Chapter 384

"Great! With the amulet you gave me, Rita, I'll definitely come back safely."

The two Valkyrie strolled along the deserted street. Although they both believed that they would keep their promises to each other, walking side by side like this... they would never get tired of it, no matter how many times they did it.

"Well then Durandal, I'll leave you here. I need to go and complete my mission now."

At the bridge, Rita stopped and bowed. The communicator reminded her that she should stop that team. The final battle for Black Rose was about to begin.

"I understand, but Rita, after all, we'll be spending time together in the future, so please don't ruin our relationship."

Durandal, looking dashing, gave Rita a few words of advice and then turned and left with a flourish. Rita smiled slightly at this. When did she become such a wooden person like Durandal, giving her such instructions? Rita was quite confident in building a good relationship; this was no problem at all.

"Don't worry, Durandal, Miss Bronya and I actually get along very well."

They're gone... Good thing they're gone, good thing they're gone.

Watching the Class President and Kiana gradually disappear, Shen Gonglin sighed and prepared to return to the Hyperion. Kiana and Bronya had both gone on missions, and now she was the only one with nothing to do. Theresa and the others were busy with their work and didn't need her help. She was probably the most idle person right now.

All this talk about being flexible and on Shen Gonglin just makes me feel like I'm just sitting here doing nothing. They say they're waiting for a dangerous situation to arise so they can use the power of the Herrscher of the Void to quickly provide support, Shen Gonglin I know how hard those girls work. Even if they encounter difficulties, they'll probably choose to overcome them on their own. So Shen Gonglin now, I'm really bored.

I really hope something happens soon.

Although it was really wrong, the thought suddenly popped into Shen Gonglin's mind. After all, this guy's personality was such that he was always looking for trouble, and she couldn't let the Doctor and the others know about it.

"Hey, isn't that the new bishop? Help me... come help me quickly, your most loyal subordinate has come to join you."

Just then, a familiar-sounding voice came from nearby. Shen Gonglin looked over in surprise and saw Nagamitsu carrying a large bundle Changguang moving with difficulty towards them. She said she wanted to find a safe place to take refuge, and after thinking it over, the Hyperion was the safest place.

Chapter 149

"You... you two, what are you doing?"

Upon hearing Changguang's voice, Shen Gonglin went to greet him. After Changguang over, she discovered that the saintess was accompanied by a white figure. Shen Gonglin remembered that her name was Amber... Wasn't she Otto's secretary? Why was she with Changguang? Could it be... that she also wanted to become a traitor?

"Because the bishop's plan has already begun, and because of my previous aid to the Hyperion, I was fired, and so was Miss Amber. So we thought we'd come together. Your Excellency, could you please take in your two poor subordinates?"

Amber remained silent, but Changguang spoke up first. Shen Gonglin didn't quite believe her statement. It seemed a bit illogical to fire someone for something like this. Otto should have known about Changguang's traitorous behavior all along, yet he chose to fire her at this time. This reason was something to ponder.

"Really, I promise, that's how it is. If you don't believe me, I swear on my year's salary. I overheard Miss Rita and Durandal talking about it by chance. Your Excellency, you're short of money, aren't you? As the director of the research institute, my salary is quite high. You can't lose out no matter what."

Changguang stood at attention and saluted Shen Gonglin. Shen Gonglin didn't have much to say about it. Anyway, she was already here, and she had helped a lot during the Herrscher experiment collision. It was better to leave this kind of thing to Theresa to decide. Shen Gonglin was really not good at it.

"I still can't quite trust you. You should go find Theresa. I don't care about this kind of thing."

Unlike his usual closeness to other girls, Shen Gonglin Changguang had interacted with Nagamitsu before, but for some reason, he just couldn't get close to her this time. He waved his hand and left on his own, leaving Shen Gonglin Changguang Amber standing there. Changguang's face stiffened, not expecting Shen Gonglin to have this attitude. How could it be like this...?

"Director Changguang, it seems that the new bishop is not as approachable and easy to get along with as the intelligence said. I suppose that makes sense. As far as I know, even Lady Durandal had a rather long period of coldness with the new bishop. The specific reason... seems to be that at a crucial moment, Durandal chose to stand on the bishop's side."

Amber spoke calmly, and upon hearing her words, Changguang suddenly felt a pang of unease, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The usually carefree director was now shrouded in gloom. He shouldn't have noticed anything, but this attitude—was it his intuition?

"Never mind, let's go find Theresa first."

Without saying much, Changguang walked into the Hyperion with his luggage, realizing that his future days would not be easy. He had gotten along quite well with Shen Gonglin before, so why did this guy suddenly change his attitude? Just as he had said earlier, did he no longer want to believe in himself?

"Hey, I just heard from Changguang that you didn't seem very welcoming of their arrival. What's going on?"

Shen Gonglin sat on the bridge, lost in thought. His mind was filled with Kiana's proposal. Compared to the current crisis at Kolosten, he felt that this matter was more important. No matter how he thought about it, it felt like Kiana was setting a flag, declaring that she would come back to marry him after this war was over... He was a little worried about her.

Just then, a voice came from behind. Tesla and Theresa came to Shen Gonglin's side. Changguang had already met with them and had subtly mentioned Shen Gonglin's attitude, which surprised the two of them. Putting aside everything else, Changguang a very beautiful girl. It was indeed surprising that Shen Gonglin, with her social skills, would not get along with her. So Tesla and Theresa came to see Shen Gonglin to check on the situation.

"It's nothing... Maybe it's because Kiana said those nonsense things to me before, so I'm a little flustered right now, and that's why I might have been a bit impulsive when talking to others. Tesla and Theresa, you don't need to take this to heart. Just do what you want."

Unexpectedly, his attitude had such an impact. Shen Gonglin quickly explained that his thoughts were just unfounded intuition, and it would be wrong if he caused any problems between them.

"What? So it was just you overthinking things. You should have said so earlier. I almost arranged for someone to monitor the two of them, but thankfully I didn't... Hey, stop overthinking. Theresa is right, you're still too young for this kind of thing."

Tesla, Einstein, and Einstein all took Shen Gonglin's words to heart. After learning of his attitude, Tesla, Einstein, and Theresa all decided to follow his ideas. It was good that they came to confirm it now, otherwise there would definitely be some problems. Although Shen Gonglin is like a mascot, both the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy attach great importance to Shen Gonglin's decision.

Seeing the guy's troubled look, Tesla plopped down next to him and comforted him. He was like a clueless guy afraid of marriage, and she wasn't panicking, so why was Shen Gonglin panicking?

"Yeah, Shen Gonglin, you don't need to think so much. I'll teach Kiana a lesson when Kiana gets back. Honestly, she's so young and already doing bad things. What nonsense are you thinking about? Don't overthink it."

Theresa sat down on the other side of Shen Gonglin. With their comfort, Shen Gonglin did feel much more relaxed. Anyway, no one was forcing her. Kiana had said that even if she refused... If she really refused, that girl would probably get angry and attack her directly. Sigh, she was still a little flustered.

"Alright, Bronya has already sent the first coordinates. The Doctor and I are going to install the Spartacus System. Shen Gonglin, why don't you come with us too? Consider it a good way to relax."

Seeing that Shen Gonglin still looked listless, Theresa suggested that Shen Gonglin would be cuter if she were more lively. Shen Gonglin perked up at this suggestion, agreeing that sitting there made her feel like she was turning into a mushroom. Shen Gonglin decided to go for a walk with Theresa and the others to clear her head.

Maybe you'll suddenly figure it out.

Chapter 150 What a Bishop Should Do

"Phew, all done. Thanks to Bronya and the others for cleaning up this area. Now we just have to wait for the Spartacus System to cover this area, so Otto's dominion won't be able to affect this place... Hey, you two, what were you doing while I was working hard?"

Putting down the wrench, Tesla, the engineering whiz, looked at the equipment in front of her with satisfaction. As expected of her, the installation went very smoothly. Just as she was about to boast to her entourage, she noticed that Shen Gonglin and Theresa weren't paying attention to her. What were they looking at?

"Tesla, look, there seem to be a lot of civilians over there, and it looks like there's even Valkyrie unit."

Leaning on the railing, Shen Gonglin pointed to the people in the distant square. This town wasn't completely deserted. As the former headquarters of Schicksal, it still had some residents and ordinary Schicksal staff. To maintain such a large organization, Valkyrie alone were not enough.

"Oh, they must be the original inhabitants of this town. But they've really had a tough time. I heard they were evacuated to the nearby mountains just yesterday, but Otto's puppets brought them back. This is quite important. Just in case, we should make proper arrangements for them as soon as possible. Whether it's going back five hundred years or turning into a battlefield, most people can't handle this kind of ordeal."

Although he had previously acted as a proponent of war, Tesla could not simply stand by and do nothing when he saw these civilians in front of him. He could not let them stay here any longer. He should take advantage of the time and evacuate them as soon as possible.

"That's right. Although those puppets say that people are not allowed to move around, they don't seem to be using violence to control them right now. I think we should take this opportunity to gather people in a safer area or go to the Hyperion for a while."

Theresa considered things much more. While Shen Gonglin might not have accepted the identity of the Bishop of Schicksal yet, Theresa had already come to terms with it, or perhaps it had nothing to do with the position. Theresa's perspective was quite different.

"You two Bishop of Schicksal handle this kind of thing. After all, this is the old headquarters of Schicksal, and it's more appropriate for you two to take charge of the unification of the common people. This will also help build momentum for you two as successors to the bishop position... Haha, just kidding. You two go ahead, I still need to continue adjusting the equipment."

Tesla told a lame joke that no one laughed at, then waved his hand. It must be quite boring for him to stay here debugging the equipment. Shen Gonglin was in a bad mood, so he suggested that Theresa take him out to cheer him up.

Theresa nodded, and then she led Shen Gonglin there to spend time alone with him... It seemed like she had never had such an opportunity before. Looking at the nonchalant Shen Gonglin beside her, Theresa took the initiative to start a conversation. She couldn't let him feel that being with other people was more interesting than being with her.

"Speaking of which, these ordinary people don't seem to realize the danger of the situation yet. Evacuating them will probably not be an easy task. Perhaps this is also Otto's plan to use the people as hostages to buy us time."

Unable to think of any interesting topics, Theresa could only discuss the current situation with Shen Gonglin. She was really bad at talking; looking at her niece Kiana, that girl dared to say she was married, while she could only talk about such things. It was so embarrassing.

"Perhaps... But Headmaster, you don't need to force yourself to hate Otto so much. To us, he's a completely bad person, but to you, Headmaster, he should be considered your only family. Besides, you're from the Apocalypse family and the next Vice-Bishop of Schicksal. The residents here should listen to you to some extent."

Shen Gonglin casually remarked, and his words surprised Theresa. She never expected Shen Gonglin to say such a thing. She had always felt that Shen Gonglin was carefree, but now she realized that he knew everything, he just never showed it.

"It can't be considered my only family... There's Kiana, and you... and all of you, right? Don't worry, I'm very clear about it. Although Otto is my grandfather, that doesn't affect my opinion of him. I can tell how many good and bad things he's done. Besides, you are the next bishop of Schicksal, and I'm just your deputy. So, Your Excellency, you'll have to do this kind of work yourself."

Feeling a little embarrassed to say these words, Theresa quickly changed the subject. Although she didn't know why her grandfather announced that Shen Gonglin would succeed as the Archbishop, Theresa had her own reasons for appointing her as the Vice-Archbishop. After all, Shen Gonglin didn't have the support of his family. Perhaps the high-end combat force of Schicksal and some of the Valkyrie units would be willing to obey his orders, but other departments might not be so. Therefore, he needed the support of Theresa, the current head of the Apocalypse family. Theresa would definitely do her best to assist Shen Gonglin in taking over Schicksal. The old system needed to be abolished.

"So I still feel this kind of thing is very troublesome. How about this, the bishop will just be a figurehead. On the surface, I will be the bishop, and the specific decisions will be left to Theresa. I trust you, and I entrust this country to you."

It was indeed a good time to relax with Theresa. Shen Gonglin even had the energy to joke around. He patted Theresa on the shoulder and pointed around, making it seem like an emperor preparing to abdicate was talking to his crown prince.

"Haha, Your Majesty, the harem cannot interfere in politics. I can only assist you; the real decisions must be made by you."

Theresa was amused by Shen Gonglin's behavior. This guy was really just a mascot at heart. Did he really want to be a hands-off boss? Too bad, he couldn't. This guy was very smart, but he just didn't want to use his brain. Theresa couldn't let him run wild. Letting Fu Hua teach him was a mistake. Look what she'd done to him. This time, Theresa was going to do it herself.

What?! The harem can't interfere in politics? What nonsense is Theresa spouting? This statement is completely inappropriate here. Theresa's position... should be more like that of a prime minister.

"Headmaster, that's not right. It should be..."

Shen Gonglin wanted to correct Theresa, but Theresa had already run ahead with her short legs.

"Hurry up, Shen Gonglin, come here right now. Stop talking nonsense and get the crowd dispersed."

Chapter 151 The Difficulties of Taking Over

"... The evacuation of the crowd seems to be a little difficult. I didn't know that people could become so hard of hearing as they get older. It's really a headache."

After most of the people had been evacuated, Theresa and Shen Gonglin sat on a bench to rest. Feeling exhausted, the headmistress no longer cared about her image as the headmistress. She placed her white-stockinged legs on Shen Gonglin's lap and asked him to massage her. She had heard from Einstein that Shen Gonglin's massage skills were excellent, and the headmistress hadn't even experienced it herself. Wasn't that a bit too much?

So today Theresa feels she needs to really experience it.

"It's indeed a bit difficult to evacuate this group. Only by revealing our identities can we have any effect. Otto's prestige among these people... is indeed a bit of a problem."

While massaging Theresa, Shen Gonglin discussed the current issues with her. The Schicksal staff and the town's residents had a high opinion of Otto. They didn't know what Otto had done during the Manhattan incident, the Second Honkai, and the floating island incident a year ago. In their minds, the Bishop of Schicksal was a prestigious and positive figure, a person who dared to take responsibility, quell disasters, and was generous.

"Besides these issues... there's something even more important. Perhaps it's because I've been at the Far East Branch for too long, and also because of your name, Shen Gonglin... Although they didn't say it, I could see the embarrassment in their hearts. Maybe our names are influential among the Schicksal high command and the high-ranking Valkyrie units, but for the residents of the town, or even the staff under Schicksal, the names Shen Gonglin and Theresa are really unfamiliar."

The massage on her legs felt really good, Theresa couldn't help but lean back on the armrest of the chair and straighten her toes. Realizing this, Theresa felt a little heavy-hearted. She didn't expect to have much influence over others; Theresa would only do what she thought was right. But the problem now was that Otto had appointed her and Shen Gonglin as the next bishops.

Given the former bishop's prestige, and considering the impressions of these people on herself and Shen Gonglin... coupled with their image, it's likely that in the eyes of others, Shen Gonglin and she are merely the bishop's pampered granddaughter and grandson-in-law.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't Theresa's statement. She overheard people talking about how she became the Theresa because she was the granddaughter of the Apocalypse family, while Shen Gonglin... married into the family.

Sigh, I hope he didn't hear me, otherwise, knowing his temper, he would definitely hit someone.

"That's true. In their eyes, you were once S-rank Valkyrie and ran a Valkyrie Academy; but a year ago, for some unknown reason, you betrayed the bishop himself and led the Far East Branch to break away from the Schicksal. Now, their bishop has put aside past grievances and just said he would pass the bishop's position to you, and you flew back without stopping. If I didn't know the truth, I would probably think that you had been coveting this position for a long time and couldn't wait for Otto to resign and retire."

After finishing the calf massage, Shen Gonglin casually took off Theresa's shoes and started massaging her feet. What he said wasn't unfounded; those in the lower ranks of Schicksal probably thought the same thing. Shen Gonglin's words made Theresa very indignant, as if she was the only one being misunderstood. She had overheard a lot of things earlier.

In their conversations, she was portrayed as a foolish granddaughter of a wealthy landowner who didn't care about selling off his family's land, while Shen Gonglin was depicted as a cunning and scheming person using her foolishness to seize the Apocalypse family's fortune. They even said that sooner or later, Shen Gonglin would kick her "old and faded" self aside and marry a young and beautiful concubine...

Theresa was very familiar with this plot; wasn't this the plot of those long, tedious prime-time dramas that Shen Gonglin liked to watch?

If she weren't afraid of making Shen Gonglin angry, she would have told him long ago.

"This conclusion... is truly irrefutable. Although it may be a bit hurtful, it is indeed true that the authority of the Bishop of Schicksal comes from the people's familiarity, affirmation, and trust. How to establish authority and unite the diverse personnel and people under the Schicksal banner is also something that the next bishop should do. The game of power is not the right of the game... Shen Gonglin, I don't want to hear someone talking behind our backs on our second day in office."

Theresa sighed, watching her little feet being kneaded and squeezed by Shen Gonglin. Theresa finally understood why Einstein had boasted so much about how amazing Shen Gonglin's massages were... Speaking of which, when did he take off her shoes? Oh well, it doesn't matter.

"So it's all up to you, Theresa, to keep going. Don't worry, you can definitely do it."

Shen Gonglin raised her fist to cheer Theresa on. This indifferent attitude made the headmaster roll her eyes speechlessly. It was as if she was the only one with a problem. Shen Gonglin was the Archbishop... But whatever, in those people's eyes, she, the silly granddaughter of a rich family, and Shen Gonglin were already one. As long as she did well, Shen Gonglin's reputation wouldn't be a problem.

"You have to keep going too, we can't leave you all alone... To be honest, I've been struggling with this a lot these past few days. I don't know if we can shoulder the responsibility of being bishops. But after what happened this afternoon, I realized that this kind of thinking is just passive escapism. I just want to escape a position that brings me pain. But on the other hand, this is also a rare opportunity. It allows me to better protect my students, and many other children their age."

At this point, Theresa closed her eyes slightly as if she was gathering some emotions. Such a heavy burden might indeed be very stressful if she were alone, but she was not alone. She was the vice-bishop, while Shen Gonglin the bishop. Although this bishop might not be very reliable, as long as he was here, Theresa felt reassured. This was probably why her grandfather would let her and Shen Gonglin take over the position of bishop together.

"Indeed, with our current prestige and reputation, we are certainly not capable of effectively leading and uniting the people here. But that is not a reason to give up. I have decided to make ourselves into bishops different from my grandfather. I will take the time to prove this to others through my actions. This is what I should be doing now."

Chapter 152 Don't Dislike Me

"Well said. The headmaster is indeed worthy of being the headmaster. I have a newfound respect for you."

Shen Gonglin applauded Theresa, but his actions made the white-haired loli blush. She had already said that this was not just her own business. As the Archbishop, Shen Gonglin also had to work hard. What if her reputation as an Associate Archbishop surpassed that of the Archbishop?

Aren't you afraid of insubordination? Oh, I almost forgot, it seems that the tradition of the Taixu Sword School is insubordination, so Shen Gonglin may actually be used to it.

"No need to look at us with new eyes! You have to come along too. The people here are not difficult to communicate with; they just don't know us yet. Since we have nothing else to do right now, let's start with simple little things and genuinely solve some of the problems they face. I think that way, in a few hours, they will naturally start to trust us!"

With that in mind, Theresa stood on the chair, clenched her fist, and said energetically, "This is the best way at this stage. Although it may not be very efficient, it's something we have to do."

"Alright, Theresa, you go ahead. I'll lie here for a bit and find a place to wash my hands."

Shen Gonglin waved to Theresa. Looking at his hands, Theresa blushed slightly. Just now, these were the hands that had been touching her legs and feet... But what did Shen Gonglin mean by saying he was going to wash his hands?

Is he disgusted with himself? His feet don't smell at all!

"What do you mean 'hurry up'? This is something we have to do together. Come on... help me put my shoes on... What are you looking at? You took them off, so you're responsible for putting them back on!"

Theresa put her hands on her hips and said arrogantly, "No wonder Kiana usually likes to be so willful in front of Shen Gonglin. It's really fun to be willful." Seeing him helplessly putting on her shoes, the future vice-bishop felt a great sense of accomplishment. "Hmph, on the surface I am the vice-bishop, but in private I still have to massage her feet and put on her shoes."

She wasn't some foolish daughter of a landlord; she wouldn't be swindled out of her family fortune and then kicked out of the house.

"Ah, but I want to wash my hands... Hey, isn't Amber over there? Why don't you ask Amber to help you? She's definitely more capable than me."

Shen Gonglin's face fell. He had never heard of having to do this kind of thing after becoming a bishop. Shen Gonglin thought that he only needed to sit at the highest position and give orders. Who knew that he would have to do so many troublesome things now? He might as well let Theresa be the bishop.

"Don't wash your hands! They're not dirty. If you don't believe me, smell them. They're probably quite fragrant... Hey! Why are you actually smelling them? Come on over and get to work. Call Amber to help too. She used to be Grandpa's secretary. Working with us will definitely make things much easier."

Pulling hard on Shen Gonglin, Theresa led him into "community service," since they would be bishops in the future and everyone needed to know about them.

"Waaaaah! Screw this damn piece of junk! It's so hard to take care of. I just replaced one part and it broke right away. What the hell is this?!"

After performing a series of community services, Shen Gonglin and Theresa suddenly heard a string of profanities that needed to be silenced. With such unrestrained language and boundless energy, it was obvious who was throwing a tantrum without even going over. Dr. Tesla was as energetic as ever today.

"Um... Dr. Tesla, it seems you've run into a little trouble here?"

Theresa, along with Shen Gonglin and Amber, approached hesitantly. Tesla turned around upon hearing the sound, intending to greet Theresa and Shen Gonglin, but her gaze suddenly fell on Amber's face. She recognized the woman; she was Otto's secretary, his henchman.

"Hello, Dr. Tesla."

Stared at silently by Dr. Lobster Head, Amber greeted her first, and then an eerie silence fell between them. Amber was already prepared for this development, after all, just a few hours ago, she was Lord Otto's secretary and had a deep-seated hatred for Anti-Entropy.

"... Alright, alright, since you're here, might as well make the best of it. Come on over and give me a hand... What's with that look on your face that makes me want to get angry at you? Don't think too much about it, getting to work is the priority."

Tesla's reaction was unexpected. The hot-tempered female doctor didn't fire a tirade at Amber, which surprised the secretary. She was prepared to be scolded mercilessly, but Tesla's current gentle and pleasant attitude... Was Dr. Tesla possessed?