Chapter 414: Worry
"Waa—lt!!!"
Whoosh!
A girl in black armor with simple styling and bright red twin-tails streaked through the air at high speed—only it looked like she hadn't quite managed to control her flight posture, as if she were about to smash face-first into the rooftop floor.
At that moment, a tall, powerfully built man appeared directly in her flight path. He caught her with both arms and, in a rather romantic princess carry, gently brought the girl back to the rooftop, landing safely.
"Tesla, when are you ever going to tone down that reckless personality of yours?"
Welt sighed helplessly as he set her down and adjusted the red glasses perched on her nose.
Tesla straightened her twin-tails, then kicked Welt's calf with her little red shoe.
"Like I care! Everything this genius makes is a cross-era super invention! Minor accidents are totally normal! How else are you supposed to learn if there are no mistakes? What would a third-rate like you even understand, huh?!"
"Sigh~"
"Don't look at me like I'm some naughty kid!!"
"Alright, alright. How about we at least have a cup of tea and take a break first?"
Welt pushed up his glasses in resignation and gestured toward a small pavilion not far away.
There, Einstein—with long blue hair cascading smoothly over her shoulders—sat with one shapely leg crossed over the other. One hand held a cup of black tea, while the other calmly tapped away at a projected holographic screen.
"Hmph!"
Tesla crossed her arms and snorted, then deliberately stomped on Welt's foot as she brushed past him, her shoulder grazing his chest as she strode toward the pavilion.
Because she passed so close, her twin-tails lightly brushed against Welt's hand, leaving behind a faint ticklish sensation. At the same time, the subtle, sweet scent lingering around the girl drifted into his nose.
Welt instinctively took a small sniff, rubbed his nose, shook his head with a smile, and followed after her.
Soon, the three elders of Anti-Entropy were seated together.
Einstein cast a sidelong glance at the simple, form-fitting black armor Tesla was wearing and commented in her trademark flat tone:
"A perfect design. It showcases Dr. Tesla's figure in full detail."
"You're focusing on the wrong thing, Mophead!" Tesla shot back. "This is the latest pilot suit designed by yours truly! It significantly boosts a mech pilot's operational efficiency. And even if the mech gets scrapped, this suit still gives the pilot enough mobility—plus auxiliary drone firepower—to excel at emergency escape or turning the tables in a desperate situation! Heh, impressive, right?"
"The intent is admirable, and the practicality is indeed high," Einstein replied calmly. "However, Dr. Tesla, I'm not a 'Mophead' anymore."
She closed the projection screen, lifted her tea with elegance, and curled her lips into a faint smile.
Tesla: "..."
Ever since taking on Raiden Mei—a student with a natural 'housewife' aura—Einstein's hair had begun receiving meticulous care. The rough, time-saving hairstyle she once wore had gradually transformed into smooth, waist-length blue hair that flowed naturally.
Now that Mei had been transferred to Sigurd's side, Einstein couldn't be bothered to change her hairstyle back. Designing a hair-grooming machine was hardly any trouble, so she simply kept the carefully maintained long hair.
Tesla stared at her longtime rival's beautiful long hair, lifted her chin, and declared stubbornly:
"A Mophead is a Mophead. Always a Mophead. I like calling you that—got a problem with it?"
"That's not really a problem," Einstein replied mildly. "As long as Dr. Tesla is happy. I just worry that outsiders might start questioning your eyesight in the future… though for the uniquely individual Dr. Tesla, I suppose that wouldn't be much of an issue either."
"Y-You stop spouting nonsense! I'm not listening!"
Tesla turned her head away, arms crossed, fully embodying both hotheadedness and petulance at the same time.
Einstein's expression remained calm, but inwardly she was shaking her head with an amused smile. Tesla was usually easy to provoke with a few words, quickly abandoning her original stance. But on rare occasions, Dr. Lobster would unconsciously latch onto certain issues and stubbornly stick to her guns—this time just happened to be one of those rare moments.
"Ahem! Today's pastries are quite good. Why don't you both give them a try?"
Welt produced two small plates of pastries from his hands and slid them over to Einstein and Tesla. His smile was as warm as a spring breeze, deftly pulling the atmosphere back into one of comfort and harmony—so practiced that it almost made one feel a pang of sympathy.
The two genius young women, each with her own distinct style, began eating in silence.
Welt's smile softened even further as he asked, "Ein, did you discover any new issues today?"
"There are areas that can be iterated and refined every single day. There is no such thing as a perfect system," Einstein replied calmly. "But a Central Core system that can be updated and improved at any time is undoubtedly more efficient and accurate than any process run purely by human hands. We've all thought about AI governance—but only Sigurd had the nerve to actually implement it."
"Yes," Welt said, taking a sip of tea. "It's very effective. But… only for now."
A trace of worry surfaced in his deep eyes.
AI governance was a cold, impersonal administrative mechanism. Countless works of science fiction had explored similar ideas—and more often than not, such worlds ended up being dystopian. Scientists and visionaries alike tended to express unease toward cold machinery, rather than simple admiration.
"You're worried?" Einstein asked leisurely, sipping her tea.
After more than sixty years as companions, the three present understood each other better than anyone else in the world. Welt could vaguely sense certain distortions in Einstein's inner world, and Einstein, in turn, deeply understood Welt's thoughts and feelings.
Tesla also stopped chewing and stared straight at Welt.
Under the scrutiny of the two women, Welt let out a sigh and smiled helplessly.
"I was reminded of some movies," he said. "Like The Terminator. Like The Matrix. Things like that."
"Don't believe in that third-rate pop sci-fi nonsense. You should believe in us, got it?"
Tesla first voiced her disdain for those works, then patted Welt's shoulder with a serious expression.
The words themselves didn't offer much comfort, but Tesla's sincerity warmed Welt's heart.
"Thank you. I've always relied on you two. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far."
"W-W-What are you saying?! I-I-I… Isn't that just obvious?!"
Tesla's cheeks flushed, synchronizing perfectly with the color of her red twin-tails as she spoke in a fluster.
Einstein quietly enjoyed the scene: a gentle, earnest young man, and a spirited young girl hiding her shyness behind arrogance. On the surface it looked like an older-girl-younger-boy dynamic, but in truth it was another kind of age-gap romance altogether—and either way, it was undeniably ship-worthy.
Then Einstein curved her lips into a smile and spoke unhurriedly:
"What's truly frightening isn't technology. It's people. That's true in science fiction, and it's just as true in reality. Do you understand, Yang?"
"…"
"Go on."
"The Central Core system itself is sound. What you're really worried about comes down to two things: first, a rogue AI crisis; second, the Central Core system being twisted into a mechanism that persecutes the people. But when you strip it down, both of those are still problems of human origin. So the more fundamental question is this—because progress carries risks, should we reject progress altogether?"
"Of course not."
Welt shook his head without hesitation.
Einstein smiled, as if she had known exactly how he would answer.
"Then trust Sigurd. And trust us. Between intelligence and wisdom lies an unbridgeable chasm. Sigurd understands where the line is. As long as we don't push things in that direction, the Central Core system will always remain just a Central Core system—and never become some kind of Skynet or Apocalypse. As for the officials who oversee and steer its evolution… you've seen the power of the Valhalla thing for yourself, haven't you?"
"Valhalla is indeed wondrous, but it must be used with caution."
"Of course. The concerns you understand are ones we've already taken into account," Einstein replied calmly. "Lies are a human specialty, and also a necessary adhesive that holds society and civilization together. They can't be judged in simple terms of good or evil—they are something that must exist. Because of that, the timing and scope of the Valhalla' use are governed by strict regulations. As long as we ensure that those steering the direction of central-system reform are people whose public-mindedness overwhelmingly outweighs their private interests, that will be enough."
"Alright, alright. I trust that Sigurd has thought things through comprehensively, and I also trust your judgment, Einstein and Tesla. Let's leave this topic here for now and observe how things unfold over time."
Welt waved his hand, bringing an end to a discussion that could easily have gone on without end.
He paused for a moment, suppressing the tangle of thoughts in his mind, then continued:
"Ein, help me go over the current global situation."
Einstein nodded, organized her thoughts, and began her report point by point:
"In terms of population, the quarterly census concluded seven days ago. The total stands at just over 8.3 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1.3%. The main reason is the wide-ranging devastation caused by the Herrscher of Corruption. During post-disaster reconstruction, there were also several Honkai incidents that couldn't be dealt with promptly. That said, all twenty-three thousand major cities worldwide have now been rebuilt one by one. Judging from the population-structure projections, the future still looks relatively optimistic."
"The global joint-defense system, centered on these major cities, has been fully established within the Central Core. Going forward, both the speed and intensity of our response to Honkai incidents will see a qualitative leap."
"On Anti-Entropy's side, the mech corps has fully recovered its organizational structure and has even undergone a certain degree of improvement and expansion. Its development momentum remains as strong as ever. As for Schicksal, the number of registered Valkyries has reached a new high, and this year's casualty rate has dropped below 0.2%. That figure can't be called ideal, but it is at least an improvement."
"In terms of civilian life, the vast majority of people have been properly resettled—food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all secured. However, this entirely new social system and management framework still has many areas that even we are feeling our way through. Naturally, the public won't adapt overnight either. In short, this is something time will have to solve."
"As for scientific research—"
"Energy—"
"Medicine—"
"Education—"
"Social sciences and practical experimentation—"
"And in the field of the arts—"
The more Einstein spoke, the more Tesla shrank inward, lowering her head with growing unease.
They were all geniuses—but here Einstein was, balancing cutting-edge research while also acting as a grand administrator overseeing countless fields, whereas Dr. Lobster remained a pure, single-minded inventor, utterly unqualified to comment on these broad domains.
The comparison inevitably made Tesla question her life choices.
So she did her utmost to minimize her presence, praying that Einstein or Welt wouldn't suddenly throw a question her way—because if she couldn't answer it, wouldn't that just expose her own incompetence and laziness?
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Note:
Valhalla is something that appear on Chapter 308: Rita Is Overworked.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xLFLLRiC71Nrph0Xk8E1hOnR15GvDGfc3tP5akgpaq8/edit?tab=t.0
Basically, it's a spawn point for troops.
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