Honkai: Strijder (Patreon)

Chapter 69: Dead Man Tell No Tale

Half an hour later, Sigurd sat at the dining table, and breakfast consisted of soy milk with deep-fried dough sticks and some other food he did not know..

Don't ask how the dough had time to ferment in just half an hour; the most likely answer to that is that Schicksal had its own technology to do so. Moreover, Otto knew Sigurd's preferences to some extent, and Rita, being a responsible maid, had consulted in advance and made preparations, so it wasn't surprising.

"From a general perspective, for a European to achieve this level is quite impressive," Sigurd commented as he ate a bun, addressing Rita, who was standing nearby.

Rita offered a smile of apology. "I apologize, Lord Sigurd. Rita hasn't had much experience with Chinese cuisine. It seems I couldn't truly satisfy you."

"It's fine; I'm not too picky," Sigurd replied nonchalantly.

"Yes, I will continue to work hard," she replied with a smile, though her hands clenched slightly at her abdomen.

(Fine? Not picky?)

What's with that attitude! Why even mention that he's not picky? Her  culinary skills as a maid have been praised by even the cooking class teacher! Even the straightforward Lady Durandal always gives the highest praise! Rita chided the man inwardly, but her outward demeanor remained composed.

At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open.

"Good morning, my dear friend! How was your rest last night?" Otto strolled in with a warm smile, followed by the ever-calm Amber by his side, her face as blank as ever.

Sigurd cast him a sidelong glance. "Very good—assuming you didn't come to disturb me while I was halfway through my meal. And good morning to you, Miss Amber."

"Just call me Amber. Good morning, Lord Sigurd. I apologize on behalf of Lord Otto for his interruption, but he simply missed you dearly," Amber said without a hint of emotion, her golden eyes glancing indifferently at Otto from behind her eye mask.

Otto's smile faltered briefly, but he recovered without embarrassment. "Since I haven't eaten either, how about we have breakfast together?"

"Does a body made from a Soulium really need to eat? How does it digest the food? Never mind, that's not the point. The point is that Rita didn't prepare your portion. Amber, have you had breakfast yet? If you don't mind, please join us," Sigurd said, not hiding his irritation.

"Hey! Are you really so repulsed by me?" Otto protested.

"From a general perspective, Otto Apocalypse, aside from being smart and stubborn, is not particularly likable," Sigurd replied, his tone somewhat confrontational.

While Rita was graceful, and Amber was visually pleasing, Sigurd felt that something was missing from this morning. He had a sense of restlessness and dissatisfaction that he needed to alleviate by teasing Otto.

Otto opened his mouth to respond but shook his head with a wry smile. Despite not fully understanding, he appreciated Sigurd's somewhat audacious attitude. It was a sign of a friend with whom he could have equal exchanges.

Seeing Rita, who was now keeping her head down and remained silent, as well as the equally silent Amber, Sigurd realized that they couldn't become Otto's friends, no matter how powerful or capable they were.

Having vented his inexplicable negative emotions, Sigurd gestured with his chopsticks towards the chair opposite him, signaling Otto to sit down.

Otto complied and took a seat without touching Sigurd's breakfast, as he didn't have chopsticks. He grinned and said, "I stayed up all night to read your latest work. I didn't expect the progress to be so fast. This already proves the existence of the soul, which is amazing!"

Sigurd glanced at him and explained, "Conventional physical theories view the world from a materialistic perspective, and the concept of the soul, from a purely mathematical and material energy standpoint, is nearly impossible to interpret. So, the Information-Origin Theory doesn't view the world from a particle's perspective but uses a new concept involving the mind to break down the world, aiming to analyze the existence of the soul. It's a perfect fit."

Otto shook his head, let out a long sigh, and reflected, "It's easy to say but quite another thing to do. It's like Dr. Einstein's theory of relativity. I can fully understand it and interpret its true meaning clearly, but I can't create the theory itself. That's a great endeavor only Dr. Einstein himself could accomplish. Similarly, the Information-Origin Theory is just starting, and only you can develop it to a level practical for future research. Sigurd, you're a genius, perhaps the most brilliant genius of our era!"

Otto gestured with his hands, as if trying to convey his praise and admiration to Sigurd.

"Thank you for the compliment," Sigurd responded with just a short sentence, not following Otto's lengthy praise with a lengthy reply.

Then he said, "But I believe you've also noticed that I've hit a roadblock. Knowing it's possible is one thing, but figuring out how to make it possible is another. The second step, from proving existence to interacting with souls, revealing their deeper nature and properties, requires time, effort, and resources that I can't currently fathom."

"No worries, for people like you and me, time is never an issue. As for the other aspects, if there's anything you need, just let me know. As I mentioned before, the world will make way for you now," Otto assured him.

Otto patted Sigurd's shoulder, his tone casual but without any hint of insecurity or lack of confidence.

Sigurd smirked. "You make a good point. First of all, I'm quite interested in Soulium."

"After we finish eating, come with me. I'll take you to my lab," Otto said with a cheerful smile, not inquiring about Sigurd's intentions or discussing any potential secrecy or taboos related to the lab. He was straightforward and generous.

Who knew just how excited Otto was at this moment, rivaling the time he encountered the godlike being when he went to Siberia. However, unlike that illusory hope, this time it was real. He could clearly understand and deduce future possibilities, a chance that felt within his grasp.

…

Before long, Sigurd followed Otto deep into the core of the aerial city.

Sigurd trailed half a step behind Otto, and behind them, Amber lagged behind Sigurd by half a step. The three of them arrived at Otto's private laboratory.

Sigurd and Otto sat down at a clean square table.

Amber entered another room, and before long, she walked over, holding a square metal box in her hands.

Otto opened the box and pushed it in front of Sigurd. Inside was an irregularly shaped black crystal about the size of a palm.

Sigurd summoned a worker bee from the air, activated a laser scanner, and began to analyze the properties of the crystal.

Upon seeing the worker bee in Sigurd's hand, Otto covered his face and sighed.

"I have to ask, how many new worker bees did you bring with you? Optical properties, vibrations, electromagnetic induction, and the ability to withstand Honkai reactions are all perfectly eliminated. Even the airflow and wind direction can be perfectly simulated as long as the observation camera function is not activated. Their presence is as inconspicuous as dust, even the keen-sensed Durandal can't detect them... I can imagine, is the entire base, inside and out, now surrounded by your worker bees?"

"Don't worry about such trivial matters. After all, this is your lair. I wouldn't dare to come in so leisurely without enough firepower to evaporate the entire Sky City."

"Evaporate!? "

Hearing the young man's words, Otto was slightly stunned and then burst into laughter, shaking his head.

"I really admire your vigilance. Is this much amount of planing really necessary to meet me?"

"It is necessary. If by chance you are planning to take me out and succeed, no one will be able to take care of Kiana... I mean, the Kiana on my side."

"Oh? Have you made your attitude completely clear now?"

"Yes, if anyone dares to lay their hand on her, I will make sure they think of death as a mercy."

Sigurd picked up the black crystal and watched as it changed from black to the same flesh color as his arm, saying expressionlessly.

Yes, even though that girl didn't like using her brain, was impulsive, mischievous, single-minded, rough, gluttonous, lazy, loved to cause trouble, had a terrible sleeping posture, didn't study seriously, cooked badly, and was a troublemaker... But that's really how Sigurd felt.

There was no reason, and no need for any explanation. That's just how Sigurd had decided.

Anyone who messes with Kiana will not live to tell the tale.

But as Sigurd observed the Soulium closely, he didn't notice the complex expression that Otto was showing at this moment.

Otto wasn't angry about this; he just looked at Sigurd with an expressionless face, but in his eyes, the scene seemed to flicker, as if it had switched to the nightmare scene that appeared whenever he fell asleep.

Vaguely, Otto seemed to have traveled through time and saw a familiar youth kneeling in front of the exquisite coffin 500 years ago, as well as the incomparably pure and flawless beauty who lay motionlessly inside the coffin.