117 Chapter 117: My Friend, You Are a True Friend

"It seems, Father, that you have some conflicts with this child?" Chase sat in a chair, sipping the hot water handed to him by Theresa, watching the somewhat awkward figure of Joachim with a sigh.

Father Otto also sighed, his tone complex. "This is a bit of a long story."

"I killed his father, so his distant attitude towards me is normal," Otto said.

Chase fell silent, turning his head in the direction where Joachim had disappeared, feeling even more emotional.

Is it that every Welt cannot escape the fate of having Otto kill their fathers, just like how Diavolo can never reach the truth of death?

In his mind echoed the rebellious words of a certain blond bishop, and Chase struggled to control his expression. He took a sip of water, then looked at Father Otto with a feigned surprise, a silent expression carrying words left unspoken.

Seeing Chase like this, Father Otto sighed again and continued, "His father was a doctor, dedicated to researching methods to resurrect Joachim's mother, who died of illness."

"But after trying many methods, whether scientific, theological, or mystical, he never found a way to resurrect his wife." Father Otto's tone carried a touch of sadness. "So, in the end, desperate, he touched forbidden knowledge."

Chase frowned slightly; this script seemed familiar.

First, the painful loss of a loved one, followed by seeking ways to resurrect the beloved, and ultimately, profound disappointment leading to madness...

(TN: Gotta be Fullmetal Alchemist)

The more Chase thought about it, the more he felt a sense of déjà vu. He couldn't help but give Father Otto a deep look.

Otto was generally a troublemaker; that seemed to be Chase's ingrained perception. After all, whether it was the simulated Otto or the real Otto, they both had caused him a fair share of troubles.

However, there seemed to be an exception, such as the current Father Otto.

Although one cannot judge a person solely by appearance, the Father Otto in front of him exuded a trait of goodness from inside out. This made Chase somewhat uncomfortable, and he didn't sense any malice with his "malice perception."

"At first, Joachim's father experimented with mice, then moved on to cats and dogs... Finally, when I found him, he had reached out to orphaned children." Father Otto's face revealed a sense of sorrow, different from the feigned emotions Chase had seen before; this was a genuine display of emotion.

"So, I killed Joachim's father, and then... Joachim became an orphan too."

After Father Otto finished speaking, he didn't want to say more and silently looked out the window, lost in thought.

Chase also sat silently on the side, not saying anything. He stared at the steam rising from his cup, his interest waning.

He began to understand the twisted relationship between Otto and little Welt.

Otto, as the avenger who killed Joachim's father, became a mentor on Welt's life path... something the real Otto didn't achieve, but this world's Otto did. Chase couldn't help feeling a bit emotional.

"The snow outside seems to have stopped. I'm going to the town to buy some bitter melon seeds and inquire about the news of your companions," Otto said after a while, regaining composure and standing up gracefully. "I can handle it alone."

Chase, who hadn't stood up yet, was taken aback. He sat back down, watching the figure of the golden-haired priest walk away, feeling a bit sentimental.

How strange, a genuinely good Otto.

"Brother Chase." A familiar voice came from beside him, and Chase turned to look.

It was Bronya, accompanied by Seele and Sirin.

"Oh, my dear Bronya, you finally call me Brother Chase. Do you know how happy I am!" Chase said with a smile.

"We can't contact the headmaster," Bronya said expressionlessly, resisting the urge to kick the black-haired youth in front of her with her pointed boots. She continued, "And the same goes for Teacher Himeko and everyone else in the academy; they're all out of contact."

Chase immediately dropped his playful mood, furrowing his brows slightly. "Bronya, are you sure it's them who lost contact and not us?"

Bronya nodded. "The information has been sent out, but there's been no response. It's like they've disappeared without a trace."

Chase listened in silence and picked up his communication device to send messages to everyone in St. Freya. After waiting for a while, just like Bronya described, there was no reply.

Things seemed to be getting increasingly abnormal.

At this moment, feeling the approach of someone else, Chase interrupted his thoughts and turned to see a nun-like Theresa.

"Miss Theresa, is there something you need?" Chase asked directly, seeing her hesitant expression.

"Um... have you seen Joachim?" Theresa asked.

"Didn't he go to pack his things?" Chase wondered.

"I just went to look for him, but there's no one in his room." Theresa shook her head, her tone revealing a hint of anxiety.

"Well, that's troublesome... Could he have gone to the town with the priest?" Chase asked.

Theresa hesitated for a moment, then nodded, considering the possibility. "It's possible because he has been disturbed lately due to the adoption issue."

"I'm still a bit worried. I'll go look for him." Theresa said as she was about to leave but was pulled back by Chase.

"We'll accompany you." Chase suggested.

After having a basic understanding of the simulated world, Chase was certain that Joachim, or Welt Yang, must play an indispensable role in this simulated world.

"All right, I appreciate your help," Theresa nodded gratefully without refusal.

However, when Chase and the others arrived at the scene, they found the situation somewhat unexpected.

The blond priest lay on the snowy ground, with a basket containing bitter melon seeds nearby. A brown-haired boy stood beside the man, unmoving. As he had his back turned, Chase couldn't see the boy's expression.

It was Joachim.

Seemingly aware of Chase and the others' arrival, the brown-haired youth turned his head, showing no expression.

"Oh, Sister Theresa, and a few outsiders."

"Father!" Theresa, seemingly oblivious to Joachim's unusual state, rushed towards Otto lying on the snowy ground, clearly concerned.

"Theresa, wait..." Chase tried to hold her back, but failed. Before he could finish his sentence, Theresa had rushed to Otto's side and, in her concern, ended up falling alongside him.

Chase: ...

Forget it, let it all be destroyed.

"What are you doing?" Bronya frowned slightly, questioning.

"Ah, are you asking me what I'm doing?" Joachim tilted his head, looking puzzled. "He killed my father."

"A delightful betrayal scenario, hehe." Seeing this scene of filial piety and betrayal, Chase's strange sense of humor awakened, and he started laughing inexplicably.

Although he knew that the Otto in this world wasn't a villain, or rather, was a rare good person, it didn't stop him from mocking the betrayed Otto.

People tend to associate love with their belongings; since Chase hated one Otto, he naturally had no good feelings toward all Ottos, whether in simulation or reality. That was normal.

Joachim had no intention of continuing the argument. His gaze shifted to Chase, and there was an inexplicable chill in his eyes. At the same time, the brown eyes with black and red hues seemed to be activating some kind of ability.

Chase felt a momentary daze, and the surroundings began to change rapidly. Light was distorted, shadows became blurred, and everything around him turned illusionary.

Realizing something was amiss, Chase thought it was too late.

He was kicked out of this world.

............

When Chase's surroundings cleared again, he found himself on a platform.

The scene around him was bizarre, with overturned landscapes, flipped trains, suspended houses, shattered ground, cracked walls, and a faint golden light not far away, indicating the uniqueness of this space.

Taking a moment to feel his position, Chase had to accept the reality.

He had entered the Sea of Quanta.

Slightly puzzled, Chase immediately summoned Sirin for some extra care.

"Chase, did I call you correctly?" came the voice of the little boy from behind.

Turning around, Chase frowned slightly.

"Joachim?" Chase looked at the brown-haired boy in front of him, his eyes filled with confusion.

"It seems I saved some time for introductions," Joachim smiled. "My name is Joachim, but I am not the Joachim you just saw. You can call me Welt Yang."

"Okay, Joachim," Chase nodded expressionlessly. "So, why did you pull me out?"

"Because of your presence, the prepared trial scenario began to fall into chaos. I had to kick you out of the trial to let it proceed as planned," Joachim explained. "Although, the first world, There was some overlap with the second world, but fortunately it was handled in time and the impact was not very big and harmless."

"Thank you for the offense," Chase thought it was because of Bronya's arrival that the world began to deteriorate. However, the culprit turned out to be him, making it difficult for the current status quo to proceed as normal. At the moment, he seemed to be playing a game of Herrschers, and the one in his hand was his ID card and a copy of it.

Realizing the situation in shock, and the clown turned out to be me.

(TN: I had to improvise a lot here, so hopefully dialogue makes sense for everyone. The original was quite chinese idiom or translation problems.)

While comforting the overly vigilant Sirin, Chase asked, "So, Joachim, did you pull me out just for this?"

There was a slight dissatisfaction in Chase's tone. Although he already knew the background of this simulation, he was still trying to play his role, staying close to the simulated object to make his presence felt and gain some evaluations.

But Joachim directly pulled him out of the world, undoubtedly causing his absence.

"I am not sure how you entered that world, but you are indeed special," Joachim said. He paused, looked at the nearby Sirin, and continued, "Hmm, and this girl."

"I sensed the authority of the Law of the Void on both of you but no familiar aura of Herrschers."

"Who are you? What are you?" Joachim asked his question.

He was actually very cautious about these sudden arrivals. If not for the fact that their displayed strength seemed inferior to the serpent hidden deep in the Sea of Quanta, Joachim would probably raise his vigilance even higher.

If they were friends, they would stay. If they were enemies, they would leave.

Welt himself had been severely injured in the process of combating the serpent and had already turned his existence into this space, which served to isolate the Sea of Quanta from the real world.

He, Joachim, could only be considered a conscious projection of Welt within the Sea of Quanta, responsible for examining the qualities of those attempting to enter the Sea of Quanta. However, that didn't mean he had no combat power.

If faced with an unexpected situation, even if it meant sacrificing this body, he would stop them.

"I have no ill intentions. I know you are a projection of Welt, and I know what you are fighting against," Chase said. "By the way, whether it's the inheritance of the Herrscher of the Void or the desire for gems, I'm not interested."

If these things were in the real world, Chase might take a second look, as one was the power of his musings, and the other was a large power bank, which indeed had its allure. However, this was a simulation, and the situation was entirely different.

The rewards given during the simulation settlement were entirely random, depending on the mood of the simulator. Even if he managed to obtain these things, there was no guarantee he could take them out.

Hearing this, Joachim frowned slightly. The next moment, he felt that Chase was lying. After all, who would not be interested in the authority of Herrschers and Herrscher core in a form of gems?

But subconsciously, he found Chase's words convincing. It was a strange feeling, and Joachim didn't know why.

"Moreover, with your current strength, you can't stop me, who possesses the authority of the Void. If I want to return to that world, it's just a thought because I have already marked the coordinates."

Joachim fell silent. Although he felt unwilling, he had to admit that Chase was right.

He could confront the other side head-on, but the premise was that the other side had to fight with him.

The comprehensive nature of the authority of the Void was advantageous. It could be used against enemies, used for restraint, and even used for escape. The victory in that battle during the Second Honkai Eruption would have been uncertain if it weren't for Siegfried holding onto Sirin and taking the heavenly fire blows.

"If you find it hard to trust me, you should trust yourself, right?"

"What do you mean?" Joachim frowned.

"You like Tesla-..."

"Enough, my friend, you are a true friend."