Chapter 433

Diplomacy and trade with other countries are essential. Although the Alliance can achieve food self-sufficiency by relying on Valkyrie with plant-type Stigmata power, the Alliance's various equipment and technological development have to rely on factories and raw materials from other countries.

For example, the building materials needed for airships must rely on the output of various countries, since the Schicksal does not have any mines.

Let alone manufacturing high-strength alloys, there are no raw materials available for even copper or iron smelting.

Despite her dislike for various countries, Theresa still cooperated with them with a smile, and the alliance now has many mines and factories thanks to Theresa's efforts.

Freya underestimated Theresa's growth, Welt and Tesla failed to see through her heart. In the end, Theresa was not a mascot.

"I concede."

Welt raised his hands and sighed.

There are some things you can choose not to understand, but there are some things you must insist on.

"However, I do not intend to give up my principles. If I were just an insignificant history teacher in a certain country, I would pray for help in my heart when faced with the disaster caused by the new Honkai disease. I hope that whoever it is can save me."

Welt spoke calmly, completely empathizing with the perspective of those ordinary people, to answer his reasons for persisting.

Having witnessed the Battle of New York and the death of his respected Welt Joyce, as well as the desperate struggles of his important comrades, Joachim - Welt wanted to protect this not-so-beautiful world because those people had shown him its beauty.

"Huh!!"

"Well!"

"Tsk."

Neither Freya nor Theresa expected that, despite having successfully persuaded Welt, the situation would suddenly take a turn for the worse.

"Freya, Theresa, please allow me to withdraw from the alliance."

"Stop joking. If you leave the alliance, you'll be even less able to protect the people you want to protect. Hmm, it seems like Plan B is the way to go."

"Huh, Plan B? Freya, I've never heard of that!!"

Now it was Theresa's turn to be dumbfounded, Tesla drank his tea, pretending he wasn't there.

She underestimated the speed at which some people grow, but she also underestimated someone's unwavering dedication over the past decade.

"The migration plan will continue. After most of the people have been transferred to the moon, you and I will be responsible for signing new treaties with various countries."

Freya said with a rather helpless expression.

Although the so-called Plan B was initially proposed, even if Welt agreed, there would still be disputes along the way. Fortunately, Plan A was very successful. Plan A made Welt realize the truth, so it was naturally easier for Welt to accept Plan B.

However, this also means that the alliance will directly compete with the rulers of various countries.

503. Uh... you should have said so sooner!

"Although I don't want to interfere in the regimes of other countries, if we let them run wild, it might trigger another world war."

It must be said that humans are highly aggressive creatures; when there are no powerful enemies, they will target their own kind.

Freya didn't want to meddle, but she couldn't ignore Welt's thoughts.

"The so-called Plan A is like what you experienced. Theresa and I worked together to make you understand what the alliance would face if it interfered with the governments of various countries. Under the influence of the new Honkai disease, each country has the power to oppose us to some extent, so that you would give up your unrealistic ideas."

"Although other countries previously possessed the power to deter us, so-called nuclear deterrence was easily interfered with by Honkai Energy. Now, the impact of the new Honkai disease has made up for their shortcomings."

Today, more and more ordinary people in various countries are becoming infected with the new Honkai disease, and those infected are gradually showing signs of using Honkai Energy.

Although it has caused a period of panic in society, it has also drawn attention to this phenomenon of unknown origin. After learning that the new Honkai disease originated from Honkai Energy infection and that those infected with the new Honkai disease can use 'superpowers' through Honkai crystal, the dependence of various countries on the Alliance is decreasing sharply.

Clearly, various countries intend to use those infected to fight against the Honkai Beast, which is why the Valkyrie who are supposed to provide support in the recent Honkai battlefields have been neglected.

If the new Honkai disease only manifests in this way, and if it only gives ordinary people the power to fight against Honkai Beast, then it is not enough to make Freya make the decision to accelerate the construction of the lunar base.

While noticing the impact of the new Honkai disease, Freya also anticipated that the new Honkai disease must have some unknown infectious characteristics, and that the rulers of various countries would definitely notice this characteristic—100% death and becoming a source of infection.

After all, past Honkai Sickness had similar symptoms, such as the Black Death that swept across Europe.

However, the new Honkai disease has granted the ability to use Honkai Energy, or rather, it has reduced the difficulty of manipulating Honkai Energy.

To control Honkai Energy requires a certain level of mental strength, or the use of technology as a substitute.

Honkai Energy weapons mostly belong to the latter category, while Valkyrie are a combination of the former and the latter, since the Stigmata within them, as well as the artificial Stigmata used previously, are all technological products.

The Yomotsu Hekitsuhime Antibody created by Jackal cannot directly manipulate Honkai Energy like the Stigmata system created by Mei, but the most important thing about the Yomotsu Hekitsuhime Antibody is that it allows the holder of the antibody to be more adapted to Honkai Energy.

The former, who manipulates Honkai Energy, must bear some burden. The corrosive properties of Honkai Energy will continue to accumulate. Just like many Valkyrie in the Schicksal era, due to overloaded battles, their artificial antibodies collapsed. Their bodies were eventually paralyzed by the erosion of Honkai Energy, losing not only the ability to continue fighting, but also the ability to stand up.

However, Bianca's Honkai resistance increases with the amount of Honkai Energy she comes into contact with. In other words, if the amount of Honkai Energy is not enough to kill her in one go, she can tolerate that amount of Honkai Energy and become immune to its erosion.

This is also the inspiration for the Yomotsu Hekitsuhime Antibody.

Freya even suspects that the emergence of the new Honkai disease is because she and the Jackal created the Yomotsu Hekitsuhime Antibody.

Just as her anti-Honkai wave power increased and became more effective at suppressing Herrscher, the Honkai Consciousness immediately took targeted countermeasures—stopping from descending upon Herrscher and controlling Honkai Beast to evolve towards becoming smaller and more agile. This is also the origin of the Humanoid Honkai Beast.

Now, is this new Honkai disease that gives ordinary people the ability to fight Honkai Beast a response made by Valkyrie and Fusion Warrior because they are no longer afraid of Honkai Energy erosion?

Being able to fight Honkai Beast also means being able to fight Valkyrie and Fusion Warrior.

Moreover, nothing destroys civilization more easily than letting humans kill each other. Historically, some people affected by Honkai Energy attempted to wage world wars. Even though the Schicksal and the World Serpent Organization dealt with those people in secret, it still triggered two world wars.

At the same time, it is because of the covert activities of the Schicksal and the World Serpent Organization that the rulers of various countries no longer step forward. The current rulers are all hiding behind the scenes manipulating those countries. Even if problems arise, they will just change the puppet they are controlling.

If the countries previously posed only a slight threat to the alliance, then in the future, they will indeed cause trouble for the alliance.

From a certain perspective, Freya and Theresa's efforts to date have been in vain.

Freya has done many annoying things so far. In order to take all the responsibility, she gave up her position Grand Bishop's Aide. Although she is still a candidate for the next Grand Bishop, she actually gave up the power she held. Her attitude was to show the countries that the alliance would be led by Theresa.

Theresa's performance indeed satisfied Freya.

However, the friendly relations that Theresa had painstakingly built with various countries would all be wasted due to the changing situation.

The new Honkai disease is like poison coated with syrup. The greater the benefits that countries gain from the new Honkai disease, the heavier the bitter consequences they will bear later. But once the benefits are in your mouth, they are not so easy to spit out.

Freya patiently explained Plan B to Welt.

If we put ourselves in the shoes of ordinary people, those ordinary people originally had no power to resist the upper class. Whether they became infected and were used, or silently died from the corruption of Honkai Energy, they had no ability to resist.

They may be ignorant, short-sighted, or greedy, and may not be worthy of saving, but when they encounter disaster, they will all yearn from the bottom of their hearts for someone to extend a helping hand to them.

In Freya's view, Welt, who possesses the characteristics of a savior-type protagonist, is perhaps the person most needed by those who are helpless.

This is why Freya's Plan A, which was clearly successful, actually forced Welt to choose to withdraw from the alliance. Fortunately, she had prepared Plan B in advance.

Plan B is roughly about ensuring one's own safety first, and then figuring out how to save others.

Freya is ultimately different from Welt, who is willing to sacrifice himself to save others. She always adheres to the idea that you must save yourself before you can save others. Only when you are safe can you save others.

Many people risk their lives to save others and may indeed win applause, but such applause and fame can never be equal to the weight of life.

Even though she saved lives, she sacrificed her own, which Freya found utterly unreasonable.

From an ideological perspective, Freya believes she can never understand Welt. Even though she can sacrifice herself for Kiana and Aurora, she can choose to live for Rita, but she can never sacrifice herself for strangers.

Although the two sides could not reach a consensus on their ideas, they could cooperate on the goal of saving lives.

After patiently listening to Freya's Plan B, Welt fell silent, seriously considering Freya's suggestion.

Welt is not a pure saint; he simply helps others without needing a reason, nor considering interests or positions. It is always because this imperfect world has beautiful aspects that he wants to protect, and he also places his companions in a higher position.

"I understand. Please let me take back what I said earlier..."

Welt was somewhat embarrassed at this moment, as he hadn't expected Freya to have accurately predicted his personality.

"So, I suppose all the governors have reached a consensus?"

Theresa couldn't help but sigh.

Aside from the Seven Archons, among the other people with regent-level authority, only Welt firmly opposed Freya's plan to accelerate the construction of the lunar base.

Among these people, quite a few could predict Freya's true thoughts, after all, they had worked together for so many years and understood Freya's inner changes to some extent.

However, Welt was the only one who still chose to oppose the opinion.

Over the years, he is the only one who has not changed.

Of course, it's not to say that there have been no changes. After all, he is very different from Welt Two in the parallel world, and when Welt Two was still in this world, Welt often mocked him.

Yes, the married self mocks the unmarried self.

Freya smiled and then said.

"Next, we should get Ryoma to speed up the construction process."

"Yes, I will also go to the moon to help, since Herrscher can move around without spacesuits."

Welt nodded in reply, then looked at Freya.

"That's true. Aurora, Kiana, and I will also help."

"There are quite a few Herrscher in the Alliance. Not to mention those Artificial Herrscher, Mei and Aurora have also entered the mature stage of Herrscher, but they don't seem to be as strong as Freya back then."

Feeling Welt's gaze, Freya sighed softly, naturally understanding what he wanted, and answered. However, her answer drew a sigh from Tesla, and everyone in the tea room fell silent.

No problem, it's the Herrscher of Herrscher, after all.

"That's normal. Although Aurora also has Finality Mode, her body is only evolving into a normal Herrscher of Sequence. Mei is the same. However, the maturity of the two of them is already stronger than that of the Herrscher of Sequence at the beginning of the Previous Civilization. After all, their foundation is not low."

The strength of Herrscher depends not only on their current stage but also on their Herrscher. Herrscher who uses a little girl as a vessel is weaker than a Herrscher uses a warrior as a vessel, even when they reach maturity.

Just like the Second Herrscher chose a little girl as her vessel, and the Fourth Herrscher in a parallel world who chose Valkyrie as her vessel.

Although Wendy, the Fourth Herrscher in the parallel world, performed extremely poorly, in reality, considering the future situation, she fought three top-tier Herrscher at the same time, and in the end, she was not defeated head-on, but was ambushed.

"My physical strength has been abnormal from the beginning, which basically confirms that I am a backup vessel for the Herrscher of Finality. Although eliminating me and Kiana will not prevent the Herrscher of Finality from descending, killing me and Kiana will prevent the Herrscher of Finality from finding a suitable vessel for a short period of time, and even if it descends, it will be several times weaker."

Tesla, Welt, and Theresa all rolled their eyes at Freya.

Even though Freya has revealed some inside information, it doesn't mean they will obediently accept it.

The following day, Freya convened another meeting of governors and presented Plan B at the meeting.

Perhaps because they didn't expect that Welt, the most stubborn person among them, would agree, the others were more or less dumbfounded. Ryoma was holding a remote meeting in the Space Fortress, even accidentally floated towards the ceiling.

After understanding the core of Plan B, Ryoma's face immediately fell.

"Wait, wait a minute, you mean, compress the original six-month construction period into one month? How could I possibly do that?! Let alone expand it tenfold?!"

Ryoma deeply understood the feelings of those who had previously collaborated with MEI Corporation. Back then, as the client, he naturally hadn't considered the other party's feelings. But now, he had a sense of karma coming full circle, and he wondered if this was retribution.

"Don't worry, I'll add more money."

"It's not about paying more money!!"

Ryoma had returned from the ceiling to the screen, shouted.

Mei blushed and covered her face, feeling that her father was somewhat embarrassed. However, she could understand her father's feelings.

Freya had previously proposed to speed up the construction of the lunar base, but she didn't mention expanding the area tenfold or compressing the six-month construction period into one month, so Ryoma readily agreed at the time.

Compressing the six-month construction period to four months would be considered a 50% improvement in efficiency. However, Freya not only demanded a shorter construction period but also an expanded area, which was equivalent to increasing the difficulty by sixty times.

Ryoma suddenly felt that reality was just a piece of trash, a game that completely lacked logic and reason, and there wasn't even a place to complain!

"Alright, stop complaining. Aurora, Welt, and I will help. I'll teleport the Artificial Herrscher team to your location tomorrow."

"Uh... you should have said so sooner!!"

Ryoma said with a somewhat bitter expression.

Although the Valkyrie with their supernatural powers could speed up the construction, their powers alone were simply not enough to expand the planned lunar base tenfold. Ryoma had considered using the power of the Herrscher Valkyrie, but ultimately he didn't think Freya would lend him the Artificial Herrscher team.

Although Freya agreed to lend the Artificial Herrscher team, Ryoma was still troubled by her unreasonable demands. Even with the addition of the Artificial Herrscher team, it could only solve the problem of shortening the construction period. To actually expand the base area, a large amount of construction materials would be needed.

Given the current situation in various countries, it cannot be ruled out that they might form an alliance in this regard.

Just like Freya deliberately created obstacles in the process of training Valkyrie for various countries, although it wasn't exactly retaliation, it did cause trouble for the Alliance.

Although there have been signs of a breakdown in relations between the alliance and individual countries in recent years, countries will seek opportunities to terminate their treaties with the alliance before the infected individuals reveal that characteristic.

"Of course I did it on purpose, otherwise, how could I see you in such a disheveled state!"

Freya replied with a mischievous grin.

504. It really was you, you bastard!

In the month since the official commencement of the lunar base construction plan, the Alliance has indeed encountered some troubles, and the effects of the new Honkai disease have gradually taken hold.