Compared to the fierce, almost irreconcilable conflict between Lin Wei and Otto at Schicksal HQ, the atmosphere between the two now seemed much more relaxed.
After the initial probing, Otto even began to send out signals resembling "goodwill," and Lin Wei clearly grasped this signal. Thus, the atmosphere between them was no longer so tense, and there was even a feeling of "friendly exchange"—of course, only on the surface.
"I am not one of you."
Under the simple topic of "Otto setting the stage, Lin Wei performing the play," Lin Wei had subtly yet clearly expressed this attitude.
Lin Wei's way of speaking just now seemed to have been tailor-made for him from the very beginning, making it easy for him to clearly understand all the connotations in the words.
"Is that so?"
He naturally understood the subtext in Lin Wei's words, but Otto didn't mind at all. He just smiled faintly and said, "What a remarkably sharp will..."
It was a pity that for the past five hundred years, Otto Apocalypse had been bathing in the poisonous fire of "regret" day and night.
Is it because he's young? Otto didn't know.
Lin Wei was only in his early twenties, but some people, some things, couldn't be measured by age alone. Even he himself was only in his thirties when he successfully overthrew the old Schicksal and ascended to the position of Overseer.
As for even earlier?
Heh... it's best not to mention those unbearable past events.
In short, Otto knew that Lin Wei had probably once again rejected his goodwill...
Why is that?
"Perhaps 'Otto Apocalypse' is indeed notorious?"
Otto thought, half self-deprecatingly, half helplessly.
"What a pity..."
Who was it a pity for?
Perhaps the other party, perhaps himself, perhaps both—who knows?
"'Not letting oneself regret'? Hehe, you're right. This world is indeed full of malice, neither gentle nor correct."
Otto smiled faintly and said, "There will always be some extraordinary things that happen to people, forcing us to speak our former vows. Some are shattered to pieces, some emerge from their cocoons as butterflies. And there are some who, after suffering just a little pain, can't bear it and shrink back, finally willing to sink into darkness..."
His words were both mocking and sentimental.
"And then, for the rest of their lives, they spend all their time and life tasting the bitterness of regret."
"Some people are born weak, some are gifted; some struggle in sickness and war, some indulge in power and wealth—the world is inherently unfair, so you can't expect everyone to become a hero. Just living one's own life well is already very, very difficult. To be ordinary, mediocre, to hide in the mountains, to shrink back from the water, there's nothing wrong with that."
Lin Wei shook his head and said calmly, "But the greatest pain in life is not what you have missed or lost, but 'I could have.' When you look back on the past from the downstream of time, and count all the people and things you could have done but shrank back from for various reasons, and finally watched them disappear from your life; when you finally want to change everything, but find that it's too late, that you're truly powerless—that's the truly sad life, isn't it?"
That multiple-choice question back then, if I had been more careful, I could have gone to a better school, right?
That girl back then, if I had been a little braver, maybe she wouldn't have left me, right?
If I hadn't been so extravagant back then, when my loved one was lying in the emergency room, I probably could have scraped together the surgery fee, right?
...
"So, if you want your soul to be a little freer, it's best not to do things you will regret from the very beginning."
Lin Wei said, "This world is cruel. Disasters and accidents are frequent, and even more so for me. If there's anything to be thankful for, it's probably that—when I had nothing, I was given the opportunity to fight against the world. And when I first overcame the world's malice, I naturally gained the courage to fight against the world, and the qualification to act according to my own will."
To gain the courage to fight the world after fighting the world—it sounded a bit strange, but Lin Wei believed Otto could understand.
There were some things in this world that probably only a few people could understand, and even fewer would have the chance to be his audience. Because for some things, what's important is not the words themselves, but what the speaker and the listener taste, or feel, from them.
"Hehe, what a poignant irony. It's almost enough to make one feel ashamed."
The expression on Otto's face slowly faded. He looked deeply at Lin Wei again, as if he were getting to know this person all over again. After a long while, his expression relaxed, and he put on a smile that didn't seem so fake. In a slightly sighing tone, he said, "I can't remember how many years it's been since I had such a pleasant conversation with someone..."
Otto sounded a bit sentimental, but Lin Wei didn't give him any face at all. He reminded him with a blank expression, "Welt Joyce. About half a century ago. It's indeed been a long time."
When the Overseer faced the first Herrscher back then, he was "sincere" to the extreme—so intimate that it was almost cloying, while at the same time conducting cruel research on him for three years. And until the very end, when he ruthlessly turned on him, his eyes, apart from pride and arrogance, showed no respect or understanding for this "friend" with whom he had corresponded for three years.
To put it bluntly, this man had been selfish to the core from beginning to end. The ability to "empathize" and "understand" seemed to have never truly existed in him, not five hundred years ago, and not now.
Or perhaps, he did possess these things, but they only existed in Otto's eyes, in his thoughts and wisdom, but never in his heart.
The detestable and despised trait of "double standards" was displayed in him vividly and naturally. Since he already knew him so clearly, how could Lin Wei let his guard down against this desperate and evil man just because of his temporary display of sincerity and understanding?
Therefore, bringing up the long-dead Welt Joyce at this time was both a mockery of Otto's hypocrisy and a subtle way of telling him—don't try that with me!
I don't care how lonely you've been in the past, you brought it on yourself. What does it have to do with me?
Hearing Lin Wei bring up this past event again, as if digging up old dirt, Otto didn't get angry. Instead, he shook his head and laughed, sighing softly, "Hehe, what a pity..."
It was unclear whether he was feeling pity for Welt back then, for the current Lin Wei, or for himself.
Beep beep...
Just as their relatively harmonious conversation was coming to an end, the communicator Otto carried with him rang at the right time.
"Overseer, the installation and debugging of the Second Divine Key are almost complete. The first ignition test can begin at any time."
It was the main personnel in charge of the base reporting to him.
"Ignition test? It really sounds like a rocket launch."
Lin Wei couldn't help but think of the vertical installation method that resembled a rocket launch tower.
"Understood."
Otto replied, then casually hung up the communication. The official start required his personal order.
"I apologize, I said I would be a temporary guide, but I've kept you here in this dry and scorching desert under the direct sun. This is truly rude."
Knowing that the game was probably entering the next stage, Lin Wei didn't say a word, just quietly watched Otto's performance.
Otto didn't take offense at his lukewarm attitude and just said to himself, "When the experiment officially begins later, will Your Excellency be watching from afar, or are you willing to go with me to the depths of the base to witness this exciting moment up close?"
Here it comes!
Lin Wei's heart stirred. He looked deeply at Otto's sincere face. After a moment, he smiled.
"As you wish. I will follow Your Excellency's arrangements."
The drama of "running away" had already been staged at Schicksal HQ last time. This time, Lin Wei seemed to have really made up his mind to be a quiet "guest."
"Hehe, then I won't be polite."
Otto smiled.
"I had a very pleasant conversation with you just now. Listening to Mr. Lin's heartfelt words was truly a joy for both body and mind. It would be a pity if it ended so abruptly. In that case, if you don't mind, please walk with me a little further and watch the first cannon fire of this barren land. How about it?"
His words were clear and logical, as if he had prepared them in advance.
In fact, at the beginning, Otto didn't really care. Even if he left Lin Wei alone on the surface of this desert, it wouldn't affect his plan in the slightest. In fact, because he was separated from the Key of Corruption, his own risk and pressure were much smaller.
But this meeting, unlike the last one at Schicksal HQ, which was full of confrontation and naked attacks, had a pleasant feeling of discussing life and ideals.
"Let's give him another chance..."
Otto thought silently, making a small adjustment to his plan—although this adjustment was already within his contingency plans.
No matter what he thought, keeping himself and the other party in close contact was actually more beneficial to Lin Wei in some ways. It was for this reason that Lin Wei looked at Otto with a bit of surprise and said, "Knowing that I possess the Key of Corruption, yet you haven't taken this opportunity to restrain me—now, I truly feel Your Excellency's sincerity."
Whether it was true or false, it still made Lin Wei think more highly of him.
"Hehe, Mr. Lin is so sincere, how could I dare to judge a gentleman with a petty heart?"
Otto smiled, slowly extended his hand, and said, "Please."
It was as if at this moment, their relationship had finally become a little more harmonious. Lin Wei smiled and didn't say much, just followed him.
Soon, the two of them came to a large gate hidden by the sand. As Otto approached, the sand covering the gate was invisibly pushed aside. After they walked through the gate, Lin Wei looked back and saw that the pushed-aside sand had blocked the gate again, with only an invisible energy barrier preventing the loose sand from entering the passage.
"An underground base?"
Lin Wei looked around at the familiar yet strange underground passage and smiled.
"It reminds me of the rat hole I explored on Coral Island. It seems that digging holes underground is not just a patent of rats."
North Africa was World Serpent's territory. It was hard to say how many "underground bases" World Serpent had in this land. He only remembered that in the original timeline, not long after World Serpent decided to launch a surprise attack on the Vimur Base in North Africa, which was used by Schicksal to house the Second Divine Key, the underground base, which was buried a thousand meters underground, was pierced by World Serpent in minutes. They even sent in a Titan mech, delivering it directly to the female Molga inside the base.
It could only be said that when it came to "digging holes," the guys from World Serpent were the most professional.
"A rat hole? Hehe, you flatter me."
Otto smiled lightly, but didn't take the bait and ask Lin Wei about World Serpent. He just looked back at Lin Wei and said, "If I remember correctly, that time on Coral Island was your first encounter with Miss Anna?"
"Hehe, yes, that's right. Fate is indeed unreasonable."
Lin Wei sighed with emotion.
"The children of the Schariac family seem to be quite good at meeting strange people..."
Cecilia collapsed on the street and was happened to be found by the runaway Siegfried and taken home.
I went to investigate a World Serpent base on a whim, and ended up bumping into Anna, who was also dragged into it. How can you explain that?
It can only be said that this family's genetic constitution is a bit special...
Otto seemed to be touched as well, and couldn't help but reminisce, "That afternoon when I first met Kallen was also so wonderful, so unforgettable."
Just like that dusk five hundred years ago, a thin, timid boy was crying helplessly because the "toy" he had carefully made had flown over a high wall he couldn't climb. A girl with agile movements poked her head out from the other side of the wall and extended a hand stained with a little dirt to him, friendly and warm. That moment was forever engraved as a bas-relief that would not fade with time, deeply imprinted in the depths of Otto's soul.
He sighed softly, "Fate... yes, what a sigh-worthy thing. It allows two strangers to establish an emotional connection at that moment, and different worlds to link and intertwine at that instant..."
Although he said it simply, he had already carefully read through Anna's memories several times with the Fenghuang Down Mimic He knew the before and after of her encounter with Lin Wei even better than Lin Wei himself. Not only that, he was also very clear that it was indeed an accidental encounter, not the result of some careful calculation.
"Do you talk about your past with Kallen like this with everyone you meet?"
Lin Wei asked strangely.
This guy next to him wrote to Welt for three years, and in those three years of letters, he told him stories about Kallen for three whole years.
Lin Wei was very curious—did you two have that many stories back then?
"Five hundred years have passed, and the world has long since completely forgotten Kallen. Only I still remember her voice and smile, and what great contributions she made to all of humanity back then."
Otto's expression was full of reminiscence, and he sighed with some loneliness.
"It's been a long time since I've had anyone to talk to about Kallen..."
"Is that so..."
Lin Wei replied casually. He knew that when Otto was reminiscing about Kallen, he generally didn't need anyone to interrupt.
"But, Your Excellency Lin Wei is an exception..."
Otto's tone suddenly changed, and his gaze also fell on Lin Wei's face. His expression seemed a little joyful and excited.
"It's hard to imagine that across five hundred years, another person would have a real intersection with Kallen. Isn't this kind of encounter across the ages also a kind of miracle?"
"..."
Lin Wei had to admire Otto. He never would have thought that even a topic like this could be turned to Kallen. He thought for a moment, then shook his head and laughed.
"Perhaps."
Lin Wei had experienced encounters across five hundred years, and even across fifty thousand years. He had had varying degrees of intersection with Yae Sakura and the Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm.
But to be fair, compared to the Elysian Realm, which had existed for a long time, the former was an accidental result, a true miracle created jointly by two bruised and battered human girls...
"This is a truly wonderful feeling—when I talk to you about Kallen, I feel as if I have returned to five hundred years ago. And even you, Your Excellency Lin Wei, seem to be my peer..."
Since their relationship was relatively harmonious now, Otto's question seemed sincere. He even couldn't help but shake his head and laugh at the absurd thought that had arisen in his mind.
"...Is that so? Then I'm truly honored."
Lin Wei was speechless. As long as it's related to Kallen, I can really get a "super promotion" in seniority?
"In Mr. Lin's opinion, what kind of person was Kallen?"
"Kallen? In my opinion, she was just an ordinary human girl, nothing more."
But since Otto had asked, Lin Wei didn't intend to brush him off. After thinking carefully for a moment, he replied, "A young human girl with a strong sense of justice. A bit young, a bit impulsive, and a bit reckless. But in that dark age where the upper class was corrupt and greedy, and the lower class was ignorant, this girl's unyielding sense of justice was particularly valuable, but the tragedy also arose from it."
At this point, Lin Wei looked deeply at Otto and said in a strange tone, "Kallen fought alone until the very end of her life. It wasn't until she went to the Far East that she accidentally met another girl who could comfort her weary heart a little, but that was just a small intersection with another tragedy..."
Otto was silent for a moment, but since the question had been raised, Lin Wei didn't intend to end it so easily.
He continued in a calm tone tinged with regret, "Her qualities were valuable, but it is for this reason that her ending is particularly regrettable. A young girl, if she had a companion who could understand her, support her, and guide her when she was lost and made mistakes; if so, her future could have been very long, very far..."
At this point, Lin Wei paused, then glanced at Otto with a slightly contemptuous look, delivering his final verdict.
"Unfortunately, such a person never appeared. Kallen Kaslana was alone until the moment she died in battle."
Lin Wei sometimes couldn't help but wonder, when Kallen asked Otto for a drink in prison, how much despair did she feel for him?
The only thing you can do for me is just bring me this bottle of wine!
"..."
Otto stopped in his tracks, falling into an unprecedented silence.
And so, Lin Wei also fell silent, waiting for Otto to speak again.
"Ah... if Kallen heard what you said, she would surely be very happy, right?"
After a long, long time, Otto finally sighed wearily.
"What a pity..."
What was a pity? Otto didn't say, so Lin Wei didn't ask.
"Your Excellency Lin Wei."
After another while, Otto spoke softly again.
"I haven't had such a happy and high-minded conversation in many years. So, as a reward, I sincerely invite you to join Schicksal and fight for our common cause."
As Otto spoke, he spread his arms slightly, revealing the biggest "olive branch" he had offered all day.
"As long as Your Excellency is willing to return the Divine Box that the Saintess took away back then, which is now the Key of Corruption, to Schicksal, along with the previous matter of presenting the Second Divine Key, you will be the greatest hero of our Schicksal in the past five hundred years!"
At this point, Otto's tone became a little excited. He raised his voice slightly and said loudly, "I, Otto Apocalypse, in the name of the Grand Overseer of Schicksal, intend to invite you to join Schicksal as the Vice-Overseer—what do you think?"
Hearing Otto's passionate speech, Lin Wei couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.