After Cocolia and her forces retreated, the conflict that was on the verge of erupting ended in a way that surpassed many people's expectations.
"That was too reckless."
Schrödinger materialized from the void, catching the suddenly collapsing Lin Wei under the astonished gazes of Seele and the others. She criticized him without holding back.
"Your body was soaked in the Sea of Quanta for too long, and too much entropy was taken from you. Although you can still maintain your physical existence, your bodily functions have hit an absolute low. You simply can't support the consumption of using a Divine Key."
Because of that sudden, unexpected encounter, Lin Wei had been exposed to the Sea of Quanta for far too long.
Even Durandal could only walk through it unscathed for a short time with the protection of her golden battlesuit, a gift from the world itself. Not to mention Lin Wei, who was far weaker than her. He had unknowingly pushed himself into an extremely dangerous situation.
Forcing himself to use a Divine Key under these circumstances was no different from drinking poison to quench thirst. Compared to that, Lin Wei's act of walking into the snow without any protection seemed utterly trivial.
And yet, even this "trivial" little burden was too much for the nearly exhausted Lin Wei to bear.
"In this situation, I'm the only one who could have scared off Cocolia. I'm the only one who could have impersonated Welt and mimicked his authority..."
Lin Wei, of course, understood his own condition. He shook his head. "Every loop, I'm dropped into a snowy plain like this, with no chance to fully recover. So with each loop, the burden on me grows heavier. I don't have many chances..."
In this world bubble, with this Galaxy Runner as the "story prototype," the woman Cocolia was an unavoidable obstacle. To back down would mean failure in this loop, and in the next, he would still have to face her obstruction.
"Hehe, this is really interesting. Back then, I didn't even care about Otto, but now I have to be so careful with Cocolia..."
Lin Wei chuckled softly. "Dr. Schrödinger, would you say that I'm paying a heavy price for my own arrogance and stubbornness?"
He was always right, always successful.
Under Lin Wei's will, neither Herrschers, nor the Honkai, nor the World Serpent, nor even Otto with all of Schicksal at his command, could stop his advance. The entire world had become his stage, and he had rampaged through it with impunity.
From being as insignificant as an ant at the beginning, to finally trampling all of Schicksal underfoot, mocking Otto's foolishness and depravity, and then swaggering away; Lin Wei always won, was always winning.
Winning, winning, winning, until finally, he suddenly discovered that it was all just a farce, that he was only a hair's breadth away from "utter defeat."
Or rather, from the very beginning, from the day he started scheming against Bronya and Fu Hua at the crucial academy, every battle, every step of progress, was actually just a hair's breadth away from "utter defeat." And this time, Lin Wei had finally crossed to the other side...
"Every time, I bet everything I have, to fight with all my might for that one-in-ten-thousand chance, winning gloriously, winning disastrously..."
Lin Wei evaluated himself in a low voice. "Hehe... in the end, I really am an unreasonable gambler..."
Perhaps Yae Sakura had seen the hidden danger in him, but she didn't know how to advise him. After all, he could always find all sorts of reasons to argue her down. And he always won, was always winning...
At this point, Lin Wei suddenly, with a bit of self-pity, discovered a ridiculous fact: he was always talking about others being blind to their own prejudices, unable to see the forest for the trees, yet he hadn't realized that he himself had fallen into the same strange loop—blinded by his own arrogance and self-importance, thinking he had seen through everything, that the entire world could be manipulated at his will...
"In the end, Otto and I are really the same kind..." Lin Wei sneered, his voice barely audible. "Hehe... even our pathetic states are so similar..."
Schrödinger felt the arm she was supporting grow heavy. Lin Wei had lost consciousness, fainting.
"Excuse me, who are you...?"
After Cocolia and her forces retreated, Seele regained control of her body. She was extremely surprised by the sudden appearance of Schrödinger and her unusual appearance.
"Like you, Miss Seele, I am a traveler in the Sea of Quanta, and also this Mr. Lin Wei's temporary travel companion," Schrödinger said coolly. "We can get to know each other later. If this gentleman continues to suffer from hypothermia, there could be serious problems."
As she spoke, she once again took off her cloak and wrapped it around Lin Wei's thin body.
"What?"
Seele was still pondering the meaning of "traveler in the Sea of Quanta." Hearing the last part of the sentence, she panicked. "Then what should we do?"
"We need a temporary shelter. Let's take him there together."
As soon as Schrödinger finished speaking, Bronya had already come over and taken hold of Lin Wei's other arm, giving the strange, half-faced person a meaningful look. "Lead the way."
"Okay."
Schrödinger liked this kind of simple and efficient communication. She nodded and, together with Bronya, carried Lin Wei back to the narrow and cramped cave.
They relit the bonfire and wrapped Lin Wei back in the thick leather.
"Sin, where are you going?" Seele asked softly, only to be met with a gruff "None of your business!" She was instantly embarrassed, unsure if she should follow, especially since Lin Wei's condition didn't look good.
"The conditions here are too primitive. There's nothing."
Bronya's wilderness survival experience was extremely rich, but even she couldn't help but frown at the state of the cave.
It was hard to imagine anyone living in a place like this. Were they filming some kind of survival show?
"Is it because of... the loop?" Seele asked, her voice trembling. She had never imagined that this gentleman's life was even harder than her own.
"Yes. Every loop, he returns to the starting point, the snowy plain. His stamina and body heat are constantly being depleted, but it's hard to replenish them. This cave is a rare shelter nearby that can retain some heat."
Schrödinger explained everything in a few short sentences.
"...A loop?"
Bronya murmured to herself, then asked, "Seele, is he the one you were looking for?"
"...Yes."
Seele nodded weakly. "In the last loop, it was Bronya Oneechan who found him first and brought him to the orphanage..."
"Is that so... Did I trust him that much?" Bronya said to herself.
She found it hard to imagine herself bringing a stranger back to the orphanage, which was like a home to her. But she trusted Seele, so she believed what she said was true—even if she had no memory of it.
"This is... a terrible feeling..."
Bronya bit her lip in frustration, then shook her head, pushing the inexplicably complex emotions to the back of her mind.
She said calmly, "His actions just now were too risky. His hypothermia is severe now. It's hard to provide proper insulation and recovery in such a crude environment. If this continues, it could be dangerous..."
Hearing this, Seele became anxious. "Bronya Oneechan, what should we do?"
She knew that Bronya had a wealth of wilderness survival experience. At a time like this, only she could come up with a solution.
"It's okay. The situation isn't that bad yet."
Bronya gave her worried little sister a reassuring smile. "Can you go and collect some more firewood? The fire here is too small. It needs to be warmer."
There wasn't much firewood stored here. It was clear that Lin Wei hadn't had time to collect much.
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Seele immediately turned and left, her steps light and swift as she disappeared into the snowy forest. She knew that dry firewood wasn't as easy to find as one might think in this season.
Watching Seele's retreating back, Bronya sighed, then looked down at Lin Wei's pale face and chapped lips, falling into a silent and conflicted state.
"..."
She wasn't a talkative person. Although there was another person standing beside her, she had no intention of talking to Schrödinger.
Schrödinger seemed to sense her awkwardness. After a glance at Lin Wei, she silently turned and walked out of the cave.
She turned a corner and disappeared into thin air in a place where no one could see her. In any case, her anchor point was on Lin Wei. Whether she disappeared or not, her gaze was always on him.
"Hah..."
The stranger's departure made Bronya feel a little relieved.
After a moment of silent conflict, she turned and walked back into the cave, scooped up a large handful of snow, and packed it into a ball.
She glanced around guiltily, and after confirming that no one was there, she brought the snowball to her mouth and took a big bite, then walked back into the cave.
Crunch, crunch...
The bonfire was still burning at a lukewarm pace. Bronya poked the burning wood a few times to make it burn more brightly. Then she carefully moved the still-unconscious Lin Wei, bringing him closer to the fire.
He's so heavy...
Bronya carefully moved his upper body, complaining to herself.
This feeling was different from the killing she was more familiar with. To strangle an adult, you only needed a little bit of explosive force and a trivial bit of technique, and you didn't have to care if the other person got hurt. But now...
Bronya looked around, but she couldn't find anything suitable to use as a pillow.
Forget it, I'll just make a sacrifice...
Bronya mumbled to herself, took off her blue-purple wool coat, folded it neatly, and carefully placed it under Lin Wei's neck.
"Hmm, that should do it."
Bronya glanced behind her at the empty space, then leaned down, gently pried open Lin Wei's chapped lips, and brought her own mouth close to his, so close that she could feel the warm air he exhaled on her cheeks.
Suppressing the strange, awkward feeling rising in her heart, she gently opened her mouth and let the melted snow water drip, bit by bit, into Lin Wei's mouth.
Drip, drip.
The snow was loose and melted quickly in her mouth, and the melted water flowed quickly.
Cough, cough, cough...
The water went down the wrong pipe, and Lin Wei's face instantly turned red from choking.
Seeing this, Bronya quickly lifted Lin Wei's upper body and helped him catch his breath. Then she took another bite of the snowball in her hand, held her breath for a moment, and once again carefully transferred the melted, warm snow water into his mouth.
Perhaps her technique had improved, or perhaps her intentions had been conveyed. In any case, it went much more smoothly this time.
The unconscious Lin Wei subconsciously moved his throat, swallowing the precious life-giving spring.
I'm really... crazy!
After successfully transferring the second mouthful of snow water, Bronya, whose mouth was numb from the ice and snow, thought frantically.
She didn't even understand why she was doing this. She had only met this guy named Lin Wei once!
"...Sigh, forget it. I'll just do it for Seele..."
Bronya comforted herself, then couldn't help but look down at the man whose face was filled with weakness and exhaustion.
She still remembered how dashing Lin Wei had looked when he was chasing Cocolia in his thin clothes and bare feet. At that time, although she was surprised, she didn't feel much, just that this mysterious guy was dangerous and that she should warn Seele to be careful.
But then, he had collapsed.
This ending was even more unexpected, and it turned all her previous wariness into a kind of indescribable admiration—admiration for his courage and sacrifice.
She knew that to save her and Seele, this stubborn guy had paid a very painful price, even risking his own life.
Seeing Lin Wei's face up close, Bronya had a strange feeling that if this guy were awake, they would get along very well...
It was no wonder that her other self would become friends with him, even if she didn't remember it.
My other self, that sounds strange...
"Sigh, forget it. I'll just assume Seele would be worried."
And what else could I do?
Just as Bronya was seriously considering how to help Lin Wei recover his body temperature, Sin burst back in, throwing several small, still-struggling animals at Bronya's feet.
"Alive and warm. Wring their necks, stuff them into that leather blanket. It'll be warmer than anything. After they've served as warmers, you can roast and eat them..."
Sin, covered in snow, said proudly, as if she were showing off something incredible. Then she suddenly stopped. "What are you doing?"
Did I just see something I wasn't supposed to?