The Inevitable Rift

This is double happiness, isn't it? The fact that the city hasn't started celebrating yet is all thanks to the remaining 20% of the nobles.

"But this arrangement has made Kallen take the blame."

Otto sighed.

"Although, given Kallen's personality, she wouldn't really care about taking the blame."

After all, Otto didn't really have any ulterior motives towards Kallen.

But there's nothing they can do about it. They killed Viktor, so in the end, Kallen, the phantom thief who throws money around, will definitely take the blame.

However, no matter how much Schicksal suspects, it wouldn't really pin the blame on the Kaslana family.

Putting aside whether Schicksal can find out the identity of the phantom thief, even if he does, given his father's style of doing things, he will most likely find someone to take the blame. The final reckoning can't be settled in this turbulent time.

However, these matters are no longer Otto's concern; she has completed all the tasks she was required to undertake.

As for politics based on Schicksal, it's better to wait for the political situation to collapse on its own than to get directly involved and cause trouble.

She is now thinking about the long term—five hundred years from now.

Otto carefully studied the two documents in his hands. As the Imaginary Archive had said, one was a Soul Steel Body, and the other was an artificial flesh body.

After a short time, Otto temporarily abandoned the technology of artificial bodies.

She can't do it, and she doesn't understand it... or rather, it's not something she can understand right now.

After all, she is only twenty-three years old, and her qualifications are admittedly inferior to those of the founders. Moreover, she switched from secular science to Honkai studies halfway through her career.

However... this thing is a combination of advanced Honkai science and top-tier biology, Otto is currently quite weak in both areas, so for Otto, it's like reading gibberish.

And most importantly, this technique was ultimately summarized as a failure by the researcher Mobius.

Although she casually wrote in the afterword that the failed experiments were quite interesting... Otto wasn't really interested, since it was no longer her goal.

Well, Otto thought that this might be the reason why Dr. Mobius classified the technology as a failure.

However, Otto's inability to understand is partly Liu Bai's fault.

Biology is one of the few fields that Liu Bai is completely unfamiliar with. Even if he has some knowledge of related fields, he is still a complete novice—well, although this level of novice is already better than many people.

His ability to reach such a level of knowledge is largely thanks to the research talent provided by Mobius; compared to that, not knowing anything about biology is nothing.

Therefore, Otto has now decisively abandoned the technology of artificial bodies and plans to seal them away for later review.

There are quite a few interesting things in there—like adding Honkai Beast factors into the body.

It's clear that Mobius, as the founder, was truly aiming to create a flawless body for his Lord God.

(But then again, the so-called most perfect body wouldn't be made from the most powerful Honkai Beast... or Herrscher... or even more than a single Herrscher, right? But would a body made like that still be considered human...? That would probably be a true god...)

Although the technology was not described, Otto somehow resonated with Dr. Mobius from 50,000 years ago through the written words.

So give up, give up decisively.

There's a huge pitfall hidden inside this thing. Anyone who jumps in is a fool. Didn't you see that even the founder gave up?

Otto realized that he wasn't even half as good as the other guy. At least the other guy could climb out after jumping in, but if he jumped in, he might just hear a bang and be gone.

The other technique, the Soul Steel Body Technique from Dr. Mei, was much simpler.

While the high-end needs far exceed the industrial civilization of this era, the low-end... well, as long as the carving techniques meet the standards, that's fine.

Of course, the latter simple and crude method is obviously meant for Liu Bai; Otto himself would definitely need a more refined approach.

Moreover, for individual production, there's no need to focus too much on the technological level of the civilization.

Like those assembly line production lines that take three days to produce one? Otto says three days? I'd be lucky to make one in thirty or even fifty years!

Anyway, as long as it's not chopped up, the Soul Steel Body theoretically only needs regular maintenance... And to be honest, there aren't many people in this era who can chop up a Soul Steel Body.

However, on the other hand, doing it every thirty or fifty years is still a little bit of a loss... After all, it means that she would have to give up her old and decrepit body. If possible, she thinks it would be best to do it within ten years and preserve her youthful and beautiful body.

After all, Otto did have some concerns about fertility.

"My Lord God, this technology..."

"Around 1989, I think."

Liu Bai's expression was subtle.

So, does this mean Otto's immortality is being blamed on him?

However, there's no point in Liu Bai deceiving Otto. After all, Mei's technique is different from Mobius's. It's already been broken down, and the requirements aren't high. You can figure it out by sticking to it.

"If the materials are collected quickly enough, the time may be even shorter."

"... The problem lies in the materials?" Otto realized that his thinking was somewhat different from that of the Lord God.

"This is an area where I excel."

Liu Bai sighed.

This thing looks cool, but to be honest, it's just like an Armed Dolls mascot.

It's even a bit lower-end than Armed Dolls. After all, Armed Dolls have limited size, so you have to be careful with many things. A proper humanoid soul steel body doesn't need so many twists and turns; you can just go for it with a straight cut—although this kind of straight cut is already considered a delicate job compared to many other operations.

So the only problem for him was how Otto would manage to get so many materials.

"However, it doesn't have to be pure soul steel. In some places, ordinary materials can be used instead, but you have to pay attention to maintenance."

"The Schicksal should have this much in reserve."

Otto thought for a moment.

"Schicksal has unearthed quite a few relics over the past thousand years, and Schicksal's technology is at most only capable of reaping the benefits without any processing technology. Even if it were used, the consumption would probably be minimal... Moreover, when it comes to processing, Nagatsugu's help might be needed."

"Being a novice is a Schicksal in disguise, but it's been a huge help."

Hmm... Thinking about it this way, Otto felt more and more that he needed to add fuel to the fire of the political struggle within the Apocalypse Family.

"As for fine carving, that's not hard to find. There are many famous sculptors in Italy, so we can just invite one."

Italian sculptors... speaking of which, Michelangelo was born this year, but his predecessors are currently at their peak.

Well, for example, Verrocchio or someone like that, with the influence of Schicksal, summoning one over wouldn't be a problem at all.

Moreover, speaking of which, Liu Bai and Michelangelo had met once at the World Bubble – Caterina Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Liu Bai could even see Bianka in her World Bubble if he wanted to.

However, the birth dates of famous figures in the Honkai world are actually quite chaotic... For example, if Liu Bai remembers correctly, Shakespeare might be touring Schicksal's territory right now, having been born about a hundred years earlier than in real history. Michelangelo might have already been born at this time.

However, this is Otto's job, and has nothing to do with Liu Bai.

"Speaking of the most important thing, the transfer of consciousness, what are you going to do?"

"Consciousness transfer... After everything here is settled, I still need to go to Shenzhou to see if I can borrow a feather."

Otto for a moment before answering.

Although Himeko also possesses mental abilities, the Herrscher of Corruption is not adept at very precise manipulation; in this regard, it is still up to Feather of the Wind.

The strength of the Himeko, or rather the Herrscher of Corruption, lies in its ability to corrode living beings, machines, and even all things equally. However, it is clearly inferior to the Herrscher of Sentience in the fine manipulation of the mind.

While she's adept at corrupting others, don't expect Himeko to handle something as delicate as consciousness transfer, which is like walking a tightrope.

"Can't the Imaginary Archive simulate Feather of the Wind?" Liu Bai asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I do not intend to let the Imaginary Archive simulate Feather of the Wind."

Otto replied, glancing at Void Imaginary Archive, who had been whining about "I'm not pure anymore" since yesterday.

"What I need more Imaginary Archive to simulate the Key of Stagnation - the All Things Dormant."

Since I don't have time to invest in technology, I'll have to take the shortcut!

Chapter 269 A Fated Break

Vienna, 1480, night, Nagatsugu Forge.

"Otto, something terrible has happened! Something's happened at your house!"

Kallen walked in quickly from outside.

Now 27 years old, Kallen has completely shed her childishness and is now a mature Kallen who can take on the responsibility of the Kaslana family after the death of her father, Francis.

"My brother? Or my sister?"

Otto said calmly.

"... Miss Lisa."

Looking at Otto's expression, Kallen knew that her close friend had probably been prepared for this all along.

"The servants told me that Miss Lisa went back to the Apocalypse house first, and soon after, there was a slight disturbance at the Apocalypse house."

"And now?"

"... It has calmed down."

Kallen felt somewhat uncomfortable looking at Otto's indifferent expression.

Since maturing, Kallen has actually become vaguely aware of certain things.

"If nothing unexpected happens... this is a power grab, isn't it?"

"Kallen, you've finally grasped the essence of things."

Otto gave Kallen a gentle smile.

"That's right, Father has lived too long, it's normal for Sister Lisa to be unable to suppress her ambition... Hmm, this is truly a misfortune for the family."

"... So Otto, what role did you play in this?"

"?"

Otto looked up at Kallen, seemingly surprised that Kallen would ask such a question.

"I just looked around, but Ling Shuang and Elinor aren't here... Where did they go?"

"I am merely a woodcutter and a fisherman here; the Lord God can bear witness."

"Yes, Otto did not directly participate in the political struggles of the Apocalypse Family," Liu Bai said softly. "At most, he only fueled the flames with the ambitions of various parties, otherwise you wouldn't have found Otto here."

"So you're saying you've watched things get to this point, right..."

Kallen's expression softened considerably.

"Some things are beyond my control—like the Schicksal Expedition plan ten years ago."

Otto explained from the side, "All we can do is minimize the impact in this regard."

"Human nature... ambition..."

Kallen is no longer the naive and reckless little girl she once was, so she sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"So you had this planned all along, didn't you?"

"That's right, the plan was made ten years ago."

"Do you need me to give you some private space?" Liu Bai sensed that the atmosphere had become a bit awkward. "It would be beneficial for both of us to have an open and honest talk."

"No need, Your Lord God, you are the person we both respect the most, there is no need for you to take your leave." Kallen shook her head.

"...Then I'll have to trouble you Lord God. I feel like I haven't even had a private chat with Kallen yet." Otto, on the contrary, smiled and agreed to Liu Bai's suggestion.

"Okay, I'll go outside for a while."

Liu Bai nodded and then floated outside.

However, with Liu Bai gone, the atmosphere between Kallen and Otto suddenly became somewhat tense.

"Kallen, we can't be so completely out of things to talk about after leaving the Lord God, can we?" Otto joked, looking at the silent Kallen.

"... Not at all."

Kallen looked at Otto, who hadn't changed at all over the years, and her face showed a strange mix of emotion and... sympathy.

"I just never imagined that the two of us would... well, talk to each other in this way."

"... I always feel like I see other thoughts in your eyes."

Otto, unusually, sensed malice from Kallen.

"But... it's quite unexpected that the atmosphere between us has gotten so tense."