Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Noldrei, quite pleased with himself, sent the delivery girl on her way.

"Hold on! Where did you even find that platform?!" Kiana felt her grasp on reality slipping. She'd almost believed Noldrei was becoming a proper modern human. Then he pulls this stunt. He'd even mastered the art of ordering takeout.

"Here, I found it on this forum."

Noldrei scrolled through his phone, located the post, and tossed the device to them.

The three girls immediately began reading, absorbing the information about the diverse range of… delivery services. The recent comprehensive healthcare initiatives in Academy City seemed to have revitalized the industry, bringing back many who had previously been unable to participate.

"This kind of thing exists? You really dig deep, don't you?" Mei was astonished, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she scanned the post, a mix of nervousness and fascination. As the commentary on female physical attributes became increasingly explicit, Mei began to wonder if Noldrei was developing some new… preferences.

Thankfully, Tesla retained a semblance of reason. She understood her tool quite well. Noldrei had little sexual interest in primitive matriarchal humans. Future people seemed to have their own unique perspectives on love, which Tesla had been unable to decipher despite her best efforts.

"I've seen similar apps, and plenty of outright scams. This was one of the few… gray area rental girlfriend services I found. If there's a connection, they develop things further. If not, they keep it professional."

"Sadly, without true liberation, it's just further exploitation of love-starved primitives. Look at her! She's a prime example!" Noldrei gestured at Tesla. The old woman was clearly addicted; the release of repression could keep her happy for days.

"What does that have to do with me? Weren't you just talking about expanding this platform?" Tesla retorted, defending herself against Noldrei's slander. She believed he was the true instigator.

"That's not my idea, that's how some countries already operate. They just have legal frameworks, while in Japan it remains a gray market industry. To implement your new human hierarchy, you must crush all existing social strata. Otherwise, why do you think she's afraid to let the platform grow, afraid to have her face plastered online for public scrutiny?"

"Because she knows, deep down… this line of work is… degrading. I've studied your era's social values. Whether a profession is considered degrading isn't about income. Income is just a temporary indicator."

"True degradation depends on whether the profession is 'subject to others.' Sun Tzu said: 'The skillful warrior subdues the enemy without fighting.' In other words, those skilled in conflict control others without being controlled themselves."

"No amount of flowery rhetoric or moral posturing can change the inherent value of a profession. Industries where people are directed and controlled are deemed degrading."

"This is a deeply ingrained perception. For a new era to dawn, modern humans must critically re-evaluate this mindset."

Noldrei's industrialized rental girlfriend concept would make these women even more subservient to the platform. Hence the delivery girl's immediate anxiety upon hearing his plans. She couldn't change the industry's trajectory, nor her own easily replaceable, low-value status.

"By the way, which platform was that again?"

"Diamond, I think."

Tesla downloaded the app and searched for Chizuru Mizuhara.

"Huh? Already? She deactivated her account!"

Tesla thought the girl was overreacting. Noldrei hadn't even gotten to the body modification stage, and she'd already deleted her profile and run. Such an early career encounter would surely be a valuable learning experience.

She probably never imagined someone would order her, then bring a group of people to mock her.

Tesla found the situation… interesting, feeling no remorse whatsoever.

"Whoa, is this the delivery system?" Kiana, curious, peered over Tesla's shoulder, eager to explore the possibilities.

"Amazing! So many pretty girls… you can buy them with money?!" The crown princess was astounded, gaining a new understanding of humanity.

"Is this the glorious cause the Valkyries fight for?" Kiana pointed at the attractive young women on the screen. Something was clearly wrong with this era.

"Doesn't Anti-Entropy fight against false beauty? What about this real depravity?"

Tesla looked away, silent. North America had its issues too, and Anti-Entropy hadn't intervened there either. She mumbled, "We fight Honkai. Other matters are beyond our purview."

Kiana sighed. "I thought Honkai targeted the vulnerable, the resentful, those with antisocial tendencies for pseudo-Herrscher transformations. Doesn't fighting Honkai include… treating your own people decently?"

Tesla couldn't even muster a defense. Kiana was finally catching on.

She looked at Noldrei. "Does this… happen in the future?"

Noldrei paused, thinking. "I guess… in a way? But it's completely different from what you imagine. You'll see when you get there."

Bronya suddenly spoke. "Are you serious about creating this platform?" She doubted he'd bother with something so trivial. He didn't even care about Academy City, so why a platform like this?

"After universal ID implementation and the full integration of human genetic information into Kiana… the next step is gender liberation. I want to see what happens."

Noldrei's plans were always outlandish. The skin color potion was bad enough, and now gender liberation… Bronya worried about the potential upheaval in Academy City, particularly how ordinary people would react to such a transformation.

"By the way, Tesla… I have a question."

"Hmm? Ask away." Tesla, still pondering the implications of Noldrei's plan, reluctantly turned her attention.

Noldrei smacked his lips. "If someone is hermaphroditic, is their Honkai adaptability calculated as male or female?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?! x4"