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

"Young Zeke, although Dr. Einstein has already explained it to me, just to be safe...you didn't engage in any threesomes or bathroom play with them, right?"

Siegfried gazed intently at Zeke.

The specific terms he used left no room for misunderstanding, causing Zeke's face to instantly darken.

"Your unreliability stems from having such filthy thoughts constantly on your mind. We only slept together and washed their hair; I would never take advantage of them! You dirty-minded imbecile!"

Zeke's merciless rebuke made Siegfried scratch his head, inadvertently revealing a conciliatory expression.

For some reason, after being reassured by Dr. Einstein and Welt, once Siegfried had cooled down, confronting Zeke again filled him with inexplicable unease and restraint, as if facing his nemesis.

He hastily clarified, "Uh, I'm not questioning you personally! It's just that all of you are still so young, certain things aren't appropriate yet. But when you're older, you and Kiana..."

"Uh, it's not that I have anything against you! It's just...you're both still so young, and some things might not be appropriate yet. But once you're older, you and Kiana...I think you'd make a good match."

After all, Zeke was smart and dependable—capable of both caring for and keeping Kiana in check. Judging by his looks now, he would undoubtedly grow up to be quite handsome as well—a perfect candidate for a future son-in-law.

Yet Zeke's expression darkened further.

"As if I could develop feelings for a paramecium!" His tone conveyed unreserved disdain.

As her father, Siegfried laughed awkwardly but dared not argue... How should he put it? Siegfried still felt deeply guilty about leaving Kiana behind. Knowing that Zeke had taken care of her during this time filled him with gratitude and indebtedness.

Even setting aside those emotions, facing Zeke's cold and stern demeanor... If anyone else had spoken ill of Kiana, Siegfried would've flipped instantly, but with Zeke, he knew better than to provoke him—not at all, no sir!

"Whistle~ Whistle~ Whistle~"

Siegfried instinctively looked away, nervously whistling to avoid confrontation.

Zeke's forehead creased with frustration.

So Kiana learned her habit of whistling when feeling guilty from you?! Too bad she hasn't quite mastered it; at least Siegfried can produce a clear tune, while Kiana just exhales aimlessly.

Zeke sighed and continued, "During the Yordle City incident, were you not around?"

"No, I wasn't. Seeing that you were taking good care of Kiana, I left to attend to my own matters. By the time I heard the news and rushed back, you both had already departed... I'm truly sorry about that."

"It was just a casual question, not your fault."

"...In any case, is there anything you need recently? While I don't have much money, when it comes to fighting, I won't back down from anyone."

As Zeke observed Siegfried, he could see genuine remorse and regret on his face.

If Siegfried had stayed for a few more months, perhaps Yordle City wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties. His Judgment of Shamash could likely have annihilated the Honkai Beasts before they reached the city gates.

However, blaming him would serve no purpose; as Siegfried himself said, it wasn't his fault.

Zeke lowered his gaze, mourning not just Robbins and Vera but also the countless bodies he saw during his subsequent inspection of the city, along with the endless waves of fearful and sorrowful cries... Regardless of its true nature, Honkai was undoubtedly the enemy of civilization.

Seeing Zeke's silence, unsure how to continue, Siegfried turned to Welt for guidance with a pleading look.

Welt observed Zeke, his deep-set eyes reflecting a gentle warmth.

He must be grieving for the victims of Yordle City.

Though Zeke's expression remained unchanged, Welt, adept at sensing emotions, still discerned his profound sadness and empathy. This brought comfort to Welt and further increased his admiration for Zeke.

"The weather is quite chilly. Why don't we sit down, enjoy some tea, and discuss matters at leisure?" suggested Welt.

With a wave of his hand, Welt conjured a small round table with five seats at its center and erected a sheltered pavilion to shield them from the wind and snow.

Einstein appeared with a tea tray and a pot of hot water nearby, while Tesla held a bag of cookies.

Zeke gently touched the smooth metal tabletop, casting a thoughtful glance at Welt.

Creating objects out of thin air—was this the power of the Herrscher of Reason? But why not materialize the tea and food as well... Oh, right, these constructs were fundamentally made of Honkai Energy. Using them momentarily might be fine, but even with Welt's precise control over Honkai Energy, consuming such items would instantly kill any normal person.

Zeke took a seat.

Seeing everyone seated, Cocolia cautiously followed suit.

Then Einstein began pouring tea for everyone.

As Cocolia accepted her cup, despite her insistence on humility, she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed by the honor. Compared to Einstein, her current position was akin to a junior manager versus a high-ranking executive; it was impossible for her to remain entirely unaffected.

Zeke took a sip of his tea and found it slightly better than Cocolia's, but not by much.

It seemed Anti-Entropy was genuinely impoverished, not just due to Cocolia's management issues.

That made sense; constructing Titan robots and maintaining such a vast organization required substantial resources through legitimate means. Unlike Zeke, whose worker bees were produced primarily by raiding steel mills and armories, essentially costing him nothing.

Of course, if Welt and his colleagues desired, they could easily enjoy a high-quality material life. The reason they didn't likely stemmed from their own principles and beliefs.

This was commendable, at least for Zeke, as he wouldn't have to worry about threats from the Herrscher of Reason. Currently, without any resistance capabilities, if Welt chose to act, Zeke would be left helpless, awaiting certain doom.

"So, Mr. Welt, are you interested in relinquishing your Core?"

Based on the established character traits and interactions thus far, Zeke had discerned Welt's inherently gentle nature. He also made no attempt to hide his covetousness towards the Herrscher of Reason's Core.

Honestly, obtaining the Reason Core would instantly elevate my power—can't argue with that!

Welt opened his mouth, seemingly caught off guard by Zeke's blunt question. A mix of amusement and exasperation crossed his mild features as he shook his head:

Welt opened his mouth, seemingly caught off guard by Zeke's blunt question. Then, a mix of amusement and exasperation crossed his gentle face as he shook his head.

"Son, at least for now, I have no intention of doing so. It's not just about power; it also represents responsibility, do you understand?"

"The responsibility to counterbalance Otto and fight against Honkai?"

"See, aren't you quite aware already?"

"...Then use your power to protect me; Otto has set his sights on me."

Zeke adjusted his request, expressionless.

This statement left all four others momentarily stunned.

Cocolia was bewildered: Wait, what? You just blurted that out?!

Siegfried felt both indignant and slightly alarmed, well-aware of the ruthless danger posed by Otto, wielding Schicksal's might.

The three Anti-Entropy founders, however, understood immediately.

They knew that if Zeke's talent had caught their attention, it would undoubtedly have done the same for Otto. In their worst-case scenario, they envisioned Zeke as an unparalleled prodigy already under Otto's control.

Welt asked, "Have you already had contact with Otto?"

"To save a girl corrupted by Honkai Energy, I reached out to him and struck a deal. The conditions were for me to verify one of his theories and look after Kiana. He's still patient with me now, but I'm unsure how long that will last."

"So you contacted us through Cocolia seeking asylum?"

"And Anti-Entropy's central archive also piqued my interest, though I couldn't find a way to hack into it. A few days ago, Otto sent me a data package supposedly containing some of your latest technologies. You can verify its contents."

Zeke handed over a tablet. Einstein accepted it, swiped through the screen, and skimmed quickly before saying:

"Yes, these are indeed replicated portions from our archives."

"Darn it! That damn Otto!" Tesla angrily pounded the table.

Einstein glanced at Cocolia, then looked back at Tesla, who was openly indignant without any suspicion. Suddenly, she realized something and gave Zeke a meaningful stare.

Zeke responded with a faint smile. In their silent exchange, everything became clear between them.

Einstein: I see what you're up to.

Zeke: I know you do.

Einstein: I won't say anything.

Zeke: Thank you.

With that, Zeke picked up the teapot and refilled Einstein's cup.

The more straightforward Tesla and Siegfried didn't notice this exchange, but Welt stared blankly at Einstein, blinking rapidly.

Wait, what? You two just exchanged glances—what secret did you share without me?!