Chapter 120: The Void's Descent into a Spring Spirit
The prompt indicating the end of the call echoed through the laboratory, seemingly placing a rest on a war fought without smoke.
"Phew—" Tesla let out a long sigh of relief. The originally tense, 'professional' wicked smirk on her face instantly collapsed. Disregarding her image completely, she slumped back into her soft office chair, even dramatically kicking her feet up onto the control console.
"I'm exhausted! Haggling with that old fox is more mentally draining than revising blueprints for seventy-two hours straight!"
Although Tesla complained about being tired, the smile on her lips simply wouldn't fade.
Einstein appeared much more composed. She unhurriedly saved all the audio recordings and logs from the recent negotiation. Even if Cocolia fought tooth and nail to deny it later, these could still be used to blast her, so it wasn't overkill to keep them.
Afterward, she casually picked up the long-cold cup of coffee on her desk and took a sip. Her brow furrowed imperceptibly before she silently set it back down.
"The results are quite remarkable, aren't they?" Her voice still carried its characteristic laziness, but a faint glimmer of satisfaction hid deep within her eyes. "We've secured what can essentially be called 'unlimited' research funding for the foreseeable future."
"As well as a relatively stable external environment, or at least one where we won't be openly tripped up."
"Well, you're not wrong..." Tesla pushed against the floor with her foot, spinning her chair in a circle, a slightly unsatisfied expression still lingering on her face. "But just thinking about how that vixen was grinding her teeth yet had no choice but to agree—it makes me so happy!"
"Though I still think... couldn't we have squeezed a little more oil out of her?"
"Going too far is as bad as not going far enough, Dr. Tesla." Einstein shook her head gently. "Cocolia's patience was nearing its limit. Just as she suspected, we were indeed 'looking for a partner.'"
"Before Welt returns, the military power held by the Radical Faction and their political influence within Anti-Entropy are still things we need to treat with caution."
"Pushing her to the point of completely tearing away all pretenses, to the point where she unites the other members to turn against us—that would be a real headache."
"Tsk, I know, I know." Tesla curled her lips. She understood this logic as well; she was just talking tough. "Anyway, this time should be enough to make her wallet hurt for a good long while, right?"
"That is merely an estimate." A subtle arc curled at the corner of Einstein's mouth. "The path of scientific research is always full of accidents, isn't it? It's perfectly normal for funding requirements to fluctuate."
Hearing this, Tesla stared blankly for a moment before sudden realization dawned on her. She pointed at Einstein, a smile that screamed 'so you're even more devious than me' spreading across her face.
"Wow! Chicken Nest Head! You had this planned all along! No wonder you wrote three whole pages just for an item like 'Energy Consumption of the Test Environment Simulator' when you were making the list!"
Einstein neither confirmed nor denied it, merely shifting her gaze back to the record of their recent communication with Cocolia on the screen. "At the very least, before the reagent is truly and successfully mass-produced and delivered, we can enjoy a rather 'lenient' period of time."
"Even if only for the massive sunk costs she has invested, Cocolia will maintain a friendly cooperation with us on the surface."
Naturally, Einstein didn't say it out loud, but both of them understood that this friendly cooperation was strictly limited to the surface. In the shadows, Cocolia would never resign herself to the current situation and would absolutely spare no effort in attempting to steal the technology.
"Yeah, that's true. I'll go upgrade the system's defenses later though!" Tesla propped her chin up. "Nine times out of ten, that vixen will try to pull something."
"Mm." Einstein nodded. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she tapped her fingertips lightly against the desk, a thoughtful look appearing on her face. "However, I am genuinely a bit curious..."
"What exactly did that piece of intelligence regarding the blue-haired girl, which Miss Irene provided at the end, mean to Cocolia? To think it could cause such a visible fluctuation in her emotions right after she experienced such a thorough fleecing."
In her calculations, that piece of intelligence was merely meant to be icing on the cake, a minor trick to mess with the other party's state of mind. But judging from Cocolia's final reaction, its effect had seemingly far exceeded expectations.
As for who the one with brown cat ears was? They actually had an idea. They had both seen Irene and knew she could transform into that appearance. Therefore, the one who could shock Cocolia to such an extent had to be that blue-haired little girl.
"Who knows, maybe it's her illegitimate daughter or something."
"Let's find Miss Irene and ask her about it later."
The discussion between the two Doctors came to a temporary halt as they began to handle the follow-up work brought about by the 'unequal treaty' they had just established.
Himeko's Villa
Moonlight flowed like water, spilling quietly into the silent corridors of Himeko's villa, creating a scene of absolute tranquility and stillness.
Irene lay on her bed and gently closed her eyes. She began to guide the Honkai energy within her body, causing it to circulate along the routing paths of the Taixuan Sword Qi. After a brief period of this simple guidance...
The Honkai energy inside her body began to connect with the Honkai energy in the outside world, automatically circulating in the manner of the Taixuan Sword Qi. After confirming there were no issues, Irene closed her eyes and entered the Palace of Consciousness.
"Yo, everyone, good evening." Irene opened her eyes and greeted the resting crowd. She then walked toward the Tree of Bodhi, ducked into its hollow trunk, and headed into Kiana's mental world.
After all, she had just made a promise to Sirin to take good care of her and let her feel warmth. Naturally, she needed to interact with her more during this period.
Following her senses, Irene arrived deep within Kiana's consciousness space. What entered her vision was a... room. A very, very, very stereotypical NEET's room.
Irene stood at the 'doorway,' her expression instantly freezing as the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Even before opening the door, Irene could smell a complex scent that was a mixture of instant noodles, soda, and snacks. Upon catching a whiff of this odor, the corner of Irene's eye twitched, and she subsequently pushed the door open.
The scene inside the room caused a vein to bulge on Irene's forehead. Empty instant noodle bowls and snack bags were piled haphazardly in the corners, almost forming a small mountain.
Various brightly colored game cartridges and beautifully packaged comic books were scattered everywhere. Some had even been casually trampled underfoot.
A super-massive screen occupied nearly an entire wall. It was currently displaying an action game with gorgeous graphics and incredibly cool character designs.
A set of rather high-end-looking computer equipment sat in front of the screen, with RGB lighting even flashing across the keyboard and mouse.
And at the center of all this chaos sat the Herrscher of the Void—Sirin, who had once threatened to destroy human civilization and reshape the world. She was currently sitting cross-legged on a very soft-looking cushion.
She was no longer wearing her ornate Herrscher dress. Instead, she had changed into an oversized T-shirt printed with a certain Homu cartoon character and a simple pair of athletic shorts.
Those dark gold eyes, once as sharp as a falcon's and full of oppressive pressure, were now glued to the giant screen, her hands operating a game controller at lightning speed.
Her long hair cascaded down casually. The aura she exuded was no longer the majesty and hatred of a Herrscher, but rather the absolute, thorough degeneracy of someone completely immersed in a virtual world.
Irene took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and rubbed them vigorously. She opened them again, hoping that what she was seeing was just an illusion. However, no matter how many times Irene closed her eyes, the scene in front of her remained completely unchanged.
Irene silently took half a step back and scanned the atrocious environment once more. What was before her was no illusion. But was this right? Wasn't this speed of degeneracy a bit too fast?!
Going from a world-ending final boss to a veteran shut-in... wasn't there a process that had been entirely skipped here? Just yesterday, she had been sitting rather timidly beside her, watching a movie!
It hadn't even been a full day from start to finish! What the hell was this sight? Had she been hit by King Crimson? Human entertainment culture was truly terrifying!
"Ahem." Irene cleared her throat, attempting to grab the attention of the former 'Her Majesty the Herrscher' who was completely immersed in the gaming world.
However, Sirin didn't react at all. All of her focus was concentrated on the boss fight on the screen. She was even muttering unconsciously, "...side... dodge... ultimate... hurry up..."
Irene sighed, walked forward, and waved her hand in front of Sirin's eyes.
"Quiet! Can't you see I'm at a crucial mo... ment..." Sirin shouted subconsciously. Her line of sight shifted slightly, catching a glimpse of Irene standing next to her.
Sirin jolted violently. A tragic scream immediately rang out from the screen as her momentarily uncoordinated character was caught by the boss. A full combo followed, and her character dropped dead on the spot.
"Ah—!" Sirin let out a cry of despair and tossed the controller aside. But immediately after, she seemed to realize something. Her body stiffened, and she looked up awkwardly, meeting Irene's incredibly complicated gaze.
"Uh... you're, you're here again." Sirin's eyes darted around. She subconsciously hid an empty potato chip bag behind her back, attempting to salvage a tiny shred of her dignity as a Herrscher.
"I... I'm just... exploring... the hum... an... cul... ture... yes! Its underlying structures and the logic of entertainment! Right, exactly that!"
Irene crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. Her gaze swept over the mountain of junk food packaging before landing back on the cute Homu T-shirt Sirin was wearing. Her tone was filled with an undisguised urge to roast her.
"So, this is the result of your deep exploration? Pulling all-nighters to game, stuffing your face with junk food, and turning yourself into a textbook internet-addicted teenager?"
"Miss Sirin, I recall our agreed-upon direction was to find 'new warmth,' not to drown yourself in entertainment culture, right?"
Sirin's cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, caught between embarrassment and shame. She stiffened her neck, trying to defend herself.
"Wh-what do you know?! I am looking for it! That's why I went to look at Kiana's memories! These are the things Kiana looks at!"
As for why she had become so addicted... well, there really wasn't anything fun to do in Siberia, let alone the fact that she was sent straight into the Tower of Babylon right after.
For her entire life, Sirin had never come into contact with something called a 'video game', much less manga or novels. The only entertainment she had ever heard of were the bedtime stories her mother told her.
Following that, Sirin entered the Tower of Babylon, and that kind of place obviously didn't provide her with any means of entertainment.
Originally, a Sirin entirely consumed by hatred naturally wouldn't have become addicted. But now, after viewing Kiana's inner memories with a calm state of mind, Sirin had been instantly captivated by that colorful digital world, diving straight in headfirst.
"Oh?" Irene dragged out the syllable. She bent down and picked up a manga from the floor, the cover featuring a young girl holding a staff. "So your method of research is reading manga? What's this, 'Making Friends with Magic Cannons'?"
Was this thing really not about a certain alternate universe's White Devil? It seemed the entertainment culture of this world was still salvageable. She had assumed everything was completely monopolized by Homu.
"Th-th-that..." Sirin wanted to explain, but seeing that Irene had already taken in exactly what she had done to the little room she created for herself, her face rapidly turned a bright red.
Irene looked at the Herrscher of the Void before her, who had been almost entirely 'corrupted' by human entertainment culture in such a short amount of time, feeling a myriad of emotions well up inside her.
Could this be considered an alternate form of 'peaceful evolution'? Using games, manga, and junk food to neutralize a world-ending crisis without shedding a single drop of blood?
She walked to Sirin's side, ignoring the mess around them, and sat down cross-legged, patting Sirin's head. Mm, it was at least 40 degrees Celsius; it seemed her brain was already boiling water.
As for where these things came from, there was no need to guess. Sirin had definitely mass-produced them straight from memories. Sirin didn't need to know how potato chips were made or how the games actually ran.
She only needed Kiana to know what they tasted like, what shape they were, and that a big black board could broadcast a dazzling array of colorful images.
This level of conceptual understanding was completely sufficient in the world of memories. However, judging by the sheer quantity of these things, Sirin must have heavily taxed the CPU of Kiana's brain to generate all this stuff.
"Alright, alright, I have no intention of blaming you." Irene stroked Sirin's head. Right now, Sirin really seemed to be developing in the direction of a Spring Spirit. Irene genuinely didn't know what to say anymore.
Forget it. It was far better than her original appearance of being utterly consumed by hatred. If she wanted to be a Spring Spirit, then a Spring Spirit she would be. A NEET girl was a NEET girl. At the end of the day, it was a massive improvement.
"But you should at least tidy up your living space a little bit. Leaving it in such a dirty, chaotic mess... it's bound to be uncomfortable, right?"
Seeing that Irene didn't plan on scolding her, Sirin inexplicably let out a sigh of relief in her heart. Although she still didn't understand why, she just felt that she didn't want Irene to see her in such a state. And after hearing Irene's words...
"Ahem, I just felt there was no need to clean up." Sirin coughed lightly, then snapped her fingers. All the piled-up instant noodle bowls and snack bags around them completely vanished into thin air.
The entire space transformed into a room with a soft, pink, and cute aesthetic. It was a layout she had seen in a manga and thought looked pretty nice.
Irene looked at the Sirin in front of her, who had completely shed her Herrscher airs and instead looked more like a rebellious teenager in need of discipline. Finally unable to hold back, she voiced the roast she had been holding in for a long time.
"That being said, Sirin... hasn't your dignity as a Herrscher degraded a little too fast? It's only been a few days, hasn't it?"
Sirin's face instantly exploded into a fiery red. Like a lit firecracker, she fiercely grabbed a throw pillow printed with Homu's face that was lying next to her and hurled it at Irene, shouting in embarrassment and anger.
"M-mind your own business! You lowly human! Get out, ahhhhhhh——!"
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