Their commission was suspicious.

"It's so cheesy, please don't say that anymore, please." Chen Luo's body trembled slightly.

"She meant it the truth. Lolo firmly chose me over everyone else, of course I'm happy," Alicia said with a playful smile.

"Happy...? Not necessarily." Chen Luo gave Alicia a meaningful look.

Why would Alicia, who could unite the entire Moth of Flames after her sacrifice, drag Chen Luo into this mess and put him on the opposite side of everyone else? Perhaps Alicia has ulterior motives.

Of course, it wasn't meant to trick Chen Luo.

"Hmm, what did you say?" Alicia looked up at Chen Luo.

"It's nothing, I just meant as long as you're happy. So what are you planning to do next?" Chen Luo asked.

"First, when Mei is free tonight, I'll be frank with her about my role as a Herrscher, then answer some of her questions and see if I can offer any suggestions for the future development of the Firemoth Project..." Alicia said.

For example, at least Alicia did not perceive the existence of any god's consciousness or anything like that; the Honkai consciousness that the believers talked about did not exist.

The knowledge that Alicia has discovered may be of great help to May.

Alicia can't leave everything to the last minute, otherwise not giving May and the others time to prepare for changing their plans could have adverse effects.

Secondly, Alicia knew that May was very smart and might be able to give her some advice that she hadn't thought of.

"And in the end... I will try to use my abilities to seek an ending for this world, an ending that is no longer bound by constraints. And the price is just a Herrscher."

"...Are you confident?" Chen Luo asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. Although I've always believed that beautiful girls are omnipotent, changing the Herrscher is still too far beyond my imagination, isn't it? Maybe I will succeed, and from now on all Herrschers will become Herrschers of Humanity like me. Maybe I can perform even better, and the Honkai will completely disappear from this world in the next second. But it's also possible that nothing will happen."

"..."

“Even so, I still want to try. Those who fought to the death, everyone I love, they deserve a better ending. This is something only I can do, and something I should do,” Alicia said softly.

"Perhaps I was born for this moment, who knows?" Alicia gave Chen Luo a final smile.

A genuine smile.

"I'm the heroine of the story, isn't it only natural for me to save the world I love?"

“…No one is born for a predetermined ending. You did this because you wanted to, not because someone forced you to. Don’t underestimate yourself, Ellie, you are really amazing and great.” Chen Luo patted Ellie’s head.

"Really? Then I'll pass this on to you too. I always feel like you're carrying a burden, but I also feel like you shouldn't be carrying too much." Alicia tried to make her tone as light as possible.

"...Yes, we're very similar, really very similar." Chen Luo's eyes were slightly vacant.

Really similar.

Alicia's birth brought hope to this world to escape the cycle of reincarnation.

Chen Luo is also jokingly referred to as someone whose wishes have come true.

Thanks to Chen Luo's underhanded manipulation, Alicia is able to reach the end safely, without her even knowing it.

Does one have someone who loves them behind them and arranges everything for them?

However, in any case, no one should have a predetermined ending, only an ending they wish to reach.

Chen Luo quite liked the power of wish fulfillment, because seeing how other people felt when their wishes were granted was indeed "interesting".

But Chen Luo should not be bound by desires and power.

I was not born for desires and authority.

Therefore, Chen Luo only has two choices: either relinquish the power of desire, or transcend and rewrite the power of desire.

This power is tempting, but Chen Luo is worried about what might happen if he relinquishes his right to desire and it falls into the hands of someone else, especially if that person has low moral standards.

Therefore, Chen Luo could only try to transcend it.

"Hey, aren't you going to try to persuade me? I thought you were going to say something like, 'I don't want you to leave, please stay by my side...'" Alicia gently poked Chen Luo's face with her finger.

“Because I know that once you make a decision, Ellie, you won’t easily change it. And the stage will be yours from now on,” Chen Luo said with a smile.

"Really? Or do you have some kind of magical gadget that can prevent someone's consciousness from dissipating and are planning to use it on me?" Alicia looked at Chen Luo suspiciously.

"Don't trust my abilities so much. I'm not omnipotent either. I also... have limited abilities."

“Really? That’s a shame. Anyway, I’ll go and make some preparations… Prometheus, remember to tell Mei about this, and then tell her to wait for me tonight.” Alicia said to Prometheus 17 beside her.

“Okay.” Prometheus 17 nodded.

Chen Luo and Alicia never hid their conversations from Prometheus, partly because these things would hardly be considered secrets after a while.

However, Prometheus 17 will keep some secrets that should not be known to others.

For example, if a charming female villain wants to redeem herself, she can only do so after everything has come to an end, right?

"Whether I take it slow or not, I need to think about what I can do." Chen Luo sat down on the chair next to him and began to ponder.

"Then why don't you think about what I'd need to prepare if I were to host a banquet? This task is perfect, I'll leave it to you, my ally." Alicia waved to Chen Luo as she left May's office.

As the office door closed automatically, Alicia's smile gradually faded.

"I'm sorry, Lolo, I'm going to drag you into this this time. But how can you leave if I don't do this? Maybe Mei thinks the same way. After all, a substitute... maybe she'll never get to play. Sometimes it's okay to be without a substitute." Alicia murmured softly.

We can't expect someone from outer space to shoulder all the burdens of this civilized matter, can we? That would be too much of a strain.

Dragging Chen Luo into this mess was perhaps Alicia's last selfish act as a good friend.

Alicia took one last look at the office door before leaving without looking back.

Chapter 2303 Luo Li: Excuse me... which one of you is my precious son's girlfriend?

"Eden, my neck is so sore." Alicia sat in front of the vanity mirror, letting Eden dress her up.

"Hang in there, Ellie, we'll be done soon. Let's add some stage makeup. How about some pearlescent eyeshadow? And some lip gloss?"

"Sigh, I turned down the makeup session when I tried on the costume last time, I didn't expect to have another chance now," Alicia complained, sitting in front of the vanity mirror.

"Okay, show a smile. After all, didn't you say last time, Ellie, that a smile is a girl's best makeup?"

"Alright, alright..." Alicia saw Eden's tender face reflected in the dressing mirror and could only choose to cooperate.

After all, this was her first time hosting a banquet, and her first time... dressed up for the occasion.

"A little light makeup will do. That'll be enough." Eden carefully examined the rare beauty in the mirror.

“Okay, okay, light makeup is enough.” Alicia nodded repeatedly.

"I wonder if Dr. Mebius will attend the banquet..." Alicia whispered.

"Knowing Dr. Mebius as I do, she'll probably just casually brush it off by saying she has experiments to do and no time for silly pranks, and refuse to attend this banquet that's supposed to be a crusade," Eden said softly.

According to the information released by Alicia, this was indeed an attack on the Thirteen Herrschers, and unsurprisingly, there were very few participants.

Listening to Eden's words, Alicia recalled her conversation with May some time ago.

During that conversation, Alicia clarified her identity and confirmed May's conjecture—the Honkai Gods do not exist.

At the end of the conversation, Alicia also tried to persuade May not to give up the Fire Seed Project.

Unfortunately, Mei, a friend, was unable to attend this banquet called "punishment" due to well-known health problems.

"Alright, that's enough." Eden looked at Alicia in the mirror and nodded with great satisfaction.

"It's finally over, let's go, everyone's still waiting for us." Alicia hurriedly stood up from her chair, finally letting out a huge sigh of relief after finishing her makeup.

Alicia led Eden through the door of the dressing room and saw Chen Luo waiting outside, almost asleep.

"My God, it's unbelievable. Someone as naturally beautiful as Alicia needs to spend so much time on makeup," Chen Luo complained.

"I really don't know whether to say Lolo, you're clueless or just naturally good at complimenting people. Waiting for a beautiful girl to finish her makeup should be a process full of anticipation," Alicia said helplessly.

"Alright, alright, so can I go to the banquet now? You dumped all the arrangements for the banquet on me. I've put a lot of thought into this banquet."

"I'm really looking forward to it. So, is there anything interesting?"

"Hmm... does the first bottle of sparkling wine you drank under the night sky after your first meeting with Eden count?"

"Wow, Lolo, you really managed to get your hands on this kind of wine!"

“That’s really impressive.” Eden nodded in agreement.

"There's also a huge cake with special significance. If you're looking forward to it, let's go." Chen Luo stood up and walked towards the banquet area first.

"It's just a pity that we probably can't go back to being the Moth that chases the flame. Whether we can clear our names... who knows?"

After saying this, Chen Luo suddenly understood why the Void Treasury had treated him so badly when he first met it, even though there was a part of Prometheus in the Void Treasury.

Perhaps in their eyes, I am a traitor from outer space?

……

The banquet began with Alicia's stunning entrance and ended with Alicia and Yingjie's playful banter...

Although to ordinary people, the playful antics of the heroes are quite destructive.

However, for the heroes, it was more like a grand fireworks display.

And after the final curtain fell... Alicia took out four crystal flowers.

It's time to say goodbye.

"Alright, from now on, let them stay by your side as Alicia. Even if I leave these four crystal flowers, they will never wither, so... everyone, smile, okay?"

Alicia gave Velvi a gray crystal flower.

"Come here, Velvet. I'm sorry, I really told a huge lie. I hope the title of the Thirteenth Herrscher won't cause you too much trouble. After all, I am such a special existence, and telling the truth would probably only cause more chaos."

"Don't worry about Alicia, I'll use several lies to cover it up... to protect your secret. Deceiving the world and even history is not difficult for me. The Thirteenth Herrscher, let it become a blank page in the book. As for the Heroes who are not here today... I think their absence is the best proof."

“Those who left the banquet did so because they believed in Alicia and refused to fight, while those who remained attended because they believed in Alicia. See… those you trust have always believed in you, and those you love have always loved you,” Velvi said softly.

"Yes, thank you, I didn't expect that... I'm really happy. It's a pity that my dear Mebius isn't here; I was hoping to give her a green crystal flower," Alicia said, perking up.

"After receiving the report from Moth of Flames about the Thirteenth Herrscher, she didn't even glance at it before throwing it into the shredder. After all, it's that Möbius, right? Maybe she saw through everything all along and didn't want you to say goodbye to her as you wished, which is why she refused to attend. Of course... it could also be because she didn't want anyone to see her crying?" Velvi shrugged.

“Yes, Mebius always has this girlish side.” Alicia smiled.

Alicia prepared a pink crystal flower for Aponia.

“Well, Aponia… although the deepest part no longer exists, I know it still exists deep within your heart, doesn’t it? The threads of fate can no longer bind your steps, so occasionally step out of that cage and take a look.”

Aponia nodded, then spoke of her intention to commemorate Alicia's story in the Land of the Dead.

These four crystal flowers are not only souvenirs, but also a key to unlocking a long-forgotten story.

Alicia prepared a golden crystal flower for Eden.

"Eden, this time we really have to say goodbye. I'm sorry for keeping this from you all this time. You don't hate me, do you?"

“How could that be? Ellie, I know you, perhaps I am the one who knows you best in this world. There’s no need to say goodbye. You are right here, aren’t you? You will exist forever, with heaven and earth. So wherever I am, whatever I become, I will sing for you. Until the very last moment.”

Then Alicia took out the last ice-blue crystal flower and gave it to Kevin.

Alicia didn't have much to say to Kevin, but she playfully asked for the answer to a question: if Kevin shed tears, would they freeze?

Then Kevin cried on the spot and showed it to Alicia.

As it turns out, it is possible.

This left Alicia quite flustered.

"As for Lolo... your gift is at the very end, after everything is over. After all, Lolo, you didn't leave any memories in the Paradise of the Past, so I won't give you the key that holds the secret. But as a thank you for preparing the banquet for me, look forward to it, it definitely won't disappoint you." Alicia winked mischievously at Chen Luo.

"Mm." Chen Luo nodded.

Instead of saying goodbye to everyone immediately, Alicia approached Chen Luo and gently cupped his face in her hands, her azure eyes gazing into his.

The faint fragrance grew stronger, and Alicia, dressed in her finest attire, appeared even more breathtakingly beautiful.

"Don't move. Look at yourself in the mirror. Hmm, very good. Alicia will be in top form!"

Just as their noses were about to touch, Alicia let go of his hand, suddenly stepped back, lightly touched the ground with her toes, made a cute face at Chen Luo, and then flew into the air.

Finally, Alicia made one last wish for everyone: If, in the distant future, you ever meet a Herrscher like me, please try your best to tell me! That would make me so happy!

Then the stars began to rotate, where countless luminous threads had been tangled—the threads of fate that only Aponia could see.

Now those strings are disappearing into nothingness bit by bit, as if a pair of hands arranging stars are erasing the originally predetermined future.

While gazing at the starry sky, Chen Luo also obtained his own crystal flower.

As if a gift from the stars and moon, a crystal flower, flowing with seven colors and resembling a star, fell from the sky and was caught steadily in Chen Luo's hands.

“This is…” Vilvi felt that this crystal flower looked familiar.