Otto and the Dull Goose; Faith Shattered Beyond Repair

"Durandal!!"

A gasp of surprise rang out.

"Miss Durandal?"

Watching the golden-haired girl stride quickly from the edge to the center of the venue, Shi Hen raised an eyebrow. "Please state your purpose, otherwise we can only regard it as a provocation against Anti-Entropy."

To be honest, Durandal is now clearly marked with the World Serpent's mark, so it's natural that she would be seen as an extension of the will of [Welt White] and thus be feared.

Upon hearing Shi Hen's words, Kiana and Bronya immediately became wary, shielding the boy behind them and looking at Durandal with suspicion.

"My trip here is only representing my own will."

Seeing the wariness of Shi Hen and the others towards her, Durandal simply shook her head slightly with a calm expression. "Moreover, as I just said, I am willing to support you in becoming the new Anti-Entropy Leader."

As she spoke, Durandal looked at the boy with deep emotion.

Back when she was still in St. Freya, she sensed the extraordinary will emanating from the other party.

And now, just as he said before, the young man has become the next leader of Anti-Entropy.

But she...

Thinking of the white-haired man who tricked her into going to the World Serpent, Durandal couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"..."

Upon hearing the girl's undisguised words, Shi Hen paused, then shook his head and asked, "Miss Durandal, I need an explanation."

Although you are the nominal vice leader of Anti-Entropy, we should both know that this doesn't prove anything.

"Let's just say... it's for the promise we made back then."

She spoke softly, a hint of nostalgia on her face, "Although I can no longer help you with anything on Durandal 'Schicksal side, I hope that Anti-Entropy can become better under your leadership."

When she learned from Gray Serpent that the boy and others wanted to impeach Welt White, she was very worried, fearing that Welt White would once again cause trouble recklessly.

Therefore, she used her authority as the deputy leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance to infiltrate the Ark Space in order to stop the enemy at a crucial moment.

To be fair, although she knew that her position as vice leader was practically a sham, [Welt White] seemed to have actually given her all the privileges a vice leader should have.

Upon learning that Welt White had given up on making things difficult for Anti-Entropy, and seeing the boy being questioned because of his abilities, Durandal could no longer hold back and jumped out.

Although she didn't communicate much with Shi Hen boy, she could still sense his strong will and believed that Anti-Entropy could become better in his hands.

Moreover, this can be considered as her making some amends for Anti-Entropy on behalf of [Welt White].

"Miss Durandal..."

Startled by his words, Shi Hen smiled gently. "Anti-Entropy will remember this kindness."

"This is something I should have done anyway."

Shaking her head, Durandal's gaze slowly swept over the group of Anti-Entropy Executors around her. "Now, does anyone have any questions?"

As she spoke, the girl's lance struck the ground with a crisp sound.

Kiana: "..."

She felt that she must have a problem.

Seele's abilities aren't suitable for display, and Bronya alone can't hold the fort. This is a chance she's worked hard to get, a chance for the boy to see her handsome, grown-up self!

With her cheeks puffed out, Kiana glared angrily at the dashing golden-haired girl, once again feeling the threat from this former strongest Valkyrie.

Their gazes swept over the two Herrscher beside the boy and the former strongest Valkyrie, and the Anti-Entropy Enforcers were utterly speechless.

Even if some people wanted to express their doubts on the grounds that the young man was inexperienced, anyone with a brain could tell from the leaders of the two major factions, one on the left and one on the right, that the overall situation was already decided.

Thus, with each vote of approval cast, the boy officially became the Third Generation Leader of Anti-Entropy, a position widely expected by all.

Only...

Looking at the girls standing by him, supporting him, Shi Hen couldn't help but feel like a modern-day son-in-law.

Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Shi Hen immediately announced the successful conclusion of the meeting in his capacity as the third-generation leader of the alliance.

Soon, the enforcers of Anti-Entropy left one by one, Ark Space quickly became empty.

"Congratulations on getting what you wanted, Shi Hen."

As she spoke, Durandal gave the young man a graceful smile.

"But I would prefer to remain an ordinary mecha pilot."

Shi Hen simply sighed softly at this.

Anti-Entropy paid a heavy price to make him the leader of the alliance.

Peggy: "..."

She almost believed what he said.

"If Yang could see this, he would definitely feel gratified."

He patted the boy on the shoulder Einstein gave a faint smile.

Since the Second Honkai Eruption War, Welt Yang's health has deteriorated, and Anti-Entropy has gone through a long period of decline and fragmentation.

But now, with the young man as the third-generation leader, she believes everything will be alright.

"Mother Cocolia must have hoped so too."

Upon hearing this, Peggy added, not wanting to be outdone.

Seeing that Shi Hen never forgot his original intention, Durandal couldn't help but nod secretly, and her trust in the young man increased even more.

"Since Bai has already left Anti-Entropy, please also take back my position as vice leader."

Durandal and then said.

This was something that Welt White forced upon her.

"No, Miss Durandal."

Hearing this, Shi Hen gently shook his head, "Unlike that imposter, we all believe in your character and integrity, and we believe you will not use this identity to act recklessly."

Therefore, I hope you can continue to serve as the deputy leader.

He felt that Durandal was being a bit too naive.

Is it so easy to decline the position of deputy leader?

"But ultimately, there's not much I can do to help you."

After a brief moment of thought, Durandal shook her head.

She had little interest in getting involved in Anti-Entropy, nor did she believe she could become a qualified vice leader.

"Yes, and I will do my best to help you."

Kiana echoed, her gaze towards Durandal still filled with intense hostility.

"It's just a nominal position; Anti-Entropy can afford to keep a sinecure."

Giving the white-haired girl a reassuring look, Shi Hen smiled and said, "Besides, didn't Miss Durandal just say that she would support me in becoming the leader of the alliance?"

"...All right."

After pondering for a long time, Durandal finally nodded gently.

The boy had already put it this way, so she really didn't have much reason to refuse.

"In that case, will Miss Durandal's treatment as the vice leader remain the same?"

Shi Hen asked with a light laugh.

"Treatment?"

Unconsciously blinking, Durandal felt a sense of unease creeping into her heart.

"Um... it's about salary, subsidies, and the like. Anti-Entropy will continue to pay Miss Durandal monthly, just like before."

While it may not be as generous as it was when Durandal was S-rank Valkyrie, it's still a token of our appreciation.

Shi Hen explained earnestly.

To be fair, the salaries of Anti-Entropy personnel are generally lower than those of Schicksal, let alone the Valkyrie profession, which is considered high-paying even within Schicksal.

"May I ask how you distributed them?"

She asked in a serious tone, Durandal eyebrows twitching slightly as if she was trying her best to suppress something.

"Bank transfer, of course, if Miss Durandal prefers cash..."

Shi Hen explained with an innocent expression.

Bang!

Before the boy could finish speaking, the cube on which the group was standing suddenly cracked open.

Glancing at the conspicuous crater at the golden-haired girl's feet, Shi Hen's face showed a clear look of confusion. "Miss Durandal, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered something urgent."

With a polite but slightly awkward smile on her face, Durandal secretly harbored an intense urge to punch someone.

Not only did they arbitrarily withhold her salary at World Serpent, but they also used her identity to cheat people out of their salaries at Anti-Entropy. She had never seen such a shameless person before!

Even though she's long past the age of caring about money, this is just too much to bear!

This time, she was determined to take down Welt White, even if he used his injury as an excuse!

Chapter Ninety-Six: Otto and the Penguin, a Completely Shattered Faith

World Serpent, Headquarters Base.

Just as Durandal was about to confront Welt White after withdrawing from the consciousness mapping Ark Space, she was taken aback.

Having been in World Serpent for so long, it seems she doesn't even know where the other person's dormitory is?

As she frowned in thought, a steady, unhurried footstep suddenly reached the girl's ears.

Looking up, she saw a masked man in a black robe. Durandal rubbed her temples to relieve the slight throbbing in her head caused by the mental projection, and asked, "Gray Serpent, do you know where White is right now?"

Within the World Serpent, the Gray Serpent has always been responsible for intelligence sharing, and they should be the most likely to know the whereabouts of [Welt White].

"The White Dove has already left the base."

Upon hearing the news from the girl, Gray Serpent answered without hesitation.

"What did he go off to do this time? Or does he have some kind of mission?"

Upon hearing this, Durandal's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Given Welt White's past misdeeds, she really didn't think he would do anything good.

People with malicious intentions like this should be kept under close watch!

"This is not your business."

Shaking his head, Gray Serpent spoke in an icy tone, showing no consideration for the girl's feelings whatsoever.

"..."

After staring at the Gray Serpent's electronic prosthetic eye for several seconds, and seeing that it still showed no sign of backing down, Durandal could only sigh inwardly before asking, "Is there something you need?"

If she had to say, the three months she spent in World Serpent were the most leisurely period of her life.

Aside from sending her to explore the Elysian Realm, [Welt White] did not assign her any other tasks. Even the information about Honkai disasters around the world was obtained by her after she actively applied to Gray Serpent.

Even when she occasionally stayed outside for a while, World Serpent didn't urge her at all, as if it wasn't worried at all that she would leak the organization's secrets.

She was actually quite serious about trying to outwit Welt White, hoping to find out more about him.

But it was through these events that Durandal became increasingly aware of how lazy the World Serpent was in its Anti-Honkai.

Despite the fact that this organization has forces deployed all over the world, she has rarely heard of any instances of the World Serpent directly confronting the Honkai.

I wonder what Welt White is up to?

Muttering to herself, Durandal looked at the Gray Serpent with deep doubt.

Under normal circumstances, the Gray Serpent would never take the initiative to contact her, and she would not even see him in her daily life.

It was like a ghost.