Fu Hua's Hasty Visit and the Two Who Failed to Reach an Agreement

"Like hell it's fine! My latest floating robot—! Pay me back—!"

Being blown to pieces by Abyss White Flower, it could probably be said to have died without regrets as a robot...

Lab 42

"Blondie, bring me my Sword of Blazing Fire."

"Ah, the Sword of Blazing Fire?" Reanna looked bewildered.

"I think Sister Tesla means the welding gun."

The brown-haired child spoke cautiously.

"Sorry, when this idiot gets irritated, she stops speaking human."

"Hey! Bird's Nest Hair! Who are you calling an idiot?"

"Who else but Dr. Tesla, the one loser dog who isn't a loser dog?" Einstein said with a faint smile.

"Ugh..."

"I-I'm really sorry. I didn't expect it to be a robot."

Reanna looked deeply apologetic. "I'll compensate you."

"...Forget it. By the way, what did you do to that thing? You actually severed every single wire." Tesla waved her hand.

After that, the conversation between the two shifted to Abyss White Flower's power of creation and the definition of life.

"It can only repair damage to living organisms? There's no absolute boundary between inorganic and organic matter."

"From another angle, aren't humans just machines with self-awareness? Think about our organs, cells, mitochondria, neurotransmitters... Which of them doesn't carry out orders according to external conditions?"

Tesla's barrage of arguments left Reanna somewhat dazed.

She was only a Valkyrie, not a biologist.

The others, however, were not paying much attention to Tesla. Instead, they looked toward the brown-haired brat in the laboratory.

—Joachim Nokianvitanen.

The future Welt Yang, currently still a brat who liked coming to the laboratory to mooch off its toys.

Despite his young age, he already possessed a third of his Finn father's frivolity.

At the moment, Joachim had unexpectedly struck up a conversation with Welt.

"Those two get along pretty well."

Liu Bai floated in the air.

"I think they even look a bit like father and son."

"What are you talking about?" Einstein paid Liu Bai's assessment no mind. "Still, it might be interesting to go through the paperwork... Though Joachim definitely wouldn't want to become Welt's successor."

"..."

What a reverse jinx.

In the future, Joachim really would inherit Welt's mantle.

"Oh, speaking of Finn..."

Liu Bai suddenly remembered something.

"Ein, go check the mailbox. If I've calculated correctly, it should be today."

"The mailbox?"

Einstein nodded, called out a greeting, and walked outside to check the mailbox by the door, which was empty most of the time.

—Inside lay a scroll case and a letter.

"This is..."

"Didn't I used to share a room with Edison? I told her that the Dead Sea Scrolls had been altered."

That way, all the scientists in Lab 42's circle would know that the Dead Sea Scrolls had been altered.

"The fact that she sent the scrolls back means they've already begun researching them, and what we need to do is..."

"Find the altered sections, right?"

Chapter 44: Fu Hua's Hasty Visit and the Two Who Failed to Reach an Agreement

You and Einstein began restoring the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Reanna Brigantia, a Valkyrie of Schicksal, had no intention of monitoring you, so she left the next day.

The remaining month was rather boring.

With your ability to possess a fountain pen, the altered portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls were quickly restored. For most of the remaining time, you accompanied the two scientists beside you on dates, while also comforting Welt whenever he occasionally had nightmares.

At the end of the holiday, Lab 42 received a flyer for a beach vacation—surely no one would want to vacation by the sea in winter, right?

Well, even so, off-season vacations were seventy percent off.

As everyone knew, women's resistance to discounts was about the same as men's resistance to Gundams.

Thus, even though it was objectively a stupid idea, Lab 42 unanimously approved the vacation proposal.

At the resort, you met its owner, Margarita Aiete, an elegant older woman with wine-red hair.

But at the same time, she was also Planck's ace female agent—she subtly revealed her identity to the two scientists.

There were not many employees at the resort during the holidays, which saved you quite a bit in tips.

In the first-floor lobby, you saw someone who took you by surprise.

...?

Liu Bai scanned the surroundings in confusion. Who?

Soon, Liu Bai sensed a gaze, as well as its source.

A black-haired beauty in a grayish-white trench coat, dressed neatly and efficiently.

Well, her chest was a little unfortunate.

Even without glasses, Liu Bai still recognized her.

—Fu Hua.

Oh, Fu Hua really did seem to be around at this point in time.

Was she looking for Einstein, Tesla, or Welt?

Liu Bai tilted his head, but felt that something was off.

It felt like... Fu Hua could see him?

Liu Bai was about to greet her to confirm it, but Fu Hua shifted her gaze toward Einstein.

...Was it an illusion?

"Fu Hua, a Valkyrie directly under Schicksal headquarters and Reanna's colleague. I've heard Reanna mention you."

Fu Hua calmly nodded at Einstein in greeting.

"Here, this is a gift for our first meeting."

Fu Hua took a spray bottle from her clothes.

Einstein and Tesla naturally wore puzzled expressions.

"Pepper spray, also known as chili water—I didn't bring anything else that could serve as a gift. Please accept it."

"...You Valkyries use pepper spray too?"

Tesla looked eager to complain. The most common reason her weapon designs were rejected was that they were "less practical than Valkyries."

"That's all. Goodbye. You may encounter someone rather troublesome today. May your future journey be safe and smooth."

Fu Hua clearly had no intention of responding to Tesla's complaint. She appeared in a hurry, then left just as hurriedly.

"How bizarre..."

Tesla watched Fu Hua's departing figure with a strange expression. When she turned around, she found Einstein aiming the spray bottle at her.

Tesla nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's chili water!"

"Don't worry, I won't spray it."

Fu Hua appeared in a hurry and departed in a hurry, like an unnamed passerby in life.

But you knew things were not that simple. Otto, the Bishop of Schicksal, was also at this resort.

After dinner, Welt, Einstein, and Tesla entered the men's and women's baths respectively. After a series of internal struggles, you chose the men's bath.

In the men's bath, a naked blond man with a distinctly gay air was waiting for Welt.

All right, Otto was not gay, but with only two people in the hot spring bathhouse... Fine, so they were going to judge heroes while soaking in a bath?

Otto revealed his true feelings to Welt—don't misunderstand, Otto merely hoped that Welt could inherit his position as Bishop.

"To put it bluntly, I am not a qualified Bishop."

"The reason I became Bishop was entirely because I was driven by personal desire—but that is not the point."

"Today's point is that I need a successor with 'great talent.'"

"I have lived for more than five hundred years... Yet my true self has, from beginning to end, been nothing more than a... vague shadow called a 'saintess.'"

Otto was astonishingly frank with the young man before him, the pen pal with whom he had only formally met for the first time.

"I believe your talent far surpasses mine... This has nothing to do with intelligence."

If Welt had truly nodded here, Schicksal's Bishop more than sixty years later might really have been Welt.

But...

"Allow me to refuse."

After Otto's lengthy monologue, Welt rose and left the hot spring.

"...Hm?"

"If you truly intend to persuade me to do something... then next time, please don't be so self-righteous. You don't understand anything at all."

"...Where... did I say something wrong?"

A trace of confusion appeared on Otto's wise face.

"No, you didn't actually say anything wrong."

Welt showed no intention of turning back.

"But... precisely because of that, I find myself even less able to trust you here."

"Is that so?"

Otto sighed with slight regret.

"Then... I hope time will give you an answer. Farewell, my friend."

That was a good answer, Welt.

"I just felt... that I don't get along with that guy. Or rather, we aren't from the same world..."

Welt scratched his head with a bitter smile.

Otto... He seemed to have fundamentally incompatible values with every person he truly cared about.

Kallen had been like that in the past, Welt was like that now, and even Theresa would be like that in the future.

Though the degree varied, Otto showed more tolerance than usual toward both the current Welt and the future Theresa.

As for everyone else... Even people like the future Durandal and Rita might only be "tools" in his eyes.

As for Schicksal itself, there was no need to mention it. To Otto, Schicksal's current purpose was to make it easier for him to revive Kallen.