A Bitter Choice (Continued)

Chaldea wasn't his creation either.

You see, he originally thought Chaldea was a good organization with a lofty mission and goals.

However, as the saying goes, we should not be misled by appearances.

Now that things have turned out this way, Chaldea has gone from being heroes who protect Human Order to becoming enemies of the entire universe, which he finds absurd.

Especially Marisbury Animusphere's extraordinary wisdom.

Although he knew that the Magus at the Clock Tower were usually very skilled, he never expected them to have such a big performance.

Compared to Marisbury Animusphere's plan for humanity to monopolize most of the universe's resources, things like the Moon Holy Grail and the Humanity Incineration really have to take a backseat. He truly succeeded in single-handedly making Earth an enemy of the entire universe.

And now he's left this mess to Chaldea, so he might as well just die.

Now Dr. Roman asked him what to do.

He couldn't offer any good solutions either.

If it were about dismantling Chaldeas, then he could indeed find a way to end it all.

However, this choice can be made by anyone within Chaldea, but he, as an outsider, has no right to make it.

Whether humanity chooses to dismantle Chaldeas and continue facing an uncertain future, or continues to be an enemy of the entire universe, seizing cosmic energy and more resources, it is their own choice.

But no matter what choice is made, humans must bear the consequences of their choices.

So when Daybit asked him which side he was on, Rovey answered that...

He doesn't take sides.

Let the planets decide for themselves.

Whether or Chaldea should dismantle Chaldeas is a decision for the Chaldea personnel to make.

Whether other planets continue to attack Earth is their business.

But he needs some time.

The Alien God has been temporarily banished, and the star god conceived by Chaldeas will not emerge for a while. The Fantasy Tree has not yet had time to absorb cosmic energy, so there is still plenty of time. Therefore, he asked other planets to give Earth some time to make their own decisions and consider the matter carefully.

He wouldn't care about what happened after that.

This is a war between planets and civilizations, and the wrong side is already quite obvious.

He is not some red giant who loves life, and at this moment he would unconditionally spoil humanity. Moreover, the humans in the Type-Moon World do not deserve such spoiling.

Therefore, all Rovey could do was buy them some time and opportunity; the rest was up to them to decide.

Daybit was extremely grateful for this.

Although Rovey's decision still leans somewhat towards humanity, it represents the greatest possible concession and offers hope to life on other planets.

He is now waiting for Chaldea's reply.

If he refuses, Chaldea can kill him, but the beings of the Dark Star will report what Earth has done to all intelligent races in the known universe.

Soon, Foreigner like him will also travel to Earth at all costs to thwart their plans.

Therefore, it is now up to Chaldea to make the decision.

Seeing that Dr. Roman was almost suffocating from the pressure, Rovey patted him on the shoulder and then asked him seriously:

Are you struggling with what to do?

"Yes, no one could remain so calm in this situation."

"I'm really torn," Dr. Roman said helplessly.

"It's normal to be conflicted, but Dr. Roman, are you reluctant to give up the resources of the universe? Or are you worried that without Chaldeas, this World Line might be rewritten?"

Rovey continued to ask.

"This is completely obvious, isn't it? Cosmic resources are utterly insignificant. While obtaining them could help humanity advance into space at breakneck speed and achieve a leap in civilization, acquiring power that doesn't belong to humanity too early means humanity won't be able to control it."

"Although I'd love to say very casually, let's destroy Chaldeas and Chaldea."

Dr. Roman shook his head, then sighed and replied, "But with all the trouble Marisbury Animusphere has caused, I don't even need to think to know what kind of mess our World Line has become. Chaldeas connected to Earth, and once that connection is severed, this World Line will likely be subject to the world's judgment. If it's severed, what will happen to everyone...?"

"How is it?"

This is what he is worried about.

As Solomon once knew, cosmic resources were something that, even if obtained, might be more of a curse than a blessing for humanity, so there was no need to consider them.

However, this particular ruling concerns everyone's future, and he truly cannot make a decision on it.

Even Solomon couldn't accurately predict every change in the future, let alone the fact that the entire World Line is currently stuck at this point.

Without Chaldeas's protection of Human Order in this world, their World Line would likely be judged, and he couldn't predict what would happen then.

"I see..."

Upon hearing this answer, Rovey didn't say anything, but simply patted Roman on the shoulder. He knew exactly what kind of pressure Roman was under right now.

However, although he, as an outsider, couldn't help him with this problem, he could still offer him a suggestion.

"Go for a walk, Dr. Roman."

Dr. Roman: "Huh?"

"Instead of agonizing over it alone, why not seek everyone's opinion? Some things don't need to be borne by yourself. Why not ask others? Chaldea isn't just about you, is it?"

Rovey patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, whatever choice you make in the end, I'll clean up the mess for you."

This was a guarantee he gave to Roman.

Although it's unclear whether he believed it, after saying these words, Rovey got up and left.

On that day, Roman, with a heavy heart, gathered all the Chaldea employees together, preparing to explain this bitter choice to everyone.

When the Chaldea employees, who were busy collecting the bodies of the Oprichniki on the snowy mountain, were summoned, they thought it was going to be a celebration banquet or some kind of commendation meeting. But Dr. Roman's opening remarks were earth-shattering.

So much so that the Clock Tower Lord, who rushed over to offer his condolences, and the other envoys from the magical organizations were all completely dumbfounded.

What does --

[It might not be long before many Ultra Inhabitants (UOs) and Foreigner begin to visit Earth and destroy it?]

Did I wander onto the wrong movie set?

Will red giants descend upon Earth again to fight for them at this point?

Everyone who heard the news initially dismissed it as a joke by Dr. Roman, until Marisbury Animusphere's affair was exposed, at which point everyone's expressions turned sour.

Upon hearing this, Tzvia, the acting dean of the Atlas Institute, clapped his hands and praised him as a true genius.

No, he's a madman.

As a researcher, he certainly knew that this was far more important than reaching the Root.

This is a direct method of cursing the universe to elevate Earth, a weak planet in the universe, to a dominant position.

This also explains why Trismegistus Hermes, could not see Earth's future.

So that's where the problem lies.

However, in his view, although the plan was comprehensive, some parts of it were somewhat unrealistic.

The key is this "Replacement Magecraft".

The first step is to seal off the universe, elevate Chaldeas's sphere to Earth, Earth to the universe, and the universe to the Outer Universe, thereby eliminating the threat from humanity and Pruning Phenomenon.

The second step, Universe Replacement: combining the World Egg Theory with the geocentric model. Earth (the new universe) envelops Chaldea Sphere (the new Earth), and all resources of the original universe are replaced and contained within Earth (the new universe). Result—all resources of the original universe belong to Chaldea Sphere (the new Earth).

That is, "Human Order Safeguard" that eliminates all threats.

The theory is excellent, even reaching the level of some Fifth Magic.

But could a simple Magecraft from a weak planet really be that effective?

Nobody knows for sure, but Marisbury Animusphere is definitely gambling.

We're gambling with the whole world and all of humanity.

In their view, humanity hasn't even fully ventured beyond Earth yet, but they're already aiming to become the dominant species in the universe.

That's utterly wishful thinking.

Taking such big steps, aren't you afraid of tearing your balls?

Now, they don't know if the plan will succeed, but it's certain that other planets have approached them.

Tesla could foresee a new ending.

Once he gets back, he can start writing a new journal entry. The ending for Moon Coral is even more outrageous than the predicted Steel Earth – it's practically Star Wars!

And what are the odds of humanity winning?

Zero.

A battle where Earth is at odds with the entire universe is an impossible one to win.

So, a decision has to be made now.

But has the key issue been resolved?

How to solve this?

Nobody knows what to do right now.

But they have to make a decision.

If we're even a second late, aliens from all over the universe will be coming.

Later, some people also thought of Rovey, hoping that this being from the realm of gods could give them some guidance.

However, Roman said that the other party would not interfere this time. He left and did not know when he would return, leaving the decision to everyone present.

This caused Chaldea, and the entire Magecraft world that knew about it, to ponder deeply.

Do they make the decisions?

Making decisions on such a cosmic-level event?

Is it true or not?

For Magus in the Magecraft world, although they might consider Marisbury Animusphere's plan to be insane, they also have to admit that if it succeeds, the Earth will truly leap forward.

However, they need to consider whether Earth can withstand the immense pressure of space.

For Chaldea, this choice was even more bitter.

The once benevolent savior of Earth has suddenly become an enemy of the universe. This change in stance is a huge blow to Ritsuka.

And according to Dr. Roman...

If the Fantasy Tree were to fall to the ground, it would take root on Earth, absorbing cosmic energy and forming Lostbelt until it is severed. And the one who would be severed would undoubtedly be Chaldea. It can be said that if this secret had not been discovered in advance, Chaldea would have become the enemy of the universe without any doubt, and there would be no turning back.

Dr. Roman now apologizes to everyone.

He should have made this decision himself and not dragged everyone into bearing the truth, but he couldn't decide this future alone, so in the end he chose to let everyone vote.

Whether it's the Mage's Association or Chaldea, everyone present has the right to vote and decide what should be done in the future. Whatever decision is made is justifiable. Everyone is anonymous, and the final decision will be made by proportion.

Although this method seems weak and utterly absurd, it is indeed the best approach.

No one objected.

So that afternoon, everyone present wrote down their choice on a special test strip.

And in the end, the result was...

Selflessness triumphed over selfishness.

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents agreed to dismantle Chaldeas.

Whether it was the employees of Chaldea or the vast majority of the Mage's Association, they all ultimately gave the same answer.

This result was actually not unexpected.

If the vast majority of Chaldea acted out of conscience and kindness, then the other Magus did so out of self-preservation.

Although this choice might very well result in a judgment that, like Roman's Lostbelt, is seen as history of the losers, isn't there still hope?

After all, the fallen "Fantasy Tree" has been destroyed, and even if they wanted to continue that plan, it wouldn't be possible in the short term.

Compared to facing countless alien invasions and becoming Magus fodder in a war on Earth, the other option at least offers hope of survival. They might be judged, but it's not certain they will be judged; perhaps everything can still turn around. They simply chose the option with a greater chance of survival.