"If it's the Thousand Realms One Vehicle… it hasn't played a role in recent plans. And according to the story, that man is still inside it."
"For now, we'll only conduct surface-level research. No exploration."
Otto sat by the table, lightly tapping his fingers against the wooden surface as he considered how to assimilate World Serpent.
First and foremost was the Second Divine Key the original owner had long dreamed of—the tool that, once coordinates were obtained, could reach the Imaginary Tree: the Thousand Realms One Vehicle.
But he had no intention of developing or using it immediately.
Inside the Thousand Realms One Vehicle was Su—the MANTIS soldier from fifty thousand years ago. In the manga Inheritance arc, Durandal stepped into the world bubble within it, endured Su's trial, and obtained the method to stabilize world bubbles. Thus was born the Imperishable Star Anchor battlesuit.
However, in that very arc, his dear Goose nearly got replaced by a substitute created by Su. According to Su, it was to control the number of "singularities," personally guiding this world to converge into [a world that defeats the Honkai].
To put it bluntly, it was yet another iteration of the idea: "manipulate humanity to defeat the Honkai, where the strong dominate the weak."
Of course, given the narrative direction and Su's personality, that claim was likely just meant to frighten Goose a little. But who knew whether he might, on a whim, actually go through with it?
After all, Su had endured countless partings of life and death, observed the world for fifty thousand years, and personally sent his close friend Kevin into the Sea of Quanta. Was he truly always benevolent and compassionate? Or had he only come to terms with everything by 2015, while previously still obsessively searching in madness? Otto could not guarantee the answer.
And sacrificing someone who is willing to be sacrificed in order to save the world—
If it wasn't one of his own combat forces being given up, Otto might even find the idea interesting.
So it was best to keep the Thousand Realms One Vehicle far away from Goose.
Let it sit in Britain for a few weeks. Once he possessed greater strength, he would converse with it.
Of course, preliminary research was acceptable. So Otto planned to have those highly intelligent scientists—whose work would not significantly affect current technologies—probe it as a casual move on the side.
As for the rest, he would leave it to [Miracle].
If the idle move bore fruit, excellent. If not, it didn't matter.
"As for the Seven Thunders of Retribution… that weapon is troublesome…"
Otto shifted his thoughts to another Divine Key. Unlike with the Thousand Realms One Vehicle, his brows instinctively furrowed when he considered this one.
He disliked weapons that did not obey—no matter that it contained the authority of a Herrscher.
"It has a degree of self-awareness…"
The man's expression cooled slightly.
"But in the end, a Divine Key is nothing more than a fusion of Soulium and a Herrscher core."
If necessary, he could simply shatter that consciousness once—let it know who its master was.
It was just a Divine Key. Not as though it couldn't be destroyed. The damage to the Star of Eden had been his handiwork fifty years ago.
"Void Archives."
"Get to the point." The lazy voice of the Divine Key echoed through the room, though it did not materialize.
"Can the consciousness of a Divine Key be erased?"
"Little Otto," Void Archives replied, sounding astonished, "you're asking me—a Divine Key—how to erase the consciousness of a Divine Key? Isn't that like asking a god how to slay a god?"
"So you're saying it can be erased, but you won't tell me."
Otto inwardly mocked the other's self-importance and spoke flatly.
"Well I'll be damned—what's happened to your IQ these past two days? Why has it suddenly increased so much…" Void Archives grumbled before falling silent.
Increased IQ?
Otto's brows arched, a faint smile playing on his lips.
What increase in intelligence? It was simply… that you were foolish.
Then again, no matter what, Dr. MEI of the Previous Era had designed this artificial intelligence to serve humanity. If she had made it too intelligent, Void Archives—backed by immense computational power—would have left all humanity helpless.
The man sighed and closed his eyes.
—But not foolish to this extent, surely? That grumbling remark just now had practically told Otto that she was no different from the Third Divine Key. If he figured out how to deal with the Seven Thunders of Retribution, he could handle her as well.
Were self-exposures this sincere nowadays?
He understood. But he was still shocked.
Back to the point—the Seven Thunders of Retribution. He would keep it for now and "discipline" it a little. At the very least, it could serve as one of his contingencies.
Otto possessed plenty of weapons at this level. Naturally, he would not over-rely on any single one, nor allow a situation to arise where he absolutely required it at a critical moment.
—As for sending it out for research? Impossible. The Thousand Realms One Vehicle was different—there was someone inside. But the Seven Thunders of Retribution? An ownerless divine artifact must be kept firmly in his own hands.
He had not forgotten his original goal—to ensure his own safe survival in the Honkai world.
To guarantee that, externally he needed to quickly build up his defenses, ensuring the strongest Valkyries were fully under his command, unwaveringly loyal. Internally, he needed to strengthen himself—thus divine artifacts were always welcome.
If not for the Blank Key that housed the Core of the Herrscher of Flame being life-draining, he wouldn't have minded modifying it slightly and carrying it personally.
Come to think of it—that was Dr. MEI's original battlesuit, wasn't it?
Now that would be even more stimulating.
"I should test later whether a Soulium body is compatible with the Blank Key," Otto decided inwardly. "If it works, that would be equivalent to having a Herrscher avatar…"
When the time came, he would definitely stand before Kevin and declare, This is what MEI changed out of—
As for getting beaten up? Hah. Could Kevin even capture his consciousness?
"Sending operational Divine Keys out for research—no longer possible. The Gem of Serenity must also be reclaimed from those people and used to forge a second Abyss Flower…"
While continuing to plan the weapons that Schicksal could deploy individually, Otto pressed the communicator.
"Bishop, your milk tea."
Not long after, Rita emerged from behind him, set the cup on the table, and stood by attentively.
"How much of World Serpent's London branch base have you secured?" Otto asked casually, inserting the straw into the cup.
"It's still being calculated for now," Rita replied. "At present, Schicksal has obtained all of their data on artificial Honkai beasts."
"Artificial Honkai beasts?" Otto mused. "Mm… Durandal is taking her S-rank Valkyrie examination, correct?"
Rita was momentarily stunned before catching up with his sudden shift in topic. "Yes, Bishop."
"If I remember correctly, among the Honkai beasts we acquired from World Serpent, there was quite a large group of cats," Otto said, pressing the end of the straw against a tapioca pearl. "Pick a cat for Little Goose first."
"Little Goose?" Rita blinked, momentarily confused.
"Little Durandal," the man explained. "After all, in front of her mother, we can't exactly keep calling her 'Dudu,' can we?"
"Dudu" was a private nickname many Valkyries in Schicksal used for Durandal, derived from the dodo bird. In the West, elders often gave such nicknames when they found a child adorably foolish.
Of course, that wasn't the real reason—
It was mainly because his dear Goose had gotten used to calling her that. Switching to another nickname felt a bit unnatural.
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