"Huh?"
Faced with Cocolia's accusation, Gray Serpent's face was filled with blank confusion.
"Cocolia, I know where your bottom line lies," he spoke up. "Your daughters. They are what you care about most. For them, you would cast everything aside to cooperate with me."
"Therefore, I would not be so unwise as to secretly contact your daughter. That would undoubtedly destroy the intimate cooperative relationship between us, especially since Nagazora City is about to—"
"But Bronya knows of your existence," Cocolia interrupted his long-winded explanation. "She was just here questioning me!"
"...Perhaps she found out from somewhere else," Gray Serpent's voice held a hint of hesitation upon hearing this. "While the Serpent is hidden, it is not unknown to everyone."
To be fair, Gray Serpent felt quite wronged.
You call me in the middle of the night to question me—do I look like a fool? Yes, it's true, I am using you, but isn't the feeling mutual? Aren't so-called allies just in a relationship of mutual exploitation?
As for sending someone to contact your daughter... Gray Serpent almost wanted to laugh. Who do you think that precious daughter of yours is? Is she worth the Serpent risking the failure of the plan just to contact her? Just to drive a wedge between you and her?
Gray Serpent felt his mind was perfectly normal; he wouldn't do something so detrimental to others and himself without benefit.
"Then what about Seele?" Seeing Gray Serpent's innocent expression, Cocolia spoke coldly. "That experiment... was it really an accident? You abducted her into the Sea of Quanta, wasn't it just to make her a hostage to restrain me?"
"Cocolia, do you even hear what you're saying?" Gray Serpent was speechless at this point. "I suggest you check your mental state first."
If I truly had the technology to precisely open the Sea of Quanta, would I be standing here discussing this with you? I'd open the door and welcome back the Sovereign immediately! Schicksal and Anti-Entropy would all have to kneel before me!
The incident back then was indeed an accident. Originally, the one meant for the experiment was Bronya, and she certainly wouldn't have had an issue. But Seele, worried about Bronya's leg injury, volunteered herself—and then a fool like Cocolia actually agreed.
Who knew that little girl would have such an affinity for the Sea of Quanta?
If Gray Serpent had known beforehand that the girl had such potential, wouldn't he have protected her like a treasure, waiting until the technology matured to use her to open the door for the Sovereign? How could he have wasted her like that!
"But Bronya said that in order to survive in the Sea of Quanta, Seele had to seek the protection of the Serpent," Cocolia said eerily. "How do you explain that, Gray Serpent!"
"You believe whatever she says? Do you even know the concept of the Sea of Quanta?" Gray Serpent subconsciously retorted. "Even I cannot accurately find... wait!"
Mid-sentence, Gray Serpent finally reacted. He lunged toward the screen in excitement. "You said your daughter received the protection of the Serpent in the Sea of Quanta?!"
Who else in the Sea of Quanta would call themselves the Serpent?
That would be the Sovereign, of course!
"Stop putting on an act of surprise to distance yourself," Cocolia sneered. "It seems Bronya was right."
"Where exactly did your daughter's intelligence come from?" Gray Serpent could no longer care about her mockery. News of the Sovereign was the most critical thing to him.
"You haven't answered my question yet!" Cocolia did not back down.
"Cocolia, I am not joking with you!" Gray Serpent was equally unyielding. "This answer is very important to me!"
The two stood in opposition, neither saying a word.
Finally, it was Cocolia who compromised first.
"Let's exchange questions," she said, staring intently at Gray Serpent. "I'll go first!"
"Fine," Gray Serpent nodded curtly.
"Did you ever tamper with the X-10 Experiment?" Cocolia asked.
"No!" Gray Serpent answered immediately. "You should have had someone check it. All the data was fine. It was your daughter—that girl named Seele—her own Stigmata caused the issue. You should have confirmed this with me long ago! That was a situation beyond our expectations!"
Gray Serpent made it clear he wouldn't take the blame. I didn't make you use her for the experiment; the original Experimental Subject was Bronya!
"My turn," he said, staring at Cocolia across the screen. "That intelligence of your daughter's... who exactly told her!"
Gray Serpent was prepared. It was possible Cocolia was still suspicious of the incident back then and was trying to bluff him. But it was also possible... they really had accessed information from within the Sea of Quanta.
For him, this was intelligence that could not be missed under any circumstances. Only by bringing back the Sovereign could Project Stigma continue to unfold...
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, Gray Serpent was willing to gamble.
"I don't know," Cocolia suddenly realized she hadn't even asked Bronya these questions.
"Then go ask, quickly!" Gray Serpent was dying of anxiety. "Do you think you can get my answers for free with the words 'I don't know'?"
"Wait a moment," Cocolia's expression shifted uncertainly. Finally, she took out her Communicator and sent a message to Bronya.
She couldn't possibly call her daughter over to come into contact with Gray Serpent.
A few minutes later, she looked up.
"It's a mysterious man who suddenly appeared beside Raiden Mei," Cocolia said with a frown. "He claims to have experienced a Regression from the Sea of Quanta."
"How did he get back?" Gray Serpent asked urgently.
"Remember our agreement?" Cocolia didn't answer but looked at him coldly.
"Fine... go ahead and ask," Gray Serpent calmed his emotions.
He seemed to care very much about opening the Sea of Quanta. Seeing this, Cocolia became thoughtful.
She asked, "My daughter... I mean Seele. Is she doing well in the Sea of Quanta?"
Gray Serpent fell silent at this.
"I don't know..."
"If you don't know, then go ask!" Cocolia felt she had gained the upper hand. "That's what you said—don't expect to get answers for free with the words 'I don't know'!"
Gray Serpent felt incredibly frustrated... he truly didn't know.
Even for World Serpent, communication with the Sovereign was not seamless. Or rather, being unable to contact him was the normal state.
On the rare occasions they were lucky enough to make contact, the window was extremely short. How could he possibly waste such precious time on Cocolia's daughter?
Ask the Sovereign to look after her? That was even more impossible...
Gray Serpent began to consider the feasibility of using a lie to gloss over it.
But in the end, he gave up. He didn't know what kind of channel Cocolia had on her end; if he was exposed... it would be awkward.
Losing Cocolia as an ally was a minor matter, but losing a potential gateway to the Sea of Quanta was a major one!
"I can't ask, Cocolia," Gray Serpent shook his head as he thought of this. "That's the Sea of Quanta, not the concept of you and your daughter being a few rooms apart and making a phone call."
"Even for us, contacting the Sovereign is a matter of leaving things to fate..."
"Sovereign?" Cocolia asked sharply.
"The Sovereign is the true master of World Serpent," Gray Serpent said bluntly. "Our long-cherished wish is to completely liberate the Sovereign from the Sea of Quanta. This should be important intelligence for you—consider it my answer to your question."
Normally, such core secrets could never be leaked to Cocolia, but you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Without some heavy bait, how could he catch the real big fish?
Furthermore, Gray Serpent was confident that Cocolia couldn't leave him. If she wanted to rescue her daughter, the technical support of World Serpent was necessary.
Without his technology, did she really think she could open that door in the Eye of the Deep?
However, if their channel could enter the Sea of Quanta... that would be even better.
According to the intelligence, that girl named Seele was already under the Sovereign's control. If Cocolia wanted to save her, she would have to pass the Sovereign's test. At that time, perhaps the Sovereign would emerge on his own.
A win-win situation either way.
"Fine, I accept that," Cocolia thought about it with a frown after hearing his intelligence, then nodded readily.
Extracting a secret from Gray Serpent's mouth was not a loss.
"Good, then it's my turn," Gray Serpent nodded and asked solemnly, "Did that mystery man ever tell your daughter what kind of person the Serpent in the Sea of Quanta is?"
"Even if our positions differ and I am destined to face him in battle in the future, I cannot help but admire that man's persistence and character," Cocolia repeated the phrase. "That is his evaluation of your Sovereign."
It's the Sovereign! It's definitely the Sovereign!
Gray Serpent was certain now. That person must have met the Sovereign, or at least understood his character!
In other words, there was a high probability that the passage truly existed.
His heart began to burn with fervor.
"Alright, your turn."
Cocolia was surprised by Gray Serpent's sudden surge of emotion. It seemed this so-called Sovereign was truly important to the Serpent.
"Gray Serpent, this is my last question," her tone carried a deep exhaustion. "My daughter... Seele. Can she still come back?"
"The Sovereign's power is beyond your imagination," Gray Serpent immediately guaranteed. "As long as you cooperate with us to open the gate to the Sea of Quanta, your daughter will definitely return to your side!"
In a moment, he would send a clone to wait before the machine used to communicate with the Sovereign. Once the communication was established, he would immediately inform the Sovereign of the little girl's importance.
On this point, he had never lied to Cocolia. Moreover, even in the Project Stigma after the Sovereign's return, as a bearer of the Stigmata, that girl named Seele would certainly survive.
"My turn, Cocolia. I need all the information on that person!" The red light in Gray Serpent's eyes flickered.
"Oh, male, one hundred and sixty centimeters tall, wearing a cloak and a mask, voice hoarse, guessed to be around forty years old," Cocolia readily spilled all the information Bronya had given her. "He approached Bronya suddenly, saying Seele had a message for her."
"And then?" Gray Serpent froze. "Name? Identity? You know none of these?"
"Correct, the other party was very cautious and revealed nothing," Cocolia nodded.
"Have your daughter contact him again. You must find out how he travels between the Sea of Quanta and reality," Gray Serpent said immediately.
"I am not your subordinate, Gray Serpent," Cocolia's voice was cold.
"What do you want?"
"Honkai Sickness... do you really have no solution?"
"...This is a problem recognized by the whole world," Gray Serpent shook his head. "What solution could we have?"
"Just do it for your daughter, Cocolia."
"Fine," hearing this, Cocolia finally compromised.
On the other side, in Bronya's room.
She listened to the voices coming from the bug she had left behind, her fists clenched tight.
Mother Cocolia... why did you compromise again?
Bronya did not believe in the so-called Serpent.
Just like the intelligence she had made up for Cocolia.
Thinking of this, she looked at the yellow Homu plushie on the bed, patted it reluctantly, and then turned toward the window.
"Project Bunny!"
A giant robot emerged behind her.
She had to go and contact that person again.
For Seele.
A long time later, a knock on the door broke the silence of the room.
"Bronya, I want to talk to you," Cocolia's voice came from outside.
But there was no response.
"Bronya?"
She knocked again, yet there was still no movement.
Then Cocolia decisively opened the door with her authorization card.
What met her eyes was an empty bed, a lonely yellow Homu plushie, and an open window.
Seeing this, Cocolia knew her choice.
She stepped forward and silently closed the window.
Schicksal Headquarters.
"Overseer Otto," the secretary, who was second only to one, stood behind the Overseer of Schicksal and reported, "As of now, twenty-four hours have passed since that unknown energy burst. There have been no changes anywhere in the world."
"What do you think, Amber?" Otto asked without turning his head. "Perhaps they were just passing through, right?"
"I think it is about time you did some proper work," Amber squinted at the Overseer through her golden visor. "Overseer, there is much to be done. Please do not indulge in games!"
"How can you call it indulgence?" Otto said righteously. "I am investigating whether the assets under Schicksal's name are being properly managed!"
"But for the game 'Kallen Fantasy' alone, you have been investigating for five hours," Amber continued. "That is severely beyond a reasonable amount of time!"
"Alright, alright," Otto sighed and closed the game. "Fine, I'll listen to you. Since that energy hasn't appeared again, what about our other plans?"
"All plans are running well, except for... K423," Amber paused for a moment before continuing. "The situation in Nagazora City is becoming increasingly unpredictable. I am worried the situation will spiral out of control."
"How much more out of control can it get?" Otto rested his chin on his hand and smiled. "A Great Honkai?"
Amber did not speak.
"But indeed... these are troubled times. Someone must be sent to keep an eye on things. Let Rita go."