't be her, since in her search for more information about Ciel Zeranaki, there are no other mentions of any other people with the name of Ciel, only about the Sisters of Kyra at best. Even searching for the origins of the Biometal did not yield any concrete answer either, the only thing she got was that they simply 'appeared one day'. So how exactly did the Biometals come to be? Does it have something with the Resurgence?

As is the array of questions that had been on her mind ever since her discovery of her Counterpart in this world, to be honest, she is still surprised over how similar in appearance they were, it was like looking into a mirror for her, though that is where their similarities come to a close, since according to the documentary, Ciel Zeranaki is noted multiple time to have an 'sharp-tongue' and 'Unapproachable Personality' when she is mentally and physically exhausted, something that is frequently the case most of the time if the information pages has no fault. That brought a chuckle to Ciel when she learned about it, unable to imagine someone with her face capable of making such a frown had she not seen a picture of it.

"…Oi…OI! Faeries Matron to Xia!" Without so much as a warning, The Blonde was flicked across the forehead by the finger of her petite superior, earning a yelp of surprise and pain for her trouble, sending her back to reality, "We already finished with the cultivation process, what are you still shooting at?" True to her words, on the projection, the cyber faeries have bloomed from the seed planted at the field, watching Nucifera, to her irritation at being forced to fire her Buster at the empty space, hitting several strays viruses that passed by, while Yisheng just stands and looked on in amusement as she shepherded the newly created Artificial lifeform into the physical world through the gateway connecting to the physical world.

"Ah! Sorry! I just…spaced out a little." Was the apology she offered to both Maomao and Nucifera, who finally regained control over her body again when Ciel severed the connection between the two Realities, to her delight, performing a few stretches to expel the cram from her limbs, mostly her wrist. There she goes again with her daydreaming habit, she should really start paying attention to her work more, lest she unintentionally cause an overflow of data and destroy the seeds. Still, now that they had finished their duty of the day, it should be noon now, in time for lunch, as announced by a knock at the door, which Maomao went to open it, before promptly regretting doing so, because stood in front of the doorway was the gratingly gorgeous face of Jinshi, whose presence alone has completely ruined her appetite.

"Hey Maomao~" Ugh, again with that flippantly flirtatious tone of his. Just when will he learn that she will never accept any advances he made toward her? Is two hundred years worth of rejection over and over again not enough to get it through his head? Oh what is she saying, with how persistent he is at all of his attempts, he must have a thick skull to not understand something as simple as a 'No'. Why on earth did she even put up with him again? In fact, why should she continue with doing that? Now that she has a much less annoying company in the form of her assistant, there is no reason as to why she would need to bear his presence any longer, yet…She cannot bring herself to do that either, like there is a restraint on her tongue that prevents her from telling him to leave her alone or even placing a restraining order on him for harassment. Why is that? "I'm here to pick you up. Wanna have lunch with me?" No seriously, why? She has every reason to do that.

"No thanks, Lord Jinshi. Come on, Let's go Xia." Well, whatever, it's not like telling him that does her any good, better to just ignore it for the time being and focus on something else, like going to the Cafeteria section and grabbing a bite or two, utterly disregarding Jinshi, much to his ever-growing amusement at the cold shoulder treatment and beckoned Ciel to followed her, preferably as fast as possible so that she wouldn't have succumbed to the urge of slapping that hideously handsome bastard on the face, because as tempting as the prospect may sounds, doing so will only get her in trouble due to the infuriating face that Jinshi technically outranked her by a large margin. Damn Court Law, "I'll be at the cafeteria first, don't make me wait and hold the table for too long." Escaping from the scene, Maomao dashed off with such speed that rivaled a Megaman despite her dress hindering her mobility greatly, which goes to show what she is capable of doing when it comes to avoiding the Yinying's Member. It is honestly adorable from Jinshi's perspective, although he cannot say that he was not disappointed that she has evaded him again…If only there was a way to…hmmm…actually, now that he thought about it, there is someone here who could help him.

"Give me a moment!" Is what Ciel would have said had those words haven't died in her throat when her way was blocked off by Jinshi, using his sizable body frame to prevent her from going through the doorway, making Ciel confused and slightly nervous when the features on his face grew solemn, a massive contrast to his playful expression literally a moment ago. What does he want? If she has to guess, it is probably something to do with her superior, which the purple-haired Man has displayed great interest in, almost borderline obsession in fact, as described by Xiaolan, the Servant she just recently befriended and shared her seat with at the cafeteria, who Ciel soon discovered to be is a massive rumor mill operator, knowing everything that is passed around through the grapevine, including the possessive nature of the Yinying's Member have for their resident Cyber Faeries Programmer. Then again, considering that they have been this way for two hundred years now, it's hardly a rumor anymore, "Ummm…Can I…Help you, lord Jinshi?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, you can. I need you to do me a favor." Was the firm answer he gave, inviting himself into the workshop, moving toward the couch at the lounge area, and beckoning the Blonde to join him at the opposite end of the table, which she eventually does after a brief moment of deliberation. With such an earnest tone, it must be something truly important than she had expected, besides, she could certainly benefit immensely from earning the favor of an influential court official such as the Yinying's Member, not that it was her intention to help someone in their time of need, "…Could you go ask Maomao…what she like?" Scratch that, she was wrong, Jinshi seems to just want to know more about his target of interest, most likely to find a way to win her over, and probably thinking that as her assistant, Ciel would be privy to pieces of information denied to him.

Unfortunately, that is not the case, she has only been working here for a few days at most, there is much to learn about her superior, what she likes is not one of them, he would have better luck asking the servants who has been working here for two hundred years. Still, he seemed to be desperate to know about it, and as tempted as she was to turn on his request because she had no idea what he would do with the information if Ciel actually had them, she could not bring herself to do so, feeling her heart compelled her to at least hear him out, unable overlook someone in their time of need. So with a sigh, the Blonde decided to at least know what he had planned in mind before going any further, "Why do you want to know?"

"Well…Today is Maomao's Birthday." Jinshi revealed, much to the surprise of his conversation Partner. How come she hasn't heard of it yet? Why didn't her Senior say anything about it to her? "She was never one to care about it though, preferring to work than to 'waste time on such frivolities', not that I could blame her for feeling that way though. When you are two hundred years old, you just stop caring about the day you were born." That sounds rather tragic in Ciel's opinion. The day of your birth should be the most special, as it marked the moment that you came to this world, and reminiscing about the long path you have taken that has gotten you to where you are now, yet to dismiss it entirely as nothing important anymore…She cannot say she understands how a centuries-old individual thinks, but she will not stand by and watch Maomao waste such an important moment in her life that only comes once a year on nothing but work, "I was just thinking about getting her something to make this day a little significant in her eyes. Trouble is, she is not into the sort of stuff ordinary people would want, so I'm a bit at a loss right now."

"…I'm…Not sure what she likes specifically either, but I could go ask her." That should be her first move. If memories serve, Ciel could vividly recall that Maomao is an herbalist as a side profession on top of her official duty as a Cyber Faeries Programmer, she even occasionally sees the petite Woman use a Mortar and Pestle as she learned the tools were called to crushed up some herbs and other ingredients, filling the workshop with the strange and sometimes foul scent of powdered medication that she made seemingly for no other reason than as a hobby. If the Blonde had to guess, Maomao most likely would wanted something along that line as a gift, since that was the only other time Ciel saw the woman express any sort of interest that was not Cyber Faeries Programming.

"Great! Learn what you can, and meet me by the Fusang Peach Tree out in the courtyard once you do." Back to a much more cheerful mood, Jinshi offered a bow as a sign of gratitude, feeling himself getting excited at the prospect. While Ciel herself cannot say she shared the sentiment, she was happy to lend a hand all the same, especially when it was for the sake of her Senior, who imparted to her valuable wisdom on that day that has helped both her and the Vermillion Emperor, as such, she wanted to repay her that favor in any ways she could, and this seems to be a great start. Now then, time to go to the cafeteria and join Maomao in having lunch, she had delayed long enough to make her stomach growl at her, to her embarrassment and Jinshi's amusement, letting out a suppressed chuckle and a barely hidden grin at the commotion produced by her abdomen, "Snrk...Right, I kept you here long enough. Off you go."

"T-Thank you, Lord Jinshi. Please do excuse me." With a slight bow accompanied by folded hands, making sure that both palms were visible from the sleeves of her robes as taught by Lanfen about the courtesy of China, Ciel quickly headed toward the entrance, stepping foot into the hall before hurrying it up to the cafeteria section of the Palace, where her Senior is currently waiting for her, most likely wondering where she is. She should get there as soon as possible, or else Maomao might grow impatient and go search for her, which could lead to the possibility of Petite Woman discovering the reason behind her delay, something that The Blonde has a distinct gut feeling that she would not take well, considering her relationship with Jinshi.

Arrived at the dining area, in which the majority of the people were the kitchen staff running around, setting up the tables and delivering meal portions to the servants that had managed to make it to the hall after a long morning full of hard work, much to their delight at seeing their lunches placed before them, Ciel could see that among the color-coded garments that signified the position of the people that wore them, the singular bright green robes of her superior stands out from the rest as the only one that clad in it, allowing the Blonde to picked out the programmer from the rest of the array of colors, seated an empty table, devoid of any unnecessary commotions from the other part of the room, just the way she likes it.

Though if Maomao were being honest with herself, something she rarely is, after two hundred years of sitting at the same vacant spot of the cafeteria for so long without the faeries to keep her company during her period, does not help that no one was willing to approach her vicinity, it's starting to grow rather dull now, almost making her wishing to have someone among the workers to at least worked up the mental fortitude to ask her to join her in a meal as a substitute for the company of the faeries that are no longer allowed to enter the hall after a certain incident involving a large-scale food fight that end in the place raking up a mountainous amount of money to repair the damage of, it's not like she going to eat them up for lunch if they ask, her anti-social behavior and her upbringing with little to no friends notwithstanding.

But she wisely decided to keep that desire to herself, since opening admitting it would only be inviting Jinshi to make his move, and the Faeries Matron knows that is the last thing she wanted, giving that shameless scoundrel an opportunity to bother her further. Besides, she does not have to hold that thought any longer, what with her brand new Assistant willing to do what most refuse be partaking lunch time with her, willing to engage in conversation to keep the normally dreary part of her usual schedule from becoming just that. Needless to say, that is something she greatly appreciated her Junior for, making her a cut above all the other aides before her.

Speaking of the Blonde, there she was, making her way toward the region of the eatery where none dared to trek. A little late than usual, not that the girl did take very long though, so Maomao did not mind it all that much. Probably just got lost on the way again, her Assistant seems to have trouble memorizing the layout of the Palace after all, most people that first go to work in the Palace tend to have that sort of experience, the petite Woman was no different from them either, with her taking the first few months to full committed the structure to mind, "There you are Xia, good. I just ordered our Portions, standards kinds, they should be ready at any moment now." Goes the greeting as Ciel assumes her spot on the direct end of the table with a bright smile, though it has a…What is that, a nervous strain to them?

For Ciel's part, the blonde girl made herself comfortable within her spot while awaiting their meal, quietly wondering how she should go about asking the question she had in mind for Maomao. Obviously, she cannot just outright say that it's Jinshi that prompted her to make that question as, if she does, her Superior might not be willing to confide any secret to Ciel, if anything, it might sour their relationship further, and they were just getting along. Maybe she should ask under some sort of pretext? Perhaps as an off-handed question to learn more about Maomao? In theory, it could work, but Lying is not exactly her specialty, with her most likely going to fumble on her words trying to come up with some kind of convincing subterfuge, which might be a dead giveaway to her intention. Not to mention, she hates taking advantage of people in their ignorance, after the experiences with the Ren Family, she was hoping to avoid doing something similar for a long, long while.

This put her yet in another Dilemma, wondering what kind of approach she should take as the food was set on their table by the staff who got away as fast as they could, with the source of her current mental predicament making a prayer before digging into her meals, enjoying it immensely as a remedy for the energy they have burned through the entire morning, However, although she focused mostly on indulging in the dishes before her, the corner of her eyes still glued to Ciel's form, mostly out of curiosity over why the Blonde haven't touch any of her food yet, which is a cause of concern in of itself, especially considering that from what Maomao has seen, Ciel take great delight in eating, so the fact that she has not stuffed her cheeks with her portion yet made the Petite Woman stopped what she was doing for a moment, cleaning her face of the rice that got stuck on it, and turned to her assistant, confusion etched on her face, "What's wrong Xia? Thinking about something?"

Had Ciel been paying even half of her attention to reality, then she would have been able to conjure up a convincing excuse such as simply just her daydreaming or the likes that would have served to conceal the actual reason for why she seems to be engrossed in her thoughts, generally the sort of experiences people go through at the most sudden time. Anyone else in the same situation would have employed that reason. Unfortunately, however, Ciel was not like anyone else, being so deep in her musing that when the question came, it struck forth like an unexpected, devastating haymaker that knocked the Blonde off her feet, staggering backward, leaving her to have no time to reposition herself, so stunned that her mind could not stop herself from blurting out a sentence that ultimately sealed her fate in a way she has been trying to avoid, "Ah, I was just thinking on you would like for your birthday."

"…"

"…" Damn it, why does her Brain-to-Mouth filter always fail her at the worst of times? Now her absent-minded Blunder has cost her of the plan to try and make the question come across as subtle, instead, she has essentially broadcasted the truth for Maomao to hear, and the petite Woman recognized that as well, with her face shifted through various emotions in quick succession, a slight tilt of her head in confusion, then the realization dawned on her, leading to her features to twisted in fury when she figured out on how Ciel managed to discover that today is her birthday when she connecting the dots together, making Ciel shrinks in terror at the expression of her Senior, though the flame of rage quickly subsided, being replaced by a much more irritated one, as she rest her forehead on her palms, trying to nurse an incoming Migraine. Great, now her appetite is ruined.

"Jinshi put you up to this, didn't he?" The sight of her assistant flinching at the question was all the answer she needed, making her sigh in exasperation. That certainly explained why there was a slight delay when it came to Ciel's arrival a moment ago, must have been accosted by the Yinying's Member of the Court, "How many times have I told him that I don't care about this sort of thing anymore? Go tell him that I don't want anything, especially from him." Maomao just waved it off, unable to find the energy to be angry anymore, already spent it all a moment ago with the Cyber Faeries Programming Process. Besides, she was rational enough to know that it would be wrong to be upset at Ciel, who undoubtedly took up Jinshi's request under the belief that she was helping someone in their time of need. She is an earnest person like that after all.

"But why though? Do you…hate him or something?" From what little interaction she has seen between her Senior and the Yinying's Member, Maomao always has a dismissive attitude toward Jinshi, whereas most people would fall heads over heels for him because of his beauty, with her expressing annoyance whenever he is the topic of conversation of the Servants, attempting to leave any times she could the moment he was brought up. That certainly gives her the impression that the Woman does not hold Jinshi in high regard if not downright hates the man, as the rumors floating around the courts go. True, the grapevine tends to not be the most reliable source of information, but after two hundred years of this interaction from what she learned from Xiaolan, make her wondered just what is the reason why Maomao would not reciprocate the purple-haired Man's clear interest in her, "I'm sure that he is just trying to find you something to give you on your birthday. Why reject his effort?"

"Look, it's not that I hate him, I just find him annoying, that is all." Ciel must have been talking to the Servants' Staff again, good grief, they just love to spread groundless talks and speculations. Contrary to what they like to believe, Maomao doesn't exactly despise Jinshi as much as she finds him to be a nuisance to her day. Even though she is not sure why she cannot find it in herself to hate him when she should be after he has been bothering her since the day she joined the court over two centuries ago, she still cannot understand why he would choose her of all people to the target of his attention. She is neither beautiful nor sociable, unlike him, all she has going for her is her talent for creating Faeries, so why he would go out of his way to associate himself with her never stop being something that confused her, "But I get your point. Truth is, I do have something I would want, but it is not the easiest to get. It's called a Qilin Bezoar, a type of medicine, found only in the gastrointestinal system of a Qilin as the name suggested. Though I doubt he would be able to get the stone."

As an aspiring Herbalist, Maomao is constantly on the lookout for rare medications to collect and conduct research on them in order to learn how they work and if it is possible to replicate them, as well as learn how to recreate old medicine that has been lost to time. Since her employment, she has been using the funds given to her as part of her position on acquiring every known salves and ancient tomes detailing these fascinating items in great detail, with most have been recreated and documented by her, but even after all of this, she is still left dissatisfied, for out of all the antibiotics, there is one that she considered being the holy grail of all Medicine, something that she could never get her hands on, no matter how hard she tries.

Not because it is too expensive for her to afford, it is how they are obtained that is the difficult part. For Qilin Bezoar, the universal cure that is viewed as the most precious for all herbalists out there, needed to be extracted from the bowel of a Qilin, a legendary Imaginary Phantasm native to the Golden Marsh region of the Blue Dragon County, which despite being in the area, is even rarer than the Bezoar it carries in its body, having only been sighted once every year at most, and due to how high in demands its Parts are, it is likely that there are several in the Hunter Guild's Branch in China already has their eyes on the creature, if they haven't hunt it down yet, so the chance of her ever get the Qilin Bezoar is next to none.

Precisely because of that reason alone, Maomao thought that there would be no harm, she might as well tell her assistant, who without a doubt is aware of just how rare a curative the Bezoar is after having gone through the various books regarding herbs and medicines during her free time at the workshop. Not like telling Jinshi about it would do him any good. Even as a Crown Megaman of the Greater Shadow Clan, his influence would not be of much help in obtaining the rare Stone at all, "Heh, if by an off chance he gets the thing, I might even kiss him." Maomao snorted. Now wouldn't that be something? An impossible reward for an impossible deed. The chance of that ever happening is practically zero.

Maomao Seems to forget that Practically and literally are two very different Words.

"Hahaha..." All Ciel could say at that moment was a sheepish, awkward laughter as she turned her attention to her steaming plates of food set in front of her, as did her senior who completely disregarded the entire conversation a moment ago in favor of returning to eating. It would appear that the Cyber Faeries programmer doesn't have that much faith in Jinshi ever obtaining a Qilin Bezoar for her, essentially saying that only through a miracle would such a thing ever happen judging from her words, and Maomao is not the type of person to make that type of promise as a joke. How is still going to tell this to Jinshi Now? Well, she could think about that later, right now, she needed to fill her stomach that was growling at her for sustenance. Seem like her digestive system has gotten used to the luxury of real food now.

A delightful Luncheon Later...

"Hoooh...So that is what she wanted, eh?" When the lunch period concluded with everyone leaving the cafeteria satisfied, the Majority of the Staff either returned to their quarters in order to catch a quick afternoon sleep so that they could replenish their energy for their duty later down the line or take advantage of their moment of respite free of their usual responsibility on other activities not on their schedule such as a game of Mahjong or Wei Qi, boardgames that Ciel could not quite understands the rules of, declining the offer to join the servants to join them so that she could report back to Jinshi about her discovery at the massive Fusang Peachtree in the courtyard, exactly like he has instructed her to. There, upon gaining this piece of information, the purple-haired man was naturally troubled by such a tall order, seeing that Maomao's request was not a simple one. Perhaps this is her way to challenge him? To test whether or not he has what it takes?

Well there is only one way to find out, and that is by acquiring this Qilin Bezoar, "Thank you for your help, little Xia. I shall reward you appropriately, once I return." With his parting words spoken, he too parted ways right before Ciel's eyes in the space she needed to blink, where when she opened her eyes, Jinshi was already gone. Most likely used his ability as the shadow Megaman to move out instantaneously. Having done her part, the Blonde just decided to return to her Quarter, in which countless more books and data recorders that the Library had lent her were waiting as she turned her heels and marched back to her room, her mind inevitably turned to Senior when she passed through the workshop, where in the corner of her eyes, she spotted the aforementioned Cyber Faeires Programmer being surrounded by Cyber Faeries, with Potentielle and Illiminte among them. They seem to get along quite famously, and Maomao seems to be genuinely enjoying their company, if that bright expression that contrasted her usually stern visage were anything to go by.

That smile on her face brought forth one on her feature as well, happy to see her Cyber Elves was willing to interact with someone other than herself. Those two, like most of their kinds, can be quite apprehensive around new people, it would take weeks, if not months for them to get used to strangers, let alone actually befriend them, with the only other person besides Ciel that they are fond of is Alouette, her little sister.

Sure, It might be because she is a reploid, thus sharing a type of kinship as an artificial live form, as well as the fact that Alouette is quite pure in heart, just like the kind Cyber Elves would like, but she digressed. Speaking of her Sister, now that the Vermillion County is on its way to recovering after the conspiracy around it has been unveiled, paving the way to the restoration of the Alliance between the Four Factions, the chance of her returning back home is looking quite positive right about now. Of course, it would not be resolved so quickly, it will still take time, but at this rate, the Blonde might be able to go home soon. with such a thought in mind, Ciel felt herself to be in quite a pleasant mood as she hopped back to her private chamber, ready to indulge in more knowledge of this world.

At around the same time, in an oriental Manor not too far from the Azure Dragon Palace, the purple-haired Man that goes by the name of Jinshi was currently making him busy with setting up an arrangement involving several talismans that is not just any simple papers you can find anywhere, for these are pieces of technology necessary for a type of long-range communication when Phone would not cut it, which Jinshi finds to be quite annoying and time-consuming to prepare the setup for, but not it's not like he had any other choices, this is the only way he can have visual contact with a certain individual who still relies on this method of contact instead of opting for a more modern variant.

"Master Jinshi, do you require any help?" A question was directed at his ways, making the Yinying's Member turn toward the source of the disturbance to his concentration, his purple-colored eyes rested on the form of a Man with a robust figure, rivaled by only a few in the Palace, who expression could be described as a mixture of confusion and curiosity mashed together, wondering what his Master is doing and if he could help. Ah, Gaoshun, the ever-reliable Attendant, always wanted to be of help in any way he could, but as much as he appreciated the notion, Jinshi had to decline the offer with a shake of his head as he resumed in arranging talismans onto the couch in the living room.

"No need, Gaoshun, I'm about to finish soon." Just one more charm in one specific position and…There, "All Done! Now then…" With the setup completed, the Shadow Megaman of China took a moment to admire his handiwork, which manifested in the form of several talismans connected together by a series of crimson threads, before quickly getting to work, awaiting the talisman to pick up a certain transmission, a process Jinshi accelerated by having input a set of code into the circuitry of the charms. Upon going through a dreadful ten minutes wait, the arrangements finally attracted the signal, projecting a transparent image of a Man, clad in the robes of the White Tiger Court, a monocle on his eyes and an amused grin on his face that aggravated him as much as his aggravated Maomao onto the couch, something he took notice and assumed a sitting position to match the location his projection is currently in as he reached out for a cup filled to the brim with the liquid poured from the Gourd around his waist, "You are difficult Man to reach, Lord La kan."

"Men of our station tend to be, Lord Jinshi." The newly-christened Kan of the La Clan, the prestigious family stationed in the White Tiger County let out a round of laughter as he took a sip from his cup, "By the way, how is that daughter of mine doing? Feingxian is still waiting for her return you know?" He questioned, making Jinshi narrow his eyes filled with annoyance at the inquiry. Seems that after all these years, Kan still hasn't given up on trying to take back his Biological daughter, even though Maomao has given him a cold shoulder treatment worse than the kind she gave Jinshi, it did not deter the Head of the La Clan in the slightest. Then again, the purple-haired Man is not in the position to criticize him for being stubborn, considering that he is the same as the old Man.

"Maomao is still doing the same as ever, still doesn't care about her birthday. Though she is in a fairly good mood, mainly because of her new assistant. I'm sure you have heard about it." At that, Kan merely nodded in acknowledgment, having expected the answer. Though Maomao is not aware of it, Kan has been pulling some strings to have several people in the Palace to watch over, protect, and report to him the current status of his blood Daughter, no matter how much she despised him. Because of that, he was able to keep track of the state of affairs in the Azure Dragon Palace and know everything that transpired in those halls, including the latest development of a brand new Assistant his Majesty, Ruogang has handpicked for his daughter, who in his opinion, was the perfect person to be Maomao's deputy. Earnest, is hardworking, headstrong, and most of all, not a threat to his daughter from what he has heard. Quite the prize. He approved, "On a topic related to her, I've finally figured out what she would want as a gift, and I need your help for it, Lord La, to track down the location of a specific Imaginary Phantasm."

Now that is something he did not anticipate at all. Setting aside his cup out of the way, the projection of Kan leaned forward, clasping his hands together in interest, "Do elaborate." The Old Man insisted, a glint in his eyes could be seen from the projected image of his, more than a little giddy at the prospect of his daughter wanting something, and the possibility that his help would be needed for it to come to fruition. This might be his chance to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter. "What would she like? Something rare from this Imaginary Phantasm I assumed?" On top of being the strategist of Mei Feng, his Empress, and the head of his Clan, Kan just so happened to formerly been a talented tracker for the Hunter Guild, whose role is to locate the 'merchandise' for the Organization so that they could put a bounty for any Hunters to fulfill. Knowing his skill, Jinshi had no doubt the Old Man would be able to find the coordination of a Qilin which most trackers these days would fail to do.

"Oh, it's rare alright. Apparently, she wishes to get her hands on the Bezoar Stone within a Qilin." Jinshi explained, conveniently omitting a teensy tiny detail in the information he provided, particularly, the reward, if Maomao were serious, that prompted him to go through the hassle in the first place. The purple-haired Man is well aware of how Kan viewed anyone who sought after the iron-clad heart of Maomao, regarding any potential suitors as a threat to his daughter and be dealt with accordingly, so it is for the best that he excluded that part if he wishes to gain the cooperation of the Old Man under the pretext as a friend who just wanted to help the Woman. He cannot let all the time he… 'Persuaded' the agent of Kan in the court to doctor their reports when it comes to the relationship between him and her going to waste now.

"Ahhh…That sounds like her alright." The Old man chuckled. There is just something that never changed, even after two hundred years have passed. Since the day his beloved daughter went to live with his Brother, Luomen following a series of…Unfortunate circumstances that may or may not have something to do with Maomao not wanting him and Fengxian deciding the future that resulted in her running away for the longest ten years in his life, that child of his has picked up the medical trade and Cyber Faeries Programming as her calling in life in the footstep of her Uncle, who she viewed as her father instead, which as much as it pained Kan's heart, he still supported her decision in life all the same and try to help her as much as possible from a distance, even if she would not be aware or acknowledge it, "Fortunately for us, I have the location of one on good authority. it has been sighted near the Golden Marsh. I'll sent you the coordinate to your Transceiver."

"My gratitude, Lord La." With a folded Hands gesture, Jinshi had to fight back the urges from the corner of his mouth that threatened to curl up into a grin of excitement. All that is left now is to hunt down the Qilin, deliver it to the Hunter Guild, have them process the Imaginary Phantasm, and acquire the Bezoar. The mere thought of Maomao's bright expression as he delivered the Stone to her greatly motivated him. While right beside him, Gaoshun let out a sigh of exasperation, Jinshi's delight was not lost to his keen eyes of eagle honed from many decades of servings and subsequently dealing with the Man's antics. There he goes again with his usual self. Welp, time to go prepare the bath for his Master's eventual return from his hunt, which will no doubt leave him drained and dirty by the time he comes back.

"Just make sure you tell that Daughter of Mine to go visit her old Man as thanks for the Bezoar." Was Kan's final laughter as he took one last sip from his cup before the communication line between them was severed, followed by the sounds of Jinshi's pocket transceiver announcing a brand new coordination that was wired to its interface not long after, the coordination given to him by the Head of the La Clan. Wasting no time at all, the Purple-haired Man moved to an open space in the living room, making sure he was prepared with a deep, long breath to fill his lungs, then quickly selected the coordination sent to him, allowing his body to be converted into data that is relayed to the designated area.

As his body began to reassemble, the Shadow Megaman of China began to survey the surroundings of the environment he was now standing on, recognized it as the Golden Marsh, a Region in the Azure Dragon County, owing its name to the sprawling sea of gleaming, natural Wheatfield that dotted the nearby landscape, stretching as far as the eyes can see, swaying ever so slightly from the gentle brush of the wind. This is the kind of environment a Qilin would have the highest chances to be found, as Grains are the primary source of sustenance for this species of Imaginary Phantasm, which did not take long for Jinshi to find it, for he could spot its fearsome horn that seemingly made out of gold poking up from this wall of wheat in the distance from where he was standing. This is his opportunity, best to play it safe, not rushing headlong toward the creature because as much as he wanted to quickly get this over with since the processing of an Imaginary Phantasm can take a long time, he is not confident in his chance in beating the creature in a one on one combat scenario.

This is mainly due to the fact that the Qilin is a creature of untold might and unknown speed, the capabilities of which vary from each member of the species, some can be as swift as a Wind Megaman, others can be as strong and destructive as a Flame Megaman, with a few recorded to be a dreadful combination of both at the same time. There is simply no telling what this specific Qilin is capable of. Should it be another double case or at the very least have its ability leaned toward speed, then he is at a massive disadvantage. His designated Biometal, Model P specializes in Stealth, shadow manipulation, and long-range attacks, all of which is ill-suited in a battle where his opponent is a creature that might be as fast as a jet, so it leaves him with one choice to approach this, that is take advantages of the multiple hiding spots provided by the towering Wheat to ambush it, inflict as much wounds as he possibly could to prevent it from escaping, then quickly take it out while it is incapacitated. Sounds like a solid plan in his opinion, not like he has any other options.

"Mega Merge."

The command came as an silent whisper, soundless and serene that failed to disturb the tranquil sway of the Golden Wheat Field, yet it was all it take to reach the attention of a certain shadow Biometal on the other side of the globe, sending forth its crystalized Knowledge to the Crown Member of the Greater Phatonaga Clan, which manifested in the form of twilight murk layer that encased his being, distorted by the data that materialized as an cloak of nebulous shadow engulfing Jinshi, which he donned like a set of Amethyst-colored armor that clasped themselves onto his body when the Informations took physical shape, as as the dark crimson sashes bind on his waist fluttered in the wind alongside the countless grains, with his lilac orbs flared to life beneath his waxen mask that covered the entirety of his features, concealed his hardened expression that fixed onto the Qilin as he slowly approached it through the cover of the Million rye while his hands curled up, an wordless order to produced the razor sharp talon attached to a set of robes wrapped around his forearms, ready to launch it around the Imaginary Phantasm and restrict its movement.

Peering through the gap of his hiding spot, what Jinshi laid eyes upon cleared up any doubts he may have had on this creature being a Qilin, for no other creature could exude such a formidable presence that greatly complemented its gilded form of golden scales and bejeweled eyes, perfectly encapsulating the fantasy of the people has for this majestic beast that brought out about its existence, whose form is ablaze with flame as brilliant as the wheat it is feasting on, enthralled in the sweet, savory taste of it favored delicacy, so enthralled in devouring the field that it failed to notice a set of claws launched towards its direction before it was too late, ensnaring it then the hook founds it a target, sinking into the auric skin of the Qilin, causing it to roar in agony when the sensation of pain shot across its body.

Using this opportunity, Jinshi pulled the rope of the claw, closing the distance between him and the Beast, allowing him to further dig the claw into the flesh of the Qilin, who howled in anguish, before it began to thrash about, trampling the surrounding wheat, making the Shadow Megaman of China lose his balance from how forceful the Imaginary Phantasm when it put up its resistance. It would appear that this Specific Qilin leaned more on the strength side of the spectrum, and it shows, that it performed by unleashing a kick that planted squarely onto Jinshi's chest, close to fracturing his ribcages and shaking his body to the core, causing him to let go of the rope that is restraining the Creature as he stumbled backward, clutching his torso. Damn, this one definitely has a rating of at least Strength 7 for sure, one kick alone was enough to shatter his outer defense, better not let it do it again, or his ribs bone might actually shatter.

Despite the great pain of the claw that is still embedded inside its body, the rage of the Qilin overpowered the agony, something it demonstrated the sheer volume of by splitting it singular Horn into two antlers, marching forward with its head positioned at Jinshi, intending to impales him with its twin barbed Spikes, further strengthened by its innate strength. Knowing what would come down, The Shadow Megaman of China began to project a multitude of energy rope Darts, all of which he hurled at the speeding bullet that is the Qilin, This alone would not be sufficient to pierce its hide, but that is not his goal, as what he is aiming for is to slow down the charging speed of the Imaginary Phantasm, an attempt that bore fruit as the Qilin began to lose its momentum, just barely enough for Jinshi to grab hold of its Antlers, twisting tightly until it gave and broke off, reverting back to a singular horn.

Not giving up on its attack, the Beast slammed its feet onto the ground, causing the earth to rupture, the cracks from which caused jagged thorns to emerge from it, all directed at Jinshi, who was only able to dodge them thanks to the ability of his Biometal that converted his body into intangible shadow, otherwise he would have become a Human skewer by now. Unwilling to allow it to do it again, It was Jinshi who charged forward this time, his intention unknown to the Qilin. Swiping its horns, the Imaginary Phantasm planned to injure the Megaman through it bladed Horn, something that would have succeeded had Jinshi not activated his Shadow State once again, causing the attack to phase through harmlessly from the Man, reaching out the claw still stuck on the creature, yanking it out with a swift motion.

Now with his claw back, Jinshi decided to make use of it by using the window of opportunity presented to him when the Qilin was momentarily stunned by the pain of having its silver blood spilled from its body by inflicting more cuts on the hide of the creature, planning to cause the creature to bleed out and collapse from blood loss. Realizing that, the Ailin decided to make its escape, dashing into the golden field and vanishing in its cover, however, its silver blood stained the golden grain, creating a trail for Jinshi to pursue it, not wanting to lose sight of his prey, coming up a plan to surround it by producing solid afterimage of himself that began to project its own clone, spreading out and surrounded the Qilin in the clearing. Once he had the creature surrounded with his After Image, all of whom drew their claw, victory was his.

Converging onto the Imaginary Phantasm, he and his Solid Shadow collectively drew their roped claws, and hurled them at the Qilin, completely incapacitating the Beast, who no matter how much energy it poured into trying to destroy the bind, was a futile effort in the end. Soon, after exhausting all of its remaining stamina, the Creature collapsed onto the ground, succumbing both to its wounds and its fatigue as its jewel eyes lost their shine. When it did, Jinshi dismissed his solid Shadow, having fulfilled their duty, before approaching the lifeless body of the Qilin, a grin of satisfaction spread across his hidden feature. He did it. Although there were some difficulties and him sustained a few injuries, the Bezoar is as good as his, All that is left is to deliver this to the Hunter Guild and have them extract the precious medical stone. So with that particular goal in mind, after healing his broken ribs with an Energy Tankard, Jinshi picked up the unmoving form of his target, inputting the appropriate coordination, then before long, he and his prey vanished from the Golden Marsh.

And so the Shadow retreated into Dusk…

It was Evening when Maomao and her assistant Ciel finished the last assignment they had on their hands for the day, marked by the Former letting out a stretch upon her chair to release her cramped muscles, gaining a smile of satisfaction on her face, feeling quite pleased at the moment. Today was a good day for the Cyber Faeries Programmer, as barring the usual annoyance from Purple Pervert during noon, the rest of the day has gone smoothly without any sort of hiccups whatsoever, no issues with the cultivating process, no sudden encounter with any dangerous malware, her assistant followed orders and successfully fulfilled them with little problem, and importantly most of all, Jinshi was nowhere to be found! Allowing her to go about the rest of the day completely unbothered by him!

While she was initially curious as to where the Purple-haired Official was when he failed to show up in accordance with the daily routine between them for the past two hundred years, leaving her a little more than paranoid, wondering what Jinshi is up to now, Maomao decided to take it as a blessing, relishing in the fact that the Man did not come to aggravated her with his frivolous attitude the entire time. Perhaps he has finally grown a brain and given up on his pointless pursuit for her attention after realizing how outrageous her request is after it is relayed through Ciel. The thought alone brought great delight to her, feeling as though a massive burden had been removed from her shoulder…But even so, there was a pang she could distinctly feel in her heart when that possibility came up, the idea of Jinshi having finally stopped his antics was both gratifying…Yet at the same time, discomforting.

The last time she felt this way was when she was young, when she became estranged from her Biological Father and Mother before promptly running away to her uncle whom she now viewed as her father, feeling a clear sense of melancholy afterward. It made no sense then nor does it make sense now to her. Why does she feel that way towards things that should have brought her joy? Why does she feel sad over them when she should have felt the opposite? Just why? She wondered, suddenly feeling the workshop a little more…empty now that Jinshi did not show up and hung around in an effort to get Maomao to spare him her attention…maybe she has been taking his companionship for granted. Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all-

"Hey Maomao~ Look at what I have~"

…Okay, never mind, forget everything she has said, he did not get any smarter, still as annoying as ever. The Purple Prat probably going to present her with either an ornamental hairpin or some pieces of jewelry for her birthday again, which she had accumulated enough of to call it a collection by now, But what he held in his hands took her utterly by surprise, "Lord Jinshi, I've told you countless times that unauthorized personnel is not allowed to enter-" When she turned her chair to face the Shadow Megaman of China, she could have never anticipated the possibility that he has come back with a Qilin Bezoar, after all, Megaman or no, to obtain the Precious Stone was difficult, if not outright impossible due to the fact that the Imaginary Phantasm are few and far between, not to mention there is a chance that the Creature might not have the Bezoar at all, so it was an eventuality she could ever prepare herself for.

She wished she had, for in the hands of Jinshi was the Legendary Medicine she had dreamed of for decades since discovering its existence, the precious stone that she yearned to be able to obtain one day, but always remains a distant fantasy far out of reach. That is, until now, where the Qilin Bezoar, placed inside a transparent preservation container now literally within arms reach from where she sits, its dazzling, almost ethereal appearance was an exact match from the illustration she has seen various times, "That…That…" She spluttered, unable to conjure up the appropriate words to adequately describe how she is currently feeling, which can only be described as a mixture of disbelief, shock, and immense joy.

"That's right, it's the Medicine you wanted." Upon seeing an expression he never thought he would ever see on Maomao's face, Jinshi could not help but grin as he extended the storage unit containing the Precious Medicine forward, teasing her hands that subconsciously reached out to grab hold of it, only for him to pull away second before could take it, "Ah-Ah-Ah~ If you wanted it, you have to make good on your words first." To indicate what he meant by that, he made a slight gesture on his lips, letting her know what she had to do first. Though knowing her, she might fly into a rage at the suggestion, or at least grow irritated at the request, especially when she was the one that made that Promise in the first place, "Alright, Alright, I was just joking, here-" Seeing her expression Darkened significantly, the Purple Megaman resist the urge to let out a sigh of disappointment, having foreseen such a possibility. Oh well, he shouldn't have expected anything. So with a sheepish smile, Jinshi was just about to give her the Bezoar…

…When she suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his robe, pulled him down to meet her height, and pressed her lips onto his.

'Wha-?!…Soft…" Was all he could think at that moment as he began to lose himself in the sensation of the gentle lips of Maomao, who used perfect opportunity this moment to swipe the Bezoar off his hands, before pulling away from him, both letting out a gasp doing so as the Petite Woman turned her chair away from him, facing her monitor instead as she caressing her newly-acquired treasure. As for Jinshi himself, he was in total disbelief at what just happened, trying to process what just happened as he touched his mouth, still feeling the sensation of that kiss on it…It has happened. He…He did it. His first kiss…With the woman that he has been longing for. It really did happen at long last. Is he dreaming right now? Pinching himself tightly, Jinshi soon realized that, much to his overwhelming joy, it hurt.

"…Lord Jinshi." Maomao suddenly spoke up, breaking the Purple-haired Man out of his trance, "…Have you always been that handsome?" At that moment, Jinshi felt as though his heart had skipped a beat at the sight of The Cyber Faeries Programmer, who upon turning her seat to face, flashed what could quite possibly most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life that is only further enhanced by the adorable pink tints on her cheeks, gleaming brighter than the Bezoar in her hands, awakening something deep within Jinshi at that moment, a sensation hehe has always suspected, but never realized until now, and he glad that it did, for that feeling that he tucked away deep in his heart finally been reciprocated after two centuries, allowing himself to gain a small smile of joy.

"Heh, I could ask the same." And so the two chuckled with each other, lost in their personal world, heedless to a certain Blonde who was watching the entire time in awkward silence, not sure when she should speak up. So she didn't instead opting to quietly retreat from the workshop.

[Record Terminated]

[Word Count: 32,672]