Chapter 415: The Question Mark of a Tough Guy
"That's about everything. For more detailed information, you can check the relevant files yourself."
Einstein finished her report and took a sip of tea to moisten her throat.
Her analysis was lofty in perspective yet grounded in solid data, laying out the current global situation with clarity and precision.
Welt nodded slowly, falling into contemplation for quite some time.
Einstein and Tesla both fell silent on their own accord, giving Welt the space he needed to think.
Several minutes later, Welt let out a long breath and spoke slowly:
"Overall, things look fairly optimistic. But there's one point I noticed—you mentioned that Sigurd intends to share part of the HIVE System's permissions?"
"That's correct."
"What are the pros and cons?" Welt asked, his expression serious.
Einstein held her teacup, lowered her gaze, and thought for a moment before replying:
"At its current stage of evolution, the worker-bee network is already nearly omnipresent and capable of almost anything. Sharing such a system would, first, be a powerful tool for education and reeducation; second, it would greatly stimulate the creativity of the masses; third, it would significantly enhance the survival capabilities of ordinary people. The benefits are numerous. As for the drawbacks—this would usher in an entirely new mode of life and production, and the resulting management costs would become a heavy burden."
"That's more or less what I was thinking. But the issue I'm worried about is something else."
"What is it?"
"Sigurd is giving too much."
Welt tapped the table, then rested his chin on his hands, striking a classic commander-at-briefing pose. Even the plain black-framed glasses on his nose seemed to glint sharply.
Tesla: "Chew—chew—chew— hic!"
Einstein: "Sip—"
Welt had always had a bit of a chūnibyō streak. Everyone understood—well, mainly Einstein. As for Tesla, she probably never graduated from that phase in the first place.
In any case, Tesla was still adorably munching away, while Einstein was beginning to grasp the deeper meaning behind Welt's words.
"You mean… complacency. And greed?"
A simple truth written across history: once people are given too much, they grow lazy; once they receive too much, they begin to see it as their due—and may even forget gratitude, turning instead to resentment toward those who gave.
"I respect the light within human nature," Welt said with a sigh. "But speaking rationally and objectively, human nature is always prone to deviation, whether toward the good or the bad. And degeneration is often a hundred times easier than perseverance."
He let out another sigh and stopped there, knowing that pursuing the topic further would only lead to another endless debate.
Welt had always been an idealist. In his early years, he had simply gazed up at and blindly trusted in the light of human nature. Now, however, he viewed humanity through the lens of practice—believing that it must be guided and built upon, not merely observed with naive optimism. That was his current stance.
"The people are fundamentally good, but they require proper education and guidance. We need a management mechanism capable of effectively restraining decay, and even more so, a long-term ideological driving force—one that pushes civilization forward instead of letting it be shackled by abundant material desire. But let's set this matter aside for now. We'll need serious discussions and research with Sigurd before we can formulate any concrete strategies."
As he finished speaking, Welt once again revealed that gentle, refined, warm-man smile of his.
Einstein nodded in agreement.
Tesla was still chewing on her pastries. Talk to her about increasing mech power output or firepower, and Dr. Lobster could ramble on for three days and three nights without stopping. But sociology and human nature? Sorry—that was firmly within Dr. Lobster's blind spot.
"Tesla, you've finished your pastries. Want more?"
"Y-Yes— no, no more!"
Tesla secretly pinched her waist, clearly feeling the soft flesh there.
Cute girls don't gain weight, especially not after undergoing the Black Abyss White Flower's reconstruction. Tesla and Einstein weren't supposed to age or get fat. But… what if?
As a beautiful girl, Tesla still held herself to a certain standard of self-discipline when it came to her figure.
"Right, I'm full! Don't need any more! Give them all to Mophead!"
Tesla gave a thumbs-up and flashed a grin of gleaming white teeth.
Yeah, let Einstein have all the sugar. If anyone gained weight, let it be on Einstein's belly. How perfect!
Einstein paused mid-sip, looked at Tesla, and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Dr. Tesla… were you working too late last night? Didn't get enough rest?"
"Are you questioning my mental clarity?"
"No. I'm expressing concern for Dr. Tesla's health."
"Hmph! I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much!"
Tesla slammed the table, glaring at Einstein with obvious irritation.
Welt covered his face, let out another weary, headache-ridden sigh, then forced a smile.
"Perfect timing, I'm a bit hungry anyway. I'll eat. I'll eat, okay?"
He picked up a pastry and put it into his mouth.
It wasn't made from any rare or expensive ingredients, but Welt worked in public welfare, and food was the foundation of the people's livelihood… in short, good cooks were hardly in short supply these days. The taste was genuinely pleasant—sweet without being cloying—and paired with red tea, it was an excellent treat.
What had started as an attempt to ease the atmosphere ended with Welt actually polishing off all the pastries on the table.
Only after he finished did he realize that Einstein was holding her teacup, smiling at him. Tesla, meanwhile, rested her chin on one hand, her ruby-like eyes carrying a warmth rarely seen in her gaze.
"Why are you both staring at me?" Welt asked, scratching his cheek as his face began to heat up.
The two across from him were extremely familiar—close enough to be considered senior mentors—but that didn't change the fact that they were both lovely young women.
As a grown man, Welt was at least aware of that. Being watched by the two of them with matching smiles made him feel… rather awkward.
Einstein and Tesla exchanged a glance and shrugged in unison, offering no explanation.
They both knew how lofty Welt's ambitions were, and how much he had exhausted himself along the way, rarely allowing himself a moment of rest. Seeing him indulge so childishly in sweets was a rare sight indeed, one they quietly treasured.
"Ahem! Anyway… how long until that most important moment?" Welt coughed lightly to dispel the embarrassment and changed the subject.
"Thirty-two hours, seventeen minutes, and twenty-three seconds!"
At last spotting a question she could answer, Tesla instinctively raised her hand and blurted it out, cutting in just as Einstein was about to speak.
Einstein froze mid-sentence, then silently nodded, acknowledging Tesla's calculation.
Welt smiled, raised his hand, and gently patted Tesla on the head.
"As expected of you, Tesla. Your sensitivity to numbers is as sharp as ever."
"T-That goes without s-s-s-saying! Don't pat my head! I-I-I-I-I won't grow taller!"
Tesla stammered wildly, her eyes spinning into spirals as her cheeks flushed red like burning clouds.
The next instant, a flying mechanical gauntlet smashed into Welt's right eye, knocking the unprepared Herrscher of Reason backward.
Bang!
Welt caught the attacking mechanical arm, touched his completely unharmed right eye, and looked down—only to find that Tesla had already vanished.
Welt: "???"
Einstein watched the scene, shook her head, took a sip of tea, and felt absolutely nothing stir in her heart.
One was a steel-plated straight man with zero room in his mind for personal feelings.
The other was slightly better—at least she could sense her own emotions—but her overwhelming pride and crippling shyness crushed them before they could even take shape, leaving her unable to find the starting line.
Both of them were hopeless in their own spectacular ways.
"Ein, what's wrong with Tesla? Did I do something wrong?" Welt asked.
"I've recently been thinking about Sigurd—about His Majesty's suggestion, I mean. The practical feasibility of pharmacological therapy."
"Huh?"
Welt blinked in confusion.
Why did Sigurd suddenly come up? And pharmacological therapy? Was someone sick?
"It's nothing. You're both fine. Dr. Tesla probably has an upset stomach… or maybe she realized she didn't put her makeup on properly. In any case, it's nothing serious. Oh, by the way—would you like to have tea together tonight?"
"Ah? Oh, sure. One last chance to relax a bit sounds nice."
"Then it's settled. I'll go make preparations."
Einstein sighed and stood up, leaving the rooftop—not because she was in a hurry, but because the direction of the final battle was becoming clearer by the hour. No one knew if they would ever again be able to sit together like this, calmly drinking tea.
She didn't want the two most important people in her life to be left with the regret of never having had the chance to embrace.
Left behind, Welt tilted his head, lingering confusion still visible in the brown eyes behind his glasses.
"Why does this all feel so strange? …Well, never mind. Since there's still time, I'd better check what work I haven't finished yet."
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