That's Ancient History Now

Kallen's intelligence suddenly kicked in at this moment.

"I think this village was probably destroyed on the way here, right? It's been so long, how come there are still vultures?"

"Are there still people in the village?" Cheng Lingshuang raised an eyebrow as she considered a possibility.

"Perhaps they are surviving children..." Otto's thoughts deepened upon hearing this.

After all, vultures are large birds of prey. Although they don't usually hunt, that doesn't mean they don't have the ability to hunt.

But then again, this thing wouldn't even think about hunting adults unless it's completely out of its mind.

Several months have passed. The severely injured adults are probably long gone, and those who are still alive have probably run away. The only ones who might remain in the ruins are some children, since they might survive by scavenging through the rubble.

"Kallen, hurry, saving lives is the priority."

"I know!"

Kallen, her face grim, swung her riding whip.

"Drive!"

Elinor and Cheng Lingshuang followed suit.

"Speaking of which, where are we now?"

Liu Bai suddenly remembered something and asked Otto.

"Near Geneva."

Otto had already anticipated these things. "We'll be back in Vienna in a few days. I imagine Father is already starting to worry about the future."

Although he hadn't been home for five years, Otto showed no fear whatsoever.

"That's not what I wanted to ask..."

Liu Bai shook his head.

That said, he brought the Book of Cang Xuan back with him this time.

After all, this thing can be restarted as long as the Imaginary Archive provides energy. All you need to do is find an opportunity to persuade the Imaginary Archive. But if it's left to Fu Hua, it'll just gather dust.

"Isn't this it...? But besides this, I actually have some things I'd like to discuss with you, my Lord God."

Otto let out a long sigh.

Otto's encounter with Fu Hua during his trip to Shenzhou made Otto realize many things—some of which were harsh realities.

The Seven Swords of Taixu and their master are separated by the mortal and immortal realms, so... isn't he also separated from the Lord God?

Human life is but a fleeting hundred years, while the existence of the Lord God spans fifty thousand years.

She wanted to stay with the Lord God forever.

But then... immortality?

The only way to accompany the Lord God on their journey is through immortality.

Ha! I doubt even my own father would dare to think of something like this.

However, Otto had already seen the path to immortality.

The Soul Steel Body Technology hidden within the Imaginary Archive, and the cryogenic hibernation technology derived from the Fifth Divine Key.

These two things are enough for him to achieve the goal of "immortality".

But... I don't know when I'll be able to see the Lord God again after this journey ends.

Although such questions can be answered by asking the Lord God, doing so might mean facing separation.

(I'm still not mature enough...)

(Yes, it's not mature enough from any angle; it's far from perfect.)

Imaginary Archive's witty remarks immediately lessened Otto's sadness.

Hmm... Otto is furious right now.

However, at this moment, Kallen and her two companions also returned on horseback. However, compared to when they left, Kallen now had a thin, haggard, white-haired little girl on her horse, who looked to be only three or four years old.

"She is..."

"The only survivor in the village."

Kallen said somewhat dejectedly, the reality of this was simply too cruel for her.

Then, thinking that her own family was also a beneficiary of the Eastern Expedition, Kallen became even more depressed.

"This is also our sin."

"Sin...?"

Otto, after thinking it over, picked up the girl.

It was so light that even a weakling like her could lift it without any difficulty.

"Little girl? What's your name?"

"..."

The girl just stared blankly at Otto.

"Don't want to talk about it? Or have you forgotten?" Otto stroked the little girl's hair. "Speaking of which, her hair..."

"Innate talent, just an ordinary person, an ordinary person without any special characteristics," Cheng Lingshuang said from the side.

While extremely high Honkai Energy resistance can manifest as white hair—like her and Kallen —not every person with white hair has extremely high Honkai Energy resistance.

"Ordinary people... there's nothing wrong with being an ordinary person."

Otto sighed.

Is it a sin...?

"In that case, I'll give you a name— Vera, how about that name?"

Liu Bai, standing to the side, showed a knowing look.

Vera... who is the future Otto Vera.

The presence of something in the supplies that causes high blood pressure—well, just kidding.

Otto Vera was one of the few people Otto truly loved.

She never became Valkyrie in her lifetime, but she held the important position of captain of the bishop's guard, placing the bishop's name before her own.

Sixty-eight years later, this little girl will pass away peacefully in her sleep. Her death will be as ordinary and unremarkable as her life.

On that day, Otto's last connection to ordinary life was buried with her. Vera's tombstone bears the inscription. "Otto Vera, I give you your favorite name."

However, for now, 68 years is far too long.

"My Lord God, is there something on my face?"

Elinor blushed and touched her face shyly.

"...nothing."

I just think you're really unlucky.

Honestly, in the original timeline, you were the one who truly loved Otto but died the most tragically in this era, right?

Not only is the person gone, but their body has also been used for experiments. They're practically the most vicious of losers.

"Really nothing...?" Elinor nudged Cheng Lingshuang. "Ling Shuang, is there really nothing on my face?"

"Wrinkle?"

Cheng Lingshuang grimaced and thought for a moment before answering.

"...Huh?" Elinor felt like something in her brain had suddenly broken.

"I was just kidding," Cheng Lingshuang said, arms crossed, looking like she was watching a show.

That reaction was really interesting.

"... Seriously! Don't joke like that!"

Chapter 264 That's ancient history.

"Is this the country of 'Europa'?"

Cheng Lingshuang looked around the bustling city with great curiosity.

"Strictly speaking, the city's name is Vienna," Otto said, leading the group on a walk through the streets. "As for the country... the country that currently rules this place is called the Holy Roman Empire."

"Neither sacred, nor Roman, nor imperial."

Liu Bai casually remarked.

But these words made Otto smile, "Your Lord God is right. The Holy Roman Empire has neither the recognition of the Church nor the legitimacy of Rome. It is a disorganized mess and does not resemble an empire at all."

Cheng Lingshuang tilted her head, not quite understanding.

Kallen, standing next to her, was even less of a brainstormer; she hadn't even developed that kind of thinking yet.

"Forget it, Miss Ling Shuang, just listen to what's going on here and let it go. The customs and habits on both sides are quite different."

Otto was just playing along with his own Lord God; he didn't expect these people to understand him.

"Elinor, Nagatsugu, you two take Miss Ling Shuang, the Soul Steel Doll, and Vera to Kaslana's house. Kallen and I will go to my father to report the situation."

"Clear."

Elinor nodded and, along with Nagatsugu and the others, took a different route.

Now only Otto, Kallen, and Liu Bai, who has returned to his ghost form, remain here.

"Speaking of which...is Vienna even more desolate than it was five years ago?" Kallen looked around and asked the question that had been on her mind.

"Yes, but I didn't expect you to be able to tell, Kallen."

"I'm not blind... All my favorite food stalls are gone. I'm smarter than you in this respect."

Otto nodded helplessly upon hearing this.

Okay, she admits that.

She wasn't actually very perceptive about Vienna's depression; she mainly relied on logical analysis to deduce Vienna.

Kallen, however, knew exactly which stalls and shops had closed down.

This is probably one of the differences between the two.

Although Otto often wandered around with Kallen, he didn't take it to heart at all, and there was still a significant gap between him and ordinary people.

After all, Otto's mind was on Liu Bai and the experiments. Although Otto didn't have the typical aristocratic flaws, it was still a bit difficult to get her to care about those things.

"But after this, shouldn't Schicksal enter a period of rest and recuperation?"

Kallen said softly, "It won't be long before Vienna returns to its former prosperity."

"I hope so."

Although Otto disagreed with Kallen's statement, he didn't need to refute Kallen.

Kallen can understand some things after just one look.

"Why are there so many people gathered over there?"

The sharp-eyed Kallen spotted a lively spot in the desolate city.

As is customary, upon seeing such a lively place, Kallen immediately grabbed Otto and excitedly dragged him over there.

... In that instant, Otto felt as if he were walking a dog but being dragged along by the dog that was running wild.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Or is it that I really need to tie Kallen down in some way in the future?

As Otto sighed inwardly, the two of them gradually approached the crowd.

It was fine if they didn't get close, but as soon as they did, the seductive words coming from inside made both of them turn pale.

"When the gold coins clink in the jar, your soul flies to heaven!"

"Buying more indulgences not only allows you to be exempt from future crimes in advance, but also allows you to buy indulgences for the dead, so that their souls can be released from purgatory and ascend to heaven as soon as possible!"