I am a hero of the former civilization.

The room was filled with a delicious aroma. Alicia blinked and exclaimed in surprise, "You really know how to cook! That wok tossing you did was so cool!"

"Hehe, I never brag. Go and sit down. Sakura, set the table."

"I'll help too." Alicia volunteered, opened the rice cooker and started scooping rice. She piled her own bowl high, then noticed the strange look behind her, turned around and pouted.

"It smells so good, of course I want to eat more! And don't say anything out of line!"

What can I say about a meal consisting of only four ounces of rice?

Ryan shrugged and took a bowl of rice for her. When they got to the dining room on the second floor, Sakura had already set out the bowls and chopsticks.

It was evening, and the sea outside the French windows was dyed golden, with several seagulls flying around, which was quite magnificent. As for the room, it was even more beautiful.

Two pink-haired girls stood side by side, one aloof and the other warm and enthusiastic. Despite their contrasting personalities, they looked like sisters.

Sakura wore a T-shirt, her long hair tied in a ponytail, looking smart and capable. Alicia was still wearing that slightly gorgeous long dress, propping her head up, her eyes curving into crescent shapes.

"Ryan, you're staring at us like that, you must be thinking we're a feast for the eyes, right?"

Ryan's eyes twitched, not expecting to be seen through so easily. He sat down somewhat awkwardly and coughed lightly: "You've learned quite a few idioms since your trip to Shenzhou."

Alicia stretched out her slender fingers and began to count: "Yes, I also learned about keeping a mistress in a golden house, a match made in heaven, flirting, being fickle, and being prone to infidelity..."

"Stop, what's all this nonsense coming up?"

"Hmph, what do you think?"

Ryan glanced at the puzzled Sakura, his scalp tingling. Fortunately, the female assassin was a siscon and couldn't understand what Alicia was saying.

"Mebius knows?"

"It's all over headquarters, and they even dragged me into it. I occasionally saw my dear Möbius looking like that, it was really funny, but unfortunately I couldn't take a picture."

Damn it, those gossipy agents are spreading rumors.

Ryan gritted his teeth, remembering his own excuse of 'what's wrong with a hero being a womanizer', which was the best alibi, but he forgot about Mebius's reaction.

Realizing that explaining to Alicia would be pointless, he decisively picked up his chopsticks: "Let's eat, let's eat, we can talk in detail after we finish eating."

He made braised lion's head meatballs and stir-fried pork kidneys. Considering Alicia's appetite, he also added a serving of shredded pork with garlic sauce and a vegetable soup.

Sure enough, as soon as Ryan spoke, Alicia's attention was diverted. She picked up a piece of pork kidney with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, her satisfied expression almost overflowing.

"Delicious, Ryan, you weren't exaggerating."

It's bouncy and smooth, with a hint of pickled pepper flavor, just as good as what she ate in China.

"I've always said I'm the most honest person. Eat up, I've cooked rice again."

"Yay, but Ryan, now I finally know why you can flirt with other women."

"Stop using your broken idioms!"

Alicia stuck out her tongue and quickly buried her head in her food. Her movements weren't exactly elegant, but they weren't vicious either; she was just very fast, and the mountain of food collapsed at an extremely rapid pace.

Sakura ate slowly and deliberately as usual, her mind still pondering the relationship between Alicia and Ryan.

Miss Ellie is quite charming, and even Ryan has become enthusiastic about her. Are they lovers? But what about Dr. Mebius?

Also, why do I feel like I've been dragged into this too?

As she was thinking, she suddenly realized that Alicia was eating incredibly fast. In the short time she was distracted, the entire bowl of rice was gone. She took a deep, satisfied breath and got up to go downstairs to get more rice.

"Eat quickly, or you'll be licking the plate clean later." Ryan put a few shredded pieces of meat into the girl's bowl.

"Miss Alicia, won't you get fat if you eat so much?"

"Shh, don't let her hear that. She'll argue that it's just enjoying the food."

Sakura took a bite of rice and whispered, "Miss Alicia is quite likable."

"Of course, there's a saying that goes, 'I love everyone, and everyone loves me.' Alicia has just taken that saying to the extreme."

Sakura paused for a moment. Having witnessed the dark side of the world, she knew how difficult it was to put this statement into practice. It took her a while to pick up the bowl.

"That's amazing."

"What are you two whispering about?" Alicia returned, and sure enough, the rice in her bowl was overflowing again.

"I was just praising you. I have some homemade pickled vegetables here, would you like to try some?"

Ryan produced a jar of chopped chili beef as if by magic. Alicia curiously scooped up a spoonful, her mouth slightly agape from the spiciness, and she quickly shoveled two mouthfuls of rice into her mouth.

Looks like I'll have to eat two more bowls.

Eat as much as you want, there's plenty of food.

"Hmph, you're not as stingy as Mebius makes you out to be."

"That's the scorer."

"Since you treated me to dinner, I'll keep your bad comments a secret."

Alicia buried her head in her food again. Seeing her like that, Ryan was also full. The girl wasn't greedy; she just loved what she liked with all her might.

Yes, it's definitely not because I'm greedy or have a sweet tooth.

With her around, the meal was lively, and in the end, not even the soup was left. While Ying was washing the dishes, the two went to the living room to drink tea.

The floral tea exuded a delicate fragrance, and the coffee table was laden with snacks and nuts. Ryan glanced at Alicia.

She was comfortably nestled on the sofa, her hands resting on her slightly protruding belly, looking utterly content.

"I'm full, I'm full. I just got back from Europe and Japan, and it's great to be back to my daily life right away."

"Europe and Japan? What did you go there for?" Ryan asked, holding his teacup and glancing at Alicia.

I ate so much, but my stomach didn't get bigger, so where did all that food go?

“Hunting Honkai Beasts, one of them can use ice, and the other is very fast. It really exhausted me.” Alicia lay on the sofa, cupping her face in her hands and swinging her fair legs. “Ryan, actually, I feel relieved when I see you.”

Her full breasts drooped, revealing a deep cleavage directly in front of Ryan, but the man looked away without showing any expression.

Where can I find peace of mind?

“Seeing you acting like a married man.” Alicia turned around and saw a pink-haired girl washing dishes, wearing an apron, her ponytail swaying gently. She turned back again. “Although I don’t care, you’re too much of a flirt. Someone will care, you know.”

puff.

Ryan almost choked on his tea and quickly put down his cup, only to see Alicia's sly look.

"Don't tease me, you've already guessed the real reason, haven't you?"

"Creating an alibi?"

"Well, I don't like letting others speculate. Even if those little geniuses find out the truth, they'll only be creating trouble for themselves."

"You sound quite gentle."

"I have always been understanding."

The two looked at each other for two seconds, then both smiled, with Ryan even feeling a little touched.

Alicia rushed over without any intention of testing her. She had simply guessed the truth and was worried that she was overthinking things. So when she saw that Ryan was in normal condition, she happily ate her meal.

This is ridiculously naive for a seasoned schemer.

"Don't worry, everything is under my control. It's normal for the Herrschers to target me." Ryan twisted open a macadamia nut, popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly. "But aren't you curious why the Herrschers are targeting me?"

"Will the reason help reduce your stress?" Alicia tilted her head.

“Of course not, no one can help with this, but it’s actually very simple.” Ryan leaned forward and said, word by word, “It’s just a life-or-death war, but because of this, I feel a sense of relief.”

Conjecture becomes reality, the unknown becomes the known, which is a good thing for a traveler on a life's journey.

"Then I won't ask. You have your secrets. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

Ryan was taken aback. He had prepared many excuses, but none of them came in handy. He gave a knowing smile and said, "Ellie, you are the one who understands me best."

“Right? I’ve always thought so.” Alicia blinked and got up to pace around the living room. “Anyway, the world is always full of surprises, and we can only try our best to cope. Besides, you’ve done a lot of things quietly.”

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from you. That's right, Sakura is also an important character, and her combat strength is indispensable."

"Hmph, and there's Hua and Vervière too, oh, Mebius, Mei, and Kevin too, and of course, me too. What kind of hero team are you organizing?"

"That's roughly the idea. Humanity will need heroes in the future. To be honest, it would be really strange if the Honkai didn't have a response." Ryan waved his hand. He had already figured this out. Then he saw the excitement on Alicia's face and his heart skipped a beat.

Hey.

In the blink of an eye, Alicia had already pounced on him, bracing herself against the armrest, her face rapidly approaching, her blue-green eyes sparkling.

His chuunibyou spirit burned fiercely, impossible to hide, which immediately reminded Ryan of who created the Thirteen Heroes. Without a bit of chuunibyou spirit, how could they have created the 'imprints' and the rankings?

"you......"

Before he could finish speaking, his hand was already tightly grasped, making Ryan feel a burning sensation.

"Please let me participate in this interesting, no, this great thing!"

Chapter 115 Alicia's Birthday Operation!

To be honest, Ryan didn't intend to form any heroic brigade. He just wanted to assemble a small group in advance for himself, for humanity, and to meet the needs of fighting the young geniuses of the Fire Moth.

After all, the timeline has been completely altered, and who knows who will perish prematurely? But combined with the Fusion Warrior Project, it becomes very meaningful.

In the future, individual combat power will inevitably surpass that of the army, and this approach suits Alicia's tastes perfectly. In fact, a normal person would wonder why Ryan is so certain about these candidates, but Super Alicia doesn't care.

"Ta-da, here's my latest project proposal!"

Two hours later, Ryan was drinking tea in the living room while Sakura was mopping the floor when Alicia, wearing non-prescription glasses, suddenly jumped out, holding up a piece of paper triumphantly.

Sakura was completely confused, while Ryan reluctantly took it, as Alicia insisted on helping.

What kind of business plan is this?

Ryan glanced at the 'project plan' with someone's portrait drawn on it. There was very little text, mostly just doodles, but he understood the meaning.

"Wait a minute, when did I say I was going to have a celebration? And what is there to celebrate? What's the point?"

"You don't understand, do you? It's ideals and feelings that connect us. Uniting everyone is what I'm best at, don't you think, Sakura?"

The girl mopping the floor nodded in confusion. That was true. In just half a day, she had become friends with Alicia. She was indeed quite capable.

"Hey, isn't it a bit too high-profile of us to have a celebration right under the noses of the Firemoth?"

"Everyone you mentioned is a friend. There's nothing wrong with everyone having fun together. Even if you cut off all contact, will they stop overthinking things?"