"Hahaha, you don't get to know someone until you fight them, you say? That's actually quite true."
Hearing Otto's seemingly genuine yet feigned sentiment, Lin Wei gave a knowing smile.
"If we hadn't really fought those few rounds, I truly would never have heard those words come from Your Excellency the Overseer's mouth!"
His tone was also a mix of feigned and real, making it impossible to tell if he was being sarcastic or genuinely emotional.
Manila, Schicksal HQ—the two had not met often, but every encounter had been fraught with conflict and calculation on the razor's edge. This second meeting was no different.
"Well, as they say, 'third time's the charm.' I, Otto, am not some stubborn old fool."
Otto was also beaming, as if he hadn't given a second thought to their previous schemes. "This time, I am here with absolute sincerity, hoping to have the chance to become true friends with Mr. Lin. After all, strolling together so freely like this is truly a pleasant experience."
His tone was filled with heartfelt emotion and what sounded like an incredibly sincere sigh.
"Sincerity?"
Lin Wei toyed with his cane—the "sincere" gift Otto had sent him not long ago—his expression a mixture of surprise and amusement.
If you're talking about sincerity, more than half a century ago, weren't you far more "sincere" with Welt Joyce? You two could even soak in the same bathhouse while he listened to your drunken ramblings about how 'the wine doesn't intoxicate the man, the man intoxicates himself.'
After all, with your Soulium body, you can't get drunk, nor do you need to bathe. And, of course, you possess no real "sincerity."
"Hehe, of course!"
Faced with Lin Wei's perfectly timed doubt, Otto said with a broad smile, "After all, for you to secretly abduct one of my Schicksal Valkyries, as the Overseer, I should have strictly pursued the matter. But after much thought, I decided to help you fulfill your wish. Hehe, isn't that enough to show my sincerity?"
"Hmm... then I really must thank Your Excellency for being so lenient."
Lin Wei pretended to ponder for a moment, then smiled as if in sudden realization.
"I'm just not sure which Valkyrie Your Excellency is referring to. Is it Yuno, or Anna?"
I've abducted quite a few people, you'd better be more specific! If you're "helping me fulfill my wish," why not just give her to me and we can say our goodbyes?
"Hehe, I am, of course, referring to Miss Yuno."
Otto smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "After all, you entrusted her to Schicksal, and now you are taking her back. Although the matter is a bit abrupt and against the rules, in my opinion, it's not something that can't be understood and tolerated."
He made no mention of Anna.
"Haha, you remind me—I had forgotten. It was precisely because I had high hopes for Schicksal that I entrusted Yuno to you. But the result greatly disappointed me, which is why I took her back to look after her personally."
Lin Wei roared with laughter. "But Your Excellency is, after all, a busy man in charge of a thousand things. Some oversights are inevitable. If I were to hold you accountable for this, it would make me seem a bit unreasonable. So let's just understand each other, shall we? What do you think, Your Excellency?"
"Hehe, Mr. Lin, you're as eloquent as ever."
Otto glanced at Lin Wei. This guy really knows how to take a mile when you give him an inch, finding any opportunity to trip me up.
As the one "showing sincerity," he naturally couldn't object to such a minor point. That would only give Lin Wei more opportunities to make an issue of it.
"You flatter me, Your Excellency."
Lin Wei smiled, as if Otto's words were genuinely a compliment. Then he kicked at the scorching yellow sand under his feet and said with a casual laugh, "Is Your Excellency's sincerity simply inviting me to this godforsaken place to eat sand with you?"
Otto clearly wanted to put Lin Wei in his place a little. But since Otto didn't bring up Anna, Lin Wei naturally pretended not to know. In any case, this play would eventually reach its climax, so why should he appear so anxious, so timid?
Exposing a weakness too early would allow him to be easily manipulated. If he appeared to be asking for something, Otto would take whatever he wanted.
This was Otto's home turf, and he had come alone. That being the case, before the final moment arrived, he might as well hand over the initiative to Otto, even actively cooperate with him to finish this play, and then silently wait for the right moment...
"Of course, this is precisely where my sincerity lies!"
Otto stopped, bowed slightly, and said with a broad smile, "After all, our last formal meeting at Schicksal HQ gave you a bad experience, for which I feel deeply guilty and regretful. I've resolved not to make the same mistake again."
"Is that so? How very thoughtful of you."
Lin Wei laughed as if in sudden realization, looking around at the endless expanse of sand. "So, there's more to this place than meets the eye?"
Even though he had a general idea of the situation here, it didn't stop him from playing along.
He couldn't just ask Otto directly: "Is it because you're wary of my Key of Corruption this time, afraid that Schicksal HQ will become my home turf again like last time, so you deliberately avoided it and chose a place that seems as far away from technology and civilization as possible for our meeting?"
That might sound satisfying, but it had little practical meaning. In fact, showing his hand too early would only make it easier for Otto to figure him out.
The existence of the "Key of Corruption" was already known to the other party. Even saying it out loud wouldn't increase its deterrent power; it would only make him seem insecure.
In fact, Lin Wei believed there was a possibility that the Otto in front of him was using a specially prepared body, a special individual designed to deal with the Key of Corruption. For example, a disposable pawn that could limit the erosion for a short time, preventing him from eroding more critical areas, and could be disconnected from the main hub when necessary...
This wasn't impossible. After all, in the original timeline, Gray Serpent had done something similar when dealing with the current era's Herrscher of Corruption. And Otto, knowing his opponent possessed a Key of Corruption that was fatal to him, couldn't possibly not have a countermeasure.
If that was the case, then this time, when facing him, Otto might not be completely without fear, but at least he wouldn't be as exposed and defenseless as he was at Schicksal HQ. And with the timely support of Durandal, Rita, and the others, he was clearly confident he could take him down.
Of course, looking at it from another angle, Otto's current unguarded posture, besides having a certain degree of confidence in his countermeasures, might also have another purpose—to subtly shake Lin Wei's confidence, making him fall into a spiral of self-doubt.
Otto could then press his advantage step by step, making him more and more cornered, and even forcing him to reveal his trump card prematurely under the pressure of a collapsing confidence.
Otto clearly wanted him to play his hand when he could no longer bear it, so Lin Wei had to be even more patient. And he had the confidence to be calm. Although he was at a disadvantage playing on enemy turf, correspondingly, "time" was silently on his side. Let's see you keep me as this "guest" forever!
As a guest, there's always a time when the party ends, right?
Could it be that you'll send me off safe and sound with the same beaming smile you welcomed me with? And then throw in Anna for good measure, letting me leave with her completely unscathed?
That's impossible to even think about!
Therefore, Lin Wei, holding the ultimate advantage, was in no hurry at all. He even watched Otto's various performances with great interest, because he knew that as long as he remained patient, Otto would eventually become impatient. And when Otto finally couldn't sit still, his opportunity would come.
"More to it than meets the eye? Hehe, in a way, I suppose so. Or rather, it's another demonstration of my sincerity—the Second Divine Key, the parting gift you gave me before you left without saying goodbye last time. It's housed right here."
Otto smiled faintly, shaking his head with a sigh. "Please forgive my excitement. It truly has an irreplaceable and special meaning for Schicksal, and for Otto Apocalypse."
"Oh, is that so?"
Lin Wei raised an eyebrow, unfazed. Can't we have something a little more surprising?
As they spoke, they walked on the sand to the center of the "plaza." With a slight tremor under their feet, the "ground" in front of them slowly opened to the sides. The unsupported sand collapsed, only to be swept aside by an invisible force.
In just a moment, a huge "pit" formed, completely out of place with the surrounding environment and color. It was over a hundred meters wide and seven or eight stories deep.
"As a small token of my gratitude, I have specially invited Your Excellency to this newly completed experimental base."
The tremor under their feet continued, and the characteristic hum of massive steel machinery was still audible, but Otto's modulated voice still reached his ears clearly. "I just wonder if Your Excellency has any interest in admiring this huge device with me, and its upcoming initial test run? How about it?"
As his voice fell, a huge iron tower slowly rose from the center of the pit. The top of the tower was almost level with the sand-covered ground, resembling a rocket launch tower. But what was leaning against it was not a rocket, but a massive and uniquely shaped "locomotive," also six or seven stories high.
"This is the Second Divine Key? Seeing is truly believing..."
Lin Wei turned to the side, looked down, and clicked his tongue in amazement. "I have to say, that's really big."
Although he knew this thing would be big, the moment he saw it with his own eyes, Lin Wei couldn't help but want to rush back to the Elysian Realm and grab Vill-V by the neck to ask her: Were you crazy back then, building something this big?
No wonder Dr. MEI always cut your funding! You deserved it for being so wasteful!
After looking, marveling, and satisfying his curiosity, Lin Wei turned and walked away without hesitation.
Otto had been silently observing Lin Wei's expression after the Second Divine Key appeared. Seeing him turn and leave so decisively, he couldn't help but ask, "Oh? Is Your Excellency not going to admire this unique miracle any longer?"
"Yes, such a huge Divine Key, so solidly built, you could bury another Divine Key next to it and it probably wouldn't match its size. It can indeed be called a miracle."
But Lin Wei had little interest in admiring the giant structure. Hearing Otto's words, he glanced back with a very interesting look and said with a meaningful smile, "I don't want to get too close and get caught up in the Second Divine Key when it suddenly starts up."
He sneered inwardly. Otto, do you think I don't know what you're trying to do?
"Oh my, oh my, you're truly wronging me!"
Otto pointed at himself and laughed. "I'm here too, you know. If this device were to suddenly activate, this so-called Overseer on the front lines would surely be doomed as well!"
He was loudly proclaiming his innocence.
"Is that so?"
Lin Wei sneered, poking a hole in his logic. "And then you'll just switch to another Soulium body, close your eyes and open them, and be back at your Schicksal HQ?"
I'd have to be crazy to take such an unequal "one-for-one" risk with you here!
"Hehe, it seems my various shows of sincerity are still not enough to dispel Mr. Lin's suspicions of me. What a pity."
Otto just smiled faintly at this and said with a look of regret, "Well, anyway, there's still some time before the first test run officially begins. If you have any doubts, please feel free to choose a 'viewing platform' of your liking."
His tone was open and honest, with no intention of making things difficult, as if he were truly as "sincere" as he claimed. Or perhaps, he was so confident of victory that even Lin Wei's current caution was within his expectations?
Although Lin Wei's performance seemed a bit deliberate, even contrived, Otto appeared completely unconcerned, just as he said, "there's still some time."
Although "time" was on Lin Wei's side, how could Otto really play such a boring game of house with him forever? They were both old foxes from the same mountain; who could fool whom? It was just a tacit understanding.
And here, as Otto's carefully prepared home turf, and also an obvious trap, or rather, battlefield, he, who controlled almost the entire situation, naturally had enough confidence to send Lin Wei a clear signal—"I'll give you some more time."
Perhaps it was a gift, or perhaps it had another meaning, but he didn't care what the listener thought.
Of course, as the recipient of his "gift," Lin Wei didn't care much either. He smiled and said, "Is that so? Then I'm relieved."
"You presented the Second Divine Key and did a great service for Schicksal. For that, I am deeply grateful."
Otto bowed slightly, spread his arms wide, and smiled. "To express my gratitude, I would like to invite you to join Schicksal. How about it?"