Invest in Chaldea, and It Becomes My Chaldea

The next morning, I went to check on Rin and Sakura first. Like a homeroom teacher keeping watch, I hid outside the window and observed them in secret. The two little girls sat in the very front row, and it looked like everyone was taking good care of them.

After that, I went straight to find Kenneth. It was a little early, but I really had nothing to do. I did not want to wander around outside anymore. Who knew if someone might take a dislike to me and come looking for trouble, only for some big shot to be backing them and causing me trouble all the way down the line.

I did not want to put on one of those arrogant face-slapping shows. I needed to lie low when I should, then come out for a stroll once I was invincible later on.

When I arrived outside Kenneth's private room, I knocked on the door and entered only after receiving a reply. They said private rooms were everyone's most mysterious spaces, difficult to enter without permission. The only exception was when someone was confirmed dead and another person came in to inherit their estate.

After I entered, Kenneth was working himself into a frenzy. He said, "A bunch of petty rats took advantage of my absence to try to carve up my interests. I'm dealing with it now. Most of them have backed off, but one or two are still refusing to let go."

"Oh, right. Take a look at this. I organized Marisbury Animusphere's information for you. You can use it as bargaining material during negotiations."

"But honestly, I can't see anything worth investing in. If you really want to find projects to invest in, I have several guaranteed-profit ventures you can join."

I smiled. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm not investing in him to make money. Consider it an insurance policy."

"Fine. I won't say any more. Just be careful." With that, he lowered his head and went back to work.

I opened the documents and gave them a look. The information was detailed. It described the Astrology Department as a group of recluses hidden away in the mountains, rarely coming down and seldom participating in the central political struggle.

The current Lord was Marisbury Animusphere. For some unknown reason, he had nearly poured the entire Animusphere Family fortune into it, yet it was still a drop in the bucket. Now, he was seeking investments everywhere.

Overall, it could be summed up in one word: poor. For a Lord to be begging everywhere for loans was truly something else. The key was that he belonged to the aristocratic faction.

Marisbury's situation was rather similar to Waver's. The aristocratic faction looked down on what he did, while the democratic faction did not welcome him either. Most importantly, no matter how much was invested, there was no hope of seeing any returns, leaving him in an extremely difficult position.

But I knew the money invested now would pay off in the future. If the Incineration of Human Order really happened, no one would be able to escape it.

Chaldea: the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Finis Chaldea, also known simply as the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Chaldea, or Chaldea.

It was a Mystic Workshop built in a location beyond the interference of any nation, capable of keeping its secrets secure.

It was said to be not an observatory that gazed up at the stars from Earth, but one built to look down upon everything on Earth from the void.

It was a research institute and observatory that gathered researchers from every field, regardless of magecraft or science, so that human history could continue for a long time with strength and resilience.

It observed a world whose full picture could not be seen through magecraft alone, nor fully measured through science alone.

It was a special agency jointly established by nations to prevent humanity's extinction—a Bad End.

What was laughable was that Chaldea had been jointly funded by various nations, yet seventy percent of its funds had come from London's Mage's Association—the Animusphere Family. That was why Marisbury was so poor.

Honestly, on another timeline, after realizing he did not have much time left, Marisbury participated in the 2004 Fuyuki Holy Grail War as a shortcut to obtaining vast sums of money.

During the Holy Grail War, he summoned Solomon, a Caster, and crushed the entire war in a single night to claim victory. He ultimately completed Chaldea, marking the beginning of Fate/Grand Order.

But on this timeline, all I could do was laugh. That poor bastard was about to get beaten into submission with money.

The wait was long. When the appointed time finally came, Kenneth took me out. He was only responsible for calling Marisbury out for me, and once we arrived, he left. It seemed he really was busy beyond belief.

After politely greeting Marisbury, I got straight to the point. Since I had already decided to invest, there was no need to fight over who held the initiative.

I opened with, "I can invest in the Chaldea you established, but what do I get? What return can you offer me?"

Marisbury had not expected me to be so direct. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Chaldea is an institution intended to ensure that human history can continue for a long time with strength and resilience. Its original purpose is to prevent humanity's extinction."

"As for what return you can receive, I can only regretfully say that if humanity stands at the brink of extinction, I can notify you in advance so you can prepare to take refuge. If no such anomaly arises, then you may receive nothing."

Seeing that I spoke bluntly, Marisbury explained just as bluntly. "In 1950, the Phenomenon Recording Computer Familiar, Laplace, was successfully developed, and Chaldea was established in Antarctica."

"Not long ago, the first prototype of the Pseudo-Earth Environment Model, Chaldeas, was completed. Due to insufficient funds and materials, however, we abandoned its activation."

"I wish to restart Chaldeas, which will require a great deal of funding. If you are willing to invest, and if your purpose is to continue human history, then I am willing to give you the position of Chaldea's director."

I was stunned as well. "If I understood you correctly, you mean that if I provide the funds to keep Chaldea running, you'll let me be the boss?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I mean."

Good grief. I had originally wanted to be second-in-command, but this was directly turning Chaldea into my Chaldea.

"I need to see your proposal, as well as a breakdown of the funding required for future investment. I will not put money into something meaningless. This is my number. I'm currently staying in London. Contact me once everything has been prepared."

After saying that, I left without looking back. Marisbury, finally coming to his senses, immediately called out, "Thank you for your help! I will prepare the proposal and project documents for your review as soon as possible. And from now on, you will be the director."

Chaldea absolutely had to be invested in. What I needed to do now was judge people. Was Marisbury truly so selfless?

In this world of magi, I could not be fooled by surface appearances. In Fate/Grand Order, Daybit revealed the truth: Marisbury was the mastermind behind the Earth Bleaching.

The Chaldeas he created was the "Alien Star." Daybit called him not an "enemy of humanity," but an "enemy of the universe," claiming that if Marisbury's plan succeeded, humanity on Earth would bear a disgrace spanning 13.8 billion light-years and be condemned as "the worst intelligent life-form born in this universe."

Daybit had therefore tried to threaten Marisbury into stopping the plan. In the end, Marisbury chose suicide. The attempt to stop him failed, and the plan went ahead.

All signs pointed to something being wrong with Marisbury. What exactly was he pursuing? What would the future bring? I would judge it with my own eyes. In any case, Chaldeas's restart plan had to be delayed first. I did not want to raise some final boss.