Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"Sirin, I finally found you."

Rita, looking just as much of a foreigner as Sirin, had intended to go up and take Sirin away immediately.

But the moment she stepped into the circle, she was swarmed by the aunties.

"You're this child's teacher? Is this how you foreign girls look after children? Her parents didn't take good care of her, so you just leave her on the side and go swimming by yourself?"

Huh?

Before Rita could even display her extensive negotiation skills and first-class Valkyrie etiquette, she was completely dumbfounded by the verbal barrage from the aunties, like a master getting beaten down by a flurry of random punches.

"No, I'm not her teacher... Her teacher is someone else. I'm responsible for looking after her and being her guide."

Rita tried to explain, but her explanation only led to an even stronger counterattack.

"Looking after her? Is this how you look after her? The child came to us to complain about her troubles."

Huh? Complained?

Rita looked at Sirin in astonishment. Sirin was happily cracking open a bag of sunflower seeds. This Herrscher was actually enjoying the show, with no intention of helping her out.

Soon, Rita realized she shouldn't have tried to argue.

Or rather, all her explanations were now meaningless.

For some reason, Sirin had convinced these aunties that she was being wronged at home, and that Rita, her temporary guardian, was irresponsibly leaving her on her own.

What was there to explain? It was inexplicable.

Rita could only apologize to the aunties over and over again. Her attitude quickly cooled their anger.

These people, though fierce with their words, turned around and comforted Sirin. "Don't be afraid, little girl. If you ever need help with such an irresponsible person again, just come to us. We'll definitely help you. My granddaughter is about your age and in school, too. You two can be friends and play together sometime."

"Okay, I will!" Sirin nodded obediently, watching Rita's helpless apologies with who knows how much glee in her heart.

I can't deal with Noldrei, but I can't deal with you Schicksal Valkyries either? If I can't kill you, I can at least bully you!

Sirin suddenly experienced Noldrei's joy. Compared to the physical work of killing, it was no wonder Noldrei preferred making people do his bidding.

Killing could only prove physical strength, but making people obey could prove one's superiority.

Although Sirin didn't quite understand the nuances of human power dynamics yet, she was certainly enjoying the pleasure it brought her.

An unprecedented idea sprouted in the Herrscher of the Void's mind: she would rule humanity forever, make them all obey her and work for her, and make every single one of them feel the pain of working to create wealth for someone else.

---||---

Rita, with a complicated mix of emotions, led Sirin away from the aunties' little park. A strange anger simmered within her, but she couldn't find an outlet for it.

She had been happily running her little flower shop in Academy City, and then this happens after she comes out? Why?

Rita hadn't had to serve anyone for over six months, and even when she did, she had never served such difficult people. Neither Overseer Otto, who gave her dirty work, nor the single-minded Durandal had ever made her feel so exasperated.

Just as Rita led Sirin back to the bridge, she saw Noldrei, who had been naked earlier, now wearing a pair of swimming trunks he had somehow acquired.

"Yo, Rita, did you two go shopping? Look, what do you think? An old man said I'm a good swimmer and gave me his spare trunks. Not bad, right!"

Noldrei gave Rita a thumbs-up and asked happily, "You should come for a swim, too. Look at you, all sweaty. I told you not to wear such heavy makeup, but you wouldn't listen!"

Rita took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to don her Valkyrie armor and start hacking away.

"Director..."

"Wrong! Don't call me Director anymore. I've gained a deep understanding of China's customs of communication. Rita, you should call me 'Third Brother'! 'Director' is too formal."

"Th-th-third... Brother...?" Rita felt the words were a bit strange. A sense of inexplicable shame washed over her as she said it. This guy was adapting to local customs a little too quickly.

"Ayy! That's right." Noldrei quickly changed out of his swim trunks, shook them out, and tossed them to Rita. After getting dressed, he waved to the old men still diving off the bridge and shouted, "Uncle Liu, I'll come find you to go diving again when I have time!"

He's coming again?!

Rita secretly hoped Noldrei would never come back.

Sirin didn't understand. She handed Noldrei a bottle of Wanglaoji herbal tea and asked, "Since you're Third Brother, does that mean there's a First and Second Brother?"

Noldrei waved his hand. "They're probably gone, but I still have memories of them."

He took a couple of sips of the tea and a subtle expression appeared on his face. It wasn't as good as he had imagined.

What's going on? Weren't there supposed to be delicious foods everywhere in China?

Noldrei had no idea how many landmines he had stepped on. He felt a little disappointed. This China was different from how it was portrayed in the Far East.

"Th-third... Brother, let's go," Rita said, her face calm as ever, but inside she felt as if she were being draped in a veil of shame.

What on earth does Dr. Tesla see in him?

A strange thought popped into Rita's head. She began to suspect that Dr. Tesla's mind might not be entirely normal either.

She knew he was trying to adapt to local customs, but wasn't he taking it a bit too far?

"Let's go, Rita. I'll tell you what I've observed here." Noldrei paid no mind to Rita's complex emotions. He had almost figured out the general mindset of the common people here.

Rita obediently followed, even taking a large plastic bag from one of the park aunties to carry Sirin's "spoils."

Noldrei looked at the bustling crowds on the bridge and said, "The people here in China are still relatively simple and conservative. Unlike the fragmented nationalism in the Far East and Europe, China still has a broad popular base for nationalism. So we can't just use the 'Academy City's stuff is better' approach to penetrate their lives."

"Pushing too fast will likely cause a certain degree of backlash."

Rita hadn't expected him to suddenly start genuinely studying the future of China.

He pondered for a moment before continuing, "We need to cultivate a group of local Chinese who accept the ideology of genetic supremacy. It's just that Fu Hua has been busy, which is a bit concerning."

Rita knew that the local Chinese were indeed conservative. She advised, "Then why not choose a more open port city? The northern cities of China are mostly conservative, so let's choose one from the south."

Noldrei asked curiously, "Where?"

"Sapphire City, China's current economic center."