harleyscars Page 113
Page 113
That being said, the pink-haired girl, propping her cheek up, subtly scrutinized the flaxen-haired girl sitting beside her, her brows slightly furrowed.
—Totori, a character from Honkai Impact 2, is the white moonlight of the Fourth Herrscher, Wendy—also known as Wendy the Heavenly Emperor.
Although MEI told him to go to the Fourth Research Department to inquire about the situation when he arrived in New Zealand, Jiang Qiao never expected to encounter Little Bird here, in the pre-civilization of the three-wheeled vehicle.
This is absolutely terrifying!
"Hehe~"
A little embarrassed by the praise, Totori clenched her hands and blushed slightly.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Qiao asked about the issues she was concerned about:
Are you from China?
"Hey, how did you know?"
Totori was somewhat surprised, taken aback, and puzzled.
“I have a friend from China whose accent is quite similar to yours.”
"I see. Well, I'm from China... but I have some European blood."
"If that's the case, then why are you in the Fourth Research Department?"
The girl in pink asked casually, but she was actually quite concerned.
There are also branch bases of the Fire-Chasing Moth in the Shenzhou region. According to geographical relations, even if Little Bird, who comes from Shenzhou, joins the Fire-Chasing Moth, he should enter the Eighth Research Department located in Shenzhou.
As a result, she is now located in New Zealand—the epicenter of the fourth cataclysmic event.
It's really hard not to care about the details.
"Ah, this... I was originally studying in New Zealand, but after being invited by Professor Relia, I joined the Fourth Research Department, which was closer to me."
"However, I am somewhat ashamed to say that I have not actually achieved anything. In the Fourth Research Department, I was just acting as a teacher's assistant."
Totori was a little embarrassed. Although she was also a genius researcher, she was still far behind MEI and Velvi. The reason she was invited was mainly because her teacher, Dr. Relia, was the head of the Fourth Research Department.
"It's okay, Totori is so smart, she'll definitely stand out in the future~ After all, beautiful girls can do anything, right?"
The pink-clad girl, who was closer, smiled at the little bird. Her raised index finger, the encouraging look, and the girlish fragrance emanating from her made the bird's face blush slightly, and it subconsciously shrank its neck.
Although she has a rather lively personality, it's a pity that she encountered a "pink fairy" of the grandmaster level. The restraint relationship between a lower-level and a higher-level person, as well as the lesbian aura that [Alicia] brings, makes Totori, a normal girl, a little shy.
Fortunately, Jiang did not intend to launch any further attacks.
"The weather in New Zealand seems to be a bit bad lately."
Looking out the car window at the gloomy sky and howling wind, Alicia pointedly revealed the main purpose of her trip—to understand the sources of extreme weather anomalies in Oceania.
"Yes, that's true. The weather's been terrible, so my hair's always wet and messy..."
The flaxen-haired girl tidied her hair, her delicate face full of distress and helplessness. She said, "But I'm not very clear about the specifics... You can ask the teacher when you get to the research institute. Professor Relia seems to have been paying attention to this issue recently."
drip~
The ringing of the phone caught Alicia's attention, and his gaze fell on Totori—perhaps because their previous conversation had been quite pleasant, the latter didn't try to avoid suspicion and immediately started looking at the messages on her phone.
Out of a sense of distance and to avoid causing offense, Jiang Qiao chose not to spy on him.
but--
With his superhuman eyesight, he still managed to catch a glimpse of the portrait.
Like you, Green Hope!
"What's wrong? You look troubled."
Seeing the troubled expression on Totori's face after reading the message, the pink-clad girl smiled and said, "It's not nice for a girl to look so worried. If you have any difficulties or troubles, why not tell me? Maybe I can help you."
"It's nothing, it's just that a friend of mine doesn't seem to be feeling well lately... Sigh, to be honest, her health has never been very good, but recently, I don't know if it's because of the extreme weather, her health is getting worse day by day."
"Afterwards, I plan to take her to see the Fifth Research Department. I've heard that Dr. Spassy, the head of the Fifth Research Department, is very authoritative in this field. Hopefully, we can make some progress..."
"Oh?"
【Alicia】raised her eyebrows slightly.
—Spacy was Sue’s mentor and was the second most important scholar in the field of biology within the Fire Moth, after Dr. Möbius.
If it were him, he might indeed be able to discover something.
but--
That won't do!
"Hmm~ If your friend has any health problems, why not let me take a look? I have a very good relationship with Dr. Möbius~ Inspired by her, I actually have some experience in the field of female...medical research, you know?"
"Don't worry, even if we can't figure it out, we can always ask Dr. Möbius for help later. She'll definitely have a way to help your friend."
Perhaps sensing Totori's doubts, Jiang pulled off Mebius's snakeskin, looked at the chestnut-haired girl in front of him with a smile, and spoke with utmost sincerity.
If things really turn out the way he thinks, then perhaps he can resolve this matter simply by taking action himself.
"...All right."
After a moment's hesitation, Totori nodded.
Perhaps it was because [Alicia] looked so much like a caring older sister to her juniors that the little bird, thinking it was a kind gesture, didn't want to refuse the kindness.
As for Dr. Möbius...
His reputation was so bad that the little bird preferred to go to Dr. Spassy rather than have any contact with him.
But if Jiang Qiao takes the initiative to make the connection, she naturally won't refuse.
During the conversation, the car slowly came to a stop without anyone noticing.
Jiang Qiao also arrived at her destination.
—Queenstown, where the fourth research department of the Fire Moth is located.
...
Queenstown is a famous tourist destination in New Zealand. This small town, located in the Southern Alps, has an excellent environment and abundant resources, which is why the Fourth Research Department is located here.
Looking at the surrounding scenery, [Alicia] couldn't help but sigh:
"The scenery here is truly beautiful."
"Indeed, this place used to be so lively, but unfortunately, there haven't been many tourists since the weather got worse... I quite like having an outdoor coffee at that cafe in the afternoon when the sun is shining brightly, with a cool breeze... Hmm~"
As they were saying this, a cold wind blew by, causing the little bird, who was somewhat lost in reminiscing about its peaceful past, to shiver.
Because it is a tourist hotspot, and in order to avoid attracting attention, the Fourth Research Department of Destiny is located in an extremely remote and sparsely populated corner of this town. Even its exterior looks no different from other buildings in the town, and there is no sign of the Moths of Fire.
"Don't be fooled by its ordinary appearance; there's a lot more to it than meets the eye!"
As Jiang Qiao followed the chestnut-haired girl into the spacious wooden house, she listened to these words with a noncommittal smile. The next moment, the scene before her eyes suddenly changed.
In stark contrast to the rustic wooden architecture seen from the outside, the interior of the Fourth Research Department is extremely modern, incredibly simple, and full of technological sophistication.
Researchers were walking around everywhere, carrying various research materials.
"Welcome to the Fourth Research Department!"
Totori proudly showed off her workplace to Alicia behind her, then acted as a guide, introducing the internal facilities of the Fourth Research Department to Jiang Qiao:
"The Fourth Research Department is mainly a research department focused on meteorological research. It is divided into two levels, one above ground and one below. What you see now is only a small part of the Fourth Research Department. The real main body is located in the underground base that cannot be seen, where 80% of the research projects are located."
This is also why MEI sent him to the Fourth Research Department.
Although the various research departments of the Fire Moth are not a unified entity due to the national reasons behind them, they work together to minimize waste of resources and improve efficiency.
Each research department has different research directions. Even though MEI, Möbius, and the First Research Department, which is the research headquarters of Moth Chaser, is the most powerful and comprehensive one, it may not be able to match other research departments that specialize in a specific area in certain fields.
Although the Fourth Research Department is not among the largest meteorological research departments, it holds an extremely important position.
If it is destroyed, the meteorological database, talent pool, and technological accumulation of the Fire-Chasing Moth will be severely damaged.
Totori, who had taken out the authentication card, led Jiang Qiao down the elevator.
Guided by her, Jiang Qiao soon met Dr. Ruilia, the head of the Fourth Research Department.
She was an older woman with hair color very similar to Totori's, exuding an air of intellect.
"Hello, I am Relia, the head of the Fourth Research Department."
Compared to Mebius, she seemed much gentler and easier to talk to.
Of course, I still prefer Dr. Mebius a bit more; after all, the snake that gets so angry it jumps up and down is really cute!
"I already know why you're here."
MEI had already made all the necessary arrangements beforehand. Therefore, when Dr. Relia saw Alicia, although she paid special attention to him because of his contributions to the Second Great Collapse, perhaps due to the direct style of researchers, she didn't engage in much small talk and went straight to the point:
"Come with me."
"Hmm...that's quite a decisive personality, completely different from his gentle demeanor."
Looking at the other person's back, the girl in pink couldn't help but sigh.
Totori, standing to the side, seemed a little embarrassed and whispered:
"...That's just how the teacher is. If she offended you in any way, please don't take it to heart. I'm leaving now. You can come find me when you come out. See you later."