A tall, thin man wearing a white cravat slammed the table and roared at Otto, heedless of the atmosphere. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought Otto was his subordinate.
This tall, thin man was in charge of Schicksal's research projects within the Apocalypse family. Numerous Honkai-related experiments had passed through his hands. The Babylon Laboratory in Siberia had been established by him.
Precisely because of this, he was deeply trusted by Otto. He considered himself Otto's right-hand man and believed Otto would never act against him.
And he understood better than anyone what earth-shaking changes a scientist from the Previous Era could bring to Schicksal's technology.
The fat man beside him immediately said in alarm, "Docam, have you gone mad? That's a Herrscher—the enemy of humanity! As long as that one called Vill-V stays, that's enough!"
Regarding keeping Vill-V, the elders all voiced their support. Each of them hoped to gain something from her.
As for the Herrscher, the elders remained resistant. Herrschers were monsters after all—uncontrollable. Unless they were defective specimens like 21—Welt's experimental designation.
But now that they had a ready-made scientist from the Previous Era, did they still need to research Herrschers? It would be better to find a way to kill them.
"A mere Herrscher—laughable, laughable! Wasn't 21 obediently locked up by us before? Even if it's imprisonment, these two primitives must remain in Schicksal's laboratories!"
The tall, thin man ignored the objections of the other elders. As a researcher, he cared nothing for their worldly desires. All he wanted was more technology from the Previous Era.
But before he could say much more, a sedative was slapped onto his back. He stared wide-eyed at Otto, never having imagined Otto would treat him this way.
If he were gone, Schicksal's research projects would surely collapse. How could Otto dare—
As consciousness faded, his thoughts came to an end.
"My apologies. It seems allowing certain individuals to attend was my greatest mistake." A trace of coldness hid within Otto's smile. He clapped his hands, and Valkyries stepped behind each Apocalypse family elder, lifting them up and dragging them away.
"Hahaha! Otto, without our help, the Apocalypse family will be swallowed by the Rothschild family! Hahaha..."
These once high-ranking elders of the Apocalypse family were dragged out like stray dogs. Only a few who had remained relatively disciplined left the conference hall on their own.
After this brief interlude, everyone present could sense the terrifying edge hidden beneath Otto's smiling face. Even toward his own people, he showed no mercy.
Vill-V narrowed her eyes. "Otto, are all the members of your family... like this?"
As head of the Apocalypse family for five hundred years, how could Otto have allowed such people to sit among the elders? Vill-V did not believe his methods were so incompetent.
Moreover, if Otto wished, he could have directly used Void Archives to simulate Fenghuang Down and control these people. Yet he had gone through such trouble instead. Who knew what he was plotting?
Otto made an apologetic gesture toward Planck. "My apologies. It is my failure in governance. You have all seen the troubles within the Apocalypse family. We must maintain Schicksal's global influence while also assisting regions struck by the Honkai. Relying solely on ourselves and the Schariac family is somewhat difficult. If possible, I sincerely invite you all once again to join Schicksal."
Clearly, this had been Otto's purpose all along. A carefully staged performance of hardship.
"Doesn't Schicksal still have the Kaslana family?" Edison countered.
Edison had remained silent until now, using her unique ability to scan the entire conference room and observe Otto's intentions.
Otto smiled bitterly and shook his head. "The Kaslana family is somewhat special. Their principle is... to support whoever stands on the front line against the Honkai. In truth, many anti-Honkai organizations have received their backing. And you cannot expect the Kaslana family to understand politics and economics."
"Anti-Entropy will always remain a neutral organization," Edison refused Otto's invitation. Otto was far too untrustworthy. No matter how reasonable his words sounded, they might still be a trap.
"Ahem." Seeing the atmosphere cooling, Planck continued the earlier topic. "I should clarify something. My ability is limited. Even as a Herrscher, I cannot indefinitely extend this world's lifespan. A Herrscher is not a god."
"Perhaps one year, perhaps ten. Eventually I will fall into slumber once my Honkai energy is exhausted. At that time, the entire world will restart."
"Hmm..." Otto's gaze flickered.
Dr. Tesla could no longer restrain herself and slammed the table again. "You old hag, stop talking as if you decide everything! Who do you think you are? Creating the entire world's history by yourself—are you some kind of creator god?"
"Calm down, Dr. Tesla," Einstein soothed her coolly. "Planck must already have a plan if she speaks like this."
"Hmph." Hearing Einstein say that, Dr. Tesla reluctantly sat back down. "Fine. Let's hear what plan the old hag has."
"Mm, Liesel darling truly is clever." Planck nodded gratefully toward Einstein and even sent her a subtle wink, which only made Tesla more irritated.
Before Dr. Tesla could slam the table for a third time, Planck continued, "Plan One: after this, Welt takes over my work. The two of us alternate. That way, both of us will have time to recover our Honkai energy."
"That is indeed not a bad idea." Otto nodded. "Since there is a Plan One, there must be a Plan Two."
No one wished to comment on the feasibility of Plan One. Judging by Welt's tense expression, forcing him to grow to Professor Planck's level would be akin to driving a virtuous person into depravity... better not push him that far.
After all, Professor Planck had already tested Welt's capacity from the beginning. It was a happy outcome for everyone. Einstein no longer needed to worry about Welt bearing the responsibility of the entire world—he simply did not have that capability.
This plan could serve as a backup. But they might as well hear Plan Two first.
"Plan Two: defeat the Herrscher of Finality within two years."
"Pfft—" The one who nearly spat out water was Vill-V. "Cough... Are you joking? Forcing the Herrscher of Finality to descend early would only lead humanity to certain death!"
Among those present, if anyone understood the Herrscher of Finality most deeply, it would undoubtedly be the two Flame-Chasers from the Previous Era. As for Hua, she had witnessed countless storms over five thousand years and remained seated like a pine tree, unmoving.
The others still possessed only a vague concept of Finality. They had encountered merely two Herrschers—and both stood on humanity's side.
Moreover, judging by Welt's rather underwhelming performance as a Herrscher, they had no frame of reference for the true might of one.
Otto, however, understood the Herrscher of Finality no less than Vill-V did. He too had contemplated numerous methods to defeat it, only for every simulation to end in failure.
Thus he said, "Mm, Plan Two sounds promising as well. Next."
Clearly, Planck had proposed two impossible plans merely to pave the way for a third. There was no need to dwell on the first two.
Planck raised three fingers. "Plan Three: kill Welt. Give his Herrscher Core to me. I will carry out Plan One myself."