"Reckless, ridiculous? Hehe, perhaps."
Facing Rita's merciless sarcasm, Lin Wei laughed it off.
"Thank you for your concern, Miss Rita. I suppose if it were Durandal and not you who came to me today, then what I've done today would indeed be very reckless."
The thought of that woman, a bug who shouldn't have appeared in this version, made Lin Wei feel a wave of helplessness.
"Hehe, yes. Although we are both S-rank Valkyries, Rita is naturally far inferior to Lady Durandal."
Rita retracted that inexplicable expression and said with some emotion.
"At least, if she had received a clear directive from Lord Overseer, Lady Durandal wouldn't have the leisure to chat here like Rita."
She couldn't help but reflect inwardly. Compared to Lady Durandal, she was, after all, a bit too soft-hearted, having said too many things she shouldn't have.
"Hahahaha... you're right. Durandal is just too focused, even a bit too much so."
Lin Wei indeed seemed to have plenty of leisure. He turned to look at Rita and smiled.
"But, I have one small question that I'd like to ask Miss Rita to clarify for me."
"...Please speak."
Rita hadn't intended to say more, but since she had already said what she shouldn't have, it was useless to regret it now.
"May I ask, what heinous crime has your humble servant committed, that a mere chance appearance has to be met with such vigilance and targeting by Schicksal?"
As he spoke, he nonchalantly and gently twirled the cane in his hand, the smile on his lips growing more sarcastic.
Sincerity? A meeting gift? Ha!
A show of force and a warning, more like it!
"If it weren't for Miss Rita's sudden visit, your humble servant would be just an ordinary tourist."
Lin Wei pointed to his own garish beach shirt and smiled.
"What, is it a crime to be on vacation?"
"...A smart person like Mr. Lin Wei, why bother asking when you already know the answer?"
Rita glanced meaningfully at Yuno, who was sitting beside them with her head bowed, and said with a reserved tone.
"A 'distinguished guest' like Mr. Lin Wei naturally deserves Schicksal's special attention and preferential treatment."
The leisurely chat of old friends reuniting had just begun and already ended. Now, she had to continue to fulfill her duties as a Schicksal Valkyrie and Otto's capable assistant.
"Haha, you see—as a 'distinguished guest,' Schicksal would naturally send an outstanding cadre with elegant temperament and proper demeanor like Miss Rita to express greetings to me. As for Durandal... hehe, she is clearly not good at this and would likely be counterproductive."
Lin Wei spread his hands, showing the cane in his hand, and smiled.
"You see, I just happened to be here for a trip, and Schicksal just asked you to come and express greetings to me—what a friendly and memorable day. How can we talk about provocation or enraging Schicksal?"
Since Rita didn't want to take the initiative to break the ice, Lin Wei was happy to play along. Anyway, someone would eventually be unable to resist breaking it.
"Enough!"
Yuno, who had been enduring with her head bowed for a long time, finally couldn't listen anymore. She couldn't help but shout and stand up directly. Her gaze hesitated on Lin Wei's face for a moment, then turned to Rita.
"Vice... Ri..."
Whether it was "Vice-Captain" or "Miss Rita," neither felt right. This stammering feeling made Yuno even more anxious. She gritted her teeth and, deciding to combine them, asked bluntly,
"Vice-Captain Rita, may I ask where Ana is?"
"...Ana. Miss Yuno, you still care about her so much."
Rita remembered how Yuno, who had been confined at Schicksal Headquarters during the Manila Honkai Eruption, had once disobeyed orders and nearly sortied on her own. She couldn't help but sigh softly.
"She is my friend. In Schicksal, probably my only friend."
The suppressed emotions in her heart had been vented by more than half with that shout. Yuno now realized her own rudeness and recklessness, but since the words were already out, she didn't intend to give up halfway. She stiffened her neck and continued,
"Vice-Captain, please tell me, how is Ana now?"
"...Valkyrie Yuno, you've really changed a lot. To even use words like 'please.' The other members will surely be even more surprised to see you."
Rita looked at her with astonished eyes again and said with emotion.
"Mr. Lin Wei has accomplished in such a short time what Lady Durandal couldn't do in a year. It's truly admirable."
"Miss Rita praises me too much—Yuno, calm down, sit down first."
Lin Wei raised his hand in a placating gesture. Yuno, who was about to say more, was met with Lin Wei's unquestionable gaze and had no choice but to sit back down unhappily, once again lowering her head without a word.
During this process, Rita observed Yuno's every move. She had never been so obedient in Schicksal.
"Mr. Lin Wei really brings different surprises every time..."
Rita said with a slight sigh. Compared to people like Lin Wei, she preferred to deal with criminals and villains—at least when facing them, she could act without a shred of soft-heartedness or pity.
Being stirred up by this third person on the scene in what seemed like a reckless manner not only greatly eased the tense atmosphere but also completely broke the ice. This way, neither Lin Wei nor Rita had to beat around the bush when they spoke.
"A surprise? It's alright, I guess."
Lin Wei said noncommittally.
"Otto's every move, except for this unexpectedly returned demonic sword, has nothing worthy of praise."
"..."
Lin Wei's contemptuous words about her leader left Rita unsure whether to respond or not. Fortunately, Lin Wei didn't insist on her responding. Instead, his tone changed, and he looked at Rita with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze, asking,
"Allow me to ask presumptuously, Ana Schariac... how does that respected Overseer Otto plan to arrange her?"
He said "respected," but when he uttered those two words, Lin Wei's tone was filled with undisguised contempt and sarcasm.
"...Miss Ana, as a Valkyrie of Schicksal, must naturally accept the Overseer's assignments and orders."
Rita said ambiguously, but saw Lin Wei's gaze become even more sarcastic—the sarcasm was not directed at her, but at the person behind her.
"Then allow me to ask more specifically—"
Lin Wei's face wore a smile like a spring breeze, which gave Rita a strange sense of familiarity. He asked in an extremely casual tone,
"If I—don't show up for a long time, how does our dear Overseer Otto plan to 'make good use' of her?"
His tone was as casual as if he were asking what's for dinner tonight, but the increasingly undisguised mockery hidden within it made Rita even more silent.
"..."
Rita was silent for a moment, but saw Lin Wei looking at her with an ever-brightening smile, as if patiently waiting for her answer. Finally, under his non-interrogating interrogation, she gave her answer, choosing her words carefully.
"After the Second Divine Key is completed, Lord Overseer plans to dispatch a team of elite Valkyries to follow the door opened by the Divine Key and conduct a preliminary exploration of the unknown world of the Sea of Quanta."
"Haha, is that so? What a grand plan!"
Lin Wei's smile became even more sarcastic. Otto's research on the Sea of Quanta was already almost complete. Why this extra step?
"Allow me to ask presumptuously, this so-called 'elite team,' who are its members, and who will lead it?"
Facing this presumptuous and somewhat rude question, Rita replied,
"This is Schicksal's confidential information. Please forgive Rita for being unable to disclose it."
"Hehe, is that so? Then let me guess a little..."
Lin Wei ignored Rita's stunned attitude and said to himself,
"If I'm not mistaken, if I don't show up for a long time, the key members of this 'exploration team' will be announced soon, right?"
"..."
Facing Lin Wei's extremely malicious speculation, Rita just remained silent.
In fact, as far as she knew, Ana had already received the relevant notice and was already undergoing corresponding studies and training.
She was no stranger to Ana and knew she had always worked very hard on the path of a Valkyrie. But she could never forget the look in Ana's eyes when she received that order—it was a look of relief and joy called "liberation."
"As long as I'm gone, Lord Overseer won't have anything to threaten him with, right?"
Ana had folded that thin piece of paper solemnly and put it away, as if it contained a fate as heavy as a mountain.
"Leaving this world and going to another unknown world, at least I can still fight as a Valkyrie, right?"
Facing those eyes that were almost seeking death in their sorrow, Rita didn't know how to answer. But in the face of her silence, Ana seemed to have received an answer and smiled.
"Is that so? That's good too..."
"Thank you..."
Ana had bowed deeply, then turned and returned to her room with a long-lost smile, not wanting to say another word to her, as if she were not her colleague, senior, and friend, but just an irrelevant stranger.
Looking at her lonely back, Rita suddenly had an absurd feeling: it was as if the girl she had just faced was not Ana, but Yuno, who had long since left Schicksal...
And so, a sentence that had already reached her lips was swallowed back—
"If that he you speak of comes, what will you do then?"
With Ana's almost collapsed mental state, she couldn't bear the weight of such a sentence. Rita was very worried she would do something irrational.
But she had never expected that her bit of intolerance and worry back then would actually come true now...
Seeing Rita's silent expression, Lin Wei finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
The laughter was so loud, so unrestrained, so wanton, that it not only jolted Rita out of her memories but also made Yuno, at the side, shudder. It even startled the other customers in the shop.
"Who's that? Are they sick? What's with the nerve in public?"
A customer from another table couldn't help but curse. It was the shop staff, who were busy to the point of exhaustion, who first figured out the situation. Suppressing their inner annoyance, they hurried to soothe the various customers.
After the waiter briefly explained the situation, these aggressive customers instantly fell silent—the man had already treated them to a feast that couldn't even fit on the table. What was wrong with a few laughs?
Rich people, they always have some strange tempers. Normal, normal...
The people at several tables looked at each other and decided it was better not to provoke this seemingly mentally unstable rich person...
At this moment, the "rich lunatic" in the eyes of everyone in the shop, Lin Wei, felt he hadn't laughed so heartily in a long time. He laughed out loud for a long time before slowly stopping, rubbing his sore cheeks, wiping away the tears from laughing, and said loudly with still-unsuppressed amusement,
"Otto, Otto, you're really living your life backward! Huh? Hahahaha!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh again.
As the saying goes, "a person will always become the person they hate most." But when Otto performed such an ugly farce in such a comical way in front of Lin Wei, how could it not make him burst into laughter?
Otto, Otto, when the doors are closed, do you also laugh uncontrollably like me, laughing at your own ridiculous, pathetic self?
He continued to laugh for a long time, so much so that even Yuno, sitting next to him, couldn't take it anymore. She pushed the drink she hadn't touched much in front of Lin Wei, silently reminding this oblivious fellow to take a sip and calm down...
"Hehe, thanks."
Lin Wei came back to his senses, grimacing as he rubbed his almost-numb cheeks. Then all the expression on his face suddenly vanished. He looked at Rita with a look of indifference mixed with sarcasm and said calmly,
"Miss Rita, do you know now why I appeared here?"
His tone was so indifferent, as if that wanton smile and laughter had never existed.
"...Mr. Lin Wei, allow me to remind you of one thing—"
Rita sighed softly and said in an indescribable tone.
"When one's ability cannot match one's promises, the self-righteous struggle can only bring more tragedy."
"Hehe, that really sounds like something you would say, Miss Rita. But, didn't you just also say something like that?"
Facing her warning-like reminder, Lin Wei responded with a calm smile.
"'A praying mantis trying to stop a chariot, an ant trying to shake a tree'... hehe, in a way, you're right again—I, this person, just like to do this kind of thing, knowing it's impossible but doing it anyway!"