"Nicholas, your disgraceful defeat made our strategy a joke."
"Now Francis's daughter is already viewed across Europa as the descended Messiah. More and more people call her the so-called 'Saint.' You truly should commit suicide in apology!"
Accusations from colleagues at United Government high-level meetings were vivid, but to Nicholas, these no longer mattered.
"Second Brother, I've failed you, I've failed you..."
In the family head's residence, Nicholas stared vacantly at the ceiling. His entire person seemed drained of vitality, like a living corpse.
Since the plan to make his brother rise again through rivers of blood failed, he'd fallen into despair.
The reason he hadn't gone mad was completely because one last hope sustained him.
"Beep beep beep!"
Alarm sounded. Nicholas suddenly sat up from his chair, looking at the desktop.
A timer had passed thirty minutes, currently faithfully reminding.
Seeing this, Nicholas took out his communicator. His face mixed three parts hope, three parts anticipation, three parts apprehension, and one part imperceptible despair.
He connected to his children far in Shenzhou—the Eastern Expedition tour group he'd sent to Mount Taixu to find Immortal Fu and obtain spirit medicine not long ago. This was his only remaining hope now.
In previous communications, the replies he'd awaited were all messages like "haven't found it yet," disappointing him each time.
Therefore, although his heart desperately yearned, subconsciously Nicholas still didn't hold hope.
"Father, we found the spirit medicine!" A sweet tone transmitted from the communicator.
Nicholas casually replied: "Still haven't found it? Continue searching..."
"!!!"
Nicholas suddenly stood. Face showing disbelief, using trembling tone asking: "You, you found it?"
"Found it, Father."
"Are you certain it's spirit medicine from an immortal, not some roadside fake medicine?"
"Absolutely certain, Father. We personally saw people stepping on swords flying in the sky~"
Under his daughter's repeated confirmations, Nicholas finally confirmed—the spirit medicine he'd desperately sought was found!
"Second Brother, you're saved, you're saved!" Nicholas both cried and laughed, appearing mad.
After going crazy a while, he laughed loudly: "Good! Very good! Quickly send the spirit medicine back. Father won't shortchange you."
"Serving Father is my honor. Please rest assured. Spirit medicine is already en route. Sent by air. Calculating time, should arrive soon."
Hearing the opposite side's reply, Nicholas was even happier, asking: "Father feels your filial piety. Which child are you?"
"Father, I'm Vera."
Do I have such a daughter?
Nicholas puzzled momentarily but then set this question aside. Having his contact information—how could she not be his daughter?
After all, he had over a hundred children. How could he remember each one? Probably a daughter previously not favored by him.
Nicholas felt somewhat emotional.
"Those unworthy sons of mine don't understand filial piety at all. Can't even handle such small matters. Father is very disappointed in them. Hereafter, I'll prioritize considering you for the family position."
"Thank you, Father~" The opposite girl said delightedly.
Then Nicholas hung up communication, pacing in the room, awaiting the so-called spirit medicine's delivery.
Perhaps fate also felt unbearable about his plight. Less than half an hour after hanging up communication, subordinates delivered a palm-sized box carved with dragon-phoenix patterns, looking antique.
After driving subordinates out, Nicholas looked at the box placed on the desktop. Joy on his face undisguised.
He raised excited hands, opening the box.
The moment it opened, golden light flashed, simultaneously accompanied by faint fragrance.
After radiance dispersed, he saw what was in the box.
—A golden pill cushioned by silk
Everything before him secretly conformed to his stereotypical impression of Shenzhou immortals. After all, immortals don't refine pills—could they pickle vegetables?
"Pill. With such appearance. Seems truly obtained from an immortal's hands."
Nicholas was wildly joyful. He felt his Second Brother finally had salvation.
However, even so delighted, he wasn't carried away. Before consuming, Nicholas specially used a knife to scrape off some powder, having it sent for testing.
After confirming harmless to human body, he truly relaxed.
Picking up the pill in the box, Nicholas's internal excitement almost couldn't be suppressed.
"Hehe... Second Brother, you rise!"
Then swallowed the pill in one gulp.
He didn't taste any flavor from the pill. Or rather, he fundamentally didn't care about flavor.
After swallowing, he carefully felt his dormant brother.
Immediately, wild joy appeared on his face.
"Rose! Rose!"
He could feel—the originally dead brother seemed to tremble. This was definitely a revival omen!
But soon, Nicholas's smile froze.
Because he discovered—after brother trembled, it again fell silent. Moreover... even sensation was disappearing!
Nicholas froze. A wail almost resounding throughout the entire manor transmitted out.
"Gua ya!"
"Second Brother, Second Brother, what's wrong!"
"No! Nooo!!!"
Nicholas hadn't experienced ascending to heaven before first falling to hell.
Or rather, at this moment, he'd even willingly use himself falling to hell to exchange for brother's revival!
"No, wrong. I still have salvation. My brother still has salvation!" Nicholas stumbled out, rushing toward Otto's residence. "I still have Otto. He's so intelligent, so filial. Definitely has methods to save me!"
When Nicholas rushed into Otto's residence, he discovered him fiddling with an oven, seemingly making some food. A fairy tale book placed on the table.
After seeing Nicholas arrive, Otto was somewhat surprised.
"Father?"
"Otto, save Father, save Father's brother!" Facing his son, Nicholas cried like a helpless child.
Otto beckoned Nicholas to sit, listening to him tearfully recount the misery after swallowing the immortal pill. After he finished, fell silent.
"Otto, my most proud child, do you have any methods to save Father?"
"Yes, Father. Yes. Since there's reaction, means the immortal's pill is still useful. Just your symptoms are too severe. Even the pill can't cure."
"Is... is that so?" Nicholas puzzled but then somewhat self-deceiving: "Right. Must be so. Has to be so. My brother still has salvation!"
"Otto, what should I do?"
Otto looked at him calmly, smiling: "Father, haven't you already known?"
"You mean continue using rivers of blood stimulation?" Nicholas shook his head, bitter smile: "No more chances. Others won't agree. Without appropriate reasons, carrying out slaughter is being enemies with the world."
Hearing this, Otto calmly said:
"No problem. I'll help you, Father."
"Better you betray the world than the world betray you."
Nicholas looked over, discovering Otto's pair of emerald eyes completely calm. Nicholas suddenly felt even his courage lived on dogs, not even matching a ten-year-old child.
He gave his own face a big slap, muttering to himself: "Nicholas, you bastard. Are you giving up on your Second Brother like this? Disgraceful!"
After filling his heart with courage, he extremely solemnly asked Otto: "Otto, please teach me methods to make the world feel pain!"
Otto smiled, then said: "Why not detonate contradictions between Kallen and United Government? If they fight, many people will definitely die, right?"
Hearing this, Nicholas was shocked.
"Otto, that's your fiancée!"
"Father thinks her power is strong, hard to deal with? No problem. We can use Francis as fuse."
"Otto, Francis is your father-in-law!"
"They're all less important than you, Father."
Nicholas was shocked, saying: "Otto, you... you can actually do this for me?"
Otto smiled: "Probably because I'm filial!"
Hearing his answer, Nicholas was almost moved to tears. Thinking of his previous beastly thoughts about acting against Otto, he slapped himself, simultaneously cursing: "I'm truly not a thing!"
Ultimately, Nicholas was persuaded. His face carried resolution.
"Good. Father and son join hands. For my Second Brother, fight one more battle!"
"Oh... I must see rivers of blood!"
...
After Nicholas left, Otto opened the oven. Intense herbal smell transmitted. Inside were several pills emanating golden light.
He took these pills from the oven, crushed them, flushing into the drain.
Then he walked to the table, picking up the fairy tale book placed there. After opening the cover, it actually read "Hundred Poisons Compendium." Otto put it back on the bookshelf.
After handling everything, Otto again recovered original introversion and weakness. But his heart was another scene.
"Whatever is about to fall, push it."
"Shatter his last hope, push again. This way, the other me's plan should advance, right?"
Thinking of this, Otto immersed consciousness into consciousness sea, seeing that quietly suspended crimson feather.
He knew—unless he called, otherwise the other him would only appear during danger and some key nodes.
Otto speculated—here was only part of his consciousness.
"The other me should be very happy, right?" Otto thought somewhat happily.
As script participant, he naturally also knew Nicholas's script, simultaneously knowing the other him's schemes.
Now, he also wanted to contribute his own strength.
"Forget it. Better not tell him yet..."
In consciousness sea, Otto shifted gaze from Fenghuang Down, turning around. Before him appeared a full-length mirror.
But the reflection in the mirror wasn't Otto but a blurred figure. Otto knew—this was his inner heart's reflection.
If Lucius saw, would probably realize—that blurred figure was precisely his outline.
Otto extended hand, pressing on the mirror's heart location. Only here was completely empty.
"Still feels distance. Can only imitate exterior but can't deeply enter heart."
"Want to... deeper into your heart..."
...
At Francis's manor, Kallen complained to Lucius sitting opposite: "You're truly using me as cattle and horse!"
Meeting her resentful gaze, Lucius quite skillfully changed topic.
"Next is Otto's execution ground rescue plot. You should have no problems, right?"
Kallen rolled eyes, saying: "Just dying once? I'm used to it. As long as Otto has no problems."
"Otto?" Lucius thought of his usually obedient appearance, couldn't help saying: "He should have no problems."
But after Lucius said this, Kallen frowned, saying: "I feel... he's somewhat strange."
"Strange? Isn't he obedient?"
Lucius felt—although little Otto was somewhat robotic, among all participating characters, he was actually the most worry-free.
Kallen shook head, saying: "Hard to say clearly. My intuition. I always feel he's somewhat off, different from the Otto I once knew..."
Hearing this, Lucius synced with Fenghuang Down at Otto's place. Nothing abnormal. Little Otto remained obedient.
"No problems. Still a good child...!!!"
Kallen saw—Lucius suddenly shivered, looking around with alarm. Even the white highlighted tuft atop his head stood up, continuously trembling.
"This... this feeling... not good..."
"Lucius, what are you stirring up now?"
Lucius didn't answer Kallen's question but hurriedly took out communicator, contacting Eden far at Mu Continent.
[Eden, is Elysia with you?]
Soon, Eden gave reply.
[Yes~]
[Image]
Lucius saw Elysia in the kitchen stirring cream, seemingly making dessert.
Seeing this, Lucius breathed relief. The highlighted tuft atop his head also returned to normal.
"Thought Elysia was coming. Scared me to death."
After confirming Elysia still at Mu Continent, Lucius relaxed, simultaneously beginning to focus attention on the next script.
"Now United Government high-level are restless. Your death and resurrection miracle triggered their greed."
"Just lightly push them. Can proceed according to our script. Execution ground rescue script can begin."
"Kallen, prepare to wrap!"
---
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