Chapter 197: He Smiled, She Also Smiled
Sigurd stayed at the Far East temporary command center for over a month.
In truth, clearing out the remaining Honkai disasters wasn't much of a problem. The main issue was the resettlement of over a billion refugees.
Although there was enough land on the new continent, the cost of building residential areas and supplying materials, even for two colossal entities like Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, wasn't something easily resolved.
Thus, it required coordination with various countries for proper allocation and resettlement.
The process involved disputes with politicians over the number of refugees, their age groups, educational levels, and the conditions for their settlement.
Until everything was fully allocated, managing the lives and security of the large refugee population remained a challenge — civil unrest had to be avoided.
Einstein was capable enough, but in truth, many people tried to play small tricks in front of her. After all, her core role was a scientist, which meant she lacked the necessary authority and political maneuvering skills.
To navigate this phase without issues, either Welt, with his iron-fist approach, would have to come and hang countless oligarchs from lampposts, or Sigurd himself had to handle it.
When he stood atop the base tower, his massive sword of fire beside him, all petty schemes and tricks vanished. This was the result of years of terrifying battle prowess combined with the wisdom to kill without provocation, leaving no one with any room for complaint.
Apart from Welt, who also inspired such fear among those in power, no one else could fulfill Sigurd's role.
Even Otto couldn't. While Otto's persona was one of mystery and profoundness, his public face, Hera, was portrayed as wise, down-to-earth, and full of stories. Otto's direct ability to intimidate was lacking, and people would still try to wrangle with him, delaying solutions.
People tend to dismiss or misunderstand those who seem aloof from worldly matters.
...
Once everything was settled, Sigurd returned to Anti-Entropy's headquarters on the new continent.
With him were the three black-armored members of his personal guard, as well as Seele, Rozaliya, and Liliya — three little tagalongs.
"Mei can't come back yet, I'm so disappointed."
Kiana leaped off the plane, dropping hundreds of meters straight to the ground. After dusting off her clothes, she stood at the gate of the base's inner city, sighing dramatically.
Thunk!
A small figure landed from the sky, her tiny, cute feet stepping directly on Kiana's white-haired head, forcing her to lower it with a stumble.
Then, Kiana — who was too thin — swiped furiously at the small intruder atop her head.
"Get down here, you little brat!"
Bronya lightly kicked off, flipping backward off Kiana's head in a graceful somersault, effortlessly dodging Kiana's grasp. She calmly said:
"Kiana, jumping from such a height is dangerous."
"You jumped too! And you even jumped onto my head! Isn't that even more dangerous?!"
"Firstly, I jumped when the plane was much closer to the ground. Secondly, this was to help you remember my lesson."
Bronya raised two slender, white fingers, speaking matter-of-factly.
Kiana lunged forward with clawed hands.
"Quit with the nonsense!"
Zap!
Bzzzzzt!
Half a minute later, the white-haired girl lay twitching on the ground, her eyes rolling back and drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth.
Bronya calmly removed the long silver device from Kiana's body, then reloaded it into her futuristic blue handgun, explaining in a deadpan voice:
"This is a special model of taser, designed for Kiana — it emits a high-voltage shock, uses clean energy, and is environmentally friendly. No harm to others. I suggest we start mass production and apply for a dedicated production line."
The last part was said to Sigurd, who had just arrived.
Sigurd patted Bronya on the head. He neither denied nor approved of her suggestion.
Then, he approached the slowly recovering Kiana, squatted down, and offered her a hand.
Kiana stood up and immediately clung to his arm, pointing accusingly at Bronya with a pout:
"Sig, she bullied me!"
"Stop it. Be serious for a second. Bronya's method might have been a bit rough, but her reasoning is sound. You really need to stop doing things without thinking."
This, from the guy who frequently hangs girls up to beat them, was said with complete composure, his face untroubled by any irony.
"Sig…"
"Still hurts?"
"Well, it's not that bad anymore…"
"Good."
Sigurd stroked the girl's head, the comforting gesture quickly erasing her unhappiness. Her face broke into a sweet smile, as she contentedly clung to him, a silly, happy look on her face.
"Tsk!"
Bronya barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
She noticed Sin Mal, who had arrived a moment later, staring at Kiana with an envious glare. With a small nudge to Sin Mal's back, Bronya gave her an encouraging look.
Sin Mal's eyes lit up, and after rolling up her sleeves, she confidently charged forward.
Soon enough, the familiar sight of Sin Mal and Kiana pushing against each other, vying for a spot beside Sigurd, filled the air with their bickering.
After a few minutes of this headache-inducing racket, Sigurd, his brow furrowed and face darkened, raised his fist and promptly knocked both girls down with one punch each, solving the problem with an undeniable truth.
Finally, the noise subsided around him.
This sight brought a slight smirk to Bronya's face.
Seele, who had arrived beside her, noticed this rare smile and anxiously tugged at her sleeve.
"Bronya, you... your smile looks kind of scary."
"Does it, Seele?"
"Um…"
"I feel like having some of your pastries."
"I'll go make some right now, just wait for me!"
Ever the one to enjoy housework and taking care of everyone, Seele rushed off towards the base.
Bronya shook her head lightly.
'Seele is too lacking in ambition. At this rate, she'll never make any progress... Oh well, I'll deal with my own issues first. She's still young, and perhaps she will fall for a different man in the future.'
Bronya touched the small vial in her pocket as she looked up to see Sigurd walking towards her, her usually indifferent face betraying no emotion.
"Any progress on investigating Wendy's black armor malfunction?"
"I reviewed the video data from the armor and the Hive system. At the same time, I extracted any related network data from the area... In short, nothing unusual was found."
"Could it really be data overload from excessive Honkai energy?"
"No evidence of foul play has been discovered, so the only reasonable explanation is that."
Walking side by side with Sigurd towards the base gates, Bronya spoke steadily.
Sigurd rubbed his chin, frowning.
He still felt something was off.
The black armor had undergone extremely rigorous design and testing, honed through countless real-world battles. To claim a malfunction due to Honkai energy overload seemed a bit far-fetched.
He recalled the shadowy figure behind the scenes in Theresa's case.
The storyline in his memory didn't perfectly align with the reality of this world. For example, the unknown figure highly skilled in the realm of consciousness was hard to match with anyone from the story Sigurd knew.
Fu Hua could do it, but she wouldn't act that way.
Kevin from the previous civilization also had the capability, but it made no sense for him to go after Theresa covertly.
"Perhaps, even in this world seemingly divided between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, hidden shadows still lurk…"
Sigurd muttered to himself, feeling a bit helpless.
With Honkai looming and the end drawing near, why couldn't this hidden force just step forward and help out?
Did they really think they, or he, could handle the Final Herrscher better than Schicksal and Anti-Entropy combined?
"I'll keep investigating. Don't worry."
Sensing Sigurd's frustration, Bronya gently squeezed his hand, her voice steady and reassuring.
Sigurd felt the soft, comforting touch of her hand, the delicate smoothness easing his expression slightly.
"I'll leave it to you then. I have other things to take care of. By the way, I've improved the formula for your medicine. It now has stronger effects and lasts longer. Besides oral administration, I've added inhalable, injectable, and topical forms to deal with extreme situations."
"...That's wonderful. As expected of you, Sigurd. Your efficiency is impressive. Thank you."
"It's my duty. You've thought everything through so thoroughly, I'd be wrong not to support you."
Sigurd smiled faintly, a look of satisfaction on his face as he spoke.
Bronya also smiled, her expression filled with the same satisfaction.
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