Chapter 203
"Of course, no problem..."
Otto casually agreed, as he didn't want to waste his time on Welt.
Feeling that Otto had dismissed him so casually, Welt also moved away from the bench. To be honest, Welt felt that Otto was very dangerous, and if conditions allowed, Welt would indeed like to kill Otto.
But Welt knew very well that Otto who came to the venue was just a Soul Steel clone.
Even if this clone is killed, it will only cause Otto to lose his memory of this period of time, and will not actually have any effect on Otto.
"What is the Acting Grand Bishop thinking? Why did he invite him to this wedding?"
Welt seemed unable to guess Freya's thoughts.
However, Otto's attendance at his wedding, from a political perspective, can be seen as an acknowledgment of the alliance between Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Although this will bring a lot of trouble, Otto's presence at the wedding is enough to suppress the restless desires of various countries.
Although it deviated somewhat from the original plan, the result was roughly the same.
Siegfried, standing next to Ryoma, used the Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment multiple times, but ultimately gave up the urge to fight Otto head-on.
He also knew that the Otto who appeared at the venue was not the real Otto, and that defeating this clone would be meaningless.
The most crucial step is to pinpoint Otto's true location. In order to share the clone's memories, the clone and the original body must come into contact.
Siegfried has decided to follow Otto after the wedding.
That being said, many members of Anti-Entropy harbored grudges against Otto and were on the verge of losing their hatred for Otto.
Just then, Tesla, dressed in a white wedding gown, appeared at the cathedral entrance. The moment she appeared, everyone calmed down; they hadn't forgotten what day it was.
They glared at Otto and then sat down obediently.
233. A reunion of classmates involved in the 1955 New York events.
Regardless of Otto's purpose in coming here, Welt and Tesla's wedding has begun.
Tesla paused for a moment as he reached the cathedral entrance. The band outside the cathedral was already playing the wedding march, but the important guests inside were not prepared.
It seems that everyone has forgotten who the main character is today because they are wary of Otto.
Fortunately, Ryoma reacted quickly. He immediately pulled Siegfried to sit down, and those who noticed Ryoma's actions also straightened their posture.
Welt also quickly walked onto the stage and focused his gaze on Tesla.
Tesla looked stunning today, so stunning that Welt almost forgot to breathe. The pure white wedding dress suited her perfectly.
Her delicate face, hidden beneath a semi-transparent white veil, blushed slightly with embarrassment at the gazes around her.
Today is the most important day for Tesla.
She even decided that whoever caused trouble today, she would shoot them with Electromagnetic Sniper Cannon.
When Tesla saw Otto turn around and look at him, Tesla glared at him fiercely through his white veil.
Otto almost burst out laughing, then shook his head with a chuckle and said in a voice only he and the person next to him could hear.
"Don't worry, I have no interest in ruining other people's weddings... I just didn't expect that a scientist from Imperial Research Institute Lab 42, formerly under the Schicksal, would get married."
Otto always valued his capable researchers, but within the Schicksal's system, those who climbed to the top inevitably clashed with the organization itself.
In particular, if one wants to grow to the point where they can save the world on their own, they will inevitably have various unexpected conflicts with the Schicksal itself.
In fact, Otto didn't care whether anyone understood him or not, just as he once wanted the first Herrscher of Reason Welt Joyce to be the Grand Bishop.
He not only didn't harbor hostility towards Welt Joyce, the First Herrscher, but after discovering that Joyce possessed leadership potential, he not only admired him but also hoped to create a guardian for this world who could protect it in the future...
However, his heartfelt words failed to move Welt Joyce.
Just like the adorable hero he is currently nurturing, Otto is quite certain that sooner or later, that adorable hero will, like her predecessors, realize that her 'Dr. Otto' is not the kind of person she appears to be on the surface—in fact, he is the complete opposite at heart, just a terrible egoist.
Otto seemed to have anticipated that the North American Branch would clash with the Schicksal Headquarters.
Even if the New York incident had not occurred in 1955, Tesla would still have clashed with the Schicksal.
Otto's deepest impression of Tesla was that Tesla, who claimed to be the greatest inventor in human history, talked about freedom, democracy, benevolence and morality every day, but her research projects were weapons of mass destruction designed to serve secular hegemony. Her purpose in doing so was to make both sides in a war unable to bear the cost of war, believing that only in this way could war be eliminated from the earth.
This was a very interesting approach, and in fact, it was successful.
When the outcome of a war means that the next world war can only be fought with sticks and stones, it means that the cost of war is too high, and the so-called war itself is a political tool used to deflect various domestic problems.
When problems arise in the domestic economic and political system, using an external war to divert attention from these problems is the most suitable approach.
Otto also lamented the passing of Nancy Thomas Alva Edison.
This is a great man who dared to use high salaries and experimental funding as bait to start poaching talent from Schicksal, a rare genius who is in no way inferior to Tesla.
At that time, the world war had just ended, and the economies of most parts of the world were in ruins due to the destruction caused by the war.
After failing to poach talent, he personally visited the Schicksal Headquarters and offered a total of $13 billion in phased sponsorship fees, requesting assistance in establishing North American Branch of Schicksal, which he named the "Europe Reconstruction Plan".
Unfortunately, this genius died in the New York incident in 1955.
If such a genius lived a few more decades, he might bring a different future to the world.
As Tesla walked slowly forward, being led by a woman's hand, Otto's gaze also fell on Planck was entering the cathedral from another entrance, with a look of pleasure.
Looking at the familiar former head of the North American Branch Schicksal, Otto wanted to say, "You've really aged a lot," but he felt that if he said that, the other party would throw a black hole grenade at him without thinking.
For Otto, this was more than just a wedding; it was a reunion of those involved in the 1955 New York incident.
Welt Joyce, the central figure in the New York incident, is now being carried on by those who inherit his will and name, and the founders of Anti-Entropy are all familiar faces.
Of course, Otto was too lazy to remember the names of those minor figures, but among the executors who joined Anti-Entropy in the last decade, only Raiden Ryoma and Cocolia were worth his time to remember.
"Speaking of which, my lovely Kiana, do you know when the first Great Honkai happened? And where it happened?" Otto asked in a low voice.
"... On January 1, 1952, the first Great Honkai occurred in Berlin, Germany. In Schicksal's database, the only survivor at the center of that disaster was the First Herrscher Welt Joyce."
The database of Schicksal contains a three-year experimental report on the First Herrscher.
He then transferred to Imperial Research Institute Lab 42, a subsidiary of the Schicksal, as a laboratory assistant. It was there that Welt Joyce acquired the name Welt Joyce.
Prior to that, the First Herrscher was referred to by the researchers as the experimental subject number Ω1.
Welt Joyce was repeatedly studied by Schicksal, and he survived the cruel experiments by communicating with a pen pal, the Clown Alpha, without suffering a mental breakdown.
Since the research yielded no results, the possibility of Schicksal being Herrscher was ruled out.
To be honest, Freya can still see that experiment report now; Otto seems to have deliberately preserved this dark history.
After all, Otto was certain that Welt Joyce was the First Herrscher, but the researchers who studied Welt Joyce had not found anything.
Freya's answer was perfect, Otto's lips curled up slightly.
Otto was well aware that he was on the side of the villainous BOSS at the time.
Yes, for those energetic and righteous young people, he, a non-human who has lived for five hundred years, is like two parallel lines that can never intersect, both in terms of values and ideology.
The time has come; this is the day to devour the tyrant of the heavens. Otto Apocalypse... no, Clown Alpha—behold the sight of stars shattering!
Welt Joyce's shout at that time still leaves a deep impression on Otto.
When Otto actually used this line in the robot animation released by Anti-Entropy, he even hired a lawyer to annoy them.
However, the truth about the New York incident had long been buried by Otto. For him, the familiar faces in front of him, such as Planck, Einstein, and Tesla, these geniuses worth remembering, reminded him of everything that happened in 1955.
Freya was confused by Otto's question. She followed the direction Otto had glanced in earlier and spotted Planck with a fierce expression. Then she turned her head and followed Otto's gaze to see Einstein giving the middle finger...
Otto smiled calmly at Einstein, but Freya felt a headache coming on.
"My dear grandfather, you seem to have a knack for stirring up trouble."
Because of the New York incident in 1955, the founders of Anti-Entropy harbored an almost irreversible hatred for Otto. The paleography expert 'Finnishman' who was killed by Otto was Welt's father.
Even if Welt could compromise for the world again and again, Tesla, Einstein, and others would never believe a word Otto.
"This is nothing... my lovely Kiana, just as many people hate you right now, you have to get used to this kind of gaze."
Otto replied with a humble expression.
What a load of rubbish!
Freya indicated that she was not praising that damned bishop.
Tesla walked onto the stage, hand in hand with a female executive of Anti-Entropy; originally, it should have been a relative holding Tesla's hand.
However, Planck had difficulty walking, and Einstein chose to give up after seeing his own youthful appearance, ultimately selecting a female executor who looked like an older sister.
Of course, she only looks like an older sister. Although Tesla's appearance was fixed when she was 20 years old, Tesla herself looks petite and young. If you didn't know her, you would think she was just a high school girl.
Welt took a deep breath, and at this moment he couldn't help but feel nervous again.
There were many reasons to be nervous, but right now, nothing made his heart race faster than Otto, who represented trouble.
Welt would occasionally glance at Otto's location out of the corner of his eye. Even though Otto acted like an ordinary guest at the wedding, Welt felt that it wasn't a good thing to have the two of them sitting together.
Originally, even her own Acting Grand Bishop had started imitating Otto's hairstyle. Fortunately, Otto had already left Schicksal, otherwise... if Freya had stayed with Otto for a while longer, she might have become Otto's alter ego.
"Welt ..."
Tesla's breathing quickened with tension.
Once she stood on the stage, a hint of panic appeared on her face beneath the white veil.
Seemingly hearing Tesla's shout, Welt forcibly shifted his attention away from Otto, forcing himself to calm down and focus solely on Tesla.
On this important day, more than Otto, more than Honkai... Welt only has to face the 'Sister Tesla' who has been waiting for him for decades.
Welt forgot about Otto, but then saw through Otto's charade.
Rather, it's more accurate to say that Otto's experiments were progressing well, which gave him the leisure to accept Freya's invitation.
It was only after letting go of Otto in his heart that Welt finally saw Otto's true colors. Even so, at this moment, all Welt wanted to do was kiss Tesla's lips.
"Ahem, Mr. Welt, the vows haven't begun yet... you can't kiss the bride." The priest coughed twice, feeling ignored.
"..."×2
The two, who almost kissed, blushed furiously.
234. At least on the surface, that's how it appears.
This was a day Welt had been eagerly anticipating.
As a boy, Welt had fantasized many times about standing on a stage with Tesla to receive blessings, about bowing to each other in red robes, and about Tesla wearing a Shiromuku and drinking the nuptial wine with him...
Welt closed his eyes and drifted into memories, then realized that Tesla had always been by his side throughout his journey.
When he was struggling to come up with a plan, Tesla offered him advice.
When he was in pain because of his powerlessness, Tesla held him in his arms to comfort him.
As he felt guilty for failing to save the lives that should have been saved, Tesla pushed him forward from behind.
How could he possibly remain calm when facing Tesla?
In the past, he simply didn't have the extra time to think about what to do with Tesla.
Joachim, who had decided to give up everything for the name 'Welt', dared not relinquish the responsibility he had taken on his shoulders.
The name 'Welt' is definitely not a burden that needs to be discarded.
When Welt first inherited the name, he couldn't bear the expectations of those around him. The immense pressure led him to run away from home. Only after traveling for two years did he understand the true meaning of the name and eventually return to Anti-Entropy to take on his responsibilities.
During Schicksal time as a special advisor, as his responsibilities dwindled and he spent more and more time idly Grand Bishop's Aide Theresa, thoughts that had been buried deep in his heart began to surface.
Welt now only has Tesla in his eyes, and Tesla only has Welt in his eyes as well.
The priest, who possessed the qualifications granted by the Mandate of Schicksal, dressed in a solemn monk's robe, began to read aloud in a serious manner. The cathedral, inside and out, was the result of a lavish renovation by Raiden Ryoma.
Back when it was still the Far East Branch, Theresa, the administrator of the Far East Branch, couldn't afford to renovate the cathedral.
The priest, who was officiating at the wedding, was reading the announcement... At this moment, most of the eyes in the cathedral were on Otto.
If anyone wanted to sabotage their wedding, this would be the time.
However, Otto watched the wedding with a relaxed expression, even considering whether he and the resurrected Kallen should also have this Western-style wedding.
However, as Grand Bishop, he was not qualified to officiate at the wedding.
"Perhaps I should consider the Far Eastern style or the style of Shenzhou..."
"..." Freya was absorbing what Otto had just taught her, but she only intended to refer to a part of it.
If she were to grow up according to Professor Otto's teachings, she would never be able to escape Otto's schemes.