[Ding! You have a new commission!]
[Ten Thousand Years of Waiting]: Otto wishes to travel to the Previous Era, then use cryogenic freezing or other feasible methods to survive through that era, awaken after ten thousand years, and save Kallen at the right time.
Reward: 1000 Primogems + Random Item
Difficulty: 4-Stars
How should I put it? The pure love faction has truly gone mad.
Some say Kevin is obsessive, but Chen Luo suddenly feels Otto is even more obsessed than Kevin.
That's tens of thousands of years of waiting…
Still, it must be said—this method is indeed quite feasible. Since Otto would be saving Kallen personally, he wouldn't have any doubts about it.
Chen Luo respected him as a man of conviction, but…
"Sorry, no," Chen Luo said while accepting the commission.
Giving up any commission was wasteful for Chen Luo, but accepting one and not completing it wasn't a problem.
"Why?" Otto barely restrained himself from slamming the table.
"Archbishop Otto, I've heard of the moving love story between you and Kallen. But have you ever considered one issue?"
"What issue?" Otto asked.
"Archbishop, you're so excited about time travel. You must be thinking of traveling back 50,000 years, then freezing yourself for another 50,000 years, awakening 500 years ago in the present timeline, and saving Kallen—am I right?"
"!!!" Otto's pupils contracted sharply, but then he relaxed.
After all, he had truly lost his composure this time. His desire was so intense that anyone could see it.
This Manager was clearly a sharp man—he could easily guess.
"Your Excellency! You..." Rita, who had been listening in and saw Otto offer no refutation, was utterly shocked.
If he left, what would become of Schicksal?
"Hmm, don't speak for now." Before Rita could finish, Otto stopped her.
Otto naturally knew what she wanted to say.
But compared to Kallen—what was Schicksal? In truth, Schicksal was merely a tool Otto used to resurrect her.
Now that a method with an extremely high chance of success was before him, and you wanted Otto to stay calm?
To hell with your grandmother's calm.
"Understood, Your Excellency," Rita sighed helplessly.
"Manager, please continue," Otto said politely and respectfully.
"Archbishop Otto, have you considered this possibility: if you really traveled to the Previous Era and saved Kallen, then why are you still sitting here now?"
"Traveling 50,000 years into the past through this bar isn't a random event—it's a certainty. For example, I haven't been to the Previous Era yet, but they've already seen me there. And that, Archbishop Otto, should tell you something—right?" Chen Luo didn't spell everything out, because he knew Otto could understand.
"So you're saying that even if I haven't done something yet, traces of me may already exist in history. In other words, the current timeline is fixed. If the corresponding events aren't recorded, then even if I travel back now, I won't succeed?" Otto asked after a moment of realization.
"Correct. Since you still remember that Kallen died before your eyes while saving civilians, that proves you didn't truly save her. Maybe you didn't survive the Final Herrscher of the Previous Era, or perhaps your freezing time was set too late and you haven't awakened yet." Chen Luo offered two examples.
"The latter is impossible. If I were still myself, I'd awaken at least ten thousand years in advance," Otto said, shaking his head.
"So that means traveling to the past isn't feasible?" Otto felt a bit disappointed.
"Well, not completely infeasible, actually. Suppose the version of you who really went back tens of thousands of years used an elaborate deception—fooling your younger self and manipulating the perceptions of everyone at that time, only revealing the truth 500 years later—that wouldn't be impossible."
"After all, Archbishop Otto, you must understand: while history cannot be changed, it can be hidden."
"That makes sense," Otto nodded.
Though deceiving the masses was no simple task, it wasn't an impossible one either.
And if his future self truly did travel to the past and develop over tens of thousands of years, then deceiving his younger self and the ignorant populace of that time would indeed be possible.
So strictly speaking, this matter wasn't completely hopeless.
"But… the problem now is that everything I just said is speculation," Chen Luo added with a faint smile.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Otto's attention sharpened.
"All of this is just mortal conjecture. Time itself is lofty and incomprehensible. Maybe the deterministic view of time I just described is nothing more than survivor's bias."
"I simply can't predict what kind of chaos might occur if I send you to the Previous Era. What if, because of you, that era's collapse happens earlier or later, changing this world's history—or even preventing Kallen from ever being born? What then? Or worse, what if it causes this entire civilization to be destroyed?"
"Therefore, I won't let you travel back 50,000 years."
Chen Luo himself didn't dare meddle too much in the Previous Era—let alone feel comfortable sending Otto there.
The current Otto was already troublesome enough. If Otto developed for another tens of thousands of years… wouldn't the final boss likely be Otto?
Just thinking about it was thrilling—and terrifying.
"..." Otto didn't know how to refute or persuade Chen Luo for a moment.
He had learned of this opportunity too suddenly; he hadn't had time to prepare.
Now Otto suddenly felt an urge to spank his dear granddaughter.
How could she forget to mention something this important?
"Moreover, Archbishop, your method is too time-consuming. If there were a way that could succeed in just a few years, would you still choose to wait tens of thousands?"
"What do you mean?" Otto's eyes narrowed.
"What I mean is this: when a person's desire becomes strong enough, it manifests as a commission. I can choose to fulfill some of them. So—would you like me to resurrect Kallen for you?" Chen Luo looked at Otto with a calm smile.
"...Then, what payment do you require?" Otto asked.
"The entire Schicksal!" Chen Luo declared boldly.
In truth, Chen Luo hadn't originally planned to ask for payment. After all, if the price was too high, Otto might not issue the commission at all.
But the Otto before him was a deeply suspicious man—if Chen Luo asked for nothing, Otto might not believe him.
Would you trust someone who claims they'll fulfill your lifelong wish completely free of charge, just on a verbal promise?
Of course, Chen Luo didn't actually want Schicksal. He was just waiting for Otto to haggle.
What Chen Luo really wanted were some of Schicksal's treasures—and those two Herrscher gems.
Chen Luo wasn't from the Honkai world; what would he even do with Schicksal itself?
"Fine, no problem!" Otto said without hesitation.
"Hmm, since you don't—"
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
[Kallen, My Kallen...]: Bring Otto the real Kallen Kaslana. It cannot be an alternate-world version, cannot be a mere memory construct, and cannot only share Kallen's appearance—it must be the true Kallen that Otto loves.
Reward: 3000 Primogems + 50 Otto Favorability + Entire [Schicksal] + High-Level Random Reward
Difficulty: 5-Stars
"...You're not following the script. What about the promised bargaining?" After holding it in for a long time, Chen Luo finally said those words.
"It is just a Schicksal," Otto replied flatly.
"..." Chen Luo was speechless for a moment.
Meanwhile, Durandal and Rita, listening nearby to Otto and Chen Luo's exchange, exchanged glances. Both wanted to speak up but didn't know where to begin.
If you said Schicksal wasn't Otto's personal property, you'd be technically correct—but in reality, that's exactly what it was.
Within Schicksal, Otto's word was absolute law.
Originally, Schicksal had been ruled by three great families. But five hundred years was more than enough for Otto to reshape it entirely into his own image.
Forget handing it over to Chen Luo—if Otto appointed a paramecium as Overseer, no one would dare object.
"Of course, that's assuming you can truly resurrect Kallen. Otherwise, a promise is just a promise. And if resurrection really is possible, please make sure to let me observe. Alright, I'll take my leave now. I have some questions for my dear granddaughter."
After saying this, Otto rose and walked straight toward the bar's exit.
He left in such a hurry because he didn't completely believe Chen Luo's words.
Although Chen Luo had said his bar could traverse timelines, Otto still harbored doubts—so, naturally, he needed to verify it.
And who better to verify it than his dear granddaughter?
Of course, even after confirming it with Theresa, Otto would continue to conduct his own verification—coming to the bar daily, quietly observing from a corner.
Until Otto was absolutely certain Chen Luo wasn't lying.
Until Otto was certain this bar truly had the power to reach 50,000 years into the past.
Otto was not a man who trusted people easily.
You expect me to just take your word for it? Do you think I'm a fool?
As for the free drink Chen Luo had offered—Otto hadn't even taken a sip.
Truly, Otto was a difficult man to deal with.
And, naturally, his commission was just as difficult.
Otto's standards were far higher than Yae Sakura's. Yae Sakura only needed Kallen to be Kallen; after all, she had lived with her for years in the Stigma Space.
But Otto was different. The Kallen he wanted had to be the same one from 500 years ago—the one who had chosen to die fighting the Honkai beasts to protect the people.
Although Chen Luo had never intended to casually fool Yae Sakura with a fake Kallen, Otto's demands were extraordinarily complicated.
The main concern was this: even if Chen Luo truly resurrected the real Kallen, what if Otto still didn't believe it?
The problem was Otto's mind was infamously stubborn—once he refused to believe something, he simply wouldn't, no matter what evidence you placed before him.
Otto really was a cunning little devil...
If it weren't for the fact that his commission reward was so lucrative...
But still—could a five-star commission really give 3000 Primogems? If it added just 200 more, that would make two ten-pulls.
And on top of that, it even included the entire Schicksal.
Wouldn't that mean Chen Luo would literally be sitting on Schicksal's throne?
No way! Could it be that Chen Luo's dream of becoming a five-sided spy—a five-faction leader—is actually coming true?
Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, Fire Moth, St. Freya Academy, and the Honkai itself.
The first two seemed achievable.
The latter three… a bit more troublesome.
"But what's the use of Otto's Favorability? And +50 at that?" Chen Luo stared at the commission reward list, his expression shifting between suspicion and unease.
Could Otto be plotting something against me?
Otto's Favorability bonus was the highest Chen Luo had ever seen—without exception.
Mobius's doesn't count—that one was a gacha draw reward.
"Commission… difficult to handle." Chen Luo rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Five-star commissions were indeed a pain.
Resurrecting Kallen itself wasn't the problem; the issue was those ridiculous conditions.
He even had to convince Otto that this Kallen was his Kallen.
When had Chen Luo ever endured such indignity while taking a commission?
"Ding-dong!" The wind chime over the door interrupted Chen Luo's deep thoughts.
"Manager, a glass of bitter melon juice!"
[Ding! You have a new commission!]
"...You people really come in waves. The timing is impeccable—if any of you had arrived a minute earlier or later, you'd have run right into each other."
Looking at the newcomer, Chen Luo sighed.
First Mobius left. Then Otto came. Then Otto left. And not even two minutes later, Theresa arrived.
Chen Luo couldn't help but wonder—if those three had met here together, how would the Herrscher of Sentience have introduced herself?
"Theresa, I've already packed your bitter melon juice." After preparing it, Chen Luo handed her the cup.
"Ah? Manager, I wasn't planning to take it to go!" Theresa said, looking at the packed cup in confusion.
"But you're about to leave immediately," Chen Luo said calmly.
"What do you mean 'about to leave'? I just got here! I wanted to have a few more glasses of bitter melon juice!" Theresa protested, crossing her arms.
"You'll be gone in ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven—"
"Beep! Beep!" Before Chen Luo even finished counting, the communicator on Theresa's wrist began to buzz.
The bar's connection worked across worlds, so there was never any issue with reception.
"Uh… that—Kiana, eat less ice cream! I've got something urgent to handle, so I'm heading out!" Seeing the call request, Theresa grabbed her packed juice and dashed out.
"Wow, A'Luo! You're amazing! You can actually predict the future!" Kiana immediately forgot Theresa's earlier lecture and ran up to Chen Luo, eyes sparkling in admiration.