"Really?" Kiana's eyes widened. "Wouldn't that make her just like Mei?"
"No, she's different from Mei because she passed all of her psychological evaluations."
"Uh, I did have some psychological issues back then..." Mei lowered her head awkwardly.
"It's okay! No matter what Mei is like, I'll love her all the same!" Kiana seized the chance to pounce on Mei.
"Idiot Kiana, stay away from Sister Mei." Heavy Armor Rabbit swiftly delivered Kiana's punishment.
"Ahem, back to the point."
"The exchange is supposed to last at least a week. I definitely can't leave for that long." Theresa looked at Xia Ling. "So, Little Xia Ling, are you willing to go?"
"Eh? Me?"
"It's probably because of the paper Xia Ling published earlier." Himeko seemed to remember something. "I recall one of them was about Pseudo-Herrschers, based on the mission where you first met?"
"Ah, that's not what I meant. I mean, am I qualified to go?" Xia Ling hurriedly waved her hands. "I've only been with the Far East Branch for half a year. Wouldn't it be... a little inappropriate?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Oceania sent me a private email rather than an official letter, probably because they don't want to make a big deal out of this." Theresa speculated.
"My guess is that they've encountered some technical problem, so they need someone with experience dealing with Pseudo-Herrschers to help."
"The last large-scale appearance of Pseudo-Herrschers was during the Second Honkai Outbreak. Most Valkyries who experienced that incident have either died or retired. Even if any are still active, they probably can't get away."
"That's why they sent me the email. They probably want you to take part in this."
"I see... then, all right. When would I be leaving?"
"They didn't give a specific time, but following convention, it should be a week from now." Theresa thought for a moment. "You don't need to rush. It won't be until after New Year's Day anyway. Once the holiday is over, hand off your work and prepare to leave."
"Okay. The two courses I teach aren't particularly specialized, so I'll leave them to Teacher Yang when the time comes. And Kiana, I'll be checking your homework when I get back."
"Don't do this to me, Sister Xia Ling!"
Amber entered the bishop's office carrying a stack of documents.
"Ah, Amber. What is it? Did something happen?" At her words, Otto's fingers flew across the keyboard at an astonishing speed before he looked up and asked nonchalantly.
"Lord Bishop, you were secretly playing Kallen Fantasy during work hours again, weren't you?" Amber quietly stared at Otto's desktop. Though phrased as a question, there wasn't the slightest trace of doubt in her voice.
"Ahahaha, I was just... just taking a little break." Otto gave a dry laugh and hurriedly changed the subject. "What is it, Amber? You came to see me at this hour, so it must be something urgent."
"That's right, Lord Bishop. Please look at this." Amber sighed, pulled out a document from the stack, and handed it to Otto.
"Oh?" Otto read it quietly, his gaze gradually deepening. "The matter in Oceania..."
After a while, Otto set down the document.
"Interesting. How very interesting."
"Does Lord Bishop have any thoughts on this matter?" Amber asked respectfully.
"I read Theresa's paper. To be honest, its authenticity remains questionable. I studied creatures like Pseudo-Herrschers during the Second Honkai Outbreak. Rather than Herrschers, they were more like a type of powerful zombie..."
"In short, when they possess no personality of their own, they should not be capable of independently developing advanced intelligence, much less what this report claims about breaking free of Honkai control."
"Are you saying they're lying?"
"They don't have the nerve to go that far. Before me, at most they would conceal a little information." Otto sneered. "It's still too early to tell whether this Pseudo-Herrscher is a trap someone has set for me, or the special case I suspect it is..."
"Amber, where is Rita right now?"
"Lord Bishop, Lady Rita is currently leading Immortal Blade on a Honkai Beast extermination mission in South Africa." Amber thought for a moment before answering, "Do you need Lady Rita to return?"
"No. Let her continue with the mission as usual for now." Otto shook his head slightly. "Didn't this Branch Leader say he had invited my dear granddaughter to take part in the research as well? Send him a reply. Tell him to give me a detailed report after the exchange and research conclude."
"Lord Bishop, if that is the case, they may not provide much useful information after the exchange ends."
"It doesn't matter. I wasn't counting on them anyway." Otto snorted. "The people assigned there were merely some of the 'consumables' I had prepared."
"Once Rita's mission is complete, I'll have her make a trip there."
"Understood, Lord Bishop." Amber nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and please remember, Lord Bishop, you need to finish processing these documents before tomorrow."
"If you keep indulging in Kallen Fantasy, you may not have a day off during New Year's Day."
The all-knowing smile on Otto's face immediately collapsed.
"Wendy, Wendy, it's time to get up."
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Highmore came to Wendy's bedside and gently nudged the girl's exposed shoulder.
"Mmm, it's so early. I want to sleep a little longer... Didn't I have no experiments to attend today?"
Wendy opened her emerald eyes and tried to adjust to the harsh morning light.
"Did you forget? Dr. Ryan said yesterday that people from the Far East Branch would be coming today to jointly research and discuss the experiment's progress."
"There's still a lot to do today, so you can't rest yet~"
"So that's why... I played until after one last night, so I'm still half asleep." Wendy shook her head and slowly sat up, utterly unconcerned about the springtime view she was exposing. "Highmore, help me~"
"Okay, okay... Sigh, I remember Dr. Ryan initially told me to take more care of you. Why does it feel like you're the one being cared for now?" Highmore complained with her mouth, but her hands moved with remarkable skill. She quickly helped Wendy get dressed, then lifted her into her arms and placed her in the wheelchair.
"Because I'm disabled. Isn't it normal for you to take care of me?"
"But you were managing just fine on your own a few days ago. Why does it feel like ever since I helped you once, you've become more and more dependent on me?"
"Because Highmore's service is really thoughtful. Besides, I didn't have a roommate before. What else was I supposed to do but fend for myself?"
"Huh?" Highmore's face filled with confusion. "Oceania didn't even have anyone assigned to take care of your daily life?"
"They did before, but sometimes I could feel the way they looked at me from behind... It was very piercing, and they were clearly somewhat afraid of me too."
Wendy rested one finger against her lips, recalling the days when she had first arrived in Oceania.
"Though I disliked the way they looked at me, I didn't want to trouble others too much either. Rather than have both sides endure the discomfort, I thought it would be better to just take care of myself. After all, I used to be an A-rank Valkyrie. It was just a bit troublesome..."
"Even though Schicksal never said it outright, everyone understood why my experiment was placed in Oceania. It was because this place is far from the major continents. Even if I completely lost control here, the effects wouldn't spread too widely..."
"What do you mean, alone? Don't you have me now?" Highmore leaned over the back of the wheelchair and rubbed her face against Wendy's.
"I'm a Pseudo-Herrscher. My identity is probably even less welcome than yours. That means the two of us can only commiserate together."
"Besides, my life is most likely tied to your experiment. I probably won't be able to leave you until the day I die."
"Y-you, don't suddenly get so close!" Feeling the warm, fragrant breath against her cheek, Wendy's face flushed. She hurriedly turned her wheelchair herself. "I'm going to wash up. Y-you go make breakfast first."
Before Highmore could turn around, Wendy's little head suddenly peeked out from the washroom doorway again. "Also, don't say things about dying from now on. It's bad luck."
Watching the door slam shut once more, Highmore shook her head with an amused smile.
"Sigh, Wendy, tsundere girls aren't popular anymore, you know?"
A week had passed since Highmore had been "captured" in Oceania.
Since Highmore and Wendy had hit it off the day they met, Ryan arranged for Highmore to move in with Wendy that very night.
Of course, they were merely staying in the same dormitory, not the same room.
At first, Wendy had been rather shy and somewhat resistant when Highmore tried to help her with her daily life.
But after Wendy fell because of her limited mobility one time, perhaps because Highmore saw her in such an embarrassing state, Wendy became a little self-abandoning and simply accepted Highmore's assistance.
After only a few days, she found herself thoroughly enjoying it.
Of course, this new roommate brought Wendy more than just convenience in daily life. To relieve the boredom of not conducting experiments every day, Highmore began playing games with Wendy.
Perhaps because she had not relaxed like this in a long time, Wendy quickly became addicted. She often dragged Highmore into playing until one or two in the morning, making Dr. Ryan repeatedly emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy routine these past few days.
While the two on this side were still eating breakfast, Xia Ling had already been speaking with Ryan for quite some time.
"Ah, I see. No wonder that paper was published jointly by you and Lady Theresa. So you were an eyewitness to that Pseudo-Herrscher incident." Ryan suddenly understood.
"You flatter me, Doctor. You're being too polite. Principal Theresa was the main force back then. I was merely a little follower at her side." Xia Ling repeatedly waved her hands modestly.
"Oh, you're being too humble. In a battle of that level, merely being able to hold your ground on the battlefield was already enough to prove your strength. Someone like me, if I hadn't encountered Highmore, would probably never have had the opportunity to personally come into contact with a Pseudo-Herrscher in my entire life."
After a round of mutual flattery, Ryan finally got to the point.
"It's like this, Miss Xia Ling. From the way you spoke just now, that paper clearly demonstrated less than one percent of your true ability." Ryan complimented her.
"The reason we invited the Far East Branch this time was to ask someone like you, who has truly seen a Pseudo-Herrscher and also possesses some research experience, to make an evaluation from a third-party perspective."
"Doctor, do you want us to assess the Pseudo-Herrscher's stability?"
"Precisely. Miss Xia Ling, you truly are clever." Ryan nodded. "Research cannot be completed in a day. Our research into Pseudo-Herrschers has only just begun, but headquarters requires us to reach a conclusion as soon as possible on whether this Pseudo-Herrscher's condition is stable."
"Although we have provided evidence through psychological evaluations and physical examinations of Miss Highmore, that still isn't enough to make the conclusion convincing."
"I see. I understand what you mean, Doctor." Xia Ling revealed a knowing smile. "I will actively interact with Miss Highmore over the next few days to assess her condition."
"I believe that in a week, we will all obtain an ideal result."
"Indeed, indeed. With a rising star of the research world like Miss Xia Ling assisting us, our research will surely progress swiftly." Ryan was naturally pleased with this outcome and spoke politely again and again. "If Miss Xia Ling has any other insights, please feel free to raise them. We will certainly consider them carefully."
"Then, would it be convenient to take me to meet them?"
"Of course. To make it easier for you to assess Miss Highmore's condition at any time, aside from accompanying daily experiments, I've also arranged your lodging in the same building as Wendy and Highmore. If you need anything, you may visit them at any time."
"I'll personally take you to the residential area to have a look later."
"It's here, Miss Xia Ling." Ryan stopped outside the residential area after bringing Xia Ling there. "This is the residential area. The building in front of us is where Wendy and Highmore live, and your room is in this building as well."
"Since this is the women's residential area, I won't accompany you inside. Our first experiment will begin tomorrow. I'll send the details to your terminal, along with the locations of your room and Wendy's room."
"You may decide for yourself when to meet them. I have already informed them in advance."
"However, because I needed to meet with you this morning, the morning experiment was temporarily suspended. Those two girls may have only just gotten up, so please excuse them."
"It's fine, I understand." Xia Ling readily went along with it. "Etiquette is only a minor matter. Your branch is housing a Pseudo-Herrscher and someone implanted with a Herrscher Core, so I fully understand making some allowances in this regard."
"This is quite good as well. After all, it can indirectly reflect Miss Highmore's humanity."
"It's wonderful that Miss Xia Ling understands." Ryan smiled and nodded. "Then please make yourself at home, Miss Xia Ling. I need to return and arrange preparations for tomorrow's experiment."
Inside Wendy's room.
"Sigh, Highmore, why haven't the people from the Far East Branch arrived yet?" Wendy sat at the table, boredly fiddling with her handheld console as she played a co-op game with Highmore.
"Maybe they'll be here soon. The time Dr. Ryan mentioned was around now."
Highmore controlled Homu and unleashed a finishing move, draining the enemy's health bar.
"Soon? Should we not start another round yet?"
"Let's play one more. I don't think they'll be here that quickly. There's no movement outside at all." Highmore answered distractedly.
Though her words were phrased as a question, her tone was exceedingly certain. Xia Ling had just told her through the channel that she had only arrived at the residential area and was preparing to put down her luggage.
"Okay... Huh? Was that something at the door?"
"Something? Was there?" Highmore took off her headphones.
"Maybe it's someone from the Far East Branch. I'll go take a look!" Wendy moved closer to the door, opened it, and stepped out.
Outside stood a petite black-haired girl carrying several large bags of luggage. Holding a room keycard in her hand, she stared at Wendy in silence.
"Uh..." Seeing that familiar cyan figure before her, Xia Ling's mind briefly froze.
"Did you go to the wrong room? Someone already lives here." Wendy did not realize that Xia Ling was from the Far East Branch and spoke gently.
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Though her brain had yet to react, Xia Ling's habitual tendency to get lost made her apologize instinctively as she hurriedly shut the door.
"What happened?" Highmore walked over.
"A new Valkyrie went to the wrong room." Wendy shook her head without saying much else.
"W-wrong room?" Highmore immediately pictured a certain petite black-haired figure.
Forget it. If it was Xia Ling, she would probably get lost again anyway...
Sure enough, not long after the two sat down, another error message sounded at the door as a keycard failed to unlock it.
Highmore sighed. Because of security concerns, the dormitory building had many sensor-operated doors, and the furnishings throughout were all basically identical.
Before you continue