"So... you still need time to think it over."
Welt fell silent for a moment before speaking. "I can give you that time. However, I'd strongly advise you to disperse that massive Honkai energy source behind you first."
"Otherwise, forces from Schicksal will be here any moment. Believe me, even as the Herrscher of the Void, you won't escape. After all, among those coming, there's someone specifically equipped to counter your abilities."
"All this talk... but you're really just afraid my threat level might exceed your control, aren't you?"
Sirin let out a cold laugh. "I've said it already. Bella is my family too. I won't abandon her."
"You mean that is Bella? ...Sigh."
Welt sighed heavily.
"Einstein, change of plans. It seems we'll have to defeat her before we can persuade Sirin to abandon her defense of this place... I'm going to test her strength now. If possible, I'll take both her and her friend away. But if I can't subdue her..."
"'Silver Bullet' is loaded and ready. Whether you intend to assist the Second Herrscher against Schicksal, or are forced to eliminate her, we can provide immediate fire support."
At that moment, likely due to Honkai energy interference, Einstein's voice over the comms became distorted and fuzzy. "I understand your concerns, Welt."
"Schicksal's recent intelligence lockdown is highly suspicious, and Siegfried's team remains completely unaware. According to our insider, Otto's public appearances have become exceedingly rare. However, since there are no other signals near you currently, seize this opportunity... make it quick..."
"Huh, the interference is already this bad?"
The voice in his ear dissolved into nothing but static. Welt simply removed the earpiece and stuffed it into his pocket.
"My apologies, Miss Sirin. Since we cannot reach an agreement for now, I'll have to test your capabilities first. After that, we can have a proper talk."
"After all, if you can't even defeat me... continuing to oppose Schicksal alone will only end in tragedy."
--+--
"What's all that noise outside?... Don't tell me they've actually started fighting?"
Inside the valley, Lynelle listened to the constant rumbling from outside, her heart sinking.
Considering the two people involved, it was almost inevitable. Sirin, away from her, grew paranoid under the core's influence, and Welt during this period was a master of 'verbal diplomacy'.
Their meeting was bound to explode, just as Lynelle had feared.
"Bella, Bella, you have to wake up soon..."
Lynelle gazed at the luminous cocoon beside her, within which the general form of a dragon was now visible, and muttered to herself, "If you don't wake up soon, your Queen is going to be surrounded by Schicksal..."
But just then, a voice that sent a jolt through her entire body echoed through the empty valley.
"Still worrying about the Second Herrscher at a time like this, Miss Lynelle? You seem to lack the awareness one would expect from an ordinary person."
Lynelle spun around. A blond man wearing a jester's mask and a white suit stood behind her, watching her with an amused, knowing look.
"Yikes—"
Lynelle had a feeling she was in very deep trouble.
"Are you... from Schicksal?"
"I am Otto Apocalypse. Merely someone with a modest say within Schicksal."
Otto took off his hat and performed a flawless gentleman's bow.
"So the Overseer of Schicksal only counts as having a 'modest say'? That sounds pretty powerful to me."
"It seems Miss Lynelle is not entirely ignorant about Schicksal. Excellent, excellent. Had the physical records from the Babylon Labs not clearly confirmed your body's development aligns with a sixteen-year-old, I might have suspected you were some ancient relic from the Previous Era."
Otto clapped his hands softly, his tone dripping with undisguised appreciation.
"Furthermore, I've heard that Miss Lynelle possesses... a resurrection ability? Could you demonstrate it for me?"
"If you want to kill me, just say it directly. Being this roundabout isn't Schicksal's usual style when collecting test subjects."
Lynelle snorted coldly, fully committing to her role as an escaped Schicksal experiment.
"Oh, you misunderstand, Miss Lynelle. You might not believe it, but my interest in you is purely one of intense curiosity. Even if my objective here were to kill you, it would only be because you are temporarily in my way."
Seemingly confident he had ample time before the outside conflict concluded, Otto explained to Lynelle without hurry.
"Don't worry. After your death, I will preserve your body and return it to Schicksal. Once this current... dispute is resolved, I will revive you."
"To be frank, the last person who intrigued me this much was a man named Joyce. Had circumstances allowed, I'd intended to groom him as my successor."
"And you, Miss Lynelle... you may not know this, but your resurrection ability isn't the first of its kind to appear in this world. As far back as 50,000 years ago, in the Previous Era, there was a person with a similar power. And I happen to possess some records related to her."
"I can promise you this: if you are willing to accompany me, I will share these records with you without reservation, and devote all resources to helping you develop your Stigmata."
"As for that Miss Sirin, as long as she follows the path I've laid out, she too can be spared. When all is said and done, the two of you can be reunited. The only price you need to pay is a single death here and now. A rather good deal, wouldn't you say?"
If Lynelle were truly just a test subject, this offer, delivered at a moment of seemingly hopeless desperation, would hold a certain temptation.
Unfortunately, while Otto believed himself to hold a 'god's-eye view,' when it came to certain intelligence, Lynelle, with her knowledge of the 'script,' held the superior hand.
For instance, Lynelle knew perfectly well that Otto had probably obtained information about Mobius's abilities from the Void Archives, and had consequently assumed that Lynelle herself had received a 'legacy' from the Previous Era through a Stigmata.
And just as Lynelle had considered before, her abilities needed a plausible explanation. Since Otto had conveniently supplied one himself, why not play along and reinforce his hypothesis?
After all, for clever men like him, they might doubt intelligence laid plainly on the table, scrutinizing it repeatedly, but they would never doubt the conclusions they drew from their own observations and analysis.
'Kiana-chan, Kiana-chan, get out here!'
[Host, are you going to wish?]
Almost instantly, the ever-eager customer service Kiana-chan popped up.
'Nope.'
Lynelle refused without hesitation. 'The weapon banner hadn't updated these last two days. Herta probably hasn't arrived at the space station yet. With the current banners, no matter what I pulled, it probably wouldn't be enough to survive Otto.'
'I can't just bet my freshly saved ten pulls on somehow getting a 10-pull The Herta, can I?'
[Tch, as if that would work... How come you're treating your life like disposable material again...]
Customer Service Kiana-chan grumbled internally for a second, then immediately switched back to her professional voice.
[Then... if you're not wishing, Host, what did you need me for?]
'I recall the system has a localization function for the abilities I draw, right?'
Lynelle grinned. 'So, be a dear and generate a Stigmata on my body. When I pretend to resist Otto later, make sure this Stigmata becomes visible.'
[I see. To mislead Otto?]
It seemed Customer Service Kiana-chan had anticipated this kind of maneuver from Lynelle.
[So, what style of Stigmata would you like, Host?]
'Anything's fine. There are so many Flame-Chaser Signets, just pick one you think fits. The point is just to make Otto believe I really did receive the Stigmata of some Flame-Chaser from the Previous Era.'
[Alright, then...]
[Let's use this one?]
Was it her imagination? In the final moment before her consciousness fully exited the system, Lynelle could have sworn she heard customer service Kiana-chan's trailing tone shift into a somehow familiar, lilting uptick.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.