Soon, the spacious office welcomed its third visitor.
After a series of quick and firm knocks, followed by the Principal's "Come in," the office door opened again. A half-white-haired young man in a white St. Freya uniform appeared at the entrance.
He quickly scanned the room. A bit of white was visible behind the desk; that should be the Principal's hair. Although Ming Yu didn't come here often, only the petite Principal could be at that height.
On the central sofa sat a woman in a black, silky maid outfit, her hands elegantly folded on her lap, her posture extremely proper.
After greeting the Principal, Ming Yu slowly walked over to the maid and said with a smile, "You must be Miss Rita from headquarters. I've been hearing your name quite often recently."
Thinking for a moment, Ming Yu decided to choose an introduction with Far East characteristics and said slowly, "Ming Yu. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Seeing Ming Yu approach, Rita also stood up unhurriedly. But when she saw his outstretched right hand, she paused for a moment. Her hands, which were originally gently pinching her skirt, were lowered without a trace, and she also extended her right hand, saying, "Rita Rossweisse. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Although in Schicksal's administrative hierarchy, Rita was a top-tier S-rank Valkyrie, countless levels above Ming Yu, who was merely a trainee, she still returned the greeting with utmost seriousness at this moment, without a hint of arrogance, even though she had every right to be.
Looking at such a humble and polite Rita, Ming Yu sighed inwardly with admiration, feeling that even Otto seemed a bit more pleasant.
After the greetings, Ming Yu consciously stepped aside. Although he had come here on Theresa's orders, at a time like this, he still remembered his status as a newbie. In front of these two powerhouses, it was better for him to keep a low profile.
Although he wanted to be a transparent little nobody, there were only three people in the room, and someone wasn't willing to let him keep a low profile.
With a light smile, Rita's hands caressed the conspicuous silver long case on the desk as she said admiringly, "After hearing about what you've done, Mr. Ming Yu, the Overseer was also extremely concerned and specifically had me bring this."
As she spoke, Rita pressed lightly on the case. With a *click*, the silver case snapped open, revealing what was inside.
A silver-white knight's spear lay quietly inside the case. The body of the spear was covered with magnificent petal-like patterns, but the shaft was a chilling jet black. The black and white colors were clearly distinct on the spear, yet they were exceptionally harmonious.
Looking at the silver spear so close to him, Ming Yu felt his breathing become heavier. Although he had no particular designs on this weapon, he couldn't remain calm when such a divine artifact, with its countless stories, was placed right in front of him.
Theresa, on the other hand, looked a bit embarrassed. Her eyes were fixed on the still-smiling maid. If the case holding Abyss Flower weren't so far away from her, she probably wouldn't have been able to resist closing it herself.
According to the rules, after Abyss Flower arrived at the Far East Branch, it should have been entrusted to her for safekeeping, and then she would choose an appropriate time to show it to Ming Yu. Rita's actions were undoubtedly an overstep.
What is this woman trying to do? Poach my people!?
Theresa roared in her mind, her expression growing uglier.
If this were before Ming Yu had obtained the Divine Key, Theresa wouldn't have cared about these things. He was just a mere trainee, with at most a sliver of hope of growing to the level of an S-rank Valkyrie.
People with such talent were not common, but they were not rare either.
Moreover, St. Freya, as a school, although it operated under the name of the Far East Branch's Valkyrie training base, there was already a certain amount of personnel exchange between different branches, and between headquarters and the branches, to balance the distribution of power in various regions and better combat the Honkai.
But now, if Ming Yu were to leave, the Far East Branch's loss would be enormous. This was a trump card comparable to a Herrscher.
As if not noticing the look on Theresa's face, Rita pushed the case towards Ming Yu and said with a gentle smile, "What's wrong, Mr. Ming Yu? Won't you give it a try?"
Hearing this tempting suggestion, Ming Yu's heart skipped a beat. But at the critical moment, he managed to hold on to his reason and didn't act rashly. Instead, he looked towards Theresa.
After all, on the surface, he was a student of St. Freya and was still under Theresa's jurisdiction. Moreover, he had an agreement with Theresa, so he couldn't act recklessly. He still had that much respect for contracts.
Noticing Ming Yu's questioning gaze, the Principal sighed in relief. Her expression softened slightly, but she still said in a fierce but cute tone, "Since Miss Rita has spoken, why don't you give it a try?"
Although the Principal's tone still carried a hint of displeasure, Ming Yu knew it wasn't directed at him. He should be safe.
Gently nodding, Ming Yu took a step forward and reached for the shaft of Abyss Flower.
It felt warm and heavy in his hand. Unlike the chilling cold of the Black Abyss, Ming Yu could clearly feel the vibrant life force hidden within the spear.
With a light lift of his right hand, contrary to his expectations, Abyss Flower remained motionless, not moving with Ming Yu's will.
Looking at the calm silver spear, Ming Yu showed an awkward yet polite smile. This Abyss Flower was much heavier than he had anticipated.
Rita wore her usual smile, as if she hadn't noticed Ming Yu's action at all.
Theresa, on the other hand, rested her forehead in her hand and let out a soft sigh, forcing herself not to look at this embarrassing fellow.
Soulium, a nano-level alloy, already had a high density. Since Abyss Flower was forged entirely from Soulium, its weight naturally wouldn't be low. And Ming Yu didn't have the bloodline advantage of a Kaslana, so trying to lift such a heavy object with one hand was nothing short of a daydream.
Letting go of his desire to show off, Ming Yu obediently placed both hands on Abyss Flower. His arm muscles bulged, and a steady stream of force was transmitted to the silver spear.
As Ming Yu exerted his strength, Abyss Flower gradually lifted out of the case. The speed was not fast, but it was steady.
As if sensing Ming Yu's intention to wield it, Abyss Flower stirred slightly, and two streams of black mist rapidly climbed up Ming Yu's arms, as if to teach him a profound lesson.
Seeing the two streams of thick, cold black mist, Ming Yu was startled. He quickly took half a step back, and his hands trembled, about to throw Abyss Flower away.
But before he could experience the power of the black mist, he faintly heard a cold snort from within his body. The rising black mist immediately retracted back into the silver spear's body at an even faster speed.
Looking at his half-sleeve that had turned to black ash and disappeared, Ming Yu blinked awkwardly and said with a sheepish grin, "Hehe, the quality of this uniform doesn't seem to be very good."
Rita squinted her right eye, which wasn't covered by her hair. The corner of her mouth still held that standard smile, her thoughts unreadable.
The Principal glanced at the now-calm Abyss Flower, then stared at Ming Yu's remaining half-sleeve, a sense of shock rising in her heart.
When the Divine Key went berserk earlier, even she had been startled. Although she was on good terms with two previous wielders of Abyss Flower, she had never heard of such a thing.
The uniform, which had a certain degree of Honkai Energy resistance, was corroded in an instant, yet Ming Yu's body was completely unharmed, and he had even suppressed the Divine Key's backlash.
Is this... the reason why the Overseer is interested?