Of course.
Knowing Mobius and the others' temperaments...
They'd probably never have the patience to grind away at the tower indefinitely, unless they were constantly on the verge of clearing the very top floor.
Besides, if their physical fitness improved, and their recovery periods shortened, they'd be able to make attempts more frequently.
That's exactly why I say!
If you genuinely don't care about the paltry rewards from climbing the tower, there's really no need to put yourself through the wringer in the early stages.
The people around Kiana, no matter what, even if they don't become Herrschers, have a chance to get a custom-made Divine Key from Vill-V, or receive a MANTIS surgery tailor-made by Mobius.
If only Dr. Mei's technology was a bit more mature, you could even get yourself a Stigmata set.
Isn't that a far better deal than miserably grinding the tower?
Yes.
Exactly!
Even now, aside from Dr. Mei's Stigmata project, which has bogged down in a protracted stalemate due to the sheer, monumental programming workload required…
Well, you can see progress every day.
But that's more about alleviating the crunch-time suffering.
So, it can't be rushed. The first to declare her technology mature was Vill-V.
Like she's been saying all along, as long as Kiana provides the Herrscher Cores or Quasi-Herrscher Cores, she can churn out as many Divine Keys as needed.
Although she can make artificial cores now too, firstly, those cores lack Authority, and secondly, their output just isn't sufficient.
They're third-rate products.
Perfectly adequate for mass production, and even for use by elite soldiers, they're more than enough.
But Vill-V has no interest in that!
So now a new dynamic has emerged. Those who are truly powerful and qualified can go apply to Vill-V.
She'll see if she has any existing Divine Keys or Quasi-Divine Keys on hand that suit you. If not, she'll ask Kiana for a core and craft a custom one for you.
While Kiana could provide her with a batch of genuine and quasi cores every single day, Vill-V feels she's put in enough time at the forge.
She's done with that!
The design principles for third-tier weapons are already perfected enough to fully utilize the potential of most individuals. She's even handed over the tech for mass-producing Soulium and artificial cores.
After all, the patents belong to her, she's Kiana's wife in the official records, and nobody would dare try any funny business behind her back.
She's not worried.
As for Mobius's MANTIS technology, it's indeed ready for application.
On her end, while she's boosted the success rate significantly—and even if it fails, the consequence is just being laid up in bed for a year or so, which is totally acceptable—the catch is, precisely because it can't be adapted for just anyone, the surgery currently also requires customization.
It needs adjustments for each individual.
Naturally, the efficiency is much lower.
As for injecting factors into the human body to trigger a natural awakening into a MANTIS…
Mobius considered it, but ultimately decided it wasn't necessary.
The reason Dr. Mei in the original story went that route was because the true MANTIS surgery had an unacceptably high casualty rate, and they simply didn't have enough soldiers to spare. They had no choice but to let the soldiers awaken naturally on the battlefield.
But even then, it still required sacrifice.
The ironic thing is!
In reality, the sacrifice rate of that method is even higher than that of Mobius's new version of the MANTIS surgery.
'If I'm going to the trouble of injecting the factor, I might as well just perform the full surgery directly.'
'Did you really think factor awakening was that easy?'
'A waste of effort.'
But Mobius also said that generalizing the surgery, making it accessible to more people by lowering the requirements and increasing its universality, is a goal she needs to consider for the future.
Therefore, unlike the Divine Key technology, her side still has numerous minor details and considerations to work through.
While the technology is applicable now, stabilizing the success rate, further reducing the costs or resource requirements, and so on and so forth… there's still a lot of work to be done.
Of course, unlike Dr. Mei's project team, which just needs to connect to the Imaginary Space and code like mad, Mobius's work also requires specific raw materials.
And as the current God of Honkai, Kiana is essentially Mobius's biggest supplier.
Whatever Honkai-energy-infused tissue cells or DNA she needs, Kiana just conjures them up and delivers them to Mobius and her team.
The Honkai Beasts, each one more docile than the last, have practically been domesticated, farmed for extraction when needed.
Generally, only Emperor-class or higher Honkai Beasts possess usable factors. The lower-level ones aren't even considered, as they're essentially disposable consumables, utterly useless.
"While we've eliminated the risk of death, the experimental success rate, as well as the side effects of failure, will still be related to the grade of the Honkai Beast factor and the individual's compatibility…"
Mobius was draped over Kiana's back like a snake, clinging to her from behind. Her full, soft chest pressed against Kiana, compressed into what felt like soft pillows—a delightful sensation she offered as a perk for Kiana.
It really felt like she'd been getting much more adept at this lately.
What was going on with her?
"So, my dear hubby, what do you think… Should I, like my other self in the main timeline, fuse with a factor that suits me well, like Sesha's…"
"Or should I go for something better? For example, Jyahnar's?"
Over there, Jyahnar was preparing a fruit platter for Kiana. Hearing this, she silently glanced over. Any objections? No, none at all.
She didn't care about such things.
Mobius knew that, of course, which is why she said it!
After all, by any measure, a Planetary-class Honkai Beast is superior to a Judgment-class one, right? It's several tiers better.
According to research, a Herrscher's potential and upper limit are related to their Honkai energy adaptability.
But for MANTISes, it's actually related to the factor they fuse with.
Things like the Chimera Plan aren't even on the table for consideration right now.
Vill-V, having grown bored with the Divine Key project, has now started focusing her efforts on Ego Awakening technology.
Mobius, however, can't just leap straight into something like a God-Making Project. She hasn't the faintest clue where to start.
She might as well honestly stay put and diligently tend her own field first.
What's the rush?
"But Jyahnar doesn't possess immortality, you know," Kiana remarked languidly.
She felt Mobius's arms looped around her neck, the girl's head nuzzling her cheek, her breath carrying a faint, orchid-like fragrance.
She offered this reminder mostly because she knew full well that Mobius had already made up her mind long ago. Asking her? It was just casual chat.
Exactly!
From the very beginning, Mobius never intended to consider any Honkai Beast other than Sesha.
What she cared about was never pure strength, but functionality.
"Then forget it~" Now, she laughed naturally.
The fact that she brought this up made it abundantly clear!
She was probably genuinely preparing to undergo the MANTIS surgery herself.
Mobius was never a girl known for her patience. At the same time, she had utmost confidence in herself.
--+--
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