The system handed me over to the state.

"But don't worry, we eat normally, and we eat separately from them. After all... most of the meat in their dishes is made from captured canned and packaged food, and they don't even know it!"

"They are really amazing. However, with the help of seasonings and cooking techniques, they have no idea what they are eating. This can be considered the talent of the Chinese people in cooking."

"Of course, we Chinese are the best at making one thing into another!"

The person in charge was very happy. This is exactly what the Chinese do best. You know exactly what you are eating, but the taste and texture in your mouth give you a completely different experience, which is of course interesting.

After lunch, Bronya and her two companions, led by the person in charge, arrived at the prison's archives. Along the way, many Ignos people kept their distance or watched them from afar when they saw the four of them.

Ignoring the stares of their surroundings, the four arrived at the archive area, where many Ignos were engrossed in reading books, completely oblivious to their arrival.

Bronya asked with some surprise, "They seem quite interested in our books?"

“Of course, Miss Ellie Wendy is very interested in our books, and considering that you were the first to bring them back and have a rather unique perspective on us, we appointed her as the head of the archive.”

“The thing she does most every day is read books, and she also preaches our books to her fellow countrymen, as if she has been brainwashed by our ideas.”

"Brainwashing is alright..."

Did they know how good the Chinese system was, and therefore plan to bring it back to their own country? Or even to incite a revolutionary wave in their own country?

"Ariel Wendy, come here for a moment, we have someone important who wants to see you!"

The person in charge shouted at Wendy, who was sitting in her seat in the distance. Upon hearing the shout, Wendy calmly put down the book in her hand. When she stood up and saw the three people, a look of fear immediately appeared on her delicate face, and even her steps as she walked over began to tremble.

"What...what do you want with me?"

Even their voices trembled with fear. Were they really that terrifying?

Bronya was somewhat exasperated. So what if he broke her arm back then? Was it really necessary to be so nervous and scared?

"Don't be nervous, Alyssa and Wendy. These three have some questions for you. It's best for you to answer honestly."

Ellie Wendy nodded vigorously. She was a completely different person from the one who had been irritable and angry inside the facility. Even the fox ears on her head drooped down and lay limply on her head.

Are you that afraid of us?

"I...."

Bronya asked a question, but Alyssa Wendy couldn't answer. Bronya waved her hand and said, "Never mind, I came here because I have something to ask you."

"Do you remember the weapon you used on her back then?"

Ariwen glanced at Blackie, her gaze darting away, but she nodded to indicate that she remembered, then lowered her head, avoiding Bronya's eyes.

Seele whispered in Black Seele's ear, "She's completely different from before."

He told Blackie the description of Ariwent that he had learned from Bronya. Blackie was stunned after hearing it. How could there be such a big difference between the two?

Could simply becoming a prisoner of war really bring about such a drastic change?

"Good that you remember. Tell us about that weapon. Also, explain clearly what the Quantum Demon is. If she is the Quantum Demon you're talking about, do you think she's that beautiful? And would she be that gentle?"

“I…but…back then…ah! I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to say that, it’s just…it’s just true, we really did confirm she was a quantum demon through energy fluctuations.”

"Perhaps she is somewhat... different from the quantum demons we know."

Next, Aerithiane spoke softly and slowly, carefully observing Kurohime's gaze and expression, as she cautiously shared her understanding of the Quantum Demon with the four people before her. After listening, the four exchanged glances, and the person in charge spoke first: "Doctor, is this... 'Quantum Demon' the same as a Herrscher?"

"It should be... The core of your facility is the core of the Quantum Demon, right?"

Aly Wendy nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes! That core was the core of the last and most powerful quantum demon we destroyed. She possessed the power to annihilate everything with a wave of her hand. Our fleet was no match for her. We had to sacrifice a century of civilization to completely destroy her."

"And the core that appeared after her death became the energy source for the pulsar core that we later built, which has lasted for thousands of years."

"Of course! Of course, this is all history I've learned... I... I don't know if it was like this a thousand years ago..."

Bronya hadn't expected this. It turned out that Ignos was also a civilization that emerged from the collapse. If history was true, their civilization would have been even more formidable in terms of fighting spirit, but she never imagined that it would turn out like this a thousand years later.

Perhaps it is because of that past experience that they subconsciously pursue cutting-edge technology and powerful strength to ensure the survival of their civilization.

However, the Herrscher's core is being used for energy supply. The Herrscher's core is powered by the will of Honkai, and theoretically, it doesn't have an infinite amount of energy to draw upon. Moreover... if it's the Herrscher's core, then all the energy in the underground facility should be Honkai energy, but she can't sense any Honkai energy at all. In other words... the energy used by the Herrscher is not Honkai energy.

But those are Herrschers... Does this mean that Herrschers from different civilizations use different forms of energy, or rather... different forms of Honkai energy?

"The quantum demons are extremely powerful. Every time we kill one, we have to consume a lot of resources, weapons and equipment, and sacrifice countless warriors. We call that period of history the most brutal history because they come from the quantum space, and because of their cruel and heinous acts, we call them quantum demons."

"Throughout history, demons have wielded powers derived from the natural elements of space, fire, wind, death, and lightning. There have even been hacker demons capable of instantly analyzing our technological creations and then controlling them..."

"The weapon we used on her before was a design blueprint that has been passed down for thousands of years. It was specifically designed to target quantum demons. Although it could not kill them, it could cause them strong interference, rendering them unable to resist or even knocking them unconscious."

Bronya looked at Blackie, then turned to Alywendy, puzzled, and said, "If what you're saying is true, then I'm also a quantum demon, and I should correspond to the hacker demon you mentioned, while she should correspond to the demon of death power."

“In our world, we call such beings Herrschers. I am the Herrscher of Reason, she is the Herrscher of Death, and she... is not a Herrscher.”

Aerith Wendy froze, scratching her head in confusion. "But...we did detect the corresponding power in her back then..."

Bronya laughed. This was quite interesting. She and Seele, who should have been Herrschers, were not judged as Herrschers. Instead, Black Seele, who did not have the core power of a Herrscher, was judged as a Herrscher. She initially thought that the Quantum Demon was related to coming to the Quantum Space, but now it seems that it is not the same thing at all.

“That’s interesting… Continue telling us about your history, especially the descriptions of the Herrschers. Tell us as much as you know.”

"If you tell us the details and accuracy enough, I'll have her give you an extra chicken leg tomorrow at noon!"

Chapter 443: Good News and Bad News

"Chicken...chicken leg! Really? Is it a fried chicken leg or a roasted chicken leg? Can I have a roasted chicken leg? The cumin kind!"

Just by saying that one sentence, Ariel and Wendy's greedy expression was on full display, leaving Bronya speechless. She simply couldn't accept that the person who had once scolded and berated her had become like this; the difference was just too great.

With the promise of the person in charge, Ari Wendy told them all the information she knew without any qualms, even revealing her own birth story.

It's like, "I've even shared my embarrassing past, so I guess I can join now?"

With Ari and Wendy's complete cooperation, they easily obtained all the information that Ari and Wendy knew, which was quite surprising.

"Has this intelligence been given to Su Xi?"

"It's already been uploaded to the captain's personal terminal. This information is very important. She hadn't told us anything before. We don't know if it was the temptation of the chicken leg or your presence, Doctor, that made her talk."

"The reasons are definitely both, but I think... the chicken leg is more likely."

Bronya was stunned, a pang of melancholy in her heart. She hadn't expected that she wouldn't be as tempting as a chicken leg...

It's not even as good as a roasted chicken leg.

Bronya turned her head and looked pitifully at Black Seele and Seele, "I...I'm not even as good as a roasted chicken leg!"

"You're really not even as good as a roasted chicken leg... So does that mean you have to be better than a roasted chicken leg?"

Hei hope retorted directly, delivering a critical blow to Bronya. Bronya clutched her heart, "You... never mind... if it's not as good as chicken legs, then it's not as good as chicken legs, I don't care."

Bronya chose to compromise. What was the point of continuing this struggle? It was better to do what she was supposed to do than to keep arguing.

"Alright, let's go back first. We've taken care of everything we needed to do here."

"Go back for what?"

"Do what needs to be done. I need to take this intelligence to Su Xi and the others to discuss these prisoners and how we should deal with the Ignos people if we encounter them again."

"After the discussion, I will come back, and if nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to communicate with the Earth Alliance using communication equipment after this short-distance warp ends."

"That's true, we haven't been in touch with them for a long time."

At this point, Hei hope also felt a little emotional. They hadn't been in contact with the country for a long time and didn't know what the country was like now, whether the Keponian civilization had any resistance or actions, or whether there had been any other invaders.

Neither of them knew, and this was their first communication with the country since they set off, so Bronya asked the two of them if they wanted to come and take a look. Blackie declined, as she wasn't particularly interested in the matter and preferred to continue resting. She had been experiencing occasional headaches lately, and the thought of such a mentally taxing activity that required standing for a long time gave her a headache.

So Hei hope refused, and since they didn't need her, it wasn't like they couldn't do without her, so she temporarily declined.

Seele expressed her desire to go with Bronya to take a look, so Black Seele went back to her room to rest alone, while Seele followed Bronya toward the bridge.

On the way, Seele raised her question, "Bronya, do you think it's possible that all civilizations in our universe, to varying degrees, have suffered attacks from the Herrschers in the past or future?"

"Moreover, the Herrschers that Aerithendy mentioned clearly have the characteristics of their own Ignis people. In other words, their Herrschers are also transformed from their own people, and are more powerful than us Herrschers."

"So, Bronya, do you think we might experience a Honkai outbreak in the future?"

Bronya expressed her doubts, saying that perhaps Shenzhou would indeed face such a future, but she was not afraid. By then, Shenzhou would be powerful enough to not be afraid of the Herrscher's threat at all.

Perhaps she isn't needed, nor is Black Seele. Any of Seele's contractors could easily defeat her or recruit her directly. After all, no matter how powerful the Herrschers are, they are still human. Even if their power and physical abilities surpass those of humans, their will remains human.

Since they are human, there must be a way to liberate them from the control of the Honkai will and to use emotions to influence the Herrschers, just like... in the original story, didn't Kiana and her group of Herrschers all refuse to succumb to the control of the Honkai will?

If they can do it, how could the people of China not be able to?

Therefore, Bronya's attitude towards this matter was relaxed, even optimistic.

"Don't worry, the power of humans is far beyond your imagination. They're just Herrschers. We can take them down easily."

"Moreover, even if we cannot kill them, we can choose to influence them."

"The reason why Herrschers are Herrschers is because the Herrscher personalities created by the Honkai Will amplify the flaws and negative emotions in the main personality. This is also the reason why they are so extreme. Therefore, what we need to do is very simple: let these extreme negative emotions dissolve or fill the emptiness in their hearts, isn't that enough?"

Bronya's words carried a hint of relief, and Seele asked again, "But... what if, Bronya, you were controlled by the Honkai will and became a Herrscher?"

"Or what if any one of us—me, Hei Xi, Fu Hua, or any one of us—becomes a Herrscher, or all of us become Herrschers? What would the country do then? And what would you...do?"

Bronya stopped and stared blankly at Seele, who waited for Bronya's answer. "Why...why would you suddenly think like that?"

"Because we are also Herrschers... If the Honkai Will is strong enough to ignore Tong Xi's power and directly control us, or generate Herrscher personalities within our bodies..."

"Bronya, are you really confident that you can defeat yourself with the enhanced Honkai Will?"

"Moreover, it's a personality that explodes with negative emotions and threatens to destroy humanity and the entire star sector at the drop of a hat. Can we really stand up to it?"

Bronya was somewhat puzzled by the lack of confidence and a hint of anxiety on Seele's face. She reached out and gently patted her. "My girl, what strange things are you thinking about?"

"You must believe in us, believe in yourselves, believe in the country. Perhaps we will be chosen to become Herrschers, but who says we will necessarily be consumed by the Herrscher personality, or that we must kill each other?"

"The future is uncertain. Perhaps one day it will lead to the worst possible outcome, as you have predicted, but it could also be a better future."

"So stop thinking about all that nonsense right now, understand?"

Seele nodded. "Yes... I understand, Bronya. Seele won't overthink it anymore."

Bronya smiled helplessly. "It's okay. I was overthinking things too. It's inevitable. Just don't overthink it. Think about the good things. We contractors need to be optimistic. No matter what, we must remain optimistic. This is a very important mindset for us. Only by maintaining a good mindset can we ensure that we are in the best condition when facing any situation."

"Ahem, we've gotten a bit off-topic. Let's go to the bridge. We can talk about these things privately later. I don't mind giving you some psychological counseling when I'm acting as your partner."

Seele smiled and said, "Thank you, Bronya. I'm really looking forward to your counseling session."

After exchanging a smile, the two women went to the captain's cabin. At that moment, Su Xi was reviewing the data that had just been uploaded to her terminal. Upon seeing Bronya arrive, she put down her terminal and asked, "What do you think? The Ignos civilization?"

"Why don't you share your thoughts first?"