Faced with the helpless expressions of the researchers, although Cocolia was extremely anxious inside, she chose not to make things difficult for her subordinates.
After all, it had only been a day since Bronya contacted her. Even if the Honkai energy had dissipated, the bio-chip in Bronya's brain that had been affected might not be functioning normally yet.
She knew very well how capable her own staff was.
Cocolia was the one with the least seniority among the Executors, aside from Sin Mal. The manpower a junior member could gather was naturally far inferior to the two veterans and Raiden Ryoma.
Getting angry now wouldn't help matters. Rather than ruining her image by losing her temper, it was better to be magnanimous; this would also soothe the hearts of her people a little.
"It's fine. This matter is difficult in itself. Everyone has worked hard; please put in a bit more effort during this period."
"Yes!"
Seeing her subordinates heave sighs of relief, Cocolia walked out of the room and returned to her own office within the Anti-Entropy headquarters to ponder her next countermeasures.
That idiot old man, Magi, had decided to completely rebel against Schicksal because of his granddaughter's death.
According to the news he sent out, within this month, he would use 'researching the Gem of Serenity' and 'preparing data for the next Artificial Herrscher experiment' as excuses to bring the Gem of Serenity out and hand it to Cocolia.
After successfully making contact with Cocolia, Dr. Magi, having joined Anti-Entropy, would assist Cocolia in analyzing the intelligence of the Gem of Serenity.
Of course, this was what Cocolia told Dr. Magi.
In reality, she had absolutely no such intention.
Sigh, why bother with the troublesome analysis of the Gem's abilities? What I want is a Herrscher who can use Authorities, not to actually conduct research.
Humanity doesn't have much time left, and humanity is simply too weak in the face of the Honkai.
If we don't think of a way to use the Honkai's own power to fight against it, how can we humans ever defeat the Honkai?
Instead of dawdling with research, it's better to choose to use liquid Honkai Energy crystals to guide the Gem of Serenity, directly triggering the 4th Eruption and bringing the Herrscher of Death into this world.
Raiden Mei didn't die, nor did she continue to cause trouble. This indicates she has already controlled the Herrscher's power to a certain extent.
From that point of view, there is no problem with my plan. Humans can master the power of the Honkai to fight the Honkai.
As for the location of the Eruption... Heh, Singapore, that neutral nation, actually wants a piece of the pie in these chaotic times.
Since this so-called neutral country is preparing to defect to our side, I might as well use it as the bedrock for creating the 4th Eruption.
Although Cocolia understood very well that sacrificing a neutral country defecting to her side right there and then would increase the probability of other neutral countries defecting to Schicksal in the future, but still...
It goes back to that saying: humanity doesn't have much time left.
Consider future matters in the future. Rather than being politically troubled and constrained later, Cocolia felt she should prioritize creating a 'Human-aligned' Herrscher.
If she could successfully become a great hero in the fight against the Honkai, then in the future, other countries wouldn't come to seek justice from her for a blown-up Singapore.
After all, history has always been written by the victors. If Cocolia could succeed in fighting the Honkai, then someone would whitewash the fact that she blew up a country or two without her even needing to lift a finger.
As for failing to fight the Honkai...
If we fail to fight the Honkai, all of humanity is done for. If everyone dies holding hands, it doesn't matter what her reputation becomes.
Cocolia had always believed that the conservatives, including the Sovereign, were too lukewarm in their conduct, which was why they had been suppressed by Schicksal for so many years.
It was precisely for this reason that Cocolia's current operational policy came down to two words—Unscrupulous Measures.
Don't worry about small matters after winning, don't worry about the future after losing—this is humanity's current situation.
Those who achieve great things do not bother with trifles. As someone doing big things, Cocolia just felt that Magi was too slow in stealing the Gem.
She wished she could induce the 4th Eruption right now and see if she could create a relatively controllable Fourth Herrscher.
If this plan succeeded and she held two Herrschers in her hand, even if the Sovereign returned, he wouldn't dare underestimate the concrete strength of the radical faction.
Combined with the two Welt clones and the Titan battalion in her hands... Hmph, let alone the Sovereign, even that fellow Otto wouldn't dare provoke me easily then.
That's right, my current cause is justice.
So—I haven't done anything wrong at all!
..................
At the same time. Anti-Entropy.
Inside the medical bay, Siegfried looked at Einstein, who was studying his physical examination report, and finally chose to wait silently for her to speak first.
Several minutes later, Einstein, having finished reviewing the data and reaching a conclusion, spoke to the old friend before her.
"Mr. Siegfried, congratulations. Your body is improving."
"Is... improving?"
Siegfried moved the arm he had received from Aaron and asked with some confusion.
"What does that mean?"
"Simply put, your body originally couldn't perfectly control itself because you overused the activation potion, which caused the awakening of the Kaslana [Power of Deliverance]—or rather, activated the Meta-Morph Factors within you. While this surged your power, it also made you unable to control your body perfectly."
"That is true. But now, I feel my control over my body has increased... You mean to say, this is all because of this arm?"
"That is correct."
At this moment, a peculiar light flashed in Einstein's eyes as she looked at Siegfried.
"Before I state the subsequent conclusion, I need to ask one thing. Mr. Siegfried, I don't doubt your character, but..."
"—Do you really not have an illegitimate son?"
"Dr. Einstein! How could you have such a strange idea!"
Thinking of his just-resurrected wife, Siegfried immediately spoke in a panic.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! My wife and I are loving, how could I do something that would betray her!"
"But based on the intelligence Patrick sent back at the time, you seemed to have touched the butts of all the Valkyries in Schicksal..."
"That little girl Shigure Kira...! She started that rumor!"
"Alright, the joke ends here. I guessed you wouldn't do such a thing."
Seeing Einstein speak so calmly, Siegfried said helplessly.
"Stop with these jokes. My lifetime reputation can't be ruined here."
"Mm, then let's continue. Simply put, after verifying the blood we detected in this arm, we found there was a slight issue with the DNA in the blood."
"Looking at this DNA in isolation, there's no issue. But once we mixed this DNA with yours, we discovered—this DNA has similarities to your DNA in certain aspects."
Huh?
What the hell???
"And combining it with your sensation, this arm really does contain 'Meta-Morph Factors.' That can only mean the Meta-Morph Factors on this arm are assisting you in adjusting your bodily defects."
This sounded even more mystical. Meta-Morph Factors are strong, yes, but they are double-edged swords. Do they really have that function?
"Dr. Einstein, are you sure this conclusion is okay?"
Listening to Einstein's conclusion, Siegfried said helplessly.
"How could such a dangerous thing as Meta-Morph Factors help me adjust the physical defects caused by Meta-Morph Factors?"
"Normally speaking, your conclusion is correct. But remember what I just said? This DNA has similarities to your DNA in certain aspects."
"Let's not mention the illegitimate son joke again. After all, strictly by DNA paternity testing, you and the owner of this arm definitely wouldn't test as relatives. But I suspect that because the DNA might share some similarities, the activated Meta-Morph Factors on the arm also share certain similarities with your Meta-Morph Factors."
"We have analyzed quite a bit of new intelligence from the records left in Soulium by the Previous Era over these years. Combined with that intelligence, the conclusion I just stated is not impossible."
"Then... what's going on? I was the only one who used the activation potion back then, right?"
"Yes, but you returned to Schicksal afterward. You were an alcoholic and a mess for several years; can you guarantee that people from Schicksal didn't have the chance to steal daily items you used after taking the activation potion?"
"...Holy sh*t?!"
Siegfried wasn't a total idiot. Hearing Einstein go this far, he exploded on the spot.
"That dog Otto used the DNA with my activated Meta-Morph Factors to make clones?!"
"Yes, Tesla and I discussed the possibility of this matter before. According to the intelligence we dug up from St. Freya Academy, the [Siren Project] is still being executed inside the cathedral beneath St. Freya Academy."
"Originally, since Sirin's soul had been born, there was no need for this project to continue. But now, after your benefactor appeared, I discovered something."
"The [Siren Project] indeed has no need to be executed, so this is likely a cover. Those test subjects labeled [Siren Project] might actually be test subjects for a [Siegfried Project]."
"Otto may have privately researched and manufactured test subjects capable of using Meta-Morph Factors—this is what worries me the most."
There is an unpleasant but very logical saying in Shenzhou.
When you see one cockroach, there are actually a thousand cockroaches in the dark.
Now that a suspected test subject calling himself Aaron has appeared before them, that means one got out—so among the remaining test subjects, how many possess such powerful combat capabilities as him?
Siegfried hadn't fought Aaron for long, but he could at least tell that Aaron must have had some encounters, which allowed him to resurrect his wife, Cecilia.
Normal test subjects certainly wouldn't have the combat power Aaron had to beat down a weakened Siegfried and a weakened Cecilia, but even if those test subjects had one-tenth of Aaron's combat power, that would be terrifying.
"That bastard, dog-animal Otto! How long is he going to mess around with this crap!"
"How should I put it? If Mr. Otto stopped doing these things one day, I think I'd have a bigger headache—that would mean he's really planning some huge news for us."
"In any case, Mr. Siegfried, if you rest for a while longer, you should be able to move normally. Regardless, this is ultimately a good thing."
"Wait, Dr. Einstein, I have an important question to ask you."
Thinking of something, Siegfried suddenly began to tremble all over.
"Young Aaron's DNA and mine are just a *little* similar, right? We aren't father and son by DNA, right?"
*Damn, damn, damn. If Aaron and I count as father and son by DNA, then he and Kiana...*
*Shit, even if Aaron is our family's benefactor, I can't agree to this marriage!*
*Kiana, could she have already gone that far with him?!*
Watching the increasingly panicked Siegfried before her, Einstein just felt that Siegfried had changed a lot since coming back this time.
The original Siegfried, unable to protect his lover and two daughters, coupled with his constantly failing body, had been in a very sullen state.
But now, Siegfried was like a different person.
The rumored Siegfried was a pervert and a goofball. Of course, later intelligence proved the pervert part was a rumor, but the goofball part had long been confirmed.
Looking at this Siegfried who was starting to exude the vibe of a comedic relief character, Einstein suddenly felt—this was the real Siegfried.
"Although I don't know what you're thinking, the DNA is indeed only slightly similar. You aren't father and son by DNA, and Kiana and he don't count as 'siblings' either."
"Phew... that's good."
*At least this way, I can rest assured letting him stay by Kiana's side.*
*But speaking of which, since my strength has returned, once I fully recover...*
*Otto, it's about time we settled our accounts!*
..............................