Chapter 314
"You can personify it to make it easier to understand, but you can't put it into practice with such a simplistic understanding."
"The same goes for Schicksal," Otto said. "The relationship between Schicksal and the Celestial Dynasty is neither good nor bad right now. What can the Xuanyuan Sword bring me? What can it bring to the relationship between Schicksal and the Celestial Dynasty? More importantly, what benefits can we gain from the Celestial Dynasty if we obtain the Xuanyuan Sword?"
Otto's series of questions left Li Pu speechless.
He really didn't consider things enough.
"Can you give me an answer?" Otto asked again.
"That's really impossible," Li Pu said, scratching his head. "The Xuanyuan Sword..."
"It's still possible to take it," Otto said. "You just need to tell me the pros and cons."
"This..." Li Pu really couldn't explain it. After thinking for a while, he said, "Personally, I feel that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This matter is not detrimental to the Schicksal."
"The Celestial Empire itself has not found the Xuanyuan Sword yet, and besides, not everyone can use this weapon."
"The right to rationing you mentioned," Li Pu thought for a moment and said, "Is not something that the Celestial Empire can simply grant you permission to use. It requires the Xuanyuan Sword to approve it before you can use it. The right to ration is not in the hands of the Celestial Empire. As long as we put on a good show, the Celestial Empire shouldn't object. Of course, there's also the opinion of the people."
"Manipulating public opinion is an essential skill for every government, and I think you have that skill too."
"Oh~" Otto seemed to be leaning towards Li Pu's opinion and said, "Then can you be sure? Are you sure that the liaison officer can use the Xuanyuan Sword?"
"It's hard to say," Li Pu shook his head and said, "But I feel there's a high probability that he can handle it."
Of course, the real one should be Himeko, right? In the game, she was given the Xuanyuan Sword Himeko, and it seems that Himeko is also a main character in the Xuanyuan Sword storyline.
She should have the ability to lift this sword, right?
"You're going to be hard to convince me," Otto said. "The secret realm is extremely dangerous. You can't guarantee that anyone can lift the Xuanyuan Sword. We don't even need to consider the subsequent diplomatic relations."
"So, my dear Kallen, are you really sure? Are you sure you can find someone who is one hundred percent capable of wielding the Xuanyuan Sword?"
'This...' Li Pu hesitated.
'Himeko, right? But it seems she was controlled by the Xuanyuan Sword.'
'But how can I convince Otto?'
'Do you really believe even the worst Himeko could wield the Xuanyuan Sword?'
Chapter 350 Let's get started!
Li Pu really couldn't persuade Otto, at least for the time being, he didn't have any particularly good reason to get Otto to agree to team up to find Pipi... ah~ no, Xuanyuan Sword.
Li Pu had no idea who was suitable and who wasn't.
But he was determined to Pipi Ma.
However, even if you, Otto, are unwilling, I Li Pu, have ways to make you willing to team up.
At the shipboard AI independent communications center, Ai-chan happily counted her earnings, saying, "If Otto hadn't interfered, I could have earned even more. It's really annoying that he suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"
"If I just do it one more time, I can spend money again..."
"What are you going to spend money on?" Before Ai-chan could finish speaking, she heard a voice that sounded like a demon in her ear, "Tell me about it, I'm really curious."
"Ah~" Ai-chan was startled by the sound and almost dropped the money in her hand. She clutched the pile of loose change tightly in both hands and turned her head tremblingly to look at the person who had scared her half to death.
"Um... Doctor Mei?" Ai-chan said, trembling all over, "Um, nothing! You must have misheard! I definitely didn't say anything about spending money or anything like that."
Sure enough, no matter how much time passed, Doctor Mei remained as authoritative as ever, instilling fear in the AI.
"Game top-ups, huh?" MEI pushed up his glasses and said, not really bothered. "Don't worry, I don't care what you do with the money. It's your money, how you spend it is your freedom."
Mei doesn't care about that money. She doesn't lack money now, and more importantly, she has nowhere to spend it.
She wouldn't stoop so low as to rob cabbage.
"Hehehehe~" As if the professor had seen through her, Ai-chan chuckled foolishly as she put away the money. She put on a fawning expression and asked, "Um... Doctor Mei, what brings you here all of a sudden? Is there something important you need to discuss with me?"
This PhD student is a night owl and only visits the house when there's a reason, so this trip definitely wasn't just a casual stroll.
So why did she contact me?
Maybe they have some other money-making ideas and want to collaborate with me.
Upon thinking about this, Ai-chan immediately perked up her ears. Money is truly sweet; no one can resist having more and more money in their hands. AI is the same, so my dear Doctor, please be sure to tell me your new ideas!
"Hmph~" Doctor Mei could, of course, see why Ai-chan was being so obsequious.
"If you want money, I can give it to you," MEI said slowly, as if trying to whet your appetite. "Ten thousand yuan, I can give it to you directly. But it's in cash, not a transfer or anything like that. You'll have to find a way to save the money yourself."
"Oh~" Ai-chan was slightly discouraged upon hearing this.
Cash is indeed a bit of a hassle, as there are no ATMs on board. For some online payments, transferring the money to Alipay, WeChat Pay, or an online bank account can be quite complicated.
The earliest it might be after the next broadcast shutdown for maintenance is likely.
But in the end, that's still ten thousand yuan, which is quite a lot!
"Um~ Doctor." Ai-chan knew, of course, that she wasn't going to take this money for nothing, and said, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Of course," the doctor said. "I'd like to know about the ship's security system, specifically the anti-espionage and anti-infiltration system."
"Huh?" Ai-chan was taken aback and said, "Why is the Doctor suddenly interested in this? Did Otto ask the Doctor to take charge of this area?"
"Of course not~" MEI pushed up her glasses. She didn't know how Otto viewed her existence. She was called "Kallen Kallen" and was indeed sent out on missions, but she was never given any official title or real power. Theoretically, she was a cleaner, but she didn't actually do any of those things. Her authority and position seemed low, yet she had virtually no obstacles to move around.
MEI couldn't understand Otto's attitude, but it didn't matter to her.
Therefore, internal security matters are definitely not her responsibility, and MEI doesn't want to worry about that much. However, this time she needs to get Otto to agree to form a team to capture Pipi Ma... If it's not about finding the Xuanyuan Sword, then she has to start with security.
"Do you remember the time Raven took me off the ship?" MEI asked.
"Raven?" Ai-chan had never heard this name before, and she asked curiously, "Who is Raven?"
"Don't you recognize her?" MEI was a little surprised. Was World Serpent really that unknown? Was Ai-chan genuinely unaware of her, or was she just pretending not to know?
"If you don't know me, that's fine." MEI didn't care about such trivial details. She just said, "You just need to remember the time I was kidnapped. Don't tell me you've forgotten about it."
"Oh~" Ai-chan suddenly remembered and said, "Of course I remember, how could I forget something like that?"
"How long have you been gone? How long have Otto's wailing echoed throughout the entire ship..." Ai-chan casually, but then seemed to realize that she had said something wrong and quickly corrected herself, "Lord Otto was furious about it and went to the security department to complain... No, I mean Lord Otto personally made changes and made the security department guarantee that this situation would not happen again."
"Wailing? Playing the fool?" MEI pushed up his glasses.
Otto's feelings for Kallen are unusual, but it doesn't have to be this bad, does it? Never mind, that's not the main thing.
"So how effective were Otto's reforms?" MEI asked, skipping over the strange questions.
"It should be good, right?" Ai-chan said, a little unsure. "Otto personally oversaw this, so those problems shouldn't happen again, right? But why did the Doctor bring this up again?"
"Because I think even if Otto personally intervenes, it won't make a difference," MEI said with a sneer. "So..."
"You're planning to arrest them yourself?" Ai-chan asked in surprise. "Forgive my bluntness, but those people in the security department might not obey your orders. Even if Lord Otto tacitly approves, they'll definitely outwardly comply but inwardly defy you."
Mei's authority was still effective on her, but it might not be so effective on the other people on the ship.
"Who told you I was going to get involved in this kind of nonsense?" MEI retorted. "I just wanted to say that if Otto hasn't found any traitors, then those traitors must still be hiding on this ship."
"I want to find that person." MEI pushed up her glasses and said, "Quietly~ Secretly~ Don't let Otto know~"
"Oh?" Ai-chan realized that the money Doctor Mei gave her was not so easy to get.
"This matter... ten thousand or something..." Ai-chan said softly, but Mei could still hear her, "... is a bit risky..."
"The current unit is RMB, but of course I can change it to Japanese Yen." MEI pushed up his glasses, a cold glint in his eyes, and said, "It could even be Korean Won, Thai Baht, Vietnamese Dong. If you say one more word, I'll change it to Zimbabwean Dollars, how about that?"
This Ai-chan actually dared to negotiate with her! She's got a death wish, isn't she?
"Eh?" Ai-chan exclaimed in surprise, quickly explaining, "Um, Mei-sama, this isn't so easy. I need to find people in the security department, investigate myself, and keep quiet. All of that costs money. Even in US dollars, bribing a bunch of people would cost a lot. So this really isn't something Ai-chan too..."
"Hmph~" MEI sneered and said, "Don't give me that nonsense!"
"Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?" MEI took a step forward and said, "You don't think I can't guess your little Ai-chan, do you? Is everything the security department's fault?"
MEI currently lacks evidence, but there are some issues with the character design Ai-chan gave her in the game.
To put it simply, Ai-chan isn't a villain, but if there were a mole, she'd almost certainly be guilty. She wouldn't escape because she betrayed the company, but simply because she was offered too much.
Moreover...
"Does Otto pay you a salary?" MEI sneered. "AIs have always been like Yang Bailao (a character from a Chinese folktale who is poor and dependent on others), haven't they?"
Although Ai-chan is a super AI, she is still essentially AI. Humans still perceive AI as a 'tool' or a 'very useful tool'. A tool only needs to be easy to use, sufficient, and durable. The main costs are maintenance and salaries...
Nobody pays their computer a salary.
Ai-chan might attract attention to her thoughts and feelings because of her superhuman personality, but there's no way she'll get a salary.
"So where did you get your games from?" MEI pushed up his glasses and said, "Did they all come from 3DM? I've browsed 3DM quite a bit. I know the games on 3DM. I also have quite a few games from Sbeam, but they all cost money. And if you're into in-game purchases, mobile games are basically money pits; you can throw any amount of money into them. So here's the question."
"Where did you get the money to buy games? And where did you get the money to spend on in-game purchases?" MEI pressed. "Even if we take a step back and assume Otto pays you a salary..."
Is your salary enough to cover the cost of in-game purchases?
"Eh..." Ai-chan was speechless.
"Otto may not know your little schemes," MEI said coldly, "But you'd better save your trouble with me. I can easily find those people out myself without paying you any money."
"I came to you just for convenience, and you actually want to try and raise the price with me?"
"Ah~ um..." Ai-chan was a little unsure what to say. She said, "Well... um... I'm just trading some things that aren't very important..."
"Don't worry," MEI said, "I'm not here to cut off your source of income."
"I'm here to make a deal too, and I hope you... or rather, they."
"Say what I want to say."
Chapter 351 Seeing SU Again
"You want to take Britain away?" Otto put down his tea and said, "Kallen, are you still thinking about finding the Xuanyuan Sword?"
"Yes," MEI said, "Why don't you go look for it? It's clearly a very useful thing, why don't you go look for it?"
"I'm not like you," MEI said firmly. "I don't have so many concerns. For me, there are only two options: I can find it or I can't. Besides, I'm coming to you to let you know. If you're willing to cooperate, then cooperate; if not, I'll go by myself."
The first thing to do is to find SU and ask about the exact location of the Xuanyuan Sword and how to enter the secret realm.
Then Ai-chan will pass this information out.
MEI was certain that the World Serpent and Anti-Entropy would be interested in the Xuanyuan Sword. They would definitely try to seize it and then use the channels she already possessed to send intelligence back to Otto...
No, Otto definitely has spies planted within Anti-Entropy.
If Otto knew that Anti-Entropy was also actively searching for the Xuanyuan Sword, he would most likely be unable to sit still and would also start searching for it.
Of course, Otto won't be the only one involved; other political forces will also be involved. Otto is currently allied with China, and once rumors start circulating, everyone feels this matter has great potential.
When others have already taken action, it is perfectly reasonable for Otto to act under the guise of assisting his allies.
Then we can also give the Celestial Empire some face.
Of course, if Otto continues to sit on the sidelines and watch the two tigers fight, it will definitely further affect his relationship with the Celestial Empire.
Moreover, MEI believes that China would definitely not agree to Otto sitting idly by and watching the two sides fight. Anti-Entropy will most likely cooperate with, or even break with, the US. They won't choose to fight alone, and China certainly won't go into battle alone either.
At that point, Otto will have to play whether he wants to or not.
Now that she has established a connection with Ai-chan, all that's left is to find SU and obtain crucial information from him.
"This..." Otto was a little embarrassed.
He was genuinely reluctant to use the Valkyrie of Schicksal for the sake of the Xuanyuan Sword, which might exist but was now highly unlikely to be ordained by Schicksal, and might even result in a double loss. The benefits of this were far out of reach for him, but the drawbacks were obvious.
But now that MEI is so insistent, Otto really has no way to stop her.
"Kallen," Otto said after a moment's thought, "You already have the Holy Sword. If you want more, I can give you even better weapons, even the Oath of Judah."
"The Xuanyuan Sword..."
"We have to have it too." MEI said forcefully, "Only children make choices; adults want it all. If we don't fight for it, someone else will eventually. In that case, we might as well act sooner rather than later."
"Given my relationship with SU, I believe we can be more than one step ahead."
At least there are Anti-Entropy mechs in the game.
Ah... speaking of which, Anti-Entropy really is everywhere in games.
"Otto," MEI finally advised, "From an objective standpoint, the course of events won't change because of our individual decisions. So we should do this sooner rather than later."