Chapter 313
This severe plague is impossible to contain effectively, which means that the number of deaths it could cause would be an unimaginable horror.
Compared to this devastating and severe disaster, Petrification Disease can truly be described as mild.
The ability to suppress the severity of the plague is such an incredible method that probably no one would believe it if it were told, but for Otto, who had witnessed Ai Yue's power, he didn't even doubt the truth of such a statement.
Ai Yue had no reason, nor any need, to lie to him; all he had to do was find a cure for Petrification Disease.
Ai Yue had told him that plagues were inevitable, and that only humans could solve them, which was why this responsibility fell on his shoulders.
If I can't even solve this plague, wouldn't I be letting down Teacher Ai Yue's trust?
While pondering, Otto finally came to his senses. Seeing that the reagent in front of him had stabilized and turned a translucent blue, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and then sealed the medicine into a glass container.
The medicine has been prepared; now it's time to determine its effectiveness.
Otto took the potion, turned and walked out of the laboratory. He walked halfway down the dimly lit corridor before arriving at another room.
The place houses several animals that Kallen brought back from the city where the Petrification Disease broke out. Like humans, they too have been infected with the Petrification Disease, and Otto had previously used them to test the effects of the drug.
While this cannot completely guarantee the drug's effectiveness on humans, it is at least much more humane than directly experimenting on humans.
Otto quickly chose a red squirrel as the subject of his experiment. The unfortunate little creature was still clutching a pine cone tightly in its arms when it was completely stiff, which looked somewhat comical and reminded Otto of Kallen's gluttonous appearance.
Perhaps it was this association that led him to subconsciously keep the squirrel until now.
Now, Otto is quite confident in the effectiveness of the potion he has, and it's time for it to be used.
Otto dripped the medicine directly onto its body, then gazed at it with a hint of hope.
Time ticked by, but the squirrel in front of him showed no change whatsoever. Otto was slightly frustrated, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.
After all, this wasn't his first failure; at least it eliminated one possibility, right?
Otto tried to reassure himself as he walked outside, but just then he heard a soft sound behind him.
He instinctively turned his head and saw the pine cone that the squirrel had been tightly holding in its arms now rolling on the ground.
Otto reacted instantly, rushing over to carefully observe the squirrel's changes.
Whether it was due to prolonged high-intensity work or a lack of exercise over the years, he suddenly felt his vision go black, then his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, the squirrel also sprang into action. It waved its paws somewhat blankly, seemingly trying to feel the pine cone in its paws, but it quickly realized what was happening and began to look around.
Then it saw Otto, who was still staring intently at it even after falling to the ground. Obviously, the appearance of the human startled it, so the squirrel didn't even bother to pick up the pine cones on the ground and scrambled out of the house.
Incidentally, the phrase "crawled and scrambled" is exactly what it sounds like—because Otto could clearly see that the squirrel's limbs were still somewhat uncoordinated, as if the Petrification Disease had not completely subsided.
It seems the dosage was too low; this is an issue that needs to be considered when administering medication to humans.
Otto finally felt relieved. Instead of rushing to get up from the ground, he rolled over and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
His lips first curled up slightly, then his smile grew brighter and brighter, until he finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It was a success.
Just then, the door to the room suddenly opened, Kallen rushed in, looking anxious. "Otto, are you alright!"
Otto laughed so hard he could barely breathe and couldn't even speak, but he still picked up the pine cones from the ground and gestured to the other person.
Kallen looked at the pine cone and quickly realized something. "Could it be that squirrel?"
Otto nodded, then handed the pale blue vial to Kallen.
"This is the cure for Petrification Disease... Thank goodness, thank goodness!" Kallen carefully held the glass container, tears welling in her eyes. But then, as if remembering something, she raised something in her other hand. "Otto, I have something for you too!"
It was a basket covered with a tablecloth. Otto subconsciously sniffed it and quickly detected a subtle, indescribable smell.
His smile froze on his face.
A day later, Otto delivered the finished potion, along with the formula, to Nicholas.
Ten days later, all 30,000-plus patients with Petrification Disease had recovered, the lockdown on Sicily Island was lifted, and Otto Apocalypse's name became known to more people along with this incident.
A month later, Otto began to be allowed to participate in many decision-making and meetings of the Schicksal's high-level officials.
Three months later, Otto was formally crowned the new bishop of Schicksal at his coming-of-age ceremony.
The coronation ceremony was quite grand, because Otto was the youngest Bishop of Schicksal in history, and his previously legendary achievements made him a figure of great interest to many.
But for Otto, red tape and torture were no different. He kept up a professional fake smile that he had practiced countless times from dawn till dusk before finally having a moment to himself.
At this moment, sitting in the study that once belonged to Nicholas, casually flipping through the documents and intelligence on the table that he was originally forbidden to touch, he finally began to have a sense of reality about "becoming the Bishop of Schicksal".
At the same time, the study door was quietly pushed open a crack, and Kallen's head peeked out from behind it like a puppy. After seeing Otto at the desk, she walked in and said, "I knew you'd be here."
"After all, the place I'm most familiar with here is probably the study." Otto shrugged, then stood up. "I thought you'd already gone to the banquet. Why are you back all of a sudden?"
After the coronation ceremony, there was a celebratory banquet, but Otto really didn't want to attend, so he made an excuse to hide here and leave his troubles to others.
"Because we couldn't find you." Kallen walked over, smiling at Otto. "How does it feel to be a bishop?"
"Nothing special, after all, Father has been laying the groundwork for this for a while now." Otto shook his head, his expression somewhat subtle. "If I had to say, it's probably that there's just more to do now?"
"Huh?" Kallen was taken aback. "I thought you were going to say that the wish had already come true."
She remembered that when she first met Otto six years ago, he had said that his wish was to one day become Bishop of Schicksal.
"Yes, my childhood dream has come true, but this is just the starting point for a grander goal," Otto said with a smile. "My teacher once told me that with great power comes great responsibility. When I become the Bishop of Schicksal, I will be responsible for the entire organization and for everyone on this land."
He then looked at Kallen and said, "Besides, didn't we agree to save the world together? Becoming a bishop isn't enough, is it?"
"So you still remember?" Kallen looked a little embarrassed. "Looking back now, I realize how naive I was."
Now, Kallen understands that while fighting might protect people from Honkai Beast, it can never save the world—because there are many more threats that weapons cannot eliminate.
Thinking of this, Kallen looked at Otto with a hint of confusion. "Otto, can we really... save this world?"
"It's definitely possible." Otto unconsciously stroked the back of his right hand, feeling the texture of the gray crystal, and replied in a firm tone, "But it's not just us."
Kallen looked somewhat surprised, seemingly not expecting Otto's response.
"The power of one or two people is limited. We don't possess the immense power of Teacher Ai Yue, but we will find like-minded partners," Otto said with a smile. "When thousands, or even more, of people unite and work towards the same goal, saving the world will no longer be just a slogan."
Hearing this, Kallen suddenly reached out and grabbed Otto's hand. "Don't forget, I was your first partner, okay?"
Otto was taken aback by Kallen's sudden action at first, then smiled and covered their clasped hands with his other hand, "Of course, how could I forget that?"
The two childhood sweethearts smiled at each other in the quiet study, unaware that there were quite a few onlookers watching this scene.
Inside the Observer Center, Kiana looked at the scene before her with a complex expression. "To be honest, I really didn't expect something like this to happen."
No one present could understand her feelings at this moment. After all, the Otto that Kiana had always been in contact with was that obsessive, selfish, and extremely fanatical Bishop of Schicksal. Seeing someone who had the same face as him but could be described as "upright and kind" was really hard for her to accept.
On one hand, she should feel hatred for this unforgivable man living such a happy life, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel relieved when she thought that a normal Otto could have avoided many tragedies in the future.
But Kiana quickly frowned again. "Teacher Ai Yue, is it really alright to change the timeline by this much? If this trend continues, history will almost certainly become something completely different, won't it?"
First and foremost, it's safe to say that, given the current situation, a repeat of "Kallen's death" is highly unlikely. That leaves the crucial question: what about menstruation?
Theresa Apocalypse is the product of Otto's attempt to "resurrect" Kallen using cloning techniques based on her genes. If Kallen hadn't died, there would be no reason for Theresa to exist.
"Don't worry, Mr. Ai Yue will have a way," Hua said from the side, while looking at Ai Yue, "Mr. Ai Yue, you said before that you were interfering with this timeline to conduct some kind of experiment. Can't we know the specifics yet?"
"Perhaps we'll need to wait a little longer." Ai Yue continued to stare at Otto in the image, his face showing an expression as if he were appreciating a work of art. "Don't worry, I've naturally thought of the problems you've raised. The experiment on the timeline is going very smoothly."
At this point, he turned his head slightly to look at Kiana beside him. "Kiana, if there were an opportunity to make the world a better place, would you be willing to take some risks for it?"
Kiana paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "What do you mean?"
"A chance to make up for past regrets." Ai Yue smiled meaningfully. "A chance for people like Kallen to survive."
"You mean...?" Kiana's mind flashed with several faces, and her emotions surged, but she forcefully suppressed them. "No, no."
Ai Yue didn't speak, but simply raised his eyebrows.
"If it could make up for past regrets, I wouldn't hesitate to give my life for it." Kiana took a deep breath and said, "However, if such a risk would affect my friends, family, and many more innocent people, then even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, or even a lower one, I would never agree."
She needs to be more responsible for the living than for the deceased.
"Not bad for a god. You're quite reliable." Ai Yue smiled first, then a subtle expression appeared on his face. "But, does that mean you agree?"
"Huh?"
"The risks are meant to be borne by us," Ai Yue said matter-of-factly. "Do I look like some kind of evil god who would make ordinary people sacrifice themselves?"
Chapter Twenty has finally arrived!
Otto was completely unaware of this conversation taking place in a higher dimension; all he knew was that there was still much to be done.
To prepare for the many things to come, he went to bed early and drifted off to sleep.
However, even when he slept, he never took off the metal glove on his hand, as if this treasure given to him by Ai Yue had become a part of his body.
This was, of course, Otto's intention. After all, if he couldn't sleep with it in his arms, then the "method" left behind by Ai Yue would be ineffective.
Perhaps because today's coronation ceremony was too complicated, Otto felt even more exhausted than when he was researching the cure for Petrification Disease. So he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had changed from the quiet, dimly lit bedroom to another place.
It was a dimly lit dungeon, and he was standing in front of the cell door, staring at the prisoner inside.
Otto was unconcerned about this change; on the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief, clearly having anticipated it.
But when he saw the prisoners in the cell, he finally couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.
The girl in the prison cell has white hair and blue eyes. Her slightly dirty face is filled with determination and unyielding spirit. She is wearing the white uniform that belongs to the Valkyrie of Schicksal —who else could it be but Kallen?
What happened? Why is Kallen in prison?
And this isn't an ordinary prison—it's a death row cell for condemned prisoners!
Will Kallen be executed?
He wanted to speak, but he couldn't control his body at all. He could only stare at Kallen. Judging from the expression on Kallen's face, the two must have had an argument just now, and they were in an extremely awkward atmosphere.
After a moment, Otto spoke up again, saying, "There must be some other way. I will go to my father and plead for you; he will definitely be able to save you!"
After saying this, Otto turned and left, his steps hurried and flustered, without even waiting for Kallen's response.
Otto also recovered from his initial shock and his emotions gradually stabilized, no longer as astonished as he had been at the beginning.
Because he knew perfectly well that everything happening here was actually a "premonitory dream".
Starting three years ago, he was able to dream of these intermittent future events related to himself, including what kind of disaster the Petrification Disease was supposed to be. Otto also learned about it in this way.
All of this was inseparable from the glove with gray crystals that Ai Yue had given him, which was why he needed to wear the glove to sleep.
Otto had somewhat anticipated this scene, but when he saw himself and Kallen facing each other across the prison cell, the mental impact was still very painful for him.
Fortunately, all of that has changed.
Otto recalled Kallen's appearance just now and could vaguely notice that she looked more mature than the Kallen he remembered. This meant that the time of his precognitive dream would probably be delayed.
In the dream, Otto still needs to seek Nicholas's help to save Kallen, but in reality, Nicholas has already passed the position to Otto. This means that even if the same thing happened in reality, Otto himself would be able to solve Kallen's problems.
The only thing we need to know right now is what taboo Kallen violated to be imprisoned.
It should be noted that even disregarding Kallen's achievements, she is still the most outstanding warrior of the Kaslana family in this generation, and the daughter of Chief Francis. Ordinary crimes are not enough to warrant imprisonment, let alone execution.
However, Otto didn't care too much, because he knew that everything that happened in the precognitive dream was actually different from reality. For example, three years ago he dreamed that Kallen's father, Francis, sacrificed himself in a battle against Honkai Beast, but this did not happen in the end.
That powerful warrior is still active on the front lines against the Honkai, Otto speculates that this may be related to the artifacts passed down through generations of the Kaslana family.
In the precognitive dream, the weapon would cause great harm to the user's body, but in reality, such a side effect does not exist at all.
In a moment of distraction, I realized the dream had already shifted to the next scene.
When Otto saw the execution ground before him, he knew that the self he had foreseen in his dream had ultimately failed to change his fate. However, even though he knew it was just a dream, Otto's emotions still fluctuated violently when he saw the weakened Kallen being led to the execution ground and facing the gallows.
But his attention was quickly drawn to the screams of people in the distance. The once crowded street had somehow become filled with the figures of Honkai Beast!
Faced with the ferocious beast, the civilians present had no power to resist and were mercilessly killed. However, Otto in the dream did not panic. Instead, he went against the chaos and rushed toward the gallows.
These Honkai Beast were deliberately released!
Otto reacted almost immediately, then connected it all with the Otto in his dream. He realized that this might be a foolish move he made to save Kallen when he was desperate.
As for why it was a foolish move—because Otto knew very well that in this situation, how could Kallen possibly run away?
She would only choose to sacrifice herself for the people!
As expected, Kallen ignored Otto's pleas. She broke free from her restraints and, with her weakened body, fought the Honkai Beast bare-handed.
Therefore, it was only natural that it died at the hands of the Honkai Beast.
The next second, Otto suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.
The scene in the dream was so realistic that Otto couldn't maintain his composure when he saw Kallen's body being pierced by the tentacles of Honkai Beast, and he eventually snapped out of the precognitive dream.