Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"Why aren't you arresting them?"

"It was them! Them! They were openly performing that piece on the Bund, clearly mocking us Chinese people!"

"Don't foreigners have corruption?! This has hurt our national pride!"

The irate gentleman who called the police was still fuming, his protests loud and clear.

After some mediation by the local police, the somewhat hot-tempered man reached an understanding with the foreigners and even became friends.

Noldrei was still trying to explain himself. "You've misunderstood," he said. "I was using this to satirize some of the officials back home. They're just like the song says. I was even planning to promote traditional Chinese culture when I get back, show it to everyone! Teach those guys a good lesson!"

Rita kept her head down, seemingly whispering something to Sirin.

She didn't dare look up and try to explain. The last thing Rita wanted was news of a Schicksal Valkyrie being taken away by Chinese police reaching her family.

The young police officer thought the caller was making a mountain out of a molehill. How exactly did this hurt his "national pride"? When Chinese people performed "The Yellow Millet Dream," it was culture and satire, but when a foreigner did it, it was an insult?

After calming down the angry man, the officer had to placate the other party. This foreigner was even more outrageous, insisting he'd done nothing wrong.

Noldrei continued, undeterred, "Why are people here just like in America? They can mock themselves in their own stand-up shows, but when a foreigner says something, it's an insult, and the government has to hold a press conference to make excuses."

The young officer thought it might be better if this foreigner found a different traditional art form to appreciate. "We have many other local operas," he pleaded. "Have you considered liking a different kind of traditional culture? Besides, we mediated this for you, didn't we? You can't just go spouting this stuff in public."

Noldrei refused flatly. "This kind of opera has profound, universal social significance. What's the point of all that feudalistic nonsense about loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness that doesn't stir the soul?"

'This damn foreigner has really studied our traditional culture in depth! Is that what I'm afraid of? No! I'm afraid of how damn authentic he is!'

The officer was at a loss for words. He certainly didn't want to get involved in this mess, lest he be slapped with the label of damaging the nation's diplomatic image.

"That's enough, Director! Please don't make things difficult for them," Rita said, forcing a smile. "We will be more careful and will not perform these things in crowded places again."

The young officer wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and quickly sent this god of misfortune on his way.

Noldrei was still dissatisfied. "You people aren't open enough here. I think you should further open up to allow more foreigners to supervise and report issues, then work together, internally and externally, to govern with integrity. Don't worry about distinctions between inside and outside, and certainly don't worry about nationality. Believe me, as long as it stops the culture of lazy, negligent, and corrupt governance, it's a good thing, beneficial to all humanity! We're all part of the human community; we must hold each other accountable!"

"Alright! Alright! That's enough!" Rita, in an act of insubordination, clamped a hand over Noldrei's mouth and dragged him away.

The young officer shakily drank a cup of water. He suspected this foreigner either had a personal vendetta against government officials or against him specifically.

Rita had truly saved him from a world of trouble.

After dragging Noldrei away, Rita showed him the contents of her phone.

"Do you see this? You're a trending topic in China! A foreigner, on someone else's soil, brazenly mocking their local governance! Director, what on earth are you doing here?"

Rita suspected Noldrei had lost his mind, but then she remembered he had originally been performing just for her, and the whole situation felt utterly absurd.

Who could have predicted he would perform that? His "in-depth study" seemed to have gone a bit too far.

Noldrei briefly scrolled through the comments on the trending topic and quickly understood the issue.

"The stench of nationalism from this era's humanity will persist for thousands of years. It's understandable that they attack each other for their own interests. It's not a huge problem. I heard some countries have caused you a lot of trouble in your fight against the Honkai, right? China is actually one of the more honest ones."

"Look at India. I bet they've caused no end of trouble for your work at Schicksal."

Noldrei showed no sensitivity about his own identity, nor did he care about the mudslinging online. He couldn't expect much clear news to be transmitted between nations that were constantly at each other's throats. It was a realistic outcome limited by the flow of information in this era.

He believed there was only one way to solve this problem of nationalistic isolation: to further eliminate the learning costs of different languages and writing systems among all peoples and nations.

'As expected of someone who has deeply studied humanity. Your judgment of people is spot on.'

Rita hadn't even mentioned the trouble caused by the UK and the US. As a Schicksal Valkyrie, her innate dislike for Anti-Entropy was something she couldn't change.

Noldrei continued scrolling through Rita's phone and soon came across news from the Far East.

Most of the trending topics there were dominated by androids, and the top story was...

[Far East Man Marries Virtual Idol "Hatsune Miku"! Grand Ceremony, But Mom Refuses to Attend]

He exclaimed, "This young man really knows how to live! But if the copyright on this character expires, won't his wife disappear? He clearly hasn't thought through the consequences."

This time, Hatsune Miku was real. The young man had married a Hatsune Miku android girl.

The comment section was exploding. It seemed a large portion of the population would be joining the new era soon, right?

Thinking of this, Noldrei's heart filled with confidence for humanity's bright future.

Sirin peeked at the screen curiously. Seeing the headline, a strange expression crossed her face. She didn't even know if she should continue trying to destroy humanity anymore. They seemed to be hurtling towards self-destruction all on their own.

Sirin felt she had more morals and ideals than the people in the Academy City. At least she knew to feel ashamed when sleeping naked next to someone else.

"Is he okay? Should we get him a therapist?" Sirin suggested.

Her suggestion did not receive Noldrei's approval.

"What? Are you planning to get some android friends too?"

Noldrei suspected Sirin's personality was a result of her loneliness.

"What's that supposed to mean? As a Herrscher, what do I need friends for?" Sirin suspected Noldrei was implying that all her friends were dead.

"Is that so? But, Miss Sirin, didn't you have a good relationship with your other Herrscher friends? Like... Mei? Wendy? Or perhaps... Ana?"

With every name Rita mentioned, Sirin felt a little more uncomfortable.

Seeing the two of them about to start bickering again, Noldrei quickly intervened. "Don't worry about that. From now on, I'll be your friend. If there's anyone you want to see, just ask me to transform into them. For example, Rita, you could have me turn into Durandal and do some things you never dared to imagine before."

"Hmm?" A few question marks appeared over Rita's head.

She asked cautiously, "Director, from the way you're talking, it sounds like this isn't the first time you've done something like this?"

Noldrei looked at her in surprise. "What? Don't you like it, Rita?"

Rita was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "No, Rita likes it very much. But it would be better if you told me in secret. Now that you've said it out loud, I'm too embarrassed to agree in front of Sirin."

Sirin couldn't take it anymore. These two were playing on a whole other level!

A Herrscher like her, with a moral compass and a sense of right and wrong, was no match for them.