Chapter 283
Ultimately, the World Serpent is not Anti-Entropy.
Freya is not Otto either.
If the Anti-Entropy organization had surrendered while Otto was still the Grand Bishop of Schicksal, or sought cooperation as it does now, the Anti-Entropy organization would have faced a purge as well.
However, the timing of Anti-Entropy's almost merging alliance with Schicksal coincided with Freya's increasingly unshakeable position within Schicksal.
By using the Type-B Stigmata to win over Valkyrie, then by opening up scientific research technology to win over researchers, and then by suppressing some high-ranking officials and promoting high-ranking officials on their own side, even if Otto returns at this time, it will be difficult to shake Freya's position.
After all, Freya was only the Acting Grand Bishop, and the next Grand Bishop of Schicksal was Theresa.
After Freya introduced the new antibody, even if Bishop Otto returned to Schicksal, he would no longer be able to strip Freya of her power.
To be honest, if Theresa hadn't been so popular, and if Freya hadn't been constantly paving the way for Theresa, with many policies being issued in Theresa's name, Theresa would probably have been asked to step down by the higher-ups and the Senate the very next day after becoming Grand Bishop.
This was while Freya was focused on scientific research with the Jackal.
Although Theresa is the leader of the organization, Freya is the actual leader.
The current World Serpent Organization is just like the Anti-Entropy Organization during Otto's rule; the current leaders of the organization will definitely make things difficult for them.
Forgive?
There wasn't even a mouse hole, let alone a door!
325. Is it really that simple?
The main objective of these negotiations was to cease hostilities.
Neither Freya nor Kevin could withstand a war of the same scale as the Abyssal War.
Most importantly, Freya possesses a new antibody, which allows Kevin to see the possibility that the Stigmata Project can succeed without massive sacrifices.
Ultimately, for Stigmata Project to succeed, a large number of humans first need to adapt to Honkai Energy.
The core of the X-10 experiment that Gray Serpent induced Cocolia to conduct was to find a way to make the body fully adapt to Honkai Energy.
Although Gray Serpent's motives were impure, he took advantage of Cocolia's idea of protecting the children in the orphanage.
Kevin once carried out the Stigmata Project on a small scale, but less than one in a thousand people were able to awaken the first stage.
If the Stigmata Project were implemented worldwide at this rate, 99.9 million out of 100 million people would die from the experiments, and the current civilization, which originally had a population of billions, would eventually be reduced to only a few million.
This is the number of survivors worldwide, not the population of a single city.
In fact, it is still unknown whether the survivors can maintain their mental saneness.
At the moment the Stigmata Project is executed, they may lose their lovers, family members, brothers, and friends.
To any normal person, the so-called Stigmata Project is nothing more than a genocide plan.
This kind of desperate plan is originally the last resort of human civilization.
However, Kevin, knowing full well that the Honkai was difficult to defeat, insisted on making the Stigmata Project his primary objective.
During the 1,500 years he was trapped in the Sea of Quantum, Kevin continued to refine the Stigmata Project.
Freya and Kevin both knew the main purpose of this negotiation, and the moment they arrived to participate in the negotiation, the goal of a ceasefire had already been achieved.
Therefore, everyone avoided the topic of a ceasefire.
The reason the negotiations are still ongoing is that both sides have what the other desires, and simply reaching a ceasefire is not enough.
Freya, Welt, and the others were well aware of what Kevin wanted to exchange for by using the Soul Steel quantum computer from the Previous Civilization as a bargaining chip.
Although their side possessed a considerable number of Soul Steel Computers, and Otto often used some of them as bargaining chips, Freya and the others understood that the Soul Steel Quantum Computers Kevin offered were more valuable than those they had.
Whether it's a complete video recording of the battle with the Herrscher or scientific research technology from Previous Civilization, if the scientific research technology Kevin presents is related to Dr. MEI, then its value will increase many times over.
Based on the records in the Soul Steel Quantum Computer and the results of investigations of ruins around the world, Dr. MEI is definitely a key figure in the Previous Civilization, from the Key of Blankness the prototype of the Valkyrie Armor to the Divine Key, and the Shelter Project around the world, etc...
As for Kevin's later claim that the World Serpent Organization surrendered unconditionally.
Even if the World Serpent Organization were to merge into the Alliance, Freya would not carry out a purge. She would only purge the guilty, not the innocent. Afterwards, the World Serpent members who merged into the Alliance would inevitably be neglected.
In fact, there are also Schicksal faction and Anti-Entropy faction within the alliance.
Even with Welt, the Alliance Leader, suppressing the conflict, power struggles still occurred, and internal conflicts also existed.
In this situation, allowing the World Serpent Organization to join would be tantamount to adding fuel to the fire.
Moreover, Freya herself had no goodwill towards the World Serpent Organization.
"Mr. Kevin, are you sure the World Serpent can surrender unconditionally? Or even accept a trial by the Alliance in accordance with the law?"
Welt knew that Freya would lose her composure whenever Kiana was involved, and losing composure during negotiations meant losing the initiative.
"As I said before, World Serpent's unconditional surrender is doomed to destruction, but our alliance does not reject World Serpent's 'conditional' surrender. Mr. Kevin simply wants to deepen cooperation with the alliance. As long as World Serpent is willing to surrender, we can slowly negotiate terms with World Serpent."
Although it was Kevin who proposed unconditional surrender, anyone who takes it seriously is a fool.
However, although Welt adopted a conciliatory attitude, he definitively concluded that the World Serpent had surrendered, as Kevin had mentioned.
Whether it's unconditional or conditional, once the World Serpent is forced to surrender, it means the outcome of the Abyssal War will be overturned.
Kevin was slightly taken aback.
He didn't expect Welt to launch the attack from here.
Although the Abyssal War ended in a so-called draw, in reality, the World Serpent achieved all of its objectives. On the contrary, the Alliance only won on the main battlefield but failed to prevent Kevin from leaving the Sea of Quantum.
Since the matter involved the outcome of the Abyssal War, Kevin couldn't help but glance at Otto again.
"The Abyssal War has already been decided. The World Serpent's surrender was only to reduce unnecessary casualties and to avoid starting a second war, rather than being a result of the Abyssal War."
Kevin naturally disagreed with Welt's explanation.
The outcome of the Abyssal War also affects the morale of the World Serpent Organization.
Even though the Abyssal War was a Pyrrhic victory, it was of great significance to the World Serpent Organization.
This is the first battle since the true leader of the World Serpent Organization returned. If even he, the strongest fighter of the Previous Civilization, cannot stop Freya, then the World Serpent Organization will no longer be able to stop Freya.
"The World Serpent needs a large number of new antibodies, and the outcome of the Abyssal War will not affect our original intention to cooperate."
"Tsk, it seems Kiana told you quite a bit."
At this point, Freya had already figured out why Kevin was so confident.
He couldn't have remained so calm during the negotiations if he hadn't known the alliance's bottom line beforehand.
Hearing Freya say that, Welt leaned back helplessly.
Since Kevin learned about the League's bottom line from Kiana, the person who leaked this information must have been Freya.
"World Serpent can cooperate with the Alliance on matters such as Honkai and Herrscher. In exchange, World Serpent needs the Alliance's assistance in perfecting the Stigmata Project."
Kevin calmly stated his real request.
This was a goal that World Serpent had decided on before the negotiations even began.
With Kiana as an inside agent, World Serpent naturally knows the bottom line of cooperation for the Alliance.
Kevin's decision to bring Siegfried and Kiana back to the League had already laid the groundwork for the outcome of these negotiations.
Kevin looked at Freya and said, "It's precisely because you trust Kiana that you don't suspect whether she has other motives. No... even if she does have other motives, you won't investigate further."
Otto also realized at this point that the cooperation between the two parties had been decided long before the negotiations began.
World Serpent is willing to assist the Alliance in fighting against the Honkai and the Herrscher, but World Serpent needs the Alliance's assistance in perfecting their Stigmata Project.
But is it really that simple?
Freya and the others had no idea about the full picture of the Stigmata Project.
Even the Stigmata Project, which they now know about, is just a small part of what the World Serpent Organization has revealed.
However, the Alliance needs time to develop, time to digest the existing Previous Civilization technology, and even more time to increase the number of Type-B Valkyrie.
Once the 13th class of the St. Freya Academy's new students have grown up, even if they go to war with the World Serpent again, the outcome will not be like the Abyssal War.
Freya couldn't agree to this condition immediately.
Her eyes met Welt's, and she relinquished control of the negotiations.
"Mr. Kevin, we are indeed willing to fight against the Honkai and the Herrscher together with World Serpent, which is the bottom line that Freya and I set at the beginning; however, even if you know our bottom line, it doesn't mean that we are willing to accept this condition. We can consider this negotiation to have broken down..."
At this point, we absolutely cannot afford to lose our momentum.
Welt knew that Freya would become utterly incompetent if Kiana was involved.
The most important thing in negotiation is to know yourself and your opponent.
Unfortunately, Freya exposed her bottom line, which allowed Kevin to take the initiative in the negotiations.
Freya avoided the main objective of a ceasefire in order to secure greater benefits for her side in the negotiations.
Freya's bottom line is being able to cooperate with World Serpent.
Welt, however, believed that the World Serpent's territory should be limited, such as restricting its activities to North Africa.
In fact, the World Serpent's current base is in the Sahara Desert on the back of Africa.
But Freya ultimately felt sorry for her older sister.
That's right, Freya already knew that her sister had become a spy before the negotiations even started, revealing the Alliance's bottom line to Kevin.
But so what?
In negotiations, both parties seek to maximize their own objective value while also preparing for their maximum concession value. In other words, the concession resources available in negotiations are limited.
Kevin held the league's bottom line firmly in mind, so when he made demands of the league, he was actually just testing the three men's stance.
Even if World Serpent establishes a cooperative relationship with the Alliance, is it a cooperative relationship with Freya of the Alliance, or with Freya of Schicksal?
Kevin eventually wanted to know Welt and Otto's positions.
In fact, Kevin suspected that Freya might have conveyed the Alliance's demands to him through Kiana.
If he accepts Freya's bottom line conveyed through Kiana, it means that he and Freya had already reached a consensus before this negotiation even began.
On the contrary, Welt and Otto have unclear positions.
Kevin had a slight smile on his lips. He realized that the Alliance Leader of Anti-Entropy and the Grand Bishop of Schicksal had both been manipulated by his descendant, and that he himself might even have been outmaneuvered.
He gave Freya a deep look, who seemed somewhat at a loss.
Everyone knows Freya will become incompetent when Kiana gets involved, but what if this incompetent reaction is an act to protect Kiana?
Welt and Otto were both very shrewd. They noticed Kevin's somewhat unnatural expression and, following Kevin's gaze, saw Freya's 'performance'. They both suddenly understood.
Welt felt embarrassed. He had just taken a tough stance with Kevin, but he didn't expect that this negotiation was actually a trap set by Freya and Kevin.
Since this negotiation concerns the fate of humanity, those who are not firm in their stance should naturally be excluded immediately.
Freya is someone who will stop at nothing to protect Kiana and Aurora.
Kevin, on the other hand, is willing to pay any price to eliminate the Honkai.
On the contrary, he and Otto, the former hopes to eliminate the Honkai without involving humanity, but this is a false proposition. Both Freya and Kevin are worried that Welt will hesitate.
Otto's position was the most complex, which is why Kevin had deliberately belittled Otto before.
Of the four, only Otto was not genuinely fighting against the Honkai.
326. My revenge won't end so quickly.
When Freya, Welt, and Kevin's eyes were all on Otto realized he had been tricked.
Several objectives of this negotiation have been achieved.
Freya and Kevin, who both wanted a ceasefire, both got what they wanted.
The next moment, the conference room door was broken open, and Kiana, wearing a black cloak, barged in.
"I didn't expect you to be targeting me." Otto sighed, then glanced at Freya lips were slightly upturned.
By this point, how could he not understand that he was already out of the game?
From the moment Kevin belittled and ridiculed him, and Freya and Welt did not defend him, it meant that he had been excluded by Freya, Welt, and Kevin.
Based on this result, it's not hard for Otto to deduce that this scheme originated from Freya.
"... It's probably retaliation for me releasing Kevin."