"Hmm, where am I...?" Siegfried awoke in a warehouse on the outskirts of Nagazora, gazing at the unfamiliar ceiling in confusion. It took him a few seconds to realize he was back in the real world.
This was one of the safe houses belonging to Anti-Entropy. To be precise, it was a safe house of the Tesla & Einstein faction within Anti-Entropy, with no connection to Raiden Ryoma, who controlled Nagazora.
After all, Anti-Entropy had numerous internal factions, not just radicals and conservatives, and each authorized executive had their own agenda.
Raiden Ryoma controlled the ME Corporation, possessing formidable scientific and manufacturing capabilities. He maneuvered between the conservative and radical factions, using sophisticated political tactics to gain advantages and secretly pursue his own plans, which made people wary.
So, Tesla and Einstein had planted spies in Nagazora and prepared many safe houses like this one to gather relevant intelligence and gain an upper hand when dealing with Raiden Ryoma.
As for why Siegfried could stay here... mainly because of the Divine Key he possessed and his unparalleled S-rank combat power, which earned him respect and considerable convenience within Anti-Entropy.
Of course, the friendship between Tesla and Einstein was also crucial... but it might also be because, compared to experiments that burned millions of dollars, providing Siegfried with enough money to travel the world, intelligence, and a base to stay in exchange for goodwill was a very cheap and profitable deal.
Siegfried felt the blood vessels on his temple throbbing. He sighed and lifted his hand to rub his forehead, only to be surprised to find something extra beside him—the bionic arm specially made for him by Anti-Entropy had detached and fallen to the ground.
"?!"
Years ago, in the battle where Kiana awakened as the Herrscher of the Void, Siegfried fought with her using the Judgement of Shamash. Although a sudden appearance of a red-haired Valkyrie later snatched away the Divine Key, the brief usage of the Judgement of Shamash still caused irreversible damage to Siegfried's arm—he could barely even hold chopsticks, let alone return to the battlefield and fight against Honkai.
Siegfried simply asked Tesla to replace his arm with a mechanical one, and after extensive training, he managed to restore much of his combat prowess.
And now, this expensive bionic arm lay on the ground like this because...
"My arm... has grown back?"
Siegfried looked at his newly regenerated arm in amazement. From the shoulder down, the skin was fair and tender, completely different from his weathered and scarred skin.
"Cecilia... is this what you meant by 'surprise'?"
Before leaving the consciousness space, Cecilia used her Mimetic Abyss Flower to heal Siegfried's injuries—including his severed arm and the hidden injuries from years of fighting against the Honkai beasts.
Siegfried felt an unprecedented sense of freshness in his body. He smiled and observed his arm, spreading his fingers and feeling the breeze brushing against his fingertips and the warmth of the sun shining on his arm.
After experiencing his new arm for a while, Siegfried roughly understood its condition. He would still need some exercise to fully restore it to its previous level.
Afterward, he took out his communicator and pressed a button.
"This is great... Oh right, I should call Dr. Tesla and tell her what I saw here. It will definitely surprise them, won't it?"
However, Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein would never consider that news a surprise; it would be more of a shock.
---
"Yes, Mr. Ryoma, I will immediately start investigating that girl. Please rest assured, I will thoroughly dig into her background... Yes, yes, I understand. No worries, I won't disturb Raiden Mei's life!"
A man stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, smiling obsequiously, repeatedly nodding to the distant figure. After about fifteen seconds, he hung up the phone, his expression changing.
He leisurely opened another encrypted communication device and sent out a message that had long been prepared:
[Ms. Cocolia, I've obtained the task to investigate that transferred student. Of course, the warehouse for storing Honkai energy that you requested has also been arranged. I hope we can cooperate closely in the future and accomplish your goals as soon as possible. I'm also looking forward to receiving the rest of your payment. —Hida]
The man named Hida seemed unsatisfied. He pulled out another communicator from the drawer, but this one was completely different from the one he used before—it didn't look like a piece of advanced technology at all. Instead, it resembled some kind of antique dug up from the ground, coated in gold powder and embedded with unidentified red gemstones.
But it worked, and it was more advanced than any communicator Hida had ever encountered.
Without hesitation, Hida opened the communicator, and a hazy projection of a snake, unique and connected from head to tail, appeared in the room—The World Serpent!
The light from the projection illuminated half of the man's face, drowning the other half in shadow.
Not long after, a figure wearing a mask appeared in the projection, sounding somewhat impatient: "Alright, Mr. Multifaceted Spy, what do you want from me today?"
This time, Hida showed genuine reverence on his face, speaking softly, "Jackal, your research is truly remarkable. As you mentioned before, you need potential specimens, and I've managed to find some for you. Here's the list..."
"Oh? You're quick..." Jackal looked with interest at the data sent on the communicator. Even the mask couldn't hide her excitement, "Let me see... Oh? Isn't this Raiden Mei? Why is she on your list? I don't believe you have the capability to capture her."
"It's coming soon, Jackal. Cocolia has already set her sights on Raiden Ryoma. Once Ryoma falls, I'll be able to get this girl. I'll bring her to you soon."
"Hmm... But I'm already cooperating with Ryoma. Her target seems to be more than just Raiden Ryoma; this girl is also on her agenda, isn't she?"
Hida was taken aback; he wasn't aware of this. But soon, he had an idea and smiled again, saying, "Jackal, I'm willing to 'accidentally' 'dispose' of Raiden Mei for you... However, afterward, you'll have to assist me more. What do you think?"
"Oh? What do you want?"
"Of course... Jackal, your research... that can extend life and grant passage to the New World... a 'ticket.'"
The man's eyes were filled with longing.
Jackal looked at Hida's ugly face and smiled, "You have a good eye, Hida... Go ahead, but if you fail, I'll pretend this never happened, understand?"
"Understood."