Honkai: Strijder (Honkai Impact 3 Male MC)

What's Welt talking about? The tasks entrusted by Sigurd?

What could Sigurd entrust him with? Chatting with himself?

Hiss!

No, the fact that Welt appeared openly at "St. Freya", something that would naturally attract her attention and then, instead of fighting with her, chose to chat with her for so long.

From what she has gathered so far, Sigurd is doing something that he doesn't want him to disturb, does that mean he have a plan?

Is it related to K-423? Or perhaps it's related to one of the Herrscher Core?

Crack!

Hera squinted, crushed the handle of the teacup, and the cup shattered on the ground with a crisp sound, splashing tea everywhere.

...

"Amber, organize a team, bring the nearest Soulium, and come with me to the Anti-Entropy Headquarters."

"Yes, Lord Otto."

Amber withdrew to arrange the trip as instructed.

Meanwhile, Otto opened a screen, looking at the large reconnaissance blind spots in the Siberian Plain, pressing his temples with a headache.

"I was careless. I'm still digesting the memories of Gray Serpent, and then I was disrupted by Welt — it's too late now, whatever Sigurd wants to do should be done by now. But, at least I need to confirm what he's been up to."

Otto shook his head, actually having some guesses already, but he just wanted to confirm them for real.

This time, he was one step behind in his chess game, but it felt... not bad, somehow.

...

Hera, in synchrony with his thoughts, sighed helplessly from thousands of miles away, then glanced at Welt with a girlish pout, looking adorable as ever, despite what other might say, she's not intentionally pretending to be cute or anything to let his guard down, but after five hundred years of experience of switching body back and forth, she had instinctively learned how to behave like how her Soulium body looks like.

"Muu~ Welt, you've learned bad habits from Sigurd, dare to cooperate with him to fool me?"

"Haha, he's my trusted general and strategist, so I naturally have to agree to his requests, well, mainly because when he speaks to you all gloomy, I really dare not refuse."

Welt's smile suddenly became forced.

He recalled the late-night communication with the kid from some time ago, thinking of Sigurd's emotionless dead-fish eyes — to be honest, at that time, he felt that if he refused, the next day he would be run over by a group of Titans passing by, losing even his Herrscher Core.

Hera also recalled the Sigurd before the fusion experiment, that terrifying aura crawling out from the abyss, her expression stiffening momentarily with some sympathy, then she said with a hint of sympathy:

"...You've been through a lot too."

"It's okay, just go along with him, in general, Sigurd is quite gentle."

"If you ever feel coerced, just blink twice rapidly at me."

Hera playfully blinked at Welt, teasing him.

Welt chuckled lightly, silently deciding to mention this to Sigurd when he returned, then calmly said:

"So, next, I'd like to discuss some serious matters with you."

"Go ahead."

"The Honkai Suppressant, as you've seen, it's highly effective in treating the damage caused by Honkai, significantly reducing the burden on Valkyries' bodies. I've already achieved mass production; each dose is $75, and I can produce four million doses per month. Whether it's for expanding the Valkyrie Legion, maintaining the Valkyries' lifespan, or reducing injuries to personnel in various human experiments, it can play a significant role."

"$75... dollars?"

Hera's eyebrows twitched.

You spendthrift fool, do you know how much time and resources I've spent to concoct the perfect Schariac Holy Blood?

This suppressant is obviously a variant serum derived from Holy Blood, except Sigurd has achieved industrial production.

But at a price of $75, you might as well say it's being given away for free!

"What's the catch?"

Hera asked with complex emotions.

This transaction is beneficial to Schicskal, but for the Anti-Entropy, whether they can recoup the cost is uncertain.

Welt raised an index finger and said slowly:

"First, to save some lives."

"Hmm, that fits your character. And then?"

"Second, each dose of the suppressant will be labeled with the mark of Anti-Entropy, and it must not be concealed that this is a drug produced by Anti-Entropy."

"Oh? Go on."

"Third, a formal reconciliation between Schisckal and Anti-Entropy, signing and publicly announcing a friendly agreement and a cooperation treaty on dealing with the Honkai."

Welt raised three fingers to express his goals and conditions.

However, Hera showed a perfect smile, kindly asking:

"Hmmm~ What if I want to refuse?"

If these conditions were agreed upon, it would garner too much support for Anti-Entropy.

Think about it, Anti-Entropy, which uses mechas as its main combat power, has worked hard to develop medicines to treat Honkai Erosion and sell them at a low price. Why? Of course it is to save the Valkyrie from their tragic fate!

Once this fact is established, how will the previously thrown dirt at Anti-Entropy be accounted for? Will the upper echelons of Schicksal question the correctness of the Archbishop? Even if it's just a little bit, it's a sign of trouble.

Welt smiled amiably, sincerely and friendly replied:

"Then I'll sell it to Principal Theresa first and then go to various branches of Schicksal for sales. If you prohibit all of them, I'll do a buy-one-get-one-free promotion on the internet, black market, and the like. As long as those threatened by Honkai Erosion can use it, selling it at a cheaper price, even hiring an idol for advertisement wouldn't hurt. By the way, in that case, when I sell it, I have to remind the buyer that this is prohibited by the Archbishop of Schiskal. Use the potion in secret, and don't spread it around - if you spread it around, you can only get a 10% discount."

"... "

Hera's expression became serious.

She began to put her 500-year-old clever brain to work, contemplating strategies to counteract — smearing and defaming certainly seemed feasible. In just a moment, Hera could come up with nine different ways of negative public relations, a full nine!

However, the truth is the truth, and ultimately, the results will speak for themselves.

And for Anti-Entropy, being smeared with dirt is nothing new; they can completely accept it and persevere in resistance and criticism for the long term.

In the long run, this move is futile.

"Did Sigurd teach you this method?"

"Not exactly, I came up with it myself."

"Since when did you have such a compassionate heart?"

"It's not about compassion, it's actually quite simple. I didn't come up with any plan to fight against you, I simply chose to stand on the side of the masses. And then, this plan emerged."

Welt said calmly, even allowing Rita to refill his tea.

And surprisingly, she was quite skilled at it.

"..."

Hera fell silent.

And Welt continued:

"I stand on the side of the masses, while you do not, that's the essence of this situation. Accept it, Hera, you won't lose out."

Hera remained silent once again.

Refusal is a path that is bound to fail. As long as there is one Valkyrie who is at their wits' end and accepts the potion, confirms its effectiveness, slowly, widespread dissemination is only a matter of time.

Otto can declare a ban, but he cannot control everyone. Once Anti-Entropy's potion changes the situation, even if he wants to suppress it again, he must compromise for the sake of public opinion.

And accepting — it might not necessarily lead to harm. After all, the act of smearing can be easily dismissed as a strategy taken due to differing positions. Moreover, she can even create a public opinion that "the Archbishop, for the future of the Valkyries, is willing to set aside pride and compromise with Anti-Entropy," thereby strengthening her own authority.

Furthermore, the extension of the Valkyries' lifespan and the reduction of losses among the experimental subjects undoubtedly represent a significant enhancement to the overall power of Schicksal.

Hera is not someone who acts on impulse, so she nodded.

"I understand. I will make it clear to Otto."

"Thank you for your understanding. I'm looking forward to our cooperation."

Welt raised his cup, then politely smiled as if he just noticed Hera's tea cup was empty, drank his tea, and stood up.

"Your Highness, it's been a long time since we last met. Shall we go for a walk in the city and have a chat?"

"Okay."

Hera watched as the two of them walked away, gently stroking the now awake Theresa in her arms, silent for a long time.

"Is what you just said true? Can that potion, that transaction, really save many Valkyries?"

"Yes, he wouldn't lie."

"That's great... Is there anything I can do to help? By the way, if it's about Grandfather, I can help convince him."

"No need, Otto will agree."

Hera said calmly, then lost interest in further conversation.

In just a few hours, she was misled by Sigurd once and pressured by Welt once. In five hundred years, she had never experienced such things.

Perhaps she should put away her arrogance and laziness and take things a bit more seriously?

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