Jun An used Aponia's ability to soothe Griseo's emotions, incidentally expending some mental effort to help repair her crumbling mental world.
Although it used Jun An's own spirit as the material, for someone whose mental strength could rival Aponia's, repairing Griseo's mind consumed about as much energy as being drained roughly thirty times over.
Afterward, resting for three to five days would allow full recovery; anyway, it wasn't his maximum mental capacity that was consumed.
Of course, this wasn't without side effects for Griseo.
Since it was Jun An's own mental energy used for the repairs, Griseo would inevitably be dyed with his colors afterward and would certainly feel an inexplicable sense of closeness towards Jun An.
Strictly speaking, this could also be considered a form of brainwashing, though it wasn't modification, but rather patching or filling in the gaps.
After Jun An had more or less filled Griseo's spirit, the soundly sleeping Griseo slowly began to wake from her unconscious state.
"You are... Dad..." Griseo looked at Jun An's face, her expression somewhat dazed.
"Unfortunately, I'm not Hen. You've mistaken me for someone else."
Jun An stroked Griseo's head, which was resting on his lap pillow. "But in another sense, it's not entirely wrong. If you like, calling me that is fine too."
Jun An finally managed to suppress the urge to use the "I am your daddy" meme. After all, it was probably best not to joke around when someone had just woken up.
"Ah, s-sorry!"
Once Griseo fully came to her senses, her cheeks turned scarlet. "I don't know why I just..."
"I said it's fine. How are you? Feeling better?" Jun An knew her mental state had naturally improved, but he asked anyway.
"Yes, much better."
Griseo sat up from Jun An's lap pillow, her entire little face completely flushed. Upon seeing her mental world filled with Jun An's colors, her first reaction was shock, followed by guilt.
"Sorry for troubling you."
"I am your dad, after all. Protecting my daughter is perfectly normal, right?" Jun An joked.
"...Stop teasing me."
Griseo's face turned even redder. She had no idea why she had inexplicably called him Dad.
"Speaking of which, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Griseo. And you are?"
Griseo looked at the child before her. Not only did this child carry the colors of other Flame-Chasers, but he also looked like a MANTIS, just like her.
The metamorphosis surgery—this was undoubtedly a technique unique to Fire Moth. She could guess he definitely came from Earth.
"Captain of the Far East Branch's Hyperion, Jun An. Though I prefer people just call me Captain."
Jun An and Griseo were now considered acquainted. "Anyway, the goal of waking you has mostly been achieved. I'll wake you up properly from the outside later, and then you'll be fully awake."
"...Okay."
Griseo nodded slightly, then asked after a brief hesitation, "So... you'll still be by my side when I wake up, right?"
Actually, I'm currently on top of you.
Jun An had initially entered Griseo's mental world by lying prone in the cryo-pod. Of course, ninety percent of this was to take advantage of the situation; the remaining ten percent was because the floor was uncomfortable, and Jun An needed a pillow—Griseo's 'Big Thunders' were just right.
"Yes. As long as you need me, I'll be there."
Jun An nodded and then departed from Griseo's mental world.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Jun An felt the soft sensation of a 'face full of cleavage'. Griseo's body temperature was no longer as cold as before; it was warming up due to Jun An's own body heat.
Compared to the soft 'bed', the sounds outside were quite noisy.
"Oh my, what's wrong, little flat chest? Is this all the strength you have, and you still want to be a savior?"
"With such a tiny chest, you haven't even hit puberty yet, have you?"
"What, you're an adult? Oh, I'm so sorry then. It seems there's truly no room left for growth~"
Jun An could tell that Vita's mouth was exceptionally vicious, constantly attacking the thinnest part of Immortal Empyrean's armor.
But eighty percent of it likely carried Vita's own emotions, though Jun An wasn't yet clear on what those emotions were.
However, Fu Hua, who had initially intended to hold back, was no longer doing so. She had even punched Vita into a corner.
"I'll ask you one last time. What happened to them?"
Fu Hua raised her fist, threatening Vita.
I thought I finally wouldn't be the smallest one anymore, but how did Griseo get so big?
Is this reasonable? What exactly did you do to her?
"What exactly did you do to them!"
When Fu Hua had first arrived, she saw this person pointing a weapon at Griseo and the little boy. Clearly, she was definitely involved in Griseo's slumber!
"What, getting anxious?"
However, Vita remained stubborn, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth and continuing her mockery. "But why should I tell you? I advise you to just wait here. Letting them sleep soundly isn't too bad, is it?"
"I will find a way to make you talk."
Fu Hua wasn't fond of verbal sparring either and directly threw an inch-force punch towards Vita's head.
To prevent Vita from being beaten to death, Jun An froze Fu Hua just as her fist was about to connect with Vita's head, doing so without harming Fu Hua.
"Stop, Fu Hua."
Jun An remotely intercepted Fu Hua's attack and then immediately released the freeze. Vita let out a slight sigh of relief; she had almost played it too loose.
Fu Hua, however, immediately pulled back, maintaining警戒 (jǐngjiè - vigilance/guard).
But even amidst the battle, when she clearly saw Jun An's face lifting from the massive 'cleavage', her heart couldn't help but tremble. "You... Captain?"
The resemblance, it's uncanny, exactly like the Captain's childhood photos! Whose child is this? Or a counterpart from a different World Bubble?
"Yes, it's me."
Jun An moved off Griseo. "It's a long story. In short, while Vita isn't exactly a good person, she's not an enemy either. Currently, she and I have a deal."
"Is it really the Captain?"
Fu Hua's heart trembled, speaking somewhat incoherently. "Yes, it's the Captain... But, how are you here? Why are you with Griseo? Where have you been this past year? I, I..."
Fu Hua was quite emotional; this was the first time in many years she had spoken so incoherently.
After all, this was the man who had rescued her from her mission. A hundred thank yous wouldn't be enough.
And now, there was even more she wanted to say.
"Calm down, Fu Hua."
Jun An said, "Let's wake Griseo first, then we can explain everything together."
"Wait, before waking Griseo—"
Fu Hua didn't hesitate to hug Jun An. "According to Far East tradition, let me just say, welcome back, Captain."
"Yeah, I'm back."
Just as Jun An was about to pat Fu Hua's back comfortingly, his back was suddenly bumped by a pair of soft 'snow rabbits'. "Oh my, how can I miss out on such a heartwarming scene?"
Clearly, this person, still bleeding from the corner of her mouth, was here to ruin the atmosphere.
Jun An ruthlessly gave her a flick on the head. "Still bouncing around so energetically even when injured. Seems like Fu Hua went too easy on you."
"Right, I still don't know why you two started fighting?" Jun An looked at Fu Hua, wanting an answer.
"When I first arrived, I saw her pointing a weapon at you and Griseo."
Fu Hua explained, "And I gave her a chance to explain, but she refused to say anything."
Vita, however, looked aggrieved. "I was just bored waiting alone and wanted someone to talk to me. See? I didn't hurt anyone."
What Vita said was true. The power she'd siphoned from Sa was actually a notch weaker than Fu Hua's base form, and coupled with the difference in skill, she was basically just getting beaten up.
More importantly, she still had that Jun An-shaped thing inserted below, making movement truly inconvenient.
She had even climaxed lightly twice during the fight, and Fu Hua had caught the openings both times, almost finishing her off.
"But as for you pointing that blade at me... we'll have a proper talk about that later."
Jun An looked at Vita. Vita didn't seem resistant; instead, she looked somewhat expectant.
Vita said, slightly excited, "Alright, I await your pleasure anytime. But this time, I'd prefer a place with a bed."
Fu Hua: "Captain, this is a serious discussion, right?"
Jun An's eyes darted nervously. He pushed Fu Hua away slightly and explained, "Yes, don't worry. We only have a transactional relationship."
For some reason, the joy Fu Hua felt from being rescued moments ago completely vanished.
"Yes, we really just have a transactional relationship."
Vita felt an inexplicable sense of loss in her heart, saying somewhat unhappily, "As expected, you won't spare even a little bit of your gentleness for me."
As she complained, a warm power flowed into her body, healing the wounds left by Fu Hua.
"Is this okay then?"
Jun An sighed and used the Herrscher of Life and Death's power to heal her. Vita nodded lightly, then turned away. "That's more like it."
The reason Vita turned away at this moment was quite simple: happiness. She couldn't suppress the happy smile spreading across her lips!
What is happening?
Why am I acting like a little girl who got candy after falling down?!
How can I possibly let him see me like this?
It's just a transaction!
Quick, remember the face of this villain when he tortured me! Remember the humiliation and pain of being treated like his plaything!
...
What should I do? It seems like I can't bring myself to hate him...
The Precepts! It must be the Precepts' fault!
That detestable guy, putting such a vicious Precept on me!
Having found an excuse, Vita tried hard to calm herself. When she turned back, she saw Jun An's back as he went to wake Griseo.
Griseo rubbed her eyes and woke up in the cryo-pod, then stretched lazily as if she'd had a good sleep.
Then she gave Jun An a sweet smile and hugged him too. "Seeing you first thing... I'm really so happy!"
Vita watched Jun An slightly enjoying the feeling of being 'hit by the balls', then glanced at Fu Hua's crestfallen expression. They were like two extremes: one whose frankness was rewarded, the other like a defeated rival.
...What am I thinking! How could I possibly be a loser dog!