"Okay... It's okay, Otto, I can walk on my own."
Once they were some distance from the courtyard, Kallen's strength quickly returned. She hurriedly wriggled out of Otto's arms, and he didn't try to stop her.
"What exactly happened? Who was that man... You seemed to know him?" Kallen fired off three questions at once. For Otto, these questions weren't usually a big deal; he could easily spend a few seconds crafting a half-true answer to brush her off...
But he looked at Kallen, and a strange thought popped into his head: See? The reason your relationship with her is growing distant, is it because your actions are unacceptable to her, or because you deliberately conceal things yourself?
It wasn't necessarily an either/or choice, but Otto felt—at least in this moment, he felt—that when faced with questions he couldn't answer honestly, refusing directly was better than constantly burying the truth with lies, presenting a completely false "Otto" to her.
"I'm sorry... I might need some time to tell you a lot of truths... Kallen, are you willing to wait for me one more time?"
Kallen was taken aback by this sudden honesty. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she nodded vigorously. "Then... you better keep your word."
Feeling the distance between them narrow slightly, Otto's heart filled with mixed emotions—happiness, certainly, but also the unavoidable sorrow that came with realizing if he had been this honest from the start, their hearts might not have drifted so far apart unknowingly...
He glanced back at the courtyard they had just left. Since their departure, no further sounds had emerged. He let out a long breath and said, "Kallen, go inside first and look after Vera. She was quite frightened earlier. I'll stay outside and see what's happening."
"Mm..." Kallen wanted to refuse. As a Valkyrie, how could she let someone else stand outside to protect her? But while she had regained some strength, that was all it was. The "binding" the man had placed on her still lingered. Unable to manipulate Honkai Energy, her combat prowess wasn't much greater than Otto's.
Besides, if the enemy was that man or the Immortal Celestial, even at her peak strength, she would be powerless against them.
But her contemplative expression registered differently to Otto. He thought she was adhering to the fine Kaslana tradition of stubborn pride. He chuckled wryly and persuaded her, "Kallen, that child Vera... I'm not very good with her. It really has to be you..."
"I know." Kallen looked him straight in the eye, blinked rapidly, then dragged herself into the house alone.
Only after the wooden door closed did Otto slowly turn around. He had a mountain of questions for "Void Archives," a mountain of theories waiting for "Void Archives" to confirm. But was now really the best time to face him?
The current situation wasn't looking good. Although neither "Void Archives," the Immortal Celestial, nor her disciples seemed hostile towards them, who could be sure? To beings like the first two, an ordinary person like Otto might just be an amusing toy. People naturally harbor no malice towards toys, but neither do they cherish them...
And if, for whatever reason, they needed to silence witnesses... they certainly wouldn't hesitate.
"This is Mount Taixuan's internal affair. Given your special identities, it's best you don't get involved."
Well said. If only things were truly as simple as "Void Archives" claimed.
Ever since arriving on the mountain yesterday, he had sensed an unusual atmosphere. He hadn't wanted to, nor needed to, get involved in this master-disciple dispute in faraway Shenzhou. But now, it seemed impossible to extricate himself.
Setting aside everything else, the mere fact that he had brought "Void Archives" to Mount Taixuan completely eliminated any possibility of staying uninvolved.
Otto certainly didn't like passively waiting for the outcome. If he could choose, given that escape was no longer an option, he would naturally choose to proactively do something to seize even a sliver of opportunity. But "Void Archives" hadn't even given them that chance to struggle.
The power displayed by both "Void Archives" and the Immortal Celestial had utterly shattered Otto's understanding of the world built over the past twenty-plus years. Before this, he had assumed the peak of human strength was something like Kallen's father, Francis.
But seeing Kallen, Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, rendered powerless against both of them, he clearly understood that perhaps his foolish self hadn't even glimpsed a corner of the true world in the preceding decades.
And the data stored within the Void... uh, the golden cube left by Void Archives, fully proved this point. When Otto immersed his consciousness into that cube, it was like being thrown into a boundless ocean composed purely of knowledge. Strangely, it lacked any search function, but Otto didn't mind. The one piece of knowledge he desperately sought came to him the moment he entered—the story of a destroyed civilization.
Given this, he had some guesses about the identity of "Void Archives"—the Previous Era's First Herrscher, Michael, whose abilities perfectly matched what Otto learned from the golden cube. Combined with the similarity in appearance described, it was almost certain.
But he had only seen the beginning of that story. The rest required lengthy searching and deciphering. Now, Otto dared not dwell on Michael's true purpose. He was curious, of course, but the most important thing now was to protect himself, protect Kallen, protect Vera...
Besides placing hope in others, what other options were there...
Otto's steps halted. He suddenly slapped his forehead—Yes! That's right! To seek a chance of survival, why must I actively approach danger?
While no one on Mount Taixuan can spare attention for us right now, can't we just run down the mountain?
Otto quickly subjected this sudden idea to his habitual "theoretical verification." The result, naturally, was entirely feasible.
They had followed the Immortal up the mountain path. As long as they retraced their steps, they wouldn't fall into the illusion formations. And when the Immortal brought them to Shenzhou, she had arranged special passes for them. Even if they left the mountain, they wouldn't be arrested by the local authorities...
Of course, this also meant they might become wanted fugitives... But for beings of Michael's and the Immortal Celestial's level, would they need arrest warrants to take their lives?
Besides, they...
"Wait... why am I thinking like this?"
Otto leaned against the courtyard wall, gently cradling his head. Many of his current thoughts didn't quite follow logical reasoning, even containing contradictions, a stark contrast to his usual clear thinking...
"Is this... Is this it? Michael, what exactly are you trying to do?"
He quickly figured out the reason—the abnormality in his thinking wasn't because his brain was broken, but because Michael, wielding the power of consciousness, had planted some psychological suggestions during their brief encounter. That was the only plausible explanation.
"But... why would he do that?"
Otto believed Michael wouldn't act without purpose. Since he had implanted such suggestions, it must mean he needed Otto to act this way... he wanted Otto to act this way...
So, this time, should he obey the suggestion?
Otto certainly didn't want to be another person's tool or puppet, but reality didn't allow much time for hesitation and contemplation. He quickly made his choice—he dashed back to the door and threw it open:
"Kallen, grab Vera! We need to get down the mountain, quickly!"
Otto's grim expression startled both Kallen and Vera. However, regarding leaving the mountain, Kallen had no reason to refuse Otto.
But before she could respond, Otto rushed back into his own room like a whirlwind, quickly returning with a scroll clutched in his hand.
"Just bring the travel pass! Follow me, now!"
Kallen was still bewildered, completely unaware of what had transpired on the mountain, so she could only comply with Otto's decision.
She hoisted Vera onto her shoulder, only for Otto to snatch Vera away. They ran frantically, crossing the empty training ground, soon reaching the path they had previously taken up the mountain.
To prevent disturbances, this path was designed with hundreds, even thousands, of branching forks. One wrong step would lead to getting lost in illusions. This had successfully deterred countless would-be immortal-seekers over the past millennia.
But the path down was different. All forks branched upwards, meaning there was actually only one way down. Just follow it to the end. It was even easier than Otto had initially thought... Wait, forks?
Something flashed through Otto's mind, but he couldn't grasp it immediately. He could only step forward with that vague sense of understanding.
This downhill path was over two li long [~1 kilometer]. In Kallen's current state, completing such a long descent in one go was definitely strenuous.
However, as time passed, the "binding" on Kallen slowly faded. Her physical strength waxed as the restriction waned, roughly canceling each other out, resulting in little overall change.
After about ten minutes of continuous running, the surrounding mountain terrain grew gentler. Not far ahead was the final fork in the road. Otto pulled Kallen to a stop, set Vera down from his shoulder, and collapsed onto the stone steps, gasping for breath.
Despite conducting numerous experiments on himself, his constitution wasn't particularly strong. Even with half Shaniaat blood, it couldn't change the fact that he had been frail and sickly since childhood, let alone carrying Vera... Such prolonged continuous running, especially downhill, nearly made his lungs explode. His legs trembled violently, and once seated, he had no desire to stand up again.
This brief moment of respite gave him the chance to search his mind again for the elusive insight he had missed earlier—
Forks?
An absurd idea surfaced: Could it be... Michael wants to use me, someone who knows the way up, to guide someone else...?
It had to be said, his intuition had been remarkably accurate lately. Before he could mentally dismiss the ridiculous thought, he saw someone... a youkai [demon/monster]? appear at the nearby fork.
The person's face was obscured by a hood, but the swishing tail behind them was undeniably real.
"Not good!" Kallen once again clutched the cross necklace at her chest, but this time, Otto promptly stopped her hand.
"Don't... Wait. Let's observe first. She probably can't see us."
A deep sense of powerlessness washed over Otto again. How could Michael's plan be timed so precisely? Was he destined to be merely a tool, a pawn, before such beings?
The path was shrouded in the illusionary mist of Fenghuang Down. The newcomer couldn't see the situation above clearly, only dimly perceiving the two branching paths. But Otto and the others, looking down from above, had a clear view of the "youkai's" actions.
Just as Otto hesitated, debating whether to once again follow the task Michael had arranged, the youkai pulled out a shiny silver coin from her pouch.
Standing at the fork, she muttered something under her breath, then flicked her thumb. The coin spun in the air before she slapped it back down onto her palm with a smack.
"Heads left, tails right, heads left, tails right, heads left, tails right... Reveal! Hey! Left it is!"
Whether to praise her luck or not, she had chosen the very path Otto and Kallen were on.
She took a step onto the correct path, then adjusted her hood. When she looked up again, her heterochromatic eyes stared straight at Otto, Kallen, and Vera.
"Eh? You three, are you the ones Boss Michael mentioned... that... that... that whatsit?" Pardofelis tilted her chin, clearing her throat lightly, but try as she might, she couldn't quite recall Michael's instructions. Finally, relying on muscle memory, the term came out naturally:
"Bosses!"
"You are..." Kallen was confused. Vera's eyes intently followed the cat tail swaying behind Pardofelis. Only Otto, despite the girl's incomplete sentence, understood her meaning—
"You mean, the guides, right?" Otto uttered the word, filled with exhaustion.
"Ah, yes yes yes! That's the gist! Thanks for waiting for me here, you three! Boss Michael mentioned it when he told me – that I'd see you after flipping a coin for the first fork. I was wondering, if that's the case, why not just have you wait at the first fork? Even though luck's always on my side, if I picked wrong, that wouldn't be good, nya~ Sister Hua's Fenghuang Down won't cut me any slack, you know... But well, Boss Michael is Boss Michael, after all, calculating everything so..."
Here, the girl suddenly lowered her head, letting out an almost inaudible murmur:
"If only this kind of power had come sooner..."
But she quickly looked up again, her face beaming. "Alrighty then, trouble you two bosses, and this little boss here, to show me the way!"
...
"Michael, you—"
Seeing Michael construct the Abyss Flower, Hua finally couldn't remain seated.
"The only good thing that happened on the mountain today is that no blood was shed." Holding her breath, she uttered this seemingly random sentence.
She naturally trusted Michael had his reasons, his sense of proportion. Besides, she herself had handed him the authority to decide the punishment. But she also knew Michael, seeing things from her perspective, wouldn't have a favorable impression of Su Mei. In the end, she still couldn't help but want to shield her disciple, even though they had just faced each other with drawn blades...
It was, after all, a master's instinct.
But she also knew that from Michael's, or even Su Mei's perspective, such sentiment might seem foolish. Thus, she could only offer this simultaneously obvious yet subtle hint.
"Alright, alright, we all know you protect your disciples." Michael chuckled lightly. "But, Hua, if I really wanted to make a move, would I need to draw a weapon?"
Hua pressed her lips together. That seemed true indeed.
Then why did Michael bring out the Abyss Flower?
Actually, if she calmed down and connected it to his earlier words, Hua could quickly figure out his intentions.
"Perhaps to you right now, this seems more like a reward than a punishment. But only after truly weathering the tides of time will you understand what kind of torture you endured today."
Su Mei was still stunned. With her intelligence, she had guessed Michael's intentions even earlier than Hua, but she couldn't believe such a thing was possible through human effort...
"No... Don't!"
Seeing Michael raise the lance high, the youngest, Yanqing, suddenly rushed out, resolutely shielding Su Mei. Then, with a soft sigh, Lin Chaoyu stepped in front of Yanqing.
Soon, Wanxi, Wanru, and even the youngest junior sister Suyin walked over, standing together with everyone else. Only Ling Shuang remained squatting in the corner, carefully examining the fragments of the Key of Domination. She only realized everyone else had moved when she found herself alone. She said nothing, simply held the fragments between two fingers and stood beside her First Senior Sister.
"One person's actions, one person's consequences. The fault lies entirely with me. I alone will bear it..." Su Mei lifted her head, but her words were cut short by Chaoyu's rough interruption:
"And then what? You alone achieve Immortality, watching us all grow old?"
Su Mei stared blankly at her First Senior Sister's back, unsure for a moment if she genuinely wanted this "punishment" or was just saying it to lighten the mood.
But Michael gave no one a chance to back out:
"Very good. At least you still understand solidarity in hardship... Then, savor this 'gift' that mortals desperately seek but cannot obtain!"
As his words fell, nothing seemed to happen in the room, yet everyone felt a change within their bodies.
Hua watched her disciples' backs with a complex expression, increasingly unsure of Michael's true intentions. Could it be that the future he desired still required their strength?
"Hm?" Hua frowned, her gaze suddenly snapping towards the closed door. The next moment, the door was pushed open unceremoniously, and a familiar loud voice drowned out all others:
"Bad news, Sister Hua!... Eh? Boss Michael is here too..."