Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

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In the exquisite and grand archbishop's office, Otto held a printed research paper, flipping through its pages meticulously.

The room's climate control maintained optimal temperature and humidity, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a spring garden, filled with floral fragrances and earthy scents, utterly soothing to one's senses.

He was reviewing Zeke's paper on the existence of souls, which had been previously sent to him.

In truth, Otto had already meticulously verified and recalculated both the theoretical framework and experimental data, gaining a thorough understanding of its contents long ago.

However, this article, from its conception to the experimental methodology and logical validation, exhibited impeccable coherence and interdependence, brimming with the beauty of rationality and logic.

Otto was now appreciating not only the structure of the paper but also delving into Zeke's thought process.

For a scientific genius like Otto, such a high-quality research paper was akin to a monumental masterpiece, captivating him endlessly, unable to put it down.

The last time he felt this engrossed was probably when reading Dr. Einstein's original manuscript on relativity—the intricate ideas intertwined with seamless logic, truly exceptional!

"Ah, Zeke~"

Otto sighed deeply, filled with profound longing—despite never having met face-to-face, his desire for a conversation with Zeke grew stronger by the day.

Then, Amber entered the room.

"Director Otto, were you wasting your time playing games again... Oh, I see, my apologies for the misunderstanding," she said expressionlessly while bowing.

Otto's eye twitched slightly.

"What kind of impression do I have on you exactly? Never mind, what brings you here?"

"Two matters," Amber replied coolly. "First, we lost contact with the Oceania Branch three minutes ago."

Otto's head snapped up, his hands pausing mid-flip through the papers.

"Hiss... I have a rough idea of what happened. Finish reporting your updates, and then I'll consider our response." Director Otto closed the academic paper, his expression unconcerned.

Then, Amber opened a virtual screen before him and stated emotionlessly, "Secondly, just half a minute ago, while monitoring Durandal-sama's area, Amber discovered this."

"What could possibly be wrong at Durandal's location..." But as soon as Otto saw the image, his demeanor instantly shifted: "Zeke! (°ー°〃)!"

Zeke plucked a tiny sphere from the air.

Compared to the original worker drones, these new ones were significantly smaller—Zeke could easily hold two or three in one hand. Their glossy black bodies featured mysterious glowing patterns and protrusions, exuding an aura of cold, futuristic danger rather than the previous endearing charm.

As he moved, countless miniature spheres materialized densely around him, even drifting near Rita and Avrora.

Before they revealed their true form, not even Avrora had detected their approach.

"The Hive System, my autonomous combat drone network... Well, Otto did contribute a bit too, I suppose. In any case, it's operational now but hasn't yet faced genuine battlefield testing. A-level Valkyries aren't quite enough, but with you as an S-rank, we should be able to identify some issues."

"So, you want me to engage in actual combat to assess its maturity level? No problem, I'm well-versed in that!"

"Sure, consider it a special commission then. I'll treat you to something afterward—or feel free to suggest your own compensation. As far as I can tell, there's very little within Schicksal that I couldn't provide."

"No need for that; this is my duty," Durandal replied firmly.

But Rita, carrying her picnic basket, felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Durandal, too innocent, didn't sense anything amiss. However, Rita could hear the undertones: Zeke's casual tone when mentioning Otto reflected a stance of absolute equality. And his nonchalant mention of compensation... He must be someone truly influential—an absolute big shot, towering much higher than just three or four stories!

Lady Avrora, you have no idea what you're missing out on. If only I, Rita, had such an opportunity... Lady Theresa's private photo collection would've been mine long ago!

Rita's expression grew even more humble and deferential as she held onto the picnic basket.

Then, the test began.

Having returned from the world bubble, Durandal now fully activated her golden finger ability. Although not yet invincible, she already displayed capabilities far surpassing those expected of a Valkyrie.

Laser beams, Honkai energy blades, electromagnetic force fields, infrasound weapons, miniaturized localized nuclear explosions, Honkai-energy fission blasts... All were rendered ineffective against Durandal—truly worthy of its name as a Golden Saint!

Withstanding countless lethal attacks as if they were nothing more than a gentle breeze, Durandal effortlessly navigated through the chaos, pulverizing worker drones unable to dodge in time.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The commotion grew louder, the destruction more widespread, and the crowd of onlooking Valkyries swelled.

However, with the ever-popular Young Lady Rita standing obediently behind Zeke, any lingering doubts vanished from their minds. The Valkyries who arrived at the scene merely observed, none daring to question what transpired.

As Rita watched the familiar training ground become unrecognizable amidst increasingly intense tremors beneath her feet, she mustered the courage to address Zeke, who was monitoring something on a virtual screen: "Um, sir, isn't this going too far?"

"Hmm, you're right. Avrora is simply too powerful; these tests won't yield meaningful results."

No, no, no—I meant not this, but rather the issue of the base's destruction! However, Rita acknowledged she had no standing to criticize someone so influential and could only suppress her concerns, smiling silently.

"Ahem!"

"Zeke, Durandal, both of you, halt."

A clear voice interrupted the test.

With a wave of Zeke's hand, the swarm of industrious drones vanished without a trace. Simultaneously, some remaining bees dragged away the debris from Durandal's explosive strikes before disappearing, presumably to reassemble or completely destroy it, leaving no evidence behind.

Durandal also ceased her assault.

Then, every Valkyrie on the field knelt on one knee, paying their respects in unison:

"Hail, Archbishop!" × N

"Arise. Maintenance department, clear the area. All others, please disperse."

"Yes, sir!" × N

Next, Otto turned towards Zeke, spread his arms wide, and walked over with a radiant smile, seemingly intending for a close embrace.

Zeke took a step back, clicking his tongue icily.

"Tsk! What brings you here at this moment?!"

Impressive—causing havoc in the host's home while acting so audacious towards them?

Rita lowered her head, her expression twitching slightly as certain suspicions were further solidified, her admiration for Zeke growing even more profound.

However, Otto scratched his head with a still-beaming smile, seemingly enjoying this treatment. He chuckled, "My dear friend, I apologize for interrupting your test, but if you continue like this, my base might sink. Let's save it for another time; we'll find a more spacious location then. Durandal will be ready whenever needed."

"...Fine," Zeke responded reluctantly, pursing his lips.

Otto let out a hearty laugh, appearing relieved that Zeke didn't press further. He said jovially, "Ha! Since you've come all this way, I must treat you well today. Don't plan on leaving too soon!"

"No problem. Although we communicate often at a distance, meeting in person... It's been over twenty years now, indeed deserving of some extended time together," Zeke replied.

Indeed, considering his previous lifetime, they hadn't met face-to-face for over two decades—his statement held true.

Otto smiled without responding, assuming Zeke was merely covering up his identity discrepancies and letting him ramble freely.

However, to Rita and Durandal, his words carried a completely different meaning.

Rita managed to maintain her composure, but Durandal couldn't help exclaiming:

"Twenty years? How old are you exactly?"

Upon reflection, Durandal realized she had overlooked Zeke's age due to the information on his badge. But now, considering his numerous titles paired with this youthful appearance, something seemed off.

Zeke glanced at her, remaining composed as he replied:

"There's a reason for my appearance. In any case, I'm not as young as I seem."

Yes, factoring in his previous life, there was nothing misleading about that statement.

By soul age alone, Zeke was practically old enough to be Kiana's father... The thought gave him goosebumps.

Inadvertently imagining Kiana sweetly calling him "Dad," Zeke felt an unsettling sensation wash over him.

The two Valkyries glanced at Otto.

Despite appearing no older than twenty, he was actually well over five hundred years old.

They then looked back at Zeke and nodded simultaneously, seemingly grasping some unspoken understanding.