"Don't talk if you're so badly injured. Isn't it nice to be carried like this? Oh, Hua, could you go retrieve the Herrscher's body?"
Elysia glanced helplessly at Chang Yuan, then turned her attention to Hua.
Hearing Elysia call her, Hua nodded. "Leave it to me."
She then leaped into the sea and retrieved the 9th Herrscher's body, which was floating in the water.
The battle was over, but the sea level had risen significantly due to the hundreds of meteors that had fallen, some nearly ten kilometers in diameter.
If not for the 4th Divine Key protecting the Mu Continent, it would have suffered a fate worse than in the original timeline—being shattered to pieces.
"Well, well, if it isn't Vice Captain Chang Yuan? How does it feel to be princess-carried by your captain?"
Ato, now fully healed, teased Chang Yuan.
With the battle over, there was no need to stay tense. The remaining Honkai beasts on the Mu Continent would be handled by other teams.
Now was the time to lighten the mood with a few jokes.
Chang Yuan didn't respond to Ato's teasing. Instead, he silently raised his right hand and flipped him off.
"You jerk, if we hadn't arrived in time, you'd be playing cards with the King of Hell by now. And here you are, mocking me. Watch out, or I'll send you to the borderlands to deal with Honkai outbreaks. You won't be allowed back for a year."
"Hey, hey, that's going too far, Chang Yuan. Even though you're practically the uncrowned king of Fire Moth, abusing your power like that makes you no better than those council members from before."
Hearing that Chang Yuan might exile him to the borderlands, Ato immediately protested.
Exile was one thing, but not being allowed back for a year? That was too much.
By then, Griseo might not even recognize him as her father.
"Tch, you're the one mocking me. I'm the one who saved your family, and instead of thanking me, you're here making fun of me. I don't care; Griseo has to call me godfather."
"I'm not dead yet! At most, she can call you godfather, you jerk."
Ato was deeply grateful for Chang Yuan and the others' help.
If they hadn't arrived so quickly, he might have become one of the countless victims of the Honkai.
So he had no objections to Griseo calling Chang Yuan godfather.
After all, they had been through life and death together. If something happened to him in the future, he could rest easy knowing Griseo was in good hands.
"Fine, then she can call me Brother Chang Yuan."
Rolling his eyes at Ato, Chang Yuan felt his injuries were almost healed.
He then looked at Elysia hopefully. "Um, I'm better now. Can you put me down?"
"Are you that eager to leave my embrace? Wuwuwu, do you not love me anymore~?."
"I'm not, don't—ugh, never mind."
Even though he knew Elysia was fake-crying, Chang Yuan couldn't do anything about it.
That's what love was—compromise, restraint, and mutual care.
"Thank you for saving Ato's life."
Blanca appeared, holding Griseo's hand.
She and Griseo bowed deeply to the three of them.
Fortunately, Hua had already handed the 9th Herrscher's body to the logistics team.
Otherwise, the sight would have terrified the child.
"It's nothing. Your family was thinking of the entire world, after all."
While the butterfly effect might not have been as significant as they thought, who could say for sure?
So, as the saying goes, those who gather firewood for the people should not freeze in the snow.
Since they had made such a decision for the sake of the world, as Elysia's lifelong partner, Chang Yuan felt he should do something too.
If she loved humanity, he would love it with her.
But if he had to choose, he would always choose Elysia.
"The battle's over. Let's eat. Healing has drained all my energy. If I don't eat soon, I'll starve to death."
"Honored guests, if you don't mind, please come to our hotel."
As they discussed where to eat, the people of the Mu Continent, whom they had saved, gathered around.
They all clamored to invite Chang Yuan and the others to their establishments.
From within the 4th Divine Key's shield, they had witnessed the intense battle.
This was the first time ordinary people had seen the power of a Herrscher firsthand.
A single meteor could have wiped out a country, let alone hundreds of them. The Mu Continent would have been destroyed.
So, to show their gratitude, everyone wanted to invite their saviors to dine with them.
"Sure, thank you."
Elysia smiled and accepted the invitation.
This was why she loved humanity so much.
They knew how to repay kindness—a shining aspect of human nature.
Of course, there were exceptions, but every group had its outliers.
You couldn't judge an entire group by its exceptions.
Thrilled that his invitation had been accepted, the hotel owner immediately called the kitchen to prepare a feast.
...
"I'm so full. My energy reserves are replenished."
On their way back to the hotel that night, Chang Yuan patted his flat stomach.
MANTIS warriors were just unfair. Anything they ate could be quickly converted into energy.
That's why, in the future, Kevin could catch and eat the Herrscher of Sentience.
While Honkai beasts were more nutritious, Chang Yuan had no desire to try them.
After all, Honkai beasts were confirmed to be silicon-based lifeforms. They probably tasted awful. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't touch them.
"Hmph~?, I wasn't very ladylike today, but thankfully, being a MANTIS warrior means I won't gain weight."
Thinking about how much she had eaten, Elysia felt a little embarrassed.
She had eaten several times her body weight in food.
Thankfully, her MANTIS body quickly converted it into energy. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to finish it.
And thank goodness her side effect was not gaining weight. What a blessing.
"Alright, we can head back to Fire Moth's headquarters tomorrow. We really owe Vill-V for her support this time. Without those orbital cannons, things would've been much harder."
Chang Yuan never expected Vill-V to have built orbital cannons behind his back. But thank goodness she had, or they would've been in trouble.