Chaldea, Chaldea... what a money pit. After looking over everything again and again, every facility seemed useful. Better to have Marisbury use Atlas's contract documents and let them handle it. I couldn't afford this level of spending.
The core issue now was whether Chaldeas would eventually evolve into the Alien God, and whether Mash and Gudako would exist.
According to the original Fate/Grand Order timeline: In 1950, the phenomenon-recording computer familiar, Laplace, was successfully developed, and Chaldea began to be established in Antarctica.
In 1990, the pseudo-Earth environmental model, Chaldeas, was completed as Prototype No. 1. Due to insufficient funding and materials, activation of Chaldeas was abandoned.
In 1999, the Near-Future Observation Lens: Sheba was completed.
In 2000, Chaldea developed the Heroic Spirit fusion test body. Mash Kyrielight was born.
In 2004, Marisbury successfully performed a Heroic Spirit summoning somewhere, won the Holy Grail War, began trial operations of Chaldeas, and filed the Heroic Spirit Summoning System: Fate project.
In 2005, Romani Archaman, the doctor, took up his post at Chaldea.
In 2010, Heroic Spirit summoning successfully summoned the second subject, but its Spirit Origin was rejected. Romani became Mash Kyrielight's attending physician. The Heroic Spirit Summoning System: Fate was established. (Galahad)
In 2012, the head of Animusphere died. The third Heroic Spirit was summoned, yet refused to form a Master contract and remained as an unaffiliated Servant. (Da Vinci)
In 2013, Olga Marie Animusphere took up her post.
In 2014, Mash Kyrielight was fourteen years old and appeared as a staff member.
In 2015, the spiritron calculation device, Trismegistus, was completed.
In 2016, the lights of civilization observed by Chaldeas vanished. This was where the story began.
In 2016, during the great Chaldea explosion caused by Lev Lainur Flauros, aside from the rookie Master Ritsuka Fujimaru, who survived because he had been expelled from the briefing and was not at the blast site—
The other forty-seven Masters were cryogenically frozen in an emergency. More than three hundred people at Chaldea died, fewer than twenty staff members remained, and Romani Archaman held the highest position among the survivors.
That was the beginning of Fate/Grand Order, but this timeline had first ruled out Romani Archaman's appearance, which in turn negated the appearance of Lev Lainur Flauros.
Since I was about to become the director, Olga Marie Animusphere would have no chance to become director. That counted as saving her life in another way.
However, on this timeline, she should have obediently inherited the family business. Marisbury no longer held any expectations for her.
I arrived at Chaldea in Antarctica without encountering any trouble along the way.
There were not many people there to greet me: Marisbury, his disciple Kirschtaria Wodime, and a little girl who looked about three years old.
I stepped forward to shake hands. "Sorry to have kept you waiting." After some polite pleasantries, we arrived at Marisbury's office, while Kirschtaria Wodime took my technicians to verify the technical projects one by one.
Now only Marisbury, the three-year-old girl, and I remained.
Marisbury spoke. "This is my daughter, Olga Marie Animusphere. Olga Marie, hurry and call him big brother."
What an adorable little girl. She looked exactly like you—the same eyes, the same hair color.
After the pleasantries, I asked for a personnel list. There were no familiar names on it, which meant either those people had not joined yet, or they would never appear at all.
After all, even Mash was still six years away from being born. Arriving too early was its own kind of torment.
I suggested to Marisbury that we take a look around, and he readily agreed. We visited the command center, the artificial womb cultivation room, the combat training room, the research rooms, the logistics department, the staff dormitories, and finally the cafeteria.
I met three of Chaldea's only notable named members, saw an artificial embryo that might become the future Mash, and even sampled the food in Chaldea's cafeteria. Quietly, I added another cafeteria investment expense to my little notebook.
That evening, everyone gathered their information and submitted it to me for the final decision.
I examined all the data, as well as each person's individual opinions. Every opinion was pertinent and free of personal motives.
I said to Marisbury, "According to the staff I brought, if the premise is safeguarding Human Order, then these facilities are indeed necessary. But—" Marisbury had initially been delighted and excited, but the moment he heard the word "but," he became uneasy again.
The concept of saving Human Order was not difficult to understand. Human Order was the Origin of humanity on this worldline—the concept of its existence and development.
Humanity's Origin and existence were both dependent on Human Order. Moreover, the influences created by humanity—language, culture, and other products of civilization, as well as humanity's impact on the world—all depended on Human Order.
Thus, [Incineration of Human Order] meant destroying Human Order and eradicating humans or humanity from the conceptual root. This also included every creation and influence produced by humanity.
After Human Order was incinerated, the worldline where it existed would remain. Only the existence known as humans, or humanity, would disappear. The worldline itself would continue to develop.
Therefore, when we observed the incineration of Human Order, we had to go and change that outcome. After Human Order was incinerated, the worldline where it existed would remain. Only the existence known as humans, or humanity, would disappear.
The change would allow humanity to continue. After Human Order was incinerated, the worldline where it existed would remain. Only the existence known as humans, or humanity, would disappear.
What we needed to do was send people to restore Human Order at the point before humanity's incineration occurred. Literally, Human Order restoration meant repairing Human Order that had already been damaged or was about to be incinerated.
The restoration work took place before the point where the Incineration of Human Order occurred. However, Human Order restoration would not completely restore Human Order. The restored Human Order would have subtle differences from the original.
Of course, that was all for later. What I mainly wanted to say was that the Chaldeas and Near-Future Observation Lens: Sheba projects should be postponed for now, while the other projects took priority.
Marisbury stood and said, "Why? Those are the core. Every other facility is preparing for those two things."
"Easy," I said. "I'm not saying we should abandon them, only delay them. Look at the assessments given by the employees I brought."
Both Chaldeas and the Near-Future Observation Lens: Sheba could save costs at the source. Genji Heavy Industries, Genji Light Industries, Genji Technology, Genji Electronics, and other companies could produce the required parts, reducing costs to forty percent below the original price and saving a great deal.
Even if we could invest, why not choose to manufacture them ourselves?
The Genji Clan might be wealthy, but savings were still savings. Otherwise, I would have a hard time explaining things to the Elder Council. With a family this large, you should understand that.
After hearing me out, Marisbury apparently found it reasonable. "My deepest apologies. I was too hasty. We've waited this long; a little more time won't make a difference."
Before you continue