This wasn't the first time Lin Wei had heard such a proposal.
Although Otto's tone this time sounded particularly sincere compared to the previous occasions, Lin Wei remained completely unmoved. For someone like Otto, what was the difference between a genuine display of emotion and putting on an act?
His love, even doting, for Theresa was real. But his lack of hesitation when preparing to sacrifice her was also real.
Even now, countless Cecilia clones were buried beneath the very grounds of St. Freya, and in his twisted humor, he had deliberately entrusted the crucial duty of guarding the "storage room" to Theresa. It was as if he were waiting for the day she would break through that fragile "paper window," discover the truth, and, in shock and grief, furiously break away from him.
Even though making the Far East Branch rebel was a crucial part of his plan, there were many ways to achieve this goal. Yet, he chose the most disgusting and humiliating one. And even with all this malice, it didn't stop him from waking up early every day to make a hot, loving breakfast for his dearest granddaughter.
The malice was real, and so was the genuine affection. For such an indescribable entity, the best approach was to treat everything he displayed with a cold, indifferent eye.
"Vice-Overseer of Schicksal? Heh, what an honor. If I'm not mistaken, didn't you offer a similar price to the first Herrscher of Reason born during the First Honkai Eruption?"
Lin Wei glanced back at the corridor, which had already turned several corners, and asked in a joking tone, "If I were to say 'no' right now, would this underground base we're in instantly become my grave?"
This was undoubtedly a naked expression of distrust, even contempt, for Otto.
Their footsteps stopped once again. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. The harmonious atmosphere of two close friends confiding in each other was instantly shattered by Lin Wei's casual words.
But the next second, before Otto could say anything, Lin Wei let out a laugh. As he started walking forward again, he waved his hand and said in a somewhat helpless tone, "Forget it! When you're under someone else's roof, for the sake of my companions' safety, I'd better reconsider~"
It was unclear whether his self-deprecating tone was a genuine admission of defeat or just another piece of nonsense to mock Otto.
But for Otto, what Lin Wei said wasn't important, nor was whether he was mocking him. What mattered was that he understood Lin Wei had once again rejected his goodwill.
However, no disappointment rose in his heart.
Otto simply started moving again at the same time as Lin Wei. After Lin Wei finished his helpless, self-deprecating remark, he smiled faintly, spread his hands helplessly as well, and said in a self-mocking tone, "It seems my past infamy has finally come back to bite me. It's gotten to the point where even when I speak a few sincere words, no one believes me..."
He didn't even try to defend himself. At least on the surface, an uninformed outsider would find it hard to say he wasn't a magnanimous person...
"No, I believe those were your sincere words."
Lin Wei didn't turn back, as if he couldn't be bothered to look at his face. He said in a very flat tone, "But your sincere words are never to be trusted."
"Oh? Hehe... is that so? Hahahaha..."
Otto was taken aback for a moment, then habitually used laughter to cover it up, but his laughter became less and less feigned. After a moment, he shook his head and smiled.
"How rare. I never thought I'd hear such sincere words from Your Excellency Lin Wei. Although there's no sarcasm or mockery in its tone, it's more embarrassing than real sarcasm and mockery..."
"Sarcasm, mockery? Heh, don't make me sound like such a harsh person."
Lin Wei smiled.
"Besides, if I were really that harsh all the time, Your Excellency would probably get very annoyed, right?"
The last time at Schicksal HQ, the reason Lin Wei had been so aggressive from start to finish was because Otto had initially looked down on him. So he had to use this method to "deepen their mutual understanding," to tell Otto: I'm not someone to be trifled with, you'd better not act rashly again. To put it bluntly, he was using controlled, harmless small conflicts to prevent larger, more serious conflicts from occurring.
This time, from the moment he landed and saw Otto, Lin Wei had no intention of ending the day peacefully. That being the case, he was naturally too lazy to waste more energy on words. And Otto probably had similar thoughts in his heart, which was why he had been able to remain so calm from beginning to end.
It was like "the calm before the storm." Perhaps both were conserving their energy for the real conflict to come. Or perhaps, because they both knew that today would most likely not end well, they could instead open their hearts and enjoy this moment of peace.
And so, under the tacit cooperation of both sides, until this moment, the atmosphere between them had remained completely free of tension. They could even calmly exchange ideas on topics that, outside of today, they could never have discussed peacefully.
Such as—Kallen...
For a moment just now, Otto had sincerely wanted to shake hands with Lin Wei and make peace, because besides him, there was no one else who could give such an objective and fair evaluation of Kallen.
Furthermore, the words Lin Wei had spoken were precisely the source of all his guilt towards Kallen, buried deep in his heart...
To a large extent, Lin Wei could be considered his confidant, and his view of Kallen had greatly enhanced this "sense of being a confidant." But it was precisely because he was too much of a confidant that it was also destined that they could hardly coexist.
"What a pity..."
Otto thought. He didn't know how many times he had sighed like this today.
As they spoke, they turned another corner, and their vision suddenly opened up. At the end of the corridor, about ten meters ahead, it led directly to the location of the Second Divine Key. On the surface, it was a huge pit over a hundred meters wide and seven or eight stories deep. But looking up from the bottom, it was like a vast plaza, yet it felt a bit cramped due to the towering "walls" on all sides.
And because of the giant launch gantry standing in the center of this "plaza," it looked more like a giant launch silo a hundred meters in diameter. It was just that what stood on the gantry was not a rocket or a missile, nor was it any kind of high-tech weapon. Instead, it just looked like a giant locomotive.
Of course, Lin Wei was also very clear that this "locomotive" was far more advanced than most of the so-called "high-tech weapons" in this world.
Under the launch gantry, more than a dozen energy cables thicker than a person's waist extended into the ground and spread out in all directions, probably pipes to supply power to the equipment, with the other end connected to the energy hub under this base.
Under the tall iron tower, several male and female staff members were busy with final checks and adjustments. It seemed they had been notified in advance, for even when they saw Overseer Otto appear, they just greeted him respectfully with a "Overseer" and then continued with their work.
"My apologies, the experiment with the Second Divine Key is of great importance, so we must be careful, very careful. Even I shouldn't disturb their work too much."
As soon as he arrived here, the slight unpleasantness from before was easily thrown to the back of Otto's mind. He looked up at the top of the tower, raised his arms slightly, and said with a look of intoxication, "Soon, the first cannon shot of a new journey will be fired here. Although it's just a test run, it's enough to make one feel expectant. And to appreciate this rare and magnificent sight, what could be better than standing at its feet and personally feeling the smallness of humanity?"
His tone had once again taken on his usual aria-like quality.
"Oh, hehe, Your Excellency is truly in a poetic mood!"
Lin Wei was quite interested in this. After all, the Second Divine Key was also one of his goals for this trip, and it was somewhat surprising that he could get so close to it so smoothly.
"But..."
Would Otto be so kind?
"Your Excellency Lin Wei need not worry."
Otto seemed to have seen through Lin Wei's concerns and smiled.
"When the Second Divine Key is activated, the earth-shattering torrent of energy will only gather and be fired from the top of the tower, up to the clouds, and will not affect any of the facilities here. Otherwise... hehe, a mere underground base could not withstand such a powerful force that can even pierce through the Sea of Quanta!"
The enormous cost and immense energy required for this, even this Grand Overseer of Schicksal would feel a slight pang of pain when he saw the astronomical figures from the initial calculations.
Of course, it was just a slight pang...
"Is that so? In that case, I will look forward to it."
Lin Wei smiled.
He knew this was not a lie, so he naturally wouldn't question the grand scene Otto had described. Lin Wei was well aware of how big a commotion Schicksal's experiment with the Second Divine Key would cause.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Excellency Lin Wei. I am also full of expectations for this, because..."
Otto smiled faintly, then seemed to hesitate before sighing.
"The Second Divine Key, it is said, can observe the countless worlds in the Sea of Quanta. I have been looking forward to this result for a long time."
Lin Wei silently observed Otto's expression, confirming that he was not feigning.
It makes sense. Otto's research on the Sea of Quanta is still in its early stages. He has only achieved some preliminary results through the missions of Durandal and Rita. Although many theories have been verified, there is still a long way to go before he truly understands everything.
This process would only be drastically shortened when Su gifted him all his fifty thousand years of observations and research results, as well as the final answer of the Sands of Time Project.
The Previous Era library of the Void Archives, the endless knowledge infusion from the Honkai Will, Su's generous gift, and his own will and wisdom—all these elements combined would truly make the most complete version of Otto.
But now...
Lin Wei couldn't help but turn his gaze to the Second Divine Key.
"Is the Su of this reality hiding in this Divine Key, using the rated power of 'Horizon Reversal' to hide himself? Or is he like Kevin, sinking himself along with Sumeru into the Sea of Quanta?"
Lin Wei mused to himself. After all, in the original timeline, Su had waited until Otto activated the Second Divine Key and then used his mind to lure Durandal into the beam of light that pierced the Sea of Quanta, only then bringing her to his side.
From this perspective, he was most likely in the Sea of Quanta. Otherwise, with the authority of Sumeru and the Second Divine Key, he, being inside the Divine Key, wouldn't have needed to go through so much trouble.
"What is Your Excellency Lin Wei thinking about?"
Otto also noticed that Lin Wei was lost in thought while looking at the Second Divine Key and couldn't help but interrupt.
"Nothing, just thinking of an old friend."
Lin Wei told the truth, a hint of regret in his tone.
"I was wondering if I could see him again through the Second Divine Key. But, hehe... the him in this world probably doesn't know me."
Using the truth to weave a plausible lie—Lin Wei was naturally skilled at such tricks. In any case, Otto would never have guessed that he was talking about a Flame-Chaser from the Previous Era, a pioneer who had disappeared for thousands of years...
Otto gave Lin Wei a deep look, confirmed that he wasn't lying, and then shook his head and smiled.
"I assume Your Excellency Lin Wei will not be sharing the story of this 'old friend' with me?"
"That's natural."
Lin Wei refused him bluntly.
"He is not as irreplaceable to me as Miss Kallen Kaslana is to you, Your Excellency. And secondly, I don't have as strong a desire to share as you do."
Actually, Lin Wei's desire to share was also very strong, but Otto was not the audience he had in mind. Compared to Otto, Kevin was more qualified to be his friend.
"Tsk, I'm really getting ahead of myself..."
Lin Wei shook his head inwardly, surprised that he had naturally had the absolutely heretical thought that "Kevin is qualified to be my friend."
Otto, however, no longer paid attention to the imperceptible strangeness in Lin Wei's expression at that moment. He was once again moved by a certain keyword in Lin Wei's words.
"Kallen... hehe, yes, she is indeed irreplaceable..."
Otto shook his head. After a while, he looked at Lin Wei with a complex expression full of regret and said in a strange tone, "If Your Excellency Lin Wei had been born five hundred years earlier, you, me, and Kallen... we might have become friends, become important, irreplaceable parts of each other's lives, right?