Volume 4, Chapter 33: Kevin, Otto, and a Collaboration Spanning Fifty Thousand Years 2

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Throughout the vast expanse of history, heritage and legacy have always been of immense importance—a fact deeply ingrained in Otto's understanding.

The establishment of Schicksal was not coincidental but inevitable. And the person responsible for founding it stood before him now. Despite World Serpent being closely connected to the previous civilization era, it was actually Schicksal that inherited the most from that past.

Notably, the numerous Divine Keys passed down through Schicksal serve as tangible proof of the legacy from the earlier civilization. Furthermore, even during the Medieval Times, Schicksal demonstrated proficient use of Soulium technology.

As for why Kevin later abandoned Schicksal and created the World Serpent, honestly, Otto did not know.

He was neither omniscient nor omnipotent. By his time, Schicksal had already become a vast yet corrupt organization controlled by rotations among three dominant families. Such an institution undoubtedly carried a stagnant atmosphere, destined to be overthrown unless unforeseen circumstances intervened.

That's how it should have unfolded according to plan.

Schicksal was indeed a useful tool, but not precisely what Otto desired. It took him considerable effort to reshape it into something more suitable to his vision.

The reason Otto preserved Schicksal, without a doubt, stemmed from another legacy he left behind - or rather, an anomaly:

The Void Archives.

Initially, the First Divine Key was incomplete, or as it claimed, only under Otto's possession did it finally fill its last missing piece.

Thus began their collaboration spanning fifty thousand years.

The Void Archives provided Otto with knowledge, while Otto supplied experimental data to the Void Archives.

And this experiment, naturally, was Project Stigma.

However, unlike the World Serpent's ongoing Project Stigma, Otto aimed to complete MEI's unfinished experiment: transcribing the Holy Mark gene onto male genes to initiate his plan.

Naturally, with their stable inheritance of the male Holy Mark gene, the Kaslana family became Otto's ideal test subjects. For five centuries, his research on them flowed incessantly like a steady stream.

Yet, Otto clearly had ulterior motives.

The Stigmata contained untold power, even capable of freezing time itself. Through this project, he sought to gradually extract all knowledge from the previous civilization era, hoping to find Kallen.

Both parties were playing along, putting up a facade.

One day, Otto was astonished to discover that human effort alone could not replicate the sequence of the Holy Mark Gene. Even someone as brilliant as MEI couldn't achieve such a feat using conventional human wisdom, given the immense power encapsulated within the Stigmata and its genetic expression.

Discarding any absurd notions, there seemed to be only one plausible explanation: MEI must have struck a deal with Honkai to create the Stigmata.

Although unaware of what she offered in exchange, it was evident that the transaction succeeded.

So...

If MEI could succeed, why couldn't he?

With this thought, Otto's mindset towards combating Honkai began to shift.

For a very long time, his focus shifted from transcribing male Stigmata to 'seeking the God of Honkai.' With support—or perhaps mockery—from the Void Archives, he finally discovered a method for this pursuit.

The key was Herrschers.

When Otto befriended Welt Joyce, one of his intentions may well have been to have him visit the God of Honkai. Unfortunately, that attempt failed until the Second Honkai Eruption presented another opportunity.

A slim chance, but one he successfully seized.

Then, Otto abandoned the so-called Project Stigma altogether. He refused to be merely a pawn of someone from 50,000 years ago—no matter how brilliant they were, their ultimate failure proved it all.

Following in the footsteps of a loser is not the path of the wise.

This is precisely why Otto found himself here today.

"I believe you already know what I am doing," Otto said with a smile. "I need coordinates; let's make a deal. Anything you desire can be part of the exchange, including Schicksal itself... and Durandal."

Kevin narrowed his eyes as he looked at Otto. "So, you figured it out."

"Why wouldn't I know about the final product of the Stigma Plan?"

"True enough, after all, you're Prometheus."

To put it bluntly, Kevin did not favor Otto.

This man was even more dangerous than Mobius—at least Mobius, despite her madness, had some boundaries. Otto's, on the other hand, were virtually nonexistent.

Yet Kevin had to admit that in this era, Otto undeniably qualified as a wise leader.

His plan was profoundly audacious but held a faint glimmer of success, albeit so slim it could provoke outrage or laughter. Nevertheless, Kevin agreed to this collaboration.

As a warrior, Kevin trusted his judgment.

Besides... even if his assessment proved incorrect, he still possessed ample time at his disposal.

The discussion on Schicksal's path continued, this time involving Anti-Entropy as well.

In reality, once Anti-Entropy joined the deliberations, the outcome was nearly decided: preserving the majority through a shortcut escape plan would likely become Schicksal's primary focus, guided by Entropy Reduction Theory.

This collaboration between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy transcended all resource boundaries, virtually unprecedented. It left many high-ranking members of Schicksal both astonished and hopeful.

It must be acknowledged that most of the assets Durandal inherited from Otto were highly valuable. Even among the top brass, few were thinking about what they would do if Honkai disappeared entirely.

Instead, their thoughts revolved around: "Excellent, finally there's hope to defeat Honkai."

The allure of Entropy Reduction Theory was undeniable, captivating even brilliant minds like Nagamitsu.

After all, Project Stigma presupposed sacrificing the majority, making the Entropy Reduction Plan seem far more reliable at this juncture.

Durandal, known for her decisiveness, saw the widespread agreement and promptly deepened cooperation with Anti-Entropy. This move put Cocolia in a difficult position.

As Schicksal's machinery began to operate, Cocolia's influence shrank dramatically, almost two-thirds diminished.

After Kevin's return, Gray Serpent abandoned Cocolia, as she had become expendable.

Of course, these events would unfold later.

Xia Chen neither supported nor opposed the Entropy Reduction Plan. He couldn't find any valid reasons against it, considering that using the Moonlight Throne to convert Honkai Energy into thermal energy was already proven feasible.

Even Xia Chen himself felt somewhat swayed; he couldn't identify any flaws in this theory.

Theoretically, if enough Honkai Energy is decomposed, the Honkai Disasters should cease altogether.

However, there seemed no way Celestial Beings could have overlooked such a solution, so why did their civilization still meet its demise?

He decided to set aside these thoughts and focus on another matter instead.

Special Soul Steel.

Its location: the southern waters off Shenzhou coast.

Xia Chen's expression turned peculiar. "Is this... Chiyou?"

So, my actions had no impact whatsoever?