Universe Infinite Canteen
Chapter 773 - 773: Weakness

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"The restaurant at the end of the Universe is my favorite place in the entire Multiverse. Before you disappeared, I used to go there often, but not once did I ever see you."

"People say you don't care who your guests are, but I didn't expect you'd remember my favorite dish." Ivan VI said.

"A Chef's iron rule is understanding every customer's needs to craft dishes that satisfy them. ψ is no exception… Though I'm not ψ's head chef," Ma Lu said. "I'm merely his countryman and apprentice."

"As far as I know, ψ isn't supposed to have any apprentices." Ivan VI frowned.

"Well, now he does."

"......"

"Explaining this is rather complicated, but this should verify my identity." Ma Lu said as he opened the Collection Bag.

He pulled out a small cup from the bag and peeled off the Radish Patch sticker underneath.

This was something he had Old Wang make for him before leaving. Kept in the Collection Bag, it maintained its temperature, as if freshly made.

Ivan VI took the cup, prompting Princess Anastasia to say cautiously, "Father, be careful — it might be poisoned. Let me call someone to inspect it first."

Ivan VI waved his hand dismissively, "The world is ending. Does it even matter if it's poisoned?"

With that, he brought the crème brûlée to his nose and sniffed it, remarking, "Such a nostalgic aroma."

Anastasia pulled out an Alloy dagger from her waist and handed it over. Ivan VI used it to scoop a bite and placed it in his mouth.

In that instant, His Majesty's resolute expression softened.

His gaze grew distant and profound, as though peering back through the river of time, glimpsing the past.

Back then, he was just an infant, swaddled in soft blankets, serenaded by his mother's gentle lullaby.

That was one of his rare moments of rest in a life dominated by hellish training and an endless military career.

For that fleeting moment, he regained inner tranquility.

After quite some time, Ivan VI opened his eyes again.

"You truly are his apprentice. This Mama Jellyfish crème brûlée is something only he could create, and he alone understood what I truly desired. How is your mentor these days?"

"Not so well. In fact, he pursued culinary mastery to the point of killing himself."

"......"

"Tell me, then — what do you seek from me?" Ivan VI asked. "Let me be clear: don't expect me to save the world. I won't return to fight those Skulder."

"I know. I'm only here to ask you a few questions this time." Ma Lu said.

"Go ahead, then."

"You've faced those Skulder countless times. Surely, you must know some of their secrets — behavioral patterns, weaknesses, or the like."

"Skulder have no weaknesses."

"Do they possess independent thought like humans? Or do they rely solely on instincts, more akin to beasts?"

"I don't know." Ivan VI paused briefly. "I lean toward the latter."

"When my men first discovered it, it had taken over a snake's body. As the snake approached, one of our warriors stomped on it, killing the snake."

"Then the Skulder occupied his body. The others weren't aware of its powers yet. Caught off guard, it killed four of them, turning each into Skulders."

"The others realized something was amiss, but again, our understanding of Skulder was insufficient at the time. Their reaction was to keep attacking, leading to devastating losses — out of a 1,500-strong unit, only three escaped."

"Soon after, another unit encountered Skulder, with even worse results — not a single survivor returned, only four video recordings."

"It took us half a month, at the cost of 15,000 warriors, to determine the Skulders' traits: they cannot die, nor can they be killed. That's when we understood their reproductive mechanisms."

"That was when I realized their existence was an undeniable catastrophe for all intelligent life across the Multiverse."

"Initially, I hoped to capture all the Skulders while their numbers were still manageable, building several massive prisons to contain them."

"But I underestimated their ability to emit psychic waves. These waves corrupted the guards assigned to watch them, leading to their release. This single oversight cost us dearly, losing two bases and fifty thousand troops."

"I tried every imaginable method afterward — seeking uninhabited planets as prison sites to dampen the effects of their psychic waves, deploying machines to combat them to evade possession — but every approach failed."

"Two months ago, my forces could no longer withstand their frontal assaults. I dispatched two teams of emissaries, attempting contact, but they were killed instantly."

"I believe their intentions are clear: they seek total annihilation. Tragically, we now have no effective countermeasures."

Anastasia added solemnly, "No one knows their terror better than we do. The stars are about to fall, and the Multiverse faces its darkest era."

"I know the odds are slim," Ma Lu said. "But I simply want to collect more information about them — how they behave, their thought processes, whatever purpose they might have."

"Surely, they didn't appear out of nowhere. There must be a goal or mission behind their existence."

"To bring destruction — that's their mission." Anastasia replied. "They were born to do this. I've never encountered beings more coldhearted."

"Well… That's an answer of sorts. So, they have no thoughts, functioning like programs?"

"That's my belief."

"Then who created them?"

Ivan VI grew impatient. "I don't know. I'm a soldier, not a biologist."

"I've had biologists research and analyze them." Anastasia said. "Although they inhabit intelligent beings' bodies, they lack emotions akin to those of intelligent life. They're less like organisms and more like a weapon."

She paused. "In some ways, our two species share a few similarities."

"May I review your research reports?"

Anastasia looked to her father. Ivan VI gestured dismissively, "Give them to him. Provide all of it. Those documents are useless now anyway."

"Understood."

Anastasia called for someone to bring a handheld computer, linking it to Ma Lu's Traveler's Bracelet and transferring the compiled data.

Ma Lu couldn't take all the information back with him, so he had to study it on the spot.

He intended to find a secluded place to dive into the material.

The library seemed perfect, except it had been claimed by Ivan VI. Judging by Anastasia's demeanor, the father-daughter pair had more to discuss.

Ma Lu had no choice but to leave for now. At least, the Ares people treated him far better after learning he was ψ's apprentice.

Anastasia even appointed two female warriors to protect his safety.

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