Otto, an old friend of Fu Hua's and an active archaeologist of the Previous Civilization, knew very well that there had been other pioneers in the Previous Civilization. And if those people wanted to carry out their plans, they would inevitably have founded organizations.
"Looks like the storm is coming..."
Looking out at the night beyond the window, Otto murmured with a sigh. Yet his gaze remained calm as water, quietly reflecting the starry sky outside.
As Otto gazed into the night sky, far away over the Sea of Okhotsk in the east, the world was at its darkest hour before dawn. Rain poured down in torrents, and flashes of lightning occasionally illuminated the pea-sized raindrops in the sky.
Beneath that torrential rain, a human experiment Otto had anticipated was underway in a laboratory belonging to a radical faction of Anti-Entropy.
However, the experiment was clearly not progressing well—
"Brain damage rate: 8%... The Experimental Subject's amygdala has been damaged!
"The emotional circuitry has suffered severe damage!"
Amid the piercing alarms, researchers' tense reports echoed through the room.
At the center of the laboratory, a beautiful blonde woman in a military coat wore an ugly expression. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails had dug into her flesh. Bright red blood slowly dripped down, staining the floor beneath her feet.
Today, she had already lost one daughter. She had disappointed another daughter so thoroughly that the girl had even threatened her with death, forcing her to resume the experiment.
And now, it seemed she was about to lose another daughter.
At that moment, boundless regret weighed on the woman's chest like a mountain, making it nearly impossible for her to breathe.
Cocolia: I Can't Do Anything!
But even though she had realized that she should not have rushed into the experiment, it was already too late—
Forcibly ending the experiment would only directly result in the Experimental Subject's death.
Right now... she could do nothing!
Just then, a blinding light suddenly erupted, causing the blonde woman to instinctively raise an arm to shield her eyes.
A moment later, the intense light faded. Realizing that something had gone wrong, the blonde woman still did not dare lower her arm—
She was afraid that once she did, she would see her daughter's corpse.
"Ah..."
"This is..."
Though the blonde woman did not lower her hand, the other researchers immediately looked ahead after the light faded, then let out involuntary cries of surprise.
"Lady Cocolia..."
The surprised, even terrified voices reaching her ears only made the blonde woman's uneasy heart grow more anxious.
Still, she was one of the great warlords of this frozen land. She could not show weakness before her subordinates. The blonde woman took a deep breath, slowly lowered her arm, and looked up, only to see a sight that made her eyes widen instinctively—
The experimental chamber she had imagined shattered across the floor was still completely intact, and the gray-haired girl inside had not been harmed in any way.
Outside the chamber, a gigantic, bizarre robot that had appeared at some unknown time was half-embracing it, as though hugging the girl inside.
"What... is that!?"
A researcher nearby muttered instinctively, snapping Cocolia back to her senses. She tried her best to conceal the shock on her face—
As a warlord, Cocolia knew very well how important it was to maintain her authority before her subordinates.
At the same time, an unusual glint appeared in Cocolia's eyes as she looked at the bizarre robot that had suddenly appeared.
"Lady Cocolia, the experiment has been terminated!"
Having recovered his senses, a researcher checked the readings and immediately exclaimed in delight.
"Then hurry up and let Bronya out!"
Upon hearing that, Cocolia's face lit up with joy as she shouted sharply.
"Yes!"
Startled into trembling, the researcher answered loudly and hurriedly began operating the computer.
Soon, the liquid in the chamber drained away and the chamber opened. Bronya, wearing only a specially made experimental suit, sat collapsed at the bottom with her eyes closed.
Cocolia wanted to step forward and pick Bronya up, but the giant hand of the bizarre robot that had appeared for no apparent reason stopped her.
The black muzzle on the robot's left hand was pointed directly at Cocolia, making no effort to conceal its hostility.
Under the threat of that cannon muzzle, Cocolia had no choice but to stop. Frowning at the seemingly sentient robot, she said:
"I'm Bronya's mother. She's injured right now and needs treatment!"
However, the bizarre robot did not react at all to Cocolia's words. Its eyes stared coldly at her, its cannon still aimed at her head, making the researchers behind her break out in a cold sweat for the woman who paid their wages.
Fortunately, before the conflict could escalate, a flat voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation broke the awkward tension—
"Heavy-Duty Rabbit, lower your weapon. This is... Mother Cocolia..."
"..."
Upon receiving the order, Heavy-Duty Rabbit obediently lowered its giant hand and cannon.
Seeing Bronya awaken, Cocolia's face immediately filled with delight—
"Bronya, you're finally awake!
"You scared Mommy to death..."
With the obstacle before her gone, Cocolia threw her arms around the silver-gray-haired girl with Roman curls who sat collapsed inside the chamber, putting on quite a display of motherly affection.
Yet no matter how Cocolia vented her emotions, Bronya's expression did not change in the slightest, as if the person holding her was a stranger.
However, the researchers had no interest in their boss's family affairs.
Compared to that, the robot called Heavy-Duty Rabbit drew far more of their attention.
What no one noticed was that after calming down somewhat, Cocolia looked at Heavy-Duty Rabbit with an expression much like the researchers'...
A minor incident involving one branch of Anti-Entropy's radical faction, which grew as wildly as weeds, naturally would not attract the attention of Otto, the Destiny Bishop who controlled nearly the entire world.
Compared to those cockroaches only fit to hide in the shadows, there were far more matters in this world that required his attention.
For example, digging into that underground organization founded by some unknown pioneer—an organization whose name, location, and earth-shattering plan remained unknown.
However, Otto also knew that since the other side had managed to remain hidden throughout human history until now, exposing them would never be accomplished overnight. It would require enormous manpower and resources.
So Otto merely cast out his net and quietly waited for the moment to reel it in.
Therefore, compared to World Serpent, whose whereabouts were unknown, Otto was currently more concerned about Gwen, who had been staying in the hospital for a week.
More precisely, Otto, the Lord Bishop of Destiny, was currently happily surfing the community under an alt account, taking part in every topic related to Gwen—
A week had passed, and the news that Gwen and You Lan Dai Er had joined forces to kill Ganesha with almost no losses had become common knowledge at Destiny Headquarters.
Thanks to the convenience of online information sharing and someone's indulgence, the news had even spread to every branch.
The direct result was that Gwen, who had previously only been somewhat well-known at headquarters, had now become famous throughout all of Destiny.
After all, outstanding military achievements, a rare male identity, and several handsome candid photos taken at some unknown time made it difficult not to attract the attention of girls in the throes of adolescence.
Moreover, well-informed people on the community forums had already spread the word that Lord Bishop himself had praised Gwen, saying he would become the first S-rank Destiny Knight since the Valkyrie rating system had been established—
Several centuries ago, when Honkai Energy levels were far weaker than they were in the modern era, and even deadwalkers could not yet be born, the two vital metrics of Honkai Energy resistance and Honkai Energy adaptability had not been clearly proposed or valued. Apart from the Valkyrie forces, which had already begun to show their brilliance, Destiny's knightly forces were also a main force against the Honkai.
The Caslana family, praised at the time as the "Shield of the People," was likewise renowned as a family of knights.
But as the times changed and the Honkai grew stronger, Honkai Energy resistance became increasingly important. Men, who had a lower chance of possessing high Honkai Energy resistance, gradually withdrew from the battlefield against the Honkai.
As a result, the title "Destiny Knight" had not been mentioned for a very long time.
If it had not still been brought up in history lessons, many younger-generation Valkyries would probably have wondered what Gwen's profession should even be called.
Anna: I Will Become a Valkyrie Who Can Stand on Her Own!
In related discussions, Gwen's highly recognizable white hair and blue eyes, along with the strength he displayed that far surpassed his rating, also reminded some "veterans" who had survived Cecilia's era of that glorious time.
As events from ten or twenty years ago were brought up, certain rumors gradually began to spread, such as—
Gwen might be a Caslana descendant living outside the family!
Caslana was a surname that, to the vast majority of younger Valkyries, existed only in history textbooks and in praise of Kallen Caslana, the greatest Saintess in Destiny's history. Yet it now seemed to step out of those books and enter reality in the flesh—
Because of the rebellion and disappointing conduct of the Caslana family's previous heir, the Caslana name was no longer as resounding in Destiny's combat ranks as it had been decades ago.
Though Siegfried, who had run away from home in his early years, later returned to Destiny for Cecilia's sake, he had not gone through normal channels. Furthermore, his ultimate purpose had been Cecilia, and his official rating was only A-rank, so he was not particularly renowned. He was even somewhat inferior to the several elite A-ranks gathered in the Snow Wolf Squad.
Siegfried had always been somewhat unkempt, and after he had finally won the beauty's heart, rumors spread by the originator of a certain sonic weapon made many people's first impression upon hearing his name "Cecilia's husband" and "that man from the rumors..."
After the Second Honkai War, Cecilia died in battle, and Siegfried completely turned into a washed-up middle-aged man. While he did not necessarily loaf around all day, he often drank heavily. The times people mentioned him most often became the times they discussed the late Cecilia.
After Siegfried defected from Destiny, his name did not become taboo, but the older generation would not go looking for trouble by bringing up that traitor.
By now, the name Siegfried existed only in the memories of some older people. The surname Caslana seemed to have entered the textbooks, becoming a symbol of power and glory rather than living, breathing people.
Linking Gwen, who was currently in the spotlight, to that legendary surname only added a few more shades of legend to him.
After all, even setting aside Saintess Kallen, who deserved to be remembered by everyone, there were quite a few Caslana family members whose names had been recorded in history books.
Did this mean that another person destined to be written into history had appeared?
As such talk emerged, discussions about Gwen on the community forums rose to an even higher level.
Thanks to the positive influence exerted by the unseen hand behind the community forums, as well as Gwen's diligence and hard work—efforts said countless times on the forums to be rivaled only by You Lan Dai Er—Gwen's rapid growth did not attract jealousy or resentment—
At the very least, no claims like "Gwen is only this strong because of his Caslana bloodline! I could do it too if it were me!" became popular on the forums.
After all, compared to things like bloodlines, young people preferred to believe that hard work and sweat could bring results—
And everyone could see the effort and sweat Gwen and You Lan Dai Er had put in.
That was precisely why, perhaps everyone had guessed that they were also very talented, but no rumors were spread out of envy, jealousy, or hatred.
As Gwen's popularity in the community continued to rise, even some members of the older generation who did not pay much attention to young people's topics gradually heard that rumor.
Among them were the Caslana collateral branches Otto had called useless, as well as people closely connected to the Caslanas, such as members of the Schariac family—
"Anna, I've recently heard my colleagues mention a child named Gwen. They say you're quite close to him?"
Looking at her daughter sitting on the sofa opposite her, who wore a puzzled expression after being stopped by her, Angelina Schariac smiled gently. Her well-maintained face bore barely any wrinkles as she asked the question.
"Uh..."
In an instant, Anna, who had still been wondering why her mother had stopped her, froze—
Why had Mom heard such a rumor?!
Anna's heartbeat abruptly accelerated, thumping away without pause. Her gaze drifted away from Angelina's eyes as she said somewhat vaguely:
"Mom, don't listen to those rumors going around outside...
"I just know Gwen fairly well because I was his instructor for a while back then.
"And since he also gets along well with Bianca, we see each other a little more often.
"What you heard must be rumors spread around by those seniors and little brats!"
As she continued, Anna's vague tone became firm, as though that were truly the case.
Anna did not know whether her loss of composure around Gwen that day had been because of love, friendship, or camaraderie. But she did know that when her mother had just asked that question, she had felt flustered and confused, unwilling to answer.
"..."
Seeing Anna like this, how could Angelina, as someone who had been through it herself, fail to see that even if her daughter had not fallen in love, she at least had some feelings?
"Really?
"Anna?"
Though seeing her daughter like this, Angelina guessed Anna would not speak her true thoughts, but she still could not help asking.
"Really!"
Before you continue