The vision ended, but a heavy silence hung in the Q&A Space.
Everyone was immersed in the profound sorrow of Fu Hua's farewell with her friends.
Kiana and Raiden Mei, being more emotional, had red-rimmed eyes, trying hard to hold back the urge to cry.
Fu Hua's heart wasn't faring much better. Reliving the past once more felt like tearing open an old wound.
Fortunately, she could still control her emotions. After all, it had all happened a thousand years ago.
The past was gone, vanished like smoke, but the memories of them would stay with her until the moment of her death.
"Class Monitor... all these years, it must have been so hard for you, right?" Kiana said, her voice choked with emotion as she looked at Fu Hua with reddened eyes.
"Class Monitor, don't be too sad. You have us now. You won't be alone anymore," Raiden Mei said, taking Fu Hua's hand as if trying to transfer the warmth of her own palm to her.
"Fu Hua, you had wonderful friends," Himeko said softly.
"Mmm, thank you, all of you."
Fu Hua took a deep breath and spoke to them with sincerity.
"By the way, Class Monitor, what about Little Cangxuan? Isn't she with you?"
In the vision of the past, besides Cangxuan and Danzhu, the little doll had left the strongest impression on everyone.
"Her... a long time ago, her energy was completely depleted, and with no way to replenish it, she fell into a deep slumber," Fu Hua said with a sigh.
"Can she be awakened now?"
"It wasn't possible before, but now... I want to try."
Fu Hua looked down at the arc reactor in her hand.
Being an 'old antique' with little understanding of technology, Fu Hua wasn't sure if this thing could wake the Book of Cangxuan. But since it was a reward from the Q&A Space, it was worth a shot.
After the group talked for a while, the next question arrived.
---o---
[Question Twelve: As the old trope goes, 'redemption weakens by three parts, corruption strengthens threefold.' Among the following individuals, who, after becoming corrupted, punches Schicksal HQ, kicks World Serpent, goes toe-to-toe with Kevin, and tears Herrschers apart with their bare hands?]
[A: Fu Hua]
[B: Seele]
[C: Raiden Mei]
[D: Fu Hua (?)]
"Holy shit!"
Kiana couldn't help but curse, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Who is that powerful? Is that even human anymore?"
Punches Schicksal HQ, kicks World Serpent, goes toe-to-toe with Kevin, and tears Herrschers apart with their bare hands.
Any single one of these achievements was enough to leave a person dumbfounded.
But when all of these feats were attributed to a single person, there were usually only two words to describe them.
A monster.
"Wait a minute. Why are there two Fu Huas in the answers?"
Himeko spotted the blind spot, a confused look on her face. "Did the Q&A Space bug out?"
"No. The two Fu Hua options may look the same, but the second one has a question mark after her name. This could be significant," Bronya stated.
"Why is my name in there?" Raiden Mei said, a little embarrassed.
She felt like a complete rookie, trembling between the Immortal Celestial and a woman who could shatter the Sea of Quanta with her bare hands.
"Hehe, Mei, you have to have more confidence in yourself! What if you really do become super, super strong in the future?" Kiana grinned. "When that happens, we'll definitely be the best partners!"
"Mmm... regardless, at least someone with that kind of power is on our side," Theresa said with a raised eyebrow. "But this 'corruption' part... it worries me. Does it mean a loss of control? That would be troublesome."
"Bronya feels we should approach this question by focusing on the word 'corruption'," Bronya analyzed seriously.
"The term 'corruption' usually refers to a drastic change in personality or spirit, becoming filled with negative emotions. A kind person becomes cruel, a simple person becomes profound."
"So, can we assume that one of the three—Class Monitor, Seele, or Mei-nee-sama—will have a mental breakdown in the future due to some event, become corrupted, and as a result, their combat power will increase dramatically?"
"In other words, our task is to determine which of them is most likely to become corrupted."
"Bronya is right," Theresa nodded, agreeing with her analysis.
"In that case, let's first rule out Fu Hua," Himeko said. "Given Fu Hua's personality and experiences, I feel that no matter what happens, it's impossible for her to become corrupted."
"Mmm, Bronya thinks so as well."
"But what about the other Fu Hua (?)?" Theresa added. "There's another strange thing about this question. Why are there two Fu Huas?"
"I have a gut feeling that the answer to this question is related to that. Otherwise, why would the Q&A Space randomly give two Fu Hua options?"
"Ugh... this feels so complicated," Kiana said, scratching her head. Using her brain was her weakest point. Making her analyze these questions was more painful than death; she'd rather just close her eyes and guess.
"Fu Hua, what do you think?"
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Fu Hua hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing her words before speaking.
"I also believe there is something up with the 'Fu Hua (?)' option."
"The Q&A Space wouldn't provide an option intended to deliberately mislead. It could have easily added Kiana or Bronya, or someone else's name, but it specifically added another Fu Hua."
"Therefore, I believe the answer to this question is very likely the other Fu Hua."
"You have a point."
Theresa nodded. The group discussed for a while longer, but they couldn't reach a unanimous decision.
Everyone had their own ideas and couldn't be certain their own was correct, which led to some disagreement.
Finally, Theresa couldn't be bothered to analyze anymore and simply held a vote to see which answer got the most support.
The final result was:
Fu Hua: 0 votes.
Seele: 2 votes.
Raiden Mei: 1 vote.
Fu Hua (?): 3 votes.
With the decision made, Fu Hua no longer hesitated and stated directly, "I choose D."
[Answer... correct.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained Mental Enhancement Potion x10.]
[Mental Enhancement Potion: After use, permanently increases one's mental strength. For three hours after consumption, the user will gain an 'Ethereal Mind' BUFF, during which their comprehension and learning ability for any subject will be greatly increased.]