After the video ended, the group wore varied expressions. So that's what "having her driver's license revoked" meant.
It made sense. Future Bronya looked so effortlessly cool and stylish riding her motorcycle, but the moment the Core of Reason was separated from her, she was sent tumbling, thrown back to her original state.
"So, Bronya becomes the Herrscher of Reason in the future because she inherits Welt's will?" Bronya said in a moment of realization. So Herrscher Cores could be inherited. And from the looks of it, after she became a Herrscher, she didn't have a hostile Herrscher consciousness trying to take over her body like Kiana or Mei did.
"By the way, who was that white-haired man? Even Bronya as the Herrscher of Reason and Welt, the previous generation's Herrscher of Reason, were no match for him," Theresa couldn't help but frown.
Fu Hua opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately decided against it.
The main reason was that revealing Kevin's identity right now would be useless. Never mind that he was currently in the Sea of Quanta; the power gap between them was on a completely different level.
She knew that Kevin's strength had always been the greatest among their group of Fusion Warriors. And unlike her, he hadn't been backstabbed and lost most of his power.
Therefore, with St. Freya's current strength, telling them would only add to their worries. There was no need to give them an impossible imaginary enemy to fret over.
"From what they said, it sounds like Bronya was in the Sea of Quanta. And although that white-haired man is terrifyingly strong, he didn't seem to have any intention of killing Bronya and the others. It was more like he appreciated their talent," Himeko commented.
"So, does that mean the white-haired guy isn't a bad person?" Kiana tilted her head. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with him.
"Who knows?" Himeko shrugged. "In the adult world, there's rarely such a thing as absolute good or bad. It's usually just a matter of different standpoints."
"Listen to what the man said. He said he and Bronya's group were not enemies, that their goal was to fight the Honkai. So why were Bronya and Welt so dead set against him?"
"That's likely due to a difference in their philosophies."
"Right, he also said he would become the leader of humanity and complete the mission of the 'Pioneers'... and he tried to get Bronya and the others to join World Serpent," Raiden Mei mused with a frown. "Hmm? World Serpent... why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before?"
"Eh? Mei, you know about World Serpent?" Kiana looked at Raiden Mei curiously.
"...Idiot Kiana, have you forgotten already? The very first question we answered when we came to this Q&A Space had 'World Serpent' as one of the options."
"Ngh... H-how can you blame me for that? That was over half a month ago! How is a girl like me supposed to remember that!?" Kiana's face flushed red as she tried to defend herself, embarrassed.
"By the way, Theresa, didn't you look into this organization? Any luck?" Himeko asked, turning to Theresa as if she'd just remembered something.
"No."
Theresa shook her head. She had tried to find information about World Serpent before, but whether they were just too good at hiding or the organization simply didn't exist, she had come up with nothing.
But now she knew. Not only did World Serpent exist, but its leader was also a being of such terrifying power.
"But speaking of which, it's surprising that Welt would give the Core of Reason to Bronya. And from the looks of it, he genuinely sees Bronya as his successor."
"Bronya doesn't understand. During my time in Anti-Entropy, Bronya never once met Sovereign Welt."
Honestly, Bronya was also perplexed. There were so many people in Anti-Entropy. Why would Welt give the power of the Herrscher of Reason to her, a defector?
"We'll probably only find out when we see more visions of the future."
"Yes, you're right."
As they were all discussing, the Q&A Space flickered, and a second video appeared.
The group paused for a second, then remembered that the correct answer was "twice." This meant there was another scene of Bronya getting her "driver's license revoked."
---o---
The scene this time was a stage, similar to a theater.
At the center of the stage, a small puppet was delivering a speech with great enthusiasm.
"Welcome, welcome! Welcome to my—Theater of Domination! I am your host for today, Jerry Barbera!"
Down below the stage, Bronya stood in her Herrscher form, looking around warily.
"A puppet? No... this is the feeling of a Herrscher."
"So this is the Theater of Domination Seele mentioned? It feels a lot like the first time I entered the Sea of Quanta, but this is neither the Sea of Quanta nor reality."
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you looking around for? Are you searching for that little sister of yours? Hehe, don't you worry, none of you are getting out of here. But unlike you, she's still got some use."
The puppet spoke to Bronya in an incredibly grating tone.
"Alright, the audience must be getting impatient. Now, let me introduce today's main character—"
"The Herrscher of Reason, the Honkai's very first traitor! The guardian of an ant-like civilization!"
"And among them, the one before us is the most pathetic of all!"
Bronya: "..."
What the hell are you talking about?
"First, let's review her life—"
"Bronya Zaychik, born in Siberia... ah, whatever, let's just fast-forward to the important parts."
"After a completely unremarkable period of being bedridden, she finally, and congratulations to her, became the Herrscher of Reason."
"But what a pity. Ever since she obtained this core, she hasn't won a single fight."
"She couldn't beat the leader of World Serpent, couldn't get out of the Sea of Quanta, and when facing the Herrscher of Sentience, first she got her motorcycle flipped with a single punch, and later she just fell asleep! Hahaha!"
"Ahem... apologies. As the host, I shouldn't be laughing. Unless I really can't help it—"
"But ladies and gentlemen, she still thinks she's so great."
"You certainly know the details, as if you were watching the whole time."
Bronya did not fly into a rage at the puppet's passive-aggressive speech. She remained calm and replied nonchalantly.
"Haha, a host naturally needs to study the cast beforehand! Don't worry, I definitely won't get your story wrong."
"Seriously, if I had the Core of Reason, even I could do a better job than you! Herrscher of Sentience? I'd ride that motorcycle right onto her face the moment I saw her!"
"Sigh, you might as well just give me the core. How about I fight the Honkai for you?"
"Is your stand-up routine over?" Bronya looked at the puppet, her face devoid of expression.
"Your performance was interesting. But that's all it was."