"You want us to pay you, too?" Einstein and Dr. Tesla frowned. They both looked at Kallen at the same time.
"Can he even speak for Schicksal?" Dr. Tesla asked.
Kallen nodded. "He is a valuable member of Schicksal," she confirmed. "In this situation, he can speak on their behalf."
Tesla was a little taken aback by this very direct request for payment. She had planned to offer more than just words, but she didn't expect such a straightforward approach. Still, she knew that promises made in person had to be kept.
With a grumpy expression, she asked, "Can you at least tell us what your conditions are?"
"We can discuss the details later," Luo Mo replied calmly. "Right now, what I'm more interested in is why the two Executors of Anti-Entropy are here at St. Freya – a Schicksal branch – at the same time as Schicksal's Bishop?"
Luo Mo was in no hurry. He looked back and forth between the duo and Kallen, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
.....
"Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are merging?" Luo Mo asked, surprised.
"Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are not merging," Tesla corrected, her voice clipped. "It's just a deep cooperation (read it as yes)."
"It's a bit embarrassing to admit," Einstein added, "but while we were busy accusing Cocolia, she managed to escape."
The room went silent. Even Kallen looked shocked.
"Well, then," Luo Mo said finally, "I guess you guys didn't have to come all the way to Schicksal, did you?"
"Cocolia took a considerable amount of money, mechs, and experimental materials when she left," Einstein continued, ignoring Luo Mo's comment. "Oh, and her orphanage, of course."
In the end, Anti Entropy had to go bankrupt for once! Luo Mo secretly spat.
Kallen thought for a moment before saying, "There's more to it than that, though, isn't there? There's more to Anti-Entropy than just money and resources."
Einstein nodded in agreement. "That's right. It's a big loss, but Anti-Entropy isn't ready to give up."
"But we looked into what you said last time, Kallen, about technology affecting the Honkai's intensity," Dr. Tesla said. "We've verified it, and you're essentially right. And in the Second Eruption, aside from the silver bullets, technological weapons didn't do much damage to the Herrscher."
"So, what you're saying is..." Kallen trailed off, starting to see where this was going.
"It looks like we're going to have to start siding with Schicksal," Dr. Tesla finished, a pained expression on her face.
"Mechs can't beat the Honkai! Is there any worse news than that?" she wailed. "My dream! My Mecha! Noooooo!"
It's okay, Dr. Tesla, you can defeat Honkai in my game, and I've already got a ringing name for you - Dr. Red Lobster Twin Ponytail.
In the ensuing episodes, your contributions will undoubtedly leave a significant mark. Luo Mo, observing the unfolding scene, felt a strange urge to laugh.
"As for what you said about rejoining Schicksal..." Einstein began, addressing Dr. Tesla's earlier statement.
"Whether or not we do that depends on what the head of the Anti-Entropy Alliance decides. That was part of the agreement we made with Schicksal."
The revelation that their scientific advancements might actually be making the Honkai stronger hit the scientists of Anti-Entropy hard.
The idea that all their hard work and sacrifices could end up hurting the very people they were trying to protect was a tough pill to swallow.
As soon as they confirmed this grim reality, Anti-Entropy moved quickly to bury the news. Sadly, several of their top scientists who had learned the truth took their own lives, unable to cope with the shattering of their ideals.
After a moment of heavy silence, Luo Mo asked another question. "So, why did Anti-Entropy choose to come to St. Freya to negotiate?" he wondered.
Tesla answered without hesitation, "Because Schicksal HQ is too dangerous."
Einstein remained silent, casting a glance at Tesla.
Luo Mo pressed further. "So, you're saying that St. Freya is a safe place for you two – from Anti-Entropy?"
Tesla struggled to come up with an answer. Einstein sighed and glanced at Theresa sympathetically. Even Theresa looked a little confused as to why they had chosen her place as a neutral meeting ground.
Finally, Einstein spoke up. "We wanted to be completely open and honest with you, since we're hoping to strengthen our cooperation," she explained. "And besides, Welt, who's an ally of Anti-Entropy, has been living here for quite some time."
"What!"
"What!"
Theresa and Kallen were taken aback by this revelation. Theresa even rose from her seat in shock.
Kallen stared at Theresa, her eyes filled with a mixture of emotions. It was as if she was seeing her granddaughter for the first time, all grown up and standing in front of her. Theresa had hidden her true intentions so well that even Kallen had been fooled.
Could it be that Theresa was actually ready to join forces with Anti-Entropy?
"Theresa..." Kallen began, her voice steady but laced with a hint of surprise. "If you wanted to be Bishop, you only had to say the word."
A look of realization dawned on her face. "Of course," she said, her voice tinged with a mixture of shock and understanding. "You are a member of the Apocalypse family, after all."
Theresa's eyes widened in surprise, her confusion evident in her large, expressive eyes. She had been completely unaware of this development.
"Just because one of your allies stayed here doesn't mean you should jump to conclusions!" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
She desperately hoped this was all just a misunderstanding!
"There's an Anti-Entropy underground base here, too!" Tesla blurted out.
The news hit Theresa like a punch to the gut. Her head spun, and she squeezed her eyes shut, pressing a hand to her forehead to steady herself. As an S-rank Valkyrie, she wasn't used to feeling so off balance.
"So, the next thing you're going to tell me is that the leader of Anti-Entropy, Welt, is working as a teacher here at St. Freya!" Luo Mo chimed in, unable to hide his amusement.
He figured it was time for Theresa, as the head of the academy, to face the Reality. After all, running away from the truth was a cowardly thing to do.
Persecution? Who would dare to persecute someone as endearing as Theresa? Who would have the audacity? They would have to face Kallen no... ME first!
"No, no, that's impossible," Theresa mumbled, panic creeping into her voice as she waved her hands dismissively. She could feel a wave of hostility directed at her, and her heart pounded in her chest.
But the confrontation she was expecting never came. Instead, Einstein and Tesla just looked away from her, their silence speaking volumes. Theresa sank back into her chair, defeated.
She felt like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, trying to escape from reality. She buried her face into the table, her cheeks flushed and ears burning with embarrassment.
She wrapping her arms around her head, she wished she could just disappear.
Luo Mo tried to pull Theresa's arms away from her face, but he couldn't budge them. He was surprised by her strength.
Kallen watched the scene, a realization slowly dawning on her. It wasn't that Theresa had been planning to join forces with Anti-Entropy to gain more power. It seemed more likely that Anti-Entropy had infiltrated the island right under Theresa's nose.
Kallen looked at Theresa, who was still hiding her face in her hands. She wondered what she could possibly say to make her feel better. Should she thank Theresa for accidentally helping to unify Schicksal and Anti-Entropy? Or maybe she should express her gratitude for Theresa's unknowing role in establishing a shared stronghold for both organizations on the island?
"Let's just move on, shall we?" Einstein interrupted, clearly irritated.
She knew that Anti-Entropy was the reason they were in this awkward situation, and she couldn't bring herself to be as lighthearted as the others.
She glanced at Tesla, whose face was twitching as she tried to hold back laughter. It was obvious that Tesla was struggling to keep a straight face.
As for Einstein herself? She had wisely chosen to get her laughter out of the way before they arrived at Schicksal. Now, she could simply sit back and enjoy the show, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"So..." Einstein began, her voice laced with amusement. "This young man... what was it you were asking for?"
"Allow me to introduce myself," Luo Mo said, stepping forward. "My name is Luo Mo, and I'm the owner of the game Honkai Impact III." His movements were confident and purposeful.
Einstein's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She hadn't expected to see him here. Lately, she'd been too busy trying to track Cocolia's movements.
And the mention of Honkai Impact III brought back a flood of memories. It was an incredibly popular game, and in some ways, it had even shaped her own determination.
Still, was an introduction really necessary at a time like this?
"I want the two of you to lend your voices to my game, Honkai Impact III," Luo Mo stated, his gaze fixed on Einstein and Tesla as if they were valuable treasures.
Kallen sighed inwardly. She should have known this was coming. Luo Mo was always asking for favors.
If he could read her mind, he would probably say something like, "Come on, how can you be the Bishop of Schicksal if you can't even handle a simple request? Why don't you step down and let my favorite, Theresa, take over?"
"That hyper-realistic game?" Einstein asked, her curiosity piqued.
"That's the one," Luo Mo replied. "We need your voices for the next Chapter."
"Are you going to have characters based on us?" Tesla chimed in. She had seen the characters in the game – they were all Schicksal Valkyries.
How would she and Einstein fit into all of that?
"They're for story characters," Luo Mo explained. "So, what do you say? Are you in?"
Luo Mo looked back and forth between Einstein and Tesla, his eyes occasionally darting towards Kallen as if seeking her approval.
He was silently urging her to say something, to break the tension that had settled over the room, but Kallen seemed perfectly content to observe the situation unfold.
Kallen sat up straight and addressed the group, a determined look on her face. "This is what Schicksal wants!" she declared. "If we can collaborate by having Anti-Entropy as an ally, then surely we can also collaborate on a little thing like game development, right?"
Her words were met with silence. The members of Anti-Entropy looked at each other, considering Kallen's proposition.
Finally, after what felt like forever, they nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Theresa was still hiding her face in her arms. She had been like that for a while. Sensing a lull in the conversation, she muffled her voice and asked, "Himeko, are they gone yet?"
"Pffft! Hahaha!"
The room erupted in laughter at Theresa's innocent question. Even Einstein and Kallen couldn't help but laugh.
"Oooh-" Theresa let out a soft whimper, sounding like a small animal in distress. She buried her head even deeper into her arms, effectively hiding her face from view.
Luo Mo could only guess whether she was blushing or not.
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edited, thank you for reading this fan-fiction.
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