Volume 8 is finally over. This is the longest volume I've written so far, with a full 119 chapters even with more than ten massive two-in-one chapters.
This volume was actually written in a bit of a hurry because there were too many new characters introduced, from the Snow Wolf Squad to the original characters, as well as two Herrschers and the return of Shu's team.
It's not an easy task to compress so much content into more than two hundred thousand words. I actually discovered this problem in the very beginning with Siegfried and Cecilia's story.
It's still quite difficult to make each person's role unique while advancing the main plot, because there will inevitably be some homogenization. But thankfully, there hasn't been a case of character clashing yet.
So, let's answer some questions as usual. It seems like everyone has a lot of questions about this volume.
First, a heavyweight: about the character Gu Chu.
First of all, the portrayal of this character is definitely a success. Even though he is disliked by everyone, the reason for their dislike is very unified, and their attitude towards him is polarized, or rather, very singular.
You're great, but can you please die?
This is the attitude of many people towards Gu Chu. They praise him while being annoyed by him, and they can't help but marvel at what he does while loathing him.
But there is one thing I want to mention. Many people feel that Gu Chu has too much screen time, even more like a protagonist than Shu.
In fact, Gu Chu's screen time is really not that much. His and Shu's appearance times are almost the same.
The reason why you feel that Gu Chu has a lot of screen time is probably because the person who is constantly breaking through on the battlefield is not Shu, but Gu Chu.
After all, in everyone's impression, on-the-spot breakthroughs, flashback kills, and other plots should only happen to the protagonist of a story who has great luck.
And what about the enemies and villains?
They should just obediently stick to their old ways, and then wait for the protagonist's sudden inspiration to defeat them. Occasionally, a villain who breaks through their own limits will make everyone gasp in surprise.
And Gu Chu's breakthroughs are too easy, too casual. The continuous breakthroughs are even annoying, and the impression of him has changed from a strong opponent to an unkillable cockroach.
But in this world, is there anyone who is born a protagonist?
Perhaps many people can do those things that are labeled as "only a protagonist can do," but they are not the protagonist.
Or rather... they can only be the protagonist within their own scope. When two "protagonists" meet, one will inevitably fall and become a stepping stone for the other.
And Shu and Gu Chu are actually two "protagonists" who met on this single-plank bridge.
In fact, everyone is a protagonist. It's just that they either didn't compete with Shu like Gu Chu, or they made way for Shu like Kiana and the others.
The difference is that Kiana and the others' path is the same as Shu's, so they can walk side by side and make the choice to give way. But Gu Chu and Shu's paths are opposite, and both have their own reasons for reaching the top.
Even if this reason is simply to walk up and have a look, the two will eventually face each other.
Shu is the protagonist you have been watching for a long time, while Gu Chu is a standard "cool text" template protagonist. He appears suddenly, has tenacious vitality, incredible growth speed, and an unbelievable growth ceiling.
Don't you all like this kind of protagonist? Righteous and evil, decisive in killing, and indomitable... why is it that when he stands on the opposite side, everyone starts to hate him like the villains in those "cool texts"?
I think the reason is actually very obvious, that is, Gu Chu is always on the opposite side.
It is difficult for normal people to like someone who is opposed to them. After all, most people in this world are selfish and emotional.
I don't hate Gu Chu just because I portrayed him. If I saw such a person, I would also hate him.
If you can't accept Gu Chu, then just treat him as a tool person, a pitiful person who has been bound by fatalism all his life.
The second question: Is Bianka Shu and Kiana's daughter?
Are you guys... not satisfied with shipping Shu, and you've started finding him a daughter?
But if you insist on recognizing the Kiana in the original work as Bianka and Sirin's daughter, then I have nothing to say.
Because there is definitely a blood relationship, but Bianka's genes are not only Shu and Kiana's genes. These two's genes were only added later by Otto.
In fact, Bianka's body already contains the best human genes, including the genes of Cecilia and Siegfried.
Don't ask me where Vakh got them from. The answer is that they were left behind when the Snow Wolf Squad went to Siberia to save the people there.
The third question: Why do I always update once a day and always owe chapters recently?
Because I have been busy recently, and I have a serious gaming addiction. I often indulge in games and can't extricate myself, so I have to apologize to everyone.
Don't worry about me running away. I will definitely update this book to the end. Even if Shu encounters some accident, I will continue to tell his story by starting a second book.
But speaking of which, the recent high-pressure updates have indeed caused my update quality to decline a lot. Many times I can't write what I'm thinking, and because I changed the outline halfway through, I now find that some places could have been written better.
So from next month, I may not be able to write 4000 words a day. I want to reset all the chapters that are not well written. This time I don't need to rush the progress, so I have a long time to polish it.
Of course, this doesn't mean that I won't update next month. But if I continue to advance the main plot, it's really not good for you. I also know the feeling of being cut off at a critical moment.
Coincidentally, the current plot has reached a transition point, and according to my investigation, the public's demand is for daily life.
So next, let's set up a separate interlude to give Shu a good vacation, a real vacation.
And Bianka and Shu and the others don't actually know each other yet. There is also something to write about between them, as well as Otto and the others who haven't been seen for a long time...
There are ten thousand people in the City of Sighs this time. It's not an easy task to integrate so many people into the Fire Moths.
You're all tired of the big scenes, right? So next it's time to go back to the trivial matters. Do you want to see Shu return to the grassroots, or see Bianka integrate into the big family?
I think you should want to see Shu, after all, it's been a long time.
The fourth question: Has Shu's combat power been suppressed again?
Actually, I have been emphasizing one thing throughout this volume, and that is that only idiots fight based on magnitude.
What do you think a battle is? A beam struggle to see whose stats are higher? Or a comparison of mechanics to see whose mechanics are better?
The skills you talk about are an increase in stats, and the mechanics you talk about are also an increase in stats. In the end, it's just a matter of who has the higher final stats after both sides have applied their buffs and drunk their potions.
Just like you still think that Memory is T0 in mechanics and T5 in stats, and Evolution is a late-game carry that needs to develop.
In my opinion, the strength of Memory's mechanics lies in the fact that it is hidden in the dark and difficult to see the light. Any targeted investigation and direct confrontation are fatal injuries that it cannot bear.
It's like a decision card that can only be activated under many preconditions, and has too many restrictions. It can only play a role in specific situations.
And what about Evolution?
Its core mechanic is "adaptation." It is the one that should have the on-the-spot breakthrough, so it doesn't need to develop, it just needs to encounter. No matter what it encounters, it just needs to adapt instantly.
If there wasn't the setting of "power cancellation" between Herrschers, which crushes everything with magnitude, I don't know how Shu could defeat him with hard power.
It is precisely because he is so strong that I don't know how to restrain him head-on, so I set up an extreme flaw for him—not believing in the existence of the soul.
A battle is not a boxing ring with established rules, where you can crush your opponent with weight class. The opponent may have a knife, a gun, and may even have applied a deadly poison. They may even have bribed the referee to fight a rigged match.
Of course, some people want to say that as long as you can train your muscles to be indestructible, you can win. Losing to tricks is because your stats are not high enough.
Then why can only you reach that realm? Don't you allow me to reveal my indestructible body and beat you to your knees and drag you back to be a **?
The thing I hate most in my life is cheaters and those who don't let me cheat?
There is no such logic, even in a novel. Perhaps a "cool text" author will give his protagonist all the love in the world, nerf others into idiots, and only allow the protagonist to set fires.
But it's different here. I have a grudge against Shu, and I'm only thinking about how to kill him.
Because in the creation of this book, I am on the side of the Honkai, so I just need to think about how to create problems for him. But Shu has to think about a lot of things.
A random thought that I have, a setting that I casually write down, and he has to start thinking about what this setting is for? Who is it for? Who will use it? Where will it be used? When will it be used? How will it be used? What will it be used for? What will happen if it is used? How can it not be used? How can it be used without being used? What is the best way to use it? What is the worst way to use it? Can it be used repeatedly? Is it used specifically...
And what do you want to see?
Shu, go up and A him! Don't care about the other things. The tower is given, the dragon is given, the teammates are given, the crystal is given. Anyway, you go up and A him!
So some people think that Gu Chu is a failure. Of course, when I first designed this character, I just wanted to find an opportunity to put Shu on the ban list, so as to provide others with the opportunity to solo the Herrscher.
But as your questions about whether Shu's combat power has been suppressed have become more and more frequent, I have also been affected.
Anyway, these two have to fight, so why not let them fight more fiercely.
So I released the first step to try to kill Shu: unlimited theory, and a dead end that he had to defend.
Forcing him to fight, forcing him to fight to the death with Gu Chu.
I'll just limit him here and see if he can take over the battlefield before Kiana and Bianka and the others deal with the Herrscher.
It turns out he can't.
No one is allowed to be injured, and nothing is allowed to be out of his control. He has put so many shackles on himself. There is no reason why I can't win, even if I'm using a lower-class horse.
Okay, I still lost. My second targeted attempt still ended in failure.
Shu soon saw through why I released Gu Chu.
Aren't you the protagonist? The one who has gathered the love of the world? The center that the author is desperately trying to promote?
Then what will you think when you see a person who has received more love than you and has a bigger cheat than you standing on the opposite side of you?
From eclosion to shedding, I have given Gu Chu a green light all the way. I have given him more love than when I created you.
Will you give up on yourself? Think that you are no longer the protagonist, and thus make way for him like the Herrschers you have encountered before, or will you shatter the fate I have prepared to kick you off the protagonist's position and prove that you are still the protagonist?
The author is an inescapable fatalism of a book, because the author can unscrupulously stack boxes and then eliminate old characters. Isn't it common for characters who are terrifyingly strong in the early stage to be worse than pigs and dogs in the later stage?
I also want to do that.
Unfortunately, Shu was not eliminated.
Although I can directly write him off to achieve this, without writing him off, I can't defeat him just by changing the environment he is in.
He has accumulated too many trump cards in the past seven volumes. At least I can't defeat him logically with just a few chapters of text.
Bianka faced the confusion in her heart and finally understood that the fate of mankind is shared. She finally awakened the power of [Hope] and became a new dawn that can take over Shu's position.
Kiana and the others faced the nightmare they had never faced before, and finally transformed from being protected to being strong enough to stand in front and protect others.
And what about Shu? He will face me directly.
I make a move, he counters it. Until I run out of tricks and can't write any new disasters, he will be able to get a world with only daily life as he wishes.
Perhaps there is someone who is more suitable than me to defeat this self-proclaimed savior of the dawn?
Are you there? Do you have time to destroy the world?
This sentence is finally no longer spoken by the current Shu, but a question I am asking you.
You just need a sudden inspiration. Give me a good idea, and I will try to kill this world. It is a pleasure to play against the characters in my own book. Anyway, I enjoy it. I don't know how Shu will scold me.
I believe that many people are willing to become this "thousand people." Perhaps there are also people who want to help Shu? Such people are very few, right? Compared to the plain daily life, aren't you more纠结 about combat power?
All book friends who are willing to destroy the world or watch the process of the world's destruction can join the group chat. All your thoughts will become my next knife to Shu. Of course, they may also become Shu's help to refute me.
Group number: [REDACTED]
Okay, now it's the most important part of a chapter.
What is the main theme of this chapter?
There are many, but the main one is to deny fatalism.
There is not much of a main theme on Gu Chu's side, just one sentence: there is no absolute 0 in probability theory, and anything can happen in the next second.
And on the side of the bond, there is a lot to say.
First is the appearance of Azhar. This character is mediocre, has no special abilities, has a not-so-good background, and has a bottom-level setting.
It can be said that she was fished out of the mud, but she met Bianka, who was shining with light. The gap between them seemed to have cut off the possibility of interaction from the very beginning.
She has no Honkai energy resistance, and can only say a word with that dose of medicine.
She is not smart enough to counter the Herrscher, and can only rely on the psychological loopholes that everyone has analyzed together to complete the refutation.
Anyone else could have done what she did better. Such a character with no memorable points should not have appeared on this stage of gods fighting from the very beginning.
Just as she herself thought, Bianka has gathered all the beauty in the world, while she is just a waste product pieced together from scraps.
But it was this waste product that completed the most important part of the plan. The most ordinary person can also pardon everyone's sins like God.
Many people complain that they have no talent, and many people are troubled that they have no resources. But this does not mean that you are locked out of the door.
Don't think that fate has locked your future. What the future will be like is up to you to decide.
The world has not given you the capital to go to the future, but whether to go to the future is still up to you.
Please reject fatalism, because this bullshit theory will only stack boxes.
—
[Interlude Preview]
["Mm, your diagnosis results are out."
"Otto, how many more reincarnation opportunities do I have?"
"Don't worry about that for now. There's something more important right now."
"?"
"I'm going to usurp the throne. Shu, you're fired."
"???"]
["Eh? Are you also a newcomer to the Fire Moths?"
"...Yes."
"My name is Susanna, and I'm also a new recruit of the Fire Moths! I'm now an intern under Lady Durandal. We'll be colleagues from now on. Please take care of me!"
"...Okay... please... take care... of me..."
"By the way, what's your name?"
"...Kevin."
"Huh?"
"My name is Kevin."
"But you look like you're from Shenzhou... do people from Shenzhou also have the name Kevin? And why do I feel like you look so familiar... a bit like Lord Shu..."
"You're mistaken."]
["Bianka, is there something you need?"
"..."
"Um... Shu... big sister, she seems to have... misunderstood something..."
"Huh?"
"...Dad!"
"Huh?!!!"]