Bad woman, am I pretending to be bad?

Whether it was hasty or careless, the story of the healer has finally come to an end. The blue morpho butterfly, vomiting blood, is heartbroken and its wings are broken, never to flap its beautiful wings again. The gentle woman is filled with regret and only wishes to follow that figure and repay it with her life.

[Observation confirms: The dramatic change in behavior and speech indicates that the collaborator has regained awareness of the pre-planned strategy. May I conclude this?]

The cold, flat questioning echoed directly in the blonde girl's heart, like the clanging of fine gears meshing. That was Adeline, the goddess of steam and machinery, or rather, the being who had long ago made a secret pact with the "Origin," a being with whom there was a mutual need.

“You can think of it this way, my dear Adeline.” Charlotte’s fingertips traced the still-damp brass piston, and she smiled slightly. “The extraordinary flames burned intensely enough. This long ‘vacation,’ this rewind performance in which I personally sowed ‘memes,’ temporarily dragging the world back to the realm of mystery and ignorance, was indeed… unforgettable.”

Looking up at the somber cumulus clouds, her gaze seemed to pierce through time, glimpsing the past—the self who, feeling bored, deliberately tore apart the source matter, relinquished authority, and reinjected the extraordinary as a chaotic variable into the world. All this, simply to observe under drastically different rules how life would unfold its loves, hates, ambitions, and sacrifices. And now—

"Sacrifice, love, deception, betrayal... a tangled web of contradictions, the tension of emotions brewing into a mellow wine, it's time to share a cup and savor it."

In my mind, Eliza's heartbroken weeping, Zelena's heavy bow, Melina's tearful declaration, Sofby's obsession with the truth, Ansu's fanatical loyalty... scene after scene, face after face, flashed by in an instant.

Charlotte's lips moved involuntarily, carrying the satisfaction of having tasted a delicacy, mixed with a hint of languor as the event drew to a close.

[Based on feedback from facial expressions and physiological parameters, your pleasure and satisfaction have reached a threshold. However, the core logic suggests that the commitment made at that time involved significant rule changes. Can I assume that you are satisfied with the observations at this stage? And that the cyclical nature of life is meaningless?]

"Perhaps. Even the most dazzling fireworks can become tiresome after a while."

Such openness, such acknowledgment—yet how could the nature of a wicked person possibly relinquish its inner hunger? She is merely weary of the repetitive drama, a state that has existed since time immemorial. Therefore, I'm sorry, Charlotte will keep her promise, and the 'Origin' is insatiable; she will say—

"I have seen all the wonders and enjoyed all the pleasures."

[Logic detected a contradiction: Your physiological indicators and semantic statements exhibit inconsistent fluctuations. According to human behavior models, this is often associated with deceptive behavior used to conceal true intentions. I need clear confirmation that the timing of your commitment is ripe.]

“A promise?” Charlotte chuckled softly, flicking her finger to release the brass piston into her palm, which she gripped tightly, leaving no gap. “Why use such formal words between us? This is nothing more than a mutually beneficial…cooperation.”

The girl's smile faded, and she offered no further excuses. Her memories seemed to rewind to the past—to a world without extraordinary abilities, a world governed by the laws of physics, a world built upon steel, technology, and logic. That was the end point she and Adeline had agreed upon, a rectification of past wrongs as compensation.

"Rest assured, Adeline, I have always been a person of my word. But, you might imagine what a world without miracles, without gods, where everything can be calculated and predicted would be like?"

[Inference: More stable, more efficient, more authentic, the light of knowledge will replace ignorant blind faith, leading human civilization towards rational prosperity...]

Adeline gave her answer.

However, Charlotte scoffed, as if mocking her rigidity. "That would be boring, monotonous, and utterly unoriginal."

She changed the subject and returned to the main point: "Of course, that was an agreement between you and me. You guided and helped me so that I wouldn't stray or get lost in this grand opera. In return, I returned the rule by returning to the world you hoped for, a world full of rational light, to the soil where a non-material consciousness should truly take root."

[This is affirmed; absolute physical laws are the fundamental building blocks of the universe, embodying efficiency and order.]

Rain should fall from the sky to the ground, not the other way around.

The mechanical accents seem to stand out prominently here, unusually stirring up ripples.

[Looking back at the underlying logic, the expected effects are as follows: Stripping away the underlying influence of the 'extraordinary meme,' reconstructing physical constants, and guiding the fundamental rules of the world towards an absolutely materialistic technological path. All supernatural phenomena based on concepts such as spirituality, sequence, and origin will gradually fade away until they completely disappear. The progress of civilization will re-evolve based on rationality and objective laws, and existing history may undergo painful adaptation.]

"That's a good summary, so—"

“In the name of the Origin, I authorize this.” Charlotte’s eyes disappeared behind the curtain.

"After I've finished enjoying this final bit of entertainment, after I've pushed those most interesting characters... toward their destined end or beginning. At that time, the 'rule rewriting' will begin."

She paused slightly, her tone becoming more playful, as if she were foreseeing the distant future.

"However, Adeline, the future may not be as bright as you think. The return of reason and rules may not bring benefits to humanity, nor may it eradicate the deep-seated problems of human nature. The only lesson that humanity has learned from history is that humanity can never learn anything from history. They will still open Pandora's box with their own hands and head towards their own destruction."

"Be our witness."

Her light golden hair brushed against the cold wind, and the girl could be seen once again raising that black umbrella, its craftsmanship ahead of its time. She turned around, her back to Bella's tombstone, and walked out of the cemetery.

Extraordinary times will eventually come to an end, and the dawn of technology is destined to arrive.

She is both the terminator of the old myths and the founder of the new era's rules. This grand drama, which she directed and starred in herself, will ultimately conclude with a cold and absolute final chapter written by her own hand.

As for those souls still struggling in the vortex of fate...

Charlotte's lips curled into that signature, delightful yet cruel smile once again.

Their joys and sorrows, their lives and deaths, will become the last... insignificant, yet enough to please the gods, fireworks before this great "rewriting".

Chapter 241 Mosang's Confirmation

The fierce sea wind tore at the leaden clouds and also stirred the thick skin of the airships, making these once-elusive forces sway like willows in the wind.

In a battle at sea a few days ago, Rodney led his fleet through a complex reef area, with the support of air power, and caught Hastings off guard, severely damaging Hastings's organized ironclad fleet and achieving the largest victory since the outbreak of the war.

This was a thrilling victory reported in the newspapers, the best response to thwarting the arrogance of the aggressors. Admittedly, this battle was dazzling and could be called an honor, but the loss of dignity meant that the other side would never let it go.

Just as it is now, the distant, leaden sea is fragmented by the silhouettes of countless ships, and the flag of the Hadings Empire flutters in the salty waves. That is the invincible fleet personally led by Emperor Rothari, its moving steel veins pressing down on the horizon with unstoppable momentum.

Where its sharp edge was pointed, lay the battered and outnumbered remnants of the Plantagenet fleet. On the deck of the flagship Sea Fury, Rear Admiral Rodney gripped the helm tightly, his gaze growing increasingly piercing, while Nymph stood quietly at the bow, letting her sky-blue hair be soaked by the splashing water.

"he came."

The slender girl spoke softly, her pure eyes reflecting the distant fleet, which, like stars surrounding the moon, guarded a colossal warship unlike any seen before—the flagship of the Hadings Empire, the Conqueror.

She could clearly feel a tangible, blood-soaked oppression emanating from the giant ship, enveloping the entire sea area.

Standing atop the bridge, clad in military attire, was the emperor who had begun the war, conquering half the continent—Rotari. He had personally led his army here, intending to crush the last naval resistance of the Golden Plantagenets with overwhelming force, bringing this sea area entirely into the empire's territory, so that his land forces could completely overthrow the new dynasty that was about to be established behind him.

Rodney remained unsmiling, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his eyes filled with a do-or-die determination: "Then let him taste it, let the sea wolf bite off a piece of his flesh before he dies."

There was no possibility of compromise, and the battle erupted with a deafening cannon blast.

The barrage of artillery fire was like a sudden storm, instantly heading towards the enemy's area. But after the muffled sound, even if the low-caliber shells hit head-on, they only left inconspicuous craters in the solid armor. The high-mounted airships, due to the deflection of the wind, could not catch up with the speeding ships, let alone drop bombs and change the course of the battle.

Ultimately, these are merely surprise tactics, requiring the right timing, location, and people to be effective.

Nymph's slender body stood ramrod straight, her long sky-blue hair whipping wildly in the gale. A powerful spiritual aura, that of a Priestess and Sequence Four, emanated from her, attempting to summon storms and towering waves. The sky suddenly darkened, thunderclouds surged, and the ocean crashed like a collapsing mountain, trying to shake the torrent of steel.

however--

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot." Rothali didn't even move; his scarlet cloak fluttered in the wind, and his cold and disdainful words pierced through the waves. He didn't even take action himself; the war aura he emitted was enough to plunge the Golden Flower Fleet into a desperate situation and melt away the soldiers' courage like ice and snow.

He slightly raised his hand, and in an instant, the entire fleet behind him roared with cannon fire, the rain-like flames almost covering half the sky.

The girl's power seemed so insignificant before the Emperor's authority, which was like the embodiment of war. The mist she condensed was dispelled by the invisible will of war, and the turbulent currents she guided were easily crushed by the massive fleet formation.

The cannons, once unable to match the enemy's aerial attacks, were now, thanks to the authority granted, easily cleaved the sky, pierced the skin, and struck the vital parts of the motorboats. In mere moments, countless powerless motorboats, like birds with broken wings, plummeted from the heavens, transforming into tragic clusters of fire on the nearshore waters, exploding into mournful flames.

"Hard to port! All ships, evasive maneuver! Release smoke screen!" Rodney's voice roared into the Sea Fury's loudspeaker. Her face was more solemn than ever before, but even if she put her tactical command to the limit, all her struggles seemed so futile in the face of absolute power and rank difference.

The roar never ceased.

The Conqueror and its escort fleet unleashed a precise and deadly barrage, turning ship after ship of the Plantagenet into burning wreckage in the intense flames, sinking rapidly. More and more debris and oil slicks floated on the surface, and the cries for help from survivors were mercilessly swallowed by the gunfire and explosions.

"A weak resistance is ultimately just an insignificant ripple in the torrent of history."

A cold smile played on Rothary's lips as he savored the hunt. He needed a victory of sufficient magnitude, a victory that would utterly crush the backbone of the Goldenleaf, to solidify his path and even to glimpse the possibility of Sequence One.

Turning away from the already decided battle, almost instantly, another shell landed on the bridge of the Sea Fury, causing a violent explosion. The girl's petite body was thrown into the air by the impact and slammed heavily onto the deck. Rodney bit his lip and rushed forward, already seeing blood trickling from Nymph's lips and her aura dimmed, clearly indicating that she had suffered a serious injury.

Just as the outcome seemed certain, and a flicker of despair crossed Rodney's eyes—

A cold and eternal aura silently spread. The once clamorous sounds of the waves, the echoes of gunfire, and the howling wind seemed to be wiped away in an instant by an invisible hand. Time flowed with an unusually thick speed, the light dimmed, and the whole world seemed to be shrouded in a thin gray veil.

A figure slowly appeared on the sea between the two fleets.

She was still dressed in a plain black dress, holding her signature black silk umbrella, as if she had stood there since time immemorial, bidding farewell to the departed souls.

It is Ms. Mozambique.

Her appearance came without warning, just like death itself, which always arrives unexpectedly. She was still wearing that hat with the black veil hanging down, her face blurred, only the rain dripping from the brim of her umbrella, striking the frozen sea and making a hollow echo.

Rotali's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He sensed an aura emanating from the other man that was entirely different from the path of "war"—it was the silence of death, the coldness of finality. His eyes narrowed slightly, and for the first time, the emperor revealed a solemn expression.

"A believer in death?" A hint of displeasure at being disturbed crept into his voice. "Here, there are only soldiers about to become sacrifices, no souls for whom you need to say goodbye."

Madam Mossant didn't look at him, but merely tilted her head slightly, glancing at Nymph, who was struggling to get up, and then at the wreckage and corpses floating on the distant sea. Her eyes remained calm, but deep within, something seemed to have been touched.

She remembered the gray-haired detective girl, her figure running for the innocent in Tingen, and the words she had once told her—about fairness, about life not being easily trampled on, about always looking towards the light even in darkness.

Watson is gone, but that belief has never been completely extinguished, and it should be carried on by me, his mentor.

"War brings disorderly death, but it is not a justification for taking lives."

“Someone once told me that justice should not only exist after death. Someone once gave their life to save people regardless of their faction or position. I follow their belief and am here today not to interfere in the war, but to... bring this senseless killing to an end.”

Her words subtly echoed the memory of the deceased doctor in the Florence cemetery, and even earlier, the seemingly naive yet deeply moving philosophy of a gray-haired girl that had resonated within her.

"Arrogant! You think you can stop the tide of war all by yourself?"

The Emperor was enraged and finally took action himself. With a wave of his hand, countless dark red streaks of light, imbued with the intent of war, tore through space like a destructive meteor shower, shooting towards the slender black figure and the raging sea behind her.

This attack contained the full power of Sequence Two, enough to annihilate souls and tear apart fleets.

Ms. Mossam did not resist, but simply turned the black umbrella in her hand slightly.

In an instant, a vast gray scroll, woven from countless wails and utter silence, suddenly unfolded around her—the realm of solace. A chilling stillness spread, the fervor of war seemed frozen, and the desire to kill receded before eternal peace. The surging streams of war rushed into this realm, their speed abruptly reduced, their power like ice and snow under the sun, rapidly melting and disintegrating.

Two top-tier beings of Sequence Two engaged in a silent battle of laws on the sea, where the fighting had temporarily subsided but the danger had only intensified. The whispers of death and the roars of war clashed fiercely invisibly, distorting space and shaking souls.

However, Lady Mosang ultimately leaned more towards guiding the dead and bringing about the end. When she faced a direct confrontation with an emperor, the King of War, who held the main battlefield and whose power was inexhaustible, she gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. Her face grew increasingly pale, and her figure swayed slightly under the black umbrella, as if she might be swept away by the torrent of war at any moment.

However, some people will not agree.

The authority to wage war is rooted in the soldiers and the territory; if the foundation is shaken, even the emperor will fall from his pedestal.

Nymph, who had been keeping a close eye on the battle, endured the excruciating pain that felt like her soul was being torn apart, waiting for the moment when Emperor Rothari was focused on fighting the laws of death and had no time to spare for anything else.

Her gaze was not fixed on the arrogant emperor, but on the "Conqueror"—this flagship was not only a symbol of power, but also an important "anchor" for the authority of the Rothari War in this battle.

"Sister Rodney!" Nymph called out with her last bit of strength.

Rodney instantly understood, a resolute will to die flashing in her eyes. Ignoring the wailing of the Sea Fury as it teetered on the brink of collapse, she steered the battered warship in a near-suicidal charge that defied all the rules of naval warfare.

The bow, like a spear going to its death, relentlessly pierced the side of the Conqueror!

This crazy move successfully attracted Emperor Rothari's attention for a moment, and also caused a very brief condensation and stagnation in the war intent surrounding him in response to external physical threats.

In that split second, the sharp bow of the Sea Fury, carrying the will of all the victims, slammed into the bridge of the Conqueror! The ear-piercing roar of metal twisting and breaking drowned out everything. After delivering this final blow, the Sea Fury itself completely disintegrated.

The trauma itself was not enough to sink the massive Conqueror. But it was like a poisonous thorn precisely piercing the heart, severing Emperor Rothari's connection to some of the war's "anchor points" at the very moment when he was fully engaged in fighting Lady Mosan and his own power system was at its most delicate balance, creating a fatal structural imbalance.

"puff--"

Emperor Lothari shuddered violently, spitting out a mouthful of golden blood. His connection with the source of war suddenly became disordered, the enormous war phantom behind him trembled violently, becoming blurry and uncertain, and the backlash of power began to tear at his control from within.

Ms. Mosang, who had been waiting for this moment, suddenly revealed a cold glint in her eyes beneath her black veil.

The black umbrella in her hand suddenly closed, its tip like a judge holding a pen, pointing remotely at the disoriented Emperor Rothari.

"rest in peace."

This was not an attack, but more like a inducement. The surging, almost bursting rage was suddenly abruptly halted, and then backfired on the Emperor himself in an unprecedented way. He tried to control it, tried to suppress it, but the crack that Ning Fu had precisely targeted was like an anthill on a dam, instantly causing the collapse of the entire power system.

"Do not--!!!"

The emperor's body began to expand and contort uncontrollably, his eyes replacing reason and majesty with beast-like chaos. The authority of war spiraled completely out of control, and the terrifying form of the mythical creature was forced to manifest—

It was a colossal beast with twisted, sharp horns on its forehead, its head resembling a decaying ram's head covered in blood-stained bandages, while its body still retained the outline of a human, constantly dripping filthy blood that almost dyed the surrounding sea dark red.

It is the embodiment of war, and will become one of the countless legends that follow, a sea monster driven by the instinct of war and losing itself.

Under the gaze of countless shocked, fearful, and bewildered eyes, this arrogant war emperor, the ruler of the Hadings Empire, ruthlessly turned his brow and opened his massive jaws to the soldiers who had once been loyal to him, swallowing up their unfulfilled ambitions and desires for conquest.

The emperor... did not fall, but will henceforth become a nightmare that stops children from crying.

A deathly silence fell over the battlefield. Both the Hastings fleet and the survivors of the Plantagenets were speechless, stunned by the astonishing reversal and the horrific scene before them.

Ms. Mossang glanced deeply at Nymph, who was pale and almost unsteady on her feet from exhaustion, and at Rodney beside her, who was equally wounded but had a determined look in his eyes. She didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, and her figure, just as she had come, silently blended into the spreading sea mist and disappeared.

Nymph gazed in the direction where Emperor Rothari had vanished, then looked at the Hastings fleet on the sea, which was gradually ceasing its bombardment and falling into chaos, and whispered to Rodney:

"The root cause of the war... has been temporarily resolved."

Her words were soft, yet they carried the weight of countless sacrifices. She knew that the emperor's madness did not mean that peace would immediately arrive, but at least it bought this war-torn land a chance to breathe, a possible future.

The price of all this was the sacrifice of countless people, including her own nearly exhausted life force. Leaning against Rodney, she gazed at the gray sky, feeling the sea breeze, and a sense of peace settled in her heart.

However, she did not expect that the woman in the black dress, who should have left, would reappear silently in front of her.

As expected, Ms. Mossant abandoned her past beliefs and therefore no longer hesitated. If she saw even a one in a thousand chance, she would step forward directly and not back down.

Just now, the excessive release of spiritual energy caused a faint sense of familiarity, which, though subtle, was still noticed by the former.

Without saying a word, the black-haired beauty gently stroked her face, her gaze softening, yet her fingertips tightening their grip.

"We've met before, haven't we?"

This is not a question, but a statement of affirmation.

Chapter 242 Not Long

"We've met before, haven't we?"

Her voice was very soft, almost broken by the sea breeze, yet it possessed an undeniable penetrating power, clearly reaching Nymph's ears.