As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

Otto's expression became somewhat subtle; he seemed to sense something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Theresa, meanwhile, struggled to suppress her laughter, her cheeks flushed.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze lingering on Theresa for a few seconds before he slowly straightened up. He looked around, searching for something, but found nothing unusual.

"You seem to be in a good mood, A-310." Otto smiled slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "In that case, let's talk about your recent studies and training."

Theresa forced a smile and nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency. I've been practicing diligently lately, and I've made progress in both combat skills and knowledge."

Otto nodded, signaling her to continue. Theresa then began to give a detailed report on her performance over the past period, including her achievements in various simulated battles and her mastery of theoretical knowledge. Otto listened and nodded, occasionally asking questions, which Theresa answered one by one.

As they talked, Chen Yuan remained perched atop Otto's head in that comical pose, singing a song. However, the song was slightly different.

"Like a seaweed, seaweed, seaweed, seaweed, swaying in the wind! Seaweed, seaweed, seaweed, seaweed dancing in the waves!"

Theresa tried her best to suppress her laughter and maintain a serious expression, but the curve of her eyes betrayed her feelings. Otto didn't clearly discover anything, but he felt something was off, especially Theresa's constantly twitching lips.

“A-310, is there something on my head that's attracting your attention?” Noticing Theresa’s gaze lingering near his head, Otto reached out and ran his hand through his hair, but felt nothing unusual.

This startled Theresa, who quickly tugged at Otto's clothes. Once he squatted down, Theresa immediately grabbed Chenyuan, saying, "Your Excellency, there was something dirty in your hair. I've already cleaned it off for you."

Otto froze, staring at Theresa who was smiling faintly at him. In his memory, Kallen's childhood face overlapped with Theresa's. Otto thought he had returned to his own childhood, to the frail but intelligent him and the strong yet naive Theresa!

“Maybe I’m just too tired.” Shaking his head to dispel the delusions in his mind, Otto sighed, slowly stood up, and said, “Since you’re doing well, I’ll be going now. If there’s anything inappropriate, just tell those people.”

“Starting tomorrow, I will give you special training…” Otto paused here. “This time, it will be completely different from before. Get ready…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Otto pushed open the door and left the room, leaving a completely bewildered Theresa. As for Chen Yuan, he sighed. 'What was bound to happen has finally happened… the real trial.'

Theresa stared blankly at Otto's departing figure, a strange unease rising in her heart. Recalling the relaxed atmosphere just moments before and Chen Yuan's laughable singing, Theresa's mood instantly turned heavy.

"Sigh..." She sighed softly, then turned to Chen Yuan and asked, "Tell me, what kind of special training is it?"

Chen Yuan shrugged. "Who knows? But from what I understand, all this freak can do is make you fight and stuff like that..."

Theresa frowned, somewhat displeased with Chen Yuan's casual choice of words, but now was not the time to dwell on such matters. She turned and walked to the mirror, gazing at her reflection. "A battle, perhaps..."

"Don't worry, I've got you covered." Opening the comic book on the table, unsurprisingly, it was about Kallen Kaslana. Chen Yuan said softly, "Besides, that old man Deng is very measured; he'll give you time to adjust."

"Well, in that case, we can only take it one step at a time." Theresa took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She turned to look at Chen Yuan, only to see him engrossed in the comic book in his hands, as if everything outside was irrelevant to him.

"Ah!! That's my comic book, I haven't read it yet!!!"

------

After leaving Theresa's room, Otto returned to the bishop's office shortly afterward. He walked to his seat and took a file from the cabinet.

[A-310 is an artificial life form created by fusing the genes of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast "Vishnu" and Kallen. It is the only being in the A-series to possess complete self-awareness.]

[Vital signs normal, Honkai energy adaptability 69%...]

[She has a relatively clear understanding of the outside world. The other experimental models would feel fear or hatred towards me, their creator, but she is unique.]

…………

Looking at all the information about Theresa recorded on it, Otto's eyes flickered, and he raised his hand to record a new message.

[She has a strong learning ability, but her IQ doesn't seem high. Her personality is similar to Kallen's in her childhood; could this be due to Kallen's genes, or perhaps she's a reincarnation of Kallen?]

Having recorded this much, Otto closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then crossed out all the information he had just recorded. He sighed and put the file back in the cabinet.

"Kallen...if it really is you..."

Otto's voice was filled with complex emotions. He slowly sat back down in his chair, his gaze falling on a corner of the office where a portrait of Karen sat. In the painting, Karen was smiling exceptionally happily, her bright eyes seeming to be telling him something.

Otto rubbed his temples, and when he opened his eyes again, his expression had returned to calm. He picked up the pen on the table and marked some new items on his schedule:

[Tomorrow's schedule: Special training for A-310, location: underground test range.]

Then, Otto got up and walked to the window. Night had fallen, and moonlight streamed through the curtains onto his face, adding an air of mystery. Gazing at the quiet night outside, he was lost in thought.

“A-310…” Otto murmured the name softly, a hint of anticipation in his voice. “If souls truly exist…”

He took a deep breath, afraid to think any further. The answer to this question might overturn the worldview he had always held. However, the deep-seated desire within him made it impossible for him to suppress his search for the answer.

"Does the soul... truly exist?" Otto murmured to himself, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick darkness, reaching a distant shore. "A-310..." Otto softly uttered the name, "You are the key to my search for the answer."

------

The next morning, Theresa woke up yawning, rubbing her sleepy eyes and muttering, "Ugh~ another new day. I was so nervous last night that I didn't sleep well."

"Oh right, you didn't sleep well." Chen Yuan gave Theresa a disgruntled look. To be honest, she was the worst sleeping person he had ever seen. Kicking, grabbing, pulling—she was a master of it all. What a night of tossing and turning.

Shaking his head helplessly, Chen Yuan said, "No matter what, today you're facing Otto's old man's trial, so you'd better be alert." After saying that, he reached out a tentacle and grabbed a piece of Theresa's clothing. "Hurry up and change, don't be late."

"Why do you seem so skilled at these things?" Taking the clothes Chen Yuan handed her, and watching his small figure skillfully prepare the comb and other daily necessities, Theresa's little head was filled with big questions.

"It's nothing, just a little experience." After tidying up the things in front of him, Chen Yuan looked at Theresa. "Hurry up and change your clothes, then wash your face and brush your teeth. I'll help you comb your hair."

"Okay..." Theresa muttered softly, but still obediently did as she was told. The current Chen Yuan had a different kind of charm in her eyes, somewhat like a housewife, making it impossible for her to have any reason to argue.

Rather than letting Chen Yuan nag, it's better to get ready quickly. Theresa changed her clothes, then went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Theresa quickly finished washing up and came out of the bathroom. Chen Yuan was already sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her. Seeing her come out, Chen Yuan stood up, extended a tentacle, wrapped it around a comb, and skillfully began to comb her hair.

"Chen Yuan, what did you do before?"

Chen Yuan paused, lowered his head to think for a moment, but his tentacles continued moving. "Don't ask about the past. The most important thing now is today's training. Let's get past that old man Otto first."

There was no way I could tell Theresa that I came from the future. My proficiency in these things was something I had learned bit by bit while taking care of Seele and the others at the Cocolia Orphanage.

Theresa nodded. Although she was still a little curious, seeing that Chen Yuan was unwilling to say more, she didn't press the matter. She sat there quietly, feeling the wooden comb, controlled by tentacles, gently run through her hair.

After a while, seeing that Theresa had finished tidying up, Chenyuan nodded in satisfaction, then jumped onto her shoulder. "Let's go, Theresa."