Chapter 311

Otto didn't say anything, but just lowered his head, looking thoughtful.

Soon, the three of them returned to the backyard of the church in Kolosten Town. Klostens was now completely shrouded in night, so Kallen had no choice but to say goodbye to Otto and Ai Yue and climb over the wall to run home.

"Professor Ai Yue," Otto said after Kallen left, "Wasn't all of this your plan?"

"Oh?" Ai Yue raised an eyebrow. "Tell me more about it?"

"Those fishermen were suspicious to begin with, and the appearance of the Honkai Beast was even more abrupt. They are demons that attack civilizations and only ever appear in densely populated areas. How could so many of them be attacking a few fishermen?" Otto analyzed logically. "Most importantly, with your abilities, it's impossible that you didn't notice what was happening here. Arriving so late is suspicious in itself."

"The only answer is—you didn't actually leave at all, right?"

Even now, Otto doesn't know just how powerful Ai Yue really is. The only thing he's certain of is that no matter how exaggerated his imagination is, he's unlikely to get even a fraction of the truth.

After all, imagination requires sufficient knowledge, but Otto now clearly knows that his understanding of the world is pitifully shallow.

Even so, he was certain that if Ai Yue was willing, there would be very little on Earth that could escape his senses.

After all, this was a man who could easily use Teleportation Gate to travel across most of the Earth. Even though Ai Yue was just on the other side of the world, Otto believed that he could keep track of everything happening here.

This wasn't a problem that was hard to spot, because Ai Yue probably never intended to cover it up. It was just that the situation was urgent, and Otto didn't have time to think about it. Once the crisis was over and he calmed down, he naturally realized many of the inconsistencies.

As for Kallen... Otto had serious doubts about whether she, with her oblivious nature, could even detect anything amiss.

However, it might actually be a good thing that she doesn't know these things.

"That's right, I did it." Faced with Alto's accusations, Ai Yue readily admitted, "The fishermen you saw were actually fake; only the Honkai Beast were real."

"So, no one should be injured?" Otto nodded. "Kallen will surely be pleased."

After hesitating for a moment, Otto continued, "Then, Professor Ai Yue, what would happen if we failed to defeat the Honkai Beast?"

Otto was a little nervous when he asked the question. He was afraid that Ai Yue would give the answer he had heard with a bad feeling, but his knowledge of Ai Yue also made him look forward to it.

"What else could I do? Of course, I'd step in and take care of all the Honkai Beast." Hearing Otto's question, Ai Yue gave him a speechless look. "It was just a small assessment. Do you think I could really kill you all? What's so scary about failure? We can just win next time."

Hearing this answer, Otto finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he had already guessed Ai Yue's answer, he still felt a sense of joy when he heard Ai Yue's reply in person.

The Schicksal has a strict selection tradition. Even though he was the son of a bishop, he was eliminated from the beginning due to his poor health and subsequently became a marginal figure. This was a fact that even Nicholas, the Bishop of Schicksal, could not change.

If it weren't for his father's wealth and status, he probably wouldn't have lived to meet Ai Yue.

For the past three years, the reason he has been studying so hard is not only because of his yearning for knowledge, but also because he is worried that he will be abandoned by Ai Yue if he cannot meet Ai Yue's requirements.

It was precisely because of this thought that Otto subconsciously began to worry about the consequences of failure when he heard that this was an assessment.

He was terrified of being abandoned, especially by Ai Yue, the first person to acknowledge him. Otto couldn't even imagine how he would react if that scene actually happened.

Thinking of this, Otto looked at Ai Yue with gratitude and said, "Teacher, thank you."

"You won this all by yourself, why thank me?" Ai Yue shook his head slightly. "Compared to all this, after experiencing what happened today, what are your thoughts?"

"Uh, an idea..." Otto scratched his head, carefully observing Ai Yue's expression, and tentatively asked, "Knowledge is power?"

Ai Yue remained silent with a tense expression. Generally speaking, this situation indicated that he was not very satisfied with the answer.

So Otto continued to ponder, "Is unity powerful?"

Ai Yue remained silent.

"That activation device wasn't very good?" Otto thought he had finally grasped the key point. "That's it! Using the remaining materials, we can make a delayed activation device. That way, we won't have to time the detonation perfectly, and it'll be safer!"

"Are you doing reading comprehension?" Ai Yue finally couldn't help but tap Otto on the head. "What I want to know isn't this superficial stuff, but your heartfelt feelings after experiencing such a crisis!"

Given Otto's current people-pleasing personality, Ai Yue doesn't even need to look into his inner thoughts; he knows that these are all answers that Otto thinks he wants to hear.

Otto's long-standing "transparent life" had instilled in him a habit of not revealing his true thoughts, and that slight display of genuine emotion just now was already a huge step forward.

Ai Yue thought he could take this opportunity to advance further, but who knew that this guy would retreat like a turtle.

"These are my honest feelings..." Otto rubbed the spot where Ai Yue had hit him and said cautiously, "Teacher, you won't be angry if I tell you the truth, will you?"

Ai Yue said with a stern face, "I'm getting a little angry now."

"I'll tell you!" Otto quickly tried to salvage the situation, but he was still a little hesitant. "Actually, my real thought... my first reaction was fear."

After confirming that all the Honkai Beast had been eliminated, Otto realized that his limbs were weak and he had no strength at all. He had grown up in a peaceful and tranquil environment, and this was the first time he had ever seen Honkai Beast, let alone come into such close contact with one. It was quite frightening for him.

After saying this, Otto continued to observe Ai Yue's reaction—this feeling was somewhat embarrassing even to himself, which was why he hadn't dared to say it aloud, for fear that Ai Yue would think he was spineless.

"Fear is normal; it's an instinct that allows humans to survive." This time, Ai Yue didn't keep a straight face but instead showed a slight smile. "It is precisely because of fear that courage is so precious."

"Yes," Otto nodded, recalling Kallen's resolute Honkai Beast, "So, I'm also very fortunate."

Ai Yue looked at him. "Are you glad that you didn't hold them back, or glad that this was just a test?"

"I guess so," Otto scratched his head, a somewhat conflicted expression on his face. "But this kind of luck probably won't come every time. Maybe even if I stay in the church, the Honkai will suddenly come knocking on my door... I really should be more prepared."

Ai Yue raised an eyebrow. "What kind of preparation is considered thorough?"

Otto was momentarily speechless.

Even today, humanity's understanding of Honkai remains pitifully limited, but one thing is very clear: the power of Honkai continues to grow.

Faced with such a bizarre entity that harbors malice towards civilization, no matter how meticulous the preparations, it's difficult to guarantee that all crises can be dealt with. The Schicksal has been fighting the Honkai for countless years, yet now it can only passively respond to the enemy, can't it?

If one reaches the level of Teacher Ai Yue, does that mean one can achieve it?

Otto glanced at Ai Yue instinctively, but the other had already turned and left. "Just treat this problem as a long-term project for you. Okay, go to sleep, you have class tomorrow."

A moment later, Ai Yue returned to the Observer Center located on the Imaginary Tree —although Schicksal had prepared a magnificent room for him, he still preferred to stay here.

After all, who could refuse a surveillance room that could observe the entire world?

"Mr. Ai Yue, you're back?"

Having sensed Ai Yue's presence beforehand, Seele was the first to look at him. "How's the situation on Schicksal's side?"

Although Seele was in charge of observing the entire world line, she wasn't asking a question she already knew the answer to. After all, Earth's civilization had already covered a considerable area, so the two of them naturally had to focus their attention on those under-monitored regions to ensure that the situation didn't get out of their control.

Not only is there a powerful organization like Schicksal protecting humanity in Europe, but Ai Yue is also there, which naturally reduces the amount of attention he receives and alleviates some of the pressure.

Besides the two Seele, Pardofelis also stayed here as a mobile support personnel, ready to provide assistance to various locations at any time. Hearing Seele's question, she lazily rolled over. "Is that even a question? With Brother Yue here, it's naturally going very smoothly!"

However, Ai Yue shook his head slightly. "I can only say let nature take its course."

"Huh?" Pardofelis sat up abruptly, a subtle expression on her face. "Could it be that it's difficult?"

It is indeed difficult.

Ai Yue's expression was subtle, and he remained silent for a moment.

He had to admit that, in terms of character attributes alone, Otto was definitely a top genius. Although his comprehension in each field was not the best, he was one of the few people without any shortcomings in talent.

Geniuses like Mobius and Vill-V, who were unparalleled in their respective fields, struggled to make progress in other areas. After all, human energy is limited, and focusing on one area means giving up other possibilities.

Even a top scholar like Dr. Mei, who has made achievements in multiple fields, still has projects that he is not good at.

But Otto was different. In the past three years, Ai Yue had tried almost every field of knowledge that human civilization had ventured into, and none of them could stump Otto. Although his learning speed was slightly slower than that of Dr. Mei and others in the same field, he did not stagnate because of it.

It can only be said that he is indeed the most suitable user of the First Divine Key - Void Archives, and only such a polymath can fully tap the value of this Herrscher of Sentience.

However, at the same time, his "selfish" nature was also deeply rooted in his heart and difficult to change by external forces. Obviously, for someone who is of great importance in the timeline, the inertia of fate is not so easy to change.

Although Ai Yue could take some tough measures, he felt that now was not the time.

After all, he hoped to guide the other person onto the right path through his teaching. If he used other methods, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that he wasn't cut out to be a teacher?

Since there was still plenty of time, Ai Yue was naturally unwilling to give up easily.

Of course, Ai Yue didn't intend to tell Pardofelis and the others about these things, so he just made up an excuse to brush them off when they asked about his concerns, and then began to observe the current situation in other areas.

But not long after, he suddenly revealed a somewhat subtle expression.

"Brother Yue, what's wrong?" Pardofelis, who was pressed close to Ai Yue, was the first to notice his change. "You look quite surprised."

"It's nothing serious," Ai Yue shook his head, "It's just that someone sneaked into my room."

"Huh?" A series of strange scenarios flashed through Pardofelis's mind. "Could it be an assassination attempt? Has the Schicksal finally become dissatisfied with you, this newcomer?"

"If Nicholas can't even handle something like this, he might as well step down." Ai Yue shook his head with a smile, his figure gradually disappearing from the crowd. "It's just Otto, I'll go take a look."

The next second, Ai Yue sat up from the bed in the room and looked at the door that had been opened a crack. "What's wrong?"

A candlestick suddenly lit up, illuminating the furtive figure of Otto the dog.

"Teacher," Otto quietly slipped in, closing the door behind him, then looked expectant, "I've come as promised!"

Ai Yue blinked. "What agreement?"

"So you came to see me at one in the morning?" Otto blinked. "You tapped me on the head earlier, wasn't that what you were implying?"

"... I shouldn't have told you Journey to the West." Ai Yue looked speechless. "Besides, isn't that knocking three times?"

"Three taps make three points, one tap makes one point!" Otto said, but seeing Ai Yue's reaction, he realized he had overthought things. He scratched his head awkwardly, "Looks like I was overthinking it. Sorry for disturbing the teacher's rest."

Ai Yue watched Otto turn and walk towards the door, but suddenly called out to him, "Something on your mind?"

Young Otto had not yet developed the ability to conceal his emotions, so Ai Yue could easily discern his feelings.

"I've been thinking about what happened today," Otto said, turning around with some concern. "While it was just a carefully designed test for Kallen and me, for many people, this situation could have been a disaster at any moment."

In response to Otto's words, Ai Yue raised an eyebrow. "That's true, so what?"

"So, even if I make thorough preparations, I can only protect those around me." Otto's words were utterly unwavering. "However, Kallen won't stand idly by while others are in danger. So even if she herself is safe, she will definitely fight if others are in peril."

"If I want her to be safe, I have to protect more people in the world."

After saying that, Otto suddenly scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, teacher, I've been thinking for a long time, and this is all I could come up with..."

Otto sounded slightly guilty because he knew that Ai Yue's assignment was "how to make thorough preparations," but his answer was not only illogical but also completely irrelevant, essentially a non-answer. Based on past experience, Ai Yue would have reprimanded him mercilessly in such situations.

But this time, Ai Yue smiled instead, "It is quite a mess."

Although the process was a bit strange, the answer was correct.

Seeing Otto looking dejected and ready to be scolded, Ai Yue shook his head slightly and beckoned to him. "Come and sit down."

Otto walked over, but in the end he just stood by the bed.

Ai Yue didn't continue the previous topic. Instead, he brought up another matter. "Have you figured out the other two solutions to that formula?"

"No, no," Otto said softly, "But I have a slight idea..."

He then shared his two vague guesses with Ai Yue.

"Yes, that's the right approach. You'll be able to do it sooner or later." Ai Yue nodded, then said with a smile, "In that case, I'll give you the reward in advance."

Otto looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting Ai Yue to be so lenient this time.

"But before that, I have to ask you again," Ai Yue looked at him and asked seriously, "What kind of preparation is considered thorough?"

Otto pondered again, but quickly shook his head. "Faced with a disaster like Honkai that changes constantly, it's impossible to be fully prepared. All we can do is continuously improve our capabilities until one day we can completely eliminate the threat of Honkai."

"That's right. The truly comprehensive preparation is to eradicate the threat posed by the Honkai. As long as no one is harmed by the Honkai anymore, then what you're worried about will naturally not happen." Ai Yue nodded. "However, the effort required to obtain such an ability is far beyond what ordinary people can bear."

"I can do it, teacher!" Otto said eagerly. "Didn't you choose me because you believed I had the ability?"

"Perhaps, but no one can say for sure how things will ultimately turn out," Ai Yue said meaningfully, while opening one hand. "However, as my student, I should indeed give you a chance."

In his palm lay a perfectly standard cube, its surface reflecting a metallic sheen in the candlelight, causing Otto to widen his eyes in astonishment.

He quickly realized that with current metalworking technology, it seemed difficult to create such a standard metal cube, not to mention that the reward Ai Yue offered was probably not just a simple cube.

Considering the "opportunity" Ai Yue had just mentioned, Otto reacted almost immediately.

This might be the thing that allows him to improve his abilities!

Thinking of this, Otto glanced at Ai Yue, and after obtaining his permission, he reached out and took the metal cube from Ai Yue's palm.

As Otto moved, the metal cube suddenly "came to life"—its smooth surface suddenly cracked open with countless fissures, pushing the entire cube apart and revealing its complex and intricate mechanical structure.

Then, amidst Otto's somewhat flustered expression, the mechanical structure within the cube turned around and enveloped his palm, transforming into a light and flexible fingerless glove made of metal.

Furthermore, a gray crystal is embedded in the back of the mechanical glove.

Otto's gaze naturally fell upon the crystal, and then he felt his consciousness expanding infinitely, as if being sucked into something—

When the boy came to his senses again, he found himself in a spacious hall instead of a dimly lit bedroom.

Above his head, countless stars were twinkling.

"This, this is..." Otto subconsciously looked up, clearly still somewhat confused by the series of changes, "The starry sky?"

He focused his attention on the starry sky above, but when he gazed at a particular star, his eyes suddenly widened.

Because, the stars—fell down?