Honkai, but Spirit Simulator

Only 50% compatibility left to go.

It's like collecting cards from snack packages; the closer you get to the goal, the more obsessed you become.

"Mr. Liu Bai, what are you looking at?"

"Just admiring the beautiful curve of your back, Miss Rita."

Liu Bai replied calmly. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie.

Even though it was just a simulation, he felt like he hadn't seen such a shapely back and slender waist in ages.

You'd never see anything like that on Einstein or Tesla... even though his previous hosts were all shapely mature women.

——Whether it was Aponia or the grown-up Mobius.

In that regard, even Planck, as mature as she is, paled in comparison to those three.

"I'll take your words as a compliment, then."

Rita's tone carried a hint of amusement.

Destiny's headquarters are in Vienna, Austria, so the two of them were still on Destiny's private jet for Valkyries.

"Speaking of which, what do you think about me doing a barrel roll with this plane?" Perhaps bored, Liu Bai asked casually.

Having gotten used to Tesla's constant chatter, Liu Bai was surprisingly a little unaccustomed to returning to Rita's more formal and respectful way of interacting.

Well... Tesla was definitely the noisiest person he'd ever met.

"I wouldn't recommend it. I might report you to Bishop Otto."

"...Then never mind."

He was already on Otto's little black book. If Otto had a kill list, he'd probably be number one.

After all, 62 years ago, he directly wrecked Otto's plans, leaving Otto without even his hard-earned money, then dusted himself off and left, not to be seen for 62 years.

Not being able to get revenge for over half a century, or even find the other party's whereabouts...

Anyone would hold a grudge for life.

Especially someone like Otto, who couldn't stand a speck of dust in his eye.

"Ghostly Gentleman, you seem to be very afraid of Bishop Otto?" Rita asked teasingly.

"Not afraid."

Liu Bai shook his head. "More like, I don't want to provoke a rational, intelligent, and completely insane person."

Insane...

Rita was taken aback for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

Even she had to admit that Liu Bai's assessment of Otto was spot on.

——A rational, intelligent, and completely insane person.

(Perhaps that's why I haven't reported this Ghostly Gentleman to the Bishop?)

Many of Otto's plans were unsettling, and as Otto's black glove, Rita was privy to some secrets.

Like the reason for the defection of Destiny's strongest Valkyrie more than sixty years ago...

Although it was later proven to be just rumors spread by traitors, but...

Rita shook her head, banishing those distracting thoughts from her mind.

"We're almost there... Want to stop by a music store in Vienna?"

Chapter 53: Dudu

The plane landed in Vienna.

Rita had Liu Bai upload the filtered information to Otto through the dedicated network. Then, the two of them disembarked at Vienna Airport.

According to protocol, Rita should have reported to Otto, but as an S-Rank Valkyrie, she had the right to be a little willful.

"Speaking of Vienna, Ghostly Gentleman, what comes to mind?"

"Uh... the City of Music?"

"How ordinary."

"Well, I have some less ordinary thoughts too."

"Oh?"

"Like, if you don't get in, you start a second world war?"

Liu Bai said half-jokingly.

Rita paused, then smiled, seeming to take a moment to understand Liu Bai's meaning: "...Putting it that way, that's actually a pretty interesting perspective."

"And what about you, Miss Rita? What do you think of Vienna?"

"Of course, it's Destiny's headquarters." Rita chuckled. "Don't you think that no matter how many titles this city has, none can compare to the words 'Destiny Headquarters,' Ghostly Gentleman?"

"A cunning way of putting it," Liu Bai commented.

Rita remained noncommittal to Liu Bai's statement. Subsequently, she led him into a small alleyway on the streets of Vienna.

"You said the video store... is in an alley?" Liu Bai asked, somewhat taken aback by Rita's route.

"No, but only in alleyways can you find unregulated video stores."

Unregulated?

Now you're talking my language.

"How unregulated are we talking?"

"Hmm..." Rita pondered, a thoughtful expression on her face. "AVs everywhere?"

"AdultVideo or AnimalVideo?"

Liu Bai remained cautious, not immediately trusting the words of the cunning maid in front of him.

"Of course, it's..." Rita drawled out, a mischievous smile appearing on her face, "Guess?"

"..."

Rita skillfully navigated the alleyways of Vienna. Following behind her, Liu Bai soon spotted an unmarked store.

"So, it's Animal, right?"

Liu Bai looked at the impeccably clean storefront before him, feeling a bit dejected.

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn't the kind of video store he had imagined.

Rita smiled and pushed the door open.

"Oh, isn't it Miss Rita? What brings you here so early? The discs you ordered haven't arrived yet."

The auburn-haired proprietress turned her gaze away from the television, greeting her warmly.

"No, I'm not here to pick anything up this time. I'm here to buy some discs."

"Oh, that's rare. Well, help yourself."

With that, the proprietress's gaze returned to the television.

...The service attitude is really lacking.

"This place is..."

"That proprietress is an information broker in Vienna, like Gray Serpent—though, not everyone has Gray Serpent's backing."

Rita explained in a low voice.

"She's just an ordinary information broker, only able to get information from the rats in the underground. This store is just a front, but you can actually buy some rare discs here."

Ordinary information broker, my foot!

That woman is Margarita, Planck's ace agent, the "Marchioness"!

If she's an ordinary information broker, then Gray Serpent is the only one in this world who can call himself ordinary!

But... was she also subjected to the Project Stigmata?

When Liu Bai left, only the scientists had undergone the modification.

"I'm actually quite surprised. Does even Destiny's headquarters have a criminal underworld?"

Liu Bai naturally wouldn't tell Rita about Margarita, simply changing the subject.

Anti-Entropy is living pretty well these days... their intelligence network has even reached Vienna, and they're selling goods to Destiny's S-Rank Valkyrie...

"Where there are people, there will be conflict. Rats are certainly disgusting, but for some people, the existence of rats is still necessary."

At this point, Rita couldn't help but reveal a worried expression, "Perhaps the greatest torment for a maid is seeing dirty things and not being able to clean them up."

Liu Bai roughly understood. Rita meant that the criminal underworld had the shadows of Destiny's higher-ups behind them.

It seems that Destiny's higher-ups are still as chaotic as they were sixty years ago.

"Speaking of which, Ghostly Gentleman, which kind of animal do you prefer? Cat person? Or dog person?"

"I knew it. It really was AnimalVideo. That kind of joke is outdated, Miss Rita," Liu Bai said with an air of having expected it all along.

"But if I had to pick an animal... Dudu?"

"Dodo? No... pfft."

After a brief moment of confusion, Rita seemed to realize the joke and nearly burst out laughing, fortunately covering her mouth with her hand in time.

"Dodo... um, Dodo bird, very nice, but unfortunately, Dodo birds are extinct."

Rita was still chuckling softly behind her hand.

Dudu—this was Durandal's nickname among the other Valkyries, a slang term for "fool." Of course, using it on Durandal was not meant to be malicious in any way—even Otto acknowledged the nickname Dudu.

And Dudu just so happened to also refer to the dodo bird, scientifically known as the silly pigeon.

In short, it was a nickname similar to "dummy goose."

Although Rita wouldn't call her friend Dudu, Liu Bai's sudden mention of the word instantly brought to Rita's mind the image of her friend's naive and straightforward personality and behavior.

Although she had received professional training, she would allow herself to laugh for a moment.

"I'm surprised you know that nickname, Ghostly Gentleman."

"It's just fairly well-known among the Valkyries."

Liu Bai nonchalantly passed the buck to the ordinary Valkyries of Destiny.

"Giving S-Rank Valkyries nicknames so casually is outrageous. They need some discipline."

"Rita, wipe that smile off your face," Liu Bai thoughtfully reminded her.

"Ahem, my apologies. I lost my composure."

Rita straightened her clothes, transforming back into the elegant maid.

"So, Ghostly Gentleman, are you a cat person or a dog person?"

"I'm an older woman type of person..."

"Rita, you're back?"

As luck would have it, not long after she finished joking about Durandal, Rita saw Durandal in the headquarters hallway, wearing a women's bodysuit and a towel around her neck.

Clearly, Destiny's current strongest had just finished training.

Tsk tsk, what a figure...

"Yes, I just finished a mission, Du... Captain Durandal."

Oh no, I thought of Durandal when I heard Dudu, and now I'm seeing Durandal and thinking of Dudu again...

Fortunately, Durandal didn't seem to notice that Rita almost misspoke.

No, if Rita had actually said the word Dudu, Durandal might have asked, "Who is Dudu?" instead...