Chapter 314
At this moment, the side effects of forcibly breaking free from the precognitive dream caused him a splitting headache. He covered his head, gasped for breath, and struggled on his face.
But soon, a gentle force flowed into his body, helping him recover.
"Looks like you had a nightmare?"
The familiar voice made Otto look up abruptly, and he saw Ai Yue, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, sitting in a chair next to him, looking at him.
"Teacher!" Otto exclaimed excitedly, trying to jump off the bed, but was stopped by the other's hand. So he had no choice but to remain sitting on the bed and ask, "When did you get back?"
"Just now," Ai Yue replied, then glanced at the bishop's robes hanging to the side, "It seems you've been successfully crowned. Congratulations."
"It's all thanks to the teacher; I was just going along with it." Otto was very clear-headed about the matter, and therefore his attitude was very humble. But after hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, "Teacher, is the 'precognitive dream' you mentioned earlier really the future of our world?"
Otto was a perceptive man, and the fact that his dream contained so many things that couldn't be reconciled with reality naturally fueled his imagination. The knowledge he gained in that magical library provided a theoretical basis for his deductions, which is why he couldn't help but take this opportunity to express his confusion.
"You have an idea?" Ai Yue couldn't help but smile at Otto's reaction. "Tell me in detail."
"It's just a speculation," Otto said, recalling the knowledge he had learned that was clearly ahead of its time. "I didn't find any trace of you in my precognitive dreams, so you probably don't exist in the dream world either?"
"That should be a worldline that wasn't affected by you, right?"
"That's one way to put it," Ai Yue nodded. "Now that you know about this, what are you planning to do?"
Ai Yue never intended to hide this from Otto, so he never planned to conceal it from the beginning. Now he was more curious about how Otto would react after finding out.
"Is that really so..." Otto pursed his lips, not surprised by Ai Yue's answer, after all, this was something he had already foreseen. "Then, I dreamt of Kallen's death... was this something that was supposed to happen?"
"Of course, and you should also realize that you yourself are one of the culprits behind this." Ai Yue nodded, then added, "However, even now, it's not impossible for this to happen."
Otto couldn't help but lean forward, looking at Ai Yue: "What did you say?"
He had thought that this was no longer possible, but Ai Yue's words made his heart leap again.
"Calm down, this involves another concept," Ai Yue said calmly. "Have you learned about the part about 'cause and effect'?"
"I've learned something, though I can't say I fully understand it yet, but I have a general idea." After calming down, Otto also began to think. "You're not going to say that Kallen's death was part of a cause-and-effect relationship, something that couldn't be avoided, are you?"
"Of course it's not unavoidable, but for such a major event involving many causes and effects, it's not easy to completely eliminate the possibility of it happening," Ai Yue explained. "In the original timeline, Kallen's death was completely unavoidable; you only need to think about it for a moment to understand this fact."
Otto gave a wry smile upon hearing this, but remained silent.
How could he not understand?
In the dream's timeline, Schicksal is not a completely righteous organization. Perhaps it was indeed initially established to fight against the Honkai, and people have always sacrificed themselves to fight against the Honkai, but that does not mean that everyone can maintain this belief from beginning to end.
In the pursuit of power and wealth, some people lose themselves, gradually turning Schicksal into a tool for accumulating wealth and exploiting the people.
Although Otto was unwilling to admit it, Nicholas in the dream played just such a role.
But Kallen is different. She is a very pure Kaslana, so pure that she cannot allow any filth to appear, nor can she allow Schicksal to become a villain who oppresses ordinary people.
But she couldn't come up with a way to change everything, so in the end she chose the only thing she could do—to use her own death to awaken the will to resist in more people.
This is why Otto's plan to rescue Kallen failed, because she had no intention of surviving.
"But reality has already changed, hasn't it?" Otto snapped out of his thoughts and said somewhat urgently, "Schicksal has not been corrupted by power, and I will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen. Isn't that enough to prevent this from happening?"
"Just because you say it's absolutely forbidden, does that mean it definitely won't happen?" Ai Yue merely glanced at Otto indifferently. "This is only your first day as the Bishop of Schicksal; don't speak so confidently."
Otto was speechless for a moment.
"Of course, I believe you can do it," Ai Yue suddenly changed the subject at this moment, "However, the causal relationships involved with Kallen are not limited to this, and in fact, these are not the most crucial causal relationships."
"Anything else?" Otto asked instinctively, but then noticed Ai Yue staring intently at him. He immediately realized, "It's related to me?"
"Otto, have you ever thought about this?" Ai Yue continued, "What kind of person would you have become if you hadn't met me?"
"Me?" Otto paused, pondered for a moment, then looked somewhat confused. "I... I don't know..."
Ai Yue gave a meaningful smile, "Is it that you don't know, or that you dare not think about it?"
Otto didn't dare look into the other's eyes for a moment, because he felt that he had no secrets from Ai Yue.
He was indeed somewhat afraid to imagine such a scene, because in his precognitive dreams, the person he knew best was himself.
In that timeline, Ai Yue didn't exist, so only Kallen acknowledged him. Even disregarding all the factors involved, Otto found it hard to imagine what he would do after personally killing Kallen.
He knew very well that he was a very obsessive person, capable of using any means necessary to achieve a goal. If this obsession was directed in the right direction, it could help him overcome one difficulty after another. However, if directed in the wrong direction, it could also cause him to plummet straight into the abyss.
"Alright, don't be nervous. At least this is still several years away from happening." Ai Yue smiled, his tone softening. "We still have enough time to change all of this."
Otto, noticing something, looked up and asked, "Would you be willing to help me?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Ai Yue rolled his eyes. "If I weren't trying to help you, would I be saying all this?"
"Then there's no problem." Otto immediately looked relieved. "With you here, I believe this won't happen."
"That doesn't mean you can rest easy." Ai Yue shook his head slightly, but then smiled. "Besides, this help isn't free."
"You can name your price, as long as it's within my capabilities."
Although Otto was somewhat surprised by Ai Yue's sudden demands, he readily agreed.
He didn't even mention any additional conditions, because Otto knew very well that Ai Yue was essentially a perfect "Kaslana," possessing strong convictions, extraordinary abilities, top-notch intelligence, and clear planning. His moral standards were far higher than Otto's, so there was no need to restrict him at all.
"Don't be nervous, my condition is very simple," Ai Yue smiled, "It's to work for me for five hundred years."
"Duo Shao?" Otto was taken aback upon hearing the somewhat outrageous number. "Teacher, are you sure you didn't add an extra zero?"
"Of course not, don't worry, you definitely have a way of living that long." Ai Yue smiled. "So, what's the choice?"
"I agree," Otto agreed without much thought. "But what kind of thing is it that requires me to work for so long?"
Perhaps Ai Yue's request was too outrageous, so Otto's first reaction was not concern, but curiosity.
"That's not something you need to know right now," Ai Yue smiled, not answering his question. "In short, focus on doing your essential job as the Bishop of Schicksal first."
He stood up and waved to Otto one last time, as if saying goodbye, "I wish you all the best."
The next second, Ai Yue's figure disappeared from the room. Otto was stunned for a moment before turning his head to look at the window.
A sliver of light peeked through the gap in the curtains—it was already dawn.
Otto wiped the cold sweat that hadn't completely dried from his forehead, but ultimately decided to get up and start dealing with official business.
Is that enough?
Inside the Observer Center, Kiana asked in a subtle tone, "I have a feeling that Kallen's death is actually not going to happen, Teacher. You're not just kidding him, are you?"
"You're oversimplifying things. Like I said, the biggest cause and effect in Kallen's case is actually Otto himself," Ai Yue said upon returning. "If things continue as they are now, Otto might live a happy life, but if he doesn't live to see five hundred years from now, how will reality connect?"
"So, Kallen has to die?" Kiana realized this too, and frowned immediately. "It sounds like this is almost unavoidable."
As someone who experienced it firsthand, Kiana naturally knows the crucial role Otto played in the five hundred years that followed. It can be said that he was involved in every major event that occurred during those five hundred years, which means that his presence was needed at every juncture in the timeline of those five hundred years.
"No, it's already resolved," Ai Yue said casually. "From the moment Otto agreed to my conditions, Kallen's death was no longer inevitable."
"Huh?" Kiana was still racking her brains trying to figure out how to avoid this situation when she heard Ai Yue's response, and she couldn't help but look blank. "It's that simple?"
Is this reasonable?
"You mean, because Otto now has a reason to live for another five hundred years, the causal relationship on Kallen is no longer binding?" Hua said thoughtfully. "If that's the explanation, it seems to make sense."
"Of course, who am I? My existence is above the laws of this world, okay?" Ai Yue proudly raised his chin. "On the surface, this is just a verbal promise with no effect, but because it's related to me, the moment Otto agreed, his karma had already shifted from Kallen to me."
"If that's the case, why go through all this trouble?" Pardofelis couldn't help but show a somewhat subtle expression. "Brother Yue, if you had gotten Otto to agree earlier, we wouldn't have needed to spend six years trying to get in touch with him."
"Look, you're in such a hurry again." Ai Yue patted Pardofelis's head and explained, "I've already said it, the essence of this operation is to get Otto to work for me, but if what I end up with is that paranoid, cold-hearted guy who has already started to go astray, can I trust him to manage the world?"
Kiana couldn't help but frown as she thought about the series of crazy things the original Otto had done.
However, at present, Otto has no reason to turn evil, at least for now, and Kiana has to admit that he is definitely a rare top genius in this civilization.
"But even so, it only eliminates the causal link between Kallen, right?" Hua quickly discovered another blind spot. "What about those who are causally connected to Otto? Do we have to do this every time?"
"Then we'll have to wait and see," Ai Yue said confidently. "Once we're certain that Otto's personality has stabilized, we can move the plan forward."
"What exactly do you mean by 'further'?" Hua asked, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Mr. Ai Yue, you weren't usually this fond of riddles."
Even Hua, who has the best temper, is starting to find Ai Yue's riddle-like behavior unbearable—the other person used to hate this kind of pretentious behavior the most, but now he's become like this too.
"Oh dear, it's all Otto's fault. He must have influenced us." Ai Yue decisively shifted the blame, then smiled and said, "Simply put, we need to make Otto make amends for his past mistakes. And to do that, we must make him understand what he has done."
"You mean, you want Otto to regain his memories from the original timeline?" Hua Li realized. "No wonder we need to wait until Otto's current personality stabilizes; are you afraid he'll be influenced by his other self?"
"But is this really a safe operation?" Kiana asked with some concern. "If Otto can't avoid this effect, then all our efforts will have been in vain?"
"At least it's an attempt. If we don't do this, we won't be able to manipulate the timeline and achieve a more perfect ending," Ai Yue said with a calm smile. "Besides, the worst outcome is that everything just goes back to its original trajectory. What would we lose?"
Everything Ai Yue is doing now is to rewrite reality by interfering with the timeline, attempting to "rescue" those who can be saved from the timeline that has already occurred.
Even if the plan fails, it will simply put the timeline back on track. Reducing the risks of interfering with reality will actually make the whole process smoother.
Hua didn't speak this time, but only frowned slightly.
Based on her understanding of Ai Yue, anything he could easily say was definitely not the focus of the plan; therefore, Hua's question was merely a small probe.
Ai Yue's ease in revealing the next step of the plan only confirmed her suspicions—the plan had sounded incredibly easy from beginning to end, but was interfering with the timeline really that simple?
It's worth noting that Ai Yue hasn't mentioned the topic of "cost" yet.
However, Hua knew that the other party would never bring up this matter, so she had to make other plans.
At the same time, the flow of time in the observation screen also began to accelerate, presenting Otto's actions over the next few years to everyone.
After being crowned bishop, Otto revealed a side of himself that he had never shown to the world before. He used a tough approach to dissolve the previously bloated castle council and rebuilt a streamlined and efficient management system, allowing the Schicksal to operate more smoothly.
This matter originally faced great resistance, but Otto not only had the support of the Apocalypse Family and the Saniyat family, but even the Kaslana family, which had always stayed out of it and only focused on fighting the Honkai, openly supported Otto, contrary to their usual practice. Therefore, the power of Schicksal was concentrated in the hands of one person like never before.
Under such circumstances, the castle council was already defunct in name only, and there was no pressure to dissolve and reorganize it.
In addition to reforming the management system, Otto also established modern public facilities such as schools and hospitals. His personally compiled textbooks were the first to open up knowledge to the lower classes, giving ordinary people the opportunity to change their original fate through knowledge. The large population base also allowed the Schicksal to select many useful talents from among them, further expanding its own power.
In addition, Otto propelled the Industrial Revolution, established factories, provided jobs, and promoted economic development. With the help of knowledge from an Otto Pre-Civilization, he accomplished by himself what would have required many people and a long time, leading to a leap in the overall strength of Europe.
It is worth mentioning that the "Eastern Expedition" event in the original timeline was transformed into a peaceful diplomatic event under Otto's manipulation. Otto himself even went to the Ming Empire to establish economic cooperation with this powerful Eastern country and exchange students to learn from each other.
When Otto returned to Schicksal, six years had passed since he became the Bishop of Schicksal.
This is also the year in the original timeline when Kallen left for the Far East and was eventually captured and brought back to Schicksal Headquarters for trial.
"Okay, let's stop here for now."
Ai Yue seemed to sense something and smiled slightly, "Everyone, what's your opinion?"
"I have to admit, Otto's performance is truly impeccable," Kiana sighed, quite moved. "If it were the Otto we know now, I think entrusting the management of civilization to him would be perfectly fine."
"That is, he won't be corrupted," Hua added, then shook his head. "However, things that haven't happened yet shouldn't be taken into account. At least for now, I think Otto can be trusted."
"We'll vote in favor too," Seele said from the side. "After all, as things stand, no one is more suitable for this position than Alto."
As for Pardofelis... she's already asleep.
"So that means it's a unanimous vote, right?" Ai Yue raised an eyebrow, then suddenly changed the subject, "In that case, should we hear other people's opinions?"
"Others?" Kiana blinked. "Didn't Uncle Kevin already go back? Are we going to call all the heroes back?"
"This is a matter of Post-Civilization, so it's pointless to ask them to judge," Ai Yue said with a mysterious smile, then snapped his fingers. "If we're going to look for someone, we should look for the locals."
With the snap of their fingers, Hua and Kiana felt a slight weightlessness, and then the surrounding environment switched to the moon, facing the huge stone statue left by Ai Yue.
"Why are we here all of a sudden?" Kiana, still a little confused. "Weren't we supposed to be looking for locals?"
"The locals are right here," Ai Yue said, pointing to the huge stone statue. "Come on, you two, put your hands up here."
Hua and Kiana exchanged glances, but still placed their hands on the stone statue as Ai Yue had requested.
The next second, the two men's expressions changed drastically, because their hands had actually pierced through the stone statue's exterior and reached inside!
More importantly, they all found something in it.
Ai Yue naturally noticed the change in their expressions and then gave the instruction. "Alright, grab whatever you've touched and pull it out!"
Kiana and Hua Du instinctively took a step back, using the opportunity to pull the object they had grabbed out of the statue. Then, an even more astonished expression appeared on their faces.
"Yae Sakura?"
"Uh, the other... me?"
Chapter 21 Is this considered using artifacts to draw cards?
For a fleeting moment, the four people standing in front of the stone statue all wore blank expressions.
Kiana stared at Raiden Yae Sakura, whom she had pulled out of the statue, her mind a complete mess. This was far beyond her comprehension, so much so that the girl's first reaction was to doubt that she was dreaming.
But Raiden Yae Sakura was in a similar situation. In her mind, one second she was enduring the pain of forcibly using the power of the Finality to maintain the stability of the timeline, and the next second she was suddenly pulled up by someone with a relaxed body. It was inevitable that she would feel a little mentally confused.
Compared to this group, Hua was much calmer. She looked at the person in front of her who looked exactly like her, but whose temperament and demeanor were completely different, and instantly realized the other person's identity.