The smaller and simpler the object Liu Bai possessed, the stronger the special abilities it might gain, allowing Liu Bai to interfere with reality in an inexplicable manner.
The larger and more complex the object, the weaker Liu Bai's possession effects became. Sometimes she could only control the object—for example, the Carbon-Based Hunter Liu Bai had once possessed could only be controlled.
Based on this research, they had even speculated that if an object's size or complexity exceeded a certain threshold, Liu Bai might be unable to possess it.
—Liu Bai felt Rita's Valkyrie Armor probably belonged to that category.
After testing, the effects of Liu Bai possessing a fountain pen were: unlimited ink, indestructible (pending further testing), rapid writing, handwriting imitation, text restoration/alteration, and mental suggestion (minor).
—It really was like a haunted object.
If not for their experiments, Liu Bai might have spent her whole life possessing things like Papa Titan. She would never have possessed small objects like fountain pens, nor would she have realized that "enhance your degree of interference with reality" in the skill description came with hidden conditions.
No, perhaps that condition had already been hidden in the previous line, "you can lightly interfere with reality." She simply hadn't understood it.
—These scientists really were trying to explain her existence through science.
If the level of the Haunting skill continued to rise, could she truly grant possessed objects effects akin to the "sealed artifacts" found in Cthulhu-inspired webnovels?
"Hey, Einstein, don't write something like 'you're already full' while I'm eating."
Tesla warily glanced at the fountain pen Einstein was waving in her hand.
The minor mental suggestion brought by Liu Bai's possession was not very potent. It could only make people believe trivial things—like the "you're already full" Tesla had mentioned. Once the ink completely dried, the suggestion would lose its effect.
Edison had pulled that on her once, leaving her with no appetite for ten minutes.
"I'm not Miss Nancy."
Einstein had no desire to get involved with the feud between Tesla and Edison.
"And don't write something like 'hungry' after I've eaten my fill."
"Why not write 'you have no sense of taste' before eating?"
Liu Bai's voice came from the fountain pen.
"If you dare write something like that, I'll fight you!"
"Alright, alright. Let's go, Dr. Tesla."
Einstein slipped the fountain pen into the breast pocket of her clothes and spoke with a smile.
...There was absolutely nothing there.
Mr. Fountain Pen mourned for Einstein inwardly.
Schrödinger's Letter
"I'll have this strawberry cake."
Einstein pointed at the menu in her hand and spoke to the waiter.
"I'll have a seafood pasta and a strawberry cake."
Tesla quickly finished ordering as well.
"Einstein, weren't you going to have pasta?"
"That was merely an abstract way of putting it."
Einstein explained with a faint smile.
...That really was abstract enough.
"By the way, that red-haired girl with twin ponytails is going to get fat if she eats that much."
"None of your business!"
The word "fat" clearly darkened Tesla's expression.
"Brainwork consumes a lot of energy!"
"Someone who only wants to lie in bed and waste away during holidays has no right to say that." The fountain pen on Einstein's chest pocket twitched.
"Who do you think I'm using all that brainpower for?"
Tesla pursed her lips in displeasure.
"Honestly, fix that attitude of yours, you bastard!"
"Yes, yes, Lady Tesla." The fountain pen swayed dismissively.
"I think Liu Bai has a point. Judging by Dr. Tesla's current calorie intake..."
Einstein began solemnly, only for Tesla to cut her off on the spot before she could finish.
"Stop! Don't talk about this while we're eating!" Tesla looked at Einstein in embarrassment. "Even if you want to say it, Einstein, you haven't eaten much less than I have."
"First." Einstein held up three fingers. "Dr. Einstein only had one mushroom sandwich this morning."
"Mushrooms..." Tesla twitched her lips, already too lazy to argue.
"Second, Dr. Einstein is only seventeen this year, right in the middle of growing."
"No matter how much you grow, there still won't be anything on your chest." Liu Bai blurted out instinctively.
"..."
Expressionless, Einstein stuck the fountain pen from her chest pocket into the flowerpot by the window.
"Still growing at seventeen? Einstein, you really are a late bloomer." Tesla chimed in as well, though she dearly wished she could applaud at the sight of the fountain pen being shoved into the flowerpot.
What was wrong with having nothing on her chest?
Did it eat your rice?
Not everyone was as huge as that old hag Planck!
Didn't Schrödinger have nothing either?!
"Third, Dr. Einstein is still a minor and has the right to be willful."
"Can that kind of reason count too...?"
Tesla twitched her lips, but Einstein's doctorate did make it easy to overlook her age.
"Ah, I just remembered something."
Liu Bai, stuck in the flowerpot, suddenly thought of something. "After we left, the lab door was locked from the inside, right?"
"Of course. It's not like we'd leave the front door wide open when no one is home." Tesla looked at the fountain pen in confusion.
"Then... doesn't that kid Welt not have a key?"
"Uh... seems like it."
That meant if Welt returned to the lab during this time, he would be locked outside.
"Then he really is pretty unlucky... Let's eat first."
The cakes and pasta they had ordered were brought over just then.
When Liu Bai, Einstein, and Tesla returned to Lab 42, there were already two people standing at the entrance.
"Oh my, isn't that Finn?"
Liu Bai looked at the blond, frivolous-looking man among the two in surprise.
He wore a striped short-sleeved shirt and gold-rimmed glasses. Combined with that air of frivolity, he looked exactly like a refined scoundrel.
...Though that was what he looked like. Inside, he was actually a very steady married middle-aged man... probably.
Finn's real name was Elias Nokianvitanen. He was an expert in ancient languages and the librarian of the Empire Research Institute.
He had a son named Joachim Nokianvitanen—who would become Welt Yang in the future.
"Ah, Dr. Einstein, Dr. Tesla, you're back!"
"...What is it, Finn?" Einstein glanced at Welt beside Elias and asked without giving anything away.
Tesla and she were fairly familiar with him.
"An express delivery for Lab 42." Finn pulled an airmail letter from the folder he carried with him.
"Understood."
Einstein took the letter somewhat listlessly with her left hand while feeling for the key with her right.
Seeing Einstein's movements, Finn reminded her, "The sender telegraphed earlier and said that you should read it the moment you received it—said you would 'definitely' be interested."
"I'll open it."
Tesla took the letter from the somewhat impatient Einstein and quickly tore it open.
"Senior Einstein:
I hope you have been well. We recently discovered a rather interesting ancient game here. If you are interested, please be sure to come play someday. I guarantee you will all be very excited.
As for work, ???????????????????????? should be able to cover for you, right?
Your junior who awaits your visit,
Schrödinger
October 16, Billings, Montana"
"Schrödinger's letter."
Tesla's face rarely turned so grave when she saw that string of symbols that looked like unintelligible scribbles.
"The stiff style of writing is hers too."
"Why would she..."
As Einstein's expression darkened, the atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Then Einstein handed the letter to Finn.
"This is Aida's real name, isn't it?"
Einstein's slender finger pointed to that string of scribbles.
"...Yes." Finn nodded.
Aida—the Queen of Lab 42, an intelligent AI left behind by the Previous Era. Her capabilities were immense: one percent of her computing power equaled that of Sunway TaihuLight, yet her core was small enough to fit inside a WSNo.88 wireless transceiver. However, she had never been activated before the destruction of the Previous Era.
She was also classified as top secret within Lab 42, and Liu Bai had only seen her a handful of times.
"She clearly knows Aida's name..." Finn's brows twisted into a knot.
There were not many people who knew about Aida, but Schrödinger and the others certainly did, as did Finn.
Because Aida's name, appearance, and mannerisms had all originated from Finn, who served as her "home tutor."
—Something huge had happened!
Other than the bewildered Welt, those four words surfaced in everyone's mind.
"Finn! Make arrangements immediately! We're taking the nearest flight to Billings!"
Einstein's tone turned serious.
"Dr. Tesla! The two of us will pack our bags right away!"
"Then... what about me?"
Welt pointed at himself, utterly confused.
"You... Finn, I'll have to trouble you to look after Welt." Einstein looked troubled and decided to leave him with Finn.
"Hehe, don't worry."
...That frivolous man did not look reassuring in the slightest.
If possible, he would rather have Senior Liu Bai come over.
Dead Sea Scrolls
About half an hour later, everyone got into Finn's private car.
"Hey, kid, take this." Tesla, seated in the back, irritably handed the folder in her hands to Welt in the passenger seat.
Welt took the folder and discovered that it contained several small, hard-bound notebooks.
Before you continue