Chapter 209
Seeing Freya's seemingly evasive explanation, Fu Hua could only laugh and cry at the same time, and then brought up another matter.
Although she knew she should be the guardian of the land of Shenzhou during her search for herself, she did not find any important clues about her memories.
Fu Hua also disliked the title of "immortal".
"I think the title 'Immortal Fu Hua' is quite good. I personally believe that even if you have lost your memory, you are still the Immortal Red Kite who protected the land of Shenzhou. There is no need to deny your past... It is the result of your efforts over thousands of years."
The further back in time the legend of the Immortal Red Kite is traced, the more ancient the period becomes.
In the database of Schicksal, the immortal who stopped Schicksal's eastern expedition was none other than the Immortal Red Kite.
According to recent research on the history of Shenzhou by the Schicksal Archaeological Department, the Immortal Red Kite corresponds to Jingwei in mythology.
Meanwhile, traces of the activities of the Immortal Red Kite can be found as early as 2717 BC.
Although Freya knew that the other party was a survivor of Previous Civilization, surviving to this day through the freeze-sleep in the safe pod was vastly different from true immortality and eternal youth.
The archaeology department at the Schicksal Headquarters got into a fight with the archaeology department of the Asian Branch over the existence of immortals, and it was even rumored that the two department heads got into a physical altercation over the matter.
The headquarters' archaeological department believes that immortals do not exist, but the Asian Branch's archaeological department believes that immortal immortals do exist.
The reason they can't be found is because the immortals have all ascended to heaven and left this world.
Regardless, the archaeological department of the Asian Branch firmly believes in the existence of the Immortal Red Kite, especially during the Ming Empire, when the imperial court bestowed upon her the Crimson Heron, and every emperor would visit her at Mount Tai Xu upon High Immortal.
Those who meet immortals will enjoy longevity and the prosperity of their dynasties; while those kings who fail to pay homage to the immortals either die prematurely or their kingdoms change hands, none of them meeting a good end.
The headquarters' archaeology department scoffed at the superstitious thinking of the Asian department. However, influenced by Europe religious civilization, the headquarters had always denied the existence of anything comparable to "God".
Ultimately, it's a battle of faith between gods and immortals.
"That is your past. Although you have the right to deny it, there are probably some deep memories in your lost memories, promises that should not be forgotten... Since you are a warrior who resisted the Honkai of the Previous Civilization, then there must be another reason for Shenzhou."
"..."
Fu Hua chose to remain silent in response.
After all, she has no memory of that. Rather than denying the past, it's more accurate to say that she is unable to empathize.
After the Second Eruption War, she left Schicksal and returned to Mount Tai Xu. At Fuyun Temple, she reminisced about the past, but was unable to regain her lost memories.
At the same time, he has never been able to identify with the legendary Immortal Red Kite.
However, Freya's words did indeed stir up ripples in her heart, and several familiar figures flashed before her eyes.
Fu Hua shook her head slightly, then spoke in a serious tone.
"Acting Grand Bishop ... I am willing to undergo a thorough examination, and I also want to know if my memories can be restored."
In combating the Honkai, the goals of the Previous Era and the current civilization era are aligned.
Freya nodded to Fu Hua, then calmly took a sip of the soup. She couldn't help but marvel at how the immortal's cooking truly had an ethereal quality, and the taste was simply delicious!
The immortal before her was surprisingly enlightened, unlike her Great Ancestor, who had gone to extremes.
Ultimately, when it comes to fighting against the Honkai, the people of the current civilization are the true protagonists of this era.
If people from your Previous Era are willing to help, then so be it. If they are not willing to help, then so be it. Just don't cause trouble. Who told you to gamble the fate of our current civilization on this?
While the current civilization is able to withstand the attacks of the Honkai, thanks to the technology and Divine Key left behind by the Previous Civilization, this does not mean that people from the Previous Era can arbitrarily sacrifice people from the current civilization era.
Did the people of the current civilized era eat your rice?! You're going to join forces with the Honkai to reduce the population.
You're so outstanding, do you need Honkai to give you an award certificate?
Freya understood why her Great Ancestor harbored such extreme hatred for the Honkai. After all, the Previous Era had completely ended, and it was the Previous Era Honkai. In the process of fighting against the Honkai, her Great Ancestor must have lost many important people. To this ancestor, everyone in the current civilization era was someone who had nothing to do with him.
Clones like her are naturally out of the question; Siegfried and Kiana were descendants separated by countless generations.
Freya sighed.
In fact, she quite admired this ancestor.
If she were to experience the loss of Kiana and Aurora, even if she were to awaken in the next era with companions like Welt and Tesla by her side, Freya wouldn't be confident in maintaining her individuality. She would probably decide to fight the Honkai Consciousness at all costs the moment she wakes up.
Let alone sacrificing humans from the next civilization era who have nothing to do with them, they can even sacrifice their former comrades-in-arms.
Although she didn't know why her Great Ancestor hadn't immediately implemented the "Stigmata Project," nor why he had been imprisoned, Freya still greatly admired Great Ancestor. After all, in terms of combat power alone, he was definitely the strongest among all the people Freya knew.
Even if the Moonlight Throne forcibly evaporates 30% of the Honkai Energy within the Herrscher of Finality, causing Herrscher of Finality to reveal a weakness, not everyone can force the Herrscher of Finality to stop moving for 12 hours with a full-force attack.
In the record Freya saw, the eight strongest chosen warriors were completely overwhelmed by the Herrscher of Finality, and even the powerful warriors who broke the rules were defeated within five minutes of the start of the battle.
Considering that the Second Herrscher has only just emerged in this era, Herrscher that emerge afterward will only become stronger, Freya is indeed considering cultivating elite individuals from among the Valkyrie.
The Special Class she set up was specifically to select promising talents with these qualifications.
Freya, who was drinking soup, noticed that the conversation had reached a stalemate, so she quickly started talking to Fu Hua about other things.
"Speaking of which, Immortal Fu Hua, have you ever been in contact with the Onmyoji organizations of Shenzhou?"
Given the vastness of Shenzhou, there are countless organizations like the Onmyoji organization, established by talented individuals to fight against the Honkai. In fact, the time when the Immortal Red Kite was traveling around Shenzhou under the identity of the True Immortal Red Kite was around 1400 AD.
Under the guidance of the immortals, the people of Shenzhou learned how to harness Honkai Energy for their own use.
They called it "True Qi" and derived various methods from it.
The Shenzhou gradually formed a special ecosystem called "Jianghu" that was independent of the imperial court. Within it, the heroes of the Shenzhou spontaneously gathered together and formed "schools" that used "martial arts"—the refinement and application of True Qi—as intangible cultural assets.
Unfortunately, because people in Shenzhou like to keep these methods secret, and some even have ancestral precepts that they be passed down only to men, these methods have been lost to this day.
Even though many sects in Shenzhou still bear the name of "sect," most of them are just empty shells with no substance.
It is said that the superpowered individuals in Shenzhou who can also convert Honkai Energy into their own use are those Onmyoji who are basically hiding.
"... I am very sorry, Acting Grand Bishop, I have been recuperating in Mount Tai Xu since the Second Eruption War, and I have not had any contact with any forces since then. I have almost no memories of the period before the Second Eruption War."
"The Onmyoji organization seems to have been formed around you, but since they haven't contacted you, they must have their reasons."
Since the Onmyoji organization didn't come knocking after Fu Hua lost her memory, Freya obviously couldn't use Fu Hua as bait to lure those Onmyoji into joining the Schicksal.
Although reluctant, Freya had no choice but to abandon her goal of winning over the Onmyoji organization.
She also realized that she was being too greedy. Just bringing Fu Hua into the Schicksal was a huge profit in itself, yet she wanted to bring Onmyoji into the Schicksal as well.
"Forget it, we can plan the Onmyoji organization later. Let's focus on the end of the Previous Civilization first..."
Freya pouted and said.
After all, with the combined power Onmyoji Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, one more or one less Onmyoji organization doesn't make a difference.
Hearing her say that, Fu Hua felt quite helpless, as if she had joined some evil organization.
241. This guy really stamped it without even looking at it.
Freya's dinner with the immortal was quite ordinary; they just chatted about various topics, including her trying to persuade the immortal to participate in the test. Fortunately, the immortal was already interested in it, so their conversation was essentially just idle chatter based on their mutual understanding.
After all, the question was how the immortal knew Otto, but the immortal's impression of Otto was limited to the fact that the other man had helped him a few times.
Therefore, the only highlight of the entire dinner was the cooking of the immortals.
Unfortunately, even with the arrival of the immortals, Freya still had a lot to deal with. Even though she said that with Welt and Tesla absent, she and Theresa wouldn't push forward with new policies or plans on their own, Freya's dealings with Otto continued...
Otto provided many excellent Valkyrie candidates. Those Valkyrie with names and identities in the history of the Schicksal were all sent to the affiliated elementary school of the St. Freya Academy by Otto through various channels.
Freya even thought that the Special Class she prepared for Aurora was simply not enough to accommodate most of the high-quality candidates in the 13th term.
While many of the new students were genuinely ordinary, the clones Otto brought in were exceptionally high-quality, with several being Stigmata Awakeners.
After Freya finished dinner with the immortal, Otto sent her a special list through an unknown communication number. On this list were several clones who had once possessed Stigmata, but the clones were still in an unawakened state.
The information on the new students on this list is accurate and has not been altered in any way, leaving Freya helpless as the firewall of the Schicksal is meaningless to Otto.
In fact, Otto possessed the highest authority within the Schicksal, allowing him to bypass the firewall and modify the information of new students. Even the final physical examination before entering St. Freya Academy was conducted by Otto's people, from the person in charge of the entire examination to the staff responsible for the testing.
After all, Otto was still the Grand Bishop of the Schicksal.
Otto is not Jackal, the super traitor who is branded as a super MVP and hated by everyone in the World Serpent Organization. Although many people do dislike Otto's actions, Otto ultimately had an effect.
Instead of condemning the ruthless and cruel use of Valkyrie as expendable resources, they have no practical solutions to combat the Honkai.
Otto still enjoys considerable popularity among the people. Although most people are only concerned with their own peaceful lives, and many are even unaware of the existence of the Schicksal, many countries are protected by the Schicksal.
Many countries not protected by Schicksal also cooperated with the Anti-Entropy organization, and with the help of the anti- Honkai mech units provided by the Anti-Entropy organization, they blocked the Honkai attacks.
Therefore, the main reason why some regions smear Otto is that people who are completely unaware of the inside story are following the trend to smear Otto. They are mostly being deliberately manipulated by the ruling classes of various countries. In reality, many people don't even know who Otto is.
Even though Otto had a bad reputation in some regions, he did not actually do anything inhumane. Because of this, most of the smears against Otto were more like shifting blame, pinning all the stains on Otto for the researchers Otto indulged and the high-ranking officials of Schicksal on him.
Although Otto's indulgence also meant he had to bear half the responsibility.
However, those things alone are far from enough to convict someone.
Just as Freya always said, Otto is very good at creating character designs, and he hasn't abandoned the Grand Bishop image he created.
Compared to the true nature of a mad scientist who humbly desires to resurrect his lover, Otto's character is portrayed as perfect.
He studied philosophy and explored human nature, frankly discussed the brainwashing of religion, and spoke frankly about the meaning of religion's existence. Furthermore, through his monopolistic scientific research technology, he developed the Schicksal into an Invisible Empire in one fell swoop.
Otto is like a two-faced emperor with conflicting good and evil sides. He exposes his good side to everyone, letting them see the face full of lies and falsehoods.
Otto, still the Grand Bishop of Schicksal, can command anyone in the Schicksal at will.
Freya was ultimately just Acting Grand Bishop, and Theresa was merely Grand Bishop's Aide.
Otto publicly announced that he had chosen to go into seclusion to recuperate. To the people of the Schicksal, the Grand Bishop of Schicksal, who suddenly gave them the order, was the real big shot in the Schicksal.
He is also the grandfather of the current Grand Bishop's Aide and Acting Grand Bishop.
Freya's tough policies were also pushed forward in Otto's name. She originally planned to blame Otto if the tough policies backfired, but... she underestimated Otto's name and her own strength. Even with her tough policies, no one stopped her, and it did not provoke a backlash from the Senate or the Schicksal high command.
As a result, instead of lowering Otto's reputation, she actually boosted Otto.
"To eradicate Otto's influence, the entire Schicksal must be replaced... Simply adding members of Anti-Entropy is meaningless."
Freya looked at the list Otto sent her, and to be honest, the many outstanding talents on it really impressed her.
Although Freya is also a clone, she knows that clones are easily discriminated against.
However, these exceptionally talented clones will become the backbone of the fight against the Honkai or the search for coexistence with Honkai.
Moreover, Otto handled the beginning and end details very well. Trying to investigate the clones' backgrounds would be impossible to uncover their identities. In other words, they were all designed to have complete life stories. You could even find the clones' neighbors through the records, and the neighbors would certainly have some impression of these clones.
Most importantly, Otto added an irrefutable excuse to their identities.
It has to be said that the information Otto prepared for these new students, plus the fact that he was a survivor of the Second Eruption War, was so useful that it could explain everything.
A blurry memory? Oh, that's because of the shock of the Second Eruption War.
Orphans dead? Oh, that was all too common during the Second Eruption War. There were even cases where an entire family died but the person who survived survived.
Outstanding talent? Survivors of the Second Eruption War who survived must all have exceptional talent.
Some people may wonder why most of the new students in the 13th class of the affiliated primary school are survivors of the Second Eruption War.
In reality, it is precisely because they are survivors of the Second Eruption War that they possess extremely high Honkai Energy adaptability. On the contrary, some more ordinary newcomers, such as Delta, have very mediocre performances.
Even Bianca, whom Freya was concerned about, was listed in the data as a survivor of the Second Eruption War.
In fact, in the Special Class corresponding to the 13th batch of freshmen, the class led by Aurora, most of the girls from the Cocolia Orphanage were survivors of the Second Eruption War.
This list is actually Otto's urging letter.
With Welt and Tesla gone, no one can restrain Freya from conducting any dangerous experiments.
The experiment to awaken the consciousness dormant within the Divine Key has too many uncertainties.
Freya, however, had no choice but to accept the deal, considering the excellent replacements Otto had offered.
As for the Judas' Oath... well, once Theresa becomes the Grand Bishop's Aide, she can no longer get close to the battlefield, so Freya already had an excuse to take it back. Theresa's next step is the position of Grand Bishop, so she should focus on learning how to run the Schicksal.
Freya also suspected that Otto abandoned Amber so that Amber would assist Theresa, that simpleton.
If she were to serve as the Grand Bishop's Aide, Freya would certainly have a basic understanding of each policy, unlike Theresa who simply stamps the document without thinking.
Yes, this guy really stamped it without even looking at it.
Compared to Welt's role as special advisor, her position Grand Bishop's Aide was more of a formality.
Even if Theresa says she did this because she trusted her, Welt, Tesla, and the staff she managed, but... you are the Grand Bishop's Aide!
In other words, they are prospective Grand Bishop or Grand Bishop candidates.
Her position Acting Grand Bishop was actually a superfluous one, and the Schicksal didn't really have any Acting Grand Bishop.
If Otto hadn't given her sufficient authority when he left, Freya's scope of work would actually be the same as Theresa's adjutant.