Honkai: It’s broken, I have become the Herrscher of Corrosion?

The discomfort of traveling through the memory space slowly receded. However, this time, they did not fall into a certain memory, but were in an empty and dark space.

"Is this... Vilvi's mind world? Why does it look so much like... the Domination Theater?"

"I've never seen this building before! Mei-san, do you recognize this place?"

"Although I have never been here in person, my companions must have fought against the Ruler of the Current Civilization in a place like this. The layout and decoration here... are almost exactly the same as what Enosia told me."

"But...why is there this place in Weiwei's memory?"

"Maybe it's Sister Weiwei's magic trick again! She loves to do things like this to scare you!"

"Magic? As far as I know, the Tenth Herrscher of the previous civilization did not have this power. This is definitely not a coincidence. Could it be... at that time?"

Before the accident, when Mei was exploring the paradise normally, Velvet said to her:

"Let's make a deal, Herrscher of Thunder. Use my complete self in exchange for your complete self. When you pass through my cognition, you can see everything in my mind, even my most difficult secrets. But you... must also be defenseless, so that I can do the same."

In order to explore the truth hidden here, Mei agreed to Vivi's request without hesitation.

"After reading my thoughts, did she use my memories as a blueprint... to transform this place? Did she predict that such a [possibility] would arise and start planning all this? She was actually able to do such a thing... Maybe this time, I underestimated her."

Seeing Mei standing there motionless, Padofelice quickly reached out and waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Hey, Mei-sister, you can't just stand here and be in a daze. Aren't we going to find out the truth?"

"...Well, let's go."

In the center of the theater, there are several mirrors of exactly the same size and shape. There is no doubt that each mirror represents a memory of Weiwei.

Mei and Padofilius stopped in front of the first mirror, and then stretched out their hands at the same time to touch the mirror surface... Then, what came into view was a workbench full of various tools and Vivi who was in deep thought.

"Pressure valve... drive core... good, we're done. Test data... wait, why is there a 0.1% offset? To ensure the data is correct, let's test it again..."

"Although I found it difficult to get along with her when we first met, now that I think about it, [Expert] might be the most [normal] version of Vivi."

"After all, Sister Weiwei has a very complicated personality. But she is very serious about practicing what she is good at. Of course, the same is true for creating scares."

Soon, Weiwei had completed two tests. She picked up the lab report and put the probe handle behind her ear.

"It seems that the caliber of the parts does not match the parameters. Let's report it to the materials department."

A moment later, she returned to the laboratory, but her expression was subtly different from before.

"Is this my new creation? Isn't the design too mediocre? Since it's a groundbreaking invention, it must have a striking appearance to match it. A groundbreaking invention... I feel like I introduced it this way last time. Never mind. Anyway, aren't all my creations extraordinary and full of surprises?"

"...Hmm...That's much better~"

Seeing Velvi's increasingly exaggerated expression, Mei and Padufils were certain that she was the magician they had just met.

Another moment passed.

"Is this creation a foreshadowing of the fallen times? Under the cold shell are the intricate and independent springs. Is it proof that I am warning mankind's future with my remaining wisdom in the abyss of thought? If so, I might as well record the profound prophecy on it and leave it for the enlightenment of future civilizations."

"She is... the one overlooking the stars, Vivi..."

Another moment.

Wow, is the new invention almost finished? That's quite a bit of progress.

Let me see, functions... parameters...

"Hmm, I feel like something is missing. How about firing a salute into the sky every time it's activated? That way, all users will be amazed. That's right, this is the real power of inventions, to arouse everyone's expectations and enthusiasm."

……

After a while, Wei Wei pushed the door open again, this time with a few boxes of parts in her hands. She looked at the unrecognizable equipment in the middle of the room and frowned as usual.

"Tsk. It's always like this..."

Apparently, the expert was used to seeing other Vivi randomly modifying their inventions after logging in. She did not show any annoyance or dissatisfaction, but lowered her head and began to carefully review other Vivi's works to see if they needed improvement. However, Padofelice suddenly showed an expression of sudden enlightenment:

"Oh, Mei-san. Now I remember, this is the production process of the [Fully Automatic Audio Data Transcription Mapper and Fireworks Launcher]."

"...Fully automatic...what?"

"I don't understand it either. But according to what Sister Wei Wei said at first, she seemed to want to make a recorder that could work in the Paradise Space? So, do you know why Sister Wei Wei's inventions are always so exaggerated?"

“…I can imagine.”

The first memory ended here. Since the "second person" did not appear in the memory, it could not prove anything. The two of them did not hesitate and went straight into the second memory.

This time, there were a few more familiar faces around Wei Wei.

"Hello, Weiwei. It's rare to see you coming out of the workshop. It seems you are going to bring us some new gadgets?"

"Yes, please look, my new work - Kevin Armed Model 736 has been successfully launched! So today, I specially invite its exclusive user to test it."

Looking at the unusually enthusiastic Wei Wei, Kevin's reaction was rather cold.

"...Dear actors and audiences, aren't you looking forward to my unprecedented new performance?"

"Yeah, looking forward to it~"

Alicia applauded enthusiastically.

"Well, that's a nice call. So, dear Mr. Kevin, do you want to test the new weapon here? Or do you want me to explain it to you first?"

Alicia raised her hands above her head:

"Before that, I have one more question."

"Oh, go ahead. Responding to every curiosity of the audience is also a basic quality of a qualified magician."

Alicia pointed to the eye-catching logo on the machine invented by Velvet:

"Why is there such a pattern on your Anti-Kevin Weapon? Is this the logo of Mobius Laboratory?"

"…Ah, well, this is just a little Easter egg. The budget department restricted the application of superconducting materials, so I used some unconventional means to get these circuit materials."

"This is all thanks to the inspiration Mobius brought me. How can I always bury my head in experimental data? Of course, I have to do more interesting things. For example, participate in the immersive magic experience I carefully designed. Moreover, in order to achieve the best performance effect, I specially chose this shape-shifting performance during the time when the laboratory is running data. Now she must be screaming in surprise."

"This is really a grand performance. Mobius's expression right now should be very interesting, right?"

"Ah, judging by the time, Mobius will probably find this place soon. It's time to leave. Dear audience, remember to try out the new anti-Kevin weapon~"

Weiwei bowed ostentatiously to the room and left the lounge. A moment later, suppressed angry shouts were heard from the corridor.

"V-V-V-!"

…………

"No wonder Sister Snake rushed into the lounge angrily that day. I never thought such a thing would happen..."

"She always manages to stir up other people's anger just right, and escapes unscathed before the fire gets to her. From a certain perspective, Wei Wei is indeed a genius..."

"After all, Sister Weierwei is a person who likes to be lively. Every performance of hers requires the participation of other people. Sister Guo Meiyi, don't worry. Although Sister Weierwei likes exaggerated performances, she is very measured and reliable at critical moments. So, don't worry about her."

"Um... does she really know what [moderation] means...?"

The two walked silently through the empty theater corridor, and from time to time, fragments of memory jumped into their eyes, like a brief flame that was extinguished in an instant. Mirrors were scattered throughout the hall, dividing the space and the images of people into complex parts.

"These two times...the memories we saw were only fragments of Weiwei's past life. We have not yet touched upon the memories that contain key information."

Looking at the many mirrors, Mei suddenly thought of something:

"Pado, I suddenly had an idea. If Velvet appeared here, would these mirrors reflect her different personalities?"

"Mei-sister, stop joking like that now. Who knows, maybe Wei-wei-sister will suddenly pop out of a mirror and scare me... I think she could really do it!"

"I'm not kidding. Since Velvi's different personalities are the result of her splitting up her own mind...then in the virtual space composed of consciousness and memory, how will these different personalities exist? Or will they be completely integrated into one?"

"Hmm... It's so complicated. I don't understand it at all. For things like this, let's wait until we get out and let Sister Wei Wei explain it herself."

Just as Mei was considering whether she needed to explore her memories in the order of the mirrors, Padufils suddenly stopped where she was.

"Sister Mei, look, is there a lock on that mirror?"

Mei looked in her direction and soon revealed a confused expression:

"Indeed... But isn't this a space made up of memories? Why is there a lock? Could it be that Weiwei is hiding some secret that she doesn't want to reveal to others?"

"Why is that? Just open it and you'll know. I'm an expert at unlocking things. Mei-san, wait a moment~"

The girl excitedly came forward, and she produced a set of tools from somewhere and began to study it. However, as time passed, the padlock remained motionless, and a look of embarrassment gradually emerged on her face.

"Pado, let's put this lock aside for now. Let's investigate other memories."

"Wait a little longer. I...I promise, it will be open soon."

"If you are really curious about the locked contents, go ask Wei Wei directly after you return."

"That won't do. With Sister Weiwei's personality, she may not tell the truth. This is the only thing I'm good at. If I can't even do such a small thing, how can I be considered to be helping you? Don't worry, I will definitely be able to open it. Sister Mei, in order to save time, why don't you go and look at other memories first. I'll open the lock and come to you right away."

"...That's right. Okay, I understand."

Seeing that Padofelice seemed to be struggling with the padlock on the mirror, Mei stopped trying to persuade her and continued to explore Vivi's memory alone. This time, she heard the voice before she saw him.

"In other words, once you cross this line, you will enter the realm of the Ruler of Constraint."

"This is... [The Tragedy of Restraint]."

"It seems... to what extent this [barrier] can affect fusion warriors... we have to try it ourselves to know, right?"

As the picture gradually became clearer, Mei saw that Weiwei's eyes were fixed on the door of the laboratory. Death - this invisible and inaudible concept was once imagined as thick black smoke or an ultimatum from a certain god. But at this moment, it is just a "line", nothing more. But the fear it can bring to people has never diminished.

Without taking any protective measures, she raised one hand and crossed the forbidden line between life and death.

…Then, one side of the body.

“Ha…ha…it’s just like that…”

"Is she...really a fusion warrior? According to the World Serpent's information, the damage caused by the Law Constraint should be far more than this."

"Of course... I'm Velvet, a genius."

It seemed as if he was responding, but also as if he was talking to himself.

Finally, she completely crossed the line, and her entire body was completely immersed in the realm covered by the shadow of death. Then she immediately fell down.

"Um... ah..."

This was the first time Mei had seen Velvet show such a painful expression since she met her. This pain, which was so deep and hard to ignore, began to make her, a "bystander", feel the same.

What surprised Mei even more was that at this moment, Velvet suddenly burst into a very incongruous laugh.

"...? Strange...her voice..."

In the restraining barrier, Weiwei's increasingly abnormal state is constantly challenging the cognition of this battle-hardened Herrscher...