Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Rita hadn't been keen on coming out with Noldrei.

It wasn't that she didn't want to do her job properly, but Noldrei was notoriously difficult to serve. No one ever knew what he truly wanted, especially since he was so different from Overseer Otto. The Overseer always liked to plan before making a move, and sometimes even enjoyed taking a gamble.

But Noldrei was different. He had no other hobbies, aside from "fishing (does not do anything)."

Relying on his unparalleled power, he guided people into conflict by dangling bait, letting events unfold in the direction he desired.

With a person like him, it was best not to believe a single promise he made.

Before they even set out, Rita had already prepared a mental script, hoping she wouldn't be unlucky enough to suffer the same fate as Theresa.

Noldrei brought Sirin to the Chinese mainland, landing at the port of Tianjin.

Sirin had probably never been out for fun much before. She looked around everywhere at the bustling, vibrant city. Just like the metropolises of the Far East, the city in China was teeming with people.

"Lady Sirin, this land has a complex network of rivers and varied terrain. It also has... quite a few historical sites and scenic spots. Therefore, if we were to excavate a sea canal here, we would have to consider how the seawater would affect local agriculture and replan the relevant riverways and roads. Compared to all that, actually building the canal is the most straightforward part."

As expected of a woman used to doing dirty work behind the scenes, Rita was well-informed, and she had already begun briefing Sirin on the major challenges of such an infrastructure project.

Sirin's cheerful expression instantly soured at these words. Where was her Herrscher dignity? Where was the trust between people? He said he'd let her work, but Noldrei was still holding onto her Herrscher Gems and wouldn't give them to her.

What a pitiful little girl, sold into servitude.

"Wake up, you're over thirty! Still acting like a little girl? You live a more useless life than Kiana. At least she knows to manage some of Academy City's affairs. All you do is eat and sleep, and you even need Mei to supervise your lessons and training! Even your living expenses are earned by Benares singing and dancing for you. Do you have any shame?"

"Acting cute! Shameless! You're just a leech who stole a teenager's body."

Having browsed the world's websites, Noldrei was a master of his craft. His verbal assault instantly broke through Sirin's defenses, and she unleashed a flurry of powerless, flailing punches at him.

"Ahhhhhhh! I'll kill you!!"

Noldrei held her back by pressing a hand on her head, her arms too short to even reach his body.

The girl had never felt such regret. Why on earth had she chosen Sirin's original body? If she were a little bigger, with a better figure, she wouldn't be in a situation where she couldn't even land a punch.

Are you two actually here on vacation?

Rita suspected that Sirin hadn't listened to a single word she'd just said. Everyone in Academy City was advancing at such a rapid pace; could it be that you, the Herrscher of the Void, were still a total airhead?

Rita held a purple parasol, looking like a noble European lady on a tour. Yet, even a beauty like her had to serve these two who didn't seem to have their heads screwed on straight.

Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a young stepmother taking her two kids out shopping.

"You two, shouldn't we find a place to rest? The sun is getting quite strong."

"Rita, I told you already, you don't need to wear such heavy makeup when we're out. Now look, you're the one who's sweating and uncomfortable with every move." Noldrei, of course, still wanted to wander the streets. One of them was a man from the future and the other was a Herrscher; heat and cold of this level didn't affect their bodies at all.

Yet these two physically superior beings still needed a normal human like Rita to take care of them.

You two are really...

Rita sighed, her good upbringing stopping her from muttering the word "brats."

"But I'm going to check out the steamed buns here. Want some, Rita? It's already noon."

Ignoring the unspoken words on Rita's face, Noldrei dragged Sirin along and bought two steamers of buns.

There were plenty of shops selling them at the port. Rita hesitated for a long time before saying, "Lord Director, you shouldn't buy that."

"It's his money anyway, why shouldn't I?" Sirin had no intention of being polite with Noldrei and took a large bite out of a bun.

Noldrei took a bite as well and couldn't help but frown.

He expressionlessly plucked the half-eaten piece from Sirin's mouth, put it all in a plastic bag, and threw it into a trash can.

"You were right, Rita. This stuff is... not even fit for a dog. I've been had."

Rita was even more exasperated. She couldn't count the number of times she'd been ripped off during her missions in China. Yangrou Paomo, West Lake Fish, soup dumplings—she'd fallen for them all.

"Let's go. My treat. I'll get you some liangpi."

After two bowls of refreshing, savory cold skin noodles, the trauma from the steamed buns finally subsided for Sirin.

She asked curiously, "What are we even doing out here? The port is so crowded. Digging a river right here would probably kill a lot of people, right?"

As she said this, she looked a little too eager.

But Noldrei had no intention of letting Sirin run wild. Instead, he asked Rita, "I wanted to ask, can the desalination and filtration work be done at both ends of the entrance and exit?"

"Thanks to the SELENE engine created by Dr. Tesla, we can directly convert Honkai Energy into electricity, which drastically reduces the cost of ocean water desalination. This way, we can work on both ends of the canal simultaneously, allowing seawater to pass through a certain length of the canal, and thus desalinating the entire waterway."

Rita marveled at Dr. Tesla's genius. If this technology had been in the hands of the old Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, Overseer Otto would have most likely suppressed it to halt humanity's further development.

After all, preventing the integration of Honkai and civilization was a primary goal of the former Schicksal.

Now that Schicksal had taken Jerusalem, it had become the great religious savior of the entire Western world. If it also took the lead in desalination projects, Anti-Entropy's morale would likely plummet, and it might even dissolve on the spot.

The construction of this canal would benefit countless people.

Sirin pouted, displeased. She didn't want her work to bring such great benefits to humanity.

But Noldrei had told her that the more human civilization developed, the stronger the new Herrschers born from the Honkai would be, and the Herrschers sent over would be able to kill more people. And so, the gullible Sirin was tricked onto his ship.

She wasn't helping humanity; she was doing her part to help the Honkai create even stronger new Herrschers.