After laying into Welt, Noldrei once again made a stylish exit.
He wasn't their keeper. As he'd said from the very beginning, he was a ruler, not a good person. The ethics and morals of modern humans held no sway over Noldrei; the problems Welt raised wouldn't make him waver in the slightest.
While Noldrei certainly had a hand in shaping this new civilization, he knew what would be created once future human civilization veered off its current course.
Compared to Welt's tactful approach, Tesla was far more direct when she cornered Noldrei.
"So, you're planning on leaving?"
Dr. Tesla truly lived up to her reputation. No wonder she could remain a virgin at seventy or eighty years old! A normal person would have gone through who knows how many partners by now.
"If you're talking about leaving this world, then you're not wrong."
Noldrei's answer didn't surprise Tesla. She had already sensed his intention to leave. And this departure likely wouldn't be for a year or two, but for a length of time she couldn't even comprehend.
Tesla thought for a long time, but she couldn't come up with any way to make him stay.
"What do you plan to do after you leave? This civilization has only just begun. It hasn't accumulated enough strength, and we haven't even seen a shadow of anti-Proliferationism yet. You're planning to leave so soon?"
Tesla felt Noldrei was being somewhat irresponsible. He'd just guided humanity onto this path and was now abandoning them, letting them develop however they pleased?
Noldrei flatly denied it. "I think you're simply overthinking things. Would you consider a business trip from America to Europe for a few months as 'leaving'? For beings like us with countless years of life, being away for a few centuries is pretty much the same as a business trip."
Of course, Tesla understood the concept. She herself could use Herrscher abilities to modify her genes into the form of a MANTIS. Even she could live for a very long time, with no need to worry about not seeing someone again in the future.
But that wasn't how the math worked. Who didn't know that a business trip of a few months was a minor thing? The problem wasn't whether she wanted him to stay or not. Tesla just felt like she was being completely abandoned, as if anyone could be found to replace her.
"It's not about whether it's a business trip or not. I just want to know what you plan to do next. Are you going to a parallel world? Or dealing with the Cocoon of Finality first? Will you continue to venture into space? Or are you planning to seek out more possibilities for human civilization?"
Tesla wanted to know what Noldrei's next move was.
From her personal experience, the time she'd spent working under Noldrei had actually been the best. She really only had to focus on her own research. Whatever experiments she wanted to run, she could run. She had access to a near-infinite supply of resources.
This was something that had been almost impossible to achieve back in the old Anti-Entropy. Now, very few researchers were willing to leave Academy City.
Tesla knew in her heart that this was because Noldrei was here, holding things down, so no one competed with her for these resources.
But if Noldrei were to leave...
To be honest, Tesla had some doubts about whether Kiana had the ability to handle the work ahead.
But Noldrei saw through her thoughts with ease.
"You want to come with me?" Noldrei asked suddenly, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Wh-what nonsense are you talking?!" Tesla hadn't expected Noldrei to be even more direct. Flustered, she couldn't come up with a proper answer.
"If you want to come with me, just say so. Why be so coy? It's not like I can't let you come along. It's not as if you occupy some critical position. I just need you to hand over your Herrscher Core for the final work with the Finality."
Noldrei's words made Tesla's face flush red, and she didn't know how to answer.
"So, do you want to leave or not?"
Tesla's gaze darted outside as she mumbled awkwardly, "You know, I still have a lot of work here... and friends. Um, research work, I mean... I need a reason to leave, don't I?"
Noldrei looked at her suspiciously, wondering if he shouldn't have asked in the first place.
"So you're saying you don't want to go?"
"No! You have to give me a reason to go with you, don't you? Otherwise..." Tesla was getting anxious. She tried desperately to explain, "I have so much work on my hands. I can't just drop it all, can I? What about all those people? And the others? Huh?"
Noldrei finally understood. Tesla wasn't talking about whether he was leaving or not; she was talking about her own problem.
"You want some kind of benefit?"
Tesla was really at her wit's end with this guy. It wasn't that he had a simple "straight guy" mindset; it was that he had no concept of gender whatsoever, only a way of thinking based on the rights and responsibilities between individuals. So, she couldn't expect Noldrei to say something romantic like, "Let's go see the stars together."
"Can't you... think of something else?"
Tesla realized she couldn't keep going around in circles like this. She had to take the initiative.
Noldrei pondered for a moment. "Shall we mate? But... I recall we've already done that."
Tesla was furious. "You ate today, so does that mean you won't eat tomorrow?" she snapped.
Noldrei was speechless. He didn't need to eat in the first place; he only did it to conform to his friends' habits. Wasn't Tesla perfectly aware of this?
Tesla also felt a bit foolish for getting angry.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Don't you have even one... reason to take me with you? I mean, a reason related to your emotions, your thoughts. Whether I go or not doesn't depend on me, but on whether you have a reason to take me. I need to know your reason, your need!"
Tesla understood now. What she needed was to know Noldrei's need for her. Not for her research work, not to defeat the Honkai together, but something else entirely.
Noldrei finally grasped the subtle emotional dynamics at play. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Tesla, even if you put it that way, I can't think of a suitable reason right off the bat. If there really is one..."
He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I want to resist the thoughts in my own mind. I want to find something irreplaceable. Not a power relationship bound simply by genes, but an irreplaceability that is comfortable and impossible to refuse."
"You should be able to understand, right? When I face a person, my first thought isn't about who they are, but about how to find the next person to replace them. This is an inevitable way of thinking for my current life form, which is designed to build social systems. It's as natural as thinking about getting money before buying something."
"If you insist on me finding a reason, that is my reason."
"I am a warrior fighting against Proliferationism. I carry all the hopes of the future humans, even though my actions have never managed to escape the cage of Proliferationism."
"But that is my reason: to find the irreplaceable in life, and to find an irreplaceable life."
As Noldrei said this, Tesla's head was buzzing.
Th-this... Is this how a person from the future confesses his feelings?