Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

Half an hour later, Zeke sat at the dining table, served with soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed soup dumplings for breakfast.

Don't ask how fermentation was achieved within half an hour—Schicksal has its Forbidden Tech. Besides, Otto had some idea of Zeke's preferences, and Rita, being a diligent maid, had likely consulted beforehand to make necessary preparations.

"By general standards of rationality, for a European, this is quite commendable," Zeke remarked while eating a dumpling, addressing Rita who stood nearby attentively.

Rita smiled apologetically.

"My sincerest apologies, Rita indeed prepares Shenzhou cuisine less often. It seems I have not fully met your expectations."

"It's decent. I'm not particularly picky," Zeke replied mildly.

"Rita will strive to improve further," she replied with a smile, but her hands clenched momentarily at their position near her waist.

Just okay? Not picky? Bullshit! If you're not picky, why bring it up? Even my cooking teacher raved about my dishes, and even the straightforward Lady Durandal always gave them the highest praise!

Not showing any trace of displeasure, Rita hypnotized herself with thoughts like, It's normal for prominent figures to have high expectations; I simply need more practice.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

"Good morning, dear friend! How did you sleep last night?"

Otto strolled in, beaming enthusiastically as usual, followed by the composed Amber, just like always.

Zeke shot him a sidelong glance.

"Wonderful—if you hadn't interrupted me halfway through breakfast, that would've been my answer. Also, good morning, Miss Amber."

"Just call me Amber. Greetings, Lord Zeke. Please accept Amber's apologies for Director Otto's rudeness; do not mind it—he was merely overly eager to see you."

With no expression on her face, Amber's gaze, hidden beneath the golden eye patch, briefly swept over Otto.

Otto's smile faltered momentarily before he feigned a cough and nonchalantly replied, "Since I haven't eaten either, why don't we dine together?"

"Does a Soulium body require sustenance? How does it even digest... Never mind, that's not the point. The issue is, Rita didn't prepare your share. Miss Hupo, if you haven't eaten yet and don't mind sharing, please feel free to join us."

"Hey! Are you really that bothered by my presence?"

"In general rational terms, aside from being intelligent and persistent, there's little about Otto Apocalypse that makes him likable," Zeke retorted somewhat sharply.

Although Rita was charmingly elegant, Amber pleasing to the eye, and the breakfast quite delicious, Zeke felt something was missing this morning. An unease and dissatisfaction lingered within him, which he sought to alleviate by snapping at Otto.

Otto opened his mouth, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Although Otto didn't fully understand Zeke's attitude, he was actually quite satisfied with it. This assertiveness is what one should expect from a friend who can engage on equal footing.

Glancing at Rita, who kept her head bowed and dared not speak, as well as Amber, equally silent—neither could become Otto's friends, no matter how strong or capable they were.

Having vented his inexplicable negative emotions, Zeke pointed to the chair opposite him with his chopsticks, gesturing for Otto to sit down.

Otto took the seat without encroaching on Zeke's breakfast; after all, he didn't have any chopsticks either. With a smile, he said, "I stayed up all night reviewing your latest findings. The progress you've made is astounding! Your work already provides compelling evidence for the existence of souls—it's truly remarkable!"

Zeke glanced at him and replied, "Conventional physics theories view the world through a materialistic lens, while souls involve metaphysical concepts that are virtually impossible to interpret solely through mathematics and energy perspectives. Therefore, my information source theory doesn't approach the world from a particle-centric viewpoint but rather decomposes it using new metaphysical concepts. This allows for the precise analysis of soul existence."

Otto shook his head, sighed deeply, and remarked with emotion:

"It sounds simple enough, almost as straightforward as the delusions of amateur scientists. However, practically speaking, it's an entirely different matter. Just like Dr. Einstein's theory of relativity, I can fully comprehend and grasp its essence, but creating such a theory is beyond me. That was a grand feat only achievable by Dr. Einstein himself. Similarly, the Information Origin Theory is still in its infancy, and only you can develop it to a level where practical application and further study by future generations become possible. Zeke, you're a genius, perhaps the most brilliant one of our era!"

Otto gestured emphatically with both hands, seemingly unable to express his admiration for Zeke any other way.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Zeke responded succinctly, barely acknowledging Otto's lengthy praise that bordered on an aria.

Then, he continued:

"But I believe you've also noticed that I've hit a bottleneck. Knowing it's feasible is one thing; making it work is another. The second step, from proving existence to interfering with souls and unveiling deeper properties and characteristics, requires time, energy, and resources that even I cannot currently fathom."

"No worries, for individuals like us, time has never been an issue. As for other aspects, feel free to let me know what you need—just as I've mentioned before, now, the world will yield to your progress."

Otto patted Zeke's shoulder, his tone casual yet devoid of any hint of doubt or uncertainty.

Zeke's lips curved upwards slightly.

"You're right. Well then, first and foremost, I'm quite intrigued by Soulium."

"Finish your meal, and afterward, come with me; I'll take you to my laboratory," Otto said cheerfully. He neither questioned Zeke's intentions nor expressed any reservations about sharing confidential lab information, displaying complete openness and generosity.

Heaven only knew how ecstatic Otto truly was at this moment, comparable to when he first encountered the Pseudo-Herrscher of Death.

Unlike that fleeting illusion of hope, this opportunity was genuine—a chance where he could clearly comprehend and deduce future possibilities, feeling almost within reach.

Soon, Zeke followed Otto deep into the heart of the floating city.

Zeke trailed half a step behind Otto, with Amber another half-step back from him. The trio arrived at Otto's private laboratory.

Zeke and Otto sat across from each other at a clean square table.

Amber stepped into another room briefly before returning gracefully, holding a rectangular metal box in both hands.

Otto lifted the lid and pushed it toward Zeke, revealing an irregularly shaped black crystal roughly the size of a palm.

Zeke summoned a worker bee out of thin air, activated its laser scanner, and began analyzing the crystal's properties.

Seeing the worker bee in Zeke's hand, Otto groaned and covered his face.

"Tell me, just how many new-model worker bees did you bring here? I've been wanting to ask since yesterday: perfect elimination of optical characteristics, vibrations, electromagnetic induction, Honkai Energy reactions—all while flawlessly simulating airflow direction. Unless their observation cameras are active, they're virtually indistinguishable from dust particles. Even Durandal, with her keen senses, couldn't detect them... I can only imagine that by now, your worker bees have surrounded the entire base inside and out?"

"Don't worry about such trivial matters. This is still your den, after all. If I hadn't brought enough firepower to vaporize this City in the Sky, would I dare stroll in so casually?"

"Evaporate...what?!?"

Otto was momentarily taken aback before bursting out laughing and shaking his head.

"I'm truly amazed by you. Is there such need for constant vigilance?"

"Yes. If I were gone, no one would take care of Kiana properly... I mean, my version of Kiana."

"Oh? Have you fully made up your mind then?"

"Yes, anyone who harms her will find their ashes scattered to the winds." Zeke picked up the black crystal, watching as it transformed from jet-black to the flesh tone matching his arm. With a stoic expression, he continued observing while speaking these words.

Indeed, despite her dislike for thinking things through, impulsiveness, mischief-making, single-mindedness, lack of subtlety, gluttony, laziness, penchant for trouble, poor sleeping habits, disinterest in studies, terrible cooking skills, and being a walking disaster... this is what Zeke believed.

There was no specific reason or explanation needed; it was simply his decision.

However, engrossed in examining the Soulium, Zeke failed to notice the complex emotions flickering across Otto's face.

Otto wasn't angry; instead, gazing at the expressionless Zeke, his eyes seemed to blur, as if transitioning to the nightmare scene that haunted him every time he fell asleep.

Faintly, Otto felt as if he had traversed time and witnessed that familiar young man kneeling before an ornate coffin five centuries ago, alongside the timeless beauty lying within.