Autumn 2015, London.
Enoxia stood by the Thames, looking at the Big Ben nearby.
Fifteen years ago, the Herrscher of Death had turned the most densely populated third of London into a city of the dead, but for structures that were already inanimate, the destruction wasn’t particularly severe.
Except for this Big Ben, which had been split by the Herrscher of Death.
Although fifteen years had passed and the damage from back then had long since been repaired, it’s the same with all antiques and cultural relics: the older they are, the more they need protection. Once damaged, no matter how well restored, their value plummets.
To avoid drawing attention, Enoxia had altered her appearance. Now, no matter how you looked at her, she appeared to be a 16-year-old British girl.
Some time later, she arrived at the entrance of the British Museum.
A woman with dark red hair, wearing a white blouse and a blue long skirt, hurried out. Enoxia handed her a card given by Jackal. Upon taking the card, the woman’s expression instantly changed. When she looked at Enoxia again, her look shifted from puzzlement to warmth.
“Hello, I am Catherine, the current director of the British Museum. May I ask what to call you, miss?”
Catherine? Towards the stars… Ah… Sorry, wrong channel.
“You can call me Eno.”
After all, there were quite a few people named Eno in this world, far more than just Enoxia. If someone used a fake name for her, Enoxia would actually find it awkward.
Catherine gestured with her hand in a “please” motion:
“Miss Eno, please follow me.”
Perhaps out of professional habit, Catherine began her explanation after just a few steps:
“The British Museum was founded in 1753 and opened to the public on January 15, 1759. It is the world’s oldest and most magnificent comprehensive museum, and also one of the largest and most famous of the world’s top four museums. The museum houses many cultural relics and treasures from around the world, as well as manuscripts from many great scientists. The richness and variety of its collection are rare among museums worldwide. The British Museum possesses over 8 million items. Cultural treasures from histories across the globe are preserved here…”
Enoxia nonchalantly debunked it:
“Yes, even though the vast majority were looted by the British from all over the world. If all the artifacts inside were returned to their original owners, the British Museum would probably be as empty as an uninhabited house. Of course, if that happened, the British Museum would likely need a name change too. How about ‘The Little Britain Museum Without Northern Ireland Independent Principality’?”
Catherine didn’t answer, only responding with an awkward yet polite smile.
The two walked up to an ancient stone stele. Catherine introduced it to Enoxia:
“This is what the Valkyries of Schicksal are about to investigate. It’s a Celtic scroll preserved since around the 6th century AD, recording a piece of ancient history…”
Catherine spoke with great enthusiasm, but Enoxia only felt like falling asleep. Because even if she weren’t the Herrscher of Corruption, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of British legends and history would know the story of King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone with Merlin’s help and eventually becoming the King of Britain. It’s not just familiar; one could practically recite it backwards.
Enoxia also knew very clearly that the Merlin in this story was Su. Having information she already knew endlessly explained in her ear was truly making her drowsy.
“So… Miss Eno, what secret exactly is within this mural?”
Enoxia placed her right index finger to her lips:
“Secrets… knowing too much isn’t good for you.”
Catherine hastily apologized:
“Ah, my apologies. I was merely curious from an academic perspective.”
Seeing that Enoxia didn’t seem angry, Catherine cautiously asked:
“That… Miss Eno, so when the Valkyries of Schicksal arrive here, what should I do?”
Enoxia shrugged:
“Proceed with the original plan exactly. Just introduce things to the Schicksal Valkyrie as you did to me. Provide her with whatever she needs as much as possible. Just act as if… I never came.”
“Miss Catherine, you seem to have some misunderstanding about me. I am not a member of World Serpent; I’m merely cooperating with them currently. So, I have no interest in altering World Serpent’s plans anyway. Jackal sent me here simply because she fears the plan might fail and wants me to clean up the mess.”
Catherine watched as this seemingly quiet and cute girl slowly left the British Museum. Her heart was full of questions, but her years of experience dealing with World Serpent ultimately made her choose to keep her mouth shut.
Shortly after leaving Russell Square, Enoxia noticed something had been following her. The corners of her mouth turned up. She intentionally walked and stopped intermittently until she reached the deserted outskirts of London, where she turned around.
“My, you’ve been following me all this way. You can show yourself now.”
Soon, a four-legged beast leaped in front of her.
Its body was white, but its limbs, tail, face, and ears were black, with red patterns on its forehead and ears.
“Oh, who is it? It’s the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Stan.”
On the bustling streets of Britain, besides humans, there exists another noble creature.
They are a proud and solitary species, silently observing the changes in human society amidst the clamor of the mortal world.
They generally do not actively attack humans. However, if you dare to thoughtlessly touch their bodies, you will surely face the sanction of their wrath.
And the name of this species, as humans call it, is… cat!
As a member of this species, Stan’s life experiences are richer than most humans.
In the turbulent first half of its life, it endured the baptism of war and gained kinship and friendship. It also experienced the pain of separation and death, learning a profound lesson from its short life: whether human or cat, the more cunning one is, the more easily one falls into unexpected predicaments. Only strength is the truth of this world.
But the strength of a cat is ultimately limited. So, it decided not to be a cat anymore!
Unlike other test subjects, Stan voluntarily stepped onto the jackal’s testing platform. After enduring unimaginable pain, he succeeded and gained the power he had always dreamed of.
From then on, if any human dared to easily touch its body, a single swipe of its paw could turn a grown man into mush.
Until today, when Jackal assigned it a mission and told it that a powerful ally would be assisting.
So Stan came to the British Museum and saw Enoxia.
Stan followed the petite girl from central London to the outskirts, but couldn’t see anything special about her. So he wanted to find an opportunity to give Enoxia a hard time and let her know who was in charge.
As a result, Enoxia suddenly started talking to itself, which startled it.
“My, I didn’t expect such a small body to hold so many experiences. Truly worthy of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.”
As a Herrscher of Corruption, Enoxia’s mind-reading ability naturally extends beyond humans. Capable of corrupting all things, she possesses a built-in synesthetic beacon, allowing her to communicate seamlessly with people from different countries and even different species.
Seeing that this human cooperating with him on the mission not only understood cat language but could also converse with him without difficulty, Stan’s heart skipped a beat.
“No, as a strong person, I can’t lose to her in terms of momentum!”
Stan immediately transformed, from a small, adorable kitten into a behemoth many times larger than a tiger, and slapped down at Enoxia.
“Strange, didn’t Jackal warn it? Then again, if I got hurt by an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, I might as well not be a Herrscher.”
[Down!]
The moment Stan raised his paw, his brain instantly lost control of his body, and with a thud, he bowed down in worship to Enoxia.
Even an animal like Stan, whose thinking ability far surpasses that of a normal cat, still has far simpler thoughts than a human, let alone any strong willpower.
Therefore, when Enoxia projected her consciousness onto Stan, it took even less effort than with an ordinary human.
She blinked. Stan’s right front leg lifted and delivered a powerful slap to its own face, knocking itself to the ground.
After being slapped down, Stan sobered up considerably. It activated the detection device Jackal had installed on it.
“Let me see what makes this little girl so…”
Enoxia had no intention of playing dumb to deceive others, so she did not modify her data. Seeing the Honkai energy on her that far exceeded his own, Stan immediately fled as if he had seen a ghost.
(Achievement Unlocked: Even Stan Is Afraid of Me)
