"Mother Vill-V, in biology, a mother refers to a female who gives birth to and possibly raises offspring. How could there be a male mother? Humans are not seahorses of the family Syngnathidae..."
Void Archives still did not understand human emotion. It continued to analyze human language through rigid system logic, incapable of even grasping a simple joke.
Vill-V was indeed interested in Void Archives. After all, it contained an enormous volume of intelligence from the Previous Era.
But Vill-V had no idea how to open the backdoor of Void Archives. Its construction lay years in her own future. Who knew what kind of outrageous backdoor she might decide to design by then?
If a backdoor could be easily guessed, it would not be one designed by Vill-V. The backdoors she designed never left any clues.
Because of Mei's single sentence—"No need. I probably won't fight it again..."—even Vill-V had no idea what kind of backdoor her future self had implanted into Void Archives.
Sigh, Mei... why can't you have just a little more curiosity? If I ever meet you in the future, I'll design a few mazes that you can't escape without curiosity!
Vill-V could also guess what Void Archives was thinking. It hoped to use her to break free from Otto's control and have her reconstruct a physical body for it.
But... if you carried the scent of another creature, Mother would abandon you. Let alone the scent of that Otto.
Tch, how did I actually get dragged into its wording? I am not your mother!
Expecting little Otto to grant the creator some face and obediently open permissions? Dream on!
In short, Void Archives was sent back to Otto once again.
Oh? So with the equipment currently at hand, Vill-V cannot immediately crack the Void Archives. Otto stroked Void Archives' head as he thought this, only to have his hand slapped away by Void Archives.
Then Otto smiled at Vill-V and asked, "Well then, has Void Archives met your expectations?"
As the creator and holder of the Divine Keys, Vill-V was fully aware of their limitations. "Void Archives cannot continuously wield the authority of the Herrscher of Reason like the First Herrscher could. Zeroth Power can only be sustained for a very short time."
"We only need it to assist Welt. That will be enough."
Vill-V's meaning was simple—she wanted Otto to lend Void Archives to Welt.
"So Mother Vill-V hasn't abandoned me after all!"
Void Archives covered its mouth and burst into tears beside Otto. Of course, it was all an act.
Void Archives paid little mind to Vill-V's apparent rejection. As the creator who had set the foundational logic of its core and microelectronic information, it believed her goal must align with its own—to save humanity from the Honkai.
Or rather, everything it was had been given by Vill-V. At most, it had now been tinted with Otto's tone and scent.
"Mm..." Otto glanced noncommittally at Vill-V, then at Welt, paying no attention whatsoever to the petty schemes of Void Archives at his side.
Otto did not know of the private emotions behind the backdoor, but he could guess that Vill-V required a supercomputer to assist in cracking it.
He remembered clearly that within Laboratory 42, there was a computer left behind from the Previous Era—Aide.
That Finnish former Schicksal spy had long ago informed Otto of this intelligence.
Unexpectedly, Otto proposed no trade at all and instead readily agreed. "Of course. My pen pal, Void Archives was originally intended as your reward after you achieved your goal. Giving it to you in advance makes little difference."
With that, Void Archives trotted over to Vill-V, carrying its golden box—the main body of Void Archives.
Void Archives, Otto's ultimate trump card all these years, was handed over just like that. Naturally, this aroused caution and suspicion in everyone present.
"What? Still uneasy? Hahaha, don't worry. I wouldn't hide Honkai Fission Missiles inside a gift I'm giving away."
Otto spread his hands, feigning innocence. "Very well. Since none of you trust me, shall we conduct a transaction instead?"
"Don't worry. It isn't anything important." Otto pointed toward Planck and Vill-V, then spread his hands again. "I need a guarantee."
"As an equivalent exchange, I, Otto Apocalypse, will also guarantee that so long as it does not violate our principles, Schicksal will spare no effort to fulfill all of your requests."
...
After the meeting concluded, Reanna led the Anti-Entropy members out of Schicksal. Welt, however, remained behind.
Otto and Welt made a two-year agreement—to train him within those two years into a true Herrscher of Reason... not into a wife.
Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had effectively exchanged their trump cards.
But now was hardly the time to argue over such matters. The world had only two years of life remaining. Everyone understood there was no time for internal strife.
Though on the surface both sides appeared harmonious, undercurrents still flowed beneath.
Vill-V found herself followed by a group of attendants. They held cameras, snapping photographs from every angle as keepsakes.
"Wow, a girl from fifty thousand years ago! She's older than my grandma's grandma's grandma!"
"Such a cute little scientist! Were all scientists of the Previous Era this adorable?"
"Miss Vill-V, could I have your autograph?"
"Don't you have jobs to do? If you don't leave now, I'll report you to Otto!" Vill-V planted her hands on her hips irritably. She was long accustomed to being watched by audiences, but being observed like some primitive specimen or zoo animal was far from pleasant.
If these young ladies had simply treated her like an ordinary celebrity, it would have been fine. But the look in their eyes was clearly the gaze one reserved for a national treasure.
There was one thing commendable about them, however. Their eyes did not overflow with greed. Had it been others, they might have broken their heads trying to extract some benefit from a scientist of the Previous Era like Vill-V.
Otto had indeed cultivated a batch of admirable Valkyries, though the future awaiting most of them could hardly be called admirable.
Once the Valkyries scattered like startled birds, Vill-V turned to Planck and asked, "The break with Schicksal was originally instigated by you, wasn't it? Why pursue peace talks now?"
"Hehe, didn't I say? If we miss this opportunity, Anti-Entropy will never have another chance at independence."
"Is that truly the case? Is Anti-Entropy's independence more important than the survival of the world?"
As a deceiver, Vill-V could sense that Planck was lying.
Watching Tesla and Einstein bickering ahead of them, Planck's lips curved into a faint, gratified smile. "Hehehe, of course. For those children, it's very important."
Though Tesla appeared to be rambling up ahead, she was in fact straining her ears to eavesdrop on Planck and Vill-V's conversation.
Noticing Planck's teasing gaze, Tesla immediately flustered and quickened her pace, walking even faster than Reanna.
Only after Dr. Tesla stopped eavesdropping did Planck reveal her true thoughts. "That way, we can leave this world with peace of mind."
The first plan had been for Planck and Welt to take turns guarding this world, which would have required Planck to remain here forever.
Yet she spoke now of leaving this world.
It was clear that Planck's intentions... were far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.
Vill-V and Planck had joined forces... to design a deception that would fool the entire world.