Chapter 118: Digging a Pit for Cocolia
"..." Theresa was taken aback for a moment. "Being so direct... will Grandpa really agree to it?"
"What else?" Irene looked at Theresa. "To him, the stage has already been set. As for what Anti-Entropy has wagered, or what they intend to wager, it has absolutely nothing to do with him."
"Or to put it another way." Irene reached out and poked Theresa's chest. "Theresa, you don't really think your Grandpa hasn't heard a single whisper about your cooperation with Anti-Entropy, do you?"
Theresa swatted Irene's hand away.
She wanted to retort, but then fell silent. That's right, that was her Grandpa. How capable was he? Could Theresa really not know?
Even if they acted very discreetly, to say that Otto knew absolutely nothing about it... if you said that out loud, even Tesla wouldn't believe it.
Especially regarding the Moonlight Throne. Nobody would actually think that Anti-Entropy's brains had short-circuited, giving such a battleship to Schicksal for free, right?
No one would be stupid enough to give their enemies equipment, especially equipment this advanced. As long as Otto wasn't a fool, he would understand that this nine times out of ten meant Anti-Entropy had reached some sort of agreement with Theresa.
And obviously, Otto was no fool.
After her expression shifted several times, Theresa looked up at Irene and tentatively asked, "Then... Rita, could it be?"
"It's related, but not by much."
Down below Irene, it seemed Himeko would still need a while to finish her testing. After all, the models being tested this time weren't just one or two.
To ensure the randomness and a certain degree of fairness for the exams, Theresa, this maniac, had actually gone and prepared over twenty different prompts for each examination tier.
They could only trouble Himeko to fight for a bit longer. Usually, by this point, Himeko would have probably already run off. But this was the Memorial Arena, after all; her physical body was dormant inside a stasis pod within the machine facility.
"Anyway, just go directly to Rita and tell her you want the Gem of Desire. Otto probably only has that one left to give you right now."
Whether Otto knew the Gem of Serenity was with her or not...
According to normal logic, Otto would probably think it was inside Kiana's body. However, given his personality, Irene figured she was likely on his suspect list as well, just with a lower probability.
The Gem of Conquest was with Mei, so there was no need to look for that either. As for the Gem of Haste, Otto wanted to stuff it into the Blank Key so it could serve as the divine artifact found in the treasure chest right before the Demon King.
Therefore, Otto could only take out the Storm of Desire, which was the Gem of the Herrscher of Wind. Furthermore, who was to say that guy didn't just want to see how Sirin would react to that gem?
"I understand. Once Rita arrives, I will make the request to her," Theresa nodded.
She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to tell Irene about the matter Anti-Entropy had mentioned earlier. After all, it was Irene's own business.
"There's one more thing, Irene. Anti-Entropy, or rather Einstein and the others, might have guessed your origins."
Hearing Theresa's words, Irene gave a slight nod. "Oh, if they know, they know. I really haven't been in this world lately, after all. Even if there was another me in this world, they at least wouldn't be in Nagazora City."
"It's completely normal to be found out. Plus, their Sovereign is also in the Sea of Quanta."
"Oh, right. Speaking of which, should we contact Anti-Entropy? I have a few things to say, and I want to ask about their progress while I'm at it."
"Mm, that works."
Theresa looked left and right before turning off the surveillance in the control room like a thief, then pulled a communicator out from her pocket.
This place was actually quite a good spot for communication. After all, her office had too many people and prying eyes. Although there were no cameras, her office didn't have a lock.
People might visit from time to time. But here, if she used her authority to lock down the control room, no one could enter. Generally speaking, it wasn't a place people would just walk into anyway.
Soon, as Theresa dialed the number, a voice immediately rang out from the other end. Einstein's slightly lazy voice emanated from the communicator.
"Good evening... Oh, wait. To you all, it should be good morning, Principal Theresa." The sound of a spoon clinking against a cup came from Einstein's side.
"I wonder what the occasion is for contacting me at this hour? Do you need me to provide some technical guidance for the Moonlight Throne?"
"No, it's me. I'm back," Irene said, taking the communicator. "And I brought back some news regarding your Sovereign along the way. Interested in hearing it?"
The moment those words were spoken, the other end of the communicator fell silent for a moment. When Einstein spoke again, her lazy tone had completely vanished.
"Of course I'm very interested, Miss Irene. But from the way you're putting it, have you visited the Sea of Quanta recently?"
"There's no need to probe like that." Irene placed the communicator on the table. "We're all smart people here. Theresa already told me the situation."
"Is that so? That's wonderful then," Einstein nodded. "However, can I interpret Miss Irene's words as an admission that you originally hail from a certain Bubble Universe within the Sea of Quanta?"
"From a branch similar to yours, yet different. Don't you think that sounds like a better origin story?" Irene smiled at the communicator. "After all, you saw what I said—you have to be careful of the color white in the Sea of Quanta, right?"
Einstein remained silent for a while. Welt naturally hadn't dived in alone; she had gone with him, her purpose naturally being to gather firsthand data.
Quantized data was difficult to preserve, and a single second's difference could result in numerous changes. Therefore, to study it properly—circumstances permitting—it was naturally more convenient to go directly into the Sea of Quanta, wasn't it?
And at that moment, that man appeared. It wasn't until seeing him and his terrifying combat history that both she and Welt understood exactly what the 'white' Irene had warned them to be careful of referred to.
"I just didn't expect that Miss Irene was merely referring to hair color," Einstein sounded somewhat exasperated. "I was on guard for so long against various Quantum Shadows in a state of collapse, terrified they might be hiding something."
"Next time Miss Irene wants to speak in riddles, it would be appreciated if you could be a bit clearer."
"Oh, if that's the case, then I'm truly sorry," Irene chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind for next time. Additionally, your Sovereign Welt is doing decently."
"If you have the time, you should persuade him to come out. I've already persuaded Mr. Kevin to leave. For at least a year, he won't be coming back. You can trust his promise on that."
"..." A long silence fell over Einstein's end. "If what Miss Irene says is true... but from my perspective, that man doesn't seem like someone who gives up so easily."
"Furthermore, Kevin..."
"I don't believe you guys don't recognize him. He should have been mentioned in the evidence you collected on the moon, right? The strongest warrior of the Previous Era, the ancestor of the Kaslana Family... Kevin, or rather, Kevin Kaslana."
"What a terrifying discovery indeed." The sound of fingers tapping against a desk came from Einstein's end. It seemed even Einstein was overwhelmed by this massive amount of information and needed a little time to sort out the situation.
"By what method did Miss Irene manage to lure him away?"
"Through my brilliant intellect, of course." Irene placed her hands on her hips, looking very proud of herself as she stared at the communicator. "You don't actually think I could beat him in a fight, do you?"
Einstein gave a soft chuckle. "I had hope initially, but not anymore. If possible, please refrain from shattering someone's fantasies while they are in the middle of imagining things."
"So, does this mean Miss Irene has some sort of connection with that Kevin? And a rather profound connection at that; otherwise, it shouldn't have been so easy."
"Mm, it was just about that easy." Irene spread her hands. She really hadn't done much of anything; she had simply pulled out the photo album, leaving Kevin with no choice but to submit.
Fighting was so inefficient. The current outcome was much better than a fight would have been.
"Miss Irene, are you absolutely certain he will be gone for over a year?" Einstein tapped her fingers lightly against her arm.
If this was true, she would very much like to fish Welt out. After all, having lost Welt, they had truly lost the capability to clash head-on with Schicksal.
Although saying this felt like boosting the enemy's morale, when facing Otto, if they didn't have Welt as an insurance policy, this kind of situation really might occur.
Excluding Welt, if all of them attacked at once, they would just end up being captured one by one by a few Valkyries in quick succession. Even if they factored in the Titans.
Up to this point, their Titan Mechas hadn't developed the capability to stand on equal footing with an S-Rank Valkyrie. Without Welt present, if they were to face an attack from Schicksal, it was almost certain they would suffer catastrophic losses.
However, Einstein also knew exactly what kind of enemy Welt was holding back in the Sea of Quanta. It really wasn't easy to just call him back.
"Miss Einstein, please rest assured. I never lie about these sorts of things," Irene said, looking at the communicator. "I have no need to make a special phone call just to trick you about this."
"I will consider this matter." Einstein shook her head. "May I ask if Miss Irene has anything else to discuss?"
"I don't think there's anything else for now." Irene shook her head. "Regarding the medicine, how is the research coming along? It's been quite a while; the clinical trials should be finished by now, right?"
"They have indeed finished, but the results are less than ideal." Einstein sighed. The composition of that medicine was truly more complex than she had imagined.
However, according to the clinical trials, there was indeed an effect. It just wasn't particularly outstanding. But as long as it had an effect, they had the motivation to continue the research and development.
Einstein and her team were confident that they could figure this thing out.
"The clinical trials have passed. Although the effects are still unsatisfactory, it can at least be mass-produced."
When it came to Honkai Resistance, even the slightest increase was better than nothing. Their Titan Mechas relied on Honkai energy to charge. The workers here all needed to have a bit of Honkai Resistance; otherwise, the probability of an accident occurring was truly too high.
Hearing that she would have to wait a while longer, Irene initially lacked interest. However, when she heard that Einstein and her team had already begun distributing the medicine widely, she raised an eyebrow.
"You're just distributing it to the people in your base so openly? Aren't you afraid that as you hand it out, it might eventually end up in the hands of a certain someone?"
"Even if she gets her hands on it, it's useless." Einstein naturally knew who Irene was talking about. "She doesn't have top-tier scientists. Trying to reverse-engineer a generic drug will only result in an even worse generic drug."
"And to be honest, we currently lack a financial backer to cover the costs of our trial and error."
"Is a person like Cocolia that easy to fool?" Theresa wasn't stupid either. With the conversation reaching this point, she naturally knew who the two of them were talking about.
But would that vixen Cocolia really foot the bill for Einstein and Tesla so willingly?
"My dear Principal Theresa, that isn't quite right. This is clearly a friendly cooperation." Einstein chuckled. "Cocolia will need the complete effects of this medicine."
"And until then, that damn old fox will have to pay for all our trial and error!" Tesla's voice abruptly burst from the communicator.
For Cocolia, aside from costing money, this matter had a hundred benefits and not a single drawback. She had no reason not to take the bait.
Cocolia was an old fox, after all. How could she not see through such an obvious overt scheme? The two of them pulling this stunt was purely to lure her over to foot their bills.
But so what if she knew? Would Cocolia just not come over because she knew? Impossible. Almost everyone in this world needed the Honkai Resistance Enhancer.
Who could Cocolia hide the fact that she ran an orphanage from?
The reason they didn't use those children to threaten Cocolia was because they had high moral standards. However, that didn't mean they wouldn't use this matter to tempt her.
Cocolia absolutely wouldn't be able to research the medicine's composition and put it into production herself. Einstein and Tesla were incredibly confident about this.
In the end, Cocolia would have no choice but to come running and cooperate with them, thus achieving their goal.
There was nothing more satisfying than spending your rival's money while said rival could only willingly foot the bill.
"Then it all depends on you," Irene nodded.
However, she soon remembered something, a wicked smirk curling her lips. "How about this: I can add another bargaining chip for you guys."
"The main reason I entered the Sea of Quanta this time was to bring a certain someone out. That child is extremely important to Cocolia."
"Oh? So that old hag has that kind of connection." Tesla was instantly intrigued. "Come, come, tell us the details."
A smile remained on Irene's face. "There isn't much to say. Just tell her that an anomalous fluctuation was detected from the Eye of the Deep, and a Valkyrie—suspected to have brown cat ears—emerged from within."
"And that after coming out of the Eye of the Deep, she seemed to have brought a blue-haired girl with her. Just say that the direction they headed towards was roughly towards the Far East Branch; that will be enough."
"We will make good use of this intelligence. Thank you very much, Miss Irene," Einstein said, squeezing Tesla out of the way. "However, given that we've been distributing the medicine for so long..."
"Cocolia must have gotten wind of it and has something to say. She should be calling any minute now..."
Before Einstein could even finish her sentence, a sudden commotion could be heard from her end. Following that came Einstein's slightly amused voice.
"My apologies. Principal Theresa, Miss Irene, we need to go take a call."
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