Gwen, unsure how to feel for a moment, kept his expression under perfect control as he scrolled through the screen and read the information below.
Hmm... Otto's information was relatively objective. He had not completely dismissed Anti-Entropy or painted it as nothing but a group of conspirators.
Of course, there was no shortage of bias where his own position was concerned.
But in Cocolia's file, what caught Gwen's attention most was this: "In November 2013, she framed Raiden Ryoma, also an Anti-Entropy Executive, and had him imprisoned on charges of financial fraud."
The end of last year... It seemed the Third Honkai was not far off.
As he pondered this, Gwen frowned slightly, casually closed the file, and shook his head.
"Whew...
"Internal power struggles, people framing each other...
"Heh... Should I say humanity keeps repeating the same mistakes?"
"It is hard not to agree."
Otto sighed with the same hint of melancholy and said:
"You should have noticed that Ryoma's only daughter is still living alone."
"Is there something wrong with that girl?"
Gwen asked, naturally unaware that the Gem of Conquest was inside Raiden Mei's body.
"The girl herself is, of course, merely an innocent young lady.
"However... there may be something on her..."
Otto paused before asking a question:
"You should know that after the Second Honkai, humanity obtained four gems with authority from the Herrscher of the Void, aside from the Herrscher Core."
"It is in the A-rank clearance database."
Gwen nodded.
"Of the four gems, the Gem of Plague, Gem of Stillness, and Gem of Desire fell under Schicksal's control, while the Gem of Conquest fell into Anti-Entropy's hands."
Otto spoke in a grave tone:
"According to reports from our people within Anti-Entropy, the Gem of Conquest has not appeared for several years.
"And its last transfer record was in 2005, when it was transferred into the hands of Executive Raiden Ryoma."
"You mean Cocolia framed Raiden Ryoma not just for ME Corp., but also for the Gem of Conquest that might have been in his possession?"
"Very likely."
Otto nodded and said seriously:
"Furthermore, given Cocolia's warlord-like methods, she would not have acted only against Raiden Ryoma while sparing his daughter, Raiden Mei.
"The most likely possibility is that she failed to obtain what she wanted and needs to get it from Raiden Mei.
"And that thing is very likely the Gem of Conquest."
"Reasonable and well-supported. Hard to refute... even if much of it is conjecture."
Gwen muttered inwardly, though his face wore a grave expression.
"You mean..."
"Go save that wayward girl, Gwen."
Otto declared righteously.
"?"
Though he had expected it, Gwen still could not keep his expression from slipping.
Cocolia Danzo: Ryoma, Don't Blame Me
After making a little joke with Gwen, Otto sent the target's information to Gwen's terminal.
"This is..."
Looking at the girl in the information, who had the appearance of an exemplary student, Gwen "instinctively" raised an eyebrow. Only after studying her carefully did his expression relax.
"Hm?
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Gwen's reaction, Otto asked curiously.
"No problem."
Gwen closed his eyes and gently shook his head before opening them again.
"It is just that Miss Raiden Mei looks far too much like our Dr. Mei."
"Hehe, how strange. Not only do those two have names with the same pronunciation, they also look quite alike."
Otto found it somewhat surprising as well and sighed.
"Who could say otherwise?"
Gwen spread his hands.
In the end, Gwen still accepted this mission, which did not particularly suit his usual style of action—
"Do not force yourself too much. Just treat it as meeting a down-and-out young lady while on vacation."
That certain Bishop had said:
"As for investigating the whereabouts of the Gem of Conquest and taking revenge on Cocolia, simply do what you can. There is no need to deliberately pursue them. Later, people more familiar with these fields will cooperate with you.
"Of course, I am not forbidding you from going straight to her doorstep. It is simply too dangerous."
Although Otto's orders were rather unserious, considering that Otto had always seemed to have little airs around him, Gwen accepted the mission for the time being.
After all, opportunities to approach Kiana, the core of the Sirin Project, were not something that came around whenever he wanted.
As for whether he might be offered up as a sacrifice...
Gwen was confident that by the time the Sirin Project officially began, he would already be able to beat Sodium Chloride back into a grasshopper.
"Hehe, Cocolia..."
After watching Gwen leave, Otto did not immediately return to his computer to continue working. Instead, he opened Cocolia's file. A few years ago, she had still been nothing more than an unremarkable little warlord in Siberia.
"Who, exactly, is behind you?"
Otto stared darkly at Cocolia's photograph. Behind that woman in a military coat, he seemed to see a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to choose its prey and strike...
"Heading out on another mission?"
At Institute St. 1504, Choukai waved dismissively when she heard Gwen's words, continuing with her work.
"Go on, go on. Your weapon has already been calibrated.
"Remember to bring me a gift when you come back."
"Choukai, acting like this will make you lose me."
Gwen casually teased as he hefted the spear in his hand.
"That would be wonderful."
Choukai paused her work, her face showing the relief of someone who had escaped disaster.
"In the months we have been neighbors, I have rarely been able to sleep until I woke naturally in the morning. You should know that a beautiful girl aging from lack of sleep is very easy."
"Then it looks like you still cannot live without me."
Gwen smiled.
"Enough, stop being glib. Stay safe."
Choukai glared at the guy who shouted at her across the balcony every morning. She waved him off irritably, but did not forget to remind him to be careful.
"Do not worry. I still need to come back and correct your terrible lifestyle habits. I will not die."
Carrying the equipment case containing his weapon and armor, Gwen left Schicksal Headquarters—
"Because of my agreement with little Theresa, and to avoid alerting Cocolia's hounds, you cannot take Schicksal transportation to the Far East. You will need to find a flight yourself.
"Of course, Schicksal has specialized equipment cases to make it easier for you to carry your gear."
Otto said he would reimburse all of Gwen's reasonable expenses during the trip, leaving Gwen no choice but to depart from Austria on a passenger plane after leaving Schicksal Headquarters.
While waiting to board, Gwen opened his phone like any ordinary traveler around him—
Spear of Sunlight: "Another mission... sigh"
Yolandale: "What is wrong? The number of missions you have completed is no fewer than that of a normal A-rank Valkyrie. You should not be this gloomy, should you?"
Yolandale was still on a mission at the time, though the battle had already ended and she was resting. She blinked, her face showing a touch of curiosity.
A Maid: "Perhaps the mission is rather unusual and involves an area Mr. Gwen is not particularly skilled in?"
Spear of Sunlight: "As expected of Rita 👍 This is a long-term mission. There is not much need for combat, but I will not be back anytime soon..."
Spear of Sunlight: "So, Rita, I am sorry."
Yolandale: "?"
Yolandale unexpectedly looked at Rita beside her. Her expression seemed to say, "What have you two been doing behind my back?" It nearly made Rita unable to maintain her composed smile.
"Mr. Gwen is probably talking about my birthday?"
After thinking for a moment, Rita reached the answer. Yolandale immediately understood—
Rita's birthday was March 1st, and it was already late February. If Gwen was undertaking a long-term mission, he truly would not make it back for Rita's birthday.
A Maid: "My birthday? Please do not worry about it.
"The fact that you remember Rita's birthday is already more than enough for Rita."
Spear of Sunlight: "That is not how it works...
"Boarding has started. We will talk later..."
"It seems Gwen really cares about your birthday, Rita."
At the camp, Yolandale said to Rita beside her.
"Hehe, then that is Rita's honor."
Rita tilted her head as she spoke and asked:
"Come to think of it, Rita does not seem to have told Mr. Gwen her birthday. I wonder where Mr. Gwen heard it."
"Uh..."
Suddenly remembering that she might have chatted with Gwen about birthdays during one of their training sessions, Yolandale's expression became slightly awkward.
"This... well...
"Sorry, Rita, I..."
Meanwhile, beneath ME Corp. in Changkong City, Far East—
Cocolia believed her actions from several months ago had been flawlessly concealed. Completely unaware that Schicksal had already set its sights on her, she led her subordinates through the Titan production line Raiden Ryoma had built through illegal fundraising, her expression filled with indescribable satisfaction.
"Raiden Ryoma, do not blame me. If you must blame someone, blame Schicksal..."
She muttered smugly to herself. Yet when she recalled that contact person, completely shrouded in black and wearing a bizarre mask, she suppressed a trace of satisfaction and asked the subordinate beside her:
"How is the plan progressing?"
Hearing Cocolia's question, the person carefully accompanying her immediately answered:
"Lady Cocolia, everything is going smoothly. Raiden Mei has now become the target of public criticism..."
Raiden Mei's Predicament
"The situation does not look good..."
Having just resolved a minor Honkai outbreak—meaning no Honkai Beasts had appeared, or at least no large ones like Knight-class creatures; only zombies or animals infected by Honkai Energy had appeared—Gwen looked at the Schicksal terminal in his hand, his expression turning grimmer.
Although he had long known that Cocolia would artificially trigger the Third Honkai in Changkong City and then capture the Third Herrscher for research.
But after truly spending some time in Changkong City, Gwen discovered that its situation was far worse than he had imagined.
According to the Schicksal terminal's readings, the average Honkai Energy concentration in Changkong City had already greatly exceeded normal levels. That was why these minor Honkai outbreaks had occurred.
Before you continue